With a borrowed pen and an empty sandwich wrapper, time is passed sketching a barista , It always surprises me with what little is needed, time is usually the hardest thing to find. Sketching and enjoying a coffee on a raining day while waiting for the ferry was a perfect way to spend an hour. The second sketch was done on the ferry in my sketchbook with ink and watercolour.

Every Christmas season the Courtyard Gallery has a new show that includes "Little Treasures". This show has the gallery full of new paintings, knitted gloves and hats, felted treasures, wood treasures, pottery, jewelry and cards to name a few. The artists also create small handmade treasures to go on the tree or to tuck in a special stocking or gift for Christmas with a variety of price points.

This year I have hand sewn booties for keeping young ones feet warm in a stroller as well as Christmas tree decorations (thanks Shannon for showing me how and picking up supplies for me). In the show, I have 4 paintings for sale of wrapped gifts to pull out for any celebration year 'round as well as "River's View", a large 24" x 31" oil painting. Enjoying all the artists beautiful work is free to look and enjoy.

Instagram: @courtyardgalleryenderby Website: ​https://courtyardgallery.ca/   Facebook: Courtyard Gallery Enderby

My husband and I went for an overnight visit and birthday celebration for my friend Sue. Part of this celebration was a delightful afternoon on their patio boat. Ross snapped some celebratory photos which I used as the basis for the painting below. This is one of my favourite paintings because of the fun we have together which was embedded in the fun I had painting this! 

"Celebrating, Lake Style"
36" x 22" Acrylic   A late birthday gift for Sue.

Two things I love to do are plein air (outdoors/on location) sketching and spending time on my stand up paddleboard. It is a solitaire endeavor that I love! Snacks and a cold beer are often in my sketchbook bag to celebrate the event.
It is like a rodeo ride in the summer with all the surf boats ploughing big waves and coming in every direction. All my supplies are well contained in plastic bags in case I'm dumped (so far, so lucky). Now, the water barely has a wave and I can look up more and enjoy the views. I often go to the same point and sketch slightly different views from the shore, legs stretched in front of me with my sketchbook on my lap and paints on the sand. I feel perfectly grounded and it feels like everything is alright in my world for the moment.

The Kamloops TNS (Thompson/Nicola/Shuswap) Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists extended the invite for a collage demo and creative time with Krystyna Laycraft teaching. Three of us drove from Sicamous B.C. to Blind Bay to enjoy the workshop and critique offer by the TNS FCA chapter. It was a fun and informative workshop and painting critique that everyone participated in. Thank you to the TNS Chapter for extending the invite and the Blind Bay Artists for hosting in their community center. The drive was a glorious sunny fall day, perfect for artists' eyes!

"Lakeside Fall View"
12" x 12" mixed media collage on board   #20118023

Krystyna's beautiful art and collage work can be seen on her Instagram page: @krystynaart, Website: https://krystynaart.studio  Facebook: as well at The Courtyard Gallery and the Enderby Arts Center both in Enderby, B.C.

Today is the first day of a brand new show at the Enderby B.C. Courtyard Gallery. The five paintings below will be on display and for sale. They were painted in oil, en plein air (on location) in Mexico last winter.

Top row (left to right) "Calle Alejondrina, 8' x 11 1/4", "La Pina" 11 1/4" x 8", "Villa Obregon Malecon" 8" x 11 1/4", Bottom row: "Styx" 11 1/4" x 8", "Azteca Bungalows" 8" x 11 1/4" framed and individually for sale ($110) at the Courtyard Gallery.

Combining  things I love to do, being out on the lake, paddle boarding and sketching is a lovely way to spend some afternoon time. Two of the outings are shown below. I have a favourite spot that I can pull my board into and the views feel like they are always changing, especially as this lake is not dammed. 

You can see the "light house" looking rock marker out in the water in the above sketch. The hills and mountains burnt 2 years ago so there are very few green trees. The sketch below was painted yesterday and you can see how much of the rock is showing now. The last painting shows the beautiful view down the lake.

