I have 2 events happening in Burlington this Sat. So it’s going to be a busy day. First I’ll be setting up an art installation at Burlington Central Library on New Street, then I’ll be heading to Be Yoga and Wellness at Fairview & Walkers.
There I will be setting up a table with small paintings (some never been shown before) & greeting cards, and fellow artist Heather Horton will be painting live. Both of us have art on display on the walls of Be Yoga as part of an on-going display (we switch out the paintings now and then).
Also, looking forward to the tea sampling, and meeting Katie from The Monarch Tea Co.
Art Installation
Then at 1pm I’ll pack up and head back to the library. I hope to be there from 1:30-4pm for the rest of the Lost in Books event. Then it’ll be time to pack up.
Lost in Books, art installation event.
I hope you will get a chance to see my installation, called Night Garden … you’ll have to use a flashlight, to see my paintings on the stage. It’s quite an interesting effect, best experienced in person.
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.
First Dibond panel being prepared for painting of Ireland Park Mural
Here is a sneak peek into my studio six weeks ago as I began preparing the first of 4 panels that I will be painting for a mural project I have hinted at but not officially announced yet.
About a week ago a friend let me know that the Mayor of Burlington, Rick Goldring, had shared details about the Burlington Mural Project on Facebook.
The original posting was from the Burlington Public Art website:
Burlington Mural Project
The City of Burlington, through its Public Art Program, has announced six local artists who have been selected for the 2015 Burlington Mural Project.
“This new public art program was designed to tell local stories using local artists,” said Angela Paparizo, manager of arts and culture. “The annual program will commission small to medium-scale murals throughout the city. These commissions are open exclusively to Burlington, Ont., artists. Free professional development opportunities will be offered to assist artists with the application process and project development each year.”
Artist Selection
A community jury of residents and artists representing each ward reviewed the proposals and selected the following artists:
Judy Mayer-Grieve: King Road Underpass, Ward 1
Claire Hall: Freeman Station, Ward 2
Teresa Seaton: Amherst Park, Ward 3
Hannah Sell and Liam Racine: Port Nelson Park, Ward 4
Tamara Kwapich: Orchard Community Park, Ward 5
Donna Grandin: Ireland Park, Ward 6
Ward 1: King Road Underpass Judy Mayer-Grieve Judy Mayer-Grieve is an honours graduate of OCAD University, Toronto, Ont., and a graduate of The Art Centre, Toronto, Ont. She has more than 20 years of experience in advertising as a graphic designer and illustrator for National and International clients and is a past instructor in the Art and New Media Department of Fanshawe College.
Ward 2: Freeman Station Claire Hall Claire Hall creates custom art for various clients including hotel lobbies, condo corporations, corporate offices, and private collectors. Her artwork has been featured on several episodes of Property Brothers and Buying and Selling. Prints of her artwork can now be purchased at Winners, Home Sense and Marshall’s.
Ward 3: Amherst Park Teresa Seaton Teresa Seaton is one of Canada’s most notable emerging fine art stained glass artists. Teresa holds a degree in Graphic Design from Sheridan College, a BA of Fine Arts from York University and has received specialized training in stained glass.
Ward 4: Port Nelson Hannah Sell and Liam Racine As a collaborative artist team, Hannah Sell and Liam Racine explore art in ways neither would traditionally do as an individual artist. Sell is a resident of Burlington, Ont., and graduated from Central High School. She attended Mohawk College for the Art and Design Foundation program and is heading to George Brown College in September for the Fashion Design and Techniques program. Racine is from Chapeau, Que., and is now a resident of Burlington, Ont., since attending Mohawk College’s Art and Design Foundation program. Racine is attending the Fine Arts program at Centennial College.
Ward 5: Orchard Community Park Tamara Kwapich Tamara Kwapich was born and lives in Burlington, Ont. She graduated from the University of Guelph with a BA in Fine Art and a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture. Kwapich has been a practising artist in Burlington for many years. She works primarily in acrylic paint and mediums on large canvases, walls and ceilings.
Ward 6: Ireland Park Donna Grandin Donna Grandin is a professional fine artist from St. Lucia. She graduated with a BA in Art from McMaster University in 1997 and moved to Burlington with her husband the following year. Her art is regularly exhibited in Ontario, St. Lucia and the Barbados. In 2013, Grandin was invited to exhibit in the 152nd annual Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, France. In the last few years, Donna has been involved with the annual Art in Action Burlington Studio Tour, and the Arts and Culture Collective of Burlington.
Community Consultation
In February 2015, residents were invited to submit mural locations and story ideas through online surveys and in-person at the Lowville Winter Games. Residents provided a total of 333 location suggestions, with 114 of those being unique locations. Locations that were not selected in year one will be used in later years of the program
I will of course be sharing images etc. with you soon, but for now I have to get back to painting!
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.
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!
It’s that time of year again, where I give the studio a fresh coat of paint, hang my latest paintings and invite the public in for the Art in Action Burlington Studio Tour. This year – Nov 1 & 2 – my guest artist is Lois Shaw with her realistic still-life paintings. Unfortunately, jeweller Louise Young has had to cancel again.
However there will be more than enough art to view, and perhaps collect. Lois & I will have original paintings in a variety of sizes & greeting cards, perfect for gift-giving – especially if you’d like to treat yourself to something special to put under your own tree!
Art in Action pre-tour exhibition, Art Gallery of Burlington
On Oct 19th we had a reception for the pre-tour group exhibition at the Art Gallery of Burlington. The Mayor of Burlington, Rick Goldring, said a few words, and so did Denis Longchamps, chief curator of the AGB.
Thanks to CHCH for filming – my brother-in-law texted me to say he’d just seen me on the news, I think my street-cred just went up with the family! The AGB show runs until Nov 13th and is a sampling of all the art that will be on the tour. It is not just paintings and sculpture, there is wonderful jewellery as well.
Donna at Art in Action pre-tour reception, Art Gallery of Burlington
Take a look at the Art in Action 2014 map and plan your route – we are in studio #8. Carpool with your girl friends, or make it a date – or double date – and try to see as many of the studios as you can. You can win $100-$200. towards art by your favourite artist by filling out the ballot on the Art in Action brochures.
See you soon!
BLUE ROOTS ART STUDIO – acrylic paintings of Caribbean & Canadian landscape, flowers & foliage. Burlington, ON, Canada. 905-639-3419
