​Another way that I am trying to get my work out there is through an online store. I have decided to reinstate an old name I used to use when I had a physical gallery in Art Central. I miss this name: Burst and Bloom Studio
The name was inspired by this quote from 'Women Who Run With The Wolves' by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

• Creativity is not a solitary movement. That is its power. Whatever is touched by it, whoever hears it, sees it, senses it, knows it, is fed. That is why beholding someone else's creative word, image, idea, fills us up, inspires us to our own creative work. A single creative act has the potential to feed a continent. One creative act can cause a torrent to break through stone. Wild woman's river nurtures and grows us into beings that are like her: life givers. As we create, this wild mysterious being is creating us in return, filling us with love. We are evoked in the way creatures are evoked by sun and water. We are made so alive that we in turn give live out WE BURST WE BLOOM, we divide, multiply, we impregnate, incubate, impart, give forth. (p.298)

I am working on a collection of quality prints for my cityscape series, you will be able to purchase them through the website. Also, I am scheduled for a tent at the Inglewood Night Market in August! Come around and look for me there to pick up a set of prints or cards or maybe even an original of your own!

Have you ever picked up an art magazine? Or searched for art online? No? Well, you aren’t the only one ;-).  I have no idea how many people will come across my image in this magazine, but regardless I am proud of its inclusion and it is very interesting to see my work in print alongside other art work that I admire and to think that I was brave enough to share my work this way.

This is my mom. She passed away March 6 at 11:30pm. There is no greater thing we can do in this life than to love and be loved. Sounds easy enough, but there are so many competing interests. Our careers and access to this global world take us travelling and we often move far away from our family. Since I was a little girl I loved to travel and I was always finding ways to leave home for a while. The last couple of years I spent living in the same city as my family and I spent a lot of time with my mom. I was able to spend each day and hour with her at the end of her life. It was such a gift for me to help her, to provide what comfort I could and to just be with her while she travelled her final journey. Peace resides in my heart and I imagine her running and playing with a dozen dogs in a big dog park in the sky; finally without the hinderance of her body, which caused her so much pain.

How are you affected by the death of a loved one? How about separation or divorce? How about losing a job? These are all things that have landed on my plate over the last year. I have felt a whole array of emotions through all these changes and some of them are sorrow, anger, frustration, uncertainty and confusion.

But honestly, I need to confess something to you.

​Overall, I feel such lightness and joy. I feel grateful to be alive to be healthy, to have people in my life who care for me and very grateful for my curiosity and desire to create art. My curiosity and desire to create has grown stronger this year and maybe it is because so many other things have fallen away. Maybe because change is a sharpener of our senses and we see things with more clarity or at least from a different angle. Maybe because creating art provides me with such comfort. I suppose it is all true.

Today I am stronger painter. I feel it when I move the paint around my canvas. I feel a certain stillness when I work. I can see tone and composition a little better. I’m excited to create new work and to share it with the world. I hope my words and my work can somehow bring you some joy and some inspiration in your life. I also send my love, condolences or congratulations to any of you who have also experienced world altering changes in your life over the last year.

Sometimes my work is all about my surroundings and how I interpret them. Sometimes I like to reflect inward and to communication my inner thoughts and feelings in my artwork. I love turning to the Encaustic medium for this. I am adding to a previous 'heart' series. Here is a view into the beginning of a new series. 

I use a combination of photo transfer, drawing, painting and encaustic work. I hope to tug at the heart strings of some viewer. Someone who would really resonate with the feeling I am trying to express. Or just really love the image. It is series I will continue to develop. Here are a few photos of the latest pieces and one little video clip that is a development of one piece. I hope you enjoy!

I know many artists who wouldn't ever do a commission. They have in the past, and they really didn't enjoy the experience. Here are some of the reasons I heard:

• The client can be so picky and hard to please
• We never have the same idea in mind so the process is frustrating
• I don't like to take direction when I create
• It usually isn't something that I actually want to do, so it is a painful process
• I don't usually charge enough and the process isn't worth it

On the other side, many art lovers are afraid to commission paintings and here are their reasons:

• What if I don't like it in the end?
• What if I change my mind after I see it?
• How do I properly describe what I am looking for?
• How do I negotiate price?
• What if the artist takes longer than they promised?
• What if the artist disappears or doesn't deliver the work at all?

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These can all be true! Commissions are difficult - they require some careful communication and negotiation. Don't be afraid to ask for the amount of money you need to do the project, and if you are a client- don't be afraid to negotiate.

I have done a few commissions over the years. I look forward to doing a multiple painting commission project one day! Here is the process that has helped me:
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1. Ask the potential client what paintings of yours they like and what they like about them. Take some time to get specific so you can see that the client understands your work and they actually want something very similar! I was on the phone with this client and we talked while he was looking at my website.
   1. Client - make sure you have studied the artist's work!
2. Ask them to describe the painting they hope you can create for them. What feeling are they after? What is the reason for the painting? Where will it be hanging? This was a painting for his wife and it was where they had their first dates - romantic! He wanted to capture that time - at night, in late fall
   1. Client - if you don't know specifics, then be ready for the client to take more liberty
3. Get details: size, subject, colours, finish (coating, framing, hanging). He had a specific spot for it and that determined the size.
4. Collect photos - yours or theirs. The client budgeted for me to go and take photos. This worked out well because I suggested a different view point then he originally had in mind.
   1. If the commission is in reference to a real place or person.
5. Do some sketches and send them to the client. Make sure you are both on the same page. Listen to any concerns they might have and talk about them. 
   1. Client - look at the sketches and ask questions if you have any. This is the time to make changes, not later once the painting has begun.
6. Do the painting and send updates to the client in terms you both agree on - it is great when the client is positive and encouraging!
   1. Client - be positive and encouraging - nothing slows an artist down like criticism. Ask questions if you aren't sure of the direction.
7. Before I sealed the painting with Resin, I sent a photo to the client. I would hate to make any changes, but it would be impossible after the final coating.
   1. Client - this isn't the time for any big changes, but perhaps a small detail or two
8. Charge enough for your time and energy! Commissions are more expensive because it is a collaborative process. It takes some energy and time to make sure you capture what the client has in mind. 
   1. Client - be prepared to love your piece forever and to reward the artist for their hard work and attention to your needs.

Here is a glimpse into how I created this painting:

Top left: C-Train Runs Through Downtown. Middle Top: Fireworks over Centre Street Bridge Top Right: Analog Cafe
Bottom left: YYC Chinatown  Middle Bottom: Two Bridges and Eau Claire

These are all mixed media paintings creating with ink, drawing and collage. They are then covered with a top glass - resin like coating. They are painted on birchwood canvas and ready to hang. I'm really enjoying getting back to my Big City Living Series. The colours make me happy and I have memories of all the spots and places where I took photos and sketched. Almost every painting I create is of a spot that I see repeatedly throughout my travels. Colours and images begin to grow in my mind as I visit the spot. For me, painting is about capturing the energy of a space. The vibrating colour and texture all bounce off each other to give the impression of a dynamic place full of life. I see the world this way. 

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