watercolour outdoors

The pencil drawing.

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My friend Bev and I did a plein-air watercolour painting day on Saturday with the Paris Sketchers Club. I’ve never done this before. I had a good time. We sat in the shade, and painted. I would definitely do it again.

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A photo of the scene we painted.

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Bev’s painting. It looks really good.

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The group’s paintings and drawings. Such a good day out.

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I did the minimum amount of packing that I could. I used an old luggage rack with wheels, a folding chair from the bathroom, and a skull bag I got at Halloween.

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The back of the set-up.

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From Pinterest. So cute.

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I took my watercolours with me when I went to Powell River, B.C. I painted some oyster shells that were attached to rocks for fun.

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Me at the beach, Powell River, B.C.

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nosferatu - high-five venus painting

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The two finished works. I only have another 120 small collages to turn into big paintings.

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The small painted collage, and the drawing on the canvas of the larger painting. This might work, it might not. It might lose something not being a painted collage. We’ll see.

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A closer look. It’s hard to photograph the pencil drawing on the canvas. My studio doesn’t have enough light at night. I’ll take a better photo in the daylight. I painted a layer of matte medium on top of it to seal it, so I wouldn’t get carbon on my hands when I’m painting it. This also makes it nicer to paint on. The matte medium makes a smooth slightly absorbent surface, which I like.

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I stayed up way too late painting the red circle and the moon, and the heart. I started the black and white arm, I think it’s going to be o.k.

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A close-up of the left hand, and the moon.

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I’m trying to get the base coat of paint on the Venus. I like how the arms look. I was worried they wouldn’t look as good in paint as they do in the collage, but I think they’re o.k.

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I finished the first layer of paint on the venus. I’m going to start the background next. It’s working so far. I might add text to this, since it’s so big.

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I painted the dark grey scrolls on the background. I can do the black background colour next, then I can go back and do the next layer on the venus. She looks good, I have to say.

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I started painting the black background, and adding highlights to the scroll shapes. One more day to finish it? Two? Then I can go back and add the second layer to the red circle background, and the Venus.

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I couldn’t watch TV last night, so I painted instead. I worked on the red circle, and the lower part of the body.

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I finished the black background. It needs another layer, but I like it.

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It’s finished. I have to let it dry, and varnish it. I’ll do another photo with the small original collage. I like the way it looks. I’m starting a small painted collage of her face next.

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‘venus headspace’, painted collage. 91/2 x 12”, unfinished. I started this painted collage because I have a few more small canvas I bought to use for the ‘nosferatu’ series. This counts as part of the series, even though the poem is written, and the book is published. I like the imagery, and the process of painting over a printed image. I’m probably going to do a few more. The bottom of the sculpture is loosely painted, but I like it. I’ll probably do another layer though. It’s called ‘venus headspace’ because it’s of the sculpture of ‘venus’, but just her head. I just added space to head to get headspace. Well, I have to call it something.

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'nosferatu' the vampire's circus blog

airdgallery.org online collage show. My collage ‘blue dog balloon’ is included in the show.

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‘blue dog balloon’ from the ‘nosferatu’ series online through www.airdgallery.org

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‘blue dog balloon’, collage, acrylic paint on canvas. 8x10” Online art exhibit, October 2022, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto. $225.00

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The book ‘nosferatu - the vampire’s circus’.

Available on Amazon. ‘nosferatu - the vampire’s circus’. Also, ‘dancing down entropy street’, and ‘echoes in the void’.

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Me at the art show this past weekend. I had a really good time.

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Amy’s paintings of Paris. So beautiful.

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The poster for the show. It looks good.

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Facebook ad for the show. My little wooden dice collages, and Amy’s Paris painting.

The table set-up at the art show. Lots of little collages on canvas, and some altered corned beef tin lids.

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…and more collages.

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‘nosferatu - the vampire’s circus’ painting/collage at the show.

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‘nosferatu - the vampire’s circus’, ‘two jugglers and an acrobat’ painting/collage at the art show.

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I had some posters made for the show. They’re $30.00 each, the black background looks like velvet, it’s so black. I love it.

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I uploaded the book to go with the collages. Available for purchase now on Amazon.

My copy of the book, with the original collage. I like it. I couldn’t get copies in time for the sale on Saturday and Sunday, but I thought I could at least show people what it looks like, and they can go online and order one for themselves. I got it a day earlier than I was supposed to, which was great.

