Along the river's edge: the journey of a very special painting

‘Along the river’s edge’, acrylic, pastel, and pencil on canvas, 12” x 36”, 2024.

Not every day do you find your artwork gracing the walls of a place as enchanting as Anupaya. Nestled along the Ottawa River in the Laurentian Hills, this magical spa-like oasis is lovingly overseen by Pete and Shan MacLaggan. What began as a simple retreat stay transformed into an opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece for Sumac cabin.

My family and I impulsively booked a New Year’s Eve getaway to Anupaya in 2022. Having followed Anupaya on social media for years, I was eager to experience Pete and Shan’s eco-friendly cabins firsthand. Our stay was nothing short of therapeutic and relaxing—we instantly fell in love with Sumac, the wandering animals, and the breathtaking natural surroundings. As a token of gratitude, I left a small painting sketch for our hosts, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Shan loved the painting so much she asked me to do something bigger. She shared paintings by artists who inspired her, and I infused my style and love for nature into the artwork. The river and the majestic pines lining its banks served as my palette. The river’s blue-green hues, the sandy browns, the weathered grey of river rocks, and the winter greens of the pines all harmonized on the canvas. I intentionally left the raw canvas exposed, creating a natural backdrop that resonated with the surroundings. Like all my paintings, this piece celebrates the interplay of lines and topology.

The process of creating this Sumac masterpiece was gentle, born from reflection and joy. There’s something profoundly rewarding about crafting art for fellow nature enthusiasts. And the icing on the cake? The friendships forged along the way. May this painting continue to bring joy to all who visit Anupaya for years to come.

— B

Interior of Sumac cabin at Anupaya, featuring my painting. Photographed by myself.

2021 - A year of growth and change

I’m sitting here in front of my laptop trying to find the right words to describe 2021. So much happened both inward and outward. As you know, the world has been in the throws of a pandemic since March 2020 and as a history major in university I read about these things but never thought I would be alive to witness one. It has been the toughest couple years of my life, as I am sure it has been for you too. Amidst it all so many wonderful and exciting things have happened.

2021 brought me an abundance of gratitude for the people in my life that continue to support me as an artist, mother and woman. I have been able to fulfill many lifelong dreams over the last year as well. I finally completed my degree in fine art which has meant so much to me. My love for art history and theory drove me to pursue part-time studies almost a decade ago. After years of blood, sweat and tears I finally graduated in June 2021. Yay me!!

In addition to that I worked with my friends at The Colour Farm to create some really beautiful watercolour floral art. It was so rewarding to be a part of the process of painting such beautiful flowers. Plants and animals are some of my favourite subjects so this was a real treat.

As I mentioned in my last blog post I got to create, film and facilitate a beginner art workshop for the folks at Art Fix Nipissing. Such an honour to help guide new and emerging painters. I had always wanted to teach art when I was younger so this was a really rewarding.

2021 also bought me many other commissions and opportunities and some really exciting projects to come in 2022. Murals, large scale paintings, maybe even illustrating a book are all on the table if the stars align! I grew so much through all the changes 2021 presented. Not only as an artist, but as a person. I learned I am stronger than I think and that I am capable of doing things that scare me. I’ve shed the cloak of imposter syndrome and I am moving forward embracing my gifts, so that I can share them with you and become the person I was meant to be.

Thank you to everyone that has supported me over the last year. Means so much to know I have such wonderful friends and clients in my corner. All of my victories big and small would not have been possible without you cheering me on. So thank you from the bottom of my heart!! Onward my friends.

Yours in art, Bridgette

Art Fix - sharing my gifts

Last January I had the pleasure of creating and filming a three part watercolour course for beginners for Art Fix Nipissing, here in North Bay. Art Fix is a program run by a collective of artists with mental health or substance use lived experiences. They use art as a vehicle for social change to break down barriers and to heal.

