My First Gallery Show

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..it all happened so quickly

Last week I was informed that I had won a membership to the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC) and when I went for a tour they asked me if I had a painting to submit for their New Members Art Show. The theme was ‘flowers’ and I knew that I had at least one painting that would fit the bill. I submitted the painting on Monday and the opening happened today.

When I arrived downtown I was greeted by three friends outside the gallery. They were very excited for me and I was touched that they wanted to be there. It’s not a huge show but the work was beautifully curated. I met some of the members and was made to feel very welcome. Here is my submission: Floral Abundance

Here are a few more pieces from some of the artists who are members of the WAAC. I really liked the teapot but it was already sold.

Baking Bread – Using New and Old Methods

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….two weeks ago I started volunteering at Montgomery’s Inn

Twice a week I go to Montgomery’s Inn to bake bread. On Tuesday we prepare the dough using an industrial mixer, proof the dough and then store it in the large commercial refrigerators. On the following day we prepare the sourdough bread with a sourdough starter and then shape the dough we made the day before.

Each week we make about six different bread doughs plus two sourdough breads. So far I’ve helped prepare rustic white, whole wheat, light rye, Frankconia, thyme and garlic, rosemary and garlic, oatmeal bread, red wine and walnut bread and date and walnut bread.

We shape the dough into rounds or loaves and some of the sourdough goes into loaf pans. Some have different toppings and each bread has it’s own signature cut on top.

I’ve also helped start the fire in the large outdoor brick oven that can hold up to 50 loaves of bread. Once the oven gets up to about 530 degrees the coals are swept out and then it is quickly swept with a wet mop. In about 25 to 30 minutes delicious hot bread comes out of the oven and is quickly transported to the Farmers’ Market at the Inn.

Each day about 3 to 4 of us work on making the dough and baking the bread. I’m quickly learning the ropes and am thoroughly enjoying the experience. Presently I am the only woman in the group but my fellow bakers are making me feel right at home and allowing me to experience every aspect of this bread making process.

365 Days of Art – Adding Colour and Collage

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..days 109 and 110

Once again I went back to one of my sketchbooks and added colour to one of my one-line drawings of cats and I added some collage detail. For the collage I spent some time creating some colourful art papers with oil pastels and then cut out droplet shapes. On the blank page in front of the cats I created collage piece using this paper.

WPC – All Time Favourites

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..I can’t believe it but this will be the last photo challenge posted by WordPress

How do you choose your all time favourites from over 22 000 photos? I’ve managed to narrow it down to four but I’m sure that I’ll come across others that I like as much.

Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – May 25, 2018

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge

Which way are we going Winnie? Two days spent with my granddaughter.

Day 1 – At the Purple Park

Which way are the children going?

Day 2 – Walking with Oma through the dandelion field

Down the ramp and along the fence by the church

Through the construction site and past the shops on James St. N.

Finally back home

Mythical Beast and Spooky Tree

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…days 98 and 99 of the 365 Days of Art

Over the last two days I’ve gone back to my 500 Daily Drawing Prompts journal to create two more sketches. The first one I did was the spooky tree which was fun to do but I feel like I relied too heavily on an image I found on Google. The second sketch, the mythical beast, was my own creation. I did search the web for some ideas and came up with this flying serpent.

One Hot Mess

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….day 96 of 365 days of art

Not everything that I paint or draw will be pretty. In this piece I finally got back to playing with ink and watercolour and experimenting with how they interact. You can see that I got a little carried away but I wanted you to see that I haven’t given up on my personal art challenge.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Books or Paper

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge

Two things that I have lots of in this house are books and paper.

Share Your World – May 21, 2018

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World

What household chore do you absolutely enjoy doing? (can be indoor or outdoor)

This one’s tough because I don’t like doing chores. If I have to choose I’d say that I enjoy working in the garden. The best part is being outdoors. For indoors, my favourite thing to do is bake, if that’s even considered a chore. Sadly I’m doing very little of that these days because I can’t eat what I make.

Create a sentence with the words “neon green” and train”.

The high-speed train created a neon green haze as it streaked across the steel tracks.

Other than your cell phone what can you always be found with?

When I travel anywhere or go visiting I almost alway carry my camera with me.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

This past week I enjoyed spending time with my family. On Wednesday I took my father to the Apple Store to buy a new iPad and on Friday I accompanied him to the ultrasound clinic (he’s fine, thank-you). On Thursday our daughter, Gaelan and our granddaughter came to Toronto for a visit. While Gaelan was visiting her friend I took Winnie to our other daughter’s place and we spent a couple of hours in the park and had a bit of lunch. Later in the day, when Brendan (Winnie’s father) finished work we all enjoyed a BBQ dinner of burgers, corn and salads.

On Saturday I went to Andrea’s place and helped her paint the apartment in the basement of her house. On Sunday she invited my husband and I back to her place for another BBQ. It’s the season.

Today, which is the holiday Monday here in Canada, my niece came for a visit with her husband and baby boy. After they left I spent a couple of hours in the garden, weeding and cleaning up the beds, getting them ready to plant. Now I’m exhausted but I got a lot done and that always make me feel like I’ve accomplished something.

Share Your World – May 14, 2018

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World

Complete this sentence: This sandwich could really use some …

I love tomato, lettuce and mayo added to a sandwich.

What is your least favorite candy?

I’m not a huge candy fan and I avoid most candy. My least favourite candy is liquorice but my favourite candy is Liquorice All Sorts. Does that make sense?

What sign are you? Do you believe in astrology?

I’m a Virgo and I do believe in astrology. I’m not a follower of daily horoscopes but I do find that signs influence your personality and how you interact with people. When my father met his last wife he only had one concern about her and that was that she was a Virgo like me. The relationship lasted 22 years until she died. I guess he was more compatible with Virgos than he thought. Guess in point he lives with me now. By the way he’s a Libra and so is my husband, whom I’ve been with for 45 years.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

This past week the weather definitely made me smile. The rain that was forecast didn’t happen here and the sun was out for most of the week. Yesterday it was Mother’s Day and it was suppose to be cool and partially sunny but it was very sunny and warm enough for all of us to sit outside.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was able to see the cherry blossoms in High Park last week with my daughter and daughter-in-law. Time spent with my family always makes me happy.