Painting Calm and Carrying On
I recently realized that I haven’t blogged in ages. I mean ages.
I will try to be better about that. I’ve been keeping myself busy with all sorts of projects and the writing just fell by the wayside.
The above painting, I Look to the Hills, was just delivered to the Leighton Centre for their annual juried Member’s show. It is 18 x 24 inches and painted on gallery-wrapped canvas. It will be listed for their online sale soon.
It is part of a series I am doing as a Calendar project. I have a few of these paintings done but have sold a few so need to paint more. I wanted to produce a calendar for next year so that I can do some fundraising for charity. Each original painting will be 18 x 24. I plan to pull references and studies from all seasons. I’ll let you know more about that project as it continues.
The feedback I received about this painting is that it really depicts a place of calm. It’s somewhere you can take a deep breath. I found that comment interesting. When I looked at my recent work I realized that is a common theme running through all the pieces. It wasn’t intentional. But I do feel the need for solace and calm right now. I am drawn to those quiet places where we can take a breath.
It makes me think of that British war poster. The “Keep Calm and Carry On” is a slogan created om 1939 by the British Ministry of Information. Intended to raise the morale of the British public, it was not officially sanctioned for release. They were put into storage, to be put into circulation in the event of serious air raids. An interesting note is that the Ministry of Information was shut down the same year that these posters were created. People claimed the few posters they saw were patronizing and divisive. In 1945 the majority of the posters were destroyed in a Paper Salvage campaign. Most people were unaware of their existence.
We know about them because of Stuart Manley, the co-owner of Barters Books LTD. He found a Carry On poster in 2001 while sorting through a box of used books. After hanging the poster on the cash register, he received many requests for a copy. So he printed up 500 posters and sold them from his store. The Carry On Poster is now a popular and often satirized meme.
But it suits our times. It is easy to feel panic about what is happening in the world. We are faced with uncertainties. I am waiting to be eligible for a vaccine. I am alarmed at the increasing numbers of cases and COVID variants. When I feel my anxiety building I know it is time for time in my studio. There is a world there that I can understand.
My paintings seem to be reaching for a nostalgic place within myself. That is true of the one above. It also is an 18 x 24 painting. It is in my collection right now, so if you are interested you can contact me.
There is a lot of energy in this painting but our eyes seek out the first snows on the peaks of the Rockies. This image seems dreamlike to me. It is a view I have enjoyed all my life. I am a prairie girl who has mostly lived with the Rockies on the horizon. It is familiar. It is calm.
Another recent painting above captures my favorite type of light- the golden hour. Once more it seems dreamlike and nostalgic. For me, it evokes past memories of road trips and adventures. The original photo reference is from a road trip to Turner Valley and Black Diamond. I miss those openings and art shows.
I named this painting after something my great uncle Jack used to say. “I’ll see you soon, God willing and the creek don’t rise.” Ironically it is of Sheep River which flooded in 2003 and washed out bridges near Turner Valley and Black Diamond.
At a time when there is so much out of our control, I am so thankful for my practice. That keeps me creating in my studio. It keeps me grounded. I am trying to focus on what I can do instead of what I can’t.
I am trying to keep calm.
I hope to paint on.
All of the paintings I am sharing today are for sale. The top one can be purchased through the Leighton Center You can contact them by clicking HERE. The name of the painting is I LIft Up My eyes to the Hills…
The other paintings are currently in my collection. You can contact me by clicking HERE.
I am interested in what you have to say about how you are coping right now. Or maybe you have a comment about how art is helping you through the pandemic. You can tell me about that in the comments below.