Here are a few new little works that I completed recently. The following two images below are 16 x 16”
They are all from one of my favorite places to kayak, Smugglers Cove.
I have sat under this Arbutus tree many times and simply floated and listened to the birds.
The four paintings below are all 12 x 12" and are also from Smugglers Cove as well.
Taking a Step Back to Remember 36x60”
Over the past two years, since I met my husband, I haven’t painted very much… During this time, I realized how much of my painting came from a place of misery and need to escape certain aspects of my life…
I was't concerned though, I've always been a super creative person, so I knew the desire to paint, and learning how to paint from a good place would come back... It was just a matter of allowing myself to figure it all out. Actually, I didn't really figure anything out, I just allowed itself to do it's own thing in my heart, body, mind and soul. The body has am amazing way of healing itself… I did yoga nidra, breathwork to release, Kirtan to sing my heart out. Countless hikes in the woods and jumps in the lake… I fed my soul!
During this two year period, I did paint a few paintings, not as many as I did in the past, and I probably won’t be as prolific as I used to be because I don’t need to escape, but the paintings I did paint were laboured, they didn’t flow the way they used to…
My process is simple really, If I don’t feel it, I can’t do it in the flow of life… And you can tell when you look at the painting… I need to be open, clear and in flow, which starts with visualization and desire…
This piece, that I have painted, “Taking a Step Back to Remember” , came with ease, composition, which was always a dread for me came easy, painting was like buttering bread and everything flowed just the way I want it to... It feels good. Very good.
These totems are in the Museum of Anthropology at UBC in Vancouver. They stand together, one in front of the other… They are stunning and old and beautiful and I knew as soon as I saw them years ago, that I would paint them. I thank them for being such beautiful subjects and I thank the original carvers Way back when, when they were carved for creating such beauty.
This painting can be seen in my gallery during the art crawl October 18, 19 and 20th. The gallery will be closed before then. See you here, then.
To see this, pop by the gallery in Halfmoon Bay, during the Art Crawl, which is October 18,19, and 20th, I will be closed for the month before the crawl.
36x48”
I recently completed this beautiful totem, which I titled “Between Now and Eternity” It is 36x48” and is currently in my gallery in Halfmoon Bay, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia.
Sometimes I get asked about my totem paintings, they ask me if it's OK for a while woman such as myself to be painting totems. I am always open to a conversation to discuss this.
Whenever possible, I speak to the carver of the totem first before I start to paint a piece. I have never had a negative response, I have always had lovely conversations with the carvers, including hearing stories about the totems, I have even been told by some carvers that I can paint their totems any time. I am overjoyed to honour the carver and the totem; they are tribute pieces.
How a person feels really depends on where they are at in their journey in life. I have received many blessings and encouragement from First Nations People about my paintings. And I am happy to continue to honour them and pay tribute to them.
This particular totem was carved for the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, and stood outside the Aboriginal Pavilion.
My heart broke when we were travelling through India, many people use elephants as “work elephants” They are abused and often neglected, and the process to “CRUSH” their spirit, after being ripped from the wild is truly heart breaking.
I feel helpless, and at the same time I want to do so much for them…
The only thing I know, is to paint, and hopefully bring some awareness…
Dear Travellers, when you travel, please do so consciously. Do not support tourist elephant riding. Common places where elephant riding in popular is, India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Africa. And these are only the countries I am aware of.
Below is a painting I created from the rawness of my emotion:
Natures Gold 24x36"
I think I've been missing spring and summer, it's not that it has been a particularly cold or rainy winter, or has it...? But I miss flowers and kayaking when it's not super cold... So what do I do? I paint where I want to be.
Last spring I took a walk along Francis Point Peninsula, it was a lucky day, the light pink wild flowers were out, I knew immediately I would want to paint them. Snapped lots of pictures, and now, that it's cold, rainy and freezing, the time came. And here they are.
Liking the Lichen 24x36"
Poppies are on my mind, nice bright happy flowers... The image below was from one of my kayaking journeys, the sky was so blue, the tree was leaning out, and there was actually a deer walking down the hill eating grass and leaves. It was a memorable day, and now even more memorable with the painting.
Beyond the Poppies 24x36"
Orca Chief 36x48"
This is one of those pieces that blows me away, sometimes I look at the pieces and think, "Did I paint this?" I actually did!
This totem, entitled, "Owl Spirit" was carved by Tom Lafortune, from Tsawout First Nation of the WSANEC (Saanich) People.
This particular section of the totem represents the Orca Clan regalia at the bottom of the pole.
The story of the Orca Chief goes like this:
It is a story of four hunters who head out on a canoe to harvest seaweed and salmon. Because they were tired and lazy, they threw their anchor overboard without thinking about how it could damage the sea floor or marine life.
When the Orca Chief found out what the hunters did, he sent up his most powerful orca warriors to bring the men back to his house. The warriors circled around and around the hunters' canoe until a whirlpool was formed, and the men were sucked down into the Orca Chief's house.
