'Twas the night before Christmas, 
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
Because..............
     




                                 

              He'd been eaten by the snowman!  

                    Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho!  :)

Wishing you joy and many laughs this holiday season!

                                             Cheers!

Lost for words....

... as I try to think of a fitting title for my latest 

painting of this old log cabin near Parson, B.C. 

I always look for it on the right hand side of the

 road when I am driving North towards Golden  

along Highway 95. I would be grateful to anyone 

who could share any history on this old place

or the people who resided there. 

Please contact me at cartwrightleslie@gmail.com 

Cheers!

18" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas

"..These are a few of my favourite things.."

  

 Christmas DIY Crafts that have made my 

pinterest board @ cartwrightart on Pinterest.

Headwaters Art Society 

presents

A WINTER ART SHOW & SALE

December 7th, 2013, 10:00am to 3:00pm

At the Discovery Center, 8866 Grainger Road, Canal Flats

I will have new greeting cards & limited edition prints with images of my latest paintings. 

Join me for treats and a refreshment.

Our art space is located at #1 Village Office on the following map.

On December 7th I will have new greeting cards available featuring the 

images above. I will display prints at the Headwater's Art Space in the 

Discovery Center here in Canal Flats. Come on out and enjoy a refreshment 

while doing some Christmas shopping. Hope to see you there!

On Sunday, November 3rd, 2013, the Headwater's Art group hosted a figure drawing session in the new art space at Discovery Center in Canal Flats. We had 9 people attend from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Paula Cravens began the session with some instruction and examples for our group. We did exercises in 1, 2, 5 and 10 minute sketches. Participants used pencil, pen, cante, paint and charcoal. The afternoon sped by and before we knew it, it was time to bid our gracious model goodbye and enjoy a coffee and chat with colleagues. We plan to hold another figure drawing session in the new year and I will post the information here on my blog. Cheers!

         Lest We Forget

I thought it fitting to post a photo
of this poppy painting as we approach
Remembrance Day. I will be sure to 
wear a poppy tomorrow while watching
my son parade with his fellow cadets in 
Invermere, B.C. He will be proudly 
carrying a flag for the legion.

             THANK  YOU  PAULA!
Paula Cravens has been a driving force behind the development of the Headwaters Art Society's programs and beautiful new art space located in the Canal Flats Discovery Center. We are very fortunate to have had Paula as a mentor and friend. Paula has recently sold her home in Canal Flats and will call Radium home in the near future. We wanted to celebrate and thank her for her efforts, and so, this past Sunday, after a figure drawing session we broke out the bubbly and had a slice of cake. Cheers Paula!

Volunteer Poppies This beautiful poppy was the last flower to bloom in my yard this year. It volunteered to grow right along-side my driveway and so, we gave it ample space so that we could appreciate the large red flowers. I am thankful to the little bird or squirrel that happened to deliver these seeds to my yard.

Below are photos of my painting of the poppies before and after airbrushing the background.

A Foggy Morning
"Earth,the shy bride in her veil,
blushing endlessly...
Cool breeze keep her veil from falling down,
Beautiful she looks in her white gown"

Excerpt from a poem by 
Morning Glory.
allpoetry.com

Photo of Kootenay River
near Wasa, B.C.

THE  MAKINGS  FOR  ICE  WINE  AND  COOL  PHOTOS

Over the past few days we have experienced a heavy frost in the mornings. 

The last of my golden raspberries were still clinging to the stems. They 

seemed all the more sweeter for the touch of frost and the knowledge

that I would not enjoy my fresh raspberries again until next season.

I relished the sunshine and found the frosted leaves and berries

very beautiful. Happy Autumn!

A study in black and white

Below is a photograph of the Hoodoos at Dutch Creek, B.C.

I wanted to paint this scene but was trying to figure out where

my focal point was. I decided to alter the photo first to black 

and white and then to a charcoal rendering that makes it 

easier to see the shapes, mass and lines in my composition. 

By reducing the amount of shades in the picture it is easier 

to understand why and where the eye is drawn.

Cheers!

                                     

 

Beginning  A Bear Painting

I sketched my subjects on a prepared canvas.

I blocked in the main colours of my picture.

Below is my photo reference from the wildlife
sanctuary that I visited this spring.   CHEERS!

