Art Show

ARTIST'S STATEMENT
When I witness sunlight cascading over a face, it strikes a chord within my soul and renders me restless with excitement …… hence, I paint.
It is a specific moment in time captivates my imagination is the driving force that compels me to paint. Needless to say, most of my subjects are captured by numerous clicks of my camera in as many different angles as possible, before being rendered on the easle.
Due to my fascination with the multidimensional aspect of the human face and body, I paint in a variety of mediums although Pastels are the medium of preference.
Often enjoying "explosion" of colours, I find working with a limited palette equally thrilling.
Truly a labour of passion.

Show will be on display from 5 Jan till 28 Feb, 2010.

Collage Workshop

Workshop was held at the Rotary Centre on 19 & 20 dec with very exciting pieces being created. Sandra looks pleased as she washes her tools as her vibrant collage sits on the counter.

Catherine ready to sign her 2nd collage in 2 days, both so interestingly different and striking.

Alicia almost done with her monochromatic collage figure. The wonderful result removed all apprehensions Alicia had at attempting this workshop

Art Show

24 paintings in acrylics, water colours, collage, mixed media and pastels are on display at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, Kelowna. Paintings are displayed in the Atrium and Mezzanine.
In addition to the paintings greeting cards (blank inside), wall and desk calenders (12 pages) featuring my landscapes are on sale.

BC, Mi Paradiso ..... Art Show

This show is my humble tribute to the stunning landscapes of British Columbia. Being a portait/figurative artist all my life, the beauty that surrounds me here compelled me to paint it, hence my first landscape show.

Livessence Unlimited

Show will be held at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, Kelowna, from october 26 till november 15, 2009.

"Comfort" (left), is one of my 11 entries for the show. Done in collage from a life study, it is 34" x 13.5", $ 500.

Pleine Aire Okanagan, Oyama

(Top, left to right, Kristine, Doreen, her Mom and Gayle. Centre, Gayle is pleased with her thumb nail sketches and Kristine bathes her paper in Kalamalka Lake).

(Group observing, left, setting up and demo in progress, right)

Sept 19 started off as a grey wet day and didnt look very promising for the planned Pleine Aire session in the beautiful setting of Kaloya Park in Oyama. As the time approached for our painting session weather improved dramatically and we were blessed with a perfect day, thanks for your prayers Carol-Ann.

Visit to The Barn Gallery in it's true country setting to view original Okanagan Art was a befitting end to our day.

ArtWalk 2009

A great display for Livessence, we had a very capable team .... 14 artists participated with a total of 64 paintings. Sales were better this year. "Collage Figure 2", (top left) was the piece I sold.

Saturday, 12 sept was a delightful evening as some members enjoyed a Mediterranean ambiance and meal at Greek House restaurant in Winfield (top centre).

Experimental Water Colours, Vernon

Elaine Turner (left to right), delighted instructor, Karen Wilkinson, Gail Hall and Mary-Eileen Johnson enjoying yummy lunch.

Duck Lake (top right) just beyond Kelowna Airport, one of the many beautiful sights I encountered (and was able to photograph) each morning on my way into stunning North Okanagan via Lake Country.

Five morning workshop of "Experimental Water Colours" concluded in Vernon (VCAC) yesturday. It has been a very productive session due to dedication and enthusiasm of the students, quality of works was superb. Well done girls, hope to see your works in shows soon.

At Gala & Auction - "Almost Famous"

Last evening Vertigo Art Gallery, Vernon, BC, was packed with art lovers and donating artists. Wine, yummy appies, live harp music, boas, hats, wigs, exotic outfits, highly witty celebrity auctioneer truly made the event a memorable one. Many thanks to Judith, staff and volunteers. Pics above, view of gallery, with mi amiga Irene, with Carol-Ann and Kristine and my donation piece "Ode to Van Gogh from the Okanagan".
Thanks to Carol-Ann for her generosity as she outbid her opposition at the auction for "Ode to ..........".

Well done Kristine for finishing the triathlone earlier in Kelowna and for your beautiful rendition of a Monet.

ArtWalk 2009 entries

"Again" (left), "Blue Trio", acrylics on canvas, 18" x 14", $ 420 (each). "Toil" (top right), pastels, 21.5" x 14.5", $ 400.
The above paintings are from my studies of extremely hardworking and highly talented Ballet Kelowna dancers and Artistic Director.

"En Pleine Aire, Tina", (left), "En Pleine Aire, Sandra", wet pastels, 21.5" x 14.5", $ 400 (each). Sommer 2009 is proving to be a productive season for "Pleine Aire Okanagan" weekend workshops. My passion for figures in sunshine was too tempting while watching Tina and Sandra engrossed in painting the beauty of Okanagan summer, I had to paint them.

