Thing-a-week: Tasty times

I'm an awful baker. Like, really awful. While I realize it's more of a science than an art, I tend to measure ingredients haphazardly and add them in the wrong order. I despised the domestic arts as a kid and somehow managed to avoid all practical knowledge pertaining to baking. Last month, I discovered that you actually have to cream the butter (ie. mix it with the sugar), rather than microwaving it and dumping it in. Who knew?

Fortunately, while I stink at the culinary arts, I can paint a tasty-looking cupcake. So, after my little cupcake foray at art walk, I decided to take a cupcake book out of the library - not for baking, but as a photo reference for painting.

Here's the fruits of my labour. Oh - and as I mentioned in my first-ever e-newsletter, I'm doing a draw for a cupcake painting at the end of the month. Join my newsletter list for your chance to win free, original art. (BTW, I don't send out newsletters more than once a month).

"Calories be damned," Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 6"

"Eat dessert first," Acrylic on canvas, 8 x 10"

"Blackberries make it healthy," Acrylic on canvas, 8 x 10"

This week, Mike Kendrick filled up a sketchbook of goodies. I tells ya, that kid is just brimming with creativity. Although, I think his Justin Bieber dinosaur is my favourite.

Wood: The new canvas

I've always loved wood. When I was a teen, I'd steal scraps of wood from my dad's workshop to paint on. I loved the feeling of the wood beneath my brush.

Recently, I went to de Serres again (my second home) and picked up a couple of small wood panels - 12 x 10" - to do a little experimenting with.

Here's my first experiment!

I used silver paint to outline the lotus flowers and to add texture and light to the background. I left the edges unpainted, too, since I love the look of wood grain. I'm debating staining it for a more finished look, but still hemming and hawing on that one.

Thing-a-week: Art Walk hangover

 
After three days sitting in the sun, painting and chatting, I feel like I've been run over by a truck. It's mostly a good pain - like that muscle burn you get after working out a ton. But I still feel like I could sleep for a week.

But, there's no sleep for the creatively inclined. Tomorrow, I'll spend my morning setting up at Northlands in advance of the Capital Ex show I'm doing with my Night of Artists Peeps. I'll also drop off several artworks to The Daffodil Gallery, for a post-Art Walk holdover show! A dozen-ish artists from the festival will be appearing in the gallery for the first time, including yours truly.

I've got lots of new art coming down the pipe too - will post later this week!


As always, check out Mike Kendrick's blog - the guy did fantastically well at his first Art Walk this weekend! And not surprisingly - his stuff is solid gold!

Thing-a-week: Art as dessert

A friend visiting from Vancouver recently remarked that art is like dessert - it's not a priority for everyone. Some people are just 'meat and potatoes' folks who'd rather put money aside for practical things. Others, like my friend, see value in beautifying their spaces with art that resonates with them.

I'm a practical person and respect that art doesn't float everyone's boat - that's perfectly okay. But, our conversation made me think a lot about the eat-dessert-first people who've supported me as an artist. It also made me think of a good idea for a series: cupcakes. Of all the desserts I'd eat first, cupcakes are at the top of the list. But only the deluxe, bakery-quality kind. Grocery store cupcakes are generally pretty wretched, in my experience.

All of my cupcake paintings will be available at Whyte Avenue art walk this weekend (beginning tomorrow at noon). I'll post whatever doesn't sell on Etsy next week. :)

Not surprisingly, Mike Kendrick's thing-a-week is dino-tastic. You'll be able to catch him at Whyte Avenue Art Walk this weekend too! So, if you're in Edmonton, come on out. About 300 artists will be in attendance, and there'll be live music, too!

Thing-a-week: Treedom!

With Whyte Avenue Art Walk quickly approaching (it's July 15-17!) and Capital Ex a week later, I've been painting up a storm - mainly smaller works. I've also been experimenting with acrylic ink and invested in some fine brushes.

Here are three of the pieces I finished last week - all are 10 x 10", acrylic (and acrylic ink) on gallery-wrapped canvas, which hang well without a frame (although, you can frame them too).