This particular blog is directed towards artists in Canada. At the Visual Arts Summit in Ottawa more than 450 artists and key players in the Canadian Visual Arts agreed that we can no longer sit idle and allow artists to receive almost $10,000 below the poverty line on average. They also agreed that the arts needs a unified voice and that arts needs to be put back into the curriculum at Canadian schools. The following is the compilation of all the directives from the Summit and I encourage everyone in Canadian arts to read it. If you agree with the directives, please sign it to ensure there is lots of support to allow these directives to be aggressively pursued:

Art is the face of Canada.
We, as artists, curators, collectors, dealers, educators and supporters, are united to enhance the opportunities for Canadian art to be created, seen, understood and enjoyed. We came together in the largest gathering of the visual arts in our history, to proclaim the critical role of the visual arts in an innovative and compassionate society in the 21st century. We know what is needed: we call on the governments, nations and peoples of Canada to join us in realizing our potential. The visual arts community acts within an increasingly complex environment, with stagnant or shrinking resources. The growth in public engagement with the visual arts is not reflected in government policies or support. Canadian artists, galleries and museums have been starved for too long. Too many people work in the visual arts without an adequate livelihood or long-term security. The lack of vigorous and consistent policy, particularly from the federal government, is unacceptable. The visual arts provide a high level of service while receiving an unjustly low level of support from most government agencies and departments. In a time of global challenges calling for dialogue and understanding, the Canadian government has cut support for our international cultural profile. The unique and diverse character of Canada is under threat. The visual arts offer the best opportunity to counter this threat. It is time to recognize the place of visual arts at the centre of society. We commit ourselves to work together:
To satisfy the public’s growing demand for participation in visual culture;
To communicate the sector’s needs with a united voice;
To provide a secure livelihood for artists;
To acknowledge the varied cultures of the indigenous peoples of this land;
To reflect the diversity of our society; and
To strengthen the institutions that advance the visual arts.
With a united voice, we advocate:
To create a new alliance across the sector, to advance the position of the visual arts;
To engage public appreciation for, and connection with, visual arts in all their forms;
To provide stronger and stable support to artists and to the individuals and institutions that present, preserve and interpret the work they create;
To establish a dedicated fund for the payment of artists for the public exhibition of their works;
To increase investment in arts education for all ages and from all levels of government;
To provide dedicated support for Aboriginal arts; and
To recognize and support the leading role of visual arts in strengthening Canada’s international profile.
We envision a Canada that embraces creativity in all its dimensions. We believe in art that challenges us, deepens our understanding, and bridges our differences. Visual arts build a more tolerant, diverse and creative world.
Show your support, sign the statement here, and forward the link to your colleagues: www.petitiononline.com/visarts/petition.html
For more information: Canadian Museums Association 613-567-0099 info@museums.cawww.museums.cawww.visualartssummit.ca

Despite my best intentions, I am unable to finish my report on the Visual Arts Summit results this evening because they have not yet been posted on the VAS site - I hear that will be tomorrow because of having to set up an online petition and ensure there is also French translation.
As soon as I have that information, I will share it.
I am still in Ottawa and my agenda today included a lengthy visit to the studio of portrait artist Bernard Poulin.
His studio is incredibly organized, with specific areas for each aspect of his art: an area for oils, watercolor, drawing, sculpting in bronze, office, and storage. He is a meticulous artist and all his brushes, work areas, tools, etc. are all clean and free of paint residue from other projects.
His database is also meticulous, with all his works from the beginning of his 40-year career recorded in detail. Bernard has painted important public figures such as Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Former Governor General Romeo LeBlanc, and many others. It was an honor and a pleasure to spend time in the studio of this interested and talented gentleman.
Tomorrow we will tour some of the important galleries in Ottawa, and of course we will visit the Parliament buildings.

