ROCKIN'  IT  WITH  MANDALAS!

      This past couple weeks I have been playing with rocks. I see so many of them on Pinterest and Etsy that I thought I would try making a few. I'd like to say that it was relaxing, however, I just about dug out my son's geometry set to make sure that my dots were symmetrical and in the right proportions.
      All in all I did enjoy it and I give kudos to those who create these mandalas as they are time consuming and take a lot of concentration, which is something I seem to be lacking these days. Inevitably my mind wanders off to song lyrics about rocks and before you know it, .....

"I am a rock, I am an island", "On the cover of the rolling stone", cause

"It's still rock 'n' roll to me!"

Cheers! Have a great week!

I'm Owl About Owls!

12" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas

This little saw whet owl really caught my eye while I 

was browsing through photos of beautiul creatures to 

add to my boards on Pinterest the other week.

I used the photo for reference. 

It was a fun and relatively quick painting to do.

Now to think of a catchy title!

CHEERS!

The Art Of Sleeping

Lately I have not been sleeping well. By that I mean that I wake at 3:00am and

toss and turn for the remainder of the night until I roll out of bed at 6:30am.  

I am not a good sleeper. 

I am beggining to think that there is an art to having a restful sleep, and that I do not 

posess any inherent talents for this art. During one of these episodes of insomnia that I 

experience, I thought I would doodle with my new pencil crayons. The lilac coloured rose 

below is the product of my early morning doodles yesterday. While it was nice to pass the 

time creating art, I am hoping that this phase of nocturnal drawing will pass.

Please scroll down to check out the info 

for a great workshop coming up!

CHEERS!

 

Come along for the adventure!

     Today I am happy to announce that my friend, and founding member of the Headwater's Art Society, Paula Cravens, will be presenting an acrylic, abstract workshop in April, 2017.  I am very excited to share the information with you. Paula will be sharing tips and techniques on composition, colour, gelli prints, stamps, and focal points. She will give demonstrations and a power point presentation. There will be ample time for painting and experimenting with watercolour papers and canvas. The weekend will kick off with a wine and cheese reception on Friday night, April 28th. The public is welcome to join us for the celebration and to peruse Paula's creations. For registration please contact me, Leslie, by email, cartwrightleslie@gmail.com or phone (250) 349 5305. Payment of $180.00 is due upon registration. Cheers!

Adventure's in Acrylic Abstract

with

Paula Cravens

April 29th - 30th, 2017

Fairmont Hot Springs Lodge

9:00am to 4:00pm

Twelve hours of istruction, all materials, lunch, coffee/tea, and snacks included for $180.00

Love Can Set You Free

Below is a sketch of my son Darcy. The photo I referenced

was taken in June of 2010, during a school field trip to 

Fort Steele Heritage town. Darcy and his special education

assistant had climbed to the top of this old wooden tower. 

Darcy was looking out over the grounds from the one, small 

opening in the wire. I have always liked this photo because I

thought it represented limits and barriers that my son is looking

through and beyond.

You see, Darcy has autism and is, for the most part, non-verbal. 

He is a very kind and gentle boy who, through no fault of his own, 

experiences many struggles in his life. I wanted to relay a message

in this picture, that even though society may not treat him as an

equal and may be slow to accept his differences, love can be the 

catalyst that opens dialogue, changes perspectives, opens doors, 

and........sometimes, windows.

Cheers!