Well officially I launched – last night – Monday April 2nd rather than on April fools day… it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do. LOL.
Any ways, as much as my paintings have been leaning towards the spring florals and waves – here in Alberta — March ended with a new push of the arctic cold – and as much as the sun is beautifully shining – the temps have been in the -15 C to -20 C range over night and day time highs hitting anywhere from -5 C to +3 C. So it’s just dragging it out. That leaving the Ol People here a little unmotivated, bit more grumpy and sleepy, basically an extension of the winter blues. We know the warm weather and green grass is just around the corner… but which one already. LOL
It’s so
very important for all of us to keep moving and motivated. But here in Alberta it is really easy
to get quite stagnant as the weather tends to keep us indoors longer this year. And for folks like mine who were use to a earlier spring when they lived in Grand Forks, BC (Thought they had snow yesterday too)
The Farmer and Bertie by now would have been out on the deck in the mornings, starting some plants, Farmer would be thinking what maintenance the tractor needs cause that 1st hay crop would probably be ready in 8 or 9 weeks. But now living in this house back in Spruce – it’s been a very tough adjustment for them. Other than the fact they are in their 80’s, it has a bigger impact because of the change in their health. So daily I find myself trying to encourage some type of simple task. This is really important for Mom with the onset of Alzheimer’s. That encouragements is not always taken well – there is something that happens to the person(s) closest – where frustration is more easily launched , vs the same suggestion made by a family member or someone who is a specialist truly in the field of homecare, caregiver specialization that doesn’t live daily with those in need. The challenge is real, and there is no manual for those who take on the role of caregiver to their parents. There are some great books by authors who have or are living this. One in particular resource book: Feeding My Mother, by author Jann Arden http://www.jannarden.com/jann-release-feeding-mother-november/ truly an amazing story of courage, strength and family. I highly recommend not only her book, but also follow along with her on Facebook.
I will add some links to some more of these great resources or services, so stay tuned and follow along as I share stories of painting That’s a blog for another time.
But so far today is a good day for them both and I am trying to keep myself upbeat as much as I can. Having some daily tasks, projects is the best and for me – learning a new technique in painting is a great way to keep the mind sharp.
What is Negative Space Paint pouring – basically an image in the paint pour that does not cover the entire frame of the substrate you are using. (Canvas, board, tile, etc)
There is a variety of abstract options with a paint pour and it’s very easy to just keep tilting and stretching that paint over the surface and run it fully off. Deciding when to stop and what area to leave is sometimes tough to do. But when we paint pour artists find that “perfect time” to stop and just let the negative space tell us were done and not continue to fiddle with the painting. Then something truly beautiful is left. This past couple of weeks I have played with some negative space – small pours and the results have been very fun – and I also have played a bit more – the control side of me – using some tools (string, pallet knives, straws) to create some very interesting floral results. Attached are a couple pieces.
I’m having a bit of trouble uploading right now, please bare with me as I work our the ‘technical’ issues and my learning curve on the web site. More to come. Until then – have a Great Tuesday April 3rd. 🙂
CS