Chocolate and Energy!

Every once in a while, I indulge in Chocolate!
Not just a couple, but a whole lot.
I will eat a whole bunch of it and then am good for a few months with no desire for sweets in the interim.
The other day amidst yet another huge snowfall I got into a bag of Hersheys Kisses.
I ate them royally and without count!
While I was doing this I was downloading some new photos for references for painting.
I had to change the batteries in my camera and one fell onto the pile of wrappers from the Kisses.
I looked at it and thought "Heck I don't need batteries, Chocolate does it all!
So here is my picture....Two of the greatest inventions of all time:
Hersheys Kisses (already consumed), and the Battery.
I am now all charged up!
~~Kathleen
 

The Wedding is Off!

Froggy got stuck in a sunshower the other day.

So Miss Toad has to wait for the rain to stop, and Mr Froggy to dry out to have a happy wedding day.

This is painted from a reference photo by Kristina Kotarski
You can enjoy her photography here
http://www.hellfirediva.com

Detail of frog;

Hope you like him. I do!
~~Kathleen

"Every once in a while Miracles Happen"

I have the wonderfully good fortune of being in (almost) daily contact with one of the finest Macro photographers out there.
Her name is Kristina (Tina) Kotarski also known as Hellfirediva.
She is an award winning photographer, and I must admit, I spend a lot of time as an artist looking at her site and drooling.
Luckily for me, (a miracle) Tina has given me permission to attempt to try and translate her work into my Medium of Acrylics.
This is my first attempt at doing this and I hope that some day I can do her work justice.
Please look at her work here....
http://www.hellfirediva.com/gallery/gallery.htm
This is my rendition of Tinas photograph of a tiny frog/toad sitting under a Toadstool and being dwarfed by the Morning Dew.


"Morning Dew"
30cm X 45cm
Acrylics on canvas

~~Kathleen

"I Have Arrived!"

This year in Southern Alberta, we have had a dismally cold and very long Winter.
By now, some branches usually have a couple of buds on them, but not this year.
Painting this canvas has given me great hope of the things to come.
I hope it is as pleasing to you as it is to me.
~~Kathleen

"After the Frost"

"After the Frost"

12" X 16"
Acrylics on canvas

I have finished this painting.
This took me a lot longer than I could have imagined.
As I said on a previous blog entry, this painting was (for me)
a totally new direction in style and execution.
I an quite pleased with the end result!
Hope you enjoy it.
~~Kathleen

"This is really Exciting" (UPDATED)

....Well, for me at least. I am trying a new style of painting. I am taking a class that is offered by one of my fellow posters @ Wet Canvas, and being that the class is about Abstract art, I am in a totally new Realm.
What I have learned to date, is that doing anything in art that is outside your comfort zone is very hard, but it can be done, and done well.
I took this photo last Fall when we had experienced a monumental Frost. The plants in the garden were all frozen except for this one. All that the frost had done was turn some of the leaves Pink.

The composition of the jumble of leaves was so very pleasing to me, and I kept the photo in my "For Painting File"
I looked at it so often wishing that I had the expertise to paint it as it looked.

What I learned (in the class) was that you can step out of your comfort zone and do anything as long as you knew colour and composition.
So I began to paint it yesterday.
This is how far I have gotten, and I must say, that I am pleased with my progress.
I tend to be a bit heavy handed with paint.

But this time the paint I am using is very watered down and, I am "Washing" it on as opposed using to solid colour.

"After the Frost"
12" X 16"
Acrylics on canvas
(Work in Progress)

The painting is slow, as I often have to leave it, go away and then go back to assess where I am.
Hope you like this so far.
~~Kathleen

Todays work....
After I painted in the last leaves in the upper left corner, I have begun to work on my colour Values.
This painting is all too much one hue.
I will have to add shadows and deepen the colour of some of the leaves.

But it is getting there.
Thanks for looking.
~~Kathleen

A new attempt & And "Hidden Lake" completed.