I split up the course into three videos aimed at teaching folks how to paint watercolour without any prior knowledge or training. It was a great way to launch into 2021, but the global pandemic did shake up plans for having a professional videographer actually shoot the footage. Instead I used my trusty Nikon and did the best I could filming in my poorly lit kitchen. Somehow it actually turned out pretty well and I was proud of myself for how quickly I was able to pivot and get the three videos filmed in just over a week.

I’ve always wanted to do something like this and it was really fun to explore the process of sharing my gifts and teaching others, even if it was done virtually without anyone in front of me. I enjoyed the opportunity and felt humbled by the experience. Big thanks to Lindsay Sullivan, Training Program Coordinator at Art Fix for putting this all together. In addition to the videos I facilitated there were several other artist led tutorials and workshops available to choose from. Everything from filmmaking to collage and printmaking.

The project is all wrapped up now but hopefully I get a chance to take part in something like this again. Or, who knows, maybe I’ll start a YouTube channel one day. Check out Art Fix on the web or on social media to find out what they’re up to.

The Mural Project

Hello friends! Its been a minute since I blogged. I recently completed a degree in Fine Arts (art history stream) which has taken up most of my spare time. Although I haven’t created as much as I would have liked, I did manage to pull off a successful mini release of winter silhouette watercolours and sold over 25 paintings. I consider that a win!

These days I am just regrouping to embark on some really exciting projects/collabs which you will get some teasers about in the next few weeks and months. I’m looking forward to new challenges. One thing I didn’t get around to posting much about on here was the mural project I completed last August (2020) downtown North Bay and a three part watercolour techniques course I facilitated for Art Fix North Bay in January. I’ll chat about the watercolour course in a separate blog because it really deserves its own post.

Ok, let’s chat about the mural project which was such a wonderful experience. Thanks to Rod Bilz at Remedy Developments and Jaymie Lathem at Creative Industries for the opportunity to work on a 220 sq ft mural to be installed downtown North Bay this summer (2021). As soon as I found out I won the RFP for the 7 panel mural I got straight to work. The inspiration for this piece was easy to nail down - North Bay is a cold place for 6 months of the year and often we are looking to escape south for some warmth. I wanted to create a mural that was a warm and tropical desert oasis, so that’s exactly what I painted. I worked with warm oranges, corals and greens. Like most of my work, I picked 5 to 10 colours to work with, including black and white. I absolutely love how the mural turned out. I went in with a loose idea of composition and feel it surpassed my expectations. I have posted a photo of the mural in my portfolio tab on the website.

Lucky for me my friend Isaac Paul was around and came to shoot some pictures and a video in the first week of the project. He’s an amazing photographer and videographer so check out his work by clicking on the photo below. I hope you all get downtown to check it out when it is ready for viewing. It will be located in the alleyway behind the parking garage downtown off McInyre St. Best of all you can shop at all your fave downtown locations at the same time since its in the heart of this special little city.

Thanks for following along on my website and reading the blog. I really appreciate everyone’s support. Take care of yourselves.

B

Photography by Isaac Paul Images

Tools

Been a while since I posted on the blog but today I thought I’d talk a little bit about tools! Tools can be your friend or your enemy if you don't have the right ones. I've found over the years, through experimentation, that you need to try as many as possible to determine what works best for your practice.

Since I’ve been on a bit of a watercolour kick lately these are some of the tools in my watercolour arsenal that I can't work without now:

* good paper (colded pressed with a smoother texture for me but sometimes I like more texture). I like Arches or Strathmore.
* paint with quality pigment and optimal translucency like Winsor & Newton. There are so many paint brands out there and I would like to explore more of these
* artist level brushes (these tend to hold paint better and distribute evenly). I’ve been using Winsor & Newton lately and love them!
* Ink pens (I use Pigma micron and sakura pens mostly)
* masking tape
* sketchbook
* pencil and eraser
* white acrylic paint pen for applying details in white that pop (Try Montana extra fine)
* paper cutter
* ruler (also for tearing paper)
* cutting matt

Although my toolbox has changed slightly over the years I seem to always use good graphite pencils, an eraser and sketchbook. You can never have too many sketchbooks! I hope you find this helpful if you are just starting out on your watercolour journey. There are so many products out there it can be tough to decide what to use and where to find it. If you need any more guidance please send me a message through the contact form and I would love to help you.

