This made me very sad.
 RIP Annie Pootoogook
Annie Pootoogook was a contemporary Canadian Inuit artist known for ink and crayon drawings of her life and community, Cape Dorset.

 





Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Discussing the subject with some fellow artists, we agreed that even if our art sales are low and sometimes non-existent, and we have to tighten our belts, the work doesn't stop, we never quit, it's our passion and sometimes we have to make sacrifices for it.

My companions and I each made a painting to celebrate our art making. This was my piece. I scrubbed clean a gessoed mason board that I'd collaged, lifting all the paper, and painted over it.

Landscape, acrylic on mason board,  8x8 in.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

 Just for fun.

Dante's Infernal Cocktails

Café Tipi

 Wishing you a fun week.


Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

And then there were three.

 

 Two of the sketches are now in my Etsy shop.  

Just a reminder: I'm offering a discount coupon on all the items in my shop. 

***Coupon Code: THANKYOU2  -  See my Shop Announcement.***

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Do you sketch?

Some months ago, I told myself I would sketch something every day. I did, for a couple of days, and then got distracted. So I started sketching once in a while -- I'm not an all-or-nothing person.

To make it more interesting, I added watercolours to the sketches.

Yesterday's sketch

Today's sketch

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

 As the weather cools -- although who knows what heatwave is around the corner -- it's time to get my sewing basket out.

Little works

Tiny scraps

Larger pieces

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Some sketches are made to be cut up.
One sketch yielded 4 little artworks.
I found the areas I liked and mounted them on heavy watercolour paper.

So before you throw anything away, see if you can salvage any parts of it.






Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

My little grandniece is showing an aptitude for art and I want to encourage her. So I'm sending her a bunch of old paintings and sketches on paper so that she can play with them in her own way.

Going through the piles of accumulated artwork, I made a pile for her but I decided to keep these.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Today, I'm going through piles of artwork, sorting, throwing out, keeping, and finishing a couple of small artworks.

The collage needed balancing...

... and the cat needed a little more colour.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

I'm privileged to be a frequent contributor to the Stampington group of magazines, but this is the first time I've participated in The Coloring Studio. It's a relatively new publication that I'd never seen until I got my copy last week.

I've seen the plethora of colouring books everywhere and thought it would be something similar, in magazine form. I was wrong. The Coloring Studio is different. First, it's more than a magazine, closer to a big book both in thickness and feel, and mixture of colouring pages, finished projects, tips and techniques. It's no surprise to learn that it's so popular that it is now a quarterly publication.

The bird drawings are the work of Debra Smith of Monnie Bean Folk Art something I didn't know when I received the assignment. We happen to be blog friends so it was a lovely "coincidence".

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Waiting for something to emerge (previous post).

Late last night, I turned the canvas on its side and painted this. In the morning I didn't think it was saying anything to me

 Today, I wanted to practise drips and ended up with this. 

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

 The artist's life.

Painting over a painting that you don't love and that is going nowhere.

And waiting for something to emerge.

 Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

I'm enjoying  learning how to mix my own colours. Nowadays you don't have to do that because there's just about every colour and hue available in tubes. But if feels good, and more "personal", to do the mixing myself. For example, there's a teal blue that happens when you mix aquamarine blue with a medium yellow that I love.
It's also space-saving -- less tubes.

I mixed my own colours for this piece, and kept the strokes very loose. It can turn into a mess or something pleasing, but that's a risk I'm always willing to make.

 Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

I was throwing out bits and pieces of bad art and stuff.... and this almost (she wouldn't let me) went into the bin, when I thought I'd play around with it just because.

A few more touches and it will be done. I'm glad I saved it. I really like it now.






Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

I found my long-lost soft pastels. Of course I had to play with them.  In my opinion, they are so much more forgiving than oil pastels. The only drawback is their chalkiness, and I'm loath to use a fixative because it can muddy the colors, or at least, alter them.

Do you have any thoughts on fixatives?

  
Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

I saw a picture of this in a book. It reminded me of the sailboats painted by Edward Hopper, an artist I've always loved. So I painted it.

 


Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

More small paintings.

These were done in acrylics, on paper.

Flowers in a vase. An abstract done quickly, using expressive strokes and hatching.

 This one was painted more slowly. I used only black and white paint, and painted it at night. I didn't know it was actually full moon.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Coming on Sept. 1 ....

I have an article in Somerset Studio. Oil pastels, and my struggle with them, are my subject.

And some colouring in The Coloring Studio. I created one of the projects using another artist's drawings.

Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Would you like a 15% discount on any item in my Etsy shop? 

Use Coupon Code: THANKYOU2 at checkout.

I have a variety of artwork and a range of prices.

EMBROIDERY

PAINTINGS

SUPPLIES

 
 And, as the saying goes, much, much more!





Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown

Another exercise. This one is about the discipline of painting from a model, rather than giving free reign to my imagination. I used a limited palette - mixing black and white to create the greys.

Acrylic on canvas paper, 6 x 6 inches.

 


Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown