Saw-Whet Studio

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

2012-03-09T07:28:00.007-08:00

Well, we kind of disappeared there, for a moment. The last month has been chaotic, as we try to transition from school to work. Busy!

Also, I have been travelling all over the place like a wild, travelling thing. Which, it turns out, does not help one to establish a schedule. Two oceans in two months! I am content, if disorganized.

Here are some little owls my mum gave me while I was visiting her, in lovely Atlantic Canada:
Pat calls this the owl collection.

More owl:
I made this owl for Pat as a Valentine's present (note the thematic colour choices). It lives with the other weird (glittery) crafts I have lately made for him.

Thing:
I started this orca skull drawing, thinking it was a very good idea. Now... mixed feelings. Isn't that how every art project ends? If you have an opinion about this piece, I'd be interested to hear it.

Hope you are all very well!
- Liz

Sketches from San Francisco

2012-01-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some sketches inspired by our trip. Pat worked with watercolours, while I spent most of my time using pen and wax crayons (one of my new favourite materials).

Pat painted these trees while we sat in Golden Gate Park.

Pat and I sketched together on the pier. This is Pat's painting of the city skyline.

Meanwhile, I sketched objects in the water.

A collage page from my sketchbook, with ephemera from our trip.

Lately I have been playing around with felt. These are little experiments based on different animals we saw on our trip (rockfish, porpoise, and moon jelly). I might try to make some wee birdies, next.

- Liz

SF Part 5 (Final): California Academy of Sciences

2012-01-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

On the final day of our trip, we went to the California Academy of Sciences! The Academy houses an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, a natural history museum, and it features a living roof. The California Academy of Sciences is located in Golden Gate Park, across from the de Young Museum and the Music Concourse.

We spent an afternoon walking through the beautiful exhibits. My favourite was the Amazon aquarium tunnel, with red-tailed catfish, arapaima, and pacu!

Walking through the rainforest.

Giraffe mount.

Pat and a cougar friend.

Liz on the living roof.

California coastal tank.

Amazon tunnel!

Thanks to friends and family for all the support they have given (and continue to give!), allowing us to finish our school semester and then go on such a wonderful trip. What a tremendous way to start a new year!

And thank-you all for stopping by to catch-up with our adventures!

Cheers,
- Liz

SF Part 4: Monterey and the Coast

2012-01-07T06:21:00.000-08:00

One day during our trip, Pat and I took a tour along the coast from San Francisco to Monterey and Carmel. It was wonderful to see the different features of the coast beyond the city, and it also gave us the opportunity to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Monterey Bay Aquarium
I have long been obsessed (I'm sure this will come as a shock) with aquaria and exhibit design, so our trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium was one I had long anticipated! Pat and I are also followers of the illustration and design work of Jeff Hoke (author/curator of the Museum of Lost Wonder, and senior exhibit designer at Monterey), and it was great to see projects he worked on, in the round. The integration of exhibits with the building's natural surroundings was wonderful, and we were delighted by both the animals on display and the wild creatures we could view from the windows and decks of the aquarium.

View from the observation decks.

Shorebirds exhibit, with windows out to the bay.

View into the kelp forest tank.

Grey whale model, floating by the ceiling.

Jellies.

Sea turtle.

Cannery Row
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is located in the historic Cannery Row area of Monterey. While this part of the town has largely been remodelled to house shops and restaurants, there is one small, preserved building we sought out: Ed Ricketts' lab.

Ed Ricketts was a marine biologist during the 20's, 30's and 40's and, beyond his notable work in the sciences, he is also known for his friendship with writer John Steinbeck. Together, Ricketts and Steinbeck wrote The Log from the Sea of Cortez, and Ricketts was the model for several characters in Steinbeck's works. Curiously, mythologist Joseph Campbell also worked at the lab as an assistant.

The lab, at 800 Cannery Row.

Bird Rock
During our trip, we also stopped by Bird Rock, found along 17 Mile Drive. This natural attraction boasts great views of seabirds, seals and sea lions, although we were just as happy to watch the bold little ground squirrels.

Scenic views.

Ground squirrel!

Our poor little camera wasn't able to capture great pictures of the animals on the rocks, so we used one of those coin-operated telescopes to enhance our views.

The result:
Not bad...

The Lone Cypress
The iconic Lone Cypress can also be seen from 17 Mile Drive. The tree is around 250 years old, and belongs to a subspecies found only in northern California. Although other cypress trees have lived to be much older, some believe, because of its tenuous grip on the rock, that the Lone Cypress may be approaching the end of its life.

