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It happens easily. You have an exquisite power that often gets overlooked. You feel discouraged. I want to remind you that attention from others is not the point. That's not the measurement we are looking for. Standing up, showing yourself, staying true is the foundation of your confidence and power, which is not swayed by external measurements, is the point. Your power comes from within. Unshakable. Yet when we are looking outside ourselves for validation, we turn off the valve of self-support which is our source of well-being. The image on the right is my painting of the "Angelique" double late blooming tulip. The colour in my painting is not typical because it has been faded by the heat and the warmth of the sun in Penticton, B.C. This particular bloom caught my eye because it felt like the sun was radiating off the petals like a reflection of light, giving back the energy of the sun. The reflections are metallic and delicious. This flower stopped me in my tracks as I was driving by. Standing out in a neglected and untended yard, all on its own--there it was standing in all its glory. Standing out in all your glory is not contingent on everything else being polished. As you well know, you can only control what is yours to manage. You cannot demand that everything else be manicured before you are willing to stand in your glory. Wow! There's a hit of wisdom.
When I really looked at this bloom I recognized the outer edges and what a beautiful shape they have and got curious about their wisdom. The tip that you see, at the front edge, the point that folds over at the ends is the gentle folding back and in at the same time. It's just like when you lift your chest and pull your shoulders back, a vulnerable and open stance that exudes confidence. Standing your ground. Declaring your presence. Unapologetically owning the space. That's what this bloom is sharing with us. It was a large and spectacular specimen. I noticed it for a reason. It really is a mirror. It encourages us to hold this space-- the space of greatness that wants to radiate out into the world. I bet there are places where you were not recognized. So you left, you changed the environment. Where is the place that can see you? Where can you really shine? Place informs how we show up. When we leave a place that doesn't fit, there can be regret about making a move. Let that go. You knew the place was not supportive and you left. It was a good decision. Now how can you deepen your connection to the place where you are? How can you stand out and shine, even if the surrounding area is untended? It's a great question to ponder. Did you notice that this bloom is delicate and powerful? A reminder that power doesn't have to be aggressive or loud. It can be quiet and calm. It can stand strong, quietly, attracting the energy of others who can appreciate its presence. You are being called to see yourself more clearly. To trust even though you are not sure why. Trust in humans has not been easy. You are reluctant. I get it. And.... trust is important. There is guidance here for you.... trust your intuition. Staying the same is not the goal. You are reluctant to grow because you are scared. This bloom, in partnership with you, is showing you that you can grow in place. You can become even more skilled in your perceptions. You can flourish. Along this path of yours, this flower is a messenger, an encouragement that you are going in the right direction. What's most important is that you are brilliant and whole and beautiful and so damn capable. I know you wobble and waver -- that's normal. However, I want you to feel the support, the love, and the messengers along your path to set you back on course, if you get unsure. You are doing great! Don't worry about a thing. We got you. We see you. You are working hard, and it's paying off in ways you can't quite measure. Bloom in place. Raise your chest, pull your shoulders back, radiant your brilliance, like the sun. We all want this kind of reminder. A nudge that we are supported. This image will do that for you. It will inform how you meet your day. It will partner with you and encourage you to trust yourself, hold your ground, be vulnerable and radiate your brilliance. Buy a copy of this painting now and start feeling the support that you have been yearning for. It comes in a paper print, large market tote bag, or a beverage tumbler. I never thought I would say "My paintings speak to me".... yet, that is exactly what has been happening. Let me give you some context. I'm participating in a year long mentorship called The Sovereign Artist Program led by Jessica Serran, a Canadian born artist living in Prague. She is amazing and the program has been so comprehensive. I'm really enjoying it. Recently she introduced us to a concept called "Let your art speak." I'm open to a lot of things and coming into this exercise I had in mind that I already knew everything there was to know about this painting. Huh hmmm. Misses know it all, let me show you something new. The process, and I won't go into a ton of details, but suffice to say, there is some framing, create a sketch, describe the piece and listen for some questions that come to mine. I have pages and pages of notes, answers, reflections and insights from this exercise. Amazing. The invitation was to sit with the piece in front of me and wait, listening for the questions that come to mind. Q1: Acceptance has been both hard and easy, why the duality? Because you have a tendency to push against things that come from outside yourself. It's not necessary. I needed you to see that. To feel yourself give in and relax, you are in no danger. You are safe. Side note: How many times have you felt unsafe, withdrawn? I'm sure you have pushed back against outside pressure too. I think it's normal to restrict the things that challenge our personal safety. Q2: If acceptance were this easy why have I felt so disconnected from it? Simply because you have been mistreated. And you've lacked the confidence to hold your own. You've lacked the confidence to accept yourself. It's been easier to disconnect than acknowledge how unaccepted you have been. Have you ever felt unaccepted? It's really uncomfortable. From an evolutionary view point it's even dangerous. We survived in primitive societies because we had a group to live amongst. Q3: There is something about the pink/red colour. What's the significance? Ruth, my Mom, poured pink on you until you gaged. This pink is richer, more subtle, more honest - less saccharin. You can relate to pink in its beauty versus its falsehood. It's fakeness. It's phoney facade. Side note: In my home appearances were what we relied on. The castle might be falling down behind the facade, but the facade was intact. This is not a criticism, it was a common thing. There were a lot of structures falling apart and what choice did people have other than to carry on and do their best. Q4: The (4) blooms are so important. wholeness is so important. This is really good. Is this my spiritual awakening? No. You have always been spiritually awake, you just haven't known how to integrate your spirituality. Your paintings are your way in. Q5: Do I sell this piece? or do I keep it? Now that I have this connection I don't want to let it go. Is it meant for someone else? All of your work is meant for someone else. Yes, you can keep key pieces but that's not the purpose. You are meant to heal women's hearts. Release what you create. Q6: There is a question about money. What are you trying to teach me about money? You have this severing in your abundance. Your art, your spirit, your money, your health, they are all connected. When you run a sale you shut down because you are scared. It's okay for you to be rich in all aspects of your life. Have you ever had a difficult relationship with money? You are not alone. I want to invite you to consider why money has this disconnected feel and encourage you to embrace money, health, creativity, spirituality as simply a segment of the whole. Q7: My work, my person is evolving. What do you want me to know about where I'm heading? You have already arrived - Congratulations. There is no where to go other than deeper in. This work is the key. I'm proud of you. All that you seek is about to arrive, open your arms wide. Receive with love in your being. Q8: Am I evolving into a greater artists influence on our collective well being? Absolutely. Your work is transforming the collective and individual experience, they are just not aware of it yet. Thank you for reading this far. It's my hope that by writing this you are feeling some loosening up of the ideas that have been stuck. Q9: If I am one of these blooms which one would I be? I'm the big one in the sun. Out of the shadows, in all my exquisite unfolding.  Which bloom would you be if you had to choose one?
