"A Picture Says A Thousand Words",

this one says at least three!

All the best for 2013!

"Oh Christmas Tree..."

 

We have a beautiful Jack-Pine Christmas tree this year that stands 15 feet.

We hit the ceiling fan while raising it. My husband drew the short straw and

had to 'throw' the lights on the tree. We have secured it to the walls with a heavy fishing line. This tree would quite literally 'take down the house' if it were not steady. You'll notice that we don't have a topper on our tree, the decorations get a little sparse the further you get from the top of the ladder!

Happy Holidays Everyone! 

 

 

EGG SHELL  ORNAMENTS

These are pictures of eggshells that I have painted on for Christmas tree ornaments. I still have some for sale if anyone should want a unique gift. The ornaments are sold for $15.00 a piece.

 





$10.00 each                                                                                                                                    Set of 3 $25.00

 

A  BRIGHT  IDEA  FOR  CHRISTMAS 

I decided to recycle some old and odd shaped lightbulbs. To my delight they have made some pretty cool Christmas tree ornaments. I sell my large lightbulbs for $10.00 each and the smallest for $6.00. I do have sets that I sell at individual prices.

 

 

 Warden At The Wetlands

This eagle had a great view over the wetlands this week. I photographed

 him in the same tree for two consecutive days. He would not fly off and display

his fabulous wings for my camera though. After an hour of watching him in the

tree, I was cold and tired and headed home for a hot cup of coffee.

Trio Of Bees

 

I decided to try my husbands idea of putting

the three of my bee prints together on a

12 x 24 frame and I am quite pleased with it.

I displayed it this past Saturday, Nov. 24th,

at the Community Hall in Canal Flats.

We had a very nice show!

An Isaac Original

This is a picture of the small example that Terry Isaac painted of my photo of poppies. I attended a workshop in Penticton with Terry in mid-October and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I learned a lot from Terry's critique of my own paintings and those of the other students as well. For anyone who desires to paint "photo realism" I highly recommend taking one of Terry's workshops.

 

PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH TERRY ISAAC

On October 12, 13 & 14, 2012, I was fortunate to attend an advanced workshop in Penticton, B.C. with Terry Isaac. He is a wonderful instructor and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. These are photos of a painting that I began and worked on while at Terry's Gallery. The reference is a photo of my golden retreiver, Max.

 

    

 

 

 

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

 

 

40th Wedding Anniversary

RUBY RED

 

 

     This Saturday, October 27th, I threw my parents a surprise party for their 40th Wedding Anniversary. My mother's wedding bouquet was yellow roses. Being that the ruby is symbolic for 40 years I bought red and yellow roses which my Aunt used to decorate their cake with. My Aunt brought these  mini yellow roses and used a  RUBY RED GRAPEFRUIT  as the vase! How unique is that! We had a lot of fun!

 

Busy Bee!

 The third in my series of three paintings of bees on gaillardia flowers.

I just got these prints last week and I am now stretching them.

TWINS!

These little guys have been in my yard quite often over the summer. In this photo they are grazing in the shade under our trampoline while their mother was off pruning my neighbors fruit trees! I took many photos to use as reference material in case I decide to paint this pair sometime.

"KOOTENAY BEARS"

This is one of the illustrations that I created for my Dad's book, "Kootenay Bears". It is a pencil and charcoal drawing of a grizzly bear who seemed to be admiring the sunrise during one of my father's hunts. The book is a collection of short stories about bear encounters that my Dad has experienced. There are black and white pencil/pen/and charcoal illustrations throughout the book. While the encounters may have raised adrenaline and hairs on the back of my father's neck, they have been recounted and told with humour.

 GLASS ETCHING

I thought I would post these photos of

bottles that I etched scenes on. I

photographed the bottle on the window

sill on my deck so that the sunlight would

make it easier to see the etching. I like to

collect colored bottles and bottles that

have unique shapes. I use a clear shelf liner

to adhere to the bottle and then cut my

scene out with a utility knife. I then make

sure that the exposed areas are clean from

any adhesive. If adhesive is left on the glass

then the etching will be compromised. I use

an old brush to apply the Armour Etch.

