Time for another update on my adventures in Langford!
Things are happening in my new art studio! The space is finally functional now that all excess boxes are put away into storage. The light and views of the garden are simply wonderful, made especially exquisite by the brief visits of bejeweled hummingbirds at the feeder. I can make art to the sounds of bird song and rain in the garden!
My sister was visiting last week and wanted some painting instruction so we spent some time in the studio playing with acrylics. She’s working on a series of underwater coral reef paintings. She wanted me to help her to paint a portrait of her friend’s dog, an elderly Great Dane. I agreed to help, but then the painting grabbed me by the ears, sucked me in and physically forced me to paint the whole thing by myself! It was incredible how I just couldn’t stop painting until it was done. Phew! I guess that force of creativity has been bottled up for a while!
I’ve uploaded a picture of the finished painting to my “Pet Portraits” gallery. I tried a new painting style this time around using decorative background patterns and some simplified impasto paint application. My photo reference had really limited information so this new style was an adaptation that turned out successfully. I really love the bold and whimsical feel of the painting. Marion’s friend really seemed to like it too! (She said: “Oh my GOD! I LOVE it!”)
Other exciting news is the arrival of the KUNAMOKST mural in the Victoria airport. It has been installed in the arrival baggage claim area so it is open to the public to view. I recommend that you make the trip to see it in person. It is worth the effort! Short term parking at the airport only costs $1. It will be there until June 18th, 2010. On June 20th the mural moves to Galiano Island where it will be permanently installed. There will be a big celebration that day! More details to come about that event.
The KUNAMOKST mural is a collaboration of over 180 west coast artists, designed by Lewis Lavoie. It is truly amazing to see in person. I spent almost an hour looking at it, checking out each individual panel. My panel is in the bottom row just underneath the baby whale. I’ve uploaded two pictures to my “Artist’s Life” gallery but really you must see the mural for yourself.
For more information about the mural please visit these links:
Kunamokst mural
http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html
Mural Mosaic
http://www.MuralMosaic.com
Mural Mosaic Blog
http://philalain.blogspot.com
The garden continues to be a creative outlet and great exercise for me. I have to hold myself back from doing too much or I get too sore to move the next day! I planted lilies, sunflowers and sweet peas yesterday. I also weeded the lawn until I completely lost track of time. It’s very therapeutic.
Yesterday was the day everyone in the mobile home park brought out their junk for the dump run. I had fun chatting with my neighbours, meeting new people and finding treasures. Lots of gardening stuff and a little bird feeder were my finds for the day. Many people had fun scavenging and of course it feels good to get rid of stuff too. We had quite the pile of junk that we excavated from under our trailer the day before. What a job that was! Dust, spiders, rocks, musty insulation and one very dead mouse were all part of the experience. Now our “basement” is cleared out and ready for the upcoming renovations. We’re hoping to seal the ground with some concrete or plastic to make the area nicer for storage.
Overall we are very happy here. I feel the potential of the place to inspire my art practice as well as some music and writing on the side. Life is good and on the way to being even better.
Best wishes to all of you!
Caroline