Friday morning at the life-drawing studio

Our model had an amazing tattoo on her lovely back- to be honest I generally dislike tattoos-I know this is an extremely unpopular view but so be it- However, it doesn't prevent me from appreciating a very beautiful tattoo when I see one. But I still don't want to spoil the human figure which I love for its untouched form- (maybe it's because I was surrounded with all these white ancient sculptures as a kid...) so my question was what to do with the dragon? I rather like the idea of the dragon as an ally- I was thinking about that the other day when I was considering buying a toy-dragon for my desk- So I rearranged the graphic elements and patterns to my liking...of course- And of course working intuitively means I throw allot of my work in the recycling bin-but this is a keeper!
How was your morning?

My creative space on my kitchen desk-!

My creative space today is very tiny- I am working on my first batch of Artist's Trading Cards. Some time ago I made a Flickr-friend, she is Guylaine Couture, a very, very talented artist from Montreal. Her work is very adventerous, she loves sharp contrasts in patterns and colour- I feel refreshed and recharged after a long look at her artwork- You can link up to her blog here, but you probably need to speak French which I do only very little...So most of our communication has to happen through our art- we decided to exchange ATC's and I thought it was an opportunity to experiment even smaller than I have been working lately- and possibly with more freedom and a thirst for art-adventure...- These are my first three but there are lots more to come- and after Guilaine does her picking I will put the rest up on the store-

To be honest what with birthdays, and comings and goings, and the heat of these days, I am glad to be focusing on soomething so small- I am really having a hard time staying put and not screaming and running for a vacation...Hey, I am building character....(hmm)

So I am off to have a visit to all the inspiring blogs linked to lovely Kootoyoo- that's a bit of a recharging of batteries, is it not?

He turned seventeen today!

Dimitris turns seventeen today, but we had a 'fake'(Lucy's term) birthday dinner for him yesterday since Rea was leaving for a Greek holiday this morning. And no I didn't make that cheesecake- thankfully! And yes, it was out of this world!!!
What do you wish for your children? There came a time when I had to think very hard on this one because Nigel came for a different culture (he is a proud Scott!) and there was conflict in terms of certain values- So I had to climb above cultural conditioning and think it out for my self-
I realised my main goal was to encourage my children to be self-reliant and act with self-confidence and a fundamental sense of personal responsibility. My second goal was to create the circumstances within which they will get the best education possible. So its quite simple isn't it? It is all about empowering children to think and choose for themselves. After I figured that one out I had to align all my daily choices as a parent with that value system. I wish I had gone through this thinking process much earlier in life than when I did. For many years my choices as a parent were a reaction to my own unbringing.
So I am bloody lucky Dimitri is the 'wonder-full' young man...that he has become! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

The heart of summer- is this it?

Had a special morning with Rea today, she will be leaving for a vacation soon , so we had a lovely lunch at the Vancouver Art Gallery coffee shop, just her and I. A totally different experience here, very sophisticated, one would expect some really exquisite classical music playing in the background- but still it is delightful as is. We don't do this often ,we probably should- just strollling through the art store is such a treat with all sorts of beauties to gaze upon and crave for. I briefly mentioned that a certain mug was rather beautiful and my daughter rushed off and bought it for me behind my back!! Isn't she lovely? And then it was back to the kitchen for more artwork and some cooking. These beats just fell so perfectly in this round dish I had to take a photo. The shapes of all the fruit and vegetables

seem to have inspired alot of my work lately.

This last one is my favorite, what is important is to have each pattern or each color strengthen another- something like playing music together... They do here- quite a lovely melody I think-

Its so hot I am thinking of painting like being on the beach, not thinking too much, because its too hot to think really, experiencing colour like a gentle cooling breeze- feeling it, rather than thinking of it-

Still whenever I open the refrigerator door I linger a moment longer- closer...Ah!

How do you keep cool?

Sunday lunch at "the little nest"

I have my favorite spot for a weekend lunch... It's very kid friendly, has a large play area in the middle of the shop, has kid friendly food like:'fruit fries and strawberry ketchap"...

it has adult friendly food too, like flowerless chocolate cake ( i think I have shown images from our outings here before)- It's got lovely high chairs to park your babes, or you can just put them on the table while you are eating( I have seen this), its probably the most breastfeeding friendly place I have ever encountered!!, there are days when everywhere you look around you there are moms drinking coffee while their babies are drinking under their shirts...

You know, I just love this place, its just so very cool and yummy too.. And they have an eclectic, relaxed collection of furniture....