I try to make sure that my brush strokes

flow in the same direction throughout the

scene. Armour Etch is very strong smelling.

I suggest using a mask, gloves and safety

glasses in a well ventilated area. After a few

minutes the acid can be rinsed off the glass. Remove the liner, wash

the remaining adhesive off the glass and dry. VOILA!

Your etching is revealed!

The Method for The Monarch

This slide show will give you a glimpse of the techniques that

I use to achieve correct proportions and detail. I was fortunate to learn

these strategies from Terry Isaac in October of 2011 during a week long

workshop. I am excited to be participating in an advanced workshop this

fall with Terry in his gallery in Penticton, B.C. Happy Painting Everyone!

Commissioned Painting

11 x 14 Acrylic on Canvas

Friends of mine commissioned this piece as a wedding gift

for some close friends of theirs. This summer cabin can be seen from

Bighorn Sheep Lane at Eagles Nest Estates, north of Canal Flats

on the south-east side of Columbia Lake.

Arts On The Edge Gala

Friday, August 10th - 7pm - 10pm

Centre 64

My husband Mathieu and I are off to the gala tonight in Kimberley.

Live entertainment, appetizers and of course great art!

If you are in the valley this weekend you can see my art in

Fernie Arts Co-Op, 572 2nd Ave Fernie,

Centre 64, 64 Deer Park Ave Kimberley,

and

Civic Centre in Canal Flats, 8911 Dunn Street

where I will have multiple prints and art cards to choose from.

Hope to see you there!

"Yellow Jackets And Petals"

6 x 9 Acrylic on Hardboard

Limited Edition Prints Available

This is the second painting in a series of three.
These busy little guys demand respect and a
safe distance from admirers like me!
I will have the originals as well as my first canvas prints

available this weekend at the art show in Canal Flats
at the Civic Centre, 8911 Dunn St.
Canal Flats, B.C.

"Gaillardia Guardian"

6 x 9 Acrylic on Hardboard

Limited Edition Prints Available

            I  have a fascination with insects

especially when they are settled on flowers

and are focused on anything other than me!



"WETLAND GOSSIP"

9 x 11 Acrylic on Harboard

I photographed these swans on my way past Wasa, B.C. in the early spring. It looked to me as though the pair were engaged in a conversation. I found it amusing and decided to paint this picture rather than the usual scene of swans gliding gracefully through the water. I will have the first 2 prints as well as the original available during the Cultural Tour on August 11th and 12th here in Canal Flats, B.C.



"The Peanut Thief"

Original Acrylic on Wood Panel

Sold

11 x 14 Limited Edition Canvas Prints

Available August 11th and 12th

$145.00

Canal Flats Civic Centre

8911 Dunn St.

Canal Flats, B.C.

10:00am - 5:00pm

cartwrightleslie@gmail.com

Columbia Basin Culture Tour

August 11 & 12, 2012

Headwaters Art Society

Canal Flats Community Hall, Dunn St.

Canal Flats, B.C.

I will be participating in the Columbia Basin Culture Tour and invite you to have a look through the directory. I am elated that my cat painting, "Marmalade" is featured on page 30, however, you will notice that there is a typo that places my painting in the Fernie Arts Co-op. Please note that I am located in Canal Flats and will be exhibiting here on those dates. Thanks.

"In My Mother's Garden"

     This is one of the original acrylic paintings that is on display at the Pynelogs Annual Open Art Show 2012. During the reception for the show I was fortunate to have a discussion with Bob and Lisa Ede. We enjoyed some fresh air together while they took photos of me for an interview that Bob conducted for the online newspaper E-know. I have pasted the link for the interview and pictures. I hope you will check it out and enjoy it. Thank you to Bob and Lisa. I enjoyed the whole process and am very happy with the end result. http://www.e-know.ca/arts-entertainment/interview-with-canal-flats-artist-leslie-cartwright/

ANNUAL ART SHOW

Pynelogs, Invermere, B.C.

Reception - Wednesday May 30th, 2012

7:00pm to 9:00pm

Art will be for display and sale until June 17, 2012.