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‘nosferatu - two jugglers and an acrobat’, 36x36” paint, collage on canvas. It’s almost finished.

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I made a banner for the show. I like it. I just have to figure out how to hang it. I’ve also entered two collages into a show in Toronto. Maybe they’ll like them. This makes me want to do larger paintings from the small collages. I have two 36x36” canvas I could do.

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‘the magician’s wife’, paint, collage on canvas. From a vintage photograph of my mother’s mother. I keep altering it a little. I think it’s finished now.

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‘swan’ collage. Collage, acrylic paint on canvas, rhinestones. For ‘the vampire’s circus’.

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Collage of my dad, Ron Small, with a dog. I added the image of the dog on the left side. Collage on canvas, paint, rhinestones.

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The collage of my mother, Trudy Small, from a vintage photograph.

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I’m doing another collage of my mother. The original photograph was taken through a window, and there is a reflection of what looks like an advertisement with a woman’s face in the glass. I painted that, and the man standing in the background. I altered it a bit, and it looks weird, but I like it.

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The finished collage, with the painted reflection, and the man standing in the background.

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I’m doing one of my mother, Trudy Small now. It’s not quite finished. I like the hat. For years I’ve looked at this photo and thought the white collar was a collar on her dress. Looking more closely at it now though, I think it was her apron. She was working in a restaurant when this photo was taken.

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The two paintings hanging in the front foyer.

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‘nosferatu’ icon. paper collage, paint, jewels. ‘wolverine icon’.

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‘nosferatu’ burning tiger and butterfly. Collage, paint, jewels on canvas.

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I’m not doing these in order. This is my latest collage. I like the dog, and the horse. The tents look like mushrooms.

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‘nosferatu’ angel with butterfly wings. Collage on canvas.

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‘nosferatu’ fairy skeleton on a jeweled horse. Collage on canvas, jewels.

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‘nosferatu’ jeweled horse and collage.

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I got a little carried away, as usual. Circus juggler with mushrooms. I painted two circus tents in a previous collage, and they looked like mushrooms.

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I have a ‘mirror’ setting on my camera. I took this with it. It’s interesting. I did a great portrait of myself with it too.

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A mirrored image of one of the collages. I could do a larger painting of the collages. I’ve only done 82 of them, so that wouldn’t take long, would it?

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‘nosferatu’ - the clock. Unfinished. I need a bit of wood to fill in the gap behind the clock mechanism, so the hands are at the right level. I looked, but I don’t have anything in my studio that will work, so I’ll have to slide into the garage and see if there’s anything the right height out there. Collage, paint, jewels on wood. I got this and another clock body at the thrift shop. The other one is a heart-shape, so it might be a bit harder to do. I haven’t started it yet.

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‘nosferatu - Jo, mirrored clown image’. Collage on canvas. I’ve only just started this one. I don’t think it will need too much. This might make the cover of the book, instead of the icon image.

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‘nosferatu - skeleton pegasus’. The painted image and the painted canvas.

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‘nosferatu - skeleton pegasus’. The image cut out, and taped to the canvas for the photo. I like the shadows. It could be interesting to do something with that.

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The baby clown shoes I made a while ago. They fit with this poem, so I’m going to use them in the book. They go with the painted photograph of me when I was 1.

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Hand-painted photograph of me when I was 1.

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‘nosferatu’ - Jo, mirror-image clowns. Collage on canvas, paint, rhinestones, heart jewel. I like this one a lot, it might make the cover of the book.

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‘nosferatu - winged horse skeleton’, collage on canvas. I like this one too, but then, I like them all.

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The back of the clock. I haven’t finished the front yet.

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The background for the next painting. I got the already-painted canvas from the thrift shop. I’ve left the coloured stripes and some of the blue in the sky. I’m going to do a juggler, and maybe some animals in it ? I don’t know yet. It’s the moon, shining in through the top of a circus tent, for ‘the vampire’s circus’.

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The juggler, for the painting. I don’t think I’m going to use the zebra as it is. I might redo it, as a collage element, or paint it directly onto the canvas, I haven’t decided which one yet. I added shoes to the juggler, I really like them. They’ll all have them after this. I’d really like a clown costume, so I could photograph it. I might have to find or make one. The pants, at least. I do have clown shoes, but they’re baby shoes.

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The baby clown shoes, for the poem. I’ve got half a book out of this one poem, so far.

