Beet Stripes

Beet Stripes is a painting of one of yesterday's famous beets!  (Now cooked up in a pot of Borscht).  After washing the beet and placing it on a tea towel, I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots.  The folds of the stripped towel along the placement of the earthy beet inspired me.  Simple pleasures...

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9x12 oil on canvas (needs some drying time)

Plated Beets, by Canadian Artist Kim Blair

These 'Plated Beets' were a gift from a neighbour down our back alley.  She wanted to show me how huge her root vegetables grew after I mentioned to her (this past last spring) which days and times were best to plant them according to the Biodynamic Gardening calendar.  If you remember from my April 13, 2009 posting, called 'Roots', I wrote about the theory of planting by the phases of the moon....

These two beets are sitting on a large dinner plate...  The bag also contained one potato about ten inches long with approximately a ten inch circumference.  She informed me that her root vegetables have never grown to that size (she has been gardening for years).   Her whole family was amazed at the yield from her small garden plot.  She planted her root vegetables according to the dates I gave her for root veggies from the calendar.  If you decide to utilize this Biodynamic gardening calendar make sure you make time adjustments for the time zone you live in compared to the zone the calendar was written for.
Now is the time to order your calendar for next year.

I made Borscht with these two beets... they were delicious.

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9x12 oil on canvas

Distant Moon, by Canadian Artist Kim Blair

Distant Moon is one of those evenings where the moon is full but a bit hazy, casting an unusual glow on the prairie landscape.  Just you and the open road... going on for miles.
(This piece has a textured underpainting which creates unique mark making within the painting.)


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14x18 inches on 2 inch deep gallery profile canvas.

Mountain Pines, by Canadian Artist Kim Blair

As I was painting Mountain Pines I could almost smell the pine resin mixed with the warm earthy scent of moss and crushed pine needles baking in the sun.  Bits of grey paint were transformed into a rocky slope... showing off the long afternoon shadows.

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12x16 inches on 2 inch thick gallery profile canvas (needs some drying time)

Windy Shores

Walking along a shore when the wind is blowing and the white caps are rolling in really makes me feel alive!  Maybe it is the negative ions in the spray that create a pleasant invigorated mood...  I think it is a combination of that and the gorgeous view.
It's raining today here in Edmonton... enjoy soaking up all those good negative ions.

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12x9, oil on canvas (needs some drying time)

Hollyhock IV

It really is fun doing a series.  My hollyhock series was inspired by three collectors who emailed to tell me how much they enjoyed the first few hollyhock paintings (that sold asap) and asked if I planned on painting more...  It is always a pleasure hearing from subscribers about which pieces or subject matter they enjoy seeing, and when the suggestion works with my inspiration then that is the day(s) I will work on the chosen subject.
So, please email me and let me know if there is something you would like me to paint and I will add it to my inspiration list...
*(for those subscribers who has already done so please note that I have not forgotten your requests...)

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10x8 oil on canvas

Top View

The perspective used for this painting was a top view, so the title seems fitting. Little mini pumpkin gourds have character and substance. Wonderful curves and lines... and these plump orange cuties have extra long stems which attracted me to purchase them for my daily painting... very whimsical.

Happy Autumn.

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10x8, oil on canvas (needs some drying time)

Bistro Red

A different view of the vase of sunflowers from yesterday's posting. The deep reddish tone of the background next to the rich yellow hues of the sunflower petals exudes old world charm. A Bistro with the lights turned low, friends chatting over delicious culinary delights, people watching, enjoying the day and celebrating life.

NFS

12x9, oil on canvas

Parisian Yellow

Even though there is still snow outside my mind wants to think of fall colours. If it warms up this weekend, as is predicted, then perhaps we will see some autumn tones...

These sunflowers were starting to drop some of their petals, which made them look all the more appealing to paint. The rich, reddish hue of the backdrop creates the ambience of an old-world Parisian bistro, where you would see flower filled vases on the entrance table, bar and individual tables. The French really know how to create atmosphere!

Here is a painting to add a touch of European warmth and charm to your home...

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9x12, oil on canvas

Ruckle Woods

When hiking in Ruckle Park, on Salt Spring Island you get to enjoy various types of terrain and views. This was an enchanting little view down one of the many paths throughout the woods. The sunlight was creating dappled patterns of light on the trees and paths the day we were there, making you wish you could follow every leaf scattered trail you could find.