I took a free class then signed up for artist Ali Kay's workshop and continued with her Fresh Paint group. I like to paint in oil with chunky brush strokes showing  and her style is very similar in acrylic but I wanted to learn layering. I had so much fun following along and then continued my journey with what inspires me. The Volkswagen van was her design and the other vehicles are ones that I have taken photos of at car shows or on the street. I don't know anything about cars but do like the sleek lines, colours and shadows on the chrome. 

Left: First attempt following along. "Beach Bug", 12"x12"   Right: "Happy Traveler" 7"x9" Acrylic (same basic design but smaller and colours I like)

Left: "Orange Bug" 7"x9" Acrylic, framed   Middle: "Date Night" 8"x10" Acrylic, framed   Right: "Good Old Days" 8"x10" Acrylic, framed

If you are going through Enderby, please stop at the Enderby Arts Center to view our paintings and cards. We also both have work in the Courtyard Gallery at 104 907 Belvedere St. Enderby, B.C.

It is wonderful when local businesses support local art clubs and artists. That is the case in Sicamous B.C. where "SASCU" as it is known, has a whole wall to showcase the Eagle Valley Brush and Palette Club in Sicamous. Artists change monthly and it is completely up to the artist what they display and how, what a treat for customers and staff. The wall is mine for August 2023 and I chose to put up 5 of my abstract Travel Series and a new painting inspired by the artist Emma Pettit. I absolutely loved doing this painting.      #salmonarmcreditunion

As the Featured Artist at the Courtyard Gallery in Enderby, B.C., I have all 16 painting of this series displayed together. I have been waiting for an opportunity to show them together and then sell them separately.

This series begun as my Mother-In-Law was going through both her and her Mother's photo album as she was downsizing and moving to a different province and city. Her memory of the photos events and places were fascinating. Some of her Mother's very small photos were of people unknown to her.
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Noreen allowed me to keep what I wanted and I started painting without any plan to do a series. The memories she shared and the stories I made up with the poses, clothes, home, work fueled my on to the next one. Thank you Noreen.
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A selection of some of the paintings are below. The frames are made from recycled wood by The Men's Shed in Vernon, B.C.

Five of my abstract Travel Series will be in this show. This series is based on travels that I have done and sketched on location at. The colours, light and shapes really peaked my interest. These mixed media pieces are mainly oil and cold wax with the addition of pencil, charcoal and water colour pencils. There are a total of 10 small paintings in this series ranging from 12"x12" to 8"x8" with the 5 below at the Courtyard Gallery.

Top left to right: "Even Hot In The Shade", 9" x 9", top middle: "Exploring New Territory" 9" x 9", top right: "In Service" 12" x 12", lower left: "Travelling To Points Unexplored" 10" x 10", "Urban Treasures" 8" x 10".

These paintings are gracing my studio right now. Top left: "Exploring During Siesta Time" 10" x 8", top middle: "Free To Explore" 8" x 8", top right: "Luggage Journey" 8" x 8", bottom left: "Street Food" 10" x 8", bottom middle: "Unfamiliar Territory"  8" x 8"

Week 4 Misty Segula-Bowers charcoal pastel portrait with pan pastel, ​@mistysegurabowers  I enjoyed this lesson but could only go so far with the few supplies I had with me while away from my studio. In her demo, Misty used pan pastels and a funky implement for it. I only had a piece of vine charcoal and pencil to use. I painted this in a homemade sketchbook on water colour paper, a rather rough surface for the pencil and charcoal. Week 5 was a demo by Kate Higgins @katehigginsart Once again, I did not have the correct supplies and only had pencil and a regular eraser. I did not finish the demo as I could not get any darks or lights so did not continue on. This one was done in a mixed media sketchbook. Lots of learning in both.

"@cindyknightartist "Colourful painted stories transforming your sketchbook into a painted diary...your joy is evident in your artwork." cindyknightartist😍🎨😍 Love your colourful pictures, small but big on life!👏👏❤️❤️👏👏❤️❤️👏👏" 
Sharing my work on Instagram and receiving comments from great artists, family, current and new friends warmed my heart but was mainly posted to stay accountable. The final Day 100 was on May 10 but due to travelling and no internet, I was tardy in posting.
 ​Below: Day 84: A random design that turned into a face, Day 85: A made up scene while visiting with Dody"s Art For All group. Day 86: Making the bed platforms for our van. Day 87: The first cherry blossoms. Day 88: Walking with friends on the Rail Trail and commenting on how low the water is. Day 89, my first paddle board/sketching excursion.