Visual Arts Summit - final day

I have a lot of information to share about the last day of the Visual Arts Summit, but I will wait until tomorrow to write it when the compilation of information from the summit is released and I can add that to my comments.
What I can say right now is that all the money and time spent organizing and attending this historic event has not been wasted and I truly think that this one event will result in the most significant and beneficial changes for the art industry in Canada's history.
Among some of the many topics that will be addressed as a result of the summit is the fact that currently the average wage of the Canadian artist is approximately $10,000 below the poverty line.
Obviously, we cannot have a healthy cultural climate if the creators of art cannot afford the basic necessities of life.
This summit is going to be the catapult that will put the arts before the public and government and ensure attention is paid to the important and long overdue concerns of those in the art industry.

Visual Arts Summit - Day 2

Today was our second day at the Visual Arts Summit in Ottawa.

It was a fabulous day and incredibly informative, but the highlight is still our trip yesterday to the Portrait Gallery of Canada's archive at the Gatineau Preservation Centre (see yesterday's blog below today's blog).

The morning plenary session was about education and access.
Speakers brought up some of the challenges facing us in Canada, and we later broke into small groups to discuss that and ways to make things better in the future.

Some of the challenges, according to the speakers and people from the floor:
*Art programs are expensive, due in part to the need to have low student - faculty ratios.
*There is a need for more focus on community collaboration
*Art is being partially replaced by 'decor'
*More publicity is needed for the arts
*'Viseracy,' or visual literacy, has to be as important as text literacy

When we broke into the 15 separate groups, our group agreed upon some of the initiatives we would like put forward. All the groups' intiatives will be compiled at the end of the seminar and the intent is to use them to shape the future of art in Canada.

Our initiatives include:

*We would like to see free admission to galleries
*We need to find out what 'speaks' to people to get them coming through the doors of museums, galleries, etc.
*We need more help transitioning from post-secondary students to working artists
*We want to form an alliance to have an aggressive public voice that will ensure government seriously looks at culture as an important part of their future intiatives, and that they understand we have significant enough numbers to keep a government from getting a majority if they don't consider it important.
*We would like to see arts as part of the curriculum from elementary school and up, so that children learn about the arts all through school. They do not have to choose an art career, but they will be informed and not intimidated when they visit galleries, etc.

The afternoon session was about collecting and exhibiting Canadian art. The plenary session speakers talked about Canada having "an inferiority complex" and that there is an imbalance in museums regarding budgets for Canadian exhibitions. They said there are no "blockbuster" (big budget) exhibitions for Canadian art and that there was not enough publishing of comprehensive catalogues. With our limited resources for contemporary Canadian art, we have to "invent associations with collectors," said one of the panel members. We "deplore" starvation of the arts, said another, adding we have to equip the museums and galleries to take on the electronic age. Another issue according to one of the panel members is that "We don't have adequate resources to preserve works."

After the session, our discussion group put forward the following suggestions:
* Create a national acquisition strategy
* Have more dialogue, become known to each other, and have greater co-operative initiatives

The day was concluded with the Hnatyshyn Foundation Awards Reception.
Louise Dery, curator at the Galerie de l'UQAM in Montreal received $15,000 for the Foundation's first curator award, and the 2nd annual award for outstanding achievement by an artist in mid-career meant a $25,000 prize for Ken Lum of Vancouver. In presenting the awards, Mme Hnatyshsyn said, "Contemporary art is not a luxury but a necessity for a healthy society." She also added that, "It can open our eyes to see and our hearts to imagine."


Tomorrow's schedule includes plenary sessions and discussion on: the force of markets, and market issues.