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A closer look at the deconstructed juggler. The circles are from my friend Cher, who does resin projects. I don’t know how they’re made exactly. I’ll have to ask her.

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‘nosferatu’, juggler. Circus tent. It needs something on the left hand side now.

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I printed the image of the horse, then painted it, then I cut it out and glued it to the canvas. It’s easier to paint before it’s glued down.

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I added a two-headed horse, and a ball to the collage. It’s still not finished. I need something on the left hand side still.

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I added a fairy ballerina/juggler to the two-headed horse. It still needs more work.

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I signed it, so it must be finished. I’ll have to just look at it for a while. It has to be varnished still. I have to either start a 36 x36” painting now, or go to the store to buy more small canvases. I haven’t decided which yet. Sometimes it depends on the weather. It’s grey and wet out today, so I don’t feel like going out. I’d also like to wait for a week or so and see what happens with the no mask thing.

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So I added a bit more detail, and some more rhinestones. It’s varnished, so it must be finished.

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Assemblage, corned beef lid, paint, beads, eye.

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XYZ assemblage. Corned beef tin, paint, beads, domino, text from a fortune cookie. These will be for sale. They may or may not be included in the book.

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A photograph of a bowl of water in the rain, for a verse from the poem ‘the vampire’s circus’.

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‘nosferatu’ circus horse, dragonfly wings.

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‘nosferatu’ winged torso clown, butterfly.

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‘nosferatu’, doll collage on canvas. Paper, acrylic paint, metallic paint, rhinestones.

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‘nosferatu’ - burning angel. Paper, acrylic paint on canvas, small playing cards, rhinestones. This is turning out to be the longest poem I’ve ever written. I’m up to page 102 so far. I’d like to do 125 pages at least.

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‘four of hearts’, collage on canvas, small playing cards, rhinestones, acrylic paint, glitter.

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‘the card-player’. Vintage photograph, small playing cards, paint, rhinestones on canvas. 9x12”. My dad used to play solitaire at the dining room table. That memory inspired this collage.

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Jo - Clown with ball. Collage on canvas.

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Blood’s a sweet elixir on

the slither of the tongue,

‘there must have been a bee’, you said,

the canky ankle, stung.

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nosferatu - leopardskin girl. Collage on canvas.

nosferatu - mom with butterfly wings, collage on canvas.

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‘nosferatu - magician, cards’. Collage, paint, on pink glitter canvas. I have a blue glitter canvas I’m working on as well.

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‘blue glitter canvas magician’. collage on canvas.

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‘doll’, not finished. Kind of has a Marilyn Monroe hairstyle. 9x12”.

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Finished collage.

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The next collage. Not finished. I like the wet-on-wet paint muscles.

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First I paint the printed image, (bottom), and paint the background on the canvas. I cut out the image and glue it to the canvas after it’s painted, (top).

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‘Dreams will be forgotten in the unrelenting heat, you stood beside the mad magician, roses at your feet’.

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Unfinished, ‘burning tiger’ collage on canvas. I like it so far.

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The finished collage.

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‘blue dog balloon’, paint on paper for collage. Not finished. I do love the balloon dog.

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The painted image glued to the black canvas. Not finished.

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The finished collage. O.k., so every time I finish one, I think ‘this is my favourite one’, but really, I like this one a lot.

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‘rhinoceros’ collage, unfinished. I painted the rhino orange and yellow to go with the butterfly wings. It’s from a photo of a plastic rhinoceros toy I made into a fairy rhino for my fairy garden.

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The toy rhino, with glass fairy wings.

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‘nosferatu - rhinoceros’ collage on canvas. I might do a little bit more on this one, but I like it.

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…then again.

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‘nosferatu’ clown, unfinished. I printed 3 different images for this collage. I’m adding a left arm to it. It has an egyptian vibe.

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and the finished collage. I like the rainbow.

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‘Magician’, fire hands. Collage on canvas, small playing cards, paint, heart jewel.

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The eighth circle of hell, with the collages.

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‘high-five dice’, collage, paint, on scrap wood.

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‘high-five venus’, unfinished. I’m going to add the moon collage piece to it.

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I added the moon as a separate piece. It’s finished now.

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‘high-five venus’, take two. Paint on paper. I’ll cut it out and collage it onto a painted canvas next. The moon is integrated into the image, so there’s only one layer of paper.