Below: Day 90 Another paddle board excursion while the lake is low and rocks are showing. Day 91 (speed) sketching while on a zoom call. Day 92 On the road again, sketching (in one continuous line without lifting the pen up) trucks on our road trip (hubby driving). Day 93 Trip down memory lane, our first rental in Butte Montana (bottom left) Day 94 Downtown Butte. Day 95 Derrick for miners to go down into the shaft with the Montana Tech "M" high on the hill (hubby at top while I hiked down for the photo). 

Below: Day 96 A compilation in mixed media of Butte  Day 97 hiking in Zion National Park, Utah  Day 98 some wild flowers growing in the cracks at Zion National Park. Day 99 a view of our van that we temporarily retrofitted for this trip. And finally #100 which is a view of Bryce Canyon on our hiking/camping/visiting  road trip. #100 was a little larger - 5"x5" instead of the 3 1/2"x3 1/2". There was no way I could fit what I was seeing in that small area. I am so proud of my progress and how much this challenge had me looking to capture just the right moment in the day. I am continuing on with the small sketches, just not daily. You will probably see more that I use my stand up paddle board to find a spot to sit on the shore and sketch and paint the beauty before me. 

​I started this page with a comment from this wonderful artist, so will end with another encouraging comment from her..."@cindyknightartist You have an amazing ability to transform your daily activities into stories of colourful art. The energy is evident and abundant". Thank you Cindy and all those people that followed, commented and cheered me on, it really did keep me inspired!!

Well I must say I am pleased with my progress, I really did not think I would get this far!! Drawing out and painting with mainly water colour has been hugely enjoyable and has me looking through out the day for something I saw or did that I want to capture. #72 was of how low the lake is and our dock is completely grounded. Day #73 is what our kitchen looked like with the water pressure tank in the lake failing and just about every dish is dirty! #74, 75 The next two found me sitting on the grass to get a low view of the flowers. The daffodil was completely filled with bees! #76 A walk by our friends, their homemade colourful chairs against the gravel sparked my interest. 

Below: #78 A wildflower inches up from the grass. 79. Finally fixing our lake water pump. #80 My art group enjoying lunch together. #81 A view of the lake as the light was fading (gouache). #82 Helping the hanging committee at the Courtyard Gallery in Enderby, B.C. #83 A collection of wild weeds on my walk.

As we do not live near our grandson Jack, our daughter will send us "Daily Pics" or short movies to fill our grandparent heart. I painted this one of Jack exploring his environment on a cool winter day on the beach. At 18 months, when this photo was taken, he was and is an explorer of the truest sense. 

"Exploring"
water colour in a mixed media sketchbook    10" x 7"

So happy to be a part of this wonderful group of artist celebrating the Courtyard Gallery's 10th anniversary tomorrow in Enderby, B.C. A new show has been hung, shelves dusted, hand made art pieces have been added and rearranged. There are 4 Sicamous artists in this gallery: Alice Duck, Linda Flavel, Mike Sykes and myself, Come in for the festivities, talk "art speak" and enjoy the beautiful pieces. I have paintings and cards for sale (and hand made book "ARTmarks" to give out).Your invitation is below.

Well my travelling did not end. Our daughter and grandson were over for a night the day after we arrived in Calgary. I flew the following day with them to Campbell River. As you can see, the views of my day have drastically changed. The first one was our grandson in the bathtub, splishing and splashing enough for five 20 month olds! A visit to Hopalooza nd Jack working with Daddy in the shop, measuring, what fun to watch and experience.

I flew (teary eyed) back to Calgary. We packed up the car and headed out to Sicamous. While my husband drove, I sketched the trucks ahead of us as I knew they would not zoom away. The first was done with a pencil but I found it was dull and just slipped across the page so changed to a brown Micron 0.5 pen. Each truck was drawn in one continuous line. We stopped in Golden for a coffee and while I was waiting noticed there were tourists maps of the city and area. With my map and hot coffee, we headed off. When I got home, I glued down ripped its of the map, didn't like the lake of contrast so I added blue acrylic paint. You can still see the map image underneath and I feel like the trucks stand out now.

