Pen and Ink Drawing, Shades of Grey, Kim Blair

Shades of Grey

6x9 pen and ink on wc paper

Sunflowers have many lives.  From summer buds, to sunny golden edged blooms, to dried seed heads... each stage has its own beauty, and it is the dried seed heads that intrigue me the most.

Sure, I love bright colors, but the nuances of grey in this pen and ink piece speak volumes about the life this flower has led.  Her back and neck are bent from months of working hard to support the weight of her magnificent seed head, and the frail crisp leaves dangling from her stalk offer hints of their past glory.  

The Japanese term, 'Wabi Sabi' comes to mind... the beauty in imperfection.

You can find it everywhere you look...

Made in Canada, Two Oil Paintings, by Kim Blair

Original art makes a lovely gift... especially when it is 'made in Canada!'
(I am happy to say that both are sold and going to a good home)


Art is often one of the first subjects to but dropped from a school's curriculum when the budget needs trimming, and I am concerned that this shortsighted practice may dull the creative potential and problem solving skills of future generations.  Isn't education about expanding the use of our whole brain... both the left and the right side?
Otherwise we could become 'lopsided' thinkers, which may lead to 'lopsided' decisions...


*I wrote an art manifesto, the link is posted at the top of my blog... it's easy to find since it is labelled 'My Art Manifesto.'

Pen and Ink Drawing of a Sunflower, Gothic Sun, Kim Blair

Gothic Sun

6x9 pen & ink on watercolor paper

Can't you just imagine a bat or two swooping past this sunflower on a moonlight night?  If you click on the image your imagination can run wild with the thoughts of a few spiderwebs dangling from the leaves...  and the spiky jagged points on the petals and edges of the leaves could resemble the ragged hem of a ghoulish frock.

(It was a full moon last night... or was I the only one up at 3:00 in the morning?)

A little bit of Goth anyone?  

Orange Lilies, Orange Asiatics (Section),Kim Blair

Orange Asiatics (Section)

oil on canvas

I have a fondness for orange... and when I painted this (previously) 24 x18 oil painting of orange asiatic lilies I was especially fond of the way the lilies turned out.  But the rest of the painting haunted me... it never felt right, so I tucked it away in a storage room.  Last Saturday I revisited the painting and took the artistic liberty of 'downsizing' the canvas to the section that really appealed to me... the orange lilies.  Now I will either re-stretch this section onto new stretcher bars, or have it framed, and hang it in our home... they will look so cheery on one of our cream dinning room walls!  Sometimes we can find little treasure tucked away in closets...

It feels good to recycle!

Reference Photo with Painting, Orange Ice,Kim Blair

 'Orange Ice', 11x14 oil on canvas

Reference Photo for 'Orange Ice'

While browsing through some poppy photos I came upon the reference photo for 'Orange Ice'.  It was interesting for me to see how much the two looked similar and yet how different they were at the same time.   Which led me to remember... it is our 'interpretation' of what we are looking at that becomes the painting... and what you 'leave out' is just as significant as what you 'leave in'.

*This painting is included in my exhibition at the University of Alberta Hospital.  The exhibition will be on display until February 6... just 9 more days with a percentage of sale proceeds going to 'The Friends of the University Hospital'.

Pen and Ink Drawing of an Amaryllis, Amaryllis Allegory, Kim Blair

Amaryllis Allegory

6x9 pen & ink 

When I plant an amaryllis bulb in mid November what I am really doing is planning beauty, hope and magic in a pot of peat moss.   Then I water it every week and watch it intently, waiting for the first sign of a green sprout... a harbinger of sorts.  Once the sprout appears it is as if time quickens... each day the plant grows by an inch or more.
Then one day, you wake up to a bit of color peeking out from the green bud as it begins to mature, and in a few days you will behold the most magnificent bloom balanced on a long tubular stalk.  Like a majestic royal red scepter stuck in a little pot sitting proudly on our coffee table, our amaryllis holds court at all our December gatherings.
Silky red petals folded back into a trumpet shape with fluffy golden pillows of pollen on fleshy stamens popping out from the flower centre... pure magic!  An amaryllis brings life to a cold wintery day... and night.
*(click on the image to see a close up of the mark making use to create this image, or should I say allegory)

Pen and Ink Drawing of a Sunflower, Medieval Sun, Kim Blair

Medieval Sun

6x9

pen and ink on 140 lb watercolor paper

We watched a DVD the other night on 'Hildegard of Bingen', born in Germany in 1098 she became a Medieval mystic,  visionary, and Abbess.  She wrote numerous books on music, health, nutrition, medicine, and spirituality... quite an accomplishment for a woman during her time in history.

