Art Log

I drove to Oroville, Washington, just a few minutes away over the border when I entered the grocery store produce department which had a tremendous array of Mexican chiles: cascabels, habaneros, serranos, poblanos, pasillas, guajillos, anaheims and chilacas. Perhaps it's the produce department lighting or just the irregular shapes of the chiles that drew me over. How to portray them as distinctly Mexican? Mexican tiles, of course and we have a supply of small tiles at home which we purchased in San Miguel de Allende one year to frame a mirror. Challenging to paint, in that greens always test one's abilities to mix a sufficient range of hues and values. I love the boldness of the image.

12 X 9 X 1.5" acrylic on cradle board prepared to the highest standards. Shipping extra

Some additional photos of San Miguel de Allende: where we stay in SMA, Cinco flores a block from the central plaza.

One of the giant puppets which accompany a parade or a wedding.

San Miguel de Allende is the most authentic of the colonial towns, founded for its silver content.

Colour, colour, and more colour, that's Mexico which caters to all tastes and interests.

In January of this year, my husband and I flew to Delhi, then toured magnificent Rajasthan.  Many of our stops included carpet factories where woolen and silk carpets were made and sold but the last stop was in a rural area of Jaipur where we stopped at a cotton Dhurrie cooperative. The dyes are all natural and the weaving is done open air with a rug sometimes taking months, even a year, to knot, tie and cut, forming intricate or bold patterns.  I was stunned by the colours of these rugs as they were tossed into an open courtyard for us to view and purchase.  Here are some photos of the proprietor and his wife, their works and those of other cooperative members.

During our trip we also visited textile dealers who made silk and cashmere wraps for Liberty of London.  Some are on display in these photos:

No one on tour could resist purchasing one or several of these beautiful wraps or other cashmere or real pashmina wraps (made from the underbelly of Kashmiri goats, not the rayon scarves sold here as pashminas).  

I have been heavily influenced by what I saw in India and I still remain under the spell.  While it is harvest time here and the zucchinis are in, I wondered how I might incorporate the fabric images.  First a sketch:

Then the painting of the zucchinis . . . and finally the yellow Indian carpet for a background.

The Summer Artisan Market is drawing to a close on September 2nd.  This is the last chance to see some of my work there until the Artists on Main Show in the fall.  Come in out of the heat and take a look!

"Where do your ideas for painting come from" I am often asked.  You can trace my thinking with what follows.   In the Okanagan a neighbour will arrive at our door, a large box of fruit in hand, with a slightly desperate look on his face, an indication of a bumper crop of backyard fruit.  How can one family consume it all? Preserve it all?  So the neighbours are fortunate to be recipients. This photo of two plums came from exactly the above described situation.  The photo sat in my files for years but recently when thumbing through Old Master's images with their dark, rich backgrounds suddenly I had an idea I would like to paint a fruit series with this kind of set-up. And what about the foreground? Draped fabric?  Too challenging?  Prints?  Too distracting.  I stepped out the door only to see our little mosaic table and that formed the idea for the foreground.  Ta da!  A synthesis.

Almost ready for your eyes . . . Maybe one more coat of glaze yet.  Still on my desk.

My neighbour knocked on the door with another box of fruit. The plums still had the bloom on the skins. These were not to be eaten before they were painted. But for a background, what could be strong enough in pattern and colour for these dark, succulent plums? My Tree of Life carpet was the answer. What do you think? Please share your thoughts with me on my guestbook.  www.PocketDesertPainter.com

12 X 9 X 1.5" acrylic on cradle board prepared to the highest standards. Shipping extra.

"Where do your ideas for painting come from" I am often asked.  You can trace my thinking with what follows.   In the Okanagan a neighbour will arrive at our door, a large box of fruit in hand, with a slightly desperate look on his face, an indication of a bumper crop of backyard fruit.  How can one family consume it all? Preserve it all?  So the neighbours are fortunate to be recipients. This photo of two plums came from exactly the above described situation.  The photo sat in my files for years but recently when thumbing through Old Master's images with their dark, rich backgrounds suddenly I had an idea I would like to paint a fruit series with this kind of set-up. And what about the foreground? Draped fabric?  Too challenging?  Prints?  Too distracting.  I stepped out the door only to see our little mosaic table and that formed the idea for the foreground.  Ta da!  A synthesis.

I often do taste tests when we have guests, bringing home several types of cherries or apples.  What is the taste difference between a Bartlett and a Bosc, I wondered.  Wanting to paint the pair, I employed  the Old Master's background values again but what about the foreground? My answer came from one of my Matisse books, filled with images of scenes and still lives, draped in fabric, the quilt because there are so many quilters here.  

I am so very pleased that a Calgary doctor purchased 'Honey Bear on Polka Dots' for his daughters from The ART GALLERY Osoyoos yesterday.

 When I was 10 years old my aunt bought me a small water-colour of clowns, that I still have to do this day.  The daily  joy of living with original art is without match.

 One Honey Bear remains without a home, though . . . 'Honey Bear on Duty'  

This Saturday night from 6 to 9:30 p.m. downtown Osoyoos will be its most exciting with the ART WALK on.  Enjoy refreshments at each of the hosting establishments as you stroll from Boston Pizza, Bits and Bites, The Okanagan Gallery, The ART GALLERY Osoyoos and Bordertown Winery. You'll find me at Bits and Bites with lots of paintings for you to select from.

I always smile when I am painting dogs so when this little darling and her owner came to visit in Keremeos during my show there I could not resist taking a photo to see if I could capture some of her emotions.   If you have a pet that should be painted, let's talk.  Leave me a message.

It is always a joyous time for an artist when he or she sells a painting, but to sell two works to a pair of patrons is very exciting.  I thank my dear patrons, Ron and Marilyn, from Winnipeg who purchased two large paintings 24 X 24", one framed, one unframed exhibition canvas for their home collection.  It was the first time I've had to ship paintings this large so my dear husband made a wood protective frame, we packed the paintings first in soft protective bags, placed them back to back and filled their interiors with bubble wrap and flat cardboard layers.  Then we stapled cardboard to the exterior of the frame, placed the goods inside, stapled the top and handed them over to Canada Post, which, considering the amount for tracking and insurance as well as shipping was very reasonable.  Thank you Marilyn and Ron and I hope you enjoy the paintings for many years to come.