The men apologized for their disrespect. The compassionate Orca Chief then sent the hunters off with his warriors so they could learn how to sustainably harvest the ocean's resources before they went home.
Roy Vickers says Orca Chief is just one of the many northwest coast legends that has layers and layers of learning.
"At the core of the teaching is love and respect for all," he said.
"When the men humbled themselves and were sorry, there was justice served, and the justice was those men were taught a better way to live."
***
I have put myself in the photo in order for you to see just how large it is.
Quite hauntingly beautiful isn't it?
Feel free to share.
I recently delivered this commission to the Bernaerdt's! They had come to my gallery several times to find the perfect totem for their space. After taking a few paintings over to their house and seeing how they looked, they decided on a custom piece larger than any I had done before.
This original is 48x66" and fills the spot perfectly. Darren painted the wall the day before I arrived and we were all extremely pleased at how wonderful it looked.
Congratulations on a great new painting in your home.
Now I shouldn't be intimidated to paint a piece quite as large again. In fact, I was a little nervous about screwing up, so I custom ordered two canvasses this size, I guess I'm getting ready to do another biggie. Woo Hoo!
My beautiful Saint Bernard, Orion was recently diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, he was limping badly and eventually didn't put any weight on his leg. I took him in for x-rays and was horrified to discover he had a tumor on his leg bone and that the actual bone broke. I was not expecting this. I thought I would have him and his unconditional love for years to come. It was not meant to be.
We took four days to be with him and say good bye. In this time period I spent every moment I could with him. The rest of life didn't matter. After the four days we had to let him go, we didn't want him to suffer like his siblings and mother had suffered before him. We loved him too much to do that to him
I've been asked several times how I am, and the real answer is, I don't know. And I'm Ok with that. I don't know how I feel, about a lot of things actually. And I believe there's freedom in not knowing.
This is what I'm experiencing. The last four days of his life, the time between diagnoses and the actual death was a time for me to be 100% present with him. I barely left his side. I lay with him about 22 hours out of the day, I just wanted to be with him and experience the last bit of who he was, and he was wonderful.
The actual passing wasn't pleasant, he didn't want to go, I could feel it; he would have stayed with me forever and suffered if he could have, because he knew I wanted him there.
In the days since his death and physical departure of my life, I've had a lot of realizations: For about four years now, I've been like a mother waiting and listening for her baby to cry out, my body has been in a state of tension, and I wasn't even aware of it until he was gone. I suddenly realized I'm so tense, and I'm waiting for something, my ears are open and I'm waiting for him to call me. I was on guard for him. Listening, always listening. And i would drop whatever I was doing and run to him...
I realize how often he gave me an opportunity to take pause in my day and have a cuddle. I miss that.
I walk by his room, expecting him to lift his head and acknowledge me, and beckon me with his eyes for a snuggle. I haven't cleaned out his room yet. There's really no hurry. But I have removed two of his beds in the house, and I noticed how I still step over these beds that aren't there any more...
I've been living, being present in what is right now. I realize how I used to stop myself from accepting invitations, and when I was out, i was always in a state of tension because I was concerned he would need me and I needed to get home. We had a very codependant relationship. It was all love.
I know he's around. One day, I was working in the kitchen, and I heard this tap tap tapping, I couldn't figure it out. It was his cooling coat, draped over the dutch door, the plastic buckle on the strap hitting the door in the wind. Later the door slammed shut several times. I even put stuff in front of the door to keep it open, and it still slammed shut!
I'm not moping. I feel a sense of relief for him, and for me. Brian pointed out, he had probably suffered for four years, after four years of surgeries. So I feel relief for him, that he doesn't have to have pain in his legs anymore. Then Brian said, "You know, you've been carrying him around for four years." Which I did. Every time he had a surgery, I would put the sling on him and we'd go out for pees and poos and whatever else he wanted... So we are both free from that. And I have to be really conscious of not feeling guilty for feeling free or relief, becasue it really is for both of us..
Orion was everything to me. And I miss him. But I'm happy he's relieved from pain.
I love you monkey, thanks for sending me all the signs. I've been looking for you in them.
This was our last photo together. He lay his head on him. We will be together forever in spirit and soul.
Reach for the Sky
Recently I went up a logging road to check out some bee hives that had been put there for Fire Weed season. The hives are enclosed in electric fence in order to stop bears from getting at them and eating the honey and bee larva.
The scenery was beautiful, even though it was a clear cut filled with reforestation and fire weed. Several trees were left standing tall, while the majority had been cut for logging purposes; we looked down the mountain side to the blue layers of trees and hills. The horizon and islands in the distance.
Bee Hives with a great view, inside an electric fence...
The area was teaming with life, the silence was broken with the sound of singing birds. It was truly breath taking. I could have stayed up there for hours, just to "be". The painting "Reaching for the Sky" came from this day up the mountain.
These birds are checking us out
Guess what Ladies and Gents!
It was that time of year again that I had my annual art show at the Seaside Centre in Sechelt. June 11th and 12th, from 10-5, both days; I had every stitch of my art showing - old paintings, new paintings, drawings, my little art blocks, greeting cards and prints. You name it, it was there.