Carmel
Our final stop was the picturesque town of Carmel. We briefly considered spending time looking in shops and galleries, but quickly decided we would rather go to the beach. Carmel Beach was gorgeous, and a great way to end the day.

Beach view, 1.

Beach view, 2.

Pat on the beach.

Pat in a tree.

Return of the kooks.

One remaining post...
- Liz

SF Part 3: Around Town

2012-01-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

We spent much time traveling around San Francisco and the bay. Below are some of our adventures around town!

Sittin'. The best way to start an adventure?

Fisherman's Wharf:
Fisherman's Wharf is an amazing tourist trap, at once charming and repulsive. We spent a good deal of time walking around the piers that comprise Fisherman's Wharf, enjoying the bay and eating so much food.

Sushi lunch. Unbelievable.

Soft-shell crab. Om-nom-nom-nom.

View from the sushi restaurant.

Pat in the fog, looking handsome.

Pat in the sun, sketching.

Musée Mecanique:
Fisherman's Wharf is also home to one of my favourite museums, Musée Mecanique. It is a large, converted warehouse that houses arcade games, music makers, and automatons from various decades. The games are all still functioning, and are much loved and abused by the crowds that visit. Entrance to the museum is free, and the games generally cost .25 to $1 to play. Our favourites are the fortune-telling automatons (which sadly photograph very poorly, behind glass and in low light). Some other highlights:

Monkey band.

Baseball and pinball, together!

JungleLand!

Chinatown:
During our last visit to San Francisco, Pat and I passed very briefly through Chinatown. This time around, we took a nice leisurely stroll through the major streets (we heard later that there are some excellent alleyways that we should have looked for). It was an overcast day, but all the colourful decorations and storefronts were a nice contrast.

Chinatown.

Ferry Tour:
On the way back from Muir Woods, Pat and I took the ferry from Sausalito back down to San Francisco. The ferry ride took us from Sausalito to Tiburon, then by Angel Island and Alcatraz Island, before landing in Fisherman's Wharf. We saw seabirds, sea lions, and a porpoise on our trip!

Golden Gate Bridge:
We were lucky and had some clear-weather days when we visited the bridge and travelled around the bay.

Golden Gate Bridge.

Marina, from a lookout.

Still more to come...
- Liz

SF Part 2: Muir Woods

2012-01-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

Muir Woods National Monument is home to the world's tallest species of tree (Sequoia Sempervirens), known by the common names 'coastal redwood' and 'California redwood'. Many of the trees in the park have lived for over one thousand years. It is estimated that about 5% of the naturally occurring (worldwide) population of these trees remain today, after the effects of commercial logging.

The park itself was established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, and was named in honour of naturalist John Muir. The land for the park was donated by William Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, who had intended to protect the land from commercial development.

Pat and I visited Muir Woods 5 years ago, and since then it has been an obsession for both of us. During the last year of our undergrad, Pat created many multimedia projects based on our experiences at the park, and those experiences changed how we both approach image-making. It is an amazing and awe-inspiring place to visit, and we were happy to be back.

Pat at the main gate.

Some indication of scale...

Mythic raven.

Kooks.

More to follow...
- Liz

SF Part 1: Golden Gate Park

2012-01-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Pat and I have just returned from an amazing trip to San Francisco. The Pacific coast is always a beautiful place to see, and northern California is an especially gorgeous combination of picturesque towns and (our favourite, of course) coastal forests. The next few posts will be about our San Francisco adventures!

Golden Gate Park:
We spent a few days walking around Golden Gate Park, both in the (expected) fog and the sunshine. It was wonderful to take a break from the winter weather and walk around outside for hours (and hours and hours) in a new city.

Pat drinking coffee in the Music Concourse plaza. Happy!

Egret at the de Young Museum.

Pat and trees. I was pretty sure there were velociraptors in those trees.

Maybe dinosaurs here, too?

Sun! At the Conservatory of Flowers.

Fog!

More adventures soon...
- Liz

Canoe Lake Cemetery

2011-12-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

This past July I went on a kind of pilgrimage, to see the "possible" grave site of Tom Thomson. After reading the most recent and comprehensive account of his life story and all the circumstances and people surrounding his death, I felt more compelled than ever to visit the place where it all happened.

The grave site is the Canoe Lake Cemetery, formerly the Mowat Cemetery, up on a hill, deep in the woods of Algonquin. There are only a few graves. Just outside of the little picket-fence cemetery is a small white cross, marking the place where (some say) Thomson still lies.