1) the bud = just getting ready to open, stretching into a new space. 2) the one partially open, and still in the shadows. (lowest bloom) 3) the main bloom, in the full sun, with all the shadows supporting the light. 4) the mature bloom at the top, mature wisdom. P.S. This piece is available for purchase. Email me for the details. Q10: Is there a community yearning to gather around? Is that my role. Yes, a community of collectors and of artists. Don't panic the way will become clear. Perhaps the start is a gorgeous blog post diving into this gorgeous piece. (Here is that blog post) Let me know if you would be interested in a zoom call together. I'm thinking a group call to explore this positive, encouraging space of learning and growing would be lovely. For artists and non-artists alike. reply to this blog and let me know if you are interested. Q11: How do I sustain myself and support others? Don't worry that will become clear, stay the course, write your blog post and be open to inviting in the connections. Q12: If this is all an illusion what can I create that would feel more sustaining? Oh my gosh you have everything in place you need. Your collection is wonderful. Keep going! Open up the idea of group mentoring. Here I am opening up to that conversation. Click the button below to send me an email, letting me know you'd be interested. I don't have an agenda for that call, just yet. Supportive, inspiring, deeply connecting, a space to breathe together and allow the stickiness to ease.  E.J. Hughes a Victoria born artist created iconic British Columbia seascapes and landscapes with a unique perspective, a narrow depth of field and stylized shapes. His style was unique and focused entirely on British Columbia. Hughes attended the VSDAA (The Vancouver School of Design and Applied Arts - later to morph into The Emily Carr University of Art and Design.) He ran into Fred Varley, as he was instructing then, but it's unlikely that Hughes was his student as his style of art and his unsavoury lifestyle didn't appeal. During the second world war Hughes was employed as a war artists, capturing scenes of the troops. He was away from his then bride Fern Smith. The two kept in touch through letters.  In 1937 and 1938 Hughes spent his summers working in BC's Commercial Gill netting industry. In 1946 he started painting the scene from his Gill netting days. Nov 26, 2004 "Fishboats, Rivers Inlet" (pictured below) would become the first "million-dollar painting" of his. 2018 say this same painting sell for two million dollars.  In 1946 newly back with his family recovering from his war years he was questioning his art career. He had no patrons or collectors to come home to. There was no market for contemporary Canadian Art. Fortunately, Lawren Harris had his eye on him. Lawren Harris was one of the most important figures in Canadian art, a man of wealth and influence. (His family produced farm equipment in Ontario becoming Massey-Ferguson after a few short years). Harris was the driving force behind the Group of Seven and was much changed in 1927 when he met Emily Carr. At the National Gallery in Ottawa, Emily Carr was introduced to the world with her exhibition of 44 paintings. The show went on to Montreal and Toronto. After that show Harris and Carr began corresponding. In 1940 Harris moved to Vancouver, and continued to advocate for Carr, introducing her to Max Stern in 1944. His art dealer and owner of Montreal's Dominion Gallery. Later that year they produced the only successful gallery show Carr ever had. They sold 46 of her 59 paintings. While planning her estate Carr gifted 245 of her works to the Vancouver Art Gallery, the rest were sold and a scholarship fund was set up. Carr died in 1945 of a heart attack. Now back to Hughes. He was given the second Emily Carr Scholarship to be awarded and spent a week travelling up the coast collecting new inspiration, places such as Alert Bay, and Prince Rupert. Max Stern was so taken with Emily Carr that he approached Lawren Harris asking if there were any other west coast artists that he should know about. Harris told him about Hughes.  In 1951 Hughes and his wife decide to leave his families home in Victoria, just down the street from where Carr had lived, to move to Shawnigan Lake. After Harris' recommendation Stern was anxious to meet Hughes. Stern flew from Montreal arriving in Victoria with the hopes of meeting Hughes only to be told that he had moved to Shawnigan Lake. Back in those days there were no phones in Shawnigan Lake so there was not way to reach Hughes to set up an appointment. Stern grabbed a reporter from the Victoria paper and headed up to Shawnigan Lake unannounced. With no idea where Hughes lived they went to the post office to inquire and were directed to Hughes house. With a knock on the door and a quick introduction Stern asked if Hughes had anything to show him. Hughes proceeded to take him upstairs to the studio. $500 later, the studio was cleaned out, Stern was heading back to Montreal, with the instruction that he would purchase everything that Hughes could produce. Thus began the exclusive representation of Hughes work by Max Stern. Over the years of representing Hughes, Stern urged him to head to the major European Museums, or New York, even to travel to Montreal, but Hughes was a simple man. He didn't have the funds or the desire to travel far afield. He was adamant that if he took time to travel his paintings would fall behind causing a hardship to the creation of his art that he wasn't willing to do. Instead he opted for taking trips around British Columbia by bus, initially, and later in his own car. He would stop at a town of interest and spend a few days creating a painting on the spot. Back in the studio he would pull these field studies out and work them into larger pieces.  "In 1947, Hughes was awarded an Emily Carr scholarship and one year later was elected member of the Canadian Group of Painters. His reputation grew in the 1950s, especially after being represented by Max Stern, owner of the Dominion Gallery in Montreal. He was commissioned by the Standard Oil Company to travel on a tanker to paint a series on the British Columbia coast. He also traveled and sketched on the coast and the interior of B.C. on Canada Council grants (Kaslo on Kootenay Lake, 1969). Hughes was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 1968 and received the Canada Council Award one year later. In 2001 he received the Order of Canada and was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2005." - National Gallery of Canada.
I hope you have enjoyed this foray into one of our national treasures. It's wonderful to explore our West Coast art history and see the links between the key art players of the time. As a B.C. based artist I like to think that I'm carrying that legacy forward. P.S. I'm releasing new work to my V.I.P.'s. Join my list below to be included in updates from the studio, promotions, and articles of interest. 👨🏼🎨🎨🖼  "Moonlight over Paris", that's the name of the flowers you see in this lovely little bouquet. I've been taken with them for some time, the delicate pink outer petals and the lemony yellow inner layers. Yesterday I was curious what the back story of this rose is, so I did some research. Turns out my passion to bring beautiful flowers to life on the canvas is a by product of the passion that went into growing them. Prior to 1935 Georges Delbard, resigned from his two previous d employers because he was repeatedly passed over for promotion when outside staff were brought in to fill a vacancy. He realized he would never be more than 'staff' and wanted to create something for himself. He began in Paris purchasing plants and reselling them in a street side stand, moving on to open his own storefront a few years later.  He created a catalogue that people ordered from, pictured above, and they would pick up their items from the store. He sold fruit trees and roses. Keep in mind around the second world war most of Europe were needing to produce food to feed the country so the fruit trees were particularly important. Georges soon realized that he wanted to grow his own trees/flowers versus buying the plants already started from a wholesaler. He approached his father in Malicorne, France and convinced him to give up the meager farming he was doing on a 10 acre plot and let Georges start growing his trees and flowers. Once Georges was established he published a book on the care, pruning, growing and propagation of fruit trees.  This book was so well received that Georges soon starting receiving cuttings from around the world as other enthusiasts wanted to share their unique varieties of fruit trees. Georges spent 10 years growing these new samples. It takes about 5 years for a fruit tree to bear fruit. From these early trees he realized he had amassed a genetic storehouse of trees and began the process of cross breeding the varieties. Have you ever had a Golden Delicious or Royal Gala apple? You have Georges to thank. These are two varieties that he developed. The company developed many different varieties of fruit trees and in fact have 1500 varieties of pears to choose from, as an example. We are fascinated with French cuisine, the uniqueness of the flavour, the variety of aromas and textures, which are derived from the abundant variety of fruits and vegetable available. It's a passion for the cultivating of those variations that give cuisine such intrigue. Georges had a vision and he was dedicated to his focus for the entirely of his lifetime, passing on his passion to his son and now the company is run by his grandson Arnaud. When asked what is different about their roses Arnaud responded he wants to create a feeling that overwhelms you. Wants to talk with you and share its beauty with you. Roses that evoke emotion. It's not enough to have a lovely bush that is disease resistant with lovely blooms. People want the emotion, they want to share in the beauty. There are 250 different olfactory notes possible in just one rose - fragrance is a big deal. The Delbard's developed a scent triangle that is a signature for each rose they produce. It outlines the different notes that a specific rose exhibits. Currently the company has a plot of 10 hectares or 25 acres dedicated to the breeding of roses. They collect 150,000 seeds from that breeding program every year and only 4-5 seed will be used to yield a new variety. The company started with the 10 acres of land from Georges father and has now amassed over 600 acres of land for the growing and propagation of plants. They also have farms across Europe, the middle east and the United States. From the breeding beds they may have a wonderful flower but the bush it grew on may not be very strong. They will graft that flower onto a more robust bush in order to improve the variety. This takes time. 5-10 years to develop a new variety. The standard is that the rose be disease resistant, grow across many zone/climates, and consistently yield the gorgeous blooms they are striving for. Growing across climates requires testing plots around Europe from the southern warmer climates to the northern countries such as the northern fields of Germany. They are testing for frost resistance, drought tolerance etc. Their goal is to use no sprays and only necessary watering. At the time of the interview Arnaud disclosed that they grow 2 million fruit trees and equal amount of roses. Despite this massive volume of products they grow he is aware that you need to reinvent a thing or it dies. The active propagation of new varieties is an ongoing passion. "A product just can't be good, it must bring emotion." And that emotion is best shared with others. Arnaud is very clear that the real gift is in the sharing of the products they grow with other people. Spreading the passion and joy for the unique and wonderful. I was pleasant surprised to learn all this because I feel a link to the companies philosophy. I too believe that a painting is more than a technical skill, I want the image to invoke something in the viewer. To share the beauty, the hint of a fragrance, a memory, a mood, and an atmosphere with the viewer. If I can do that, then I can bring that flower to life. I titled this piece "Passion + Passion = Passion". It is all transferrable. From the passion of Georges Delbard and the propagating/breeding of exquisite flowers, I get to grow them in my garden and experience them first hand. I get inspired by their characteristics, capture them in my memory and photos, then bring them to life on the canvas. I like to think my paintings are steeped in that passion. My goal is to have that passion felt when you experience my work. The Delbard's passion + my passion = passionate paintings. I think we all want to feel something. The sensual qualities of living with taste, sound, texture, smell, feel and I'll add energy here too. Much of the world is mundane and monotone, it's the highlights that stand out for us. Those moments that are unusual - the heightened sensual experiences.  This is the source photo for a current painting that I'm working on. 12 x 12" Oil on Raymar board
These are three additional source photos from my 'Moonlight over Paris' rose that are proposed upcoming paintings.
