First Weekend of Langley Art Studio Tour

Here's my corner in the Loafing Shed Glass Studio

Reproductions and beaded jewelry on the left; original artwork on the right; beading and painting demos going on in the front.

Below is a close up featuring my Guardian Angel paintings, and on the very far right you can see part of the crowd gathered to watch Robert's glass blowing demonstration.

There was a steady flow of visitors all day, both days, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.; we calculated just over 40 people came by each day. A lot of Robert's glass left the studio and I sold a reproduction of Tree of Life, several pair of earrings, and a bracelet, so I was pleased to have more than covered my participation fee and still have another two days to go, next weekend. Best of all, though, was the contacts I made with folks interested in seeing more of my work. Also, I was asked if I would be interested in demonstrating my painting techniques to a painting group sometime in November or the new year - a paying gig - yes! 

Nine Guardian Angel Paintings Completed ... so far ...

At first I wasn't so sure about these folk art angels - they're fun to paint, but seem rather trite as far as serious painting is concerned. However, I've had a very positive response to my postings on Facebook, and after creating one finished painting a day for the past nine days, trite or not, they've reactivated my creative muse and that can only be a good thing!

Combined with other recent works, I now have enough new paintings to fill my exhibition space for the 2012 Langley Art Studio Tour at The Loafing Shed Glass Studio on the weekends of September 22-23 and 29-30. Hurray!

To see more of these wee paintings, check out my website.

Now it's time to get back to that mermaid on the easel ... hopefully she'll be completed in time for the art studio tour as well.

Guardian Angel with Violet Eyes

Of the four completed so far, this is my favourite angel. I think it's her expression that appeals most to me.

Folk Art Angel with Spirals

Guardian Angels on the Easel

I'm having fun with these folk art angels - this is the second of six I hope to finish in the next couple of weeks.  I begin with an 8x8" black gessoed canvas and use a white conte crayon to sketch the image, then I add thin layers of acrylic paint - at that stage, the whole thing looks decidedly ugly, but as additional layers of paint are added, the images come to life. You can't tell by this photo, but the canvas is wrapped around to the back and I've painted the edges as well.

A departure in style

Why is is that when I have months yawning in front of me before a show, my mind draws a complete blank and I'm unable to get my ever-widening butt into the studio until the pressure of the deadline looms dangerously close?

If you've been following my posts for the last month or so, you know I've been struggling for inspiration to create new works. With the double weekend Langley Studio Tour now only a few weeks away, the ideas are finally rolling in one atop another at a rate that's taxing my wee brain. I began sketching guardian angels in a folk art style over the weekend and now that I've begun painting them, I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. Here's the first of what I hope to be a series of six 8x8" paintings. It's a departure in style for me, but the nurturing theme continues. Watduyathink?