Mural Painting

Here's a mural I painted at a really cool company located in Dundas, Ontario, called Wilderness Medical. The company specializes in medical training in wilderness contexts. They wanted something to liven up their office space, so I took the mountain from the Wildnerness Medical logo and went from there. I really enjoyed working on the project and found about it through my next-door neighbour, a paramedic, who works for Wilderness Medical. Did I mention I have great neighbours?

Art is Work*

Here, at last, is an acrylic painting I started when I was expecting my second baby. That baby is now 14 months old. I was going to write something about how that gives an idea of how long this painting gestated for, but paintings don't gestate-- they sit in your studio space for extended periods of time, begging you to just forget about everything else and do some painting already! I think this painting turned out well enough. What I'm more excited about is that I made the time to do the work and was reminded of how enjoyable it is to paint with acrylics. That's the funny thing about painting; it is work, you're physically labouring at a task that's mentally demanding, but it's just so fun.

*props to the amazing Milton Glaser and his kick-butt book

Getting it Done

A little lino-cut inspired by a photo I took this summer (see below)

So the other day I did something that I haven't done in a while-- printmaking. Which got me thinking, I haven't written anything on my blog for quite some time either. I find when you haven't done something for a while, you start to spend more time thinking about doing the thing in question rather than just taking the time to do it. Not an especially effective strategy for getting done what you want to do. On the other hand, cancelling Netflix and having your free cable cut off by the guy who's fixing your phone is extraordinarily helpful for getting things done. Just saying.

Painting on Autopilot

I couldn't resist painting one more leaf. A couple of weeks ago I went for a walk and came home with a fistful of good looking leaves. It was a difficult process of elimination, but I had to make up my mind before all I had on hand was a dried up pile of leafy bits. Working on this watercolour turned into a kind of Zeno's paradox; I wanted to finish the painting but the more I looked at the leaf the more I had to keep painting. When this kind of thing happens and I feel myself getting too persnickety, I turn off whatever music I'm listening to and that helps switch off the painting autopilot so I can wrap it up.

Splendour in the Leaves

My favourite time of year is here. I love the fall, but it's just so short. Knowing it's brief is probably one of the things that makes me enjoy autumn all the more. All those bright and beautiful leaves will shortly blow away. Summer has its moments where you think it will never end. Fall, with its sharp breezes snapping at the sunshine, supplies no such illusions. And really, it's impossible to think of enjoying something beautiful and fleeting without thinking of newborns.

My baby is six weeks old and when I snuggle him in my arms, it's hard to imagine that he won't be so little for long. Trying to describe the wonder of an infant by just calling him 'little' is a wordsmithing injustice, but I'm too sleep deprived to put that feeling into words. Fall reminds me that each season and each stage has its particular splendour that needs to be savoured before it's gone. Which brings me to this watercolour painting: my tribute to fall.

As for the title in the bottom right, there's the obvious Canadian flag reference, but, while I worked on the painting, my patriotic tendencies were also helped along by listening to an interview with Paul Henderson on the 40th anniversary of the 1972 summit series win against Russia.

Just so you know

Woohoo! www.stephaniesikma.com is running smoothly.

Website Difficulties

The server for my website is experiencing some problems so my site, www.stephaniesikma, is not loading. I'm working to get this fixed, and in the meantime, my online portfolio can be viewed right here on my blog and also on my facebook page, Stephanie Sikma Illustration. I've been told my site should be back up in 12 -24 hours, so hopefully this inconvenience won't last long. My apologies if you've been trying to access my website.

I'm frustrated with this technical difficulty, so to counteract that feeling here's a photograph of my beautiful boys that makes me smile and think of the finer things in life...

Colourful Times

This week I went ahead and splurged a little bit. I bought tickets for the harvest picnic festival. I debated with myself on the wisdom of buying relatively pricey tickets for a show that is Sept 1, less than two weeks after my baby's due date of Aug 20, but the prospect of seeing Feist and whole bunch of other great performers in a park setting was too much to resist. And perhaps this is fool hardy thinking, but Clarence came a week early so maybe baby #2 will do the same. Alright, so that is completely fool hardy thinking and I'll just see how it goes.

I took a little trip down to Locke Street and purchased the tickets from Pics and Sticks, which saved me the inflated handling fees of ordering them from ticketmaster. Naturally, I used some of that savings to get a treat from Bitten, a bakery that's also on Locke. Uch, so yummy. The cupcakes were delicious and also the whole store has a really fun look which is demonstrated by the box we took the cupcakes home in. From the time we left the bakery to when we arrived home, Clarence held on to the bright green Bitten box with great delight. Sure he knew there were cupcakes inside, but that's also the power of colour.

