Bit of an update

Well hi there, strangers!

Sorry for the momentary break in activity. I have a few things in the works right now (including a show at Tea Lane in Aberdeen this Saturday the 2nd of May) and I've been preparing for that, as well as finishing up a few digital projects. Among them, a logo donation for Valley Gaming, a rebranded game shop in St Croix Falls, Wisconsin. All the best to them!

I'm not one to air my difficulties online (anymore, haha), but truly, the last few weeks have been a bit tricky for me. I'd started experiencing shoulder and neck pain to the point where I had to take 15-30 minute breaks after about 2 hours of painting; both the frequent breaks and the pain made it difficult to get into the zone. As a result, my work suffered. When I finally decided to see a doctor about it, she told me that I had been grinding my teeth in my sleep (a sign of anxiety and stress) which had become a strain all the way down to my trapezius and even my deltoids.

So as difficult as it's been, I've been trying to cool down a little on my painting, spending more time and going slower on each work, trying to build up the muscles around that area to strengthen them, and generally taking it easier. I'm DYING to get back to daily painting, I am, but it's time for me to take my own advice and be kind to myself.

I will still be painting, just less frequently for a month or two, until I can get my mental and physical state in check.

What a drag, right?

Thanks for being here. Knowing that I have such a great support base is making it much easier to heal!

A Host of Golden Daffodils

          I wandered lonely as a cloud
          That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
          When all at once I saw a crowd,
          A host, of golden daffodils;
          Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
          Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

          Continuous as the stars that shine
          And twinkle on the milky way,
          They stretched in never-ending line
          Along the margin of a bay:
          Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
          Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

          The waves beside them danced; but they
          Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
          A poet could not but be gay,
          In such a jocund company:
          I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
          What wealth the show to me had brought:

          For oft, when on my couch I lie
          In vacant or in pensive mood,
          They flash upon that inward eye
          Which is the bliss of solitude;
          And then my heart with pleasure fills,
          And dances with the daffodils.

-William Wordsworth (1815)

A new painting in my Look Up! series. The daffodils almost appeared to be sojourning toward a lovely church sitting above a bus stop near the Morrison's parallel to King Street. 

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Crimson Glow

This beautiful red rose cast an intense and unique red glow on the greens surrounding it; I have been having such a fun time painting these! This tiny painting is part of the Cubicle Art collection, named so because the paintings in this collection are small enough to be hung on a thumb tack, for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle. They're great for other rooms as well!

10cm x 10cm Oil on Canvas

Velvet Petals

I loved how the top rose in this lovely bouquet caught the light so crisply in some places and so softly in others.

This is also one of many pieces in my Cubicle Art collection, named so because they are small, portable, and easily hung on a thumb tack for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle or office. I've got a few hung up in my kitchen, too!

10x10cm oil on canvas

Sunbathing

These roses (a gift from my wonderful husband) were so lovely that I had to paint them in a mini-set.  I'm hoping to get a few more paintings in before they wilt.

These paintings are all teeny tiny 10cm x 10cm paintings that can brighten up a cubicle wall, being light enough to hang from a thumbtack. Hope you like them!

10x10cm Oil on Canvas

Autumn Vines

And this, friends, is how Aberdeen does October.

My fourth painting in my Look Up! series.

16"x12" Original Oil on Canvas

In The Edinburgh Light

In the golden Edinburgh atmosphere, the castle (which is made out of numerous stones, including old red sandstone) was bathed in an orange light, and cast an almost supernaturally red glow. I may paint a more realistic version at some point, but this is how I remember it hitting my eye.

This is the third painting in my Look Up! series, depicting point-of-view shots of majestic (and sometimes imposing) architecture. I hope you like the series so far!

30x30cm Original Oil on Canvas

Escher

My cat is really smart, you guys.


April Fool's.

12"x10" Original Oil on Canvas

Elgin Cathedral

Even after nearly 800 years, this Cathedral in Elgin still has a magnificent presence. The light filters in at such an amazing angle, I'm almost glad that there aren't any windows to get in the way.

This is the second painting in my Look Up! series.  I imagine you're getting the gist of it by now. :)

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

For Birds and Kings

 

Pardon that this picture was taken in the field. It was SO lovely out by King's College!

This is the first in a new series entitled "Look Up!"; if you don't know what it means yet, you will. 

10"x12" Original Oil on Canvas

Winds of Change

 

Aberdeen Beach is a bit of a long-cut away from our weekly grocery trip, so I almost always insist we take the boardwalk home. This time around, we were hit by a very Aberdonian weather twist: our sunny day started becoming a bit more ominous, the waves grew a bit larger, and the winds really picked up, blowing in some intense layers of storm clouds! 

My favourite part of this motif were the seagulls.. Aberdeen seagulls are just so hardcore. They just sat there, not letting the impending storm ruin their little gossip circle. 

Another piece in my Aberdeen Beach series.

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Bonnier With Wear

Tyres have worn grooves into this unfurled road over years and years of travel, pressing the adjacent grass into a permanent reverent bow. The sun has bleached the wooden fence posts and the tall rushes have enveloped the long-opened gate. I wonder how many sunsets this golden hill has seen.

16"x12" Original Oil on Canvas

Scots Pine

Fresh off the easel, a painting dedicated to a beautiful windy day we experienced on a road trip right on the cusp of Autumn last year.

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Bird's Eye View

 

 A tiny painting of Aberdeen Beach as seen from the high-up boardwalk. The sky looked positively lime against the purple clouds, and I couldn't help myself. 

This is part of my cubicle art series, because it is small enough to be hung using nothing but a few pieces of tape, a piece of string, and a thumb tack or two.

10x10cm Original Oil on Canvas

Eclipsed

A super fun, very chromatic painting I made after watching the eclipse (as best as I could without looking directly into the sun, of course). The sky really was amazing to see, and the sun crept behind a thin veil of clouds shortly before it was fully eclipsed, so it made for some amazing photographs!

12"x10" Original Oil on Canvas

Eventide

 

Just as the moon rises over the smouldering embers left by the setting sun, the water reflects and echoes its swan song.

Another painting in my Aberdeen Beach set.

12x16" Oil on Canvas

Fortress

Had to photograph this one on the easel before the light faded.. I love how Dunnottar Castle is protected because it is surrounded by water, and still, in some areas it appears as though the water is also protected by a womb of tall grassy cliffs.

What a wonderful place.

16"x12" Oil on Canvas

From the Castle

Tiny cubicle painting (small enough to be hung up on a thumb tack) of the spectacular view from Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven. These little guys make great gifts and great escapes on those days where you'd rather spend the day inside a painting than inside a cubicle!

Thank you guys for all your support; I wouldn't be doing this without you. I'm definitely hoping that I can send a few of these off so that I can continue making more!

10x10cm Oil on Canvas

Coo

An itsy bitsy cubicle painting (small enough to be hung from a thumb tack) homage to that happy little Highland Cow in Drumnadrochit.

10x10cm Oil on Canvas

Kyloe

Fell in love with this lone happy Highland Cow enjoying a perfect day in Drumnadrochit. There is something about that whole area that just sings.

10"x12" Oil on Canvas