The site is dominated by a beautiful old birch tree. This kind of tree usually only lasts up to forty years, but this one is almost 100 years old. The tree was planted in 1915 by a couple beside their son's grave, Alexander Hayhurst, who died of diphtheria.

The whole place has a supernatural feel to it, a small ancient cemetery deep in the woods with no signs or markers, no people, and no evidence that anyone comes by, just the old birch rising up above.

- Pat

Catching Up, Pt. 2: Museum

2011-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Pat and I went to the Royal Ontario Museum to do some sketching. I suspect my colour choices here have been heavily influenced by Pat's own. Things were so hectic that I didn't get a chance to post this at the time (November? Who knows).

- Liz

Catching Up, Pt. 1: Zoo

2011-12-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

At the zoo.

- Liz

Us and Them

2011-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

It's been hard to get much artwork done while we finish up our schooling, but over the past week I was able to steal a few hours for this piece on the theme "Us and Them". I got some great shots of the white pine rising up in the back of the painting on my trip to Algonquin Park this summer, one of the tallest on the lake. I'm working on two more paintings that I will post about, hopefully soon.

- Pat

Lost Poppies

2011-11-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

Every year I lose my poppy pin before November 11th. Sometimes, if I have been very clever, I will have a back-up waiting at home. This year, frustrated with the loss of my poppy mere days before the 11th and without a clever back-up, I decided to make my own flower.

Felt and a button.

Not the most carefully made bloom, but I think it's pretty darn cute.

School work continues.
- Liz

Slowly painting...

2011-11-03T03:41:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy lately with school related stuff (see the crazy 200-page binders from the last post) so I've been slow to get paintings done. Here are two under-paintings that will eventually get worked on some more- one stage at a time. There's something nice about taking time to complete a piece and consider it as it develops.

- Pat

Time, et c.

2011-10-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

We have been working extremely diligently to finish our course work in the last few months, which (contrary to my hopes) has not spurred us into equally fevered art making (I can dream, right?). Here is a lovely example of two (non-art) projects Pat and I have been working on:

Hundreds of pages of education policy and course work! Heck yes.

The last 2 months have been a time of tremendous learning and fun but, as you may have noticed, work continues to be a bit thin on the blog. Please know that we are planning, making sketches and writing notes, even though we don't have time to finish anything major right now.

Art stuff will happen. Eventually.

In the meantime, we will continue to be learning ninjas!

- Liz

Thing!

2011-10-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Only one wee cross-stitch experiment this week. Another minor alteration of a free pattern.

Flower!

Boo, I need to make more arts! On the other hand, I have motored through a tremendous amount of useless paperwork this week.

- Liz

Carnival of the Animals

2011-09-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

I am trying my best to keep busy making things! Here are some of the bits and pieces I finished this week:

Two tiny cross-stitch experiments. The bun was copied from a free pattern online, and the owl was a tangent on another free pattern (which may explain why the owl is a bit kookie looking).

After that, I spent some time at the museum and drew a few of the mounts. I have drawn this cockatoo before; it is very conveniently located in front of a bench.

This wolf was new to me, and is part of the new biodiversity gallery.

I hope to have more cross-stitch experiments to show off next week...
- Liz

Late September start.

2011-09-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up summer work and returning to school has made for a heck of a stressful few weeks! So I went to my happy place:

- Liz

Market, Continued

2011-08-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, it took me a week, but here are some pictures from the Port Hope Farmers Market Art Festival!

Our view from the table.

Me and our wares. "Any milk today, mistress?" (No? Too obscure?)

I had a lovely time at the festival talking with other local artists, and it was also a good reminder that I should be more involved with the arts and creative events! Hopefully with the return to school this autumn I will also be able to return to a life filled with weird, colourful art projects.

Bright strawberries,

- Liz

Bits and Bobs

2011-08-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

Pat and I had a lovely time at the farmers' market on Saturday, and we were lucky enough to catch a break in the iffy weather. Below are some of the card designs I had for sale at the market, as well as a sketch I made while out at the museum the other day with lovely lady Miss Ding. Random! More market photos will follow...

Happy!
- Liz

Nearly a Year/ Back on the Island

2011-08-04T18:04:00.001-07:00

It has been nearly a year since we started this blog, and we seem to find ourselves visiting our same, favourite summer haunts. The island remains a wonderful summer spot to return to, for people watching and lounging about. Like last year, we made sure to take a silly picture of ourselves on the south pier.

Somehow, the sun was behind us... ?

Of course, we also visited the hobby farm on the island, which I always love.

The pigs of summer, living the life.

Keep on living the dream, little piggies.

