Category: Newsletter

Wetlands500

Paint Ontario

Cheryl
“Wetland” – currently available at Paint Ontario in Grand Bend – Paint Ontario is an annual juried show held in Grand Bend at the Lambton Heritage Museum (across from one of the entrances to the Pinery on Hwy 21), open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  I am happy to have 3 paintings in this year’s show. I am also very proud to have quite a number of students and previous students featured there. It’s a wonderful show, well worth the drive. It is on right now and ends April 1st. Hope you get a chance to see it. Here’s their website for more information: Paint Ontario (find link on my website, if reading this elsewhere) 
Flow2T

Loose Women

Cheryl
Describing the upcoming art class “Toward Abstract”, I was carefully explaining that in this class, people do not have to work without a subject, but that the exercises will encourage people to have a looser approach to their interpretations. A student responded with enthusiasm, “That’s great – I think I’m more of a loose woman …. oh!” We laughed. And if there are other loose women or men interested in “Toward Abstract”, this class still has room for more and starts April 5. (See Local Art Courses on my website.) 
RedCanoe250

Lazy?

Cheryl 2 Comments
There are some things in life you don’t want to be lazy about. Lots actually. Things such as: what side of the road you drive on… or… getting to the airport before the plane leaves. Things like that. Then there are the other less obvious things. Such as: change the water in your container before it’s a swamp. Long before. Because when you use that dirty water to paint with, it is subtly dulling down your colours. It really helps to have a larger container for water. 2 litres is good and the water won’t get dirty nearly as quickly as with a little container. Don’t be lazy – your art deserves better than that. 
AutG150

Go Green with Blue

Cheryl
I used to be horrified about the amount of paper towels that I went through as a painter. Too many trees! Then one of my students introduced me to blue shop towels. You can get these at local hardware stores. These towels are sturdy and absorbant. If you are using watercolour or watermixable oils, at the end of your session you can quickly rinse the towel out and use it again and again. Even with acrylics, the towels are so much more absorbant than regular ones that I use a lot fewer. Hope you will also go green with blue towels – and thanks for the tip Judy S. 
MeGr200

Today’s Chuckle

Cheryl 2 Comments
I thought that I’d try to make you smile on a Monday. I’m not sure exactly what year this photo was taken, but it seems that when the stork left me, he forgot … his legs. But the coolest thing of all about this photo? That straw hat has a plastic palm tree on top of it. How cool is that? 
Tree12T

Calling It Done

Cheryl 1 Comment
A not uncommon problem for the visual artist is how to decide when a painting is finished. This applies especially to works that are moving toward abstract. Here are some questions you can ask to help determine whether a painting is done. 1. Has it captured the essence of what you wanted to express about this subject? 2. Does it have a center of interest that is in harmony with the whole? 3. Does the eye find a pleasant pathway to explore the painting? It’s always a good plan to leave it alone for a few days, then check it out again. Lastly, don’t be afraid to leave some mystery – undefined edges or shapes – so that the viewer’s imagination can participate in the work too.