I've been working on this new watercolor for the last week or so. I was inspired by Daniel Sroka's extreme macro photographs of flowers, though I believe this painting is taking a bit of a different direction than "extreme macro." I used a photo I took of a roadside summer bloom, Paintbrush, which is ubiquitous here in northern British Columbia. I need some good reminders that spring IS coming, as we bid March good-bye and spring drags its feet arriving.

Today the children and I took a walk to look for pussywillows. Samantha had the foresight to bring her dolls in their stroller, and it made a useful conveyance for the shed toques, mittens and for the mail. Despite the sun's warmth on our faces, the temperature was just at the freezing mark and our cheeks got nice and rosy.

I have in mind to blog soon about the Peace River country where I live and why I love it. When friends in far-off places are exclaiming over flowers in bloom, t-shirt weather and gardening, it does seem a little crazy that we live in a place that is still covered in old, crusty snow and maintaining freezing temperatures, but that's the beauty of hidden treasure. I'll tell you why soon.

Fragment, 2008 Angela Fehr

1. Television - cancelling our satellite TV subscription was the best decision we ever made, hard as it was!
2. Extra-curriculars - I would love to join a choir or play soccer, but refuse to be gone from home more than two evenings per week.
   
3. Travel - it may be only a ten-minute drive, but somehow every trip to town takes half the day. I limit my drives in to twice a week.
4. Hobbies - I love (almost) all crafts, but I cut way back on my crafting and let my magazine subscriptions lapse when I decided to focus on painting. Now the majority of crafts that are done are part of creative time with my children.
5. Reading - I love to read (actually, "love" should be bold and all-caps and outlined in red!) and if there is a new book in the house, many other things remain undone until it is complete. So I really try to avoid the "new book" rack in the library when I am there with the kids.

Art Supplies Shopping List:

1. large round brush
2. painting board - lightweight, about 24" x 32"
3. adjustable standing lamp, with daylight bulbs
4. digital SLR camera

We've had a round of sickness here that has been pretty wearying. In the last month we have seen 2 rounds of flu (8 cases total), two cases of conjunctivitis (pinkeye), and this last week has played host to the most vicious cold I've had in twelve years. The kids got it first, and Wade and I were both up at 3:00 a.m. every night for a week filling vaporizers and humidifiers (or sitting with coughing child in steamy bathroom), doling out cough syrup and rubbing Vicks on chests and feet. The last two nights have been uninterrupted, however, and so I think we're coming through this thing! It's been a long time since I've felt that low from a measly cold, and my blogging and painting has been on hold so I could spend my afternoons napping with the kids.

I am happy to report that I have finished my "Samantha Victoriana" painting. Such a fun, sunshiny arrangement and because I had no expectations for the piece, I just threw myself into it and splashed color around.

Since I so enjoyed "playing" with this latest painting, I have decided to ignore my "to-do" list of painting subject matter, and try to extend playtime a little. I found Daniel Sroka's photography web site inspiring today - he does these amazing extreme macro photos of natural objects, and his flower photos are incredible. I'm going to take my cue from him and look for a close up of a flower from among my reference photos...and then attempt a more abstract spin on the subject.

I've been working on a fun little painting, about 11" x 14", more of an illustration really. Below is my reference photo:And below this paragraph is the painting so far. I put Samantha in old-fashioned dress and boots, and I'm going to just surround her with flowers in all colours. Not sure if I should leave some white in the background or paint in sky & clouds. What do you think?
I was also excited to hear that a gallery that used to represent me, in Grande Prairie, Alberta, is now taking art on consignment again. They have changed ownership and so before I sign anything I'll be going in to meet the new owners and see how I feel about them. I try to be very selective of who represents me, and make sure my work is a good fit for their space.

Yesterday I received my entry form for the Capture the Beauty of the Peace art competition, sponsored by Picture Perfect Gallery in nearby Grande Prairie, Alberta. I entered this competition once before, back in 1999 when I was just starting out as a serious artist. I thought that the competition would be a better fit for me than it was back then - I've grown in skill and confidence, and I actually had some Peace region inspired paintings to enter.
The competition description says that it is open to amateur and developing artists, and I would consider myself a developing artist still. But when I read a little further, I realized that there is just no way that I can enter, for several reasons.

