Creative Adventurez and Findz

 Living on the Sunshine Coast is such a blessing. I am so fortunate to get to walk my dog Cooper and enjoy all the beauty surrounding us. Cliff Gilker in the fall is such an amazing place to spend time. The leaves, the light the trees, the waterfalls are so magical, a fairy land to play in. Another favourite spot is Davis Bay with the sand, birds, logs and clouds.  If you are lucky you will see some whales or kite surfers gliding along the shore. Never a dull day that is for sure. Sechelt has a variety of beauty with forest walks and ocean shores. I am never at a loss of where next to explore. The tug boats are entertainment as they carry logs or gravel or other types of materials. Our coast is a spendor with eagles over head and seals bobbing along the in the wavey shore line. I hope you too are enjoying some beauty on our coast. There is truly some much to give thanks for.

 Acrylic Pour Painting Last summer and this fall, I have tried a painting technique called "Acrylic Pour" I have to say this is very relaxing and freeing. It is a fun way to play with colour and not be stuck on creating something realistic. (5 x 7)     (5 x 7)  Supplies that you need to do Acrylic pour painting: something to painting on like wood, canvas or paper  acrylics paint silicone or dish soap some people try floetrol pour medium water containers or cups to put the painting in  plastic under area to protect where you are working a tray to catch the paint I made a video of this process so here is the link. There are many youtube videos that show the steps as well. Step one:choose paint colours that complement each other Step two: put paint in a cup or a few cups depending on how you want to pur the paint on the canvas Step three: pour paint and tilt the canvas the way you want to  Step four: you can use a heat gun or hair dryer to help the cells ...

 Creative time with Watercolour painting on wood Yes you can paint water colour on wood! Who knew! Well not me. In the fall of last year, I was at Opus and saw a product that was a type of gesso you can put on wood allowing you to then water colour paint. Well that sounded intriguing to me so today I finally tried it out. Lucky for me, I have a carpenter husband who has wood around to cut for me. This made this project much easier. However it is easy to ask at the hardware store for small pieces of off cuts and use these. Once you have your wood you need to apply a coat of the special gesso on the wood surface and let it dry for 24 to 48 hours. I used a gesso by Daniel Smith called watercolour ground. You can buy it off amazon for $21.72 4 oz size or at Opus. Opus will also deliver.  Next, I painted with water colours.This is my portable set of watercolours, I like the selection of colours. You can get this at most art stores and opus. I take them with me when I go to the beac...

  It is a great time to get out and harvest those fresh herbs.   I have been harvesting Basil, Oregano and Mint to make some dry spices to use in the fall and winter.   First make sure they are completely dry.   Second you can either hand crush them or use a grinder.   Then voila you can add to your spice jars.   Easy peasy and so satisfying. Have fun harvesting and making your own dried spices and /or teas.

  I am back from a long long break.... Last year, my husband Dave renovated the studio for me. It was a big project that has changed my life. I feel like I have a serious space dedicated to being creative. It has so much storage, places to work and to display ideas and works in progress. It is also a wonderful space to share with family and friends as we can all create together.  This is one of my first paintings of the spring cherry blossoms in our yard.   I started painting my pets. This one is of Belle one of our cats.    I started painting nature. Last summer was my first summer of creativity that really got me inspired. I tried Acrylic pour painting and really enjoyed that process. First Acrylic pour. This acrylic pour I used some paper under to create textures.   This is a photo of having fun teaching and playing with acrylic pour with Dave and Rola. A messy but fun time! In the summer I had some fun with friends learning how to make Mandala Painted r...