Lighting the Way

When you light the way for others, you also brighten your own path

Tower Bridge, London UK. Transparent Watercolour 28 by 18 inches

Walking beside the river Thames in London was something I loved doing, especially at night when the skyline was all lit up. This scene certainly has a place in my heart. The inspiration for the watercolour though was at a much more metaphorical level. The bridge at night lights the way and guides others in the darkness but in doing so it illuminates itself too. When you light the way for others, you also brighten your own path. Only by giving will you be able to receive more than you already have. Light someone's path today and brighten yourself too.

Louisiana Watercolor Society 48th Annual International Exhibition Award

After a fun workshop up in Sudbury, it was wonderful to come home to the news that 'Fly Away Thoughts' had been selected for an award in the Louisiana Watercolor Society 48th Annual International Exhibition.

Thanks to all the hard working directors of LWS for making the exhibition possible.

Tower Bridge WIP 3

The darker areas of the bridge are again taking a while to build up. I'm in no hurry though, just enjoying the process and remembering many times I stood on the side of the Thames thinking how magical the bridge with the city behind it looked when lit up.

Have you got a favourite city view at night?

Tower Bridge WIP 2

I have taken so long painting the background in this painting that my once daytime scene appears to have changed to to a night time one! Glazing one colour at a time and slowly building up the illusion of night isn't a fast process that's for sure!It is almost as if my time spent was mirrored in my painting as with each layer I added it slowly transformed from day to night.

I am hoping that this week I will get a chance to start work on the bridge itself. It took eight years, five major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers each day to build the real Tower Bridge. I am hoping I don't take as long to paint it!

The Zoltan Szabo Founders Award

I received a very nice phone call and e mail today from the Transparent Watercolor Society of America

'Congratulations, Ona!
It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that your painting,’Broken In Transit’,  has been selected to receive the Zoltan Szabo Founders Award'

Hoping to be able to make the trip to Kenosha in June.

Studio Tour King

We had a lovely time at the Studio Tour King. Thank you to everyone who visited. It was wonderful catching up with old friends and making new ones.

The cards, prints, books and bookmarks are always a popular. My original Watercolour 'A Drop of light' and Interest-Ted were two of the originals that sold.

Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors.

I was very happy to receive an e mail today to say that 'Vertigo' had been accepted into the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors. It looks like it is going to be an amazing exhibition.

The exhibition will open on August 4th and run until September 30th at The View Arts Center, 3273 State Route 28, Old Forge, NY. 

You can see a sneak peak of the full exhibition online.
  

Work in Progress

We are in the middle of an ice storm here in southern Ontario... not my idea of April weather but on a positive note it's a great excuse to stay in and paint.

I thought I would step outside of my comfort zone and attempt an architecture style landscape. As you probably know I paint one colour at a time in layers.  I am painting vertically because I need gravity to help me out with the water reflections. After 3 colours the background is beginning to take shape. Does anyone recognize where it is yet?

Puzzled

Life is a puzzle without edges. No one is born with all their pieces, or knowing what their life puzzle looks like. It's something that has to be pieced together as we go. Eventually all the pieces will fall into place but until that time we just have to accept the confusion, live for each moment and know that even when things dont immediately fall into place things happen for a reason.

Transparent Watercolour 23 by 14 inches

Puzzled WIP

It has been weeks since I had time to pick up a brush! But now that entries are in for our IWS Canada event, I've started painting again. I think my model for this painting though thinks that in the time apart from my brushes I've lost the plot!  It looks just like he is thinking 'Just why are you painting a section of my head all the way up there? Hoping to get this painting finished over the coming week (fingers crossed)

IWS Czech Republic Exhibition

One of my watercolours will be shipped off soon to the Czech Republic for an International exhibition. This will be my first time exhibiting outside of North America. It is very exciting.

 It is an honour to represent Canada in this exhibition.

Transparent Watercolor Society of America 42nd Annual Exhibition Acceptance

I received this e mail this afternoon:

"We are pleased to inform you that our Jurors, John Salminen, TWSA DM, AWS, NWS and Soon Y Warren, TWSA, AWS, NWS have selected 'Broken in Transit' for the 2018 Transparent Watercolor Society of America 42nd Annual Exhibition."

 Oh MY Goodness!!! That means I'm going to actually have to ship 'Broken in Transit'! I am going to be on tender hooks and willing it to arrive in one piece. Very excited but very nervous too.

Louisiana Watercolor Society's 48th Annual International Exhibition Acceptance

I am delighted to have a painting accepted into Louisiana Watercolor Societies 48th Annual International Exhibition. An amazing selection of work has been chosen by Juror John Salminen. It promises to be a great exhibition.

My selected painting is 'Fly Away Thoughts' So much of what we see with our eyes is transient and ephemeral. Sights rest with us for only a brief moment and then fly away, just like butterflies. What we feel with our hearts in contrast is everlasting and eternal.

The exhibition will take place from May 5th-25th at the Place St.Charles, New Orleans.

Inner Symphony

In the fall, IWS Canada, CSPWC  and the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra are collaborating to showcase an international exhibition of Watercolours. As president of IWS Canada  I really wanted to create a watercolour that was uniquely relevant to our event, so for my painting I decided to capture the artistic director of the Philharmonic,  Dr. Jessica Kun,  as she conducts our 'Symphony in Watercolour' closing performance.

In this performance Jessica will  take our audience on a journey around the world.  As the orchestra play a selection of music, watercolours from both our Canada 150 finalists and the finalists of this years exhibition will be projected onto a large screen behind the orchestra. Led by Jessica the world will unite in a celebration of music and art.

I will leave you all to imagine the music that Jessica can hear in my painting or what images she can see in her minds eye. Maybe you would like to paint an image and submit it to our juried exhibition. You never know... maybe your painting will be one that inspires Jessica to select a piece of music for the evening.

If you would like to enter our exhibition, please follow the instructions in our call to artists https://iwscanada.ca/current-calls-to-artists-entry-information/

41st WAS-H International Watermedia Exhibition

My Transparent Watercolour Red Alert' will be off to Houston Texas  for the WAS-H 2018 International Watermedia Exhibition.The juror for the exhibition is Iain Stewart. The exhibition opens on March 4th. Please cross your fingers and toes there are no red alerts for this painting as it travels to the exhibition.