Yours in art, Bridgette

Reflection

Hello, I can hardly believe it has been almost a year since my last blog post. Let’s catch up, shall we? My time has been spent in deep personal reflection. I have been evaluating myself and my art practice. Asking myself “where I want to go? How can I get there? What do I want to say through my art?” I seem to be arriving at more questions than answers lately, but I want to share with you some of the answers I did find.

The main thing I have discovered is that my time thinking has felt fulfilling personally but from an outward stance it has isolated me from the arts community and other creators. I had made a goal of collaborating more in 2020 but soon we found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic and the goal I had made seemed very far away. Sometimes it still does, but that is just my perception - we are all still very much connected. So, on that note I would love to work towards some digital collaborations going forward. I think there is still hope for my 2020 goal. Reach out if you have a similar vision. Let’s find a way to connect.

My other major revelation is that I want to produce more creative content to host workshops and teach others what I have learnt. Over the next few months to a year I hope to have that plan and process unfold naturally. I have always wanted to teach others art, so I am going to make that happen. I hope you will join me when I have this all sorted out.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart if you have read all the way through this post and have supported my art over the last few years. It means the world to me and I hope my work has brought you joy, as I often think of you (yes you) when I am creating new pieces. Keep in touch and please contact me if you would like to collaborate.

Yours in art, B

Surrender

I told myself when I started this artistic journey that I would surrender to the process. I would take the opportunities that came my way, even if I wouldn’t normally consider them outside of this adventure. I wanted to see where life would take me. Boy has it been an interesting year so far!

My first challenge was starting this website. With a gentle nudge from a friend I dove into the unknown. I didn’t know what to expect from this experience. Was the website going to help me promote myself? Would it be too time consuming? Costly? I had a lot of reservations about the whole process but went ahead and started building the site you see now. It’s not perfect and I hope to provide more of a streamlined look in the future, but for right now it works and it is allowing me to connect with you…where ever you happen to be. :-)

The second challenge came when I was asked to submit some work in an art show for International Women’s Day. I was nervous, insecurities reared their heads, I wanted to say no to the chance but forced a “sure I’ve got some art to include.” I have been creating silently for so long that I became worried my art wasn’t relevant to anyone but myself. I had a lot of self-doubt, but I reminded the nagging voice in my head that I was going to surrender and give this a try. So I did and the show was great. Afterward I was glad I didn’t turn down the chance.

Again and again these opportunities have bubbled up and I've taken them all. Big and small, all steps towards my goal of someday being able to focus completely on this wonderful career in the arts that I have always wanted. Surrender has been a huge turning point for me this year and instead of letting the fear of the unknown get the better of me, I have said yes to what ever the universe has sent my way.

My personal surrender experiment is only just beginning and there are still many opportunities just waiting for me to say yes to. I’m excited, and a little nervous, to discover the path unfolding before me.

Dynamics of Interaction

Beginning July 20th at the NRCC project space here in North Bay, ON I have a series of works that deal with the subject matter of entropy and art.

These works are predominantly abstracted watercolour, pencil and acrylic. The spontaneity of the art is partly due to the fluid movement of watercolour on paper; a fine balance of order and chaos. Entropy in artistic terms has been an interesting reaction. Based on a thermodynamic theory within physics, artists have played with this idea since the 60s. Deforming and desolving artistic traditions and techniques has been a focus of mine lately and this new body of work highlights that.

I stuck with a cooler colour palette for this show, working with blues and greens and some pops of pink. I think that despite the movement within each piece they have a overall calming feeling to me. The colour helps create that sensation. I’m really proud of these works and hope you enjoy them as well.

