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Fields of Happy Thoughts

As I am looking toward the Art Walk on June 10-12, 2015, I decided to work on some small pieces based on my sketchbook work from my travels. This is one of those although my travel was only an hour and some Plein Air Painting...

I love the golden, yellow canola fields. It is such a happy, bright yellow, I feel a warm glow inside just looking at it with the bright greens on the edge. I was with a friend who lives out in Vegreville. We went driving until we spotted something interesting. And then, we would stop and get our our painting supplies and do a quick painting or sketch.  These three storage buildings in the middle of a field were not too far off the road with the field of canola stretching as far as I could see. Butterflies and bumblebees were flitting around the flowers. Glorious! 5 x 15 inches.

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:2

 

 

Harbor on Croatia's Coast

In 2013, my husband and I traveled to Croatia for a week. I have not painted as much of the harbors and Croatian coast as I have of the waterflal parks there. We took a day and drove the length of the coast all the way from where we were staying in the little village of Baska Voda to Dubrovnik. (about 4 hours down the coast.) It was a winding road with tiny red roof, white stucco villages dotting the coast with their harbors. The sea was filled with Islands. I knew it was called the Dalmation coast for its many islands. But seeing it was different. The tall hills (short mountains) on the islands reminded me of the Puget Sound in the Seattle area. I like the tall masts of a ship yard, standing like setinels. This miniature painting is only 3 x 7.5 inches. 

This is one of the paintings I will have in my booth at the Art Walk. You can fin me painting in my tent space on 105th Street between 82 Ave and 83 Ave.

 

On Friday, June 4th at 6:00 pm MST, I will be hosting a live show on my youtube channel to debut my new series on the Northern Lights. The Dancing Lights depicted within my paintings are based on the Aurora Borealis my daughter and I saw this past winter. To capture the essence of our experience that cold winter night I used frost painting techniques to give the images an ice-like look. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun experimenting with different techniques in my efforts to paint one of nature's most beautiful phenomenons.

Though I will only be going live on the Friday the 4th, you will still be able to watch my show after the fact on my youtube channel. I will also be posting a few short videos on some of the paintings, to give you a more thorough experience. Below is the link to the show itself or you can access it by going directly to youtube

This series has been a passion project of mine since February and I am excited to finally be able to share it with you!

To preview some of the paintings you will find them on the Store page under New Work: Frosty Northern Lights.

***Note*** If you would like to chat and ask questions during the Virual Art Show, you will need to have a gmail account and create a YouTube account for yourself.

Whyte Ave Art Walk 2016

I am looking forward to another Art Walk on Whyte Avenue. I will be joining the 450 artists who will also be showing and selling their art work. The variety of artists is amazing to see.

I will be on the closed off portion of 105 St again between 82 Ave and 83 Ave with my tan gazebo tent.  I plan on painting again - so stop by and watch a demo!

http://art-walk.ca/

artwalk2013 1

 

Beauty of the Coast Art Show

I invite you to the breathtaking beauty of the coast with its awe inspiring coast with its cliffs and expanses of ocean from the mists to the sunshine. I enjoy painting the details of the animal life and the wonder of the tide pools. I worked mostly in watercolor, but for some of the paintings I used my handmde paper to capture the texture and feel of the scene.

I have scheduled two days to go and do painting demonstrations there and answer and answer any questions people have of my art. Come Join me - I would welcome your visit!

Beauty of the Coast Art Show

July 1 - August 14, 2016

Blue Curve Gallery

Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital

 

Painting Demonstrations: July 13 and July 25 from 10 am to 2pm

 

Alberta Landscapes Art Show

Good news!!- The show has been liked so much it is has been extended into January, 2017.

I am excited to announce that 11 paintings in the Alberta Landscapes Series will be on display in the reception area of the Whyte Avenue Chiropractic & Wellness Centre through (originally Dec 2016) January.

The Centre is located: 8923 82 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB.

