Mermaid Gallery Nelson

I'm ready now....

2010-09-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

The summer sun kept me outside. My studio was very neglected. It has now been a year since we closed our gallery and rented out our beautiful, downtown, commercial building. I really like being a landlord. Lots more time for my home and family. It was good to take a breather, but my studio is calling me now. Enter those doors,..... fire that kiln.....That is what I will be doing.....I'm ready now......

the last days of the rose are the sweetest.....

2010-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Summer is over .....the heat is gone....the sun takes a long time to come up over our mountain. The last days of the rose are the sweetest.....

shadows and light....

2010-09-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Magic happens with shadows.... angled light creates shadows.....shadows edge white light....Much like drawing negative space creates a more interesting drawing.......taking pics of shadows and light creates more interesting photos. ....

the horses came out to meet us.....

2010-08-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we flew over the Rockie Mountains to the province of Saskatchewan, which is one of our prairie provinces. It is a spacious land of farming and ranching. We were down on the farm and the prairie light was exactly as Neil Young wrote of it. The smell is what hits you first. It is the smell of grass and grain meeting sunshine and water. It's earthy and full and naturally sweet. We went for a sunset stroll and the horses came out to meet us......

the sand was perfection.....

2010-08-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

My favorite days are beach days and I have accumulated a fair bit of beach time this summer. Sand quality, the world over, is of utmost importance to a great beach day. Clean sand is rare in almost any vacation destination. There always seems to be a cigarette butt somewhere and usually a lot of other filth as well. This little beach on Kootenay Lake is pristine. I didn't see a butt or any sign of a party on this lovely sand spit. The swimming is cold but once the initial shock wears off it is incredibly refreshing. We watched the osprey dive for fish, the geese fly in formation, and the gulls wade in the surf. The rush of life was held at bay and the sand was perfection....

rock on Josh.....

2010-08-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer, our local skateboarding community lost a hero. Josh Evin was a local boy that made his mark in skateboarding. He travelled the international skateboard circuit and won and awed at every competition. His business was in L.A. but he kept his home town roots and preferred to spend most of his time here. Early one morning, Josh was hurtling down the back road on his motorcycle past the Kootenay Canal and Nelson's own dam. There is a very sharp, hairpin corner leading onto a bridge. Josh missed the corner, hit the railing, and went sailing over the rail and into the then raging canal. He died instantly. The youth from our area let out a communal howl of pain. I crossed that bridge this morning on my bike ride. The memorial is unique and beautiful.....rock on Josh.....

close to home.....

2010-08-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

We live in the last house on a steep, rural, dirt road. I almost always turn downhill and head into the civilized world. Yesterday we jumped into our little Jeep YJ and headed up the rough road. We drove up through deep, cedar forest until we popped out on top. Alpine meadows and dense woods surrounded us. Driving further we came to amazing views of Kootenay Lake and the Valhallas. It is spectacular country that we live in. Up top there was not a sound to be heard....absolute silence.....it was a perfect day.....close to home....

sunny, yellow .....

2010-08-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yellow is not a color that people usually favor. Rarely do you hear of anybody searching out a yellow car, or dress, or couch, or anything. Yellow against the skin is toxic to most complexions. Yellow teeth, yellow stains, yellow skin, yellow snow.....all not very nice. It's a terrible insult to call somebody yellow. ....... yet my sunny, yellow begonia is magnificent.......( isn't yellow a funny word?)

just open a window.....

2010-08-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

The best way to understand feng shui is to open a window. The dead, stale air is suddenly enlivened with fresh breezes and sweet scents. During the summer months my windows are always open and the green outdoors is reflected on all my shiny surfaces. Inside and out, I dangle charms to keep the chi moving. Outdoors is in,,,,indoors is out.....

much better....

2010-08-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

Everything went wrong this morning. The coffee pot gurgled all over the counter and floor and not into the pot...I spilled water all over my desk...I felt sleep deprived...so I went for a bike ride. I made myself. My neighborhood cheered me up.....

distressed diptych....done....

2010-08-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

Chaos, cacophony, ripped, torn, punctured, ....distressed diptych...done......

I sure would like an aqua party dress.....

2010-08-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

I'm going to a wedding and I need a dress....I'm going to a wedding and I need a dress.......It's the mantra in my head these days....special occasion dresses are not easy to find. .....I sure would like an aqua party dress.....

texture, texture, and more texture....

