I can't believe it has been 7 months since I have posted  here- however I do know that the passage of time has definitely morphed into something quite different these days!
Unusual times for sure; with a quieter, more introverted and 'homey' existence. And with the passing of my 98 year old father in June, and the subsequent dealing with his home and estate, my summer passed almost without notice other than the beauty of the gardens and beaches of this area.
The Wet Paint art group managed to keep in touch weekly however- with Zoom meetings initially and then when things opened up a bit we have been meeting outdoors at each others' homes. A lot of wonderful conversation and support although not so much painting! With the coming colder months we are still considering how we will keep meeting....
Back in my studio, I have managed to keep painting although not as consistently as I would have imagined with all this time on my hands! But I did open my studio up for drop-in sessions in the summer-- as we could paint outside and with appropriate social distancing,  in the studio. I did offer two 'Modern Impressionism in Acrylics / Landscapes"  classes and they were fabulous! Only 4 people at a time in each class worked well --- you can see some of the results below.
 As of September, I started Beginning Watercolour Classes- again with no more than 4 people per class.
All sign-ups for both classes and drop-in sessions is now on line --- Here is the link to the  Signup Genius website:

Here are some of the Modern Impressionism Class works- some still in progress:

It is nearing the end of March and even two weeks ago, we couldn't have predicted how quickly things were unfolding...
Like all non essential services (ok, we all know that art in any form is essential to many of us) my studio classes, workshops and drop-in times have been cancelled. Although I am keeping very busy- and the glorious springlike weather we have had over the last 2 weeks certainly helped in getting us out into the gardens- the studio is very quiet and I miss all my 'people' immensely!!  Even the studio cat Theo is perplexed--- he keeps coming into the studio and looks around longingly-- "where are all the humans???"
 As for art, there are a plethora of wonderful online videos, courses and demos out there. Lots of artists are posting their work, posing art challenges, and  filming their studios and process.   Many are free.
 
​Here are a few free ones that I have been following:
 Watercolour:
-Mind of Watercolour (M.oWC) The Mind of Watercolor - YouTubewww.youtube.com › user › mindofwatercolor
-Cafe Watercolor - Eric Y Lin Café Watercolor - Watercolors of Eric Yi Lin     cafewatercolor.com
-Angela Fehr
-Birgit O'Connor ( a free paint-along demo)
-David J Rogers Watercolor Artist <info@davidjrogersart.com>
-Urban Sketchers- pen and watercolour  Check out their YouTube videos.
-Winsor and Newton     WNArtFinds on Instagram
Acrylic/Oil/Mixed Media:
-Art2Life ( Nicholas Wilton)--- abstract --------art2life.com
-Art and Success (Pamela Caughey) - acrylic ; cold wax and oil Check out her YouTube channel 
-Streamline Art Video  streamlineartvideo.com
General:
Mary Gilkerson <studio@marygilkerson.com>  
​Dan Scott of DrawPaintAcademy - I really enjoy Dan's articles about artists, very informative and easy to read. Also lots of practical technical stuff too.         https://drawpaintacademy.com

ONLINE STUDIO:
1. I have been videoing myself painting - several different pieces ( a watercolour and an acrylic of the same reference; an acrylic abstract and an oil and cold wax painting that has been a work in progress for quite awhile). IF any of these are any good, and I manage to edit them,  I will put them up and send them to my students.
2. I am going to offer my students on-line 'mentoring' , help with their projects etc. via Zoom. If you are interested, pm me and download the free software "ZOOM".  I have had a couple of online meetings using it lately; it is really easy to use  and think it could work for us.
 3. I am taking an online course on teaching and mentoring online! Stay tuned for more professional offerings from me......

​
The Campbell River Arts Council and Gallery 38th Member's Art Show is going virtual this year- Here is the website: https://campbellriverarts.wixsite.com/membershow38
(PS I forgot to photograph my entry ("Chagall Street") before I submitted it, and now it is in 'isolation' at the Campbell River Art Gallery- so I submitted another painting into this show- "Romance").  The gallery hopes to show this exhibition when it can.


