Wet on wet with orange and apple

The first project was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the second one too, but I am not super happy with the apple.

Abstract watercolor projects

From the same book:

I am very pleased with these. Moleskine watercolor sketchbook - more projects from the book/

Water paper paint

I started working my way through the projects in "Water paper paint". In some cases I used the results of the projects as background for something else - like sketching bananas with Pentel brush or sketching the armchair in my hotel room. Here are the results of the first projects:

Preparing for winter

This being Canada after all, and in spite of a long and warm autumn, it is time to think about the cold to come. I gather leftover yarn from the socks I made last year and knitted a pair of hand warmers to use at work.

Junk mail book - 2

Second attempt at junk mail books:

Junk mail book - 1

I took Carla Sonheim's class - Junk mail book. This is the first result:

I liked the process and I will be making more of these, hoping to find interesting shapes to use in other projects.

New discovery

Few days ago, I was checking the web for vacation packages and such. I haven't found anything with my name on it, so to speak. Instead, I found touchrawing. I would not be me if I did not give it a try.

I used my old oil paints, rice paper and a piece of transparency - that's all I had handy. I only cut five pieces of pape, but next time I will have prepare more papers. The recommandation seems to be to do one hour sessions.

I spread the paint and started moving my hands. I ended up with four self-portraits of sorts and one flower doodle.

I added a touch of white and some black with oil pastels, but the drawings were not dry. They still aren't.
Touching the paper felt very much like sculpting in clay. I could just keep moving my hands over the paper for a while, eyes closed too. But my papers were small - maybe 9 x 12. Hardly enough room to move.
I will definetely do this again,but I need to find a bigger printing plate and a variation of papers. Red paint over newspaper could produce interesting results. This would probably work with acrylics too - especially the open ones from Golden. The problem I am having with these more intuitive approaches is that I don't know how to interpret the result. It is as if they drawings become dream images with a hidden meaning.

This reminded me of an orchid painting I did a while back where I used only my fingers - it is the one at the bottom of this post. It was so much fun and I still like it. To be continued ...

New place

I posted some pics of my new place before the renovations here. And here are the pics after the renovations:

 

Very different, don't you think?

Out and about

Today I went for a walk from my home to the Old Port. Half way there, I stopped at Atwater Market for a green papaya, pork satay and coconut water at the Satay Brothers. Here are some of the pics I took one the way:

The Circus is in town - this is the tent for Cirque du Soleil.

This is Daniel McAlister - the oldest tugboat in Canada.

 I find it funny that they installed a metro sign like in Paris. 

It's about 8 km from here to the Old Port I figured. I am planning to do it in the reverse - take the metro all the way there so I can check all the boutiques and then walk back. 

Moved!

It happened – finally! I had  to postpone it one week because the new place was not ready. 

In the meantime, both laptops succumbed to virus attacks. My car decided to break down the week before the D-Day. The money saved for this year's vacation were spent repairing it. Then, I had an accident with the courtesy car from the garage.

Last Friday, I spent five hours loading and unloading boxes, but now me, my office assistant and all our possessions are in the same place.

We are facing new challenges. The cat went into hiding for two days and refused to eat. The noise level is more than what he is used to, so he sleeps under the bed. The noise is sometimes too much even for me. Life in the city comes with a whole set of challanges I forgot all about. When the tenant upstairs used the hairdresser, I could swear she was in my bathroom. Every time she goes up and down the stairs it seems that the building is about to collapse. 

On the other hand, after work I run to Atwater market, did some shopping at the organic butcher and took the bus back. A run to the Old Port would take me a little more than one hour. I can get anywhere I need to go on foot or by metro. I wanted to enjoy summer in the city, the cafes, restaurants, festivals. But so far, not much of a summer. We had few nice days here and there, but nothing to write home about.

I have been utterly exhauseted this past week, I overslept, I did not exercise enough. The worst part is that I don't feel rested. Au contraire ...

I am in no rush to unpack.I have some paints handy and I want to get back to painting asap. I want to finish the classes I signed up for over at Julie's. I tend to get sidetracked and leave things unfinished and that would be a pity ...

Moving woes

As D-Day approaches, the packing efforts intensify. I am dealing with contractors on both fronts. At the condo where I am now, repairs will be done next week. At the place where I am moving, everything has been torn apart and put back together, with the usual surprises that one expects in an old building (such as water pipes installed outside the wall instead of inside them). Each surprise resulted in an emergency call to the plumber or the electrician or both.


I am up to my ears in boxes and bags. Unbalievable. Where is all this stuff coming from, I wonder. I don't buy stuff often. I don't even  have a toaster. Or a microwave. The TV is going away tomorrow - given away on freecycle. I purge once a year. I gave away three big garbage bags of stuff. Still... I am moving from a place with three big closets, a laundry room and an indoor locker to a place with one closet! Seriously ...

More purging will be needed at the destination, I am afraid. I have two huge contractor strength garbage bags full with art supplies, plus five boxes. I kid you not. I think I need to sit down and reevaluate this whole art business. I found old oil canvasses I painted years back - I will have to decide what to do with them as I will not have enough place for everything. Arghhhh ...

Bodies in urban spaces

After spending the morning kayaking on Lachine Canal, I attended this free event. The strangest thing I saw in a while. The show started at the Planetarium and continued all over downtown, ending in Place des Arts. Few hundred people invaded the streets, to the chagrin of many a driver, following the performers who run from place to place and "glued" themselves to empty spaces on building and streets. Here are the pics I took:

On the moving front, I am about half way with the packing... and there will be "victims". Stuff collected for various projects, paintings that I don't like, some that I like but that are bad anyway, assemblage pieces...will sadly have to go. Amazing how much junk there is around, and I purge at least once a year. I don't buy a lot of things, gizmos are against my religion. I don't even own a toaster... and still. I already brought bags of clothes to the Salvation Army and I suspect some more purging will happen at the destination.