Life goes on. Another sunset enthralls us as it shifts and changes colour minute by minute. It holds us in its grasp, we don't want to miss any of it. As I embrace the idea of living one day at a time, I find myself not wanting to miss any of it but I flit from one thing to another, not entirely without purpose, although that purpose often seems to be a moving target.
Without a definite goal, each day unfolds as it wants to. Sometimes I wonder if this is really what living in the now is all about or if I am just lost in the ocean of possibilities and floating lazily with the tide. All this is just to say that my bouts of creativity have been sporadic this last couple of years and my drive to paint is sometimes elusive.
Nevertheless paintings have been painted and some have even ventured out into the world to be seen at various juried shows.
On the May long weekend this year I took part in the Art and Garden Show at the Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens. I first saw the call for artists for this show in our local paper at least 20 years ago and have often wondered if it would be a good fit for my flower paintings. Just north of Courtney is Kitty Coleman Provincial Park which has become one of my favourite spots to camp on Vancouver Island. This year I decided to combine a camping trip with the show in the Woodland Gardens which are very close to the campground. Although there were a few showers on the first day, the weather was nice enough for people to get out of their houses and enjoy the trails through the rhododendron studded gardens and visit the artists set up throughout the grounds. It was a fun time, apart from frustrations with the weak wifi signal and the resulting inability to make sales using Square.
It was wonderful to get the paintings out
of the studio to be appreciated by a wider audience.
It was a bit of an organizational puzzle to combine camping with an art show. When the forecast talked of wild wet weather the next day, my willing assistant was invaluable. He was able to get our campsite packed up so that we could then take down the show and high tail it back home before the storm hit.
Now it is July, summer has arrived and swimming has to fit in somewhere in the day along with berry picking and other seasonal chores. There is no time to paint but another camping and Art Show combo is coming up. July 19 - 25, I have a solo show at Art Sea Gallery in Tulista Park, 9565 Fifth St in Sidney BC. It will be open 10 - 4 daily and I will be there every day to greet people. I have titled it Constant Miracles as this is the way I see nature and all its crazy creations. Tulista Park is not a campground but Island View Campground isn't too far away and I believe, good for swimming!
Here is the promo about the show.
Salt Spring Island artist, Susan Haigh is well known for her floral paintings. She loves the exuberance of the life force which takes form in nature in millions of miraculous ways. Alerted by a splash of colour in a predominantly green world, her heart stirs when she encounters a new flower. She is fascinated by the optimistic and intricate ways plants have developed for reproduction and survival. Often those plans involve insects, birds or animals in an interconnected dance to spread the seeds to new territory.
Painting mostly on canvas, sometimes with acrylics and sometimes with oils, her work ranges from 8″ x 8″ to 48″ x 36″. When travelling she also works with watercolour pencil and ink on paper. A large selection of Art Cards of her paintings are always available at her shows.
Susan’s studio holds a treasure trove of paintings large and small, each a portrait of a different gem of plant life. Her compositions are joyful and well balanced whether in extreme close up or when incorporating the landscape.
July 19 – 25 at the ArtSea Gallery, her Constant Miracles show will draw on this wealth of images to joyfully celebrate the abundance of nature’s garden.
And after that and a bit more camping and summer appreciation, I have one more Art event to take part in on August 25. This is the Ladysmith Arts on the Avenue market event which I am imagining will be a lot of fun. It runs from 10 - 4 on the Sunday.
Meanwhile I have a piece titled Boxed Roses in the upcoming 2024 On the Edge Show at the Federation Gallery in Vancouver July 29 - Aug 18
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