I painted this in my new mixed media sketchbook while sitting in an alley in Mexico. I hadn't really used this new sketchbook and found it interesting and frustrating as I tried to capture this beautiful plant. The paper did not help me with mixing on the page which I was looking for with my small travel palette. I was happy with the final painting but walking home while the open page dried peaked a few people's interest.

Soooooooo excited! I have absolutely loved being part of this artist run gallery and the wonderfully inclusive and varied artists. You know it is a great group when many of the artists are celebrating 10 years membership personally. You are cordially invited to come in, enjoy a refreshment, talk with an artist and just enjoy the feast for the eyes. Of course pottery, paintings, wood and stone carvings, fiber art, sculptures, glass works, weaving, art cards and other beautiful handmade objects will be for sale. A whole new array and display of art will be up just prior to this celebratory event. Hope to see you there!!   
​ @courtyardgalleryenderby  #courtyardgalleryenderby   www.courtyardgallery.ca

"Paint Your Heart And Soul 2023" is an online class with a different instructor doing a demo each week. It is similar to the "Let's Face It 2022" online class that I did last year and won the class for 2023. As I do not have access to my studio and supplies, I only have basics that I could travel with. The painting below was done in my 7" x 5" homemade water colour sketchbook. Joan Martin used pencil, acrylic inks, numerous felt pens, coloured pencils and ink pens in her work. I only used a pencil and water colour so my rendition is certainly different than hers. I really enjoyed the process and thinking of what would work with what supplies I had. I plan on doing the demos that appeal to me and I have time for in the moment and I can keep the course so can go back after the year is up. What a great way to be inspired to keep painting and trying different ideas out.

While travelling with few art supplies, I am trying the ones that I could make work with what I have or have found. This is my rendition of Supermama Des Vosges demo. It was fun to look around and fine my "inspiration", hoping that my art and love of creating will "Inspire" myself and others to continue creating.

It is interesting to me how this project began and has morphed into a snippet of my day, something I want to remember. This visual diary where I do not needs words to describe or set the scene and I am the only person that truly knows the narrative. I started doing #opusdailypractice again for the month of February. I used the prompts given and found things in my world that related to the day's prompt and drew them in my travel sketchbook in a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square format because 2 fit on a page.

Once the @opusartsupply challenge was over I decided to continue with the #100dayproject (already had 28 completed) and continued with the daily sketch or mixed media square of something in my world, particularly something I want to remember.

Had to paint this before I cut it up. It was delicious to paint and eat and was a great way to be out of the heat of the day. Trying to get a full painting in each week is more difficult than I thought, to much fun to be had with friends and family. That is where the sketchbook works well. 

"La Pina"
11" x 8" acrylic on canvas paper  #20001423

Sadly this is the last plein air outing with this wonderful and varied group for the winter. Amy and Gail set it up last year as an inclusive group to join at different locations around town. No RSVP, skill or teaching, just bring whatever supplies you have and draw/paint/sketch amongst other artists, regardless of level. I have had an amazing time filled with art speak, laughter and friendship. I will truly miss these heART friends and our time together. Happily I have paintings and a couple of sketchbooks filled with memories. You can scroll down in my blog to see the other outing paintings and sketches.

The groups' unfinished treasures above. It is always so interesting to see the different views and artist's interests when we are all at the same place.

This outing was at the Sunnyside Luxury Apartments 5th floor palapa area. There were urban views, the ocean and lagoon to choose from. My friends Sue and Ross are staying there and asked the owners if our group could come and we were welcomed. Seven of us painted and sketched today. I found the views to busy to focus on something to oil paint but managed to do an urban sketch of the area below. Another lesson I learned is to test out any new ink pens to make sure they don't "bleed or run" when water was added to it (hence the murky sky and dark trees). The group's unfinished "slap down" (sound of sketchbooks and canvases hitting the tiles for photo) is below.