doodling my way from dark to light...

I am on the verge of creating some new work, probably continuing on the theme of motherhood or home life or something familiar and real right now. They say "paint what you know." Well, what I know right now is a big pregnant belly and three busy kids.

But first. I have to get over my real aggravation with Kathleen Wynne's sabatoge of the family. The sneaky, subtle and subversive attacks on the very thing that takes up all my time and energy--I'm so done with it. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, maybe you don't live in Ontario. Sigh...anyway...

No one wants artwork that oozes bitterness hanging in their home--much less do I need a reminder of that on my easel. Plus, whining under the pressure doesn't seem overly honourable. There must be a helpful way to think through the reasons why family life is beautiful, important, valuable. The honest truth is, right now I often have trouble seeing it myself. Maybe that's why people call this stage being "in the trenches" of motherhood.

SO.

Until that gets processed into something positive...

I thought I'd catch up on the blog.

This spring I had a wonderful opportunity to create a commissioned piece for a friend. Doesn't this just lighten the mood :) It was a joy to paint!

Portrait of a young boy, Waterton National Park, Alberta.
18 x 24" Acrylic Painting on wood panel.

I began by selecting the photo below out of a handful of excellent options. Then I felt I needed some inspiration as far as the colour palette and brushwork went, so I kept this image of a Monet painting beside me almost the whole time.

One of the reference photos I worked with, alongside a painting by Monet.

Maybe you can see how my painting was influenced by this.

Detail of Acrylic Painting.

Following this painting, I was busy with three weeks of Art Camp--too. much. fun! A separate blog post about that is in the works.

One final quick thing to show you. Recently, Flagship Gallery launched a new website which shows off a lot more artwork than the old site. You can also buy prints and originals, and support this fantastic group of artists I am blessed to call friends! Here's a look at the page showcasing some of my work. 

www.flagshipgallery.com

Thanks for reading!

LS

A year in 30cm of screen

Wowzers! It has been well over a year since I last wrote a blog post! Here's a very quick visual tour of what's been happening in the creative side of life.

Art Camp last summer... was only two weeks but it was jam packed with students. I returned to the smaller class size, which is much better for all of us :)

We had one adventure in plein air painting/drawing at La Salle Park, which resulted in a very soggy ride back to the studio---should've known by the clouds we were studying that a downpour was looming!

Check out the details and register for lessons with me this summer here.

(Psst....I really would like a high school class this time around as much as I love teaching the younger ones!...)

Plein Air study of Myrtle Beach, SC
Acrylic on Canvas, 8x10"  $195
(prints available $35 each)
© Lisa Smouter 2014 

After Art Camp last summer we headed down to South Carolina for a holiday. I was feeling creative and worked on this little plein air study of the view from our condo's balcony.

I also had ideas ruminating, left over from last winter's drawing on the theme of old/new creation. I snapped some pictures of my kids playing in the sand as reference for the painting below.

It took a few months (and a commission in between!), but this painting called "Child of the King" finally emerged.

"Child of the King"
Acrylic and Liquitex on Canvas, 14x18"
Please contact for pricing details. Prints not available.
© Lisa Smouter 2015

I hope to get some more painting done this spring/summer/fall....Would be nice to beat my "a painting a year" record, but slow is how I go for now :)

Thanks for reading!

LS

Born to be...

I'm blaming it on all the thought-provoking things I listened to while painting--this particular blog post isn't all fluff. Just warnin' ya :)

But first, I thought I'd give you a complete look at the finished painting for my sister. The Alumni show at Redeemer is all wrapped up--to my chagrin, there was no guest book so I have no idea who, if anyone, went to check it out!

Completed painting of Italy, Cinque-Terre (Manarola)
Oil on Canvas, 24x30"
Copyright 2012 Lisa Smouter

This will most likely be my last painting I blog about for the year 2012, but I do have some crafty stuff and a couple whimsical paintings on the go right now :) This Italy painting was a joy to work on, and I could do it (mostly) in complete confidence--but whimsical, imaginitive things...well...I think it's probably good for the soul to let loose and say "I have NO idea what I'm doing!!" If I eventually sum up the courage, I'll show you some of those pieces. For now, I feel very strongly that my 2 year old daughter is doing a better job of it than I.

It Only Takes a Spark...

A portion of a painting in progress. Italy, Cinque-Terre, Manarola. Oil on Canvas with acrylic underpainting, 24 x 30"

You know how they say "it only takes a spark"

My old stomping grounds, Redeemer University College, recently held a match to the back-ends (ha!) of my paintbrushes and let them burn to nearly nothing. Just to see how fast I could complete a painting.

Their method was pretty effective, I must say.

one for the kids...

Don't you just feel for the little girl whose favourite companion is left hanging out to dry?

Hanging Out to Dry
Oil on Canvas, 14 x 24"
Copyright 2012 Lisa Smouter
Original Painting For Sale: $450  |  Prints For Sale: $85 each

Poor little bear...

I'm actually a bit nervous to let this painting go, because it has given me many a headache! An artist rarely knows when a painting is finished, but with this one I'm saying I'm finished! In the end it was kind of fun, as Annie's own sense of humour inspired me to add fun things like animals in the clouds and an airplane with a banner ("baby on board!" was Arie's suggestion since I was expecting Josie at the time). Having a two-year-old in the house has made me lighten up a bit. Maybe some of you can relate? :)

Plein Air!

It has been forever since I've done a plein air painting--someone was just asking me about it too, and I hoped I'd get a chance to do one or two while up north for Thanksgiving weekend.

I have a rickety outdoor easel--(a Costco special, anyone?)--that now needs my hubby's trusty Leatherman to set up properly. But no amount of mechanical frustration could surpass the beauty of this place and the excitement of capturing it in the moment.

The weather this past weekend was incredible, and this gorgeous landscape was literally in my lap that whole time. My husband might testify that I was a somewhat neglectful mother while working on this. Annie spent far too much time "napping"...or chit-chatting to herself the tent trailer behind me... Hopefully she thinks the painting was worth it! :)

"By the Boat Launch" Sandy Beach Resort on Balsam Lake, Ontario.
Oil on board, approx. 12 x 14"  For Sale $275 tax incl.
Copyright 2011 Lisa Smouter