Winter Inspiration: Story Behind the Painting

Sometimes the winter months seem like they will never end. That initial delight when the first snowflakes of the season arrive can turn into a cold and dark dread of winter's final days. Even my creative spirit at this time of year can feel sluggish as if it was laden down with ice crystals.

In November, a lovely customer ordered my Autumn Leaf print with the Albert Camus quote: "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower". She contacted me once she had received her order and asked if I knew of the beautiful winter quote by Camus. I didn't and what a beauty it is: "In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer". Isn't that gorgeous? Quite beyond enduring unpleasant weather and dragging seasons, it speaks to the strength that we can find inside ourselves when life is difficult.

She said she would be interested in a companion print with the winter quote and had a wonderful idea of what to include with it. She suggested winterberry also known as Ilex verticillata. Do you know it? It's a beautiful shrub--a species of holly native to parts of North America. When the rest of nature is brown, grey or covered with snow, winterberry sports beautiful bright red berries.

While I wasn't able to find winterberry in my local forest, I did find branches of it at a nearby garden centre. I absolutely loved painting the berries. A greater challenge for me was creating the lettering in watercolour to match the quote I had done for the autumn leaf image. Watercolour paint is capricious. Hand lettering with a small paintbrush is not like using a computer font that remains the same each time you use it, although in the middle of this project I sort of wished it was! I did so many tries before finally coming up with a version that was similar in weight and tone to the previous quote. I am happy to say that my winterberry print is now available in my shop, on its own or coupled with the autumn leaf print.

Thank you to my lovely customer and Albert Camus for the wonderful winter inspiration!

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

You can buy directly from me below. Your order will be processed through my secure Shopify shop. Shipping is free in Canada and the US. A flat rate of $7.50 applies to all other destinations. Products are shipped within 3-5 days of your order. ~ Kathleen

Meeko Time

Every now and then, Meeko leans over and whispers 'If you're looking for a blog subject, I'm sure people wouldn't mind one all about me'.

It's hot and humid here. Even without the heat, in the summer my art productivity always slows down. My concentration is always off when others are in the house, even though I enjoy my daughters' school vacation presence. Snatching an hour to paint here and there doesn't always work. I'm better off with a stretch of a few hours of uninterrupted studio time--time to think, time to putter, time to produce. Plus I have a very big garden that requires my regular presence during the summer. This past week, I've been getting up early each morning to go out and work in the garden for two to three hours before the day's heat hits. If I don't look after it daily, it becomes an unworkable jungle.

The rest of my summer days seem to be a bit of a blur--dentist appointments (Chloé got her wisdom teeth removed this past week; Emma's appointment is in August), various errands, visits to framing suppliers, preparations for a garage sale, the beginning of a painting commission, mom's 'taxi', walks with Meeko.

Wait a minute. Meeko. Once again, I think the furry boy might be right.

A serviceberry from our garden. Meeko loves berries.

Gentle boy.

A rare off-leash summer run. Yippee!

"I stand on guard for thee." I think it's more to do with dogs, cats and squirrels in the park. 

Gardening companion whether at work or at rest.

A blog post brought to you by Meeko.

My New Website is Open!

www.trowelandpaintbrush.com

Happy summer, friends! (And happy autumn to those on the opposite side of the seasons!) In tandem with this lovely season's beginning, I am excited to announce that my completely revamped art shop/website is open! I hope that you visit and look around. It took me three weeks to get it ready and I hope it conveys a sense of me, my art, my heart and my appreciation for all those who support my 'métier'. 

If there is something on the website that could be better (whether big or small), I would appreciate you telling me. I value your opinion.

Thank you to all those behind the scenes I asked for advice and who gave me encouragement while I was building my website. I ♡ you.

To celebrate my opening, I will be tucking extra goodies in all orders received this week on www.trowelandpaintbrush.com. (Up to June 28th.)

And, of course, I will be adding more art to my shop on an ongoing basis.

Thank you for your support and inspiration! 

❤  ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤

As Summer Slips Away

Where did the summer go? And what an odd summer it was in some ways.

I began the summer with a back injury in early June. It kept me from looking after the garden the way I normally do. I also didn't swim or walk as much as usual. So frustrating but a lesson in taking the time to look after myself. After a couple of setbacks (sorry), it is finally feeling better.

