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!

Welcome to my blog! I am very excited about it and would like to thank Paula Cravens for spending 3 hours with me the other day to set this up. I enjoyed the time and am very happy with the result. Please be sure to check out Paula's blog as well as Headwaters Art Society, there are a lot of talented people in our area!

        This is an acrylic painting on an 11 x 14 wood panel in progress.

                                                     Painting still in progress!

I took pictures of this Blue Jay in my Aunt's backyard in October of 2011. I was taking a workshop with Terry Isaac that week in Cranbrook and stayed at my Aunt's instead of travelling back and forth each day. We were enjoying a glass of wine on her patio when we noticed this Jay. He was rummaging around in the dead leaves and petals beneath the yellow mums. I was curious to see what he was doing. Once he had left I decided to inspect the area in which he'd just left and discovered that he had hidden an unshelled peanut beneath some leaves. I loved the look of the old wooden fence, it highlighted the colors of the flowers and the bluejay.

"Marmelade in the Morning."    acrylic     16x20

This is a cat that followed my son and I around at Ft. Steele during a field trip in 2011. He was very friendly with my son and was especially interested in the snacks that Darcy was eating. The sun was just coming up over Fischer Peak when I took this cat's photograph. I loved the light. The bright orange marmelade color of the cat is complimented by the green grass. I have never personnally owned a cat, but I must say that I was growing fond of this guy. It makes me happy to see this painting and remember the fun time that we had together at Fort Steele. I finally called this painting "Marmelade in the Morning" because I am fond of all three; the cat, marmelade, and the morning sun.