Available Paintings, Exhibitions

Group art exhibition – Be Yoga, Burlington

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group art exhibition
Be Yoga & Wellness, Burlington, ON. 4031 Fairview St.

Group Art Exhibition

Recently I was invited by Oakville artist Derik Hawley to display some of my paintings in a group art exhibition at Be Yoga & Wellness in Burlington. I thought it was a great idea, especially when I realized it was at Fairview & Walker’s Line, only a 4min drive from my house!

The nature of the space & format of the show, gave me the opportunity to exhibit a wide variety of subjects – florals, peacock feather-inspired abstracts, and some never-before exhibited experimental abstracts.

abstract art
Abstract painting by Donna Grandin, Be Yoga & Wellness, Burlington, ON

Abstract Art

The painting above – Enduring, 30″x60″ –  was the first thing I painted for 2016, an experiment in abstraction. It sat in a corner of my studio (waiting for me to figure out what to do with it) until I jumped on this chance to show it. As it turns out, I’ve been told by the manager that it is the piece that gets the most comments & compliments!

There is also another abstract painting of mine in the same room, but I’ll leave it for you to discover on your own. It has been hanging in my house since I painted it in 2012, the result of a long, cathartic painting session. Again, although it is an interesting painting, it did not fit into my regular body of work, so I kept it to myself. However, I could not get over the co-incidence that the only text in the painting is “Be” (the title of the painting is “Just be”), and the name of the yoga studio is Be Yoga! So I brought it along on a whim, and it turned out to be a good call.

 

group art exhibition
Acrylic paintings by Donna Grandin, now available at Be Yoga & Wellness in Burlington

The other Artists

Derik is showing some of his lovely digital images in a variety of sizes.  I think they mostly start out as photographs he has taken, but then he manipulates them through computer programs, and the resulting abstract images are mesmerizing. They remind me of stained glass, and kaleidoscopes.

There are also some beautiful black & white images from Oakville photographer Bill Smith. And I saw a wonderful painting of a swimmer in a pool – with an emphasis on light creating patterns on the water- that artist Heather Horton dropped off, it’s probably hanging by now.

Thanks

I’d like to thank Be Yoga & Wellness for showing local art, and manager Kelly Foster and artist Derik Hawley for inviting me to be a part of this ongoing group art exhibition.

If you’re in the area, please drop in during regular open hours and take a look! The address is 4031 Fairview St.,  Unit 103.

All art is available – see labels for details, and purchases may be made through the front desk.

 

Available Paintings, Hibiscus

Rose Mallow Hibiscus – new painting

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rose mallow
Rose Mallow Hibiscus, 20″x16″, acrylic on canvas, © 2016 Donna Grandin. $600.

Rose Mallow Hibiscus is another Spring Flower painting. It is nice to paint local Ontario flowers in season, even though my main interest is in Tropical foliage & flowers.

Before the Grand Opening, I made a couple trips to the new Rock Garden at the RBG in Burlington, to gather inspiration for the main event, where I painted live.

The first day I went, I paid for the guided tour, and then went around with my camera, trying to zero in on a subject for my painting. One plant I thought was interesting, was the Rose Mallow Hibiscus – mainly because from a distance (before reading the name) I thought the flowers looked like pink marshmallows on skewers!

Also, I’ve painted many hibiscus flowers before, but never would have guessed this was a hibiscus, though I do see the resemblance to Rose of Sharon flowers, and I know they are also in the hibiscus family.

Anyway, I started this painting some time ago, holding it as a back-up in case my painting for the big event didn’t work out. As it turned out, by the time I went to the Rock Garden for Luna, the flowers had dried up and most of them had faded away or fallen already. Thankfully, it did not matter, as I ended up doing a plein air painting for Luna.

I think this painting probably ended up quite whimsical because I was envisioning an magical evening in an enchanted garden. There is no underestimating the power of suggestion, in art – this is where we get to go beyond photography (or at least my level of photography), and just play with our own interpretations.

If you are interested in “Rose Mallow Hibiscus”, e-mail me, otherwise, I will exhibit it in Art in the Park Oakville, Aug 1st.