"Sunbeams, A Forrest and The Trees in Front"
Acrylics/Mixed Media on canvas
6" X 6"

What I have here is just a little Jewel.
With the help of Kathy @ Wet Canvas, I am learning a new technique and delving into a somewhat more abstract type of art here.
I have never understood a lot of abstract works. Yep I like Picasso and his contemporaries,
I like Cubism because I can see something in the paintings.
But blobs/lines and splotches were/are beyond my comprehension.
The above painting has used different techniques for the background that lent themselves to the final work.
The foreground was totally inspired by the background.
While doing the background, I had the brilliant idea of adding some Gold & Copper foil
bits that I had saved from an earlier work.
Unfortunately foil is almost impossible to photograph in a realistic manner, and it really throws the camera lens off with glare)
So the photo of this painting really does not do it justice.
Once the background had dried, and I scrubbed off the excess foil, I had a perfect pallet for trees, being visited by the rays of the sun (foil)
And that is how this work came to be.
I hope you like it......
On to
"Hidden Lake"

Acrylic on canvas
12" X 14"
Again, I had a lot of help with this one from my friends at Wet Canvas.
I was having a hard time depicting the drop from the viewers point of view to the lake below.
(Almost one kilometer)
Posing my problem there brought just a wealth of suggestions and offers of help.
It is a wonderful community, and I am proud to be a part of it.
I was being too technical (way too much detail for anything that far away) with the trees below, and originally I did not have the ledge in the front (bottom of the canvas) therefore no depth perception.
It is completed now, and I am very pleased with how it turned out.
You can compare this final work with where I decided I had problems in the previous blog entry.
Hope you like both these lovelies.
I am quite pleased with them myself.
~~Kathleen

Finally a new beginning....Update

Well, it is coming along, I will change the foreground a bit to enable the perspective to
appear a bit more clearly.
I have not got the depth that I want yet.
No shading, no true colour, but a lot of work between the first picture and this one.
More later.
~~Kathleen

"Hidden Lake on Mt. Sarrail"
Unfinished work
Acrylics on canvas
12" X 12"




Finally, after a month of being very sore, and unable to even hold a brush properly, I have begun to paint again.
I am working on a painting of "Hidden Lake"
You can get to this lake, but only after a 19 kilometer hike up the side of Mt. Sarrail.
But what a view.
It is hidden way up high within a Valley
on Mt. Sarrail in the Kananaskis area of The Canadian Rockies.

The Mountain behind the lake is Mt. Indefatigable.
And yes, it is that big.
This view (that I am painting)
is from above the lake before the decent to the area.
The mysteries of nature are wonderful and abound in this area of Alberta.
Hopefully I can do this scene justice, and that the paint falls from my brush in a pleasing manner.
~~Kathleen

How many artists does it take?

"Trust"
The town of Cochrane Mural

I have become friends with a lovely lady in Scotland through blogger and our mutual love of art!
We are not close, but we communicate!
The interesting thing is that she has a son now living in the City of Calgary.

Yep, she & I meet on the net, and her son is now living less than 30 minutes away from me.
Isn't the internet a fabulous place?
We note eachother from time to time, and enjoy each others blogs.
Katie sent me a note (pasted below, as for some reason Blogger will not let me publish it under my comments.)
Check out Katies blog here:

http://katiedeespics.blogspot.com

The neat thing about this whole thing, is that I have been following the making of these murals, and while I have actually seen some, was not aware that the Cochrane Mural was completed.
Well, now I know, because a wonderful Lady in Scotland took the time to let me know what was happening in my own back yard!
(BIG GRIN HERE!)
Please copy/paste the URL she provided in her note to me and check out this wonderful site.
The Murals that have been done are wonderful and truly Works of Art
Again small world Huh?
~~Kathleen

Katies note.....

"My son in Calgary sent this to me today and I thought you might be interested as it is in your part of the world, Regards,

Katie

This is truly amazing!!

LOOK CLOSELY BY CLICKING ON ANY PART OF THE MURAL. It is called the Cochrane Mural....

For those not living in the West, Cochrane is NW of Calgary and East of Banff, in the foothills of the Rockies. This mural was unveiled last week at the Cochrane Ranch House. Each tile is one foot square and has its own individual picture. Each tile is by a different artist. All of them placed together form this huge mural.

