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Family Above All
The day I am writing this is Monday, August the first! It is a special day because today I am celebrating the birth of my firstborn daughter, 23 years ago. What a precious moment that was! Early this morning I was so eager to sing Happy Birthday to her on the phone. I put comical pictures of her on facebook because I wanted her to know much we love her. She changed my life forever and blessed it in so many ways. Having children really changed everything about my life. Before that I concentrated on my own needs and my desires. I did what I wanted when I wanted and how I wanted…
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Happy to be Canadian
Never had I felt more proud to be Canadian than at yesterday’s Canada Day Celebration in Hatley, Quebec. Both Francophone and Anglophones gathered to celebrate this great nation called Canada. It all began with the parade. As I sat at my stand with my books and paintings, I watched some of the various representations of who we are as a free nation. I saw laughter as the children rode through on their decorated bikes and a brightly dressed clown wove in and out on his unicycle around the floats. I saw community as the Hatley Outdoor Clinic passed by and the “nurse” squirted water into the crowd with his syringe. Candy flew to the spectators…
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A Time for Celebration
Summer has just officially begun and so far I have been to three weddings — all of which were beautiful and very different marriage celebrations. This past weekend’s wedding was held in a little campground chapel, with the reception held at the groom’s family farm. It was so homey and relaxing that I just wanted to remove my wedge heels and run through the long grass. Beautiful children all dressed in their Sunday best, farm pets, and special moments with my friends became subjects for my photos and possible themes for future paintings. When I first arrived at the farm, the refreshments-stand was being set up, so I walked around the farm and patted the heads of curious horses and tickled…
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After the Ayer’s Cliff Rodeo
It’s Monday morning. I am sitting now with my coffee, having just returned from serving breakfast at the local elementary school. My family spent the weekend at the Ayer’s Cliff Rodeo, displaying my new colouring book and paintings for sale. I really enjoyed talking with people who appreciated my work. A had a lot of questions about the paintings I do with thick acrylic paint and spatula knives. As they saw the wildlife and sceneries in my I heard many stories about the turtles and herons that other people had seen, or their adventures in the sugar bush as children in the area. An eleven year old girl passed by the stall, and her eyes lit…
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Memories of an Artist
One of my earliest artsy moments was sitting at the kitchen table colouring with my mom. She carefully outlined the outside edge of her subject with her wax crayon, then made little circular motions until all the space was delicately filled in. I used to watch her in awe and think, “When I grow up I want to be an artist just like my mom” My mother unlatched the creative door of my mind and allowed me to explore all kinds of mediums and styles at a very young age. She never seemed to mind when I’d eagerly cut open the back of the cereal box to get the primitive water colour paint by…