This Thursday and Saturday I will be setting up my easel at Pynelogs Cultural Center in Invermere, B.C. If you are in the area please feel free to stop by and chat with me. Cheers!

THANK YOU....
to everyone who has supported me over
the past year as I have prepared for my 
show at Pynelogs Cultural Center in 
Invermere, B.C. I enjoyed the opportunity 
to talk with friends and family last night,
and to meet the other artists and patrons
during the evening. My dear friend Violet
came out from Calgary just to attend my 
opening reception. I hope you will stop by
the gallery and peruse the artworks 
displayed there in this, the last show of the
season. The exhibit remains open until
Sunday the 29th of September, 2013.
I have updated my "GALLERY" page 
here on my blog with the paintings from the 
show. Cheers and many thanks everyone!

Vantage Point

During the winter I frequented a spot on the Kootenay River where an elk had fallen through the ice and drown. The elk’s remains provided a feast for the birds of prey in the area. This golden eagle had a great vantage point in order to keep watch over his precious food store.

Don't  forget that my show at Pynelogs Cultural Center in Invermere begins on Tuesday, September 17th. I hope to share some wine and laughs with you on Wednesday, September 18th at the reception from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Cheers!

LOOKING FOR A POT
            OF GOLD
We've had a lot of rain 
recently in our region. 
While I prefer the sun-
shine to the clouds and
 rain, I do love the 
sunrises, sunsets, and
rainbows that occur 
when our weather 
changes. I snapped this 
photo of a double rainbow 
last week. 

The Columbia wetlands are in the foreground. Cheers!

POPPIES

I really enjoy painting flowers
and these bright orange poppies
are a great contrast against the
green and brown of the flower
bed behind them.

I am making final preparations
for my show at Pynelogs on
September 17th - 29th, 2013.
I hope you will join me for a
glass of wine at the reception
Wednesday, September 18th
from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

Cheers!

Straight From The Horses Mouth

I am currently working on a painting of the 

Clydesdale horses at Fort Steele. The canvas

measures 24" x 48", which works out to a total 

of 8 square feet. It is a huge undertaking,

especially with tiny little brushes. I can't wait to

unveil the finished work at my show at Pynelogs

Cultural Center in Invermere. The show opens on

Tuesday, September 17th and runs for 2 weeks. 

The reception is held on Wednesday, September 

18th, from 7pm to 9pm. I hope you will join me then!

P.S. My friend Paula Cravens  has a reception this Wednesday evening, August 21st at Pynelogs from 7pm to 9pm. Come on out and view some great art.

                   Sunset In Oregon

My husband and I recently had a week vacation on the beautiful Oregon coast.
I loved combing the beaches for shells, and my husband enjoyed flying a kite
along the shore. We had great seafood,  and enjoyed many scenic hiking trails.
I tried to capture the sun setting over the ocean each night.

 

This past weekend I decided to set up
my own "Body Art Tattoo Parlor" on
my back deck. I used my airbrush and
my European body art paints to spray
these stencils onto my family and friends.
We had a lot of fun!

Acrylic Painting on Circular Saw
This 3 foot saw was brought to me for a 
commissioned work. Below I have the 
photographs that I used as reference for 
this painting.

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now, See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See's saw
Before See sawed Soar's seesaw,
See's saw would not have sawed
Soar's seesaw.
So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.
                                                                          But it was sad to see Soar so sore
                                                                          just because See's saw sawed
                                                                         Soar's seesaw

I have started to paint a scene with Clydesdale horses that I photographed

at Fort Steele last spring. The canvas measures 2' x 4'. I began by blocking in 

background colors and shapes. I am using my airbrush to paint the tress and

grass in the background to give them a soft look so that I can add some

 dimension and depth to my composition. 

WOOD  BURNINGS
These two wood burnings recently sold during
a show in the Headwater's Art space.
Some of our members held an open house
for the public to view our new space and artwork.

"In the cherry blossom's shade

There is no such thing as a stranger."

- ISSA -

This spring I spent many hours in the 

evenings photographing the cherry 

blossoms in my backyard. 

These are some of my favorite 

photos because the blossoms in

the foreground are crisp and clear while

 the background remains out of focus.