You can click on each tile to see them in detail.

Check out the horses eye.

http://www.muralmosaic.com/Cochrane.html

"You Just Gotta Believe!"

"Santa "Bob" of the Crossfield Fire dept. "

Please note, I have changed the Heading photograph so as to
highlight "Santa Bob" of the local fire dept.
He loves being Santa and is rarely out of his suit all December.

On Christmas Eve Maura, Bob and the boys picked me up in Crossfield and we headed out on Limit Ave to the overpass to get to their place.

Well, wouldn't you just know it, we saw Santa beside a Fire truck a street up from my place.
Of course we made a detour so we could see him.
We got to the Fire truck and Santa came over to Bobs Truck Shaughn got out and Santa spoke to him!
Needless to say this was the moment of truth to Shaughn.
But the story doesn't end there!
We all got back in our truck (Marshall slept through the whole thing)
back to Limit avenue and the way home, until we passed the next street!
And there he was in a matter of seconds there was Santa again and the fire truck making sure that all the little boys and girls would go to bed before he started his official rounds.
"How could he do it so fast?" asked Shaughn. " He was on that other street just a moment ago!"
"It is Santa, and he is Magic" answered Shaughns Mother.
The next street we passed and there was Santa AGAIN!
By this time Shaughn was beside himself and by this time a complete believer in Santas magical powers!

The town of Crossfield has a Fire Department with three trucks, and this group of dedicated men (all volunteers), take the trucks and drive up and down every street in town saying goodnight to all the children, letting them know that the secret to a good visit is being in bed and asleep at the right time.

How wonderful these men are, and how wonderful for all the children in our town!
For the Volunteer Fire-fighters of the town of Crossfield, Alberta I have this to say....
May you all be blessed with safety and good health this coming year.

Please know that your kindness to our children meant so very much to this six year old boy.
In this day and age, Magical powers that are actually seen are the greatest gift of all.
Shaughn will never forget The Christmas Eve that he actually saw Santas' Magical powers, that he could be in three places at the same time.
You just Gotta believe!
I hope that Santa was good to everyone this year.
I hope that the most meaningful thing about your Christmas was seeing
A child in awe of the power of the season of love.
~~Kathleen

"We are what we make our world!"

"Winter Dance"
Acrylics on sealed Mdf Board

I wish for you Peace, Happiness and Warmth
In the coming year.
Be well and enjoy life.
Smile at a stranger, Smell the air.
Laugh and Dance.
Hug a child, and tell someone just how complete your life is with them in it.
Grow a flower, bake cookies.
Look up Compassion in the dictionary.
Learn to live it!
But most of all
Be Thankful.
We can have a good life if we allow ourselves to .
The world around us cares.
One person at a time.
Slowly we can add our input to a positive world.
Collectively it works so much better.
~~Kathleen

The Best Little Restaurant in the county!

"Side Street"
Crossfield, Alberta
Canada
Acrylics on Canvas
12" X 24"

Often we are pleasantly surprised when we go into a restaurant!
It might be the decor, or the setting, and often can be the food!
Yep, even in this day and age, we do have places such as this one that serve wonderfully home-cooked meals.
Shepherds Pie, Chicken Stew, Roast Chicken with all the trimmings.
Topped off with a spectacular home made dessert such as Apple, Raisin, Cherry Pie.
Maybe a Home-made cream Puff slathered in real whipped cream,
and or a home-made Danish, cookies and date squares!

Everything in this little Jewel is Home Made!
They don't even have a deep fryer!
So, no French fries, and or fried foods.
Just old-fashioned made from scratch meals.

The decor is homey and pleasant.
The staff is wonderful and the coffee is always fresh!
The place is always packed with the regular coffee drinkers in the morning to
the working men in from the fields and or Job site outside.
Huge servings of hot nutritious food.
Every one eats everything up and the plates are left bare.

Patsy, (the owner) will be getting this painting for Christmas from her staff.
I painted it just for them.
And for her, a woman that has a right to be proud when she says.
"I own my Own Restaurant"
~~Kathleen

It is just a matter of how you see it!

