Tag Archives: Canadian artist

Available Paintings, Uncategorized

Ontario apples, live painting at Culture Days

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Ontario apples
Ontario apples, 20″x16″, acrylic on canvas, © 2016 Donna Grandin. $600.

Ontario Apples

Recently I went to Frootogo Farm in Waterdown to pick fresh Ontario apples. It has become a family tradition ever since we had kids, to visit a nearby farm in the fall. There is just something so cute about photographing toddlers surrounded by bright orange pumpkins bigger than they are! And it is a great way to visually mark time, as the kids in the photos get bigger each year.

Springridge and Frootogo are the two local farms that we have been to most often, but for apple picking we have to go to the latter. And that is where I got the reference photos for this painting.

live painting
Donna Grandin painting live at Culture Days 2016 in Civic Square, in front of Burlington City Hall.

Culture Days

I participated in Culture Days Burlington on Oct 1st, 2016, in Civic Square which is just in front of the Burlington City Hall. This year I was one of the artists selected to perform for an honorarium. I was not part of the Art Market, in that I did not have items for sale, but instead I painted live.

This photo shows the painting in progress, near the end of the event. I painted for 3 hours, my hope was that I would have it finished in time to do a silent auction, and that I would donate the proceeds to the Arts and Culture Council of Burlington, but I was still painting when some of the artists were packing away their booths.

I am happy with how much I got done in that short time, but instead of leaving it as a study, I decided to refine and complete it in my studio over the next week.

Live Painting

Painting with a live audience is not as scary as you might expect it to be, because quite frankly the nature of painting on a deadline is that you have to be in the moment as you focus on the immediate painting decisions. When people come up and talk to you, or there is live music and hustle and bustle around you,  it all adds to the vibe – the energy that you absorb unconsciously,  and then reflect in the art.

When you paint intuitively, you slip into a creative zone, and that crowds out any self-doubt about whether you will be able to pull off a good painting. Or worries that people will be seeing your painting as it goes through the inevitable ugly stages. In fact, people generally come up to you with positive things to say.

Every time I am hired to paint live, it is a memorable event for me, and for the audience who gets to see my painting process in person. So far, the feedback has been very positive, so I look forward to doing it again!

This painting will be on display in studio #7 during the Art in Action Burlington Studio Tour Nov 5 &6, 10-5pm, unless you e-mail me at donna@bluerootsartstudio.com beforehand to reserve it.

 

 

Available Paintings, Exhibitions, Special event

Culture Days Burlington 2015

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Culture Days, Sept 26-28

This weekend we celebrate the annual Culture Days across Canada, and I will be doing my part in Burlington, ON.

On Saturday I will be setting up my tent to display my art in Civic Square (426 Brant St.)  – in front of Burlington City Hall –  from 11-4pm.

Burlington Student Theatre will be creating a “Burlywood” atmosphere with theatre, music, dance, film and photography. It should be a fun time.

I will also be working on a collaborative painting – inviting any and everyone to express themselves with a few brushstrokes – and at the end of the day I will do a draw, and the lucky winner will get to take home the painting!

As a Culture Days participant I am required to provide an “activity” at each event, not just a display/sale.

“Founded in 2009, Culture Days is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a national network of cultural connections devoted to providing Canadians with opportunities to participate in, and appreciate, all forms of arts and culture. Through an annual three-day national celebration each September, hundreds of thousands of artists and cultural organizations in hundreds of cities and towns come together and invite Canadians to participate in free interactive and “behind the scenes” activities to discover their cultural spirit and passion”.  

So, my activity for Sat is listed on the Culture Days website here.

On Sunday, I will be in the lobby of the Burlington Performing Arts Center (440 Locust St.), from 1-4pm, as part of the Celebrate Burlington: Artist Showcase.

“Local artists and artisans will demonstrate skills, showcase their latest work, and offer interactive activities. A celebration of the city’s Mundialization partners, Citizen Committees, artistic guilds, musicians, photographers, fine artists, and new media artists.” Culture Days Burlington brochure

I will have a small display of my available paintings, and paper and pencil crayons for anyone who wants to practice drawing peacock feathers with me.  See my event on the Culture Days website.

Flow
Flow, 24″x30″, acrylic on canvas, ©2015 Donna Grandin. $1200. Started live in front of Burlington City Hall at Culture Days kickoff event in Sept 2014.

