Thursday, January 2, 2014

A painting class

Gord and I ventured out for an errand into -23C temps this morning and when we returned to our car, it wouldn't start. My husband suspected a frozen gas line. The battery wasn't dead although it was heading there while trying to start the car. We were near a department store so he headed over to buy some gas line anti freeze while I went to talk to someone we knew who had pulled in to the lot.
It still wouldn't start so we left it and went with our friend on a couple of errands. When we returned and tried it with the help of booster cables it started. Whew.
After lunch I went to my drawing table set up downstairs and got set up to paint a background on an old door that my husband sanded and primed for me last summer.
Yesterday, I noticed that one of my favourite artists, Alicia Burke, had a sale on all her classes and there was one in particular that caught my eye. Sorry, the sale ended yesterday!
I've had that door on my to do list for some time and when I saw her Larger than Life class, I thought it would be perfect.
After watching the first couple of lessons, here's what I did today. This is the left side.

And the right side.

The whole door or most of it. It's too wide to get it all in.

Here's a closer view of one section.

That's as far as I've watched for now. I know I will have to think about what kinds of things I would like to depict, perhaps birds and flowers which are usually my favourite subject.
So those of you who follow me for my quilt art will have to bear with me for a bit while I get the most from the course that I can. I'm sure you'll see some of the techniques and drawings or doodles cross over into my fabric art eventually.

3 comments:

Jo Vandermey said...

What a great start to the New Year... not the car not starting thing.. but your door. I have taken one of Alisha Burke's classes. She is so inspiring with her can do and simple material approaches.
You certainly have been getting cold weather in your part of our country. I think we have had the coldest snowiest winter in the Niagara Region of Ontario than I can remember in years. My dog seems to be enjoying all the snow!
It will be interesting to see your door progress.
Jo

elle said...

Man, it is cold and now blowy. I'm cancelling my errands. This will be a great project, Holly!

Watercolour and Textile Artist, Eileen Gidman said...

A door! I never would have known the scale of this without the description.