"Parked for the Winter"
It has been bitterly cold here for the last while.
While we rarely have to put up with this type of weather for long periods
(Chinooks come in and warm us up frequently)
We are not big on leaving the comfort of our homes when it is -30C.
I took this photo of Marshalls favorite truck yesterday!
It looked so cold and lonely.
Soon it will be pushed and dragged around the yard again.
But for now it sits waiting for the
warmer weather and my Littlest grandson play with it!

Shaughns Gingerbread house
Shaughn and I decorated his annual gingerbread house last night.
It was a surprise for his parents to see when they got home.
He loves doing things like this, and takes the decorating very seriously.
Note the candies on the snowman closest to the Left side of the house.
Maybe more is better?
I love this time of the year, and creating with my older Grandson.
What better cheer can one wish for?
Hope you all are enjoying the days before Santa comes.
~~Kathleen

22,000 Acts of Love in 45 minutes!

Last night the "Calgary Hitmen" (Minor hockey league) had their annual
"Teddy Bear Toss!"
The game plan is .... all is good at the hockey Game untill the first goal is scored!
Then the Teddy Bears fly!
And fly and fly!

Last night 22,000 Teddys landed on the ice for children in Albertas Hospitals
and, because of this, no child is left without a new Teddy for Christmas!
It is Magical and wonderful to see all those Teddys flying through the air!
Enjoy the pictures that my daughter took st this event!
One photo is my grandson Shaughn (On the left) and his friend Jake (Right) smiling with glee at the whole event.
Have you ever seen 22,000 Teddy Bears in one place?
(Looks like a whole lot of people won at this Hockey Game)
~~Kathleen

Sky Ice Water series continued

Sky Ice Water #2

Sky Ice Water #3

"Sky Ice Water #4"

The above paintings are Acrylic on Water colour paper
11" X 7"

These three little lovelies took me over a month to complete.
As I have said before, there is a certain beauty in the starkness of the ocean in the Arctic.
The sky and water seem to be one with only the ice separating them.
The ice takes on the blue hues of the water, and under the dimness of the midnight sun
the colours are breathtaking.
I hope you do enjoy these.
I was in rapture while I painted them.
~~Kathleen

"Fourteen Trees on a River Walk"

Acrylics on Canvas
12" X 12"

Finished Finally!
Another experiment that turned out so well.
I am pleased with myself.
The challenge to myself this time was to paint a winter scene with no shadows.
In the winter here we have Gray days, no sun, just cloud cover, so there are never shadows.
With three colours I did it!
I used:
Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)/Titanium White & Paynes Gray
(All Golden Heavy body Artist Acrylics)
Paynes Gray was used only for the trees.
With proper shading/mixing of the Blue & White I was able to achieve many variences in the snow colour.

tehehehe, Sometimes I surprise even myself!
I think I am getting better at painting Winter in my style.
Coffee time now!
Be well all
~~Kathleen

"Lake Louise Has Frozen Over!"

"Lake Louise Has Frozen Over"
10" X 10"
Acrylics on canvas

I painted this today.
I have been studying the Group of seven (plus a few more) and am totally enthralled with the style that these fabulous artists painted in.
Everything they do/did was perfection, and so cleanly painted.
I have tried in this painting to achieve a detailed work without using any details.
If that makes sense.
I tried to let the colours and hues of the paint work for itself.
Hope you like it!
~~Kathleen

Gotta love Moonlight and snow!

"Manitoba Moonlight"
10" X 10"
Acrylics on Canvas

Seems like my Winter series are very popular.
People just love them and they offer a glimpse of the Magic of winter
without having to be cold!
This little beauty (again) is based on
my Manitoba winter nights and walking my faithful dog Ben in the late evening.
Hope you like it!
~~Kathleen

Wheels that turn are amazing things!