1. Minimum size, 11" x 14" -I am painting larger than that right now, but I had in mind to enter my Secrets of the Muskeg series, and they are smaller (though in total they would surpass the minimum size)

2. & 3. The prize money, $500, is given in exchange for the painting, AND all copyright privileges.

Okay, $500 is an acceptable amount for first place, especially considering that this is competition for developing artists. But I sure wouldn't be able to enter anything larger than 11" x 14" and have the prize money be a fair representation of market value.
The deal-breaker to me is the idea of signing over all copyright to the gallery. I would be willing to make a deal on limited edition prints, in a single run, but to give away my copyright is to give up the advertising I get from putting my art on my web site and in my other advertising, as well as any profits from making my own prints and cards. Even when I entered the competition as a green brand-new artist nearly ten years ago, I would have been uncomfortable with this arrangement.

Now, I suppose I could just enter and hope I don't win, and then my reservations would be moot anyhow. And I would benefit from the exposure in a gallery I haven't exhibited at in nine years. Since I don't have a painting of the appropriate size anyhow, it doesn't really matter.

I am told that the gallery is under new ownership, and on my next trip to Grande Prairie, I'd like to go in and check it out, start a conversation. The competition is out, but perhaps representation would still be an option.

Recent Revelations: An artist who posts photos of a painting in progress should either be confident of a victorious outcome or be willing to lose face when the stupid thing bombs.

Apparently, I'm going for the latter. The far left berry on my "Raspberries" painting is all wrong, and in my attempts to improve its discomfort on the page, I've darkened it far too much. Today, I decided that I might as well scrub it down and try to redo it, because I'll just have to crop it out otherwise. I blotted off the surface pigment, though there is a lot of color saturated into the paper, and I've glazed it with a salmon color that is more true to the actual shade of semi-ripeness that I'm going for. Once that has dried, I will define again the shadows and then I'll probably cut that part right out...but you can't say I didn't give it all I had!!

I'm feeling a little less than professional right now, a little exposed and embarassed by the publicity of painting and failing. If it was just between me and the painting, I would be pretty satisfied with myself. I've learned a lot through this project, and most of the painting is really beautiful - I love every bit of the background, it has a depth and richness that I could just fall into. So...maybe my revelation should read more like:

Every painting, whether success or failure, complete or incomplete, holds significance in the part it plays in the artist's creative journey.

Apparently the "put it out of sight for a week" technique for conquering artist's block doesn't work for me. I pulled my "Raspberries" painting out on Monday and found that I still felt daunted and confused about where to go next on the thing. So I just started painting anyhow, and while I dabbled at some corner bits and background shapes, found my way again.

When in doubt, keep painting. My new rule. I forgot that I have had success with this in the past - when I get stuck in an element of a painting, I work on another area, and the answer always comes to me. I think too that part of the problem was I got a little bit scared to really throw paint down and make strokes that mattered.

Also this week, I made a new friend, Karen Martin Sampson, a very talented artist who also lives in BC (just a LOT further south!). Karen read my Empty Easel article and dropped me a line, and next thing you know I'd roped the poor woman into critiquing my Raspberries painting! Make a note of this: If you offer to do something for me, I WILL take you up on it! Karen's criticism of my painting was very constructive, and I'm feeling more confident in the final stages of this painting, especially since I had made some of the changes she suggested that very day, before receiving her email! DO check out Karen's online gallery - she has some incredible paintings posted there.

No progress pictures to show you - I'm afraid the progress I have made is visible only to the eye of the creator! Next week I expect to be all done and then I'll parade it for the world to see!

Thank you Dale Laitinen for the Art Psychic. I just found this column on his web site, and aside from being a great watercolorist, he also has quite a sense of humor! And not all of the humor was at Thomas Kincaide's expense.