Pleine Aire Okanagan - Bertram Park, 15 aug

Palette knives, mixing sand in acrylics, monoprinting ............ inspite of the intermittent rain on 15 august Pleine Aire at Bertram Park in Kelowna. Due to the rapidly changing weather conditions, true essence of Pleine Aire in Alla Prima were successfully achieved to the delight of the artists and those who stopped by to admire. Sandra indulged in monoprinting on 3 canvases, rain drops created interesting watercolour-like effect.

Mi Rancho

Wet pastels, 20" x 15"

Afternoon of 2 august, 2009, while we drove down Loon Lake Road, (southeast of Merritt), literally in the middle of nowhere was this mesmerizing abandoned ranch. Am sure, most of us have experienced places/locations that completely enthrall our entire beings. Well, this ranch did it me, it's charm and bewitching setting made me so restless, I just had to paint. Still very much spellbound. Truely a very special place .... surrounded by birch trees it is overlooking a pond, which may have been a larger body of water in years gone by. What a wonderful retreat for an artist for summer (after some fixing up with loving care).

BC, Mi Paradiso", cards

$ 25 for the pack of six cards & envelops. Cards are 5.5" x 4.75", glossy finish.

"Real Canada" for me is British Columbia's stunning landscapes and the immense variety of flora and fauna, it is truly Paradise for me.
The 6 original paintings were rendered in pastels.
Top left (anti clockwise), "Fall in the Park", "Lavender Farm, Kelowna", "Oaks in Fall", "Early Morning", "Birch Trees" and "Japanese Maple".

Kalamalka Lake, Oyama.

"Kalamalka Lake, Oyama" - 20" x 15"

August 1, 2009 Pleine Aire session in the picturesque setting of Kaloya Park at Oyama on shores of Kalamalka Lake. Rendered in wet pastels during the hot afternoon ........ smoke from the BC forest fires was another challenge we were able to face bravely.

The 3rd Annual "Almost Famous" Exhibition & Auction

My entry "Ode to Van Gogh from the Okanagan" , acrylics on canvas, for this fundraiser in Vernon, BC. I am sure Van Gogh would have equally enjoyed painting the captivating Okanagan as much as he did the french countryside.

Exhibition Run: August 4th to August 22nd, 2009.Almost Famous Full Regalia Gala: Saturday, August 22nd - 7 to 10pm It's a full regalia gala, so bring out your boas, your berets, your ball gowns and dust off your snakeskin cowboy boots for a tongue-in-cheek (in)formal occasion!Tickets are $10.00 each and can be purchased in advance at Gallery Vertigo. Limited number available, so please purchase yours early to avoid disappointment Auction: Starts at precisely 8pm, August 22nd

Pleine Aire Okanagan - Westkelowna, 11 july,2009.

Mother & daughter team .....Kathy and Olivia ...."Glad we are under the trees, phew, the Okanagan summer sun is merciless".

Sandra creating magic .........."there, that does it......... the final touch".

Kathy discovers ....... "Using palette knife as easy icing a cake? Sure is".

Delighted Olivia....... "Aha, I surprized myself yet again".

Carol-Ann ponders .......... "mmm, good use of my new Pastels".

Juried pastel show, Tacoma, WA, USA.

"Ushi", wet Pastel on printmaking, was accepted for 23rd International Open Exhibit for Northwest Pastel Society in Washington.
I immensely enjoy using chalk pastels on wet Stonehenge Printmaking paper ... the challenge to work quickly while paper is wet is thrilling. Greatest advantage of this technique is ..... no fixative needed once dry as the the pigments adhere to paper and are no longer dusty.

Pleine Aire Okanagan....Boats and Lake

Tina Schnellert busy capturing 3 boats.

Braving the high temps of Okanagan summer afternoon ...... equiped with easles, acrylic paints, canvases, water, palettes and an enthusiasm to capture the magic of Pleine Aire, artists set up by the Yatch Club. Curious sun lovers, all ages, stopped periodically to admire the works in progress.
Before (pleasantly surprized) Tina signed her wet painting, it was purchased by a lady visiting Kelwona from east coast. Well done Tina.


Sandra Bradshaw all smiles with her vibrant and innovative rendition of Okanagan Lake and boats, great painting.

Pleine Aire Okanagan

10 enthusiastic painters participated in the first of series "Pleine Aire Okanagan" in the picture perfect setting of Knox Mountain Park in the glorious summer afternoon in Kelowna, BC. After a demo in Pastels, the artists ventured into painting outdoors, for some of them, it was their first ever experience. Emphasis of workshop was to be able to pick out elements/ settings/ compositions and to render them in 2D with special attention to keep paintings loose and fun.