"Rocky Mountain Monarch"

Original 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas.

$1,260.00

One of three paintings I will have at Pynelogs for the next 2 weeks.

COMPLETE!

"The Peanut Thief"

11 x 14 Acrylic on Wood Panel

"The Sky Is The Limit"

On Friday, May 11th, students, staff and members of the community gathered to witness the unveiling of "The Sky Is The Limit". Speeches, and a presentation were given before 83 brightly painted wooden birds were revealed by the students at Martin Morigeau. Everyone enjoyed cake, refreshments and sunshine! Children proudly showed their creations along the 45 foot length of chain link fence that is now decorated with a flock of primary colored birds.It was a great afternoon!

     Since this next week is the "Wings Over The Rockies" festival in our valley, I thought I would post this little Chickadee. This is an artist trading card that I used my Pitt Artist pens on.

     These are pictures of my sons, Darcy on the left and Jonah on the right. They are painting wooden birds that will be secured to the school fence. "The Sky Is The Limit" wooden bird project, will be unveiled at Martin Morigeau Elementary School in Canal Flats at 11:30am, on Friday, May 11th. There will be a celebration with cake and refreshments after the unveiling. Please join us! And, don't forget to have a look at some local art work at the Canal Flats Civic Centre, 8911 Dunn, between 10:am and 5:00pm Thursday and Friday, May 10th and 11th. We'll also be serving refreshments and goodies there!

Good Day! I had a great time last night at our weekly Drop-In for art here in Canal Flats. Paula Cravens led a demonstration in pastels. I haven't played with pastels since I was a little girl. I had bought my son a nice set of pastels for Christmas, but neither of us have used them. So, Dawson, my 14 year old son accompanied me to learn and practice using this medium. It was fun and frustrating at the same time. I found it difficult because I usually work in such fine detail with such hard edges. Pastels is truly about letting your inner child play! I was filthy at the end of the evening, but happy to experiment and just ....... let go!

     I just returned from Naramata yesterday and wanted to share some photos and some moments from my weekend. It is always so nice to visit wine country on the benches above Penticton. Though not as warm as it has been in years past, we still enjoyed some sunshine and some walks along the lake. Our weekend was very full and at times we felt drained, however, at 2am while playing cards with our friends, we felt rejuvenated and carefree. It always amazes me how a group that meets once a year and is so diverse can be so united and have such a strong bond. We unite each year to celebrate, grieve, vent, laugh, cry and relax with other parents who are caring for a child with a disability. It is an experience that we treasure.





 

     The most wonderful thing happened during our closing ceremony. A mother who is new to our association explained that throughout the weekend she had a song in her head and she had been trying to ignore it. She asked if we would allow her to play it for us on the piano since the song had been so persistant. She played "Stand By Me". Not only is this lady a remarkable piano player with her own band, she is also gifted with a powerful voice. We were so moved that by the middle of the song we had all gathered around her and the piano, some singing, some crying, swaying together with arms around eachothers shoulders. It was a perfect ending.

     I am heading off to Naramata tomorrow for my annual retreat for the Family Support Institute. For those of you that don't know, I have a 12 year old son who is affected by autism. I have been a board member for the past 2 years now and I have enjoyed my term. I look forward to meeting new parents and connecting with friends that I have made over the years. I am also looking forward to some warm weather and flowers! I hope to be able to visit a few vineyards before my return!

     Last year at this retreat I was discussing art and painting with another mother and we both agreed that when we met again this year, we would have taken up our brushes and created some paintings to show eachother. I am excited to see my friend Alex and hope that she has been able to enjoy this passion again as well.

                                    "Colours on the Columbia"  12 x 24  acrylic

     I loved the vibrant fall colours on this panoramic view of the headwaters of the Columbia Lake. I took this eagles photograph on another part of the lake at a different time. I then decided to merge the two subjects and I am quite pleased with the end result. I completed this painting in March and have started to make prints that will be displayed for sale at the "Wings over the Rockies" event here in Canal Flats on Thursday and Friday, May 10th and 11th, 2012, at the seniors hall. Hope you can stop in for coffee or tea that day!