My heart is full when I realize that I get to spend my days with these beautiful blooms and sharing that love/passion with you. Join my email list to witness my paintings in progress. Here is the link.  Recently I asked my email list and social media friends to vote on which image I should use for an upcoming show submission. I gave them the selections above to choose from. It was a close race and so fun to see the results come in. The votes are in and the winning flower is B. This is a gorgeous rose that I photographed while on a walk with my husband at White Rock Beach. What happens from here? My first step is to do a compositional study. What I'm looking for are elements within the image that support an interesting painting. Image B, the way I photographed it, lends itself to a vertical orientation and I want to be sure that I don't place the flower dead center on the canvas, which means editing some of the extraneous information from the image. This is what I've come up with.  I love that bud that is sticking straight up. I've positioned the flower just slightly off centre which feels really good, to my artistic eye. Step 2: Decide on the canvas size. Two sizes come to mind. 14 x 18" and 22 x 28". Both these dimensions retain the proportions of the cropping that I've done in this image. After checking my existing inventory of blank canvases and comparing the two sizes, I've decided on the 22 x 28". It will be a great size for this image. Step 3: Generate an inventory entry for this piece. I'm a stickler for keeping track of my inventory which means I have a place to record all the important details. I love being organized. The other important details is to name the painting.
 I reach in, select a few, and see what I can make from them Someone these titles always seem to resonate. This particular title "All the things ahead are yours." feels so hopeful. The dreams we have, the accomplishments we want to experience, the people we want to me are ours. I love that.  My inventory system that records every painting and the critical details about each piece Step 4: Make sure the canvas is smooth and ready for the image, then it's time to transfer the image to the canvas surface. One key difference with this submission is that I am restricted from using any digital, mechanical or other tools to transfer the image. The submission rules require that I transfer the image by hand which means I'll be using a grid to do that. In order to transfer the image correctly, I start by printing out a copy of the photo.  Then I murdered a page protector. I cut it apart so I have a single sheet of plastic. Then I draw one inch squares and insert the plastic sheet with the markings into a second page protector. The image that I printed is then inserted into the plastic with the lines on it being sure to orient the bottom corner of the image to a full square on the lines. Next I'll mark out the same lines on the canvas. As you can see, from the image with the grid over it, there are 7.75 square wide and 10 squares high. It's important to make sure the canvas is divided into the same number of squares. I want to be sure that I retain these proportions on the canvas or the image won't transfer correctly.
Now to transfer the image to the canvas. This is done by creating the same grid on the canvas then square by square drawing the details in. Let me show you.
It doesn't look like much at this point, however, this is where the paintings start. With this rough sketch I will start putting paint on canvas and developing the shapes of this gorgeous flower.
 Almost there. The deadline is Friday the 12th of July 2024, by Midnight. I totally got this.  What happens after I submit it? We wait. I won't know until August if this piece has been accepted.... update - this piece was not accepted into the show. This happens sometime. You just never know what the jurors are looking for. This is great piece and I know it will find it's place. Currently it is on display in the preview show for the 2024 South Rock Art Tour at The Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey. As part of the tour I will have my studio open to visitors. More details here: www.southrockarttour.com I have a few perks for my VIP email list recipients. If you'd like to become a VIP simply leave me your information at this link. ↓ Become a VIP  Oh my gosh, Carollyne Sinclaire is one of my favourite people. Over the years, I’ve witnessed her beautiful paintings. I’m so pleased to introduce you to her. One thing I admire about Carollyne is her desire to learn. She often takes classes from renowned artists, always improving her skills. When I spoke to her, she was in the process of learning from Ian Roberts, "Mastering Composition.” In the class, he has been emphasizing the focal point, which is where the vertical and horizontal meet. He's not focused on any grid points or anything like the traditional methods of composing an image. What he is most interested in is focusing on creating a structure underneath the main image that everything goes on top of. "We are so focused on the things that are visible—the colour, the brushwork, the detail—but underneath there is another layer, which is the value mass and the structure, all the cropping and framing that we do. He then works you into the design." Each course is three months long. It's immersive. It's regular practice on specific aspects of creating an amazing painting. Over and over again, I find myself looking for junctions between the horizontal and vertical planes. Ciel- As two-dimensional artists, we certainly have limitations due to the fact that we are working in two dimensions. The question is always: how do we make this two-dimensional surface interesting? It's only by using those tools of composition, colour, and value scale that we are able to draw the viewer in. It's our point of view. What are we most drawn to, and how do we want to speak that language? Carollyne- Exactly. I keep finding the same things. It's almost like love at first sight. I'm mesmerized. I find myself afterwards questioning, What is it about these things that I'm attracted to? It's not really the subject matter at all; it is how the light and the shadow work together. Strong contrasts always pull me in. I'm successful with the paintings that capture those qualities. Ciel- I think that is the key. When you are physically moved by it, your emotions are connected—your excitement, intuition, and curiosity. All these qualities come through in the painting. Carollyne- that also helps you sustain your time at the canvas. You have these little drops of enthusiasm; you want to go back because you are drawn to the initial quality. I did a class with Dennis Perrin years ago, and one of the key things I took from my time with him was to sit down and make some notes about what drew you to that idea in the first place. Write it down thoroughly, and if you can synthesize it into a short statement and attach that to your easel, referring to it as you paint, it will inform what you create. Before you sit down and paint each day, revisit those thoughts. You might have to pull out the notebook to elaborate on those thoughts, and then you'll be back there again. Those are the things that you want the viewer to see in your painting. Ciel- You want to use that description when you start to market that painting, because it invites the viewer into that moment with you. That is a really good point. I'm going to use that.  Carollyne- I've shared that with a few other artists who said, "I'm going to write that down right away; I'm going to use that. We want to be held in the throws of that initial glimpse. don't we? Ciel- we do, and I think we create our best work when we are inspired in that liminal space of not knowing how to articulate this feeling. This subject has me curious, but how do I actually make that into a tangible thing? I think sometimes we can get off track because we think further down the link of completion, or some other thing, and we get out of the space of creative curiosity. It sort of taints the process. Carollyne- I agree. I think that it's a willingness to do the problem solving as we go. I like the problem solving, so I don't mind. I did a workshop with Alan Wylie, from Langley, a wonderful guy. He said, "You guys, you just want to paint, you don't want to practice." You have to practice. Ciel- I think that practice is important. I've been reading a lot about Georgia O'Keeffe. She was a very private person. People would show up at her gate and want a private visit with her. She would open the door and say, You came to see me. Well, now you have seen my front, and you are going to see my back. And then she would close the door on them and walk away. Her point was, if you want to be an artist, go home and do the work. Why are you showing up on my doorstep? No one is going to give you the magic recipe. You have to go and do the work. Carollyne- Sometimes you'll hear someone say, "You are so talented." Well, I don't think so. I think my greatest quality is perseverance and my willingness to try. I spend a lot of time doing analysis. I'll look online to see how other artists, especially masters, have solved a certain problem. Ciel- Who are the masters that you are inspired by and that you go to when you are researching problem-solving skills? Carollyne- Caravaggio's work, Sorolla, John Singer Sargent, Gerry Thompson Kisselback, and yourself if it's flowers. I like the little paintings of Carol Marine is one of my favourites in that area. I'll pull a book off the shelf and maybe go online. I'll just study it for awhile, make a few notes, and then I'll give it a try. The thing about talent is that I like what Whistler said: "Talent is the ability to do hard work in a consistently constructive way over a long period of time." It's consistency and constructive direction over time. I have my duds. They get tucked away. Maybe sanded down and painted over, or maybe I'll have some sort of insight and I can go back and repair them. Talent, I don't think, is necessarily a God-given thing. Ciel- I think it's very much like the idea of the famous overnight sensation, but there are decades of work to get to that point. People only see that one thing you hang on the wall, but I've also worked for 25 years to perfect this talent. I think there is a perception thing that artists have, yourself included; we have the ability to understand shape and how shapes orient to each other within a frame. Add in our colour sensitivity, and there is magic in how we see things. Yes, these skills are practiced, but I think we have an inherent ability to be sensitive to those things. If you look at John Singer Sargent, how does that help you solve the quandary in your own mind by looking at the old master work? Carollyne- The problem that I'm having was solved before in different ways. I will think of who did that and do my search for them. With Sargent, it's the folds in the cloth. I may not emulate it, but I learn something from it by looking at how he deals with fabric and how he shifts colours and shadows/light with very simple, repeated brushstrokes of similar but different hues.  