There are many ideas about colour, its meaning and psychological effect, and whenever I come across some show or article about colour, I usually can't help but check it out. Not long ago, a CBC radio show that kept me company while I was doing some watercolour painting was Ideas with Paul Kennedy. The show did a three part series entitled The Power of Colour. If you have the time and opportunity, it's an interesting listen.

The Dapper Dog

photo by afterglow images

     

  

Ginsberg, watercolour, 11 x 14

Here's a painting that confirms my long held belief that everybody looks good in polka-dots. This watercolour pet portrait was commissioned as a wedding gift for a couple who had their engagement photos done by the photography studio, afterglow images. Fortunately for me, I was able to use one of those engagement shoot photos as my source material, so I had a wonderful image to work from. In addition to the pleasure of painting, the gratifying thing about creating commissioned work is knowing that the work is going to be enjoyed by its recipient(s), and I've heard that this piece was very well received by the happy couple. Booya.

Before I started this painting, I thought, "hmm, I should buy some masking fluid, draw in the polkadots and mask them off," but then I started painting and, whamo, there I was, free handing polka-dots. I confess to being afraid of masking fluid. What if it doesn't come off the paper without causing some kind of damage? In case you're unfamiliar with this particular art supply, masking fluid is a substance you apply to a section of watercolour paper that you want to stay white. Once the fluid is dry, you can put washes of colour over top of it and the paper underneath it stays white, which saves you from having to painstakingly paint around areas that are meant to stay light. When you're done painting over the dried masking fluid, you erase it off, exposing the unpainted paper underneath. I should really get a bottle of the stuff and experiment with using it. But in the meantime, if you've used it before, fill me in on your experiences with masking fluid: is it super amazing wonderful? or does it haunt your dreams in a bad way?

Hands on Auction

Bluejay in Summer, watercolour,
framed in a dark wood that's hard to see against the background

The other day I was photographing this framed watercolour painting, just before bringing it to the Dundas Valley School of Art to be part of the DVSA 42nd Anniversary Art Auction. In the last shot I took, my little boy put his hand over top of the painting. As he placed his hand on the glass, Clarence said, "I'm going to stop the bird from flying away."  Uch, too cute. And if the bidding at the auction gets opened up to include paying in Lego, Clarence really could stop this blue jay from flying away to a new home.

Come to think of it, this hand on painting photo makes me think of last year when I was also photographing a piece that went to the DVSA Art Auction, and Clarence wanted to touch the bunny rabbit.  And now that has me thinking about the time I was at an art gallery in Washington, D.C. (I can't remember which one because I was very young), and one of my two older brothers dared the other one to touch a VanGogh painting. The dare was followed through on but I don't think the result was as exciting as either one of them had hoped.

Larf Love

I've been meaning to share a recommendation for a great new children's book called Larf. My official assessment is: "I give it a gazillion thumbs up." The illustrations are beautiful and fun, making them the perfect accompaniment to the narrative which is both whimsical and thoughtful. My little fella Clarence is also a fan. "Want to read Larf," is a clear sign of unequivocal 2.5-year-old endorsement. I won't tell you too much about the book, but you should know that  Larf is a sasquatch, or as he's also described, "a hairy, seven-foot-tall, scarf-sporting manbeast..."  Awesome.

And you know what else is great? I went to Sheridan with Ashley Spires, the author of Larf and a number of other superb children's books, and she's great! I'm a completely reliable source on this because, as you can see, I have Quill & Quire to back me up and they're no slouches. Ashley dedicated Larf to her former classmates in the postgraduate Illustration program at Sheridan, something which makes me feel pretty darn special, especially give that Larf is a very special book.

For information about what other's have to say about my favourite manbeast, click here

Orchid Instructions

Orchid, waterolour, 5.5 x 7.5 inches

  

There's a wonderful purple orchid blooming in my studio right now, and it's a pretty irresistible subject for a painting. I don't think I have my orchid care quite right because the first flower comes out well before the rest of the stem has finished producing buds, but the effect is still lovely. There is so much detail and wonder in one orchid flower that if the plant had given me numerous blossoms to paint at once, I think this painting would have taken me a ridiculously long time. There is also a delight in seeing the flowers in their various stages of development simultaneously. It's a reminder that as much as it would be nice to sometimes just get to the end result that you want, it's the process that makes everything possible.

New Beginnings

A new-to-me drawing table, monitor and computer chair 

 

One of the things that I most love about the city of Hamilton are the kind and helpful people. Above, are pictures of my newly improved studio space which feature the drafting table that I had given to me by someone I met at the Christmas Makers' Market last year on James Street. Bruce was the father of one of the other vendors and after spending some time at my table, he asked if I would have use for a large, antique drafting table that once belonged to an architect. Um, yes, please. He and his wife were moving and Bruce liked the idea of clearing out the drawing table to someone who would get good use from it. So Bruce, if you happen to see this blurb of mine, thank you again! The table is awesome. Its adjustable height has relieved some strain in my shoulders and neck and I love what a huge surface it has.

