…thanks to Ruined for Life for hosting Sculpture Saturday https://smkelly8.com/2020/09/12/sculpture-saturday-36/
This week at WAAC (Women’s Art Association of Canada), I was helping clean up the gardens. As we were pulling out the weeds and trimming back some of the shrubs I discovered some hidden gems. The large sculpture of course was always visible but the two smaller ones were a surprise for me.
….instead I’ve been encouraging my husband to start painting
My husband studied art when I first met him and his first job was as a graphic designer. Over the years he contemplated making art as a hobby but life always seemed to get in the way. In the last two weeks after years of encouragement from me he finally picked up a paint brush and started painting. He’s hooked and there’s no stopping him.
To facilitate his painting I made room for him on my art table in my studio. I gave him my acrylic paints and when he ran out of canvases I gave him mine. Right now I’m looking at a mess and am waiting for him to clean so I can work on my own art. He’s actually been pretty good about cleaning up after he finishes a painting but for some reason he’s forgotten this time.
Before his journey started I did manage to complete a couple of assignments from Carla Sonheim’s on-line class that featured six different artists.
…thanks to Sami for hosting https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2020/08/monday-mural-happy-pets.html
These shots were taken in Hamilton close to McMaster University.
….thanks to City Sonnet for hosting the https://citysonnet.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/august-photo-a-day-challenge-3/
I adore abstract painting. Yesterday I paid a visit to the AGO. I spent most of my time viewing the Diane Arbus Photography show but I did walk through the modern art section and took this photo of a Joyce Wieland abstract painting.
In a past post I told you about my husband’s renewed love of painting. There are days that he makes up to three paintings. Now that he’s starting to work on larger canvases he can only manage on painting before exhaustion takes over. Here are some more of his recent abstract pieces.
….encouraging my husband to pick up a paint brush
When I met my husband he was an artist. He studied art at college and his first full time job was as a graphic designer. When computers started to take over his chosen profession he changed careers and he abandoned art in order to put a roof over our heads and food on the table. We both worked until I took five years off to raise the kids. When they were in school full time I went back to teaching and my husband became a financial planner.
Over the years I started to pick up paint brushes and drawing pencils and took many classes and on-line art classes to learn everything I could about art techniques and practices. I love it. I tried to encourage my husband to start his art journey again. He wanted to but he was hesitant to start.
Well he finally started last week and I can’t stop him. The only reason he didn’t make another painting today was because he ran out of canvases. In total he has already completed 15 paintings. He’s experimenting with colour and techniques of laying down paint. I can’t tell you how much this has lifted his spirit. We’ve just finished renovating our garage so that he can use it as a summer studio to make larger works of art.
Here are a few of his completed pieces.
….you don’t have to look far to find things to put a smile on your face
Throughout the neighbourhood people are putting out painted stones with bright colours and special messages. Up the street the local yarn store has had customers knit or crochet flowers and has ‘planted’ them on the lamp post outside the store. On the rocky beach over at the park people are creating art with the bricks and stones from the beach.
….a great farmers’ market and lovely small town
Last Saturday the forecast wasn’t great for an outing but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from going to the Farmers’ Market in St. Jacob.
We were actually quite surprised how busy the parking lot was and then we were surprised by how many people didn’t wear masks. Coming from Toronto, we are used to wearing masks and seeing the older people in the crowd not wearing them was quite shocking to us.
On the positive side, people were socially distancing and there were barriers and directional signs to help customers move along safely through the market.
We met up with friends, who are also from Toronto and walked through the market together. There were a lot of great deals on bulk purchases so we split the cost on some items and shared the bounty. Before leaving the market, Max shared some of the freshly made apple fritters with us. I can see why they were a must have item for him.
Dining in here is still a no go in Ontario but it is about to change for some areas later in the week. After buying a variety of fruits and vegetables and meats we parted ways. Max and Monica returned to Toronto and Kevin and I decided to drive north to the town of St. Jacobs and explore a bit.
St. Jacobs is a popular location for tourists due to its quaint village appearance, retail focus and Mennonite heritage. Waterloo Region is still home to the largest population of Old Order Mennonites in Canada, particularly in the areas around St Jacobs and Elmira.
We did see some Mennonites at the market but not in town. The first place we stopped at was the local craft brewery called Block 3.
I loved this wall of mugs where local customers had their own personal mug for drinking beer. We sampled a few beers but because it was raining and we couldn’t sit outside we purchased a dozen to drink at home.
After loading up the car we started to venture out to the main street but I ended up going alone while Kevin waited in the car. (purely for health reasons). I could have spent a much longer time looking through the stores but I knew that my time was limited so I chose one store in particular to explore.
….thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge
Hand Painted Egg
Part of a Ray Cattell Painting in my house
Watercolour done by me
COVID Painting in the Neighbourhood
Granddaughter’s Painting
Painted Road Sign
Peeling Paint
…thanks to Cee for hosting Friday Funny Finds
My 4 1/2 year old granddaughter is writing a book about pirates. When I asked her who the main characters were she told me Captain Raw Salmon and Captain Wasabi. Have you guessed that she loves sushi.
I told her I would try to come up with some sketches of these two characters. Here is my first attempt.
When I inquired further about the story line I was told it included Purple Palm trees, jungles, swimming snakes, a jaguar and a treasure chest. Oh I almost forgot….biting crabs.
When she saw the drawings I asked her if there was anything else I should add. She told me to send them to her and she would add more detail. Not sure if that is a compliment or a not. I love four year olds.
….thanks to Mind over Memory for hosting Sculpture Saturday
Sculptures from the McMaster University in Hamilton, ON.