John Singer Sargent Ciel- It gives you enough information to then go back to your own work and try that. Carollyne- It is a glimmer of light, you know. That's all you really want. I think one of the things that people say is, "Oh, your work has really improved." Well, of course it has; I've studied, and I've taken classes, which are mostly very fruitful. Sometimes it's not. I think the thing I've most improved at is seeing things and noticing things. You know if it might be the bend of the leaf and how the value shifts. It might be how the light on a petal radically shifts its hue. The colour, all the colours in shadows. I go for a walk in the neighbourhood, and I don't take headphones; I just walk along, noticing things. I love to watch the sunflowers that have been planted along the river walk here, and I love to watch them at all stages. There is a sunflower still standing from last summer, and it's still standing. It looks like it has rebar holding it up. Maybe I'll do a series on all the stages of the sunflower. Ciel- Are there any seeds still in the head? Carollyne- It's full of seeds. Ciel- What are you currently inspired by? What are you curious about? Obviously, the drawing course that you are taking. Carollyne- Right now, it's taking up a great deal of my time. I got a little bit behind because I was getting paintings completed for shows and an art walk that is coming up. These little drawings are taking 2-3 hours of my time, and I want to take my time and learn from each one. But when I come out of that, I have a list of things that I want to paint. I don't like talking about what I want to paint. I don't want to say that it jinks it; it's just that I like to be very fluid in what I paint next. If I get the thunderbolt of inspiration, I want to go to that while I'm in the ether. Ciel- I made a mistake. Well, I don't know if that's how I'm going to phrase it. Last year I painted for 7 different shows, which meant I had to do a lot of preplanning, figure out my subject and my canvas size, and get down to work to meet the deadlines to submit and ship. And I realized that the lightning bolt of inspiration you are referring to completely got set aside because I was planning for the summer. This year, that system of planning didn't work. It sort of worked; I reached all my goals, but this year I need a different way to follow my inspiration with a bit more looseness versus being so scheduled. I totally understand that idea of "I want to keep my ideas close until I get the lighting bold, or until I work with it enough so I'm not prematurely presenting something that I'm curious about. I love this idea. I've been listening to a lot of Rick Rubin's work. The Creative Act.  Carollyne- I love that book; it's like my art bible. Ciel- Me too. I love the idea that Rick talks about that art is about the act of creating; it's not about the finish line. It's about being present for every little thing that you feel inspired to create." The goal of art isn't to attain perfection. The goal is to share who we are and how we see the world." "Artists allow us to see what we are unable to see but somehow already know. It may be a view of the world singularly different from our own, or one so close that it seems miraculous. In either case, the artist's perception reminds us of who we are and who we can be." I love it. Then he talks about the difference between a point of view and a point. A point of view is a perspective of the conscious and unconscious through which the work emerges. The way we see things is the way through. It's really good. Carollyne- Mine is riddled with post-it notes. I've got my own reflections, but I just really feel like he talks to us about the spirit of art, and I love that because those are thoughts one might have thinking about art, thinking about one's own art, or standing at the easel. It's very encouraging. Ciel- Would you agree that this art journey really is about developing that spiritual connection with ourselves? You know, with each challenge, whether it be colour theory, composition, or technique, we are forced to confront our own selves and where we are in relation to these different tools that we can pull out and use for our art. I find it just fascinating. I was down at the beach, and I was starting to put some marks down for this little painting that I did. The internal voice was saying, "You have totally messed this up; this is not working; you are not good at this; just pack your stuff up and go home; just forget it." Where does that voice come from? Because who cares? I'm just putting colour on a canvas. Who cares. It's just a practice. It's just something to try. It's something to fool around with. Our brain reverts to what we are accustomed to. I'm really curious about changing that default, that we have something more to access than just that. Carollyne- I would like to be a lot kinder to myself when I do these things. When we paint in public, which I will be doing this weekend for about two hours, it's a very vulnerable act, but I like it too. It's harder to paint in front of people when you are just starting a canvas than to finish a canvas when it's already looking good. At first glance, it might not look good at all. It's that initial block that may not look like your subject at all, but you want those colours to come through. A lot of people want to paint. There was a fellow at Art in the Park last summer, and he was looking at my display, fixating on a painting of donuts. I did a series of donut paintings. It was dazzling to see all the donuts under the lights and the glossy icing, and I took a donut home, and that began the series. I usually paint things in a little series. He was focused on this maple-glazed donut, and I had painted it with an old master painting technique. He was fascinated by the crinkle on the top. He told me, “I'm going to retire soon, and I really want to get back to painting. That is the way I want to paint." He must have stood there for an hour, looking at it. I thought about how much yearning there is in people to do that art and how long it takes them to allow themselves to do it.  My mother always said I came down the birth canal holding on to a Crayola. My dad would bring me home papers from work—you know, the end of the roll from printing news papers—and I would draw on them and paint and colour. It was like the Bayeux Tapestry; it went on and on and on. And then in my teens, actually in elementary school, I had a teacher who specialized in art, he suggested to my mother that I take classes at the art gallery, which was then on Georgia Street. They had art classes for kids on Saturday, and Jack Shadbolt would come into the studio. Then, in my teen years, I did Saturday classes at the old Vancouver School of Art, which preceded Emily Carr. Then I went on and did night school classes in drawing, but somehow I didn't allow myself to fully blossom over those years. I think so much about how my life would have been enhanced and more relaxed if I allowed myself an hour or so, four nights a week, to just do art. It would have been as important as exercise, planning for the next day, or reporting on work. I think it's something essential to a lot of people. They need to permit themselves to do it. Ciel- I think there are a lot of barriers—time barriers, personal barriers, and financial barriers—that take precedent. Carollyne- Even space barriers. We had a larger house; we decided in the end that we wouldn't have quests anymore, and I had been dabbling in art again, and I thought I could take over that space. I asked my husband for permission, and he was all for it. Once I got a space where I could just leave things and come back the next day, not putting everything away each time was liberating. When people say, What are you doing with yourself? It took a couple of years to blurt out that I'm an artist. Making it real, you know. Ciel- Why do you think there is a hesitancy to claim that title of artist? Carollyne- Oh, I think that is the check-and-compare thing. Am I good enough to say that? Am I qualified? Ciel- I think there is a hesitation where people have judgments around artists. Carollyne- Oh yeah, there is a whole package of attitudes around artists. Ciel- Which I think you are hesitant because you are up again with all those preconceived ideas about what artists are in the world.
