MAC – Day 14

Do you know what today is?

Well yes, it's Monday.

Today also marks 2 weeks of blog post entries from me in my Make Art Challenge!

I got my butt to the studio this afternoon.

Some of my studio mates are doing some really exciting work right now!

The piece below (a work in progress) is my MAC for today.

It's crazy the way I've been hanging out with this aqua/teal/turquoise (beachy?) colour palatte.

The photo isn't great. I'm already noticing the light changing by the end of the day. Have you noticed the days getting shorter, too?

Maybe I'll just keep hanging with these colours for a while. And hang on to the last bit of summer too.

MAC – Day 13

Whew!

Did a 29k run today, thankfully the weather cooperated – no rain and a nice cool breeze. Had some work to do this afternoon too.

Today's offering shows how I'm topping off my evening, and my weekend!

Hope you had a good one.

Cheers!

MAC – Day 12

This weekend, my Dear friend is walking 60km as part of the Weekend to End Women's Cancers. This is the 6th year she has participated. She has raised money and awareness along the way but sadly, has also lost some of her Dear friends.

She is a fighter. Small but mighty.

If you notice a sea of PINK WOMEN walking in your city, cheer them on! Thank them for being out there and make a donation if you can.

I am thinking about you, my friend. Sending good karma to you on your journey this weekend, and always.

xox

MAC – Day 11

Happy Birthday My Sweet Girl.

xox

MAC – Day 10

I met up with a friend today for lunch and to see some art!

We grabbed a yummy sandwich from La Brasserie food cart

http://www.labrasserievancouver.com/

and went to the new Picnurbia space to enjoy it. It was a perfect, sunny, authentic, Vancouver lunch experience, enjoyed with the most excellent company!

After our Picnurbia lunch, we went to see the Shary Boyle exhibit, which I'd been wanting to see for some time. Her work just blows my socks off! Not only is she incredibly prolific, her ca-ra-azzzy imagination stops you in your tracks.

Her porcelain work is breathtaking. Her delicately fragile, detailed work is juxtaposed against the twisted subject matter of childrens' stories gone terribly wrong. Truly original.

Today I was inspired the Yellow Picnic Wave and Shary Boyle.

The Shary Boyle exhibit is at The Contemporary Gallery until August 21st.

http://www.looseaffiliates.com/index.php?/root/draft-trial/

http://www.contemporaryartgallery.ca/

MAC – Day 9

It's so exciting to hear some of the feedback from those who have been following me along this Make Art Challenge! It gets me super-inspired to hear the things that you like, and well, just that you like these... outputs of my Challenge.

Sometimes when I start to paint I really go in without any tangible plan of what I'm going to do. I may think about colours I'd like to use or a shape or something, but often I just let whatever is going to happen when I show up, just happen.

Today's offering is one of those cases.

Ovals, pods, seeds, spirals, circles, flower buds. These are recurring motifs that inherently emerge in my work when I just let it go.

Coincidence that both my parents are avid (serious) gardeners?

Perhaps not.

BTW, a big thanks to all of you who are following along, it means a lot to me!

MAC – Day 8

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love my Dog, Lucy.

Of course, all dog owners love their dogs, right?

Dog parents who love their dogs are great at making small talk with other dog parents. We know the names of all the neighbourhood dogs, often years before we know the parents'. We know said dogs' favourite toys, what kind of treats they like, whether they sleep in the owners' bed (a no, no, no!), and whether they prefer rawhide to real bones.

A very common question among the dog parents is, "So, how old is your Dog?". I've really been conscious of this particular question the last couple of weeks because this Friday, August 12, will be Lucy's 7th birthday.

Seven!

How can it be I have loved this Sweet Girl for seven whole years?

It seems I've loved her always.

How can it be that I have loved this Dear Dog for only seven years?

It's gone much too fast.

Today I was at my desk for most of the day working on some tedious, finicky work (yeah, the paying job). I really needed to do something loose and free. So, my favourite subject – always ready to pose – gave me my inspiration.

These are a couple blind contour drawings. For those who may not know, a blind contour is made by following along the contour of the subject with your eyes, but without looking at what you're drawing. They usually come out very loose, free and whimsical.

And these are also full of love.