Visual Arts Summit in Ottawa

This is my report from the Visual Arts Summit in Ottawa...
We had a fantastic day today - we (artist Shairl Honey and I) toured Vault 34, which houses the Portrait Gallery of Canada's archives at the Gatineau Preservation Centre. Not only did we see some great art and very valuable pieces (not to mention the incredible architecture of the building), but the tour hostess - Director General of the Portrait Gallery of Canada was riveting. She told the story behind all the paintings she showed us and her passion kept us engrossed in her every word. This was so far, and will likely continue to be the highlight of our trip, even though we had no idea what to expect when we got on the bus to go there. Initially we had thought perhaps the Preservation Centre was where they did restoration of art.
The first plenary session riled us a bit because one of the panel members is a Quebec female who voiced her displeasure about people discussing 'national.' I think it was a good choice to put her on the panel, though, because it really got everyone thinking and the discussion portion of the summit will be highly interesting and intense.
We have met some interesting people and have already been invited to Newfoundland to stay in a guest house next September.
At dinner we sat with gallery curator Catherine Elliot Shaw from McIntosh Gallery in London, gallery curator Lisa Daniels from Gallery Lambton in Sarnia, artist Nikko Sinclaire and Valorie Preston, photographer Jessie Parker, and Bonnie Silbert from Fusion - Ontario Clay and Glass Association. The dinner was in the Penthouse at the Crowne Plaza and talking about it would just be bragging, so I'll spare you that.
Tomorrow's first session is about education and access, interpretation and audience, and the afternoon session is about treasures and treasuries - collecting and exhibiting Canadian art. There are two discussion sessions tomorrow, so the day should be full of ideas from artists, curators, and other important people in the art world. I can't wait to share the update on the events.

This week was busy getting ready to go (from my home south of Edmonton) to the Visual Arts Summit (VAS) in Ottawa, so I haven't had much fodder for the blog which is unusual for me.
But, today we (artist Shairl Honey and me) arrived in Ottawa just after the lunch hour and checked into the hotel. We had to run around searching for maps, finding out about internet connections, asking about good places to eat dinner, etc.
Tomorrow is the first day of the conference (I've never been to a conference that started on Sunday before) and I am excited about the opportunities in the next few days.
We register in the morning and then board a bus and go tour the Gatineau Preservation Centre. I understand that this is where they preserve fine art. After the tour I will post a blog telling about the tour.
After the tour, the first of the plenary sessions will be held and it is about issues that have arisen due to the intense growth in the Canadian visual arts sector. The VAS information sheets say the discussion will examine the key developmental events to shed light on how artists learn, practice and earn a living, how the art market functions, how the public connects with contemporary art, and the overall policy context for the visual arts. If you understand that, feel free to enlighten me, but I'll be able to tell you in plainer English what that means after the session.
As the conference continues, I'll write daily updates on what was discussed, and what the general feeling was of the attendees about the discussion.
This gathering of the Canadian art 'world' will surely mean some great ideas flying around, and hopefully some of those ideas will mean good things for artists and the art industry.

International Airport is Next in Series

With only two paintings left in the series of twelve that will be made into art cards and prints in the New Year, I have been struggling with what two paintings would be best.
I have finally settled on doing the International Airport terminal as one of the paintings. Although the airport is technically not in Leduc, it is certainly synonymous with the city since it is only a few minutes drive away.
Many Leduc residents work at the airport, the hotels host many airline travelers and airline personnel, the Chamber of Commerce/Economic Development/Tourism office building features a park where people can watch planes landing and taking off, and so on.
Although I can later add to the series, I wanted the initial dozen paintings to really reflect the area and I think it wouldn't be complete without a painting of the busy airport.
So, along with six rural scenes, the city scenes currently include a downtown scene in the daylight, a downtown scene at night, the skate park, and the grain elevator. The airport will make the fifth, and the sixth will likely be Telford Lake, a lake that is right in the city, although I've been known to change my mind last second.
The airport painting is fairly complex and has quite a number of vehicles in it as well, so I'm not sure how long it will be before I'm able to post the completed image, but I hope to post a progress photo in the next day or two.

What is art?

Although I recognize and appreciate everyone's right to create and call whatever they make 'art,' I find it incredibly amazing to see things like the results of this year's RBC Canadian 'Painting' Competition.
The winner, Arabella Campbell, took away $25,000 in cash for something that I dare say looks like a border (yes, that's right - only a border) that is often used in advertising and created in a publishing program. Granted, it is large and on canvas, but it certainly looks nothing like a 'painting' to me. There is no subject matter, there is no composition, etc. etc. etc.
It's very hard to criticize RBC - they are putting good dollars towards supporting the arts, but there are probably at least a hundred thousand other Canadian 'painters' who would come out ahead of Campbell's prize winner with most jurors and I suggest RBC insist on changing jurors for the future.
One has to assume that the jurors were blind, or that the decision is political for whatever reason unbeknownst to the rest of us.
It is indeed a shame that this competition is repeatedly won by 'art' that takes little imagination and little skill.
But, don't take my word for it - check it out yourself at: http://www.rbc.com/newsroom/20070926cpc.html and be sure to scroll all the way down. It's almost as if they are embarrassed of the winner also because Arabella and her winning 'painting' are at the bottom of the page.