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Commission, Landscape, Painting in a day, Special event

RBG Rock Garden – live painting at LUNA

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Luna RBG Rock Garden
Setting of Luna, opening reception of RBG Rock Garden, Burlington

I had the honour of painting live at Luna, the grand opening celebration of the David Braley & Nancy Gordon Rock Garden on Thurs night.

As a painter of landscape, flowers & foliage, I have long had a membership at the local Royal Botanical Gardens, and have been waiting for almost 3 years for the Rock Garden to re-open, to see how it has been transformed & updated.

So I was thrilled to get the call from Jeremy Freiburger of Cobalt Connects inviting me to be one of three artists painting live.

Here is a description of the sold-out event, from the RBG website:

Screenshot 2016-05-21 15.44.48

There was also a silent auction – as Sanjay B. Patel and Amanda Immurs & I painted, people were able write their bids down on the sheets next to us.

live painting
Donna Grandin painting live at Luna, the opening celebration of the David Braley and Nancy Gordon Rock Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, ON

Thanks to the gentleman who took this photo of me painting. I was so focused on doing a good job in the time I had, that I forgot to take photos myself, which I regret, because I’d love to show you what the place looked like. You can search #RBGLuna for images online though.

Several people did ask if they could photograph me painting, and there were some video cameras, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see their footage. In the photo above I’m calm, but if there is video of the last 20-30min, I probably look like some crazy person with blurry hands and six paintbrushes on the go!

Donna with painting
Donna Grandin with painting she created live at Luna, opening of RBG Rock Garden

It was almost dark by the time I took the painting up to the main building, to where people would pick up the items they’d won at auction.

There were several names on my bid sheet, but I had no idea who they were, because when I looked up from my easel I’d just see a sea of business suits and fancy dresses. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed painting in public, chatting here and there with people who had questions and comments, but I mostly kept my eyes on my painting or my subject, so I didn’t remember too many of the faces.

Luckily after the light show the couple with the winning bid came by to pick up the painting, and they seemed happy with it.

auction painting
Plein air painting done during the LUNA grand re-opening of the RBG Rock Garden

This photo is a little fuzzy, it was taken quickly with my phone, at night, with indoor lights.

I spent a long time laying in the composition, because that is key, but then I was rushing near the end, adding in colour and detail. I can still see areas I’d like to address. But really that’s the difference between a plein air (outdoor) sketch – painted from life, with a time constraint –  and one of my regular paintings which I may spend a week, or two, sometimes longer on, in the studio.

All in all though, I really enjoyed the experience, getting to do what I love to do for a few hours, while lovely people stopped by and complimented my work. I’d certainly welcome the opportunity to do something like this again.

Meanwhile, I have been working on a floral painting from photos taken at the Rock garden when I did the guided tour last week. I will be posting it in the next few days, so look out for it!

Available Paintings, Exhibitions

Spring flowers and rotating your art collection

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pink flowers
A new beginning, 16″x20″, acrylic on canvas, ©2016 Donna Grandin. $600.

Spring flowers

The trees are awakening here in the north, every day there are new buds opening, spring flowers and green leaves carrying the promise of sunny days ahead.

As we shrug off the grey cloak of winter, moods lift, plans are made and the purging begins. Time to let go of the old, useless, ugly clutter in our lives, air out the dark, musty corners and give everything a deep clean.

Change is in the air, it is the time preparations are made for new beginnings and fresh starts. Moving into a new house, starting a new school, new job or new weight loss program. Spring babies. Birth and rebirth.

Spring cleaning is accompanied by other spring chores, which may include re-decorating.

We invite happiness in, by surrounding ourselves with beauty, inspiration, and meaningful objects. Potted tulips, Grandma’s cake stand, art that speaks to us.

Many people switch out dark coloured linens, tableware, cushion covers etc., for lighter ones. Some even switch out the artwork. Paintings are taken down and packed away carefully, other paintings are brought out and unpacked, and old favourites are hung with pleasure.

Sometimes though, a painting no longer “works” in the space, no longer represents who we are; our interests or ambitions.

It could even be that you have just fallen out of love with it, maybe it was cool when you were younger, but now it is embarrassing, or just plain boring.