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‘high-five venus #2’. Collage on canvas, paint, rhinestones, recycled heart earring. I like this one.

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‘blue baby butterfly’ collage on canvas, paint. I took the photograph of the baby through a window at a medical office. There are images I’d like to have that are hard to make. I have a couple of good shark photographs that I took when we were in the aquariums in Toronto, and New Zealand. I love it, but that’s as close as I’d like to get.

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‘the house of nosferatu’. Paint, collage on canvas.

‘The house of nosferatu rises slowly

from the sea,

‘we’re home’, you said, but I believe

the road remembers me.

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The beginning of the next collage. It looks like Princess Leia’s grandmother. It’s actually my grandmother, on my mother’s side. The paper image is painted, now I have to glue it to the canvas.

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The finished collage. I like the colours. I did a bit more work on it. She looks better now.

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‘swan’, print on paper with the verse from the poem, on my writing clipboard. This might be a good way to show them.

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‘the lighthouse keeper’, collage, paint, on canvas. Sold.

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Tiger, for collages.

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‘tiger’ #3, in progress, and some really big playing cards, with some regular sized playing cards.

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‘doll’, ‘two hearts as one’, paint, rhinestones on canvas.

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‘venus’ orange hair, collage on canvas.

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‘winged magician’, paint, small playing cards, jewels, collage on canvas. 12x14”

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I got a couple of small easels to put these collages on. I’d like a lot more of them. I’ve also got two sheets of thin styrofoam to use as display walls so I can hang the collages on them. They have to be covered in paper or painted (or something) next. They’re very light, so they should hang from the tent structure without being too heavy, (finger’s crossed).

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‘mirror image circus horse’, paint, collage, rhinestones on canvas.

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‘tiger tiger’, paint, collage on canvas. I’m starting a 36x36” canvas from one of the collages next. I haven’t picked out which one yet. It has to be a square format, so that will limit me a bit, but not much. I have a lot of square collages I really like in this series. I’m not sure I’m going to get it finished in time for the show on the 18th, but I’ll try. I have to finish the book and get it printed next. That usually takes a long time to do, but I’m hoping this one won’t take forever, since it’s just one poem.

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I did some small collages on some wooden blocks I got from the trash can. Imagine throwing something out?!? Never in my world.

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The backs of the wooden blocks. They sit on a surface, so they won’t need hangers on the back.

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Small wooden collage, star, domino, die, rhinestones, paint on plywood.

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Small wooden collage #2, domino, die, bead, paint skin, paint, crackle glaze, rhinestones on plywood.

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I ended up painting the doll. I like it better this way. I’ve started a 36x36” painting of one of these images. I have two large canvases, so I’m going to try to do one for the show on the 18/19th. I’m not sure I’ll have time to finish it, but I’ll try.

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‘nosferatu - two jugglers and an acrobat’, paint, collage on canvas. I have to print the images on separate pieces of paper and then paint them, and cut them out. I can only print 8 1/2 x 11”. I’m adding another figure to this. I was just going to do a painting from one of the collages, no paper involved, but instead, this happened.

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The acrobat, taken from an image on the internet, altered. The arms are from a medical textbook.

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Three images on the canvas. I’ll paint the pink background black, probably, yet to be determined.

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I finished the acrobat, and the two moons and the balloon dog. Now I can start the background.

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Layer one on the background painted. I like the colours.

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I finally finished the background, now I can glue the figures down.

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I had some new business cards printed for the show. My two favourite clown paintings.

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Tiger and tiger collage. Two different tigers, of course.

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The tiger in the collage. I added glass fire wings for the skeleton fairy garden. He needs to be fixed now.

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Some of the collages on the display board. Getting ready for the sale at Amy’s on Saturday and Sunday the 18th and 19th.

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I’ve glued down the jugglers and the acrobat onto the canvas. It needs a few more details added, but it’s pretty much finished now. I do like it, but then, I like them all.

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The ‘circus’ painting on the new easel. It only took me 2 days to put it together.

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…and that’s a wrap folks. Packed up and ready to go. Three small corned beef tin assemblages. Paint, dominoes, beads, found objects, jewels, wire.

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‘venus headspace’, acrylic paint, collage on canvas. I have a few more small canvases to use, so I’m doing some more collages. I really like doing them. Small letter earrings from the thrift shop spell ‘vnus’. There were no letter e’s.

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‘venus’ ouzo bottle from the thrift shop. I’ll definitely do something with this.