The weather this summer has been changeable. We've had incredibly hot spells, dark and rainy periods and this past week actually felt more like autumn than late summer.

We got away briefly twice this summer. My husband and I went on an impromptu vacation to Maine for a few days at the beginning of August. Emma and Chloé stayed here with Meeko. It was the first time we have been away together (sans enfants) in eight years and the first time that our daughters stayed home on their own. Everyone survived. We all travelled to Muskoka to visit family. It was a great visit but Emma, Chloé and I all ended up with a terrible cold and we decided to go home a day early. It's just been one of those summers.

Some things are thriving in my vegetable garden and some are doing poorly. Tomatoes, what happened to you? The weeds are towering over my perennials in my flowerbeds and filling cracks and crevices throughout the garden. They may think they have won but I am coming to get them! Meanwhile, the flowers are definitely in late season mode. There is some sadness at how quickly the summer has gone by but I've always liked this time of year. The garden quiets down, the light becomes more subdued and there are still weeks to go of garden enjoyment.

These photos were taken this morning with my iPad on a pajama tour of my back garden! I love that the shrubs surrounding our back garden are now tall enough to provide us with total privacy from the neighbours.

One of the weedier parts of the garden.  I would say that half of the plants here are weeds.

Self-sown and pretty verbena bonariensis with snapdragons in the background.

I was happy to find this cucumber at the back of the vegetable bed this morning.

Two late summer friends: hydrangea paniculata and echinacea 

Rose hips (Rosa glauca)

Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana)

Phlox paniculata 'David'

I haven't painted for a few weeks now. I can't wait to get back at it. There will be time in the weeks ahead. Emma moves into university residence on Friday. Big changes. (I can do this.) Chloé is back to school on September 2nd. Soon my days will be filled with studio time punctuated by walks with my friend, Meeko.

And speaking of him...as I was writing this blog post, I felt that I was being watched. I was. This is for those of you needing a 'Meeko fix'.

❤  ❤  ❤

Summertime and the living is...busy

In the summer, things always change for me. My teenage daughters are in the house all day and I find myself easily distracted. I haven't painted very much the past few weeks as family life takes precedence. I'll have to figure out how to sneak in some painting time when the house is quiet (maybe when they sleep in each morning? :)

I always feel stress at the beginning of the summer as I feel my daily routine being tugged away from me. There are so many things I meant to do before the summer started and, well, here it is.

I celebrated my birthday on July 1st. Emma made me a fabulous beach-themed cake. I've always felt lucky to have my birthday on Canada Day. Canada is 146 years old now. I am younger.

Other activities from the past few weeks: sleepovers, visits from friends, an early birthday party for Chloé who turns 14 on July 7th, dips in the pool with Meeko who loves to swim, house cleaning, garden weeding (they're still winning), and Ikea furniture making (an art storage cabinet for me, a bookcase for Emma and some CD shelves for the basement).

Guess who wishes Emma had made a cake for his birthday?

I find the burden of my Etsy treasury teams hard at this time of year.  That's been complicated by all of the recent format changes Etsy has made that have gummed up traditional ways we've all made our treasuries. Some of my teams have reduced their quotas for the summer and that has helped me step back a little. Less time at the computer is a good thing. I don't think many people enjoy change all that much, but I think it's our resistance to it that creates the most problems. Maybe it's good that all of these changes happened just as the summer began. It gives us time to consider what's important and adjust. I know that it would be better if I spent more time making art and less time worrying about what Etsy is doing or not doing.

Last night we all went to a fabulous concert in downtown Montreal that was part of the Jazz Festival. I like how a concert transports you from your ordinary life. Camera Obscura from Glasgow Scotland was the opening act. I'm just getting to know them. I was searching for the words to describe them and Emma said 'indie pop with a retro twist'. Sounds good to me. I enjoyed them. The main act was She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward). We have all of their albums here. It's rare that all four of us can agree on one group. The concert was fabulous. Zooey packs a very big voice into her small frame and it was fun to see her play piano and ukelele. I liked when Matt and Zooey sang together. Their voices combine beautifully and you could see that they enjoy each other. The backup singers were amazing too and I read after the concert that they are the daughters of Tom Chapin and the nieces of the late Harry Chapin. I can remember listening to Harry Chapin 8-track tapes (there's an age indicator) in the car when we were on summer vacation when I was young.

