What A Year!

I'm really looking forward to 2013. 

My hand painted tins are a hit! At the beguinning of December I was asked to take part in a group show at the brand new Elkford community hall. I received fantastic feedback and made one of the biggest sales to date! The three other artists who were part of the show had fantastic feedback also.

So much so, that we have decided to work as a collective towards developing artistic culture in our small town and in the East Kootenay Rocky Mountain region. The district of Elkford has invited us back for another show in the spring and we are working towards forming our collective brand in time.

We've decided that we would start by entering a contest offered by the
Diamond Willow Artisan Retreat. 

 www.diamondwillowartisanretreat.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diamond-Willow-Artisan-Retreat/129674514137

The contest offers a gift certificate to the person who writes in and explains why they deserve the $350.00 credit to stay at the retreat.

The retreat is an incredible place, it is a bed and breakfast that offers artists a chance to work and learn in an open concept studio with instruction from invited specialized talents.

The "Group of Four", our new art collective, is in its infancy. We have incredible and encouraging support from the District of Elkford to help us grow and improve the art scene here in our small town. 

We need help to get our collective up and running. We feel the retreat would be a great place to brain storm and make the vision a reality in 2013.

If we win the gift certificate, we intend to offer it to a branding specialist to brain storm with us at the retreat. It would be a great way to share, learn and grow our vision in a nurturing artistic environment. Not to mention the great relaxing location, lodging and home cooked meals!

Wish us luck :)

Next up on the easel...

"Bugaboo Spires, Purcell Mountain Range" BC

 Probably the most challenging "Hand Painted Tin" that I have yet to attempt. Originally photographed on medium format film, from a helicopter, thru a small window located at hip level, it was one of those "Hail Mary"shots. I just came across this negative while gathering new material for my new website, now in production, and fell in love with this long lost image. 

Painting it will be a labor of love!

I'll be experimenting with acrylic Tar Gel and Iron Oxide mediums, and possibly try out my new jar of Black Perl Mica. 

At 20x20 finished size, the details in the crevasses of the granite towers will be a striking interactive/tactile experience to the touch!

My goal is to submit three Hand Painted Tins of the Bugaboo Spires to the Whyte Museum's call to artists. Wish me luck, its been a very long standing dream of mine to be represented by any gallery, let alone the world renowned historical Whyte Museum of The Rockies in Banff.

I invite you to read some interesting facts of the Bugaboos!

In 1969, Bugaboo Glacier Provincial Park and the Bugaboo Alpine Recreation Area were set aside to preserve and protect this outstanding area of the Purcells. In 1972, the Alpine Club of Canada erected a three story quonset building for climbers. The Conrad Kain Hut was named after renowned alpinist who made many first ascents during the early 1900’s in the Purcell and Rocky Mountains. In 1995, the park and part of the surrounding recreation area were combined to create the Bugaboo Provincial Park.

Over time the erosive forces of mountain weather and glacial ice removed much of the weaker overlying rock revealing granite masses and sculpting them into the spectacular spires that characterize the Bugaboo region. The heavy snowfall of the "Columbia Wet Belt" continues to create the vast glaciers that dominate and shape the rugged Purcell Mountains.

The steep V-shaped valleys of the Purcells challenged early explorers, miners, loggers and climbers from Europe and North America. News of the spectacular spires of the Bugaboos were a magnet for some of North America’s most renowned mountaineers. Harmon, Longstaff, A.O. Wheeler and the legendary guide Conrad Kain visited the Bugaboo region in 1910. Kain returned with the MacCarthys in 1916 and climbed the North Howser "Tower" and the south ridge of Bugaboo Spire, which he considered his most difficult Canadian ascent. Thorington mapped the area and then climbed with Kain in 1933 on Crescent Spire. In 1938 and 1939 the Northpost, Eastpost and Brenta Spires were ascended by easy routes. Snowpatch, beyond the techniques used in Kain’s era, was climbed by its southeast ridge in 1940 by Arnold and Bedayn. By the 1950s climbers such as Fred Beckey, Ed Cooper and Layton Kor put up the first "face" routes on Snowpatch, Bugaboo and Pigeon Spires. Chouinard traversed the Howsers in 1965 and Chris Jones pioneered on their 600-metre ascent of West Face in 1970.

Today those early routes, first done with many pitons and bolts, are often repeated by "free climbers" who use only the less damaging aluminium chocks for protection against falls. Free-climbing techniques enable faster ascents, resulting in reduced exposure to the frequent lightning storms; modern climbers have continually opened new lines of ascent in an area where the elements of glaciers, firm rock, significant altitude and violent weather all combine to create world-class mountaineering challenges.