 

Out of the Chaos

This week I have been preparing for Deep Freeze Festival. This means deciding what to take to display in my little booth. I spend time looking for all the paintings I have finished and tucked away to mat later. There is a lot of decision making involved. I try to be efficient in so many ways, but for some reason deciding what to take to a show and how to mat and frame the painting feels more like a long, slow, grudging process. It is something I put off as long as possible - until the week before a show goes up. So, I spend time matting and framing my newest pieces. You would think this could be easy – yet I sift through all my mat boards to find the perfect mat that brings out the painting in just the right way. My art room becomes a disaster as I work. I find a painting I misplaced when I ran out of time matting for another show—and tucked it away with the mats. I don’t have time to get it all done myself. Do I ask my daughter to package the magnets? Out of all this chaos will come a neat and tidy show.

Mats for paintings at SheDrewIt Design

I don’t like being unorganized and indecisive when I wallow in the decision between a yellow ochre mat and a slate blue mat where both look and bring out completely different parts to a painting. But this, too, is part of the process of a painting. Really a painting isn’t complete until I show it and share it. It needs an audience to receive it and make comments on it. There is a part of me that goes into every painting. It can only tell its story if someone else sees it, lets it speak to them, even wrestle with or connect with it. At that point, I let the painting go. Henry Nouwen wrote, “Passion is a kind of waiting - waiting for what other people are going to do.”  As artists, our passion leads us to wait for the response from the audience, whether we are painters, musicians, playwrights, actors or dancers.

Come by my little space at the Artisan Market at the Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival, and take a look at my paintings and let them “speak to you.” I will be waiting to hear what you experience from noon to 6 pm both Saturday and Sunday.

Deep Freeze is on 118 Ave between 90 St and 94 St. A Family Festival with lots to do besides the art booths. The festival is on from noon to 10pm both Saturday and Sunday. The Artisan market is at 91 St and 118 Ave.

Textured Landscapes will be on the walls at the Carrot Coffee House on 118 Ave for the month of April, 2017! This is the first time I have showcased my paintings on handmade paper together. In the past, I have only showed one or two at a time with a themed show. 

Open: April 5, 2017

7-9pm

Location: 9351 – 118 Avenue
Edmonton, AB

 

Textured Landscapes: Paintings on Handmade Paper

From sweeping vistas to detailed florals as subject matter, I explored the versatility of my handmade paper and the mediums by which I could best capture them. Watercolor and mixed media on the handmade paper have a greater depth than other papers give.


The creation of specific pulps to create the texture or color I was trying to achieve is as much a part of the process as the painting itself, creating just one more layer in the process. I have experimented with different supports as well: Birch panels, watercolor paper and canvas. All of them adding a layer to the process.

Saturation-Above the Falls, Mixed Media on Handmade Paper and Canvas by Julie Drew

 

DEEP FREEZE: A BYZANTINE WINTER FESTIVAL Jan 13-14, 2018

Nina Haggerty Building

Gallery hours: Saturday and Sunday 12 - 6 pm

Artisan Market Hours: Saturday and Sunday 12 - 6 pm

"We are pleased to announce that the eleventh-annual Deep Freeze: Byzantine Winter Festival will be held on January 13 & 14, 2018 and will be situated along four closed blocks of Alberta (118) Avenue between 90 and 95 Streets.

The Deep Freeze Byzantine Winter Festival is a free family event that brings together Ukrainian, Franco-Albertan, Franco-African, Indigenous, and Acadian/East Coast communities to revel in the magic and beauty of winter. Come embrace our cold northern climate by melding artistic panache with authentic cultural and heritage winter games!

This year’s theme Into The Winter Grove will offer exciting opportunities for both patrons and artists creating unexpected experiences celebrating the community through its urban landscape and exceptional spaces." quoted from DeepFreezeFest.ca

To see this year's schedule: http://www.deepfreezefest.ca/schedule/

 

DF Eng Poster Web

 

23rd Annual Whyte Ave Art Walk

Thank you for coming out to see me!!

There weree 450 artists showcasing their artwork and demonstrating their skills.

 

 

When: July 6 - 8, 2018
Time: 10 am – 5 pm daily 
Where: The event is a grand promenade along Whyte Avenue (82 Avenue) from 101 Street to 108 Street. Artists will fill all the green spaces and several street closures, too. It's a long tour, so bring your walking shoes!

My Location: I have a new tent this year, a white one. I will be on 105 St, north of Whyte Ave again. As it is set up by our arrival, I won't know my exact place each day until I get there. I will post it on facebook.

I finished some new paintings which will be on display. I look forward to sharing them with you!