There are more distractions ahead: family visits here, a trip to Lake Muskoka to visit my parents and a trip oceanside in Maine. For my part, I'll try to keep going with the summer flow.

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends in the United States! I was born in Manitoba but spent my first year in Cleveland, Ohio! I came very close to being a dual citizen! 

A Baby Sparrow, a Feather and a Cautionary Tale

Summer is here! Both Emma and Chloé are on holiday now. My days change significantly when they are in the house each day. Not that they are difficult at their age but I find my brain is more easily distracted when others are here. Plus for sure, there are occasional interruptions and taxi duties. And more sharing is required of computers, etc. Now it is the cranky, middle-aged mother, not toddlers, having difficulty with sharing.

Good news! I am slowly but surely getting used to my new computer setup and starting to produce prints from it. So proud of this little baby sparrow print.  I just added it to my shop today. I'll also be adding him in a larger 8 x 10 format. I have other prints ready to go into my shop and a pile more paintings to convert. It's slow work but worth it to me to do it right. Plus Emma, who is a Photoshop whiz, has been helping me a lot.

After having one of the best months ever sale-wise in May, June has been so, so quiet. I was worrying about it and then realized that it was actually a good thing as my computer situation would have made it very hard to keep up had it been busier. A good lesson in accepting and adapting to circumstances.

Here's another addition to my shop this week.

This is a card based on my sparrow feather painting. A customer asked me if that painting was available as a card. I try whenever I can to respond to customer suggestions like this. This one was a real challenge. I first approached it the way I do most of my paintings when making them into a print or card. Usually I scan the painting, then isolate my image and remove the paper texture around it. No matter how I did it, I was losing fine detail from my feather. I worked on it for hours, Emma helped me too, and I was about to abandon the idea of it ever being a card. Then I had the idea of including the paper texture! In the end, by including the paper texture and adding two fine lines as a frame, it has retained the three-dimensional look of the original work. The original painting was done within a rectangular hand-embossed area. It was definitely a 'eureka' moment. Wish it had come a little sooner but glad it came at all. :)

And a cautionary tale. I was so elated when I finally figured out the feather card that I immediately sent a message to the customer who had made the enquiry. And then I quickly sent an email to an artist friend with whom I share lots of the ups and downs of my art making and print making. I pressed send and then looked at my screen. To my horror, I had sent the second email (the one destined for my friend) to the customer as well. In the email I had referred to the 'stupid...I mean sweet sparrow feather', all within the context of the hours of work it had taken to finally get it right. A friend would understand. A customer? I'm not so sure. When I realized what I had done, I immediately sent a note of apology to the customer but I think the damage was done. I haven't heard back from her. I still feel awful and so embarrassed about it. From me to you: Be careful with that 'send' button.

I seem to be more tired lately, more distracted, clumsier. My feet seem to be twice as long as usual. Do you know the feeling? I am wearing new glasses which may be part of the problem. But I also think that the past weeks with all of the computer troubles have taken their toll. Nothing that a bit of summer can't cure I'm sure. ♥

Sunshine and Spring Soldiers

The Easter weekend brought sunshine and warmer temperatures to the point that we started thinking of patio furniture, open windows, swimming and lush flower beds. All sorts of irrational summer thinking. It was too early for all of that. The temperatures have plummeted again. It is freezing.

I took these pictures of my crocuses in Saturday's sunlight. I love the first flowers of spring. Brave soldiers that they are.

Today, they are closed tightly as protection against the cold winds. If I knew how to knit, I would make them tiny sweaters and hats. 

The only good side of the freezing temperatures is that I was able to go into the little forest for a walk with Meeko. Once it is warm, the terrain becomes too swampy to walk in. We haven't been there in more than a week because of that. Yesterday, Meeko and I felt like adventurers as we carefully chose our steps and occasionally had to hop across half frozen areas. At one point, I dragged a small, fallen tree so that I could put it across one of the deeper bits to help us cross. Meeko became very excited and picked  up the other end of the tree and helped me to carry it. We are partners in everything.