Last year I had a fantastic time at the Culture Days event in front of Burlington City Hall, where our Mayor Rick Goldring helped kickoff the celebration with a clip of Burlington artists talking about Arts and Culture in Burlington – in which I was happy to have a 2 second cameo. That day I painted to live music, shared my art with the public, and enjoyed a celebration of the local arts scene.

This year, there will be a lot of different arts professionals/organizations etc, but I think it will be equally exciting, so if you’re in the area, please come on out!

 

Available Paintings, Exhibitions

My first outdoor art fair

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Donna - AIP
Donna at Art in the Park Oakville

Well, now I have another experience under my belt – outdoor art fair. It is something I never thought I would do, because I had visions of scrambling to keep my paintings dry as it poured with rain. I’ve  exhibited my art in group and solo exhibitions since 1996, but with the exception of a few paintings in a shared tent for a few hours, they have all been indoors.

Peacock abstracts
Peacock abstracts at AIP

However, at some point I realized I’d been concentrating on the painting side of things, and not enough on the “getting the art seen” side of things and the studio was filling up. So I decided to apply to Art in the Park, after all, it was around the corner, and just a one day event, and maybe I wouldn’t even get juried in.

Except I was. Enter the panic … I need a tent, a waterproof one in case of rain. And a display system.

Luckily I know other artists who have been doing outdoor shows, so I reached out to them. Lois Shaw was a really great help, and pointed me in the right direction – I LOVE my mesh walls for hanging the art, even though they cost an arm and a leg.

Bronte
AIP, Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park

This was actually the 50th annual Art in the Park, organized by the Oakville Art Society, and it is held at Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park, by Bronte Harbour.

The location is amazing as you can see, and there was live music, and so much great art. The whole event was well organized, everything went very smoothly, I will certainly be applying again next year.

It rained a lot the day before … I swear the clouds formed a black arrow towards the park! However, by the time we arrived the next morning to set up it had stopped raining, and the ground miraculously was not soggy – but my husband was said it made putting in the tent pegs a lot easier.

Also I think someone’s vehicle stalled, and so we were blocked in in front of our spot, so their bad luck was our good luck because instead of having to drop everything off, park the minivan and then set up the tent trying not to trip over everything on the ground, we were able to do nearly all of our set up before my husband had to go park it.

Donna's booth at AIP
Donna Grandin’s art booth at outdoor art fair, Art in the Park Oakville

There are definite differences between showing in a gallery setting, and showing in an art fair, and it will take some getting used to as I learn the psychology behind it.

The first thing is that in a gallery you want the focus to be on the art, so you leave a lot of space between paintings, and you have easy to read white labels with title, size, year created, artist name, and price. The idea is for people to be able to linger in front of a painting and contemplate it, and then maybe imagine it in their home.

In an art fair, people are walking through way faster than you would expect them to … they have their dogs with them, maybe their kids, and it seems as if they’re in a hurry to “get through” so that they can cram something else into the beautiful day.

I’ve seen them push strollers pass booths without even looking in. Maybe they’re engrossed in conversation with a friend. It can be discouraging.

So a photographer friend, an art fair veteran, suggested I put one of my paintings out front, to attract attention. It was near the end of the day, so I gave it a try, and I think it did work, but I had to stay close because I saw one slobbery dog start to veer towards it and if he had swung his head more to the left as he passed, my painting would have had a shower!

Anyway, I have some new ideas to try out for the next time. Like everything about art and an art career, this is going to be an ongoing process.

I made this 39 sec video to show you my booth and what was around it!

 

AIP collage
Art in the Park Oakville collage

One of the reasons I did this art fair was to get feedback on my new series of peacock feather-inspired abstracts. And I also brought florals because I had mostly florals on my site when I was juried in.

I really did think that one series might be more popular than another, but surprisingly throughout the day I had people commenting on nearly ALL of the paintings! From peacock feather abstracts to fiddleheads, from water lilies to tulips … it seems there was something for everyone.

Anyway, the next step is to find some other outdoor shows to apply to – probably for the spring. Meanwhile, I have a big project to start working on …

 

Available Paintings, Exhibitions

In the crease – peacock painting

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peacock feather abstraction, green
In the crease, 20″x16″ acrylic on canvas, © 2015 Donna Grandin. $700.

One more week to go until Art in the Park, Oakville and I have a lot of details to attend to … so I’m going to keep it short & sweet today (ok, maybe tomorrow).

Do you have a favourite colour? People who are drawn to my art often remark on my use of colour, and I usually reply “yes, I grew up in the Caribbean so that’s probably why I use such bright sunny colours”.