My Grandson when he discovered that the wheels on his McDonalds Hot wheel car
still spun around after zooming it on the table.
He had never seen anything like it before and was totally
mesmerized by them spinning.
What joy little Men bring to our lives!
Especially him.
~~Kathleen

"Sky Ice Water #1"

"Sky Ice Water #1"

Acrylics on canvas
8" X 16"
Kuujjauk, NWT

Still on my Winter series.
The sky and water seem to be one, while separated by ice flows
in the Arctic.
~~Kathleen

Finished and signed.

Detail of the Ballerina;

"Moonlight Becomes Her"
Acrylics on canvas
11" X 14"

Finally I have finished "Moonlight Becomes Her"
My experiment with metal leaf paper has proven to be a great success.
What was/is not a success is the abilityto photograph this work in a manner that truly shows the real beauty of it.
The Silver/Copper Leaf just shines whilst taking any photograph even without a flash!
In actuality the silver lines in the water are hair thin, but look so cumberson in the photograph!
"Well, (She says) I suppose this is one work that will be appreciated fully by those that can and will look upon it in person."
You will notice that the horizon is not flat. I opted to do this as it seems like this can be an "Other Worldly" painting, and one wonders if we are looking at the moon from Earth, and or looking at the Earth from somewhere else.
The way the Moon glimmers is more indicative of how the highlights show.
I hope you like it!
~~Kathleen

"Moonlight Becomes Her!"

"Moonlight Becomes Her!"
Acrylics on canvas
10" X 14"
(unfinished)
I am working on a new painting.
Something very different for me.
The works of Howard Cowdrick
(His blog is listed on the right)
have inspired me re this, and eventually, this will become a
multi/media work.
I am excited, as I am venturing into a completely different area with painting this time.
Watch for up-dates on this one!
~~Kathleen

"Winter Moonlight"

Winter,

I think I have captured that wonderful electric blue/white that surrounds me, when I go for a walk in the moonlight on a very cold (Clear) winter night.
I have found in my life (so far) that nothing, absolutely nothing about nature reaches my soul more than these Winter night-time walks.
It is as if you are one with the universe.
Everything is quiet, and I am in awe at the spiritual beauty surrounding me.
And, if the Northern Lights are flashing, even better, but those lights could never be emulated with any semblance of recognition.
You might say that I have painted a "Feeling" as opposed to a scene.
~~Kathleen

I can do it! (if you help me)

Yep, I love chocolate, and I love cake!

(Dad seems to think differently though!)

The play structure "Safetied" so Marshall cannot get to the top.

I want to go higher

.

That mouse will be mine !

Who needs chairs?

I have it open, what now?

I can do it!

My Teddy and me!
(his birth gift from his big brother, and he will not sleep without it!)

My Littlest Grandson!
I have the joy of being a grandparent to two wonderful little boys.
One is six and in grade one, the other is 15 months.
The little guy is determined to do what he likes when he likes.
Now this is not a bad thing, but he likes things that most kids his age cannot be bothered with.
He likes computers, calculators, phones, and most things that have buttons that give you a display!
Not too long ago we got him a toddlers computer with a mouse so he would leave the "Real" computer alone.
Nope! Not good enough. He is aware that Daddys computer, and his big brothers DS are "Real" Computers that have real displays and real sounds, not the baby stuff. At a year and a half he knows the difference, and will not be side-tracked.
Looks like he will need his own Lap-top soon.
He knows which keys get a response when pushed, and how to bring up a picture!
When he plays outside, he can't be bothered with rocks, and stones, nope he wants to explore the world, and walk.
He wants to climb and climb he does.
Right up to the top of the Play structure and on the platform on top!
With a big grin he totters up high with the "I am the King of the World" look!
And our hearts are stopping just thinking about the consequences of him getting up there all by himself.
Well, we blocked off the ladder, and he was fit-to-be-tied!
Major temper tantrum then.
He figured out how to remove the boards blocking the ladder, so Lattice work went up at the entrance atop.
And he knew that climbing was useless, 'cause he could not get in.
His tenacity is wonderful, but he requires constant watching because he will not give up.
He is (already), a problem solver, and can and does figure a way around roadblocks that his parents implement to keep him out of trouble and danger.
I love his determination and when we walk around the driveway
(A long way for a very little boy)
his hand in mine gives me such joy!
His mother was like this as a little girl, and I am so very much enjoying my littlest grandson.
I am in total denial when I see him and he can do no wrong.
~~Kathleen
("Muggle" to her two bestest little men!)