​ AS I have not posted for more than a month, here're some images of student work in the studio in February and early March:

Well the new decade is off to a  great start ( in the studio at least, maybe not in the world) The Acrylic classes are large and enthusiastic! Intermediate Acrylics is expanding on 'visual literacy' concepts and experimenting with a variety of techniques and styles. So far we have reviewed basic techniques -- painting a small winter snow scene - to get our brushes and paints back in gear, !and started playing with the fundamentals of a painting: Shapes, Value, Colour and Edges.
 This week we looked at Shape and Value:  played with the app Notanizer and did a grayscale self-portrait.
 Notanizer has a free trial version or is bundled with Grid Painter- a nifty little app that allows you to choose your canvas size,  your grid size and it will grid your photo for you, saving lots of math and drawing time!--- for less than $6.00 CAN.
 Interesting to reduce our faces to simple shapes and render them in one colour- of  3 to 5 levels of grayscale. Here are some of the works in progress...

I  completely missed posting in November !  It was however a busy month —with shows and fundraisers and somehow it just got away from me.  But now with the shorter days, and quieter, darker nights, it is a surprisingly  bright creative time. My studio is busy, wth people painting their Christmas cards, painting commissioned works for  Christmas and just doing some softly cool winter scenes...

                                                                                                              

Another batch of Fantastical Florals--- this time by artists in Gold River.

August saw our Wet Paint Art Group Show and Sale- it was held in a new location this year and was well received, and fun!!
Here are a few pics - also check out our website for more — www.wetpaintshowandsale.weebly.com
​​

Our Wet paint group is also having a show at the Tidemark Art Gallery in Campbell River Oct. and Nov.  The opening will coincide with the Wearable Art Show at the Tidemark Oct 5. 2019 - should be fun!!  Do check it out.

At the studio, drop-ins have been ongoing. Although everyone seems so busy with vacations, family events etc., it is nice to herald this cooler quieter time of year. Kids are back at school and we look to nurture our passions and hobbies. 
Here are some photos of what has been going on with the students in the studio:

Well June got away from me.... as I was enjoying becoming a grandmother for the first time! On May 16th we welcomed wee Fenna Katherine Huizinga  to our world. What a lovely new chapter....

​Weather-wise it was a gloriously warm summery June but oh so very dry!  It is a major worry as our rainforest plants and trees are suffering.  I have browning salal in my garden and 2 very large fir trees that have died as well as a small red cedar that is dead red! Yikes.... we need rain!

 So it is now July and it has finally rained- in fact the last week has been cloudy and rainy.  Great for the vegetable garden!
 
​But in the studio it is still warm with activity ....
​

Oh my what a beautiful month- the merry month of May!  I love the longer days, the soft greens that are appearing on all the deciduous trees and the delightful smells...
It has been a busy spring so far, so I have a lot of photos of student work, both in classes and in ongoing drop-in students.
​ 

Acrylics III class--- exploring abstracts ; quick studies.

Watercolour III class: these lovely folks have been doing some amazing work on landscapes. They are now beginning to look at portraits.

A Focus On class: painting large white flowers- mostly magnolias. Photos show the progress of these watercolours.

And of course, the awesome ongoing drop-in sessions---- producing a delightful potpourri of subjects and styles...

So March did get away from me... welcome April. Sunny weather, no showers yet, earth exploding with life.
Studio has been steady with focus on classes and drop in sessions- watercolour and acrylic classes will begin again next week. Let me know asap if you are interested in joining one of those sessions.
The studio calendar will be up again by the end of this week, I promise:)
I have got to Victoria and Vancouver over the last couple of weekends- visited several art venues and of course some art shops to buy more supplies!
Here are a few photos of what the 'Drop-in' and' Focus on' folks have been working on:
​