However, I have been living in Canada for more than half my life now, and although I go back to the Caribbean to visit my parents, family, galleries, and gather inspiration for my art … even I can see how my use of colour has changed over the last few years.

It’s like my accent, which I only remember I have when someone new mentions it. When I first came to Canada, I knew my accent would be confusing to some people, and had fun with it. The surprising part came a few years later, when in St. Lucia, I was told I sounded like a Canadian!

For better or for worse, your environment shapes you. So i guess the key is to surround yourself with things and people you love, and that make you happy.

Turquoise has been my favourite colour since I was 12 – we were visiting family in Canada and on a trip to the mall, I bought a piece of costume jewellery, a silver ring with two turquoise hearts.

It was so beautiful to me then, and still is now, even though I don’t really remember wearing it often. It somehow just belongs in my jewellery box, a momento of a time, a place, an age. A miniature work of art, imbued with nostalgia.

Obviously, I have an affinity towards blues and greens – certainly it is reminiscent of the Caribbean landscape & seascape, and partially the reason I named my business Blue Roots Art Studio – and so peacock imagery was always somewhat special and magical to me.

And I hope you will enjoy this new blue-green thing I’ve created, maybe it can even bring some magic and happiness to your environment!?!

View this and other available paintings at www.bluerootsartstudio.com

Available Paintings, Exhibitions

Nesting – abstract painting, peacock series

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Today’s painting was created in my Hamilton studio, on the second floor of the building at 337 Ottawa St. N … around the corner from 337 Sketch Gallery. There are a few artists & photographers renting space there, but a lot of available space in case any of you are looking.

I was lucky enough to be able to rent a room short term for the project I had in mind – I’m calling it a “self-hosted residency”,  for the artist whose kids are still too young for her to apply for a proper residency.

Despite the crazy time frame (on a good day that would be the hours my youngest was in school, minus the commute back & forth), I was prolific during that time.

WIP pics of Nesting, 24" x24", acrylic on canvas, © 2015 Donna Grandin

I thought I would show you some of the stages that this painting went through … especially because I know there are a number of artists following along.

To be honest, when I started with the pthalo blue background, I intended to let the wispy bits of the feathers fade into the blue … but then I mixed up a nice buttery colour and I just got carried away cutting away the negative shapes around the wreath shape.

That left me with a blue wreath floating on a light background. So then I got the idea to add a pattern, to help integrate the different elements of the image  … and I started with circles.

How about a wreath floating, on a stoney riverbed?

I filled in some of the circles, creating depth, making them less like circles. In fact some looked a little like … eggs. After all, I’m painting peacock feathers … so eggs aren’t a stretch.

Up until this point I had been flipping the painting around and around as I went, not quite sure I wanted to assign a right-side-up to it.

As I played with the idea that the stones could actually be eggs, I really began working on the shadow. That’s when the orientation became obvious to me.

I decided to leave room for multiple interpretations of this image.

The research I have done on peacock imagery shows that over the years it has been used as a symbol of immortality, resurrection, rebirth. 

Nesting
Nesting, 24″x24″, acrylic on canvas, © 2015 Donna Grandin. $1100.

Every day until Art in the Park, Oakville which is on August 3, I will be posting a new painting from my peacock series. Join my e-mail list so you don’t miss any!

If you are already subscribed, and haven’t read yesterday’s notice … the daily e-mails are only for this week, after that it goes back down to 1-4x/mth!

If this painting catches your eye, and you can imagine it in your home or office, e-mail donna@bluerootsartstudio.com

Available Paintings, Exhibitions, Special event

Upcoming event – Art in the Park Oakville … and tablecloths

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image002

The countdown is on to my first outdoor art fair, the 50th anniversary of Art in the Park, Oakville, ON.

It is so strange to still be a newbie, considering my first solo exhibition was in 1996, and I’ve exhibited numerous times in galleries & (indoor) shows in the Caribbean, Canada & even Paris, France since then!

However, it is true, although I’ve had a couple paintings outdoors before, as part of the Burlington Fine Arts Association’s tent during events at the Burlington Art Center (now the Art Gallery of Burlington) and even recently at Car Free Appleby, this is the first time I’ll have my own outdoor booth in an actual art fair.

The two biggest deterrents of course are the unpredictable weather (this same one-day art fair was hit with a bad rainstorm last year), and the tedium/hard labour of packing up kit & caboodle (what IS a caboodle anyway, and why does it always come with a kit?), unpacking at the fair (with a strict time limit) setting up, then repacking later to take home, & unpacking again when I get there. I think this gets easier once you have a few shows under your belt & have developed a system, but for now even just preparing for the event is a big deal, breaking into my regular painting schedule.