Was it an ugly gift from a mother-in-law you no longer have to please? Rip it up, throw it into a cathartic bonfire, or sell it and buy art that you like!

Did you inherit paintings from a relative whose style feels old-fashioned, and yet you feel obliged to hang them in your house?  Sometimes people tell me, I love your work, but I already have all these paintings from my husband’s late grandfather … in a box in the basement.

Maybe you’re sitting on a gold mine. The other extreme is that the art might actually be in bad condition, essentially trash.

Life is short. Give yourself permission to sell, gift or store art that you do not truly want to display. Maybe your kids or grand-kids will appreciate it more than you do.

Meanwhile, there is affordable, original art available all around you.

Spring into action, or go at a leisurely pace, but choose art that excites you, that moves you, that fits into your life at this very moment.

This painting was painted for an exhibition on Spring Flowers at Gallery [2] Burlington, which is over now. The gallery is in a wonderful location, right next to the Royal Botanical Gardens. I look forward to exhibiting there again.

 

 

 

 

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Available Paintings, Small paintings

Ixora painting & Mother’s Day Celebrations

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Ixora flowers
Ixora study, 7″x7″, acrylic on canvas, © 2016 Donna Grandin. $130.

Ixora flowers

I am not sure if to call this an orange  or peach ixora, but next to red, it is probably the most popular colour of ixora flowers I’ve seen in St. Lucia. The colour (in combination with the inevitable greens and blues) just seems to convey a sunny, bright, happy mood.

There is also a yellow version, and pink – but that is a simplification, the range is even wider, with shades of each hue. There are a number of varieties available in the Tropics, it is quite common, often used in hedges.

If you live in the Caribbean, you probably have them growing somewhere in your garden, and if you’ve ever vacationed in the Caribbean, you’ve probably got a cluster of these tiny flowers somewhere in your photos (maybe in your pool-side selfie!).

I’ve only painted this subject once before, and in fact I love the painting (Red Ixora) so much, I’ve kept it as my profile photo on my Facebook page for …. more than 2 years (Whaaat?)!

Anyway, I posted a WIP detail of this small painting on Instagram some time back, but this is the first time I’m sharing the whole thing. It would make a lovely Mother’s Day gift for someone.

Mother’s Day celebrations

I am also finishing up another floral painting, for a Spring exhibition at Gallery2Art in Burlington Canada. I will deliver it tomorrow, and it will be up for their Mother’s Day Tea on May 7th.

And in St. Lucia, I have several paintings in the Arts Village May 2-4 which is part of the 25th annual St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival.

Wherever you are, I hope you will have a Happy (art-filled) Mother’s Day!

 

 

Commission

Portrait commission – Ellie Mae

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Ellie
The artist’s niece, Ellie Mae

I do not paint portraits very often, but this portrait commission came about so organically, I just went with the flow.

At Easter dinner on the family farm, my mother-in-law mentioned that she was looking for something for a particular wall in the newly painted eat-in kitchen.

She pointed to some decorative plates hanging on the wall, one in particular, and wondered if I could paint the girl in a hat, to go with her new theme.

As a professional artist, I did not want to be copying another artist’s image, so I said sure, we could just put a hat on Ellie (the only grand-daughter there at the time), and I can photograph her.

Two minutes later, I turned around to see her trying hats on my niece, Ellie Mae. I knew right away it had to be this hat. But it was all moving so fast.

My mother-in-law is a woman of action, she promptly placed Ellie on the edge of an armchair in the living room, and looked up at me.

There was light flooding in from the large window on the right, but also through a frosted window in the door on the left. It would be tricky to photograph. And my good camera was at home.

Still, timing is everything. So I borrowed my sister-in-law’s camera, and before long I had at least 3 strong contenders. It was difficult to tell, on the small screen, so I just crossed my fingers that they were clear enough to give me the detail I’d need to paint a portrait.

It just all came together so well, from the plates she had shown me, I knew my mother-in-law wanted an innocent young girl with a big hat and flowing hair. Ellie was the right age, with the right hair, and she was right there!

