My favourite thing to do is paint ‘en plein air. I love being outside (in the summer) looking at the world in front of me and appreciating the beauty and wonder of it all. To look at something to paint is a different way of looking than that of the everyday. The act of painting takes me out of the mundane and into a world rich in colour, shape and texture.
This year is a year of transition for me as it is the first time I’ve had to think about what to paint in the winter. I have taken night classes regularly to keep me painting during the colder months and not given much thought to what I want to communicate through painting. I’ve been having a love affair with oil paints for the last decade or so – there is nothing quite so yummy as a good quality oil paint. However, recently I have been doing research and practising with acrylics and am finding them intriguing. As of today I am unsure what direction I will choose, but no doubt it will continue to include nature as a focus.
The closing of Kenderdine Campus has deeply affected me – I grew up there artistically. A week of focused painting with other people doing the same thing always took my work to a new level. To date, I have been unable to replace this experience and my development has suffered for it. I know I will make the necessary choices and decisions to move forward, and in this the support of the members in our Artists’ Workshop group is much appreciated.
Artists' Workshop Saskatoon 