I haven’t had much time to document the show but once I do I’ll have these images for sale on the website. The show is up until August 15. Thanks for your support. B

What You Think You Become

If you asked me what I thought of my art practice 3 years ago, I would have said it’s a hobby, not a career. Today It’s a career and even more importantly, my passion. It took a lot for me to recognize this. Believe it or not I wasn’t always sure of my abilities and talents; If you’ve read any of the other posts you’ve heard me write about my artistic struggles. The power of thoughts and their ability to sabotage success has been a reoccurring theme in my life. I think too much in general and despite my knowing that overthinking kills creativity, I have done it over and over in my life on this artistic journey. I’ve become my negative thoughts so many times. Times when I told myself I was crap, untalented, unable to be the creative person I am. Changing those patterns and behaviours was tough. It wasn’t an overnight transference into this realm of positive thinking. I made a conscious shift to manifest more good in my life a while ago and part of that was to think like I was already successful at this art thing. Instead of thinking “I’ll be successful one day,” I told myself, “I’m successful in this moment, right freaking now.” Wouldn’t you believe this crazy idea worked! Ha! The very moment I started to manifest this thought process was the very first time I had friends start buying art from me. It was also the first time I began to see that I am what I think.

Fast forward to the present moment as I type this blog post and reflect on what i’m manifesting now. My goal in opening up to you is for you to see that success (and lord help me I hate that word because it has all these attachments to it) is 90% mental and 10% hustle. You HAVE to believe in yourself, in your dream, in every moment of the journey. If you think for even a moment you “can’t” or you’re not “enough”, you’ve blown it. Nike was right when they coined the tag line “Just Do It” (forgive me TM law people!). Believe IT. Do IT. Be IT. There is no room for you to give up on yourself. See yourself doing it and you will become it.

Guides Along the Path

A big part of my success is owed to the people who have helped me along on this artistic journey. We all have mentors and guides who embody a living inspiration in our path to success. My first guide came into my life in a way I didn’t necessarily see as nurturing or motivating. In fact I really didn’t like her at all! She was my high school art teacher and she was abrupt and harsh at times, but clearly talented and loved the arts. She instilled a discipline in me. She was critical of everything I created because she knew I could do better, dig deeper. I spent hours on projects outside of school to impress her but she never gave compliments easily. I wanted her to like my work so badly. One day I submitted an assignment and she told me to redo it because it was terrible. I was crushed, but I wanted to prove to her I was capable and talented so I did it over again. I got an ok mark on the assignment. She ended up retiring the same year I graduated high school. I moved to the US that same summer and lived there for almost a year before returning to North Bay. I got a job at a grocery store and one day she came in and ended up at my checkout lane. I was nervous to talk to her but she was kind and we ended up having a really nice conversation. She came in frequently and one day I had told her I was accepted into an art program at Georgian College in Barrie, ON. She told me she always thought I was talented and knew I would pursue art. She was downsizing her condo and gave me a drafting table to use in my new boarding room in Barrie. I was grateful and as it would turn out we saw each other off and on for a few years after that. We became friends and I saw a different side of this woman who had always been so hard on me. I was grateful for her criticism because it had given me the courage to explore the untapped potential inside.

My second guide came to me in college. He was a Jewish artist from New York (the city I had always wanted to live in) and he taught most of my classes at Georgian College. He was gifted and kind and said I reminded him of his sister. He was encouraging and thought provoking. I looked up to him and admired his art. For the first time in my life I believed in myself. I aced every class in art school, fuelled by this new found self-esteem. I had found my path, but not without a bit of a plot twist. I decided to apply for university and leave art school. When I told my guide, he was honest and told me that he believed I should continue making art and pursue my art diploma, that my calling was art. I was hard headed and although I knew he was right, proceeded with my course of action. He told me to never stop making art. This would be a phrase that came back to me over and over again in different people and different times in my life.

So I started university in the fall and completed a history degree a few years later. I continued to make art but slowly over time it became less and less a priority. I didn’t make art for nearly 10 years. In the Fall of 2012 I started taking art courses at Nipissing University. I slowly started making art again. It was rewarding to release nearly a decade worth of repressed creativity. Then I hit a bit of a rut in 2016 but simultaneously met my next guide. He was a local artist who worked in a bar I frequented. I met him by fluke at a trivia night and we instantly connected. He was brilliant and soft spoken and we talked about everything. He understood my struggle to create and offered advice when he could. He echoed my second guide and continuously encouraged me to keep making art and push through the block. So I did, while gaining new skills and techniques along the way.

