My day began in beauty with these gorgeous shadow patterns all over the garden



and ended in beauty with a spectacular sky leading us home after a fun excursion out, and again as I took a walk with my daughter and Gennie.



I've started a new oil painting and the above image shows the progress I have made so far.

The Crane!

I had a very good day today. Becca and I headed out to town to get some soap making supplies and groceries. Conveniently, I was able to buy all I needed in one store. I spent my afternoon making soap and a special healing cream I've been wanting to make for years. I grew the calendula and roses in my garden and I dried the flowers and made an infusion with olive oil. I used this infused oil along with sweet almond oil, beeswax, coconut oil, water and tea tree oil to make the cream. It turned out beautifully. Tomorrow I will post some photos of my creations.
I've been extremely busy in a very happy, creative and productive way. I made more space in my garage to paint larger paintings and I got busy making frames to stretch canvas over so I could paint, paint and paint some more. The above image is on one of the big 4ft x 5ft canvasses that I made and it's a scene I saw while on my vacation in Florida. I had such an amazing and incredible time and I wanted to recapture a little of what I saw while there.
I have the subject for my next painting picked out and I will start painting it this week, preferably tomorrow. My daughter is leaving in two weeks to attend university in Turkey and we have been spending as much time together as possible while shopping and getting her ready to go. I will miss her so much.
I've been reading lots and going to movies and hanging with family and friends this summer, which turned out to be so hot this year. I love it and I love drinking my coffee on the deck every morning while writing in my journal. I will even bundle up and sit out there on the not so hot days. All is so good in my world. I hope it is in your world too. :)

Glow of an Early Evening!

24" x  36" oil on birch

Wow, it's been a long time since I last wrote. It seems I begin all my posts in the same way lately.

Life has been so great to me. The article I wrote for Cloth Paper Scissors PAGES magazine is out on news stands now and I was so delighted to receive my copies in the mail yesterday. I absolutely love the spread they created for me and was rather proud to see the article with my name on it. :)

I've been painting a lot and doing so many other things that I will have to create another post to tell you all about it. The main thing for me is that I am painting all the time. This will be my main focus going forward. Although I love the jewelry that I make, it's not my first love, painting is and always will be.

The weather here in Newfoundland hasn't been really great, not like last year. I'm heading to Florida in less than two weeks so I'm not too bothered by the cold temps and lack of sunshine.

I'm surrounded by the most amazing family and friends a girl could ever have. I am truly blessed in my life and I marvel at all that I have accomplished in a year. I'm so excited to see what's just around the corner.

Have the best weekend ever. I know I will. :)

A Life Disrupted!

A Life Disrupted

I just won an Arts and Letters Award for this piece, A Life Disrupted. The awards ceremony was hosted at The Rooms on Saturday night and I felt so honored to be among so many talented people from this province. You can view the exhibition at The Rooms until May 26th. (my birthday) :)

Urchin, Shell and Crab!

Walking the beach and searching for treasures is something that I've always loved to do. I was so delighted when I came upon this little trio of sea creatures just laying there waiting for me to paint them. The gorgeous, rich color of the crab and the deep shadows cast by the brightly shining sun compelled me to create a watercolor full of light and memories.

Lemarchant Road!

The lovely color of the stone and the shadows cast by the brightly shining sun on a warm Spring day inspired me to paint this very interesting house on the corner. I loved the huge trees in front standing guard providing a place for the birds to sing their beautiful songs for any who may be walking past to hear and enjoy.

Chestnuts and Leaves!



My kids loved to collect chestnuts when they were small. We would go to the park for the day where the most amazing chestnut trees stood and they would run happily from tree to tree excitedly collecting chestnuts in a bag to be taken home and planted later. Sometimes they would lay the chestnuts on the ground among the fallen Autumn leaves and admire their find. Those days are gone but I captured that moment in time and created a painting that will always remind me of those cool Fall days spent with my family.



Art Prints!