The place is appropriately called :'the little nest'...(one for you Dee to try when you visit us next!)
And next door there is this amazing flower shop...and no I am not on commision.. .(but come to think of it I wouldn't mind some of that chocolate cake...)I am just sharing the love- right?

How was your weekend? I hope it was full of wonder and good food!

Life drawing day-

Another day at the studio downtown. Last week for this particular pose, and I have been happy

using gouache and prismacolor pencils ...I don't know what I ever did before I discovered gouache- after using watercolor and acrylic for a number of years , and recently oils, I am so happy to be able to:

1. keep my brushes intact

2. work slowly and create soft transitions

3. but also see the work dry fast enough to be scanned

3. cover any mistakes!!!!woohoo!

4. work in creamy layers

5. have no fumes, or irritating smells to worry about

6. Not having to wear those horrible plastic gloves that make my palms sweat

7. work on the smoothest paper imaginable- woohooo!

8. work small in a small studio (phew)

9. being able to clean up everything in a ziffy

10. paint creamy, lush, soft layers

oh joy, oh joy, oh joy!

Have a lovely weekend!

Garage sale finds for my desk

The day is cool and overcast today and I am back at my desk. It'a bit messy (along with the whole house...) but I wanted to show you what I picked up on Saturday from the garage sales tour... A beautiful Royal Dalton bunny cup (the bunny gets entangled in his own knitting!)- ok, its chipped, so I got it for fifty cents, and it will be home to my scissors because the handles match! And then the very best is that wooden toolbox, that has been scratched and marked to (life) from a young boy called Andre, (and his father and grandfather from the look of it...) His name is carved on the front and in the beginning I thought I would clean it all up and paint it or something, but then I decided not too. At least for a while. I just revert so much to being a little girl in my studio...Something happens and 'she' comes out for a good play and hot chocolate out of a bunny cup- I trick her with a latte...
Do 'yours'...come out to play sometimes???

My creative space- art on the kitchen table-

The sunshine continues, the glare in my studio continues, so here I am again on the kitchen table, too close to the refrigerator that is the home of these wicked cinnamon rolls that Rea brought back from work. Both our older ones have jobs at coffee shops and they both bring back wicked things- oh what a mother has to endure...- (do you know how they say she got fat after having kids? ) But I am really just joking, I am made of steal when it comes to gooey things, and I only think of art anyway( I just had a tiny bite...)

The whole truth is that I think of the paint and the shapes and I just love going through the motion of wetting my brushes and mixing the gouache, or of making little lines with ink...When I draw a line I wonder where it will go , I see an invisible form become something out of nothing- and then suddenly out of the blue, I have a memory flash, like I am a teenager and I am walking by these very 'in' coffee shops, and I am wondering what it is like to be an adult and be free to do as one wishes...(now where did that come from?) Or I will see my grandfather fix something or other in his workshop at their summer home...I will think of the trees, there, here, the shadows, him making a little wooden swing for me and hang it from a tree, do you know what the leaves of the tree look like as you swing back and forth? When he worked my grandfather was quiet ...

I like to work quietly too lately. I sing to myself 'three is a magic number' that I have picked up from Kylie's blog...

I love the sunshine, I love the quiet, the 'colour' white, trees and sweet grandfathers.

Have fun with all the creative spaces at Kootoyoo!!!

a cloudless sky

360 degrees of sky with not a single cloud!!! I promise you this is a rarity in Vancouver. I can't work in my studio because I have a skylight and the glare is painful- its fine, what I really need is a big-big table and my paints- the kitchen table is good- I have been browsing through this book called 'Domino-The book of decorating- a room-by-room to creating a home that makes you happy'- I don't think we will be doing any redecorating soon but it doesn't harm to do make some mental wish lists! the funny thing is I always end up loving the children's rooms more that any adult bedroom. And why not I ask you?

So on this brilliant day, where the tmperature is not hot and not cold but something to rejoice in, and after all the appropriate preparations (see above) we suddenly remembered all the errands we had to absolutely do downtown...Ok, it was short but sweet, and no we did resist the icecream place eventhough I took a picture!

The prince of ice cream...

Patterns and flags....

Have you seen a pet weasel before?

What would you do on a cloudless day?

the birthday boat-cake! (once in a life-time!)

Yes, my husband might be a year older but I thank all my stars and guardian angels he is still as silly as ever! Dimitri is holding up the picture of what a boat-birthday-cake should have really looked like, because I made a mess of it... maybe because the request was for a carrot cake which didn't want to be a boat- (the cake did it!)