My New Venture - "Painting Tins"

~ More Shameless Self Promotion ~

I have rented an exhibitor booth at The Home and Design Show
So you can take a peek at the painted versions - They MUST be seen to believe!

http://www.calgaryhomeanddesignshow.com/CHDS/EventsHome.aspx 

 This next one "Allium Glow" Actually Glows in the Dark!

Nancy's Couch

Tomorrow is the first day of the Calgary Folk Music festival. Nancy Bell, an avid live music fan, was a volunteer for many years at the fest. She will be missed by many.

Nancy was the kind of person who would literally give you the shirt off her back. She was generous. So generous in fact that it gave her great pleasure to make sure that if you liked something that was in her possession, she made sure you had one too. She would on occasion, join us girls for our weekly "It's Wing Night Bitchez" gaggle, and bring along things she was no longer in need of. One night she had a slew of purses and hand bags and "statement T-shirts" and handed them out to the girls. We all have one that represents our personality in some way or another. On another occasion, when she was visiting, she had a hand woven basket filled with yummy goodies. I had mentioned how beautiful her basket was and she insisted I have it. I cherish it, using it as a carry all for my acrylics, brushes and art supplies.

The utter shock of her suicide has had an impact on our little gaggle of girlz, each of us suffering in our own distinct ways. Each of us at our own different retched levels of grief and turmoil. I often worry if it will bring us closer together or if the pain will shift us apart. Each of us wailing inside but keeping busy to avoid the breach of containment.

My personal journey with the experience has taught me many things. How to be more generous, thoughtful. How to cherish every moment as if it were my last. Not to be judgmental and too quick to offer my opinion. My last exchange with Nancy shortly before she died was regretful. I feel now that I was too opinionated, telling her that I felt she was heading into a downward spiral, to get much needed help. I now suffer from survivors guilt. Being that I've had my own experience with seeking medical attention for my own mental health issues - I survived and she never had a chance.

Since her passing I have been in contact with Nancy's cousin. She had seen a photo I posted on facebook of a water color drawing Nancy did while we were together at "The Chateau Grand". She mentioned that they were having an open house to invite Nancy's friends to retrieve mementos they wished to have to remember her by. Being that Nancy was a very giving person I knew how much it would have meant to her to have her cherished keepsakes distributed amongst her friends.

Since Nancy was an avid music fan, and my husband has an extensive background with the Mississippi Blues, I thought it fitting to have Nancy's groovy antique couch in our music room. She would have loved the idea. The couch is very cozy and comfortable, a great place to sit, relax and reflect while indulging in music therapy for the soul.

I will think of her tomorrow, while crowds gather for the music festival. I will lounge on her groovy cozy couch and indulge in some much needed music therapy in her memory. She would have liked that. My biggest regret is that her illness robbed her of her favorite things.

Big Tin Blues...

Four am Saturday, April 21st, awake - wide awake, the mind is racing. Not unusual but thankfully less frequent. The antidepressants have been working like a gem, the side effects are almost manageable. The anti anxiety meds are helping but I'm becoming dependent.

I've got energy, spring has finally arrived and I'm out on my bike and have started yoga on my own aside from the weekly classes. The art classes are helping and are very enjoyable, but unfortunately coming to an end because my instructor is retiring. I've started to feel inspired that my art is blossoming, especially the Tins. I'm getting very positive feedback and enjoy the originality of the concept and thinking I can make something out of it.

I'm struggling with the thought that I may not be able to make my dream of selling my new "Hand Painted Tin with Acrylics" concept in the future because of production problems. My supplier keeps dropping the ball. The tins have an aluminum box glued to the rear to hang the flat tin and make it stand out from the wall. During production the rear frame seems to be mounted too forcefully and dents the tin, so much so that it leaves and impression on the front of the tin and image. I've had to return several.

The first painted tin was barely noticeable so I let it go and painted it anyway because I was on a deadline for a showing at a corporate open house. While the tin was at the corporate showing, the glue released from the rear frame and the tin came crashing to the floor, permanently damaging the tin. I had invested four hours of detailed labor and and approx $30. of acrylic, now destroyed. Not to mention that the host of the open house was completely unprofessional and humiliated me in front of her guests because the tin damaged her brand new floor boards. (Real impressed with her compassion & professionalism)!

I took the product back to the supplier and they replaced the tin, yet another replacement and loss as they simply took it as a sample to show the lab who produces it. All that detailed painting mica flakes one tiny little crystal at a time on every little tip of every tree branch - GONE.

I had faith, they said they'd replace it and make sure it would not happen again. My reorder arrives - all 5 replacements, and only one is ok, the rest have to be returned for dents.