Increasing Your Productivity

One of the greatest issues of a painter is productivity. There are so many outside influences that command time that could otherwise be spent painting: children, spouses, friends, groups and organizations that one belongs to, and in many cases jobs.
Sometimes lack of productivity is simply our own disorganization or procrastination.
So how do we stay productive? Here's a few suggestions that may help.

BE ORGANIZED: Keep your studio or painting area clean and all materials ready so that when you do have a short time available you can get right to it. If you don't have a painting area that can be left ready at all times, keep your materials and some photographic references or props in a container that you can open and have everything at your fingertips.
There's nothing less inspiring than having to clean up your work space before you start, or searching all over the house to find your materials.

DON'T PROCRASTINATE: If you only have 15 minutes, or a half-hour, use it. Don't talk yourself into thinking that it's not enough time. Use the time you have and you'll be surprised at how efficient you'll become. With all the outside influences, the perfect amount of time may not happen and neither will any paintings. Using mothers as an example, I would dare to claim that as many as 80 per cent of women artists put their art completely on hold while they're raising children. This is not necessary. It's just important to use what time you have to your best advantage.

WORK IN SERIES: There's so much benefit to working in series. From a marketing perspective, a series is easier to pitch to galleries, etc. because the body of work is harmonious and appealing to buyers. From an inspirational perspective, working in a series keeps your mind on one track. For me, working in a series literally drives me into the studio because I get excited about the subject matter and I get excited about completing a group of works. When the series is finally done, there's an immense level of satisfaction.

Whether you're a prolific painter or fairly slow, if you consistently use your available time efficiently, you will quickly increase your productivity.

Leduc Grain Elevator painting complete

I'm happily still working on the Leduc series. (For those who are new readers, I am working on a series of 12 paintings of Leduc, Alberta - six rural and six city paintings. I will be making art cards and prints of the paintings in time for the Alberta Winter Games in February). I am working on a painting of the new Leduc skate park now, but the Elevator painting above was finally dry enough to add the lettering, so although I'll make some adjustments in the next few days, I'm able to post the final version.

I have the skate park painting almost complete - I am excited about that painting because it's got lots of neat shadows in the deep caverns of the 'bowl' and the young boy who is biking in the bowl casts a delightful shadow. In another day or two I should be able to post it.

I have two left to complete the series, so the next one will be of a Telford Lake scene - I've drawn it out and I'm ready to start painting right away. I'm so close to the end of the series that I'm already thinking about what my next project will be.

I have a commissioned portrait of a young lady to complete in the next few months, a painting of
some hockey players, and a few other small projects that I'll work on, but I am starting to think about a series for my next year fall show.

Marketing is a huge focus of mine, and I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for new opportunities in the year to come. Johnson Gallery in Edmonton features my work in their ads in Canadian Brushstroke Magazine - a really great magazine for the Canadian art industry. (There's some wonderful stories about CDN artists covered in the mag - www.brushstrokemagazine.com )

This blog is a marketing tool, but to me it is also a motivating tool. In order to keep regular updates on a blog, one has to have either work or articles to publish. I can't recommend this highly enough, however if an artist is not prepared to update at least three to four times per week - every week, it's probably not the way to go. People who get interested in your blog will want new information on a regular basis or they will get bored and choose other blogs over yours.

After 25 years in publishing, I rarely am at a loss for things to write about, and I am constantly stimulated by artist friends, gallery owners, art suppliers, collectors, etc. When they ask me questions, it gets my thought process going and suddenly another article is in the works. I am just thrilled that my love of writing and my love of painting come together in such a cohesive way.

If you have any products you'd like discussed, I'd be glad to do some digging with the manufacturers or other artists; or if you have any topics for future articles, please sent me a message or post it in the comments. If it's about painting, I'd love to discuss it.