Carollyne- It's pretty easy to get tagged as something or other. I did a series of shoes; they were like portraits of people. From baby shoes to toddlers to Mary Janes and high heels, I showed them at a summer show in a small town. There were a number of elderly ladies walking behind me. I could hear them talking, "I think that is the shoe painter." It wasn't something I wanted to get famous for or locked into. But it's just what people do. They want to define you as an artist. Ciel- I find that idea about shoes, where we have come from the toddler to the adult; it's also a snap shot of someone's life experience. We have walked this ground in these shoes. Carollyne- I actually got commissions from it. Ciel- I think about your donut series and wonder if you have to keep going back to Tim Horton's to get more donuts. Did you become a regular? Carollyne- I think if I had become a regular, I would have become desensitized to the beautiful, glistening icing. Ciel- What are you currently inspired by? What's the subject? Is there any particular subject that you are exploring? Carollyne- I have blossoms on my mind. Ciel- You do incredible things. I still remember your peaches hanging in the tree with the sunshine streaming through. You painted it as if you were underneath a branch shaded from the hot sun. Carollyne- enthralled with moving to the Okanagan, to be in a peach orchard, to hear the buzz of wasps and the quiet, and to smell the peaches as they approached readiness. It's all the senses at play.  Ciel- I grew up on an apple orchard. I grew up stealing the apricots, the cherries, the pears, and the different varieties of apples from the neighbouring orchards because we were all joined at the back with no fences in between. As I walked through as a kid going to school or to a friend, I would cut through the orchard... Oh, look, cherries! I'd grab a handful and some fresh fruit. Carollyne- You know, I like to branch out too. I’m thinking I should do more landscapes. I enjoyed the last landscape I did. The little bridge. I’ll be showing it this weekend for the first time to see how people respond to it. I’ll be showing it at Picture This Gallery in Penticton. They have just doubled the size of the gallery, and it has enormous windows at the front, so it’s filled with light. It shows off the paintings really well. Ciel- You say that you have been an artist all your life, and there was a period in your life when you weren’t practicing, and you regret or think about what it would have been like if you were practicing all those years. I’m curious about the picking up of your skills; was there a tentativeness with your exploration, or was it gangbuster “I’m getting out the art supplies?” Carollyne- This is typically me. About a year before I retired, I made a list of things that I wanted to do in retirement. Things for my health, things for my spirit, things for my creativity—believe it or not, I was a teacher. It can be an extremely creative job. I love doing it. “What is going to replace this for me?” I wrote for a while; there were things I wanted to write. Memoir stories and family stories I wanted to write, as much to explain things to myself as to forgive things. The next one on the list was to practice drawing and painting. I was then living in Osoyoos, and for me to go to a class, there wasn’t anyone there to teach it. I would have to travel. Mind you, it was the birth of lots of online teaching. That’s how I began. I still love online classes because I can stop and go and do them whenever I want to. I loved the work of Patti Mollica. She is from Nayak, NY. She was a commercial illustrator and graphic designer. She decided to leave that behind because she found it very constraining and chose instead to become an artist. She gave classes, and one class was to be held in Carmel, and I signed up for it. We decided we would make a holiday out of it. We will go down the coast and stop in some nice places. The further south I got, the more anxious I got. Because I began thinking I shouldn’t have signed up for this class, I’m not qualified for it. Can I pull out now? I came with great trepidation. The night before, she gave an introductory session, and spouses could come. I thought this was really interesting. The next day, I was probably quivering along with a number of other students. By noon, I felt, Yes, I can do this. It’s terrible to go through that. Now I just say: I accept myself the way I am. Ciel- that totally articulated that growth moment. I think many people who want to become artists can’t get over the trepidation, wobbly knees, and “I’m in the wrong place” thoughts. They don’t quite know how to manage that and decide to revisit it later. It might be decades before they get the courage to go back. That really is the hero's journey: to step into the room and quickly say, “I can actually do this.” Carollyne- I remember that a lot when I’m facing something at the easel, going to a workshop, or attending something online. Just be kind to yourself. You wouldn’t treat other people this way. Ciel- I recently took a course from an artist in New York, Devon Rodrigues. In his own art practice, he is on the subway, platform, or streets of New York, approaching complete strangers and asking if he can draw their portrait. "Hey, I really like your look. Do you have a minute? Could I draw your portrait?” He is one of the most followed artists on Instagram, with 8 million+ followers. He has a wonderful spirit of kindness and generosity. His brand campaign is Be Happy. Spreading joy. Devon Rodriguez
My experience with drawing hasn’t been that successful in terms of undermining my ability and humiliating me in front of the class. I thought, “You know what? I’m ready to challenge this idea.” Likewise, online learning is easy. I can come and go, I can freak out about my abilities, and then I can step in and give it a try. I decided to take Devon’s drawing class. He sent us the source photo, and I thought, “There is absolutely no way I can draw the guy he sent us.” He had one of those whoop-ti-doo handlebar moustaches. After I got over the initial panic, I was surprised. After a very short period of time, I recognized that the way he builds his drawings is very much like how I build my paintings. It’s about the shape, the shadow, and the relationships of things to each other. The fact that it’s a human face doesn’t really change the approach. I was surprised. I had this idea that the figure was way more complicated. It was very cool to challenge the idea of drawing being an inaccessible thing and to recognize that the tools that I have already crafted and developed in a different medium still apply. It isn’t like I’m back at square one; it’s cumulative, this knowledge and practice. I think our brain plays tricks on us and says, No, no, no, you can’t do that. It doesn’t take into account the work that we have already done. We get into the habit of limiting ourselves. I’m curious why our brain does that. Does it really go back to the sabre-tooth tiger we are trying to protect ourselves from? It’s very self-limiting. What really is the worst that could happen? We go to a work shop, and we do crappy drawings. No one died. It’s not really as big a deal as our brains might have us think. Carollyne- Perhaps, in your case, you are remembering the humiliation that you experienced. I think there is that aspect in most of us when we feel we can’t do something. But, gosh, if we don’t try, we will never know the joy that we can feel. Ciel- I think in my case I set up a rule or a structure, and because of the humiliation and the lack of success or the feeling of self-fulfillment from a drawing practice, I put drawing in a box and said, Nope, that is not for me. I’m not good at that. I’m not going to practice that. I’m going to go and practice something else. It is my own construct. It speaks to our own physiology and how we perceive different things in our lives. Nope, that’s not for me; I’m going to go over here. But actually, we can have that. But our brain says, from past experience, I’m going to rule that out. Carollyne- I like drawing. I’m always so eager to get on with the painting. There was a male skater, and people said to him, How do you skate so well and so beautifully? He replied, I become one with the ice." I think if we can become one with our subject through drawing even more than painting, we are feeling the line, every single line of it, and we are suggesting every nuance of shadow and light. Just allowing us the time to know that subject well before we throw our hearts over the bar and into the painting. Ciel- Don’t you feel like it’s a real privilege to be immersed in a subject matter to such a degree that you feel a spiritual connection? Carollyne- Yes, it’s very uplifting. And even to have the luxury of being a woman painting today. I’ve travelled a lot, and I’ve seen people in third-world countries, and how their lives are just work every day. I know they enjoy their families. We have this wonderful luxury of doing something we love, and we can get better at it. It gives us such tremendous joy.  I'm yours Ciel- The luxury and opportunity to put beauty out into the world gives the world a unique view, which I think is valuable. I’ve never had an impact on people like I do with my art. They may not buy a piece of art from me, but their comments about how their spirit has been lifted by something that I put out there are really wonderful.