People come and go throughout our lives but some stick with us long after they’ve gone. The memories, lessons and hope they gave us continue to provide support and motivation to create. They give us that extra push to get the work done. Without meeting these beacons of inspiration in my life I would not have gotten to this point. It’s no accident that the universe sent them to me and I’m grateful everyday for their encouragement, even if it was disguised as criticism at times. I look forward to my next mentor…and maybe they’re already in my life at this very moment.

Finding My Voice

The one thing i’ve struggled with in my art practice is finding my voice. What is it that I have to say? Do I have a message, agenda, platform? Do I need one? Is my message valuable to society? How can I use my gifts to make this world better? Like the question I have asked myself in the previous post, “who am I?”, there isn’t really a short answer I suppose. This is what I have discovered about myself and my art practice, and maybe some of you can relate to this in one way or another:

1. I am trying to connect people with their feelings. Art has this powerful way of doing that. I want you to look at my painting and have some feelings about it. Doesn’t really matter what that feeling is, I just want it to stir something up. You may hate everything I paint, and that’s ok, it’s a feeling! Our brain can process up to 36,000 visual messages per hour so for us to do this we need to make split second decisions about what we are viewing and analysing. The science behind what we find visually appealing has always been an interest of mine. There is this really neat word called entropy and I try to apply this to my art. It’s basically the way our brain creates order out of disorder or chaos. Too many visual disturbances and our brain gives up trying to figure out the mess but just the right amount of mess and bingo! You’ve made something interesting.

2. I want to make the world more beautiful. Art fills the space in my life where ugly once was. Emotionally, physically and mentally. If I can contribute to the beauty in every day life, then I feel like my work is doing what it was intended to do. Good design and art are some of my favourite things. I smile when I see something beautiful that another person created, so that inspires me to do the same and keep working towards art that I am proud of creating and connecting to the world.

3. Creating art is my way of healing. Healing myself, healing you. Have you ever stood in front of a work of art and felt like a part of you became renewed by the simple act of looking? I have. I distinctly remember seeing my first Mark Rothko painting at the age of 15 in an exhibition of his I saw in New York City. I had never felt this overwhelming wave of awakening and internal peace. It was a truly healing moment for me. I knew I needed to paint like that some day, or at least try. I realized then how healing art could be. Every time I paint or draw I feel like i’m silently repairing parts of myself that have felt broken or hurt. Art has had an incredible effect and affect on my own personal healing journey.

My impulse to create art is as strong as my impulse to breathe. It literally keeps me alive. Perhaps my motivation to create is even more selfish when I dig down deep. I create to stay alive and feel like I matter in this big round rock we call Earth. We all need something to keep us moving forward and my message to the world is hidden in layers of paint. My feelings, my desires, my sadness, my joy, my darkness, my light…it’s all there just waiting for you to see it and connect to what makes me relatable to you.

Who am I?

Big question: who am I? This could get complicated but I’ll try and sum it up in a few paragraphs. I suppose the question should really be, who do I want to be? In which case, I want to be exactly what I was born to be, a creator, a maker, a glowing spec of dust in this crazy cosmic swirl we call the universe.

I don’t think I ever really asked the question, “who am I?” until I was almost a teenager. I mean, I was a kid, I didn’t have any clue what kind of adventures I’d be getting into as I grew older and I certainly didn’t want to analyze my psyche at twelve. I fought the process of growing up. I wanted to be Peter Pan and never ever grow up. I held tightly to my innocence. It wasn’t until I made a horrible decision to unfriend my best friend on the playground in Grade 7 because my new best friend said I had to, that I asked myself how I could do that and who was I for obeying.