As I lay awake last night in the very wee hours of dawn, I hear a hard crash and thump. Terrified that someone was trying to get into the house, I had to lay there and calm my panic attack before even thinking of what I would do next. I'm home alone, it is now very still and I can hear the birds starting to sing and my heart is no longer thumping. I muster up the courage to investigate and head downstairs.

I discover my favorite tin painting, a 20x30 of "Trails End Road, Algoma" laying on the floor. The photo itself is sentimental because it was one of the places I would have loved to have spread my mothers ashes when I was on my drive back from Montreal from her disinterment. The one painting that took all of 22 hours of very intensive detailed painting and almost $60 in special textured acrylics and would have sold for $650.00. It has a big dented/twisted corner and another small dent on another.

The back mount had come unglued and so did I. Unrepairable, will have to be a redo. Its just not worth the reinvestment if I can not guarantee the product to MY clients. Now what?

I've invested soo much into this new venture, I was really counting on it being my comeback from being unable to work and my saving grace financially. I've just put a deposit on a camera because mine is terribly outdated and is not longer considered a professional level camera. My sole purpose of investing in a camera (with a total cost of 6 grand) is to produce images that are capable of incredible detail when enlarged, with the intention that it will pimp the quality of my tins to a higher level of craftsmanship.

I'm having buyers remorse. My inspiration now pains me -do I keep trying to trust the supplier and continue this roller coaster ride, or shit-can the whole thing and cancel the camera order, at a loss. I'm heart broken. I'm very angry. I hate confrontation. I lack confidence on how to handle my supplier. My anxiety is incredible. I've tried everything to ease the feeling of loss. No amount of cycling or yoga or anti anxiety meds will ease the frustration.

I'm worried that I've tried to push myself too early before I was ready to go back to work. It has already been a year since my admittance to the cookoo's nest. WTF??

Well, tomorrow is another day. I will have to confront the supplier, and just take it one step at a time.

Fingers crossed that we can come to some sort of resolution. I love painting my tins, it keeps me healthy. - I think!!??

Pushing BIG Tin

 Trails End Road Algoma Bay, North Shore Ontario

 Hand Painted on High Gloss Metal

 Acrylic Mixed Gel Mediums, Pumice, Extra Coarse Pumice, Interference, Iron Oxide

Finally finished my 20x30 Hand Painted Metallic print/painting!! It took me 22 hours and it looks FAB! I'm selling it on Etsy, and it may actually sell this Wednesday. I've been invited to show my tins at a corporate office open house. 

I'm really excited but the pressure is on to paint all 6 tins in time, with promo materials, business cards and hanging materials. I'm confident I'll get it all done but I'm starting to get the jitters on the social anxiety side of the gig. It's going to be the first time in six years I've had to do the public relations PR schmoozing/sales. 

Just thinking of being in a room full of strangers still makes me uncomfortable, let alone working the room. Time to get back on the horse I guess!! It has come upon me sooner that I ever expected. Hope the work speaks for its self cause I might me tongue tied!!

Pushing Tin

Snow Falling from Cedars, Series (1 of 3)

I've chosen painting on photographs - aluminum sheets!

Its getting some attention too!

I've had the balls to take a class at The U of C on "How To Make Art Your Business"! 

I've also been enrolled in art classes with Jon Williams, who unfortunately is retiring soon so my time is limited with him. I love the classes. 

This is my first "tin" as I like to call them. Shot in Elkford, BC. 

I've painted the snow on the tree tips with Mica Flake so it glistens like real ice!

High Gloss Metal is a very unique medium for presenting images. The process involves
infusing dye directly into a coated aluminum substrate. 

(It’s a dye-sublimation transfer heated onto pre-coated aluminum).

The end result is a vibrant impressive print with great detail and resolution.
The aluminum is fixed with an extruded aluminum frame, inset on the back, which allows for a modern way to hang and display these prints.

The photograph is then hand painted with acrylic textured gels such as, Micaceous Iron Oxide, Pearl Mica Flake and acrylic fluid iridescent and interference paints as well as liquid inks that provide a true metallic look/sheen that will not tarnish with age. 

A high gloss spray varnish is then applied for longevity.

Details of the Mica Flake

My next tin painting project was shot when I went home to Montreal to recover my mothers remains in September. It was taken along Ontario's North Shore in Algoma District.

Trails End Road, Algoma Bay, Ontario

This is the image in black and white, the painted aluminum will be completed in a few days. 

It is quite a large tin (20x30). It is very detailed with fall colors and many types of shoreline old growth glistening deep green trees and mosses on the rocks so its labor intensive! 

I'm already getting great feedback and its only half painted!

I have an Etsy storefront, so the tins are for sale directly from the online site:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/94753928/snow-falling-from-cedars-elk-valley

Visit often, as I have five tins lined up for the easel waiting to be given life!

Work, work, work, LOV'IN IT!!!