Carollyne- All of the arts have the ability to do that. Ciel- The transition from the artist’s self-doubt, “Oh, I can’t do that," to a place of gratitude, “I have the gift, and I’m going to challenge myself and honour the benefit to myself and others when I allow myself to create," is really golden. I love that you safeguard your ideas that are still simmering. To respect your creative journey. Carollyne- I just find it works better that way. Ciel- I think that is respectful of the creative journey because it’s not right to be picked just yet. Carollyne- That is a good analogy. Ciel- Well, it is a real pleasure chatting with you today. Thank you for these nuggets and share your time with me. To view more of Carollyne's work go directly to her website. I've left the link below.  You can tell by the glint in his eye that he has something to say. Let me introduce you to him. From an early age, Peter had a pencil in hand, creating his drawings while his father painted in his studio. The passion for creating art has clearly been passed on. Peters website is right here to take a closer look: https://www.pklemm.com/ In the late 70's, Peter got serious about painting on canvas and experimented with many different genres of painting. About this same time, Peter's father encouraged him to find a financially viable career, which led to studies in Architectural/structural/civil design. This route had Peter designing renderings for large projects such as dam design's for BC Hydro. Over the years, Peter never lost his passion for a pure art expression and never stopped experimenting with various media until he landed on oil paint as his preferred medium. Light and shadow are what draws him into the scene. What I notice when I look at Peter's landscapes or portraits is that there is a real sense of the moment, capturing the mood and essence of that particular moment. The initial inspiration is something he can recreate on the canvas. "I want to draw the viewer into the scene." Peter Klemm  Deep Cove - a local favourite spot for many living in the Lower Mainland. This piece just sold. I'm not surprised. The light draws you right into this wonderful scene. Many comments from viewers were that they recognized this scene right away, they used to live there, they could feel the space just as they remember when they were there. Very cool that a painting captures the essence of a place. Peter goes on to tell me that this piece started out as a potential commission, but when the buyer changed his mind to a portrait instead, Peter picked up this gorgeous image to create as a stock piece because he was so taken by the scene. Peter is a studio artist, which means collecting source photos from nature and taking them back to the studio where he can spend the time developing the details that he really enjoys. As an architectural draftsman, rendering realistic images from sources such as topographical maps, utilized his skills to take a flat image and bring it to life in a three dimensional, realistic way. This skill certainly continues to be a used in his oil painting practice. From his time doing renderings he used air brush, gouache, and watercolour to create the realism. The blending of skills are invaluable to his technique in his oil paintings. How to blend the sky, or create the ripples of water as an example. Peter - In my current work I'm moving to get a bit looser, rather than all the fine details with a brush, using a palette knife to render things such as rocks.  Peter - My palette has always been a very limited palette. You will consistently find Burnt umber, Raw Sienna, Prussian Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium red light, Cad yellow light, Naples Yellow, Indian Red, Titanium White, Magenta, no black. I make my own black by mixing other colours. In mixing my blacks I can alter the depth and feel of the blacks versus what comes directly from the tube of commercial oil paints.  His first landscape painting, pictured below, from the early 1980's, titled "Mosquito lake", is the muse for creating his landscapes since then. The smell the pine needles. The feel of the sunshine while standing in the shadowed forest brings the sense to life. Peter said he will never sell this piece. It's too important. I think it's important to hold on to pieces, in a personal collection, when they inspire the paintings you are creating.  What are your ideas about composition? I try to keep the horizons, not in the middle of the canvas, if it's possible. Actually, I try to keep everything out of the dead middle of the canvas. I want to take the viewer through the image. Enter at one point and move them through the scene, leaving the image at a different point. Where do you see your work, size wise? Most of your sizes are 18 x 24". Is that your preference? Peter - I did one larger piece, 30 x 40", and it sold within the week of hanging it in the Pacific Arts Market on Granville Street in Vancouver,BC. It's been a great venue to show and sell my work. (Unfortunately they will be moving this location to Vancouver Island.) Generally, it's about a months worth of work for each one of these gorgeous paintings. The larger ones take a bit longer due to their size. The Federation Gallery is also a great place for hanging and selling my work. (The Federation Gallery is located at 1271 Cartwright Street, on Granville Island. You can see the current show at www.artists.ca) Often pieces are sold from the preview email, which gets sent out ahead of the show being hung in the gallery. In the last few years, he has been accepted into almost every show that he has submitted to. Which really is a statement of the quality of the pieces he is submitting. Each show at the Federation is juried into the show by different jurors each time. Recently, I was asked to display my work in Time Square, New York City. My paintings are shown on a huge mega screen right in the middle of Time Square. The marquis is a full story high and about 40 feet wide. Here is the link to see the full video clip on Facebook. Click here.  Where are you heading with your career from here? Is there a scene or something that you are really drawn to create? Peter - I seem to have themes that I explore for a series of paintings, such as the light bouncing off the ocean, or light streaming through the trees in a dark forest. Once I explore those enough, then I'm drawn to the next thing. "We cannot create our art for the viewer, it has got to be for us, first, and ultimately that will be good for the viewer." Rick Rubin Peter - You paint it because you love it, and you want to do it. If you sell it then it clearly resonates with the buyer. If a piece resonates with you first, it's meaningful, and will likely also be meaningful for the viewer/buyer. Peter - When I was done working with Hydro, in the very beginning, I would go to the disco and do portraits of the staff and patrons. Then I'd hang the pencil portraits in a small gallery in the building where I worked. They sold pretty well. Mastering portraits as Peter has done, really honed his skills of observation; the proportions, where the nose sits, where the chin sits etc. The spacing between the eyes and the nose is consistent in people's faces. There is variation between people, but the placement of the features is consistent. These rules are essential to creating realistic portraits of people Ciel - funny story. When I was in art college we had a male model who was blind. After the morning session in the studio, we all started to head out for lunch. The model grabbed his seeing eye dog and headed out to the cafeteria. He didn't put his robe on again. He was blind. It didn't matter to him who saw him naked. He sat in the cafeteria buck naked having his lunch. Bit shocking, but whatever. On one occasion, Peter was getting hung up on the details of his portrait drawings and really wanted to loosen up and get quicker. His girlfriend grabbed a kitchen timer, set it for 10 minutes, and told him that's all the time he had to create a portrait. It was a great practice to focus and get the marks down quickly. Even in quick studies there is a sense of precision in Peter's mark making.
The loosening up helped, but in the oil paintings it really is part of Peter's style to be detailed and precise in what he is creating. To see more of Peter's work or to discuss a commission with him, go to his website. https://www.pklemm.com I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to another wonderful local artist. Leave a comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Boy, where to begin.... Kindrie is one of my inspirations, for sure. We met when were both attending the Alberta College of Art and Design back in 1989. Now called the Alberta University of the Arts. I was taken by Kindrie's work immediately. Attending one of her first shows in Calgary, her large African Animal paintings took my breath away. The scale and the likeness brought such energy to the paintings.... I was amazed.  Over the years Kindrie's style has evolved and expanded. Her early work had her painting a stone frieze behind a realistically rendered animal. 
In the early days, the inspiration for these backgrounds came from her sculptures. Kindrie is so multi-talented. Here is an example. Unfortunately, when she did come to fire this particular piece he broke apart. She admits "I haven't ceramic clay sculptures like these in quite a long time." My style has gotten a lot more impressionistic for my animal subjects, with a lot more paint, and a lot more colour. I think that is very natural. You get to a point where you've done the most you can in a specific style of painting or working, and it no longer inspires you. Shifting a creative style takes some courage. I shifted from the super fine detail, which was created with thinly applied layers of oil paint, to build up surface texture and create the illusion of fur, etc. I began to feel uninspired by that style. It was not doing it for me anymore. I sensed there was something else I needed to be doing, but I wasn't sure what it was. I embarked on almost a full year of just experimenting. This was about the same time I had my son, Kellen. I started to push the envelope, working with huge brushes, lots of paint, and brighter colors. There was a time when I moved the animals down in scale so that there was more space around them. The work became more narrative visual storytelling, as opposed to a big portrait or a close-cropped image of a subject. It was hard because you're trying to find what it is that you want to do. You can visualize it, getting glimpses as you're working, but each piece you do does not capture it. And you're driven to just keep going. A lot of the work that I did during that period, I hated or painted over. It was about experimenting and forcing myself out of my comfort zone, because I was so used to working in a certain way. You get to a point where you're not capable anymore of continuing in the old style, in the old patterns and you need to shift. It happens across all areas of our lives. It's pretty normal to go through those evolutionary expansions where you just can no longer go back. What served you one, no longer serves you now. It just gets in the way. Ciel: Tackling a new style can be very scary. I love that you have the awareness about that because I think that can be what they call writer's block or artist's block where people hit that wall. And they're not able to make that shift into a new genre, a new medium, a new style, or expanding their composition structures. I find that refreshing. I also feel like you've built this base of technique and understanding your materials well enough that you had the freedom to then start to play. That can be a challenge when you don't have enough confidence in your materials and you're confronted with a significant change that you don't quite understand. It can be a bit overwhelming. I love watching that evolution in your work and understanding that you're just building on these skills, expanding, and stretching yourself into a new palette, a new style, and a new brush size, that's very exciting. Kindrie: Yeah, very, very exciting. It's important to mention that at the same time that this was happening, I was also starting to teach, which made a huge difference. Ciel: Why do you think that teaching made a difference? Is it because of the challenge of showing people what you have inherently been doing all along? That it is so second nature it's hard to articulate what exactly you are doing. Kindrie: You've probably heard people say that teaching is like the last stage of mastery or one of the stages. To really fully and truly understand what it is that you know, you have to find a way to teach it to others. As a very right brain-dominant person, who doesn't analyze, I had no idea how I did what I did. I just did it. Embarking on teaching felt like a calling, I was drawn to it and knew I couldn't turn away from it. At that point, I wasn't necessarily interested in teaching because I was shy and very introverted, and frankly, I didn't want to deal with lots of people. But I felt a very clear call that said, you need to teach. You need to go and open a little school in your studio and just start teaching classes. All the things that had tied me down and attached me to a specific way of working fell away. I felt free to reintegrate everything that I knew differently. Teaching others gave me a way to distill down what I knew intuitively into a form I could reabsorb on a deeper level. It was a relearning, like I brought it all forward from my subconscious into my conscious awareness to be able to express it and share it. Sculpture showed up about this same time. A little while before I began to teach, I started to sculpt. I had reached a level in studio practice where I did not need the same amount of time, effort, and concentration to produce the work because of a level of proficiency. This was back when I was working on the horse painting series – the detailed pieces. I felt as if space had opened up within my studio practice that was available for me to start sculpting, which is something I had wanted to do for a long time. I had dabbled in sculpture and played with it on and off throughout my artistic career, but I was very set on the bronze casting. That was what I wanted to do – cast the work into bronze. Yet I had no idea where to start or how to do it. A the time, I was doing the Southeastern Wildlife Expo, in Charleston, South Carolina, which showcased a lot of bronze artists, and that allowed me to get to know them. Honestly, most of the sculptors were incredibly generous, with advice and telling me where they cast and how they cast. Being inspired by other artists can catapult a creative direction. Ciel: Who's one of those mentors? Do you want to drop names and make reference to who inspired you? Kindrie: There's a British artist, Mark Coreth. He probably would never remember me, but I met him on a couple of occasions at the Southeastern Expo. Then there was a father-son duo: William and David Turner. The son, was just so generous. He gave me so much advice that was really helpful. Each of the five years I attended, I would see the sculpture that people were creating, and it inspired me to try to do something of my own. I got in contact with a foundry in Canada, and ultimately this is where I learned the most about the casting process.