But as you can see here, it was yummy afterall- don't judge a book by its cover or a cake by its looks...

It was a funny but quiet celebration, we seem to need a lot of quiet lately. But I can be loud about this: I adore this man and the years of my life that I have shared with him have been the happiest ever! In many ways we have faced the seven seas together, and climbed some very high mountains...but it has been an exhilarating and meaningfull journey that has strenghted us both as individuals and as a family.

fresh from the life drawing studio

It's late Friday night, we just watched a not very good movie- but we really just needed to turn off the brains...we almost did-still I can't go to bed without showing you these, I was so happy drawing today- I am still happy which is unusual...-what usually happens is that I get ecstatic over a piece and five hours later I hate it totally and absolutely...but not tonight- even if I was not really using a chocolate brown (!)but a venetian red which doesn't seem to either print right or show right on the screen- where on earth is that soft reddishness , and gentle glow that it has on my paper?

Which means there is alot still to learn and deal with but that's fine-...will do!

Be good!

Seals and etsy

I spent the whole morning in my pyjamas in front of my pink computer, trying to catch up with all sorts of bits and pieces and doing some work for my shop. It was very inspiring to meet the Etsy admin. representatives- they recounted the history of the company- it basicaly started with a young man who made furniture and was frustrated with trying to sell it on ebay- he thought there must be a better way and there was etsy! It was work shared with friends, roommates etc, a very small seed for something that in four years has become such a big company that has an increasingly expanding global reach! Woohoo for them! I feel so excited to be involved in a company with such a fun, innovative and international character- Can't you just feel that buzzing energy? At the same time it is tons of work as many of you know, and one of the things that was stressed was that the Etsy admin. are very focused on increasing 'speed' and 'security' but also see bringing in 'clients and keeping them' as a very high priority in their list of to dos. Bringing in clients was one of the reasons for the recent connection to facebook and in general they feel they need to explore non-traditonal means of advertising etsy which seems totally appropriate for a company with a very innovative, non- traditional profile. Saying all that , the means are non-traditional but some times I feel that Etsy is like the village square with all the well known to eachother vendors chit-chatting away...

Talking of etsy, here are a couple of two more seal stories ready to go to the store as prints...

I like all the experimentation I 've been doing lately, no, I don't like it, I love it, there just aren't enough hours in the day!!!

Have a good day (actually I am going to bed soon, its been a lovely hot summery day and I think I will dream of seals!)

My creative space, on my dest Thurdsday-

Well not true is it? I am posting on Wednesday to keep up with all you creative gals from the different time zones!! What's on the desk? Some new prints. Inspired by the seals we see on our walks by the sea- always a treat to spot a seal- and they are curious too- I was being watched by one once when I was painting on the beach- I saw this BBC documentary a few years ago about a woman who played the violin for a group of seals, each had their own rock/spot where they would go and sit while she played-I tried to google about her but no luck- has anyone else seen this?

I am really happy with these prints, they are definitely going to my shop right after I post this-I was aiming for strong color, and strong shapes, simplicity, but enough contrast to make it visually exciting- hmmm-

The crown is Lucy's but I love the colours and shapes she put together, so I just have it there to inspire me, and yes I bought myself these little moleskins...and yes, they had to be pink...(they are my first, I am becoming a fashion victim)

One more thing, yesterday I went to the Etsy- meet- It was really inspiring,!!, but I will tell you all about it tomorrow, because I know you are all itching to go and see more creative spaces at Kootoyoo!!!

Enjoy!

words from 1850-

Phew...all finished, so tired I can barely think...so I won't...- but I will copy this for you from the Journals of Eugene Delacroix:

thursday July 18 1850:

(...) Cold exactitude is not art; ingenious artifice, when it pleases or when it expresses, is art itself. The so-called conscientiousness of the majority of painters is only perfection applied to the art of boring. People like that, if they could do it, would work with the same minute attention on the back of their canvas. It would be interesting to write a treatise on all the falsehoods which can add up to truth.(...)

LOL-Don't you just love the man? I adore that last line-

some grounding

Today's work from the life drawing session. I tore three to get there. I really would have rather been at the beach today....really...but as a 'good' artist , I stuck it out and was finally rewarded with this little one...