I couldn't resist including a shot of what the other half my studio room looks like. A plastic partition separates "mommy's art space" (Clarence's term, not mine), from Clarence's play room. We both get to enjoy the sunlight and watch the birds, while also enjoying each other's company. It's a pretty sweet set up, I must say. Admittedly I haven't been doing as much work in my studio in the last three months, including posting new things here, but I have a pretty solid excuse-- nausea and exhaustion. Yup, I'm pregnant. Woohoo! The baby is due August 20th so I still have plenty of painting time before then. These days I'm feeling more energetic and less sick, so I'm looking forward to sharing new work in the months ahead.

Mysterious Beagle

The most recent pet painting I finished was done from a blurry old photograph of a beagle named Cleo. This beloved family pet lived long before the time of digital cameras and so there was only one photo for me to work from. When I looked at other beagle images to gather a little more visual information, I couldn't find a single beagle who looked anything like Cleo. When the watercolour was completed and delivered to its happy new owner, I found out the reason I couldn't find any similar beagle examples is that Cleo was diabetic. Mystery solved!

Now that the Christmas holidays are in full swing, I'm enjoying some relaxation that doesn't involve painting, but starting to feel restless to start something new. I think a trip to the art supply store is due. My birthday is on Thursday and I may just treat myself to some new supplies.

From Start to Finish

watercolour, 8 x 10

Earlier I wrote about a very regal looking dog whose portrait I was painting for a very nice lady I met at the St. Paul's Market in Dundas. I finished the painting on Monday and on the right is the final result. This dog is so stately. As I was working on the watercolour painting, I imagined the dog thinking to herself, "well, I suppose you can paint my portrait, if you like."

I've included the photograph that I worked from, as well as the preliminary sketches that brought me to the finished painting. I love seeing artist's process work so I thought I'd show this painting from start to finish.

Christmas Makers' Market!

Tomorrow there's a Christmas Makers' Market happening in Westdale, Hamilton. I'm going to be a part of it. Here are the deets:  

Holiday Edition of the Makers' Market
November 26, 2011 at St.Paul's Anglican Church, 1140 King Street West, Hamilton 
from 10am - 4pm

Items as original as the person you are gifting them to:

original art, stationery, jewellery, toys, clothing, knitted goods, accessories, bath and beauty products and 

homemade baked goods.

Free admission. For more info: www.makersmarket.ca 

email themakersmarket@gmail.com or call 905-527-1316

Rib-bit Rib-bit

These two froggy fellows were commissioned for a little boy's bedroom and I have it on good authority that they're a hit with the little mister. This was such a fun project. There's nothing like overcoming the greyness of November days with saturated hues of  watercolour.

Alrighty, I should head to bed. Yesterday's indication that I need to get some more zzzzs came in the late afternoon, that's when I noticed I was wearing mismatching earrings!

Christmas Gift and Vendor Fair

     

It’s starting to feel like that time of year again...like Christmas is on its way. This feeling is partly attributable to the fact that there was a bit of snow this past week, but other reason is that I’m doing my first Christmas Market of the season today. If you’re in the neighbourhood, come check out Providence Church at 582 Southcote Road from 9AM -12PM this morning. There’s going to be free coffee and a boat load of vendors (over 15). 

The Regal Canine

 Yesterday I did some preliminary work for a dog portrait. I like to start with doing some rough sketches of different poses so that's the story behind these drawings. I'm working from photographs, and man, does this dog photograph well. She looks so dignified. There's something kind of regal about this animal.

Today I wanted to get done a little watercolour sketch, which is the next step before I start on the final painting, but I just don't have it in me tonight. I fell asleep listening to my husband reading bedtime stories to our son. Curious George really numbs the senses. The other reason for my grogginess was today's unexpected supply teaching. I do enjoy the occasional classroom experience but tomorrow I plan on sleeping in!

Framed (and loving it)

I found a frame for my orange leaf watercolour painting and, as it happens, came across a frame that I thought would be nice for a giclee of my blue jay printing. Since doing two leaf paintings last month, I can't seem to walk across my driveway without seeing a leaf I want to paint. I think I'll do one more watercolour of a leaf as my farewell to fall. Without looking at the calender, I know fall is on its way out because today it was cold enough outside to make me wear my puffy, feather-filled winter coat. Gulp!

These two will be for sale at a Christmas Market I'm doing which is Nov 19 in Hamilton. More on that to come!