The Holidays are just around the corner, by Kim Blair

 Calla Pink
10x10 oil on canvas

Dusty Pink
10x10 oil on canvas


I had a few paintings on display in Toronto and they are now back safe 'n sound in my studio. 




Book Cover Art, by Kim Blair

Lion Rampant I

Do you remember this painting I created a few years ago of the 'Lion Rampant', the unofficial national flag of Scotland?  Well, now you can see it as an Amazon/Kindle book cover if you click here, approximately number six down the list of books written by H. A. Culley.

Mr. H. A. Culley, a prolific authour from Great Britain emailed me a few months ago requesting to use it on the cover of his latest book, "The Winter King": Robert the Bruce (Robert the Bruce Trilogy 2).  I am looking forward to reading it over the winter.






Sketching in Italy, by Kim Blair

Italian Pepper
6x8 Pen and Ink, Watercolour Sketch 

I had good intensions to fill my sketch book while we vacationed in Italy for the month of October... but our days were filled with sightseeing, enjoying the local culture and eating gelato.  Most evenings we cooked dinner while sipping a glass of wine, discussing our daily adventures... then fell into bed!

The only time I had to sketch was in the evenings, which is why the few sketches I was able to squeak in revolved around food.  But, since fruit and vegetables are my favourite things to paint it turned out to be a lovely way to relax.

*One tip I'd like to pass along is not to have your tea cup next to your watercolour water container... A couple of times I found myself absentmindedly rinsing my brush in the wrong cup!

Ciao for now.



Colourful Grouping, paintings by Kim Blair




A Calgary couple who have collected a number of my paintings (and ink drawings) sent me these photos of their recent acquisition 'Siena' hanging in their living room next to a grouping of two smaller pieces that I painted a few years ago.   It's a visual treat for me to see my art hanging in a collectors home.
Thanks L. for sending me these photos.

Colourful art on gorgeous colourful walls!




Siena, acrylic on canvas, by Kim Blair


Siena
24x24 acrylic on canvas

Siena, a picturesque medieval town in the Tuscan region of Italy was the source of a rich transparent reddish brown earth pigment first used in prehistoric cave paintings.   During the Renaissance artists began roasting this pigment (found naturally in clay) to enhance the range of hues, and one color produced was called 'burnt sienna'.
 Approximately 20 years ago the supply ran out, and now this luscious paint color comes from Sardinia and Sicily (even a small quantity from Germany), or is synthetically produced.

I just mailed this painting off to a collector in Calgary... she said she would send me a photo of it hanging in its new home and I promise to post the photo on my blog so that you can see it hanging in situ.

SOLD
24x24 acrylic on canvas

Green Hearts, oil on canvas, by Kim Blair


Green Hearts
14x11 oil on canvas

During one of our trips to Mexico we booked a week long archaeology tour of the Yucatan Peninsula stopping at various ancient Mayan temples, sacred sites and historic cities... it was a very memorable experience.  Our first stop was Chichen Itza, a UNESCO world heritage site.  Along with its massive pyramid to the Sun the site contains numerous fascinating structures, temples and sculptures.

Human sacrifice was one of the religious practices of the Mayan... and during my research of capsicum annum (peppers) and its origin in Mesoamerica... I noticed an intriguing similarity between the structure of a pepper and a human heart.  

14"x11" oil on canvas

Pen and Ink Contour Figure Drawing, by Kim Blair

Pen & Ink on Paper 
5 x 3.3 inches

Pen & Ink on Paper
  3.5 x 4 inches

 Pen & Ink on Paper 
4 x 3.5 inches

Pen & Ink on Paper
5.5 x 3.5 inches

How many lines does it take to describe the human body?

Using pen and ink I created these four semi-blind (you try not to look at your paper too often while executing the drawing) contour drawings during a life drawing session.  I liked the challenge of using line (without the addition of hatching or shading) to evoke the model's voluptuous form... choosing four  different perspectives for this exercise in simplicity.

NFS


Red Accents, Oil Paintings by Kim Blair

 Silver Peppers
12x12 oil on canvas
Tomato Red I
10x10 oil on canvas

A Collector from Calgary recently did a kitchen renovation using red as an accent colour... which included two of my paintings. Last week she purchased 'Tomato Red I' to hang above her sink, while a previous purchase, 'Silver Peppers' hangs on the wall by the stove.

It's so much fun to see where collectors hang their purchases!

Thanks A.S. for sending these photos to me.

Yellow Gold, oil painting by Kim Blair


Yellow Gold
11x14 oil on canvas


This painting of a yellow pepper cut in half was created a few months ago and has been stashed away in my studio... it may not leave my collection, at least not for a while.  After doing research on the history of capsicum annuum I painted this piece to evoke and symbolize the rich and bloody history of the conquest of the New World.  Along with gold bullion and the well guarded secret of a new source for red dye the Spanish fleet carried a new vegetable back to European soil.