When not on forest adventures, I've been working on adding more prints to my shop. I recently added a large print of my lilacs painting. I printed it on real watercolor paper. This one was printed on 140 lb. hot-pressed Fabriano paper. I work so hard at matching my prints to my original work. Sometimes, though, the printer can't capture the subtlety of certain colours. So I did an experiment. I applied a watercolour wash on top of the finished print where I felt that some of the richness of colour was missing. It worked beautifully!

Other new prints in my shops are here: radishes and coffee. (That's an odd duo. :)

Summer Days

1. Mussel shell 'sculptures' from a lovely family meal eaten not oceanside but lakeside.
2. Sweet peas. I love their curly tendrils.
3. A coloured pencil drawing of geraniums I did this week.  I haven't used coloured pencils in years (probably since colouring in maps in school many years ago)!
4. A watercolour I did for my sister Karen in 2005 of her cat Whiskers who was part Himalayan and part Siamese. He had one crooked ear due to surgery early in his life but still managed to look elegant.

Hope you are enjoying your days as well!

Blue Friday

Today is 'blue' day in the Poppytalk Summer Colours week.  This is the final day in the coloured-theme week. I have pulled together a collection of photos taken by me, Emma and Chloé. The top photo was taken by Emma with a timer at my parents' Muskoka home last summer.

1. Muskoka silhouette (photo by Emma)
2. Forget-me-nots
3. Swim goggles
4. Top of fire hydrant (photo by Chloé)
5. Emma's feet in Muskoka (photo by Emma)
6. Lobelia
7. Chicory (photo by Chloé)

If you garden, you know how hard it is to find true blue flowers. When I started my garden here, I planned different colour schemes for different flower beds. I intended to plant only blue and white flowers in the pool area. So many blue flowers actually are more like purple. I love purple but was disappointed that my blue and white vision never quite came to be.

I am feeling a little blue today about my painting time lately or, more to the point, the lack of it.  It's challenging once the girls are off school, especially because my studio is in the house. Other parents manage to work through the summer but I think when work is outside of the home, it is understood better and respected by everyone both inside and outside of the family.  Despite my frustration, there's lots to celebrate right now.  Emma's high school graduation and prom is tomorrow and Chloé's birthday celebration with her friends is in progress right now.  My birthday is on Sunday, Chloé's actual birthday is next Saturday and we are leaving for a family trip to New York in a matter of days.

Prints on Paper and in the Snow

I have been working so hard lately trying to get more prints into my shop.  I'm pretty happy with my progress. Each painting offers its own challenges when I try to convert it into print form while trying to be as true as possible to the original. My perfectionism helps and hinders me along the way, if you know what I mean.

My most recent additions are prints of my seashell and snowdrop paintings.  You saw the seashell painting as it was in progress but I'm not certain that I've showed you the snowdrop painting here before. It's actually the prints that are in these photos.

While everything I have added to my Etsy shop lately speaks of spring and summer, we are still surrounded by snow. It won't last long as the temperatures are supposed to climb tomorrow and Thursday. This is the time of year when I flutter between not being able to wait one more moment to see my garden, to sadness at saying goodbye to winter.  This photo of my sweet dark-eyed juncos was taken in late February (the same day that I took all of the cardinal photos).  I'll miss how beautifully they contrast with the snow.

When Meeko and I went for our walk this afternoon, we were both walking a little slower than normal--maybe to savour the last days of the season. The following photos were all taken with my iPod Touch this afternoon.

This week is the March school break for Emma and Chloé. Chloé unfortunately has ended up sicked with a fever and sore throat. She is quite annoyed to be sick during her vacation and I can totally understand. It happened to me so many times when I was young. I would be sick on weekends and vacations and hardly ever missed school.  She is starting to feel better so I hope to do a few things with Emma and her during the vacation that's left.  Not that they haven't enjoyed pajama days, Tumblr, t.v. shows and movies. If I've missed visiting your blog recently, it's mostly because my routine has been off its normal track.  They go back to school on Monday. I hope to get back into my studio then to do some more painting.