Part of that is all the research & shopping involved … I just ordered 3 table covers for my 6’x6′ table and that took all morning. An artist friend, Teresa Thompson-Martin (who will also be at Art in th Park Oakville) recommended this site, as she had just ordered black tablecloths online and they were at her door 2 days later.  I wanted a plain white rectangular tablecloth, but they were sold out. After considering several alternatives, I decided to get a white fitted tablecloth.

At Car Free Appleby I used a taupe tablecloth from home, and I tacked my coroplast sign to it with small bulldog clips. At the end of the day, my husband went off to get the minivan & I packed up the artwork in a hurry so I’d be ready to just place them in the vehicle when he arrived. I put away a few small paintings that were on the table, and then lifted up the stand with the greeting cards … and the weight of the sign immediately started pulling the tablecloth to the ground. I quickly put a hand out to stop it, but a pile of newly printed postcards hit the wet ground (it had rained on & off all day)! Luckily the postcards were glossy, and even though I was only able to wipe them down when I was home (5 min away) and had unpacked the minivan, most of the cards were actually undamaged! Anyway, a fitted tablecloth should eliminate this from happening again.

I also ordered a black fitted tablecloth AND a royal blue one. Their royal blue is the same colour as the Pthalo blue acrylic paint I’ve been in love with for the last year or two. In fact when I did the Culture Days event last September, the City of Burlington had provided a canopy & table with a royal blue tablecloth & table skirt.

It was a great accent colour, and serendipitous – the colour of the peacock-feather inspired painting I started that day, “Flow”, and the colour of the sign I made for my business – Blue Roots Art Studio. So for now, my plan is to use the royal blue tablecloth. If it competes with my art though, I’ll have the more neutral white or black to fall back on.

The thing is, no matter how much research you do beforehand, it seems you still end up having to go through some trial & error, which is why most art fair veterans say that that this too is an “ongoing process”.  I am wishing now that I didn’t make the last change to my order … from a regular black 90×132″ tablecloth to a fitted black tablecloth.

It turns out that the way you get into the fitted tablecloth to get to whatever you have stored under the table, is through the single slit which I was planning to place up against one of the tent walls … which might be awkward if there are people near the table, and things on it that might fall over when I move it away from the wall. It would have been smart to have had a regular black tablecloth as a backup. I was just thinking of how great the fitted tablecloths would look if I did an indoor event with just a table and a few grids. Then there’s the issue of signage … and the possibility of digitally printed tablecloths … you see, it never ends!

As it is, there is a slight chance that the tablecloths won’t get here in time (when you spend over $49., shipping is free, but it could take up to 2 weeks … I’m taking a gamble, I’m almost certain they’ll get here in time). In which case I’ll probably end up using my light taupe tablecloth, but at least I’ll be prepared for the next event.

Anyway, I’ve decided to post a new painting every day, from tomorrow until Art in the Park, Oakville on August 3.

I have been very silent on this blog for the last couple months because I have had a number of projects on the go, and just didn’t have the time to write about it, but I’ll be able to give more details in the next few posts.

 

Available Paintings, Landscape

The thinking place – large acrylic painting of lily pads

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The thinking place, 48"x48", acrylic on canvas, ©2014 Donna Grandin. $2400.
The thinking place, 48″x48″, acrylic on canvas, ©2014 Donna Grandin. $2400.
  Free shipping (unstretched canvas rolled in mailing tube), or local delivery until end of January. 

Here is another painting I forgot to write about, I completed it just in time for the Art in Action Studio Tour. It’s another large painting – 4’x4′ – so far this one and Gemma’s Rose have just sat in my studio while I went about creating more paintings. I will have to see about getting them out into the public eye soon … but right now I have a number of other irons in the fire.

In The thinking place, you can see I was exploring the use of dashes of colour, like I used in my peacock paintings. There is just something playful about the juxtaposition of whimsical pattern with a realistic scene, that makes me happy.

I love the peacefulness of this scene, such a great place to sit and contemplate, either the real location, or just facing the painting. I think it reminds you to slow down, take the time to enjoy Nature, stare at the clouds, the ripples in the water, the beautiful flowers.

Let me know if you’d like to try this painting out in your house to see how it transforms your space. If you live nearby, I can bring a selection of paintings for you to choose from. With a small business like mine (one short individual wearing lots of hats), you are guaranteed the personal touch!

 

 

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