The first foundry I worked with, I didn't care for at all. I didn't like what they did with the patinas. Then, when we moved here, to Penticton, I found Pyramid Bronze works in Kelowna. It was perfect because it was close enough that I could drive the sculptures there, make sure they arrived safely, and go up for the patinas. Pyramid is a family-run foundry. Bill & Sandy and Bill Jr., are the three that do it now. I think at the time that I started working with them, Bill had some employees. But since then, it's just the three of them. Sandy does the molds. Bill and Bill Jr. do the waxes, the chasing, and pouring of the bronze. Bill Sr. does the metalwork while Bill Jr. does all the patinas.  Do you know John Coleman's work? John Coleman. Here's his webpage. He is touted as Western Art's most prominent sculptor. Kindrie: This is the first I've seen his work. The size and scale are impressive – to be casting bronze in that size. It's wonderful. Yeah, that's a whole other level. I aspire to be able to do some bigger things like that. That's definitely on my bucket list as an artist. I've had some discussions with collectors who are interested in having bigger pieces created but haven't had anything land completely yet. Ciel: Tell me a little bit about your teaching. Where are you teaching? How many students do you teach? What does the structure look like? I taught a lot, almost full-time out of my studio back before we moved to the Martin Street Gallery location. I taught a little less there, but we did workshops, and we also did some trips to Europe, which were lovely, a lot of fun, but also thoroughly, exhausting. I don't know that I would want to do those again unless I had a team of people to help with the logistics. Then I could limit my exposure. Every day, all day long with students is a lot. That's where it exhausts me. I need time alone by myself to recover. I love teaching, and I love people. I just need that balance because of how introverted I am. With the closures around COVID, and changes in the studio space we had downtown, I moved my studio home. It felt so good to be out of the public environment and to create a private, nurturing space at home. I said no to any kind of teaching for about two years. I just was done. When I walked away from the gallery and studio space in town, I was certain I would never teach again. I was just so burnt out. But last winter, after taking time to rest, I was ready to get back to it. My studio is at home, and I'm always home, which I adore, but I was ready to get out into the world again. I started to do some limited classes, and currently, I do four-week sessions, about two hours long, once a week. I do maybe 4 sessions a year and some critiques. I teach painting and sculpture now, mostly mentoring, which I love. It is for people who have started painting or sculpting and want some one-on-one time and advice. I do a demo and a bit of a lesson, something that inspires me or is based on questions from students. And then everybody goes and works on their projects, while I mentor. Ciel: What's happening with your work? Where are you at as far as your sculpture and your fantasy series/books? Fantasy book collection Kindrie: I am currently writing book Four of The Stone Guardians and working on the 3rd Companion Sketchbook. In the studio, on the art side, I have several pieces on the easels at the moment. There's a painting of The Wilds from Book One that's just started. There is a piece from the embassy battle in Book Two. These are intended as artwork for the illustrated versions of the novels. Oh, and there's a really big sculpture that I bring along to display at conventions. She is an ongoing piece that I work on each time I have a show. She's one of those slow-burn pieces where I don't work on her very often. But when I do, it's very high voltage, for me at least.  I've also got a Pegasus piece that's been on hold for a while. There's always a pile of works in progress that haven't been finished yet. But that's part and parcel of the artistic journey. You feel inspired for a period of time and you really dive in, and then it has to cure or, you've reached a point where you're not sure how to finish that particular piece. So, you leave it for a bit. That often happens with fantasy work because people aren't necessarily my first subject matter. I'm still learning a lot. If I had it all in a photograph, no problem. I could copy my source and paint it. But so much of this work is coming from my imagination and I have to create the armour, the styles, the weaponry, and all that goes into the world and characters. It takes time to gradually figure out those things. Sometimes bouncing around is the only way to move forward. Quite a long time ago, I began to understand that really truly share the vision clearly, I had to just follow the inspiration. Not forcing it, not sticking with a painting because I felt like I should. Certainly, some of that kind of stuff comes into play when you're working on commissions. But for the studio work that's starting and ending with me, ultimately, I have to honour that. Some of the pieces will sit for a year or more and all of a sudden, in a flash, I'll see it finished, I'll see what needs to happen for it to be done and then I'll go and work on it until it's finished. The bronzes are a bit different. In creating a bronze, there is a pre-casting offer, in which pieces will be mostly finished, like 80% to 90% but they won't necessarily get completed and put into casting until I get a first order. Which allows me to fund the creation of the mold and the expensive, up-front costs of casting. Often pieces will wait until the right collector discovers them. But that's great because you can have the model done and it can sit however long it needs to sit. It's not like it has a shelf life that will expire. The illustration work for the books is a bit like that too. Most of them haven't been created yet, but I can feel them all. They're all linked up there somewhere, and every once in a while, one will crowd forward. I'll see it clearly, and feel it is time to begin it. Often they'll flash by and be quite vague, but I'll have a starting point for a piece. This illustrated fantasy book series has mushroomed. In the writing of the first book, when it was ready, finally, to be released,(I think we've talked about this before), the artwork started to come through, which I hadn't expected. Ever since then, it has grown exponentially, more and more. Upcoming events. I'm hoping to go to the Calgary Fan Expo in April. It is one of the biggest Fan Expo shows, second to Florida, and similar to the Comic Cons. June is the Kelowna Comic Con again. They're both two-and-a-half, three-day events. My husband, Michael, and son, Kellen, have been coming to these shows, which has been lovely. For the Kelowna Yule event in November, we created some beautiful book boxes. It was quite fun figuring out how and what to include, what would make the most sense, and assembling them. The book boxes were delightful. They were quite popular. We created a basic one, and a more upscale version. The basic one just has a volume of Book One with a postcard, a sticker, and a nice bookmark. Very simple, but we did a beautiful job.  https://www.kindriegrove.com/fantasybookillustrations Also included is a card that explains the box contents with a beautiful wax seal. The upscale Book Box is presented in a glossy black box, and includes Book One and its Companion Sketchbook, along with more swag, and lots more goodies – all nestled in gold tissue paper with the contents card. I find that kind of attention to detail and considered presentation for my work very inspiring and fulfilling. Moving forward with those shows, there'll be the artwork, the books, and the cast bronze sculptures to showcase. The large sculptures and paintings are for the wow factor, to draw people in to learn out about the books, then there are prints and postcards available as well. Ciel: When did you even discover that you were an artist? Kindrie: I remember, as a five-year-old, drawing horses and pastures and barns, because we were in rural Alberta and had Morgan horses. They were just kids' drawings, but I recall being completely absorbed in that. In junior high, I attempted a drawing that was a copy of a Robert Bateman painting. You know how, when he released a print, they would do up these promotional sheets for the various pieces that were available. I remember it was a bald eagle. I brought that home, and I decided I was going to draw it. While I was drawing.... have you ever had an experience where you feel like you're remembering something? I was awestruck at what was emerging on the page while I endeavoured to copy it. I don't even know what happened to that first drawing. It probably was lost a long, time ago. But it lit that fire. Because I suddenly understood what I wanted to do. I was a bit of an odd duck. I was super tall, and skinny like a pole. I was a tomboy. I loved horses and being outside, and I just hated school. And I also hated all the stuff that other girls my age did or wanted or liked. I had zero interest in any of that. This was the first time I realized I was good at art. That I could do it and enjoy it for the rest of my life. From that point on you couldn't get my sketchbook away from me. I got in so much trouble in grade six and then in junior high because all I wanted to do was draw. I would disappear into the art room, in high school, and spend all my lunchtime there because the teachers would let me be in there on my own. Ciel: I can't help but wonder if your childhood in rural Alberta and now in your country home provides the space and time to support this artist's exploration. It's like I have this beautiful space that I get to explore, that isn't crowded with people and noise and activity. And there's this beautiful, spiritual, wide open space of quiet. You can hear those drawings coming from behind rushing forward to be complete on the page. I think the crafting of your environment