When I e-mailed my mother-in-law the image of the painting for her approval, she responded “Wow… really like it Donna. Love the eyes especially, and the look overall is eye catching and fresh … she looks like she could talk to me. Very happy with it!”

I delivered the painting last weekend, and it looked great against the red-orange wall. My mother-in-law was thrilled with the portrait, and I hope the rest of the family will be too.

Available Paintings, Exhibitions, Special event

Upcoming exhibitions

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Upcoming events for April

Art in the Workplace

Art in the Workplace, MIP

I have two paintings in Art in the Workplace exhibition #20 at McMaster Innovation Park, which opens in a week, April 5, 7-9pm.

So, if you are in the area, I’d love to see you at the Opening. Otherwise, the exhibition continues till July 6, and is open to the public.

DVSA 46th Art Auction

screenshot
Simple abundance, by Donna Grandin is the middle of the top row of paintings … one of 1400 works of art that will be on Auction!

I also have a few paintings in the Dundas Valley School of Art’s 46th Annual Art Auction. Many years ago, when I was a new graduate from the studio art program at McMaster University, and a newlywed, I used to participate in the DVSA art auction, but it’s been a long time since I did so last.

It would be really cool if I met some of my collectors from those days, but we would not recognize each other … and my name is now Donna Grandin, they would only know me by my maiden name, Donna Gomez.

Here is a video clip from a segment on CHCH this morning, with some of the art that will be in the auction.

If you like art, and you live in the area, then you probably already know about the DVSA Art Auction, but now you’ll know to look out for some of my art in the silent auction.

I saw some lovely pottery pieces there when I went to drop off, and I was amazed at how low the reserve prices were. Very tempting.

Looking forward to seeing all the art up, and chatting with other artists. We very nearly ended up moving to Dundas years ago before we had kids, it seems like such a great artsy community.

And of course because I am a McMaster University grad, both of these events take me back to the old stomping grounds, of doing my art degree, dating my husband etc.

Available Paintings, Landscape

View through the ginger lilies

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ginger lilies
View through the red ginger lilies, 12″x24″, acrylic on canvas, © Donna Grandin

New painting;
“View through the red ginger lilies”

I love this long, narrow horizontal format, I will be doing more of those in the future. I have only painted ginger lilies a few times, usually red, but they also come in pink and white.

While I was in St. Lucia, I took this painting, and several others in to The Inner Gallery. So, if you are local, ask Rachael or Chartal to see my new work. And if not, you can find contact information  on the Facebook page, they ship worldwide.

The inspiration for this painting was The Pink Plantation House Restaurant in St. Lucia. Not only is the food great there, but the setting is gorgeous.

I have wandered the grounds taking hundreds, probably thousands of photographs, and done a couple paintings from them before, but I could easily do a whole show based on this location.

The Pink Plantation House Restaurant

I did not actually get there on this trip, so I thought I’d share a few photographs taken on previous visits to St. Lucia.

Michelle Elliot
Michelle Elliot and Donna Grandin in the gardens of The Pink Plantation House, 2012

Michelle has probably the best set-up I can imagine for an artist, her whimsical paintings on canvas, ceramics and textiles are very popular, and her creative side gets to be inspired by this beautiful, lush setting, while her family background in running a restaurant helps to balance out the business side.

Nancy Gomez
Nancy Gomez at Pink Plantation House Restaurant, 2012

My mom, “Fancy Nancy” always wears bright, colourful prints which reflect her cheerful disposition.

Alison
Alison Phillip at The Pink Plantation House, 2010

Blue Monkey Cafe

Alison – Michelle’s sister – started up The Pink Plantation House Restaurant with her, but now she has her very own cafe in a very central location in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. I only saw her briefly this trip, but she gave me a little something for my “sweet tooth”.

fudge
Blue Monkey Cafe Fudge

I took the fudge back to Canada to share with my boys, but from the first bite I knew they were out of luck. The texture, the taste, it was really good fudge.

The boys were happy with the tamarind balls, guava cheese and coloured coconut balls that their granny sent for them, and I did not mention the fudge at all. But I will have to get them some next time I am in St. Lucia.

Art Classes, Available Paintings, Painting Party, Peacock

Peacock Painting Party in St. Lucia

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Peacock painters aplenty!