Her particular slant on how the nuns in her convent could dress on special occasions (they often wore jewelry, and white dresses with their long hair flowing) caused quite a stir... perhaps that is one of the reasons she attracted a number of wealthy, women to join her convent.  

Watching the video got me contemplating the arts in general... and my thoughts soon drifted to the beautiful drawings of Rembrandt and Leonardo, which gave me the idea to put pen to paper and create some art.

I hear it is good for you...

6x9, pen and ink on 140 lb water color paper

$50.00 + $10.00 S/H anywhere in North America (contact me for S/H rates outside NA)

Pen and Ink Drawing of a Sunflower, Medieval Muse,Kim Blair

Medieval Muse

9x6, pen and ink

 on 140 lb hot pressed watercolor paper

When looking at old drawings I love to get in close and check out the subtle nuances of the artist's mark making... fun little twists and turns of the drawing instrument which create the character of the work.  The reference photo for this one was taken at the Highland's Community Garden, in our neighbourhood.  You might remember the oil painting I did last fall of a sunflower (called Highland Sun) from the same stand of majestic blooms...

I am starting a series of pen and ink drawings... most will be a finished size of 6x9 (or 9x6), on 140 lb acid free hot-pressed watercolor paper, with a 1/2 inch edge outside of the artwork for framing purposes.

(This ink drawing is on white paper, but the photo makes it look grey)

Hot off the drawing pad... ready for you to add a mat and frame.

Poppy Painting, Orange Flames,Artist Kim Blair

Orange Flames

10x10, oil on canvas

NFS

I am happy to report that my email is back up and running!  It certainly is hard to believe how much we (read I) have come to depend on email to communicate with the world and do business.

This poppy painting is hanging in our home.  Vibrant orange petals like wispy flames dancing around a dusting of electric blue pollen... a sort of whirling dervish of creative impulses.

My head is swimming with ideas for a series of larger paintings, which I will be setting aside for shows.  The majority of blog postings this year will be drawings... some pen & ink... some mixed media, etc.

Stay tuned for some twists and turns... you never know what may show up in a post this year.

Best Wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2012!

Amaryllis Floral Painting, Red Gold, by Canadian Artist Kim Blair

Red Gold

(sold)

12x12, oil on canvas

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season... best wishes for the coming new year.

*This posting is to let you know that I am having some problems with my email.  The good thing is that I have been able to receive your emails, the bad thing is that I just found out on December 23, that the recipients of my emails have NOT been receiving them, and I am not sure how long this problem has been going on, because from my end it said they were 'sent'.  So I apologize to anyone who has sent me an email in the last few months and is wondering why they have not received a reply.  Please know that I will try to get this rectified asap!  (And here I thought that Macs were foolproof... here's hoping it is our service provider and not a virus.)

In the mean time please still send me an email if you would like, but include your phone number if you require an immediate response, or call me at 780-474-6734, mountain standard time.

*For those of you who have recently purchased a painting from my via my blog and pay-pal, thank you and  please know that it will be sent out this week... just in case you did not receive my confirmation email.  If some of you did not send me your phone number please feel free to telephone me,  to confirm your parcel will be in the mail.

Thanks again to everyone who let me know they are enjoying my show/exhibition at the University Hospital here in Edmonton... the show runs until the end of January... one more month.

Amaryllis Floral Painting in Oil, Bolero Red, by Canadian Artist Kim Blair

Bolero Red

18x24 oil on canvas
SOLD

Thanks to everyone who let me know they stopped by my art exhibit at the University of Alberta Hospital, I appreciate you taking the time to peruse the selection of paintings on display.  You may see me there on Friday morning... as I need to go and straighten some of the pieces that have shifted from daily opening and closing of doors, etc.  Who knew that daily vibrations at the hospital could play havoc with keeping paintings level?

A few pins strategically placed next to the sides of each canvas should keep them in place.

Stop and say hi if you see me...

*The Exhibit will stay up for 2 months, and a percentage of each sale will be donated to the 'Friends of the University Hospital.'

Happy Holidays to one and all... 

Art Show and Sale, BIG and small, by Canadian Artist Kim Blair

Art Show


'BIG & small'

at the 'After Hours' Exhibition Space

main entrance, University of Alberta Hospital

8440-112 Street, Edmonton AB

from December 2, 2011 to January 31, 2012
(Exhibit runs for two months)

* A portion of each sale from the exhibit will be donated to:

The Friends of the University Hospital




I hope you get a chance to drop by my show and see all 29 paintings.