A selection of works from my Happily Ever After? collection (see gallery on this site) will be remounted in a feature exhibition at The Landing Gallery in Gibson's Landing, B.C. from Aug 2 through 29, 2014. This time, I am partnering with fellow artist Terri Whitaker, who will be exhibiting a collection of glass bead flower-inspired jewelry to complement the princess theme. The official opening will be on Saturday, August 9th between 1-4 p.m.. We are also planning a variety of follow-up events throughout the month to expand and explore the theme of the princess myth and its impact on the roles and expectations of girls and women. Check back here for details as they emerge!
Rivenrock Studio Gallery opening
I am thrilled to announce the official opening of my in-studio gallery, named after our house, Rivenrock, this coming Saturday (June 21) and Sunday (June 22) from 1-4 pm at 5472 Hydaway Place, Halfmoon Bay, BC V0N 1Y2. The gallery will not be a retail outlet, but will be open for several special events each year, by invitation, or by appointment. As well, it will be part of the Art Crawl on the Sunshine Coast each fall (October 17-19 in 2014). I am excited to welcome the many new friends and neighbours we've made here on the coast in our first year, and to show all of you my initial response to this beautiful landscape. Refreshments and special offers will be available on both days--hope to see many of you!
And for my collectors back east: I don't want to leave you out of this special occasion, so I'm offering you 10% off any online purchase (shipping extra) for the summer months of June, July, and August. Browse the new offerings, and email me if you see something you'd like to own.
Rivenrock Studio Gallery
A Wonderful Tribute
I was fortunate to have the chance to be back in Ontario last week to catch one of the last days of a very special exhibition. Three of my former students, Kebbie Gibb of Port Perry, Patricia Lowe of Whitevale, and Susan Typert of Whitby, Ontario mounted a month-long show at the Scugog Council for the Arts Gallery in Port Perry, entitled Three Perspectives: an Ode to Ruth. The collection recognized and celebrated our time together in a student-teacher relationship, but more importantly it showcased the beautiful and varied work done by these three excellent artists. I was touched beyond words to have these three women articulate the influence that my teaching had on their development as artists in the pastel medium, and so impressed by their accomplishments. It was gratifying to see so many of their wonderful works gathered in one place, and as the red sale dots in the photos below attest, others agreed to their quality!
The Scugog Council for the Arts was kind enough to open the gallery on a day they are typically closed to accommodate my visit (thank you Leslie!), and happily all three artists were able to join me there for an hour of much admiration and laughter. We followed up with a delicious dinner at Port Perry's Harp & Wylie restaurant (thank you Susan!!) and parted reluctantly. It was so good to spend time together again, and I'm delighted to hear that the three of them have vowed to continue to meet monthly for mutual support and painting time.
Thank you, Kebbie, Patricia, and Susan, for giving me such a gift. You were the most rewarding of students: willing to listen and learn, but graced with ample natural talent and intelligence. The results speak for themselves. If I was able to help develop your skills into a fuller expression, I am grateful beyond words to have had the experience. I'm sure you will all continue to express your unique visions in future, and I expect great things from all of you!
- One of the last paintings Patricia did as my student--what a lovely work!
- Patricia's nest series is so collectible!
It was a fun afternoon with three of my favourite people--what could be better?! I am blessed to have been part of their lives and count them among my dear friends.
Summer Dreaming
A recent article on Joaquin Sorolla's work in the Artist's Magazine inspired me to explore the creation of some summer scenes based on photos from last summer at the local Davis Bay beach. I am thrilled that I'll be in San Diego in July, and plan to catch the retrospective of Sorolla's work there at that time--a rare opportunity to see his work collected in one place outside Madrid, Spain! At the same time, I've been attempting working on a larger scale in acrylics. I purchased a Sta-Wet palette (essentially a tray with a flat sponge, a tough paper palette, and a tight-fitting lid) that enables me to mix the colours I need for a large work and keep them workable over days rather than hours. I used a local paint brand, Kroma paints of Granville Island, for this work and highly recommend them. They are a bit softer in consistency than Golden or Liquitex heavy-body, but the pigmentation is stellar. I had fun with the iridescent gold in the acrylics below--adds a subtle but lovely summer glow!
I enjoyed both working large (though my shoulder is aching from the whole body brushstrokes!) and the beach scenes--I can see doing more in this series!
Hello to Hawaii
One of the bonuses of my new location on the west coast is closer proximity to Hawaii, the favoured vacation spot among our neighbours. We were very fortunate to be invited to accompany new friends recently on a two-week visit to Kona, on Hawaii's big island. This island's unique black lava environment inspired me to experiment with working on a black ground in acrylics. I have worked on black paper in pastels many times, but for some reason have never tried underpainting in black for other media. Here are some results of my exploration. I was quite pleased with the effect and will perhaps work some of these small studies up into larger works this winter.
