Author: Cheryl

I’m very excited to be 1 of 9 contestants in a video competition from TVO. If you are on Facebook, you can vote for me! The top 3 videos by public vote will be juried and one of these will win a filming session with TVO’s film crew to be featured in their “Learning Portraits” series that runs on TVO all through 2016. Right now I am in second place! I am very excited. You can watch the video at the link below – but you will only be allowed to vote if you are on Facebook. Facebook people can vote once per day till Feb 18, at which point the top 3 go forward for jurying. About voting once per day: you don’t have to watch the video everyday if you have already seen it. Simply take a second to go to the link and click the “Vote” button. Important Note: Voting only happens when you hit the “Vote” button. The “like” button does not count for the contest. Thanks in advance for having a look. And of course only vote for my video if you want to. Here is the link: TVO Video Competition – on just until (and including) Feb 18. (Painting: SOLD) 

 

It’s been a gentle winter this year for southern Ontario. Makes it easier to think of snow as something pretty! 

A bit of a funny thing happened that resulted in the painting below (Happiness Skips). I was at Storybook Gardens with several of my grandchildren. There were a lot of children dancing on the outdoor stage there, and I was trying to get a photo of my granddaughter. When I got home and checked my photos, I found that I had missed my granddaughter altogether, and had this lovely photo of an unknown child. The pose was really too wonderful not to paint, and it is fine to publish since her face is not showing. I often say that paintings take on a life of their own, apparently photo references sometimes do too! 

Pensive sits. Laughter slips. Sorrow saunters. Happiness skips! Acrylic with collage “Happiness Skips” 28″ x 20″ $625 + HST available from the artist. 

What gets in the way of your art. I’ve been reading more articles about creativity, and for most of us it comes down to convincing ourselves that being creative is very important: important enough to set aside time for it. I’m guilty too – too much time on the computer reading articles about creativity! Time to go paint instead. 

I hope that 2016 is a year when you get surprised – by yourself! Yes, that you surprise yourself. That you try something new, or try something old with a new boldness. That you surprise yourself by not caring as much if you fail at something because it means you tried something in a new way. Life is short. Only you can make it an adventure. Painting: “New Thoughts” by Cheryl O – acrylic collage with 22k gold foil and stone. Will be available at Westland Gallery preview show in January 2016.