This week it appears I was exposed to the dreaded Covid virus. After being extremely careful for over 2 years, I spent Monday afternoon with a friend at an art group. Only the two of us showed up, which is unusual, but the weather was probably to blame. Turns out that was a good thing! My friend had been feeling unwell but had taken a Covid test and it was negative, so she understandably felt it was safe to attend our group. To her credit, she told me about it as soon as I got there. Thankfully we have plenty of room to sit well apart, and we wear our masks most of the time. Most of the time. I got a message from her Wednesday morning telling me she had taken 2 more tests and they were unfortunately positive. Thankfully I got the message before I went to another, larger, art group I normally attend Wednesday mornings, so I stayed home. I got my wonderful husband to go out to get us some tests at the pharmacy, and we wait. We wait for symptoms. Thankfully we are both triple vaccinated, so if we do get it, it most likely will not be severe. I say "we", because although we are being extra careful, I can’t realistically see how I could get it and he wouldn’t, but we can hope! My daughter on the weekend revealed how getting Covid in January was actually a relief to them (all 4 family members got it at the same time). It significantly reduced the stress they had been under for the last 2 years, trying to avoid the virus. Their symptoms were uncomfortable for at most a day or two, but remained mild to very mild. That is comforting, I guess. We will have to miss the funeral of a dear aunt who died last week, and that is sad. We rarely get to see extended family, so I am sorry to have to miss that, but I would be even sorrier to spread the infection. So as I wait, I can paint. And that, to paraphrase Martha Stewart, is always a good thing.
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With all the terrible things happening in the world, I think you will agree that it’s difficult to stay positive. I was talking to a friend this week who is having trouble sleeping and just functioning because she worries so much about the future of the world. I certainly have to agree that the future has been brighter, but suggested that she concentrate on things over which she had some control, and hope that smart people are doing the same over the bigger things! This led me to realize how lucky we are to live in Canada. While no country is perfect, (no, not even you USA) we are indeed lucky to be in a country where the biggest complaints, or at least those that mobilize a large number of people, are the “dictatorial” public health measures forcing people to wear masks, and where the people protesting these measures are tolerated for three long weeks, even though their behavior is disruptive and at times borderline criminal, before anything is done to put an end to their protests. Where people complain about the high taxes, but don’t ever have to worry about getting a bill if they have to see a doctor, get an X-ray or be hospitalized. Where the only attacks you have to worry about daily are from people on Facebook who have nothing better to do with their day. Where retired people are not asked to volunteer to defend their town or country, to make Molotov cocktails or carry an automatic rifle at all times. Where you can dream of your next vacation, not wonder if you will be able to stay in your home much longer. Where most people have never heard an air raid siren. Where people worry about the crazy increases in the cost of housing, but don’t have to worry about their home being shelled out of existence. Where a “shelter” is something for the homeless or animals, not a place to hide during a bombing attack. Where the weather might be crappy for too many months of the year, but the worst that can fall on us is freezing rain. Where, although they sometimes may not want to, all children, boys and girls, can attend primary and secondary school for free. Where people can disagree politically without, most times anyway, becoming aggressive about it. Where you never hear the expression “Canadian Oligarch” There are exceptions of course. There is work to do to fix unacceptable situations across the country, both from the past and in the present. There are crooks, fanatics, and unbalanced people everywhere, and the events of the past few years have given some of them a chance to “shine”. Many conspiracy theories fall on fertile ground! But it is not the majority. No matter what some think of the recent “coalition” between opposing parties in Ottawa, it is still a democracy. We will still get a chance to complain all we want without fear of "disappearing", and we can express ourselves freely at the next election and “kick the bums out” if we aren’t happy with what they did while in office. Aren’t we lucky? Did I miss anything? What are you grateful for? Express yourself in the comments! In the past few weeks, a lot of the art groups that I belong to have been slowly coming out of the long hibernation imposed by Covid-19. In-person shows are coming back, and most people are “raring to go”! This of course means “getting off one’s can” and getting to work to prepare for all these shows! Although I am excited at the prospect of again showing my art in person, I am finding it difficult to get organized. After so many months without a schedule, I am finding it hard to let go of the “fun but unimportant” things I have come to rely on to fill my days. Perhaps using my blog today to make a to-do list would be the best use of my time. It’s something I have to do anyway, and I hear that sharing things makes you more accountable for them. These are not all things that have to be completed today, thankfully, but within the next month, most with fixed deadlines. So here goes, more or less in order of priority:
I am sure I will find more things to add to the list as the day goes on, but that’s a good start. So I had better get started! Thanks for reading! Last week I learned that I had been chosen to have a feature wall at an upcoming show of an art group to which I belong. Artists usually have only one art piece in these group shows, but this time I will get a whole wall all to myself! I would like to believe that it is based on merit, but I was actually chosen out of names in a hat! That’s still fine with me, as I know that there were over 20 names in the hat for only 6 spots during the year! Thrilled as I am to get this great opportunity to display my work, now I have to decide what the exhibition will be! Basically, I have to become my own curator! I asked the organizer for guidelines and there are very few. Basically, if it fits on the wall, then fine! So I have to decide what to show. Usually, a show has a theme to follow, or rules such as “Black and white only” but in this case, I have to make up the rules. Not as easy as it sounds! So I thought that talking about the problem here would be a good idea. As I have mentioned before, blogging has the advantage of forcing me to stop and think out, or actually write out, my thoughts on a subject. Plus, I can ask you to comment with your suggestions! I don’t really have time to paint much new art for this show, so I don’t think I will go that route. But I will need some new work for a weekend art show this summer, so that might actually be a good idea. As far as themes go, I don’t really paint specific subjects such as flowers or portraits. I paint what I like, usually from photographs that caught my eye, often because of sharp contrasts of light and shadows, or a unique point of view. Maybe that could be the theme…. “Points of View”. I have several pieces that would fit that description! Another option is to show variety. I paint mostly in watercolor, but I also have done a few oil paintings. A few of my watercolor paintings were done using a little-known technique that produces spectacular results: pouring. Perhaps I could show 2 regular watercolors, 2 poured, and 2 oil, to show my range? I also have to do a 1-hour talk about my work, so that could be an interesting subject, maybe even a demo. Another route I could take is the ACEO/Artist Trading Cards. I have been trying to popularize them in the area, and this could be the perfect opportunity! I would have to paint some new ACEOs for the show, around a theme if possible, but these are much quicker to paint than a full-size painting, so that is definitely a possibility! Because they are little known, this would be original and might generate the attention that I would like to get, maybe even a write-up in a local paper! Plus this would be the best fit to my current tagline of “Connecting people through the magic of original art”! Because ATCs are free (traded) and ACEOs are very affordable, it is very easy for people to actually own original art! I have made a list of over a dozen full-sized paintings that I could show. From these, I must select a half dozen or so, depending on how many will fit on the wall. But I could also have a few regular-size paintings and mostly ACEOs/ATCs. And my talk could be part history (it is the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Artist Trading Card in May 2022!) and part creation/trading! The more I think(write) about this the better I like the idea! I had already written a proposal last fall to a local art center to have such a display/workshop, so some of the work is done. I need to give this more thought, but I am really liking the idea and how it fits into my overall goals. Once again, the blog has worked its magic! Thank you for reading, and please, leave a comment below with your ideas or thoughts on the topic! You may recall that I am currently taking an online course on composition. This is week 4 and I am beginning to remember why I don’t like taking courses! People who know me would certainly agree that I am strong willed. People who know me well would even say I am pig-headed. I include myself in those. I do not like to be told what to do, unless I am also told the reason why. And even then, I resist. In this case, we have been taught to represent things in an image as "masses" rather than individual items. The idea is that most images, especially landscapes, contain way too much information to make an interesting painting, and learning to see masses is a way to simplify an image to build a better painting. So far, so good. But this week we are learning how to guide the viewer’s eye where we want it to go, by changing some of the lightness or darkness of some of the items in the image to create a center of interest. Again, good, makes sense. Where I start to resist is that I don’t agree with what the teacher is saying about how what he has done in his example guides the eye. I literally don’t see it. I don’t seem to be the only one resisting because I have seen some comments to that effect from other participants. That is comforting to a certain extent. Another thing that is adding to my resistance is that I really don’t like the images that we are asked to work with. I don't generally paint landscapes unless there is something very inspiring about them. And these don’t inspire me one bit! They are photos that were taken by the teacher on a trip, and he knows that the road bends behind those bushes because he has been there. But I wasn’t, and I have no attachment to this image. This is actually a good thing when I think of it, because it alerts me as to how viewers of my paintings could react, or not react, when they have no emotional attachment to the image itself. I must remember this for future paintings! I am not a quitter, but right now I am not enjoying the course at all, and I did consider stopping the course now, and simply take away what I have learned so far. I would like to start some paintings, but this course is taking up too much of my time for that right now and stressing me out. But then I remembered I read or saw somewhere that when you are feeling uncomfortable with new things, that could be a sign that a breakthrough is near. So I plod on! Next week I believe we will be using our own images, so maybe that will help. Wish me luck! P.S. Here is an article on learning and discomfort: https://www.fastcompany.com/40560075/no-pain-no-brain-gain-why-learning-demands-a-little-discomfort |
AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
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