Truth be told, I knew in that instant that I didn't want to be that cruel to another person again. I wanted to do good and be a loving vibration in this world that can be so cold and unkind. Art was the way I could help spread that goodness. When I was in high school a girl that took the bus with me was having a hard time at school and at home as well. I decided I could help her. I thought she needed art. So, I asked her over to paint one day after school. We did this for a few months and she was really starting to turn a corner personally. She seemed happier. I felt like my plan to bring art into her world worked. It gave me a great sense of pride to know I had helped her in a special way and a way that I knew how. I was shy and art allowed me to truly be myself and to be a force for good in other peoples lives.

There are so many artists making this world a better place. Some of us do it with colour and abstraction, some do it with sculpture, some with craft, and others with digital media. I’ve spent many years now working silently at home on my art, too afraid to bring it into this world fully. Maybe it was fear of rejection, or maybe it was my insecurity and lack of timing, but I took that leap and here I am. Art is everywhere and in all of us. It only takes a group of Paintnite ladies (and gents) to know how much fun creating can be. Without artistic expression I would not be me. I am art. That’s who I am. Simple.

Creative Awakening

How does one “wake up” creativity? Where do you start? What does it feel like? When will I know that I’m awake? I’ve asked myself these questions so many times I can’t remember when I actually started wondering what a creative awakening is and how it is achieved. Funny thing is, that while I was asking these questions the awakening was happening slowly and consistently every time I tried something new, found a steady source of inspiration and pushed my artistic abilities to a new level. Truth is, for me anyway, creative awakening is an ongoing process. You don’t wake up one day and think, “Today I have roused my creative sleeping giant.”

However, I do believe there were a few key moments in my journey that I felt the shift towards a more openly creative relationship with my inner maker, let me elaborate. I have always been an artist, from day one, like most artists I know it’s my natural state of being, but for a long period of time in my 20’s I denied that part of myself because of clinical depression and massive amounts of anxiety. In my early 30’s my life changed dramatically and the cloud of mental illness lifted. This was a game changer moment as I was finally able to enjoy the process of creating again. I painted a painting that I still have today and I consider it my most authentic work ever. I was free. I felt a surge of creativity in the moments I spent painting. It was really the beginning of an awakening…maybe even more appropriate, a re-awakening.

I followed that creative flow which brought me to the next pivotal moment of creative awakening which I have talked about earlier in my blog posts through the process of unlearning the very techniques that initially gave me the tools to create in a more professional way. Unlearning allowed more creative expression which in turn led to a series of personal breakthroughs. I’m still following that unlearning process and trust in it’s journey.

These moments in my life when everything seemed so clear creatively have been key to my development as an artist and maker. I hope to continue this journey to the next awakening! Have you a story of your own about this subject? I’d love to hear from you.

XX

Creative Block

It’s inevitable, you’re gonna hit a creative block at some point in your life. So how do you get over the hump? Plow through it is my suggestion. There have been times when I feel stuck, stale, bored, uninspired, you name it, but I work through it. So what if the art I make during that time isn’t “great,” it’s still an attempt to create. If you stick with it an incredible thing happens eventually and the block becomes fuel for exploration, innovation and imagination.

I’m sure you can read/listen to a number of experts talk about creative block in more professional terms but as a creative person, I can attest to the frustrations of trying to get out of the preverbal rut. Some other techniques I find help are looking at things from a different perspective. I mean flip the damn image upside down! Our brain can trick us sometimes so flipping the image can help you read it in an entirely unique way. I try to do this frequently when i'm working on a painting or drawing and can’t seem to make any progress on the work.

Doing some physical activity can also help get those creative juices flowing! Turn on some music and dance around, jump up and move fast and then slow, take a vigorous walk around the block. Whatever it is you decide on just make sure you get that blood pumping! It’s crazy how a change in energy can create new perspectives. Again, there’s probably some great books on that topic.

In short, there isn’t one way to solve the creative block but I really do think that the more you push through it and keep painting or drawing or photographing or whatever, you will hit this point of incredible growth and forward momentum artistically. Good luck and hope you try some of these tips next time you feel uninspired.

