The Studio At Night

It gets dark earlier and earlier and while I mourn the loss of daylight hours I am reminded of how much I love this cocoon stage. The house and studio becomes my bigger body, the windows eyes to see through. I took these shots at 6.15 last night and as I looked back to the studio and peeked in the windows I fell in love, again, and began to look forward to working in the dark.

Zoe and I outside my studio, 2014

A peek through to my studio, 2014

From another window into the studio, 2014

REBELLES / Rebelles

There is a group show opening next weekend in Sutton at Galerie Art Plus, called REBELLES / Rebelles that I will be showing in and it would be wonderful to see you. A few of the pieces I've been experimenting with aren't quite finished but I am hoping they will be. Maybe I should say they will be. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

For any of you who wish to come the vernissage is Saturday, November 8, starting at 2 pm.
This exhibition will run until January 11, 2015

Fuelled By Flu

Wednesday was not a good day. It started out well in the studio when I found a long sheet of paper, tacked it to the wall and had fun with that 8in. brush, then time to try another idea in a smaller format, then I watched the news and felt sick. Then I realized I was sick. In and out of sleep, shivering and glued to the TV and twitter feeds, a pile of blankets on me. Well done CBC, that was superb coverage of another mentally ill person wreaking havoc. I wish our government would spend more money on mental health and the CBC.

oct. 22,  50 in x 72 in, ink on paper, 2014

wavy 2, 30 x 22 in, mixed media, 2014 

Sorry about the quality of the photo. it's still raining and I never seem to get good studio photos with artificial light.

Gleaming

It's turned cool, and damp; misty rain at times, and the air has an eerie quality to it. Things seem to shimmer and glow. The few bright spots of colour left are startling, but the palate is changing to the muted tones of November. The earths' bones are becoming vivid as she sheds her fall plumage.

at the pond, the dock reflecting the bare trees, 2014

patterns of pine needles in the water, 2014

one last bright maple leaf, 2014

love the tapestry the needles make, 2014

gleaming water with reflections, 2014

Studio Walls

Saturday I realized the studio needed a clean up; the place was getting hard to work in, stuff everywhere, the drawing wall was crowded and the work tables had no place left to work on. I needed to clean off one of the tables so I could make glassine envelopes for each drawing. Down came the drawings and up went a large sheet of paper, out came the big brush. Not a day for whooshes, rather a day to take the line for a walk. The paper was thin and picked up the texture from the wall, not sure I liked that, so changed the orientation. This brush seems to want heavier paper.

Studio wall Saturday, October 19, 2013

Studio wall Sunday, October 20, 2013

More From The 8 in. Brush

I couldn't wait to try out more variations and strokes with "the brush"; what I hadn't realized is how long I would spend on setting up; measuring, lying down the tape, masking, all for that brief moment of whoosh. And then it's over. And it's back to setting up.

Split, 30 x 22 in, mixed media, 2014

The Circle, 30 x 22 in, mixed media, 2014

Wavy gravy, 30 x 22 in, mixed media on paper, 2014

practicing the whoosh, piles of practice paper while trying to get exactly the right amount of ink in the brush, 2014

A New Brush

In a fit of reckless splurging last week I bought a new brush. It's another in the Liquitex Feestyle line but it's 8 in. wide. I'd been dreaming about some marks I wanted to make and  I was sure this brush could do it. What pleasure!

The first 4 marks, each panel 17 x 11in. mixed media on paper, 2014

Variation on the 1st 4 marks

The 1st stroke,  17 x 11in. mixed media on paper, 2014

Promise Fills the Sky With Light

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This mornings beauty, 2014

more of this mornings beauty, 2014

Stripes and Waves

Finally some studio time. I know I need to finish some other work but these are calling me with that insistent voice "try this, try this"and I'm in an exploring frame of mind.

11. Stripes, 17 x 11, mixed media on paper, 2014

10. Stripes, 17 x 11, mixed media on paper, 2014

Balance Lines and Navigational Aids

I have long been fascinated by that place where the sky touches the land, or the sea; that place, especially at the sea shore or on the prairies which provides a balance line; that place on the shore where the line of waves roll in then out, constantly changing the line. And I love those places which are marked "look out, could be dangerous"; marked by lighthouses and buoys; navigational markers. When we were in Grand Manan we walked to the Swallow Tail Lighthouse, the one the ferry swings about to enter harbour, where there is a suspended walkway to the point, scarily high and again you are between two points, balanced.

The Swallowtail Lighthouse, Grand Manan, 2014

The Swallowtail Lighthouse firmly grounded, these guy wires were impressive, 2014

Looking up, The Swallowtail Lighthouse, 2014

Looking out, which we were unfortunately unable to do, but I borrowed this great shot by my sister Norah Davidson-Wright©, The Swallowtail Lighthouse, summer 2014. These windows are an engineering marvel.

Herring weir [called Intruder]{thanks Norah!]  at the lighthouse, 2014

at The Swallowtail Lighthouse, 2014

and at the other end of the island the Southwest Head Lighthouse, 2014

And if any of you are as obsessed as I with light houses, and love watching the changing weather, light and balance line, here is a link to video cams of The Swallowtail Lighthouse. I check it out several times a day!

The Ferry to Grand Manan

Bright, clear light, cool to cold breezes, shimmering water, simple strong shapes and grids everywhere. Did I say I loved that ferry ride?

a ladder and it's reflection, 2014

more strong colour and shape, 2014

slightly protected from the wind, 2014

brilliant white grids, 2014

my new profile pic, 2014

1st sight of Grand Manan, the cliff walls of the west coast, 2014

loved this ladder reaching into the shy, 2014

gorgeous grid, reminded me of Emma Langridge's work

The ferry approaching to take us back to the mainland, 2014

Grand Manan

Last weekend was a treat; we had a wedding in New Brunswick and invited ourselves to my sisters in Grand Manan for a few days after. Meeting in Black Harbor we boarded for the 1.5 hour ferry ride to the island. Warm, clear blue skies and whales accompanied us. Each day 160 billion tonnes of seawater flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy during one tide cycle — more than the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers.  The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world (approx 50 feet) readily evidenced as fishing boats look stranded at low tide. I love taking ferries; I love the passage from one place to another, from one way of life to another. One begins to dream of island life.

approaching Grand Manan, the ferry swings around the point the Swallow Tail lighthouse is on, and into the harbour

sunrise from the house deck, almost low tide, none of the shoals are visible at high tide,  Grand Manon