- Liz

Port Hope Farmer's Market Arts Festival

2011-07-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Liz and I will be part of the Arts Festival at the Port Hope Farmer's Market on Saturday August 13th. The Festival will take place from 9am-3pm at 56 Queen st., Port Hope (behind Town Hall), rain or shine.

Some of Liz's artwork that will be for sale at the festival:

And some of Pat's work that will be there too:

We will also be selling copies of our friend Lara's recent publication: An Illustrated Guide to Growing Food on Your Balcony. It's a wonderful and easy-to-follow guide book that will help anyone grow their own food, especially on a balcony. Here are the covers and a few excerpts:

Come on by and pick up some local and affordable food, art and knowledge!

- Pat

Ancient Scottish Church

2011-07-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick little painting of an ancient Scottish church, St. Vigean's, just outside of Arbroath on the east coast.

This site was used by the Picts long before they converted to Christianity. I had the opportunity to explore the church and it's a beautiful old building that many generations have used and cared for. It is still used for weekly services today.

Hope you're enjoying the hot weather!
- Pat

Scotland

2011-07-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

I spent a week visiting family on the east coast of Scotland this month and had a great time. Scotland has such a fascinating history, and compared to Canada everything's so close together, so you can't get far without coming across something epic.

I visited Arbroath Abbey (above), birthplace of the Declaration of Arbroath, the first official statement of democracy and independence in modern Europe. You might have seen the beautiful ruins of this abbey at the end of the film "The Stone of Destiny."

Arbroath is a fishing town and specializes in delicious smoked haddock fresh from the sea.

Overlooking Dundee from the Dundee Law, an extinct volcano where you can see all the surrounding areas.

I was visiting my wonderful Aunty Bunty at her home in Broughty Ferry (just outside Dundee) with my aunt Liz.

We got the chance to check out some Pictish stone carvings at St.Vigean's Museum.

We were also given the key to this ancient church (St.Vigean's), a site that was used by the Picts before, during, and after their conversion to Christianity. The stones carvings were originally found here.

And finally we stopped by Glasgow, but there's just too much to see, so I'll have to get back over there for another more complete trip and check out Edinburgh and the Highlands. I'm working on a painting of the ancient Pictish church and will be posting about it soon,

Cheers,
Pat

Continued silliness.

2011-07-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

I am having a heck of a time finishing anything serious, so here's some more sketchbook fluff.

- Liz

Silly times.

2011-06-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a sampling from my latest sketchbook. 'Tis a small sketchbook, which is why all the images are cut off; I'm not all-up-ons how drawings should be scaled-down, for the size of the teeny, tiny pages.

Hope you're having a fabulous June!
- Liz

More Samson & Delilah

2011-06-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try a simple version of this image with a focus on the line drawing just for fun. I posted this and the painted version on my Society6 store in a few forms:

Liz and I spent some time walking around the forest in Port Hope this week, enjoying this beautiful weather.

And here's our rat Alice, aka Tarantula Eyes, from a little while ago.

- Pat

"I'm just messin' around, that's all..."

2011-06-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

I thought I would try to draw something in Photoshop, with my trackpad. I think it looks like one of those fancy cappuccino foam pictures.

- Liz

Catch-Up!

2011-05-26T07:37:00.001-07:00

Back before our lives were devoured by semester finals, I went to the zoo (again!). Here are some pictures I took on that gloomy April day, and a sketch of one of the snow leopards that was out and pouncing about.

The polar bears were having a sleepy day.

This macaque was in a territorial dispute with some Canada geese.

The red-river hogs were hard at work, snuffling.

Drawing a snow leopard is like drawing any cat, if that cat was also wearing a snowsuit.

It's almost June! Do you have any grand plans for the summer?

- Liz

Samson and Delilah

2011-05-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

I finally got a few days off and spent some time painting and drawing. I'd been thinking about doing a piece about Samson and Delilah for a while but wasn't sure what part of the story to focus on. The narrative is elaborate and covers a number of stories.

One is about how Samson kills a lion with his bare hands and later notices the bees making honey and he comes up with a riddle:
"Out of the eater, something to eat,
Out of the strong, something sweet."

This story has been the subject of a few traditional folk songs, one of them was arranged by the Grateful Dead.

Nick's New Short Film

2011-05-16T17:50:00.001-07:00

My brother Nick is trying to make a new short film and he's using kickstarter to get some support. Nick is offering some of our giclee prints as rewards for backers of $50 or more. Among them are two of Liz's (8.5" x 11.5" and 6" x 8"):

and some of mine, including:
full-size prints of "Xylocopa" and "Simone" (15.5" x 24"),

"Kew Gardens from the north-