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'tinman' painting

‘tinman’, photograph for the next painting. Plastic doll, plastic funnel, mirror spray paint, heart-shaped earring with glass rubies, and ruby rhinestones.

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‘tinman’, painting, altered doll, photograph.

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‘tinman’, the whole image. Not finished yet.

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The torso is done, except for the heart. It’s been smooth sailing so far.

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The whole image has the second layer of paint now. I can do the background next, and tweak anything I don’t like. Then I can add the text.

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The ‘tinman’, almost finished. I added the earth, (for ‘there’s no place like home’), and a rainbow (for ‘somewhere over the rainbow’), and I’m going to add a spiral yellow brick road to the bottom right side. I did one, but I didn’t like it, so I painted it out. I still have to add the text.

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The left side of the painting, with the earth.

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The right side with the rainbow.

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A tiny drop of ruby blood

congealed around your heart,

remember this, when love forsakes you,

‘beauty dies for art’.

the butterfly’s calamity #803 v:14

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The finished painting with the text. I attach a hanging label to the back of the paintings with the text and the poem number and verse. I also sign the side of the painting, and the back. I still have to varnish this, but I like to be sure I have a really good photograph of it before I do that. The varnish makes it harder to take a picture of, because of the reflections.

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Phat Pear

Drywall patching compound on a plastic pear I got from the thrift shop. It’s about 6 inches tall.

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Phat Pear painted, photographed on a black satin background. This could end up being a painting.

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'blue light' self-portrait

‘blue light’ self-portrait. I took the photograph at night, outside under the blue strip lights on the grillzebo. I really like the hair, so far. This is day one.

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The photograph I’m working from. It took a few nights to get a photograph I liked enough to use. I love the colour.

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Layer one done.

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I’ve added some details to the jacket. I still need to do more work on the hair on the left hand side, and the face, but it’s coming along.

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The original photo with the blue strip LED lights overhead.

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Mostly finished. I’ve added the word ‘blue’ to the upper right-hand side with a small stencil. Photo to follow.

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I added the word ‘blue’ to the painting. I cut the stencil for the lettering with my Cricut Maker. I used a black stencil material and it worked better than the other clear vinyl I’ve used before. It stuck to the canvas a lot better.

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T-shirt photographs

‘Jester’ T-shirt design without the date.

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‘Paris Coffee Roasters’ t-shirt.

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‘the dancing skeleton’ t-shirt.

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Me, with the ‘hyacinth’ painting, and the t-shirt.

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Brenda with the painting ‘entwined’, and the t-shirt.

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‘a wolf among the darling lambs’ t-shirt.

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‘Alternative Artefacts’ t-shirt, Jo.

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‘blue glass skull’ t-shirt.

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‘alternative artefacts’ t-shirt. (It’s the alternative spelling of the word ‘artifacts’).

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'two blue pears' painting

The photograph for the next painting, ‘two blue pears’.

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Layer one of several layers to come. This just gets the colour onto the canvas in approximately the right areas. I like it so far.

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Almost finished the painting. The background still needs another layer of paint.

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The finished painting. Signed and varnished.

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'sacrifice' mixed-media collage - Best in Show - Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery, Oshawa, Ont.

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‘sacrifice’, mixed-media collage, best in show, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario.

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'yellow flower' painting

I started the next painting, titled ‘yellow flower’. It’s from a photograph I took when we were walking around the neighbourhood. I really liked the long shadows.

I watched the flower wither for an hour

in the vase,

the moonlight only magnified

its unbecoming flaws.

‘haunted house’ poem # 798 v:1

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Started the grass. I painted the background a medium green first, then drew the shapes of the grass on top of that.

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A bit more done on the painting. I still have to do the tabletop.

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Almost finished. I really like the colours.

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The poster from the painting, for the woman who puts out the dog bowls and the little table with the yellow flower on it.

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'apples in a basket - home grown' 4

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Kawartha Art Gallery poster - ‘apples in a basket’ painting by me.

The beginning of the next painting, a version of my ‘apples in a basket’ painting for my friends Chris and Carol. Layer one of three or more.

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My painting, over the fireplace in the front room.

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Version 2 2015. This must be the one for the Lindsay Gallery.

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‘apples’ 2016. This must be for my Aunt Heidi. Or it’s the other way around. I’ll have to check.