Marketing an artist's work

I was speaking with a few other artists about marketing artwork the other night.
We spoke about the alternatives and where each thought we should go with our own work.
The talk was enlightening, inspiring, and I really thought it might interest others as well.
One option was to get involved in the community, attend meetings, and shake a lot of hands. In other words, network and collect names that could be applied to our mailing lists. This could mean a greater audience to future shows and more people familiar with us personally. The downside of the self-promotion, according to some of us, is that the time spent doing that would mean less time to spend at the easel producing work to actually promote. Less time at the easel could mean that we don't continually improve our skills and become the best painters we can be.
Another option mentioned was to paint our 'hineys' off and become such good painters that we're desired in galleries world-wide and we could let them promote us, always leaving us the time to paint.
I believe that there should be a balance of both. We cannot paint all day, every day, or we don't have any idea what is going on in the outside world, and we become very dry in what we have to offer in our paintings. On the other hand, we cannot tie up all our time in self-promotion, or we have created no wares to peddle.
Getting out in the world on occasion and meeting and greeting, adding names to our mailing lists, and hearing what the world is thinking is very important. And, learning to say no so that we are not joining every committee and volunteering for everything that comes along is also important.
It's my view that the combination makes a well-rounded person who will have lots to offer in his/her paintings, and will have amassed a group of devoted friends and collectors.
Doing so leaves the bulk of the promotion of one's work to the galleries, but it sure doesn't hurt to have a following who will add to the sweetness of the promotional pot.

The Importance of a Good Business Card

I was hoping to post the final version of the Leduc Grain Elevator, but I didn't get it done early enough in the day to photograph well, so instead I thought I'd expand on something I said in yesterday's blog.
I talked about leaving a business card when I was taking photographs of young people at the skate park so that if they go home and tell their parents some strange person was taking their photo, the parents can call and find out what I was up to.
That being said, an artist should leave a business card everywhere they can - it's a very inexpensive marketing tool and something that can show off your talents in a glance.
Here's an article I wrote about the importance of artists having a good business card...

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD BUSINESS CARD
Although most of us would like to be financially stable, and perhaps even a bit above ‘comfortable’ if possible - let’s face it - we don’t paint for the fame and fortune. If we were artists for the sole reason of making money, there are many of us who, after a few pathetic tries, would have given up and tried something a little more secure.
So, we’re obviously driven to create for other reasons. Some of these reasons include the need to tell a story, to share an emotion, to show a technique or to leave a legacy. But reality states that if you buy canvas, paint, frames and other art supplies continuously, you must find a way to make your art pay back at least enough to allow you to continue paying the costs of creating.
That means working on a plan to market yourself and your art to others in a position to purchase.
One of your greatest assets in your marketing plan is a really GOOD business card. Be sure to have business cards with you at all times. Have them professionally designed to have the highest impact. Although there is a cost to this, consider it your best investment. Your business card is the first impression that many businesses and individuals will have with you and your art. A professional business card says you care about detail and you are going places with your business.
The initial design will be a bit costly, but after that your remakes won’t be as expensive since the design is already complete. Be sure to have the obvious details such as name, address, phone, email, etc. Also include your title: Artist (or Portrait Artist or Landscape Artist for example). If you paint a specific style or will take commissions, or do something else specific, include it on your card. And, of course there should be an example of your art.
EDIT, and I mean EDIT your bio and you can include that in VERY BRIEF on the back of the card if you can spare the extra expense. Don’t be convinced that all of your information is so precious and important that it needs to be included in 2 point type. That will NOT be effective. Make sure your type is in an easy to read font and in AT LEAST 7 point. That means you’ll have to get only the very crucial details in very brief form.
Give out your business cards liberally. If ANYONE asks about your art, pass on your card. You have no way of knowing where it will go and in whose hands it will eventually wind up. When you present your portfolio anywhere, include two business cards. Sometimes there are two people involved in gallery decisions, and you are ensuring you’re in both their files and you won’t be forgotten.
When you send Christmas cards or any other mailed correspondence, include your business card. At any art function, be sure to have plenty of business cards on hand. There would be nothing worse than giving out your last business card and then a particularly important gallery owner coming along and asking you for one. You may never get the second opportunity.
A business card may seem like a very small and almost unimportant piece of paper, but sometimes it can mean the difference between you getting a commission or show, or the other artist who always comes prepared. Although your marketing plan will also need a lot of your own energy and time, your business card is really the most cost-effective marketing tool you’re ever going to find - make it good!