We held the Peacock Painting Party at Island Mix on Sat 12th March,  and it was a great experience. Ten lovely ladies created their own unique paintings, inspired by peacock feathers.

peacock painting party

I was so happy to see how they were able to apply my techniques, but add their own personal flair to each design.

Interestingly, some of the paintings had similarities – though, none of them looked like my demo painting. The greatest similarities were between family members, whether or not they sat together.  Hmm.

abstract paintings
Paintings by Liz and Finola Jennings Clark, © 2016 Finola Jennings Clark

As artist, blogger, bee-keeper, Director of Business Development and Marketing at Cultural Development Foundation, fellow St. Lucian Finola put it on Facebook;  “Took big Sis with all her jet lag, to art class… Here are our two peacock paintings. Not bad Huh? Hard to tell who’s the pilot n who’s the artist!!! “

Venue for the Peacock Painting Party

I am getting ahead of myself, first, here is a 48 second video I took just before everyone arrived, to give you a sense of how idyllic the waterfront setting is at Island Mix.

Thanks to Nadia Jabour, of Island Mix, for this opportunity. We were having so much fun painting, that when we neared the 3 hour mark, Nadia offered to order in pizza for us, and so we were able to keep going for another hour.

waterfront
View from Island Mix, Art emporium, the day before the workshop.

The day before the workshop was rainy, and I was worried the rain would blow in on us while we painted, but we had a beautiful sunny morning for our peacock painting party.

In fact it was so bright when we took our group photo at the end, that the details of the paintings are hard to make out. Next time I will try to photograph some of the individual paintings.

Meanwhile, artist, jeweller and art teacher, Alcina Nolley, sent me a clear image of her painting to share in this post.

Alcina Nolley
Alcina Nolley’s painting from Donna’s workshop, © 2016 Alcina Nolley

And can I say how lovely it was to have such a diverse set of artists for my first group painting session?  The age range was about 60 years, from a teen to a retired art teacher.

Some of these ladies were new to acrylic painting, others have graphic art backgrounds, or paint on fabric and glass etc, and sell their products – one of them even had a painting of hers sell in the shop area while she was taking the workshop!

peacock painting party - group photo
Group photo of Peacock Painting Party, Island Mix, St. Lucia

I knew a few like Kim, whose daughter had attended my semi-private art lessons the last time I was in St. Lucia – this time they both came. However, many of them I really only know through social media. And there were a couple new faces.

However,  St. Lucia is a small island, so we ALL had mutual friends and many of the ladies knew each other very well, so it was a fun group.

Carnival, 16"x60" tripych, © 2015 Donna Grandin. $1600.
I brought this triptych as an example of one of the many ways I myself have played with the peacock feather theme. It is now available at Island Mix.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and based on the success of this event, I plan to book another workshop when next in St. Lucia.

There are several people who have expressed an interest, they are just scattered about – St. Lucia, Burlington, Cobourg, even Texas!

If you would like to attend a Peacock Painting Party, contact me at donna@bluerootsartstudio.com, and I will let you know if/when I am planning something in your area.

Also, more of my peacock feather-inspired abstract paintings can be seen here.

Available Paintings, Exhibitions, Special event

Windjammer Landing Exhibition

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Windjammer exhibition

I am so excited about my upcoming exhibition at Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort in St. Lucia. We will be hanging the show in the lobby Tues morning, and I will be painting on location for all 3 days, and talking with guests.

A small selection of my original acrylic paintings, and greeting cards, are now available from the Windjammer gift shop, Island Gifts.

I have only been to Windjammer once before, but it is a beautiful location, and I look forward to sharing some photos of my trip to St. Lucia on Instagram.

Donna
Donna Grandin at Windjammer Landing in St. Lucia 2009.

Of course this was a much slimmer version of me. I won’t be sporting a swimsuit this time. But I will be taking photos of the beautiful tropical flowers, gathering inspiration for new art.

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BLUE ROOTS ART STUDIO – acrylic paintings of Caribbean & Canadian landscape, flowers & foliage. Burlington, ON, Canada. 905-639-3419