2010-08-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Texture adds so much to colour and line. Decopatch paper is designed specifically for collage. It is very strong and tears beautifully. I think it adds exotic pattern, texture, and interest to a simple painting. I'm going through my studio and anything that is borderline boring, gets a little paper added.

turn bad luck into good....

2010-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

I like to attack the canvas when I paint. It's all about being immediate and painting the energy of the moment. Today I got a little carried away and somehow managed to slice the canvas a good six inches. Not quite what I had in mind for this sunny, summer diptych. Luckily my mixed media paper was close by. I patched the cut on both sides of the canvas with heavy duty paper and acrylic gel medium. Then I added more texture with paint, paper, and ink. I like the effect and think I will carry it through to both sides of the diptych. Turn bad luck into good.....

shabby chic gardening.....

2010-07-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

What a magical time of year summer is in my garden. I'm not much into weeding and clipping. I really just like to let nature take over. In the spring I spend a lot of time fertilizing and mulching. Through the summer I mainly just water. Everything is overgrown and a little messy.......shabby chic gardening.....

I think I've found my new hangout.....

2010-07-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Driving back from Kaslo today, I turned onto a little known, back road that leads down to a great, little beach on Kootenay Lake. This bay is one of the few places where the water actually warms up. Kootenay Lake is glacier fed and very cold for swimming. It is a huge lake, very deep, clean, and pristine. There is lots of room for everybody so it's not uncommon to get a whole beach to yourself. This was especially nice because there was even a wonderful swimming float. I think I've found my new hang out......

It's true...he paints with his ......you know....penis!

2010-07-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.pricasso.com/ It isn't easy to come up with a good gig these days. Being original is very difficult. When I heard about the artist, Pricasso, I really didn't believe that he could actually paint with his penis. His website is very revealing....take a look...have a laugh....and realize that anything is possible.....

early one morning.....

2010-07-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

Does anybody remember the, "Friendly Giant," and his fantasy world,.... tiny chairs that he would pull up to a tiny fireplace. It was all very cozy and inviting and perfect for an active imagination. The Friendly Giant would play his recorder.......it was just like the one we learned how to play in elementary school.......I'm ready for a nap already!..... We all create our little worlds........sit right down and enjoy the summer heat......because we're simmering now.....and for a very short time.......it's feels almost tropical here.......lush and abundant.......and hot! ............ "Early one morning....."

the imperfections keep it interesting....

2010-07-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mixed media is so popular these days with the scrapbook craze producing all sorts of interesting, new products. When I came across these coloured papers, I instantly started ripping and gluing. The paper is all acid free and when used with a good quality, acrylic medium, the mixed media should last forever. I work really quickly and just let the image happen effortlessly. It's loose and the imperfections keep it interesting.....s

a big smile can change everything....

2010-07-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes........................ when you are living on the edge .............................a big smile can change everything.....

Tour de France......

2010-07-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

Somewhere along the route of the Tour de France, a cocktail waitress serves a rider a glass of vino. Edgey from all the tire tracks, she pauses to reflect, "Who is this stranger in the lycra suit.?"

fresh as a summer day.....

2010-07-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

sultry as a summer night......

going to the country....got to get away.......

2010-07-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

I was raised in a big city and loved every minute of it.....but then I discovered the country....and never went back......and when I discovered the Kootenays....I was home. I snapped a few shots of my friend's garden in the Slocan Valley today. .....going to the country...got to get away....

Coquihalla River, Canyon, Railbed, Hike.....

2010-07-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

We attended a big family reunion on the weekend in Hope. Relatives from British Columbia mingled with relatives from New York, California, and Missouri. We went on a great hike along the old rail bed that cuts through the canyon from the Coquihalla River. It had spectacular scenery, amazing tunnels blasted through rocky cliffs, vertigo inducing bridges, and an interesting storyboard. ........( all photos courtesy of my son, Nick)

the pleasures of summer are here.....

2010-07-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

An hour spent at the beach down the road and and it felt like summer. I smiled as I smelt the coconut, suntan lotion. Smells bring back memories and the smell of coconut makes me feel young. The sand under my feet, the blaring boom boxes, the butterflies, the sounds of kids having fun.....the pleasures of summer are here....