has done a lot to support your creative habits. If you had been stuck in downtown New York or downtown San Francisco or downtown wherever, where there's so much energy and things going on, probably your artwork would not have evolved in the same way. It would have been a different expression. I'm really glad you were an 'odd duck' and snuck away to the art room. You'd have to carve out space for yourself. Not just time, which is often difficult. But a tranquil space. You'd have to carve that out literally. And you'd have to figure out some way of doing that so you're not being interrupted by sounds and noise. All that kind of stuff. Bombarded with distractions. I think it's a beautiful thing when you can understand what your particular human-ness needs. To thrive and create and be available for the muse to kind of show up and help me with this process. I think too often there's so much pressure. There was a woman the other day on Instagram. She said, to be completely honest, I don't get up before 8. And I don't start my art journey until around noon. I create whatever I want. Sometimes I paint until 3 in the morning. I love this sense of full permission to create the way you need to create. Being an artist doesn't always fit into a conventional time frame. If we try to pigeonhole it into, okay, from 10 till 12, I'm going to do... It just doesn't work like that. It's not a conventional time frame. To be creative and to be inspired and to explore. When artists are wise enough to listen to those things. And allow themselves the freedom to work within those inspirations, without those woulda, coulda, shoulda pressures, it's a beautiful thing. It's very liberating. Kindrie: Knowing when to stop and take a break is super important too. It can get addicting, to creating art, and if you run the creative energy down from overuse, then you are up for a problem. It's like an engine. You can't be running the engine constantly, without a breakdown. It wears out. And creative energy that flows through us is no different. I remember talking with a really good friend of mine, who was an energy healer. Heather is her name, and she equated creative expression and output with the same amount of physical energy that athletes expend. Except that, it's on an energetic level instead of a physical. Instead of your muscles and your joints having that physical output to deal with, it's everything else. It's your entire nervous system. Because it's all energy coming through you, flowing through you. You have to rest your engine. If you keep doing things that are energetically driven, you are going to burn out. Ciel: That makes total sense because I know when I come to the end of a project and who knows, maybe I've spent 75 hours, 100 hours, something like that on a project. There's this real lull when it's over that I just can't get going again. It's like I can't dive into the next project. I need the two or three days to go for a walk, to go to the coffee shop, just like you say, change it up because that energy output can't be consistent like that. It's too much. You can't sustain it. Kindrie: That's right. There are bursts of really focused, really like powerful energy, and then you have to replenish that. You have to think of it like an ebb and a flow. It comes in waves and you have massive output times, and then you have times of really just incubating, and allowing space for that new inspiration to come. Here are some other examples of Kindrie's work.
 I know this is a longer blog post than usual. I hope you have enjoyed this conversation with Kindrie. Be sure to check out her website. Here is the link again. https://www.kindriegrove.com/
Leave your comments below.  For many years, I heard the act of painting outdoors is beneficial to a studio practice and I've really been on the fence about it. I was not convinced that lugging all my heavy portable equipment outside to paint would be 1) any fun, 2) have any affect on my painting skills. Last year, I decided to give it a whirl and went out in the neighbourhood with a small set of watercolour paints, some watercolour paper and a bottle of water. I started in February, which was, maybe, a little eager. It got cold, windy and rainy some days. I did get some lovely little sketches if not completed pieces onsite, I certainly finished them pretty easily back home with a warm cup of tea. Here is just one example of the small watercolours. As the spring progressed I got busy in the studio with my regular large oil paintings and lost the rhythm of painting out doors. Opus had Michael King (Click on his name to go to his website) come in and do a presentation of his plein air practice, his gear that he took and the surfaces that he painted on. It was really fascinating. He shared a resource for a small, lightweight pochade box, which is an palette/easel set up that you can easily transport on location for an outdoor painting session. Here is the link for it: Daybreak Easel Earlier this year I purchased the box that Michael recommended. I'm so pleased with it. It has a 9x12 palette area for mixing paint and two wings that fold out to hold your brushes, paper towel and palette knife. It also has a hook on the front for a small jar of linseed oil. There are two levers on the back that swing out and they slip over the legs of a tripod, holding the palette tray in place. On my adventure to the thrift store for a small jar, I though of checking on a tripod as well. Wow! they had a professional photographers tripod for $20.00 amazing. I was skipping out of the thrift that day. Down to the beach I go. By the time I got set up, I had about 30 minutes before I had to head back home. I basically blocked in the painting and got a feel for being outdoors. I find it so interesting how my brain works. This was my first time with oil paints outdoors and of course, the marks I was making were not like my studio pieces, and my brain was telling me "give up, you are not good at this, look at this rubbish". Yikes. I quickly told it to shhhhsh and kept going. On day two I had a better idea how to set everything up and got right down to business. I was at the beach for 2 hours. Come on, sunshine, seagulls, lapping waves and a t-shirt = awesome. One piece of equipment I added was a little viewfinder. This is a plastic tool that you can open to the same dimensions as your canvas and use it to orient yourself to the image you are trying to paint.  Oh boy, did that give me a new perspective. I was trying to cram too much information into my little painting on day one. Once I realized that, I totally revamped the composition, simplifying what I was focusing on, so much better. P.S. The mark on my nose.... my rose bush bit me as I was pruning the canes ready for the spring growth. The dangers of working around roses.
Day three should see me finishing this gorgeous little painting. Stay tuned. I don't have a clear plan just yet for selling these little beauties, however, if you are interested in a small piece of art I will be listing them on my website, for now. I may have these as a small art project for my upcoming display at the Landmark Pop up Gallery in May. Here is the link to see the pieces I've listed so far. Small Art I hope you have enjoyed my little adventure with plein air painting. More to come. Have a great rest of your week.  Let me give you a bit of back story. I've been following Devon Rodriguez for awhile now on Instagram. He is amazing. I love his energy, his kindness and genuine curiosity for his subjects. You can check him out here. Devon Rodriguez My drawing experiences have been a bit hit or miss. In my third year drawing class at The Alberta College of Art and Design, now the Alberta University of the Arts, I was waltzed out of class when the instructor looked at my drawing. He proclaimed "Sweetheart, this clearly isn't for you." Yikes. I've drawn since then in a utilitarian way, but not to create art. Frankly I didn't enjoy it. I found it frustrating and not very rewarding. I recently renewed my membership to the Oil Painters of America and in their show submission guidelines they clearly state that no outside tools can be used to transfer your image to the canvas. Using a projector, which I often do, is out. It's time to brush up on my drawing skills. I saw Devon's course advertised and thought, let's do it. I was ready to challenge my ideas that I had about drawing. However, when he sent the source photo that we would be drawing from.... I thought "no way, I can draw this guy." Last Sunday, I logged into the course and thought what's the worst that could happen, really. I could make a crappy drawing. I'm okay with that. What I noticed early on is that Devon's technique is not that much different from how I approach my paintings. It's about capturing the shapes and narrowing down to the details. I can do that, no problem. After a few hours of watching Devon, I went through all his video's before I started on my own drawing. The second time through I started to lay down some marks.
Here I am, all ready to begin. Sketchbook in hand, new 2.0mm thick pencil lead in a fancy pencil holder, kneadable eraser, small round eraser, and a new sketchbook.  The first marks, establishing the shapes. These marks may not be exactly correct, and that is okay. It's all about adjusting as the information comes together.  Not bad, it's coming together. Not correct, yet, but getting closer.  Oh boy!!! I did it. Maybe my drawing skills aren't that rusty after all. I'm so very pleased with this drawing. It's the best portrait I've done, ever.
I'm excited to explore this further and keep practicing. It surprises me sometimes how easy it is to change our minds about things. What once was a limitation, becomes an opportunity. I want to say a big thank you to @devonrodriguez for his masterful, kind guidance through this process. If you are curious about his drawing course for yourself here is the link to the course. Portrait drawing the easy way. Happy drawing everyone. |
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