Banking on it

I'm back from a glorious month in Costa Rica and into the thick of things - my parents are visiting from Australia, we're touring Vancouver and heading out to the Rockies in a few days... crazy times.

Julia and David White Artists' Colony was THE MOST amazing experience ever!! I'm sorry I was slack in updating the blog, but I didn't make any promises...I was so busy creating I didn't want to stop! It was extremely rewarding with over 20 pieces created and a privilege to meet a dynamic group of talented artists from around the world. 

More about my experiences in Costa Rica later... but for now, I wanted to show two pieces that I created there - Wild Flower and Leaf.  The first one is 30" x 30" while Leaf is 18" x 30". They are both acrylic paint of canvas. I used 13oz cotton duck and two layers of gesso.

I am extremely excited to present these two pieces at G&F Financial Group - a bank located at 1-2949 Main Street, Vancouver.  If you're in the area, please go in and check out my work. As part of the Drift Festival, G&F Financial is supporting local artists by showcasing their work in the bank throughout the year - I'm the lucky artist who's work will be on display for June and July.

Let me know what you think, and don't forget they're on sale so please contact me if you're interested.

 

Surprise Inspiration

So, here I am finally!! After 3 days of travel delays, I'm living the artists' way in Costa Rica! Upon my arrival to the Julia and David White Artists Colony, I was jet lagged, exhausted and overwhelmed with my surroundings.

As I got to explore my new home (large studio, big kitchen, creepy crawlies everywhere, cold shower, lots of natural light, bed not so comfy) I took a walk around the large grounds of the colony. There was so much green, so much bright light that my eyes and my brain were struggling to digest all the colourful information. The one thing that stood out for me among the lucious tropical plants were these gorgeous, greying, ageing leaves, slowly disintegrating into the ground.

I'm not sure which plant they come from, I have to investigate, but I'm slightly surprised that these grey creatures captured my inspiration first. I just love the formations that they make as they curl inside themselves: ageing gracefully.

So here's my first illustration from Costa Rica, done on watercolour paper with ink. I'm off to see a volcano tomorrow - I'm doing more of these too but I'm sure the colour will come to me soon.

Costa Rica Countdown – For Julia and David White Artists’ Colony

In less than ten days I will embrace the artist life in beautiful Costa Rica!

I have been accepted to do a month long fellowship at the Julia and David White Artists’ Colony in Costa Rica. It is an artists' retreat in the town of Ciudad Colon, surrounded by nature, volcanoes, rainforests, hiking trails, wild life…

Here’s a drawing I did over two months ago which I hung high above my desk - it served as a goal to visualize and now finally realize my dreams.

I can't wait to get into my own private studio and start creating – no day job, no errands and no distractions: just the luxurious gift of time to focus on me and my art.

I’ll do my best to keep the blog updated whilst on my adventure, but it might be hard to get me away from my paints, pastels, pencils, inks, scissors, brushes, carving tools, charcoal…