"The Rangers Cabin"

Another test in shading and depth perception.
This time with snow, this painting is not finished as of yet,
but I wanted to post it to show
that I have actually gotten better with my depth!
Note:
I have finished this painting and the image is of the final work now!
Snow is a hard thing to paint, as it is never white, and always has shadows.
The mountains in the background were painted in, and then covered with a wash of white to make them recede.
I think I have achieved
(for the most part)
What I set out to do!
~~Kathleen

"Shading is the answer"

"Inlet"
Acrylic on Canvas
8" x 10"
I have often looked at paintings and wondered "How on Earth did He/She do that?"
Lately I have been following Landscapes and have been amazed at the way the ground is painted, how the trees/bushes are separated and individual while they could seem to be all one.
At least for me they were turning out that way.
Well, today, I finally figured it out!
Shading!
Plain and simple shading.
In the ground in this painting I have Yellows/reds/greens and gray!
(And a whole lot of shading.)
The tree in the back is separated from the bush and that bush is separated from the one in the foreground by the stream and shading as well.
And again, a whole lot of colour!
Maybe I am learning.
There are some things I look at and love, but have no desire to paint!
There are others that I strive to learn.
I like painting, and I hope it shows.
'Cause, you really can teach "Old Dogs" New tricks!
~~Kathleen

And we are six and in grade one!

Already for school
Shaughn speaking with his other grandmother
First day in grade one!


This year my grandson began classes in the "Real School"
Grade one in the main building. He has already been given the honour of having one of the shovels hanging on his BIGGER than everyone elses' coat hook.
I gather the shovels (three I think) are in grade one so the snow on the sidewalk can be removed (with the caretakers assistance of course) by volunteer grade oners!
He is an astute Little Man, and believes that if you follow the rules, you will do well.
(A trait instilled in him by his Mother & Father.)
He wants to be able to read better, is not crazy about Math, and still hates colouring!
He will try his best, as, again he knows hard work has its' rewards.
(Doing his "Chores" every night nets him a Quarter per chore which is paid every Saturday!)
His chore money is saved until he has enough to purchase something that he wants very much. He MUST earn all his money, and this weeks shopping trip netted him a Lego Star-Wars fighter with a unique four armed creature.
$23.00 in all, and he worked & saved every penny.
I think he is on the right track.
Mind you, he "Is" my grandson, and I see no faults in him, that is a job for his parents, not me.
~~Muggle

"And Sloane makes three"

"And Sloane makes three"
Acrylics on canvas
8" X 12"
Sometimes the very best things in life are not evident!
The things we cannot see in a painting are what makes it whole.
This is my niece on her honeymoon walking to the beach in Italy.
Her new husband is following her, (taking her picture)
I saw the original photograph and thought
"How like Ainslie this is"
She is a determined woman, a smart woman, and a beautiful woman!"
And I love her.
I wish her and Julian a lifetime of sunshine and sandy beaches.
And they will have them
because
They work hard for what they want.
~~Kathleen

"Getting it right!"

Full Painting

Close-up
This is a partial close-up of my latest work. It belongs to a series that I call Botanicals.
The challenge of letting the idea flow to a canvas is great.
Composition/size/colour/ style all have to be taken into consideration.
While the process (after completion) seems easy, the intensity of
"Getting it right"
is always there.
(Full painting is just above)
An artist is never satisfied with her work, even after it is supposedly finished.
Something always looks like it could be clearer/deeper/more defined and added to.

Saying "It is done" is a form of getting it right, and when you not only say It is done, and then leave it alone for good,
you have accomplished a work of art.

Stopping at the right time is crucial.
Hopefully I have learned this.
I have a lot of beginnings in my life every day.
Very few ends, as life tends to go on.
Here's to digging in your heels and saying
"ENOUGH"
Once in a while it is not a bad thing to do!
~~Kathleen