A May Morning, Spencer Smith Park

A May Morning, Spencer Smith Park, 10x8 oil

Thursday morning last week, I managed to get out to Spencer Smith Park to paint.  What a beautiful day!  While I was painting a couple of people stopped by to have a look and chat.  One person had two dogs with her.  One of her dogs obviously had an interest in art.  I hadn't pet the dog or give him any notice, but he had decided to stay.  He lay down beside me contentedly.  I believe he thought he had reached his destination, or perhaps he thought I would include him in my painting.

Nesting - Sold

Nesting, 24x12 oil

Happy Victoria Day!  Finally, the long weekend in May has arrived!  In Canadian terms it is the beginning of summer!  It doesn't matter that the temperature is barely over ten degrees C., and many of us still haven't switched our winter tires for the summer ones.  This is THE weekend!  Winter coats and sweaters get packed away in preparation for the hot summer days.  The temperature doesn't matter, the long weekend has arrived, we are ready!  Mother nature has guaranteed us that our plants will survive until the fall,  (or more specifically there will be no more frost).  It's the weekend that a lot of Canadians travel north to cottage country in preparation for the hot summer days ahead. I remember heading up to a friend's cottage on this long weekend, (in my college days), and all of us were spread out along the lake in our bathing suits, hoping to rid ourselves of our pale pallor, trying to stay out of the biting wind and ignoring the fact that we were covered in goose bumps from the cold.  This is probably my favourite long weekend of the year!  It was the thought of these rituals that inspired me to paint 'Nesting'.  I love the ritual of 'spring cleaning'; getting rid of the old worn items, packing away the winter clothes, and opening the windows to let in the fresh crisp spring air.

Spring Arrival - Sold

Spring Arrival, 6x8 oil

When the bulbs in the gardens bloom, there is a sense of promise that warmer weather is on it's way; but when the shrubs and trees start blooming, we know that that time has arrived.  Walking outside wearing a sweater or light jacket, and seeing the bright green buds opening on the trees... makes my eyes water and itch and my nose becomes a faucet, as the allergies take hold... I mean... makes me glad that winter is over and I can now pack my winter gear away, for at least a couple of months.  As I start thinking about cleaning up the garden and planting vegetables and perhaps something new in the flower bed.  Then it becomes a race to get the gardening done before the weather gets too hot, and my desire for a lush and beautiful garden wanes as do the plants in the summer heat.

Tomorrow evening is the opening reception for the '2nd Annual Oakville Artists Spring Show and Sale'.  The reception is Friday May 9th, 7-10 pm, free admission and a cash bar.  Saturday it will start at 10 am and close at 4 pm.  It's going to be a good show with 25 artists.   There will be no show on Sunday, since we will all be enjoying Mother's Day.

Something Blue

Something Blue, 6x8 oil

A couple of weekends ago I went to a vintage marketplace in Hamilton.  What a treasure trove of wonderful (and not so wonderful), stuff.  You really had to have a good look to find the good stuff...which is half the fun.  I think, just because it's from the past doesn't make it wonderful.  Some of the clothes were quite hideous and in bad condition, and there were some well worn boots and shoes, among the gems.  I was lucky to find this set of pink cups.  They were sort of hidden behind another display, as if the owner didn't really want to sell them, but were certainly priced to sell.  I totally fell in love with them.

By the way, if you're wondering, that is a robin's egg, not an Easter chocolate, (as my husband thought as soon as he saw the painting).

The Back Stairs

The Back Stairs, 8x10 oil

I'm a bit behind in posting my paintings.  There just isn't enough time in a day!  This is a plein air painting that I did on April 21, in Hamilton.  Painted on one of those beautiful spring days, that you wish every day would be like.

Speaking of plein air paintings... I found out yesterday that I sold another painting from the store/gallery, Art Etc., (in the Burlington Art Centre).  It was a plein air painting of the Oakville Marina, painted last summer.

I would also like to thank the people who supported me, (and the school),  by bidding on and purchasing the paintings that I submitted in the Dundas Valley School of Art annual spring auction.  I submitted four paintings, and all of them sold!