(NFS at this time) 

Let's Stay in Touch, Canada's New Legislation, by Kim Blair

On July 1, 2014 Canada's new Anti-Spam Legislation will come into effect, regulating the distribution of commercial electronic messages by all organizations and individuals in Canada.

You are receiving this email because you voluntarily subscribed to receive my blog postings and I want to ensure you remember that you have the option to remove your email address at any time you wish to from my blog subscriber list by clicking on the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of this email.

*If you wish to continue to receive my new blog postings in your email inbox each time I post a new painting then no action is necessary.

Sincerely
Kim Blair
Visual Artist


One Half, Pen and Ink Sketch, by Kim Blair

One Half
Pen and Ink Sketch on Paper
3.75 x 2.75 inches 

This little pepper sketch was created using a black ink uniball pen.  Spontaneous and quick strokes within a little frame... different mark making from the previous 'chop stick' and ink drawing.

NFS

Gothic Vegetable Drama, Pen and Ink Sketch by Kim Blair

Pepper Sketch
Pen and Ink On Paper
8.5x11

A bamboo chop stick (dipped in black ink) was the drawing instrument I used to create this sketch.  The dramatic, loose line work in this drawing of a pepper cut in half depended on whether I was using the side or the fat blunt end of the chop stick.
A bit of gothic vegetable drama...

NFS

Black Top, Pen and Ink Sketch, by Kim Blair

Black Top
Pen & Ink Sketch
6x7

Not sure why I am fascinated by peppers, but I feel the need to sketch and paint them from various perspectives... allowing their unique, almost anthropomorphic characteristics to surface. 

NFS 

Capsicum Annuum, Pen and Ink by Kim Blair

Capsicum Annum I
11x14 pen and ink on paper

I have been working diligently with pen and ink in my sketch book creating various studies of capsicum annuum... A.K.A sweet, bell or chili pepper.  This drawing is shaded using a couple of grey toned felt markers with the white of the paper giving it a dramatic lighting feel.

NFS

Untitled Abstract, by Kim Blair

Untitled Abstract
24x24 acrylic on canvas

Composed of three overlaid images this abstract painting is now hanging in our dining room while I contemplate a title.   The rich depth of colour was created using chromatic grays of approximately four choices on the colour wheel.
I won't tell you what images I used as that might influence your imagination...

But if you would like to take a guess as to what I used please feel free to send a comment or email.

A little mystery in life is fun.

NFS

Elk Grass, Pen and Ink Sketch, by Kim Blair

Elk Grass
7x5
Pen & Ink Sketch on Paper

Grass seems like such a simple subject to sketch.  But once you sit and stare at a clump for an extended period of time you begin to see the interlacing of stems and leaves that make up the free-form design before you... a design that will change once a breeze begins to blow.

Nothing is permanent in life... things will always change... even the patterns in the grass. 

Dead or Alive, Aspen Tree Sketch, by Kim Blair

Dead or Alive
5x7
 Ink on Paper

Leafing through one of my smaller sketch books I discovered a couple of pen and ink drawings from a plein-air outing in Elk Island Park... last September.  It was one of those warm, end of summer afternoons, when you sit and contemplate nature... with a pen in one hand and a sketch book on your lap.  This aspen tree looked rather dead... but still a bit alive... with a few silver dollar shaped leaves dancing in the soft breeze.

NFS

Portfolio Review Day at the U of A, by Kim Blair


Me posing with 2 of my Self Portraits

Finally the day arrived... March 6 was my Visual Arts portfolio review at the University of Alberta!  I was assigned a studio to display selected pieces from each course in my particular stream of study, plus show the panel of three instructors examples of my art work created outside of the program.
  
It was quite a bit of work to select, pack and transport the art, then display the work in the room at the university, and finally take it all down again within a few hours... but all the hard work was worth it!
(I have to admit that my husband helped with the schlepping, etc)

In a couple of weeks I will receive a written copy of the panels critique for my records, but I left the portfolio review knowing that they recommend I now start creating art for my final project show at the university.

Hurray!

Life Drawing, by Kim Blair

Lips
(7.5 x 7.5)
drawing pencil on craft paper

When I study the model's lips during a drawing session I love to get lost in the subtle nuances of tone that ultimately describe the shape of each section.  Sculpted plains of light and shade connect creating a recognizable image... a pair of lips.

I enjoy drawing lips more than the rest of the face, although eyes are a close second.

These particular lips belong to a male model.

Surprise Christmas Present, by Kim Blair

Can-Can
24x18 
oil on canvas

Or this...
Always fun to try different locations!

Sometimes it's difficult to keep a gift a surprise, but the husband of a friend of mine did just that this Christmas. He made a point of remembering which painting she had commented on when she was perusing my blog, then he contacted me to hold the painting for him.

A fellow painter, she thought she was receiving a blank canvas as she unwrapped the gift...  but was very happy to find Can-Can instead!

It's always fun to be part of a surprise.

(Thanks C. for sending the photos)