Leduc Night Scene

I got so excited about doing this Leduc downtown night scene that I didn't take progress pictures again. So, although it needs some tweaking when dry, here is the virtually complete scene. It's lacking the warmth of the original, but that's the downfall of taking photos of oil paintings - especially when they're wet.

Downtown Leduc is a very picturesque place, especially at night when the old-fashioned style, red light standards are all lit up and give the street sparkle.

I absolutely love doing late evening and night scenes of any kind, and this was no different. I got so caught up in the painting that I couldn't put the brushes down until I was pretty much done.

Now that this is done, and the Elevator painting only needs a few nips and tucks (I'll show you tomorrow), I only have three more paintings left to do for the series of 12.

I'll be finishing the elevator tomorrow and then it's on to the skate park. I can't wait - that's something I've never painted before.

Tomorrow night (Thursday), I'll be attending Jennifer Annesley's 14th annual exhibition at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. She does amazing watercolor interior architectural paintings, as well as landscapes and still life. Check out her website at www.annesleystudio.com . She's truly a wonderful artist - I'm sure you'll enjoy her works.

Community Responding Favorably to New Series

I'm still waiting for the Leduc Grain Elevator to dry so I can add cloud detail, etc. I've started another painting in the series - a Leduc downtown night scene.
If the elevator painting is dry in the morning, I'll be able to finish and post it by tomorrow night, but if not, I should be far enough along with the night scene to post a progress photo.
I am excited about how the community is responding to this series. People from the City of Leduc, the local gallery, and others who have heard I'm working on this have all told me how much they're looking forward to it.
I know that the first 12 in this series will not be the end of the series. I will continue adding to this series for many years to come.
And, in doing this, I'm getting in touch with many people of all ages in the community. I went to the skate park to get reference material for a painting. There, I met about 15 teens who were all excited someone would be painting their playground. I must say, it certainly warmed my heart to find that these teens were not only friendly, but very polite, too. I'd be proud to be any of their parents.
Incidentally, my advice, for what it's worth - ALWAYS leave a business card with them if you are hanging around young people. That way, if they go home and tell their parents that you were speaking with them or photographing them, the parents can call you and find out why.
It's not worth having parents think that someone is hanging around their children for the wrong reasons.
Plus, if you do want to use a child in one of your paintings, you will need written permission to protect yourself. If you give the child a card, you can ask him/her to have Mom or Dad phone you to arrange it.

Progress on Leduc Grain Elevator

Here's stage 2 of the Leduc Grain Elevator painting. I've added in a sky base and will later add the clouds. I've worked more on the track details, and I've started adding in the buildings across the road from the elevator. I've also added more detail to the rocks that the tracks lay on.

As this dries up a bit (oil paint takes quite a long time to dry), I've been busy drawing preliminary sketches for two others in the Leduc series - a night scene downtown, and two boys playing at the skate park.

I was in Butterfly Boutique - a local clothing store - the other day and the owner has several old photographs of his store in the early 1900s. The only visible change to the outside has been new doors and the Butterfly Boutique sign. If you can believe it, the store, which is not considered large by today's standards, was a Safeway store way back then.

With little change in the outside appearance, it wouldn't be that difficult to paint it today, as it was then. Perhaps in the future this will lead to another Leduc series of historic scenes - who knows?

There'll never be enough time in my life to paint everything I want to - I'm sure all other artists can relate - but while I'm still here, I'll be trying hard to record everything I can on canvas. I often feel like I've won the lotto - I am able to paint to my heart's content, and I have been graced with the ability to do it. That's a huge jackpot for me!

Leduc Grain Elevator next in series

This is the start of the second city scene in the Leduc and Area series of 12 paintings. When this is complete, I'll only have four more city scenes and then the series (which can be added to later) is ready to make into 5x7" art cards.

