-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