Timing

This sort of ties into the last post about first steps, because there was and is an element of timing that is needed to launch your dreams into motion. Despite having been artistic my whole life, I lacked the confidence and timing to pull off a website and an art career. The timing is still tricky with my full-time job and single parent lifestyle, but the confidence factor has definitely increased over the years which has allowed the timing to align.

I also just came to a realization that I’m always going to be busy and unsure of myself at times. I suppose that is just human nature. Learning to enjoy the journey and trusting I’m in the right stage of the game has been crucial. Surrendering to the forces beyond my control is helpful for many reasons; less stress, anxiety and pressure to be perfect. Making art is a time consuming process, despite being a very therapeutic one. Making time for creating is something I am constantly balancing within my day-to-day life, but I realize that without creating I am less able to cope with life’s challenges. It’s also just a part of who I am and to not honour that is like denying my very existence.

Timing is tricky but when it all comes together this magical thing formulates that allows you to enjoy the effort that was needed to make it all happen at the “right time.” It’s a pretty blissful experience when timing and effort collide. Now go make something with the time you have!

First Steps

It’s a stormy Winter evening and I’m just about to launch this website and blog to the world. Kinda scary! Kinda Exciting! This is a huge first step in connecting my art to you, the internet and the world. As much as I have wanted this for so long, the timing was never quite right, I doubted my abilities, I questioned even being talented. All the insecurities set aside, I took that first baby step over 3 years ago and started working hard on my artistic skills. I sought to find a visual voice, a message or a way to relate my soul to the universe. I truly have surrendered to this process of creativity and self-discovery through art. It has been one of the most transformative and rewarding journey’s of my life.

I hope you enjoy what I have selected for you. These are all works that speak to me. All the art posted (except for the photography) is current work. This is where my journey has led me. Here, in this moment of fruition. It’s both exhilarating and terrifying but so ready to be experienced.

If you’re reading this, thank you. Thank you for supporting my journey and I look forward to your comments and connections. Happy first steps!

Unlearning

The process of creating art is different for everyone. For me it started as a young girl, drawing from imagination about mythical stories of castles and fair maidens. As I got older I became observant of the world around me and found human faces so exciting to draw. I became obsessed with drawing them. Over and over until it looked right. They never did though. Not until I broke through my technical barriers as a late teen. Once I had a technical foundation it was incredibly easy to translate what I saw into a portrait.

The process of learning technical qualities to render images was very important to my artistic development but as I get older and my art practice changes I have become convinced these very techniques are now holding me back from deeper expression and discovery.

For the last year and a half I have worked through a process of unlearning to free myself and my art from visual limitations that I placed on myself as a budding artist. My abstract paintings are all compositions that come to me in a natural and instinctual way. I don’t pre-meditate my movements or thoughts. I like to chose a colour, or several, and then go from there. I have found circles and splatters to be a trusted ally. The act of painting circles has been very therapeutic and I think remind us that we are all connected like a circle. No beginning an no end.

Don’t get me wrong, unlearning has been tough! Those techniques of seeing are so engrained in my muscle and brain memory. As I work through this in my painting I am finding more and more ways to express myself in non-literal or non-figurative ways. It’s been a real treat. Happy painting!

Inspiration

Every day we process and analyze millions of messages and images. Some of this input resonates with us and we in turn find it a source of inspiration. I’ve been asked many times what inspires me from an artistic standpoint and I am often inspired by emotions, nature, light and colour. Nature in particular is appealing to me as photographic inspiration. In my art practice, flowers and organic forms permeate my work. Often my acrylic paintings are inspired by emotional responses to feelings, music, and surroundings. All these endless sources of inspiration everyday create a unique opportunity for me to translate my experiences through and into my art.

Colour has always been a source of great inspiration. The rainbow is alluring don’t you think? Blues and greens dominate my interior decor. Blue with it’s soothing qualities and green with it’s ability to invigorate and rejuvenate. I really do thrive in colourful environments. The bold bright colours of the Caribbean or Italian Riviera have allured me for years.

In essence, these sources of inspiration reaffirm my need to share my sensory experiences through my art practice. Be it photography, painting or interior design.

Look around and ask yourself, “what inspires you?”