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Fundraiser for Ukrainian Family
As I listened to the news about the war in Ukraine, my heart felt for these people. I wanted to portray the strength, resiliency, and endurance of the Ukrainian people in a painting. I heard about Yana, a young Ukranian woman who has been living in Quebec since 2013. Yana is afraid for the safety of her family. Her uncle was already killed in this conflict. She is trying to bring the rest of her family members here to Canada. When I heard her story, I felt that helping this woman’s family is what this painting was meant for. Three of my paintings are being auctioned right now to raise funds to help…
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Festival Des Art Georgeville/Fitch Bay 2021
Debra will be showing her art at the Festival Des Art Georgeville/Fitch Bay from July 17-25 (if regulations permit). 16 artists will be showing their work in 2 locations, the Murray Memorial Centre in Georgeville and the Town Hall of the Township of Stanstead in Fitch Bay. I will be at the Murray Memorial Centre. You can find out more about the festival at https://www.festivaldesarts.net.
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Exposition at Pavillon des arts et de la culture de Coaticook
Debra is exposing eight large acrylic paintings in the lobby of the Pavillon des arts et de la culture de Coaticook from September 22 to December 29, 2020. Please visit pavilloncoaticook.com for a list of their upcoming events.
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Through the Eyes of an Artist
I am convinced that artists see, smell, and feel things differently than non-artists. It’s not that others cannot see, feel, or hear the same, but their sensory muscles are not in shape. For instance, when I take a walk along the trail with a non-artist, they will talk about how beautiful things are in a very generic sense. They may make a comment along the way when a bird flies in front of them or will notice when it begins to rain while talking about their appointments and schedules. When I take a walk, I notice the feeling of the air. I see the shadows on the path and the mist on the…
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Colour Our World: The Beginning
The summer has come and gone like a wave in the ocean that forms, curves, breaks, and is gone. Autumn is upon us, and the dark days of fall are here. This summer was different than most. My house was transformed through renovations, throwing off the old siding and busting holes in the gyprock for new windows. And a brand new colouring book transformed my life as my summer passed in a flurry of fairs, sales, building new connections, and renewing old ones. The rush was on from the very beginning. I pushed everything I had within me to prepare my new colouring book, “Colour Our World,” for printing. I chewed my nails…
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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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My Palette
My palette has quite a variety of colours, all mixed in a hurry, but done with great care to get exactly what I want. By the time my painting is done, I have every shade and colour and tone all over my palette, looking like an abstract piece in itself. Each day, when I wake up, I sometimes feel like that palette. I start out fresh and precise, with a goal and a purpose for my day. By the time I am done, I’ve filled it with all kinds of projects. Some are bright and cheery, like talking to friends on facebook or eating ice cream with my hubby. Other colours are darker,…
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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…