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Paris Coffee Roasters

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Paris Coffee Roasters mugs, available in 11 oz. and 15 oz. sizes from my ‘New Products’ page.

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One pound of roasted coffee beans, and a Paris Coffee Mug, for an online auction for The Paris Optimist’s Club in October.

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Coffee. The elixir of life.

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Baby Clown shoes

I made these just for fun.

‘Baby Clown Shoes’, shoes, drywall compound, paint, paper. I just wanted to make these for fun.

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I like the rounded fat toes.

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Jo 'Rapunzel' - the house at Gibsons

Jo ‘Rapunzel' two, the painting of me, at our family’s house in Gibsons, B.C. I did this painting for my grade 7 teacher, Mrs. Campbell. The house had an ancient huge furnace in the basement when we bought the house. This painting is a version of a painting I did of me at the house in Oshawa.

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The house in Oshawa.

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Mrs. Campbell with the painting.

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'three pears' painting

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Facebook notice for the Paris Optimist’s online auction, later this month.

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I’ve stopped working on the ‘jupiter’s clouds 2’ painting, to do this painting of three pears. It’s going to be donated to an auction to raise money.

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The first layer of paint on the pears. I have to decide what colour to do the background next.

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I added the second layer of paint to the pear on the left hand side. I also painted the first layer of blue on the background. I’m going to make the dark blue darker.

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I did another layer on the background, and I did the second layer on the middle pear. Now I can do the pear on the right. They’ll all have small brown dots at the end, which will help make them look more like pears.

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I did another layer, and added shadows to the bottom of the painting. The dark blue background needs another layer. I might have to add some black to it.

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I’ll try to take a better picture of this. I decided to do a more abstracted layer on top of the patterned layer. I like this better. It still needs more work, but I feel like it’s heading in the right direction.

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…or not. I felt like it was a bit bland, so I upped the contrast. I like it better now.

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Added more white and red to add more contrast. I think this has officially gotten away from me now. I really like parts of it. Maybe too much contrast. Layer 7 might be the lucky one.

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I added the halos to the pears and painted them in shades of purple. I like it better now. Not quite finished, but it’s getting there. I took it outside to photograph it, and I used the better camera, so I finally got a good picture.

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…on the other hand. Maybe not. I painted parts out to simplify it. It needs another layer of the same thing and some more modifications, but I like it better. I do have a tendency to get carried away.

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fairy skeletons

I got this fantastic clay ship from the thrift shop. I’m going to make fairy skeleton pirates to go in it.

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I accidentally removed my pictures of my other fairy skeletons. I’ll put them back at some point.

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I painted the ship brown, and I’m adding the pirate fairy skeletons, and a shark. I have a treasure chest to add too. I want to make a jolly roger flag, and paint something on the sail. I really like it.

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The ‘cottage’ fairy skeletons. I’m putting the pictures back I accidentally erased.

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The ‘fairy skeleton fisherman’, on ‘The Ethel Mermaid’. Ha. I made a sou’wester hat for him, and I put a fish in the net. It was an earring I’ve had for years. I’ll varnish it and put it out in the fairy garden. I’d like to make water, but I’ll have to think about how to do it.

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The fairy pirate ship, almost finished. I forgot I wanted a long red banner, so I’ll have to add that. I cleaned up the treasure chest I already had, and I’m adding a shark.

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The ribbon banner. It has wire sewn into it to keep its shape.

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I like the flag. It’s from a skeleton print fabric I had, which I over-painted.

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The captain, with a bottle of rum, and a cannonball. Oven baked clay hats, wire fabric and glitter wings, heart rhinestones, jump ring earrings.

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A close-up of the fisherman fairy skeleton.

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I smeared clear silicone seal onto a mirror, then sculpted it with a palette knife, and added a bit of glitter.

I need to do another one now for the pirate ship.

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The fisherman fairy skeleton, outside. I need some sand to put around it. I’m also thinking about doing something for the background.

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Another view.

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The fairy skeleton pirate ship outside, with the fairy skeleton fisherman.

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Closer view of the pirate ship. I made the water from a mirror, which I cut into a wavy shape, then painted with blue, purple and teal glass paint. I added glitter and let it dry, then I added a thick layer of exterior clear silicone calking and sculpted it into waves with a palette knife and added more glitter. I painted some white paint onto the tops of the waves at the front of the ship. I really like the way it turned out.