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10x8 oil on canvas (needs a bit more drying time)

Purple Magic

Another perspective of the magical lavender fields on Salt Spring Island. Long rounded rows of lavender isn't something you expect to see growing in Canada... I have two plants in my garden; one I have had for about 10 years and the other one I planted this past summer. Now I want to plant more... creating fragrant mounds of purple magic... puffy lavender pillows throughout my garden.

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 8x10 oil on canvas

Holly Red

I did a series of hollyhocks a few months ago... wispy paper thin petals with long bulbous centers clustered along the thick green stem. During my summer photo shoots I would discover them tucked away in a corner of a back alley... sometimes they stood tall and proud... sometimes they were bent over from a strong wind, and sometimes they were propped up against a fence or wall looking fragile... but still beautiful.

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10x8 oil on canvas

Lavender Fields

It is snowing here today in Edmonton... a dusting of white accumulating on the ground. I am not ready for winter.

All the more reason to post another landscape of the lavender fields we visited on Salt Spring Island. The sun was warming up this hill side of undulating lavender plants. The chubby mounds still had a dusting of purple flowers, creating an enchanting rolling rhythm of purple notes interspersed with green spaces... visual music. Some sequences of colour appeared to suggest an adagio and some an allegro. (Imagination helps...)

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8x10 oil on canvas (needs some drying time)

Casa Blancas, by Canadian Artist Kim Blair

I painted this larger piece a couple of months ago when I happened upon a spectacular bouquet of fresh casa blanca lilies. This variety of lily is very fragrant. A vase of them in your home makes quite the statement... elegant shapely blooms on long graceful stems accented by rusty orange anthers who's pollen tends to smudge the delicate white petals... acting like powdery blush creating a soft glow.

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22x28 inches on gallery profile canvas

Arbutus Ridge

Arbutus trees grow on the west coast of Canada, including the gulf Islands. This little painting is of a spot in Ruckle Provincial Park on the south east coast of Salt Spring Island. The park coast line juts in and out creating lovely little coves and rocky beaches, perfect for hiking and exploration. One tree that stands out along the coastal areas of the gulf Islands (and the mainland) is the hardy arbutus.

The dark outer bark of the Arbutus tree naturally peels away to reveal a papery inner layer of rusty red, which in turn also eventually peels here and there revealing a mossy lime green layer... interesting trees with extremely hard dense wood. A vibrant element amongst the tones of green and grey, the arbutus naturally becomes the center of attention...

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10x8 oil on canvas (needs some drying time)

Tide's Out

We stayed near Baker Beach on Salt Spring Island and walked this beach every morning when the tide was out. A large number of the beaches on Salt Spring are rocky, like this one... although we did discover a few sandy ones... each with their own beauty.

Lots of seaweed showed up on the rocks when the tide was out... fascinating to look at and feel!

I can still smell the salty ocean breeze and hear our foot steps crunching the stones and bits of shells as we meandered along... beach combing for treasures.

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9x12 oil on canvas (needs some drying time)

Rolling Lavender

Rolling lavender... these woody perennials are planted so that they grow into roundish mounds... soft spikes of blue and purple toned flowers reaching for the sun. Lavender sachets are wonderful tucked under your pillow at night to help calm the mind or placed in storage with your wool sweaters to dissuade moths. Many years ago nearly every cologne contained lavender oil, which may be why some people associate the scent with their grandmothers...

When we were in France (as I mentioned in yesterday's posting) we visited the Grasse region in Southern France, an area well known as the heart of the perfume industry. Luckily (?) my husband had a cold at the time and could not smell a thing (he dislikes strong fragrances), so we were able to visit the Fragonard Perfumerie and take the tour, plus visit the gift shop after the tour to purchase some products. It was a powerful experience for my nose. Actually 'The Nose' is what they call the person who sniffs all the scents in order to create the perfumes. This is a very important position in the perfume industry... one must be able to detect hundreds of unique scents in order to create numerous aromatic combinations that will appeal to the consumer.

That potential job was not listed on the 'career choice list' I looked at in high school...

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8x10 oil on canvas * yesterday's posting and today's posting would make a lovely set.