So far, I've roughed in the elevator buildings and the track area and added some of the shadows. I am painting it on a beautiful sunny day and there will be spectacular fluffy clouds with lots of purple, which are set off beautifully by the teal of the elevator. Even though I thought grain elevators are over-done, this may well end up being one of my favorites in the series.

This grain elevator used to be the centre of agricultural activity in Leduc, with farmers coming from all around to unload grain so it could be shipped via train cars first to the Alberta Wheat Pool, and later, after the Wheat Pool sold the facility, to Agricore. Threatened with extinction several years ago, when it was to be torn down, a Leduc farmer named Bob Caine fought long and hard and gathered volunteers who raised substantial sums to turn the elevator into an interpretive centre/museum. The facility now hosts tours and demonstrations on the workings of a grain elevator.

Leduc Antique Mall Painting Is Complete

Well, it's just about done - a little 'tweaking' here and there and I'll be done. I have to wait until it dries again to darken the front of the sandwich board which should be somewhat in shadow. There's a few other small touches, but for the most part, it's complete. If you notice anything you'd like to bring to my attention, please feel free to comment.
When I'm completely done, I'll sign it and have it professionally scanned, so the quality of the image is better on the screen.

Now I'm really excited, because I'm on to the eighth in the series and the second in the city part of the series. There will be six rural and six city scenes total. So, that leaves five more to complete before I have the art cards made in time for the Alberta Winter Games that are in Leduc in February.

Varnishing oil paintings

Today I picked up Gamblin Gamvar varnish - it's a kit. I had blogged a few weeks ago that I will be testing MSA varnish, and I will also test the Gamblin Gamvar varnish.
I'll be trying these over the next few weeks and then I'll post the differences in usage and the results I get.
If anyone has already tried the two and has some input, please feel free to post it to my comments so everyone can have the benefit of more than my opinion.

I heard today that artist Doug Swinton, who I wrote about yesterday, is doing much better. That is good news and a great relief.

I am working on the final details for the Leduc Antique Mall painting and the pomegranates, and I am planning the details for a commissioned portrait of a little girl I will be painting very soon.

I'd like to thank artist Joan Bolen of Saskatchewan who sent me a tip for the pomegranates. I had written that they turned brown quickly, like apples. She suggested I try rubbing them with lemon juice, since that works well for apples. I will definitely try that next time I paint pomegranates.

I want to wish a very speedy recovery to Calgary artist Doug Swinton - someone who has been a Godsend to me and my painting.
Doug is a wonderful instructor, great fun, and very informative. To a tight painter like myself, an occasional workshop with this very talented artist has helped me to not to diddle my work to death.
A workshop with Doug means stepping out of one's comfort zone and working fast, but with fresh brushwork that conveys the subject simply and juicily. (Is that a word, anyway?)
Doug is kind and friendly, with a great sense of humor.
I know that everyone who knows him joins me in wishing him a quick recovery.

I ended up with a lot more of a workload than I thought I was going to have the last few days, so I haven't yet completely finished the Leduc street scene yet. I'll post it as soon as possible.

Here's a poem I wrote a while ago - I hope it inspires you to paint.


THIS PLACE

In this place that I live,
With brushes, paint and mind,
Hours go by that I have lost,
Not again to find.

A sunset may appear,
Or landscapes could unfold,
Familiar faces oft are found,
Of young ones and of old.

The vastness of the sky,
With its clouds and sun aglow,
Captures that within my soul,
That only artists know.

Short strokes and the right touch,
With a strong desire and will,
Can change a landscape in an instant,
From plain to magical.

The caustic scent of oil,
To others may offend,
But to those who live in this place,
It’s life’s blood and oxygen.

On the artist’s easel,
With its treasure that’s been built,
Is the artist’s very being,
On that surface at a tilt.

When color touches canvas,
And its white’s no longer bare,
You’ll see everything that I can see,
In the painting that leans there.

In this place that I live,
With calm, no angst or haste,
Hours go by that I have lost,
Not one has been a waste.

By Susan Abma