The Seaside Centre is a beautifully built wooden structure, right in the middle of Sechelt, people were coming in all day; and I was able to talk to most of them. I also did some finger painting demonstrating...
In the foreground you can see two paintings: The Eagle totem is called, "Illumination of Spirit" and the Arbutus painting is "Into the Storm" from Francis Peninsula. What a place, if you're an able bodied human, you MUST go and take a walk there.
Thank you to everyone who came and checked out the show. We will do it all over again next year in June. Stay tuned!
Looking Up 24x36"
May and June: The start of the flowering season in my garden. Some people think Foxgloves are weeds, but a weed is only a weed if a person thinks it is. I absolutely LOVE foxgloves. Being a bee keeper as well, I have to have plants in my garden that feed my bees, and it's lovely to hear the buzz buzz buzzing of of the bees up in the flowers.
Orion agrees, Foxgloves are pretty, but if you're a dog or a curious person, don't eat them, they're poisonous! This is one of the most beautiful places that we like to walk early in the mornings, foxgloves all along the sides of the trails, daisies and tall grass along the path. We've seen owls and bear and deer and even elk here! Orion is 8 years old now, I rescued his mother 8 years ago, and within three weeks, she gave birth to fourteen puppies. He is the last of the St. Bernards that I kept from the litter. My beautiful cuddle boy.
"The Chief Maker and the Frog" 24x36"
Carved by Calvin Hunt of Port Hardy
This totem is located in Duncan BC. Another inspiration from my trip to Vancouver Island last September.
This totem is carved in the traditional Kwakwaka'wakw style and the back is more Coast Salish.
The Chief Maker is at the bottom of the pole, this is what has been painted, this is to honor the women of the community.
The pole is about honoring the five original tribes, having a representative at the dedication, in the ceremony which is represented by five salmon on the pole, (not depicted on my painting) Everything was about blessing the day with the chosen dances and songs.
The original and prints are available of this image. Please contact me for further details.
September 2015, I took a little trip to Vancouver Island, the purpose was to go Grizzly viewingup the Bute Inlet from Campbell River. Since we were going to the Island, we were told to go to Duncan, City of the Totems. Needless to say, with dozens of totems, I was in my element. This is one of the new pieces I created from the trip.
"Sh'siem Chief of the Killer Whale"
24x36"
Carved by Tom Lafortune of Saanich, located in Duncan, British Columbia. This pole was designed out of the respect he has for his mother. His family always believed they were owl spirit, and the chief, as shown in this painting, has the killer whale regalia.
I love the 3D effect of this painting. The strength it carries with it. It truly is like no totem I have ever seen.
Below is one of the photos I took from our Bear trip up the Bute Inlet. A sub adult female, who was gingerly fishing along the river, isn't she beautiful? In this photo, she was sniffing the air, sniffing the strangers watching her.
Standing by my painting "Cedar Man Walking out of the Log" This painting is 36x48"
In September, I took a little trip up to Duncan, BC, The City of Totems. I thought I would dehydrate from all the salivating I was doing, when I saw the totems.
One of my favorites was "Cedar Man Walking out of the Log" This is the worlds widest totem pole, measured in 1.8m or 5'11" Amazing! The original tree was over 750 years old (Makes me cry to think that a tree that old would be cut down, but at least it went to art and culture and not 2x4's) MacMillan Bloedel donated the tree to the city, and on the back of the totem, planks were removed to make First Nations houses.
The totem is carved by Richard Hunt, and the design came from his family pole that honored Mungo Martin, a Kwagu'l master carver. The top of the log was left natural so people could see the size of the log - this forms the hairline of the Cedar Man. On the chest is a copper shield, which represents wealth in Kwagu'l families. The skirt represents the traditionally worn cedar bark skirt. The talking stick has a representation of all family crests: The top is the Kulus (Baby Thunderbird) which represents Richard dancing the tamed Hamasta, (a high ranking dance in Kwagu'l culture); the Killer Whale in the middle represents spirits of our Great Chiefs; and the Man on the bottom represents a Kwagu'l family member.
I was moved and inspired to paint this amazing totem/ Thank you Richard Hunt!
You can see the scale of the totem compared to my size. This is definitely the widest totem I've ever seen. I love it! Thank you Richard for carving a masterpiece!
"Leaning into the Storm", 36x48"
Several weeks ago, I went for an amazing walk to Francis Point Peninsula with my good friend Jackie. We were walking along the rocks, above the oceans edge, and just when we thought the walk was over, we stumbled across this RIDICULOUSLY insane and beautiful Arbutus Grove.
I've never seen Arbutus trees like this, they must have been hundreds of years old... And the interesting thing is, they were facing into the ocean, into a pending storm, unlike any other tree. Other trees have a tendency to be blown and swayed by the wind and bend, shaping itself with the wind, not lean into it, like these ones...
This painting is 36x48" and is available; it can be seen at my Gallery in Halfmoon Bay. Feel free to contact me if you'd like a closer look.