Middle Cove In May

Walking the beach and collecting treasures that have washed ashore is one of my favorite pass times. The cool breeze blowing against my skin and the smell of the ocean always makes me feel that there is no better place to be than by the sea. While with my family one Sunday in early May, I saw this collection of beach rocks laying there so perfectly with the sun shining on them casting deep shadows and decided to create a watercolor painting. Middle Cove in May is my humble attempt to convey some of what I saw and felt that beautiful day.


Prints of my paintings are now becoming available in my Etsy shop. I will be adding more prints as the day goes on so stay tuned. :)



Moonstones!

These gorgeous 8mm moonstones have been wrapped in oxidized copper wire. They hang from hand formed surgical steel wire and measure around 1 1/4 inches from top of ear wire to bottom of earring. These little beauties are now available in my Etsy shop.

Betty's Legacy!

This is an oil painting I did of the Peter Pan statue in Bowring Park that was erected in honor of a little girl that drowned along with her father when the Florizel sank in Cappahayden, NL. The little girl, Betty Munn was the goddaughter of Sir Edgar Bowring and the statue was unveiled in 1925.

It's been ages and ages since I last wrote. April is almost over and a new month about to begin. I am so looking forward to warmer temperatures so I can get out into the garden and get things cleaned up and start planting.

There's a lot going on in my life and I've been super busy and loving it. Above is one of two paintings that I have completed. I'm getting ready to start offering prints of all my paintings for sale in the next few weeks or so. I'm so happy to finally be able to do this. Stay tuned for more info of my offerings in the next little while. I will continue to make jewelry and list it in my Etsy shop as well.

New Jewely!

10mm cream colored coral stones hang from hammered steel wire hoops.

Apple Green!

10mm apple green stones hang from 8mm bluish green picasso stones. They measure 2 inches from top of ear wire to bottom of earrings. Now available in my Etsy shop!

Happy Friday!

These funky hammered, oxidized, and sanded bars hang from 10mm apple green stones. I listed several new pairs of earrings in my Etsy shop.
Have an awesome weekend! =)

Hip Hoops!

10mm turquoise stones hang from hammered steel wire hoops.

Pearls Are For Girls!

Gorgeous creamy white pearls hang from hammered steel wire spirals. I love the look of the soft sheen of the pearls against the dark textured wire.

New Jewelry!

6mm turquoise stones hang from hammered steel wire. These very pretty earrings have a wrought iron feel to them. I will be listing these and some others in my Etsy shop later.

Life is Amazing!

Gennie

Icky and Ricki

Tiddles

Work in Progress

New Haircut

What a year it has been for me so far! So many amazing things have happened and it's only February!

I am going to be published in Cloth Paper Scissors PAGES magazine writing an how-to article on my canvas covered journals. I'm so excited about this! The mag will be on news stands on June 4th.

Among other wonderful things that are happening in my life, I will be starting this on-line video making course called Montage with Vivienne McMaster that I cannot wait to begin.

I've been working on a series of oil paintings and I made a little video of me working on one that you might like to check out. Click here to watch.

I promise not to wait so long before I write again. I have some new jewelry that I will photograph and post and list in my Etsy shop in the next few days.

Turquoise and Spirals!

Turquoise rondelles wrapped in oxidized copper wire hang from hammered copper wire spirals. I see someone wearing these cute earrings with a crisp white untucked blouse, dark washed jeans and a pair of funky cowboy boots. :)

Time Flies!

Oh my, it's been over a month since I last wrote. Where has the time gone? All is very good with me. I had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas and spent time with family and friends. I went to see The Hobbit over the holidays and what an experience that was. I'm itching to go see it again. I have been busy making jewelry and painting, I just have not been updating my blog. We've had tons of snow this month and now I'm thinking of warm temperatures and sunny beaches. Hope all is well with everyone.

The above images are of some earrings that I made using beads that I reused from a necklace I found at a thrift shop. I wrapped the 10mm antique looking beads in copper wire which I oxidized and sanded to create depth. I really love how they turned out. These earrings have since sold but I do have more of the beads.