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I painted a plastic skeleton with glow-in-the-dark paint. I made paper wings and painted them with the same paint. I sewed and glued the wings to the body. I want to make a crown, and then hang him up outside. I’m making another one that I might keep inside. I’ll have to spray them with varnish to protect them. I’m not sure how well the paper wings will stand up to the weather. I might have to add wire to keep them in the right shape. We’ll see how it goes. I really like it.

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I found this great hand-painted horse at the thrift shop. I love the way it looks. I’m going to add a fairy skeleton rider. I might do a painting of this, I like it so much.

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and the other side. I love the paint.

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And the horse with a skeleton on it. I need to make wings and glue him on. I haven’t decided what he’s going to look like yet. I’d a bit behind on my fairy skeletons. I have a doctor skeleton, and one on a tricycle to finish.

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My unfinished fairy skeleton on a tricycle. I got the tricycle from a local store. It’s a christmas tree ornament. It’s the perfect size.

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The unfinished doctor fairy skeleton. He needs wings. I got the outfit from the thrift shop. It was a christmas decoration.

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I made a base with some air-dried clay for ‘the ethel mermaid’ fairy fisherman. Blue and white paint on the waves.

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And the other side. The base is a scrap piece of wood from the garage. I still have to varnish it.

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The front of the boat.

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Jupiter's clouds 2

The beginning of the next painting, ‘Jupiter’s clouds 2’. This is a much bigger painting than the last one. It’s 28 x 48”. I like it so far.

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I did some more work on the bottom. I want to do one layer of paint on the whole canvas, then go back and do the second layer, adding more details. It reminds me of cream clouds in a cup of coffee.

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Most of the painting has its first layer of paint. I’m going to finish the red spot, then start the second layer.

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Layer one completed. Now I can do the next layer and add more detail.

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Working on the bottom right-hand side of the painting. Adding more swirls in the clouds. I love the colours.

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The bottom right corner.

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I did another layer on the bottom of the painting, and I’ve started working on the two swirled clouds on the left hand side. I like it when things work out.

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It’s progressing slowly. I really like certain areas. The red eye needs a lot more work. I do like it though.

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'the blue shirt' painting

I started a painting of a blue shirt hanging on a door. It was a bit crooked on the hanger, and I liked the folds and the shadows. It’s only 18 x 24” so it’s not too big. I want to do a really big canvas of some more clouds on Jupiter, but that means going to the store.

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I think the shirt is pretty much finished, but the door still needs more work. I like the colour combination.

I did go to the store, and I got a large canvas for the next painting, but I have to finish this one first.

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Almost finished. The door still needs some work. I like the blue with the orange.

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Jupiter's clouds

I started the painting of Jupiter’s clouds, from a photograph by NASA. Well, it’s not like I can take my own photographs. It’s going to take a long time to do, but it’s not very big, so that will help. This canvas is only 20 x 24”. I want to do another one, much much bigger. It’s Jupiter. It should be big. They’re luscious shapes and colours. I love it.

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I did the bottom of the painting last night. It’s fun, but slow.

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This is the first layer of paint. I’ve managed to get one layer on the whole canvas. Now I can start to do the next layer. I like it so far.

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The upper right hand side of the painting, layer 2. It needs some more work, but it looks better.

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The bottom right hand side. I still have to finish the bottom corner.

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The finished painting. I love the colours. I want to do another one, but bigger. This is only 18 x 24”.

The Fat Lady Sings book

The cover for the next book, ‘The Fat Lady Sings’. Hand-painted photograph.

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I’ve finally started the book, but I’m just adding things slowly. I need to paint faster.

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A photograph of a house in Lavenham, England, for the book. For the poem ‘love is a runaway train’. I’m up to page 85 so far, so it’s comin’ along.

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‘Tin Man’. Male doll, silver mirror spray paint, heart-shaped button. For the poem ‘a tin man and a lion’.

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The moon over Rangitoto Island, New Zealand. For the poem ‘the soft cocoon of sleep’.

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These look similar. I didn’t plan it, it just worked out that way. The first photo is from New Zealand, and the second is Jupiter’s clouds.

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‘turn me over’ potato bag assemblage. Miniature playing card, plastic heart, bead, paint.

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Perfume bottle plastic skull assemblage.

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Jo, Rapunzel, the house in Oshawa.

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Gold torso, dollar store plastic torso, gold chocolate bar foil, rub-on tattoo, torn collage heart from wrapping paper.

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