I need some grownding this Friday evening so there I go again: I am grateful for:

1. recognising Lucy's shyness and embracing it. I was probably just as shy, I still am, even though you would probably never know it if you met me -I remember being six at a ballet rehearsal and how the whole world went blurry and I felt I had no anchor...- Lucy has either hid away, or cried out of any public performance until this year where she did some dancing with her class, but only from the very last row... When she goes to school (with all the same kids since pre-school) she still pauses at the door and its obvious she feels awkward at joining in. Its odd, is it genetic? I have no idea. But this is what she is like. And we can live with it. She is not the 'perfect' child but she is 'perfect' anyway, if you know what I mean.

2. So , to be grateful for the perfection of imperfection.

3. On a more 'business' note, I will be meeting some of the Etsy admins. on Tuesday. Is anyone else from this part of the world going? I am terribly excited about this!

4. I am participating in this art-fair on Sunday. Talk about shyness...I am so nervous about it...
No worries, Lucy will be with me to hold my hand!!

5.I have sort of controlled my new printer and I am happy with the results. My brain is buzzing with ideas to try out...

6.Everyday I visit the blogging world I learn tons of new things...What an amazing thing is that!!

7. I had been writing for quite some time in absolute silence- I thought I was jumping into the void, when I started blogging, nobody I knew really knew about it, I wanted to see what was in the void...And all your lovely voices started coming in through the silence and it is the most delicious thing...The void is actually buzzing with creativity and beauty...Thank you!

my creative space on my desk/Thursday!

A car ride (in the country side- the perfect thing to in the summer..)

A bird who finally found the 'right sort' of home...

Reading quietly in the library....

The dancers- ( from all my memories of -believe it or not- bellydancing)-

My desk had been not just my creative space but my main space for quite some time now. It's probably good for my mental health that I have a family who takes me out for walks and forces me to cook , clean and generally be normal. I finished four prints this week, but my brain feels terribly crowded with so many more. They are fine when they are in my head ,but then when they are on paper they suddenly need so many readgustments. Fussy, fussy... It took me some time to figure out what would be the best paper to use with my printer, and the best medium in regards to colour. Suddenly a lightning hit my brain(oh boy...) and I did a colour sample, using acrylics, watercolors,gouache, ink and different papers...Daaaaa. Why didn't I think of this to begin with, instead of tons of failed attempts at printing? You can see my color sample on the top left... I realised gouache did the trick. And you know, I needed a change,I really just hate how acrylics ruin my brushes and sometimes I just want to ban them from my life. Am I crazy or does anyone else feel very protective towards their brushes?

I will be putting these up in my store in the next couple of days, and I will scan them so the images won't be dark or sad looking like they did with my first lot... I don't know about you but I certainly live and learn!!!

Have a great day and (eventhough I am late since I am in a different time zone), IF you haven't checked everyone else yet, do enjoy the creative spaces at Kotooyooo....

experimenting and changing-

A quiet, rainy, wintery day. I am not complaining, we had a run of gorgeous days. I was siting in the car waiting for Nigel Sunday afternoon, and it was so hot I sensed droplets of sweat forming on my scalp under my hair- do you know that feeling? So today I don't mind the cool morning, it seems perfect for a focused working day. I have solved a problem I had with printing my artwork, and I got out of bed excited that I can go ahead and try some new things, and maybe finally I will soon add a whole new bunch of my 'art-farm-produce' in the store.This time my basket of goodies will contain prints of originals worked with gouache, not watercolor. Time for a change... How much fun!
In a way I am happy its summer and I am forced to work small because Lucy is not at school and I can't lock myself in a room and paint large paintings in acrylics. For instance today we will work across from eachother on my desk - now that she has watched me doing some collage work she has slowed down a lot and it takes her much longer to finish one piece. So hopefully, I can keep her happy and quiet for some time. After that I have promised baking timy muffins. We found a baking tray for twenty-five tiny muffins the other day at a garage sale! Then we will walk.(and maybe I will cheat and let her watch Mulan, her favorite, for a little while, am I very bad?) Eat some muffins , do some painting, and walk some more. And enjoy the cool air of chaaaaaaange.
Now one last thing, if you enjoy dancing you might just love this- My daughter Rea found it and I think its brilliant, and full of irony and humour and girl-power!
Tell me what you think...

make-my-heart-smile-blog-award!!!!

I had another happy morning, picked up my coffee, turned on my computer and what did I find? I have just received a make-my-heart-smile-blog-award from the ever creative, crafter-knitter-extraordinaire! Katharine from woolywotnots- I delight in her knitted cupcakes, I adore the knitted toothpaste and toothbrush, what's better than a knitter with a good sense of humour!- you just have to love her shop-s(many)- Thank you Katharine! Meanwhile, I had been meaning to show you these 'stone-fish' , they are part of a much larger series of mosaics anonymously left here and there on the sea-wall in W. Vancouver- I love the fish more than anything else though- because there is something very poetic about small- ever moving -little fish trapped in stone...-

Of course Lucy had to be part of this - but her clothes compliment the mosaics too!!

And last but absolutely not least, I am to award ten you make-my-heart-smile-blog-awards and here they are:

1. the Hidden Seed (amazing sense of beauty and fashion )

2. our little love nest (abundant creativity, lovely artwork)

3. mrseliotbooks ( gorgeous designs and art)

4. 3sheets (inspiring, thought-provoking blog)

5. heather smith jones( amazing art, delicious food!)

6. ninainvorm( my color-therapy blog)

7. june-rhymes-with-moon (delicate, lovely art)

8. gretchenmist ( gorgeous art, lovely collections of etsy finds)

9. stacey winters ( inspiring art to look at and to wear!)

10. tiny red design ( imaginative, lovely artwork)

There are so many more blogs I love- but I am only allowed ten! (this time around...)

Enjoy...

Many thanks!!!!

I need to take a little space here to say some big thank yous... To Dee from Our Little Love Nest for posting about my work , my blog, and my shop! Dee you are a bundle of positive energy!
To Kylie from 3Sheets ,for surprising me in the most delightful way! Thank you Kylie, art detective and Patron of the Arts!
To the artists from 'echoes, a collaborative journal' for posting my little watercolor(above) in their site this Friday. Their work is an absolute delight and an inspiration! The theme of the journal being:"summer is...", I thought that for me with my many memories of hot Greek summers, digging one's feet in the scorching hot sand , ( and madly hopping to the nearest water after!!!), is my first and most encompassing image of what summer is...I remember being thirteen and in a fit of revolt(I am sure I had a good reason...) I walked for a couple of hours on the hot asphalt wearing a bikini, no shoes , it was August, midday, and guess what, apart from getting sunburned, my feet burned, and my grandmother had to put lotion on all the blisters and bandage them for me... That was a long time ago, but I guess the hot feet thing will stay with me forever...
if you are in the US, have a Happy Fourth ....and if you are somewhere else on this gorgeous planet, have a great weekend...

Desk Thursday

Some new work, a note from my sweet daughter Rea,"I love this mommy', and it was about one of the new pieces, so that's special ( I don't get that often, I get, more criticism - I guess I should be happy they are honest...so a love note was just terrific -I think I am going to frame that!) Some unresolved work, a little more Patrick Heron, but that's a never ending love affair, some birds that will one day become linocuts, a pefrect specimen of a rock from the beach, some unresolved drawings, a heart from Lucy, tissues for this irritating allergy, a tiny fish, and some things you can't see but are there definnitely, like joy at being able to share my desk love with others with the same affliction...

And on the wall next to my desk, there's a picture of my daughter who has flown to Greece, and above her a Greek saying I find delicious, it translates into the 'happiness of God' and its used when someone wants to expres how beautiful something is like a garden, or a place or the weather etc. Some Matisse of course, and a postcard from Mati McDonough (I received it with a print I won and its gorgeous), a postcard by Sheila McInnes, I 've loved this couple and their dog a few years now, and bits and pieces of my own work...

And that's me doing another bathroom self-portait, practicing smiling to the camera without making a silly face...Hello to you,

and a very good day too!

I am trying out new things- well, not really new things but rather an extension of old things- alot of the things I am experimenting with now are done in the spirit of resolving some practical isssues- anyway, I am not ready to show , but I will show you some photos from my wanderings- (I have put photoshop first on my wish list- but it might take some time...-meanwhile I just play around with whatever is available in my tiny computer ,which is not much but I am not complaining...)
See this pink thing is grey in reality, and I just love the quality of all the lines from attempts at graffiti, attempts to erase graffiti, scratches etc... Letters...

Patterns...

And girl power....

Lucy and her best best friend...

So I am trying to sqeeze my work around doing summer things with Lucy... You know how that is...Of course Lucy sat in her room one whole morning preparing artwork to sell and pricing it all and even making 'scratch and win' thingies for her customers...(the prizes being unwanted toys!)

I have to figure out how she will sell these now.. maybe combine this 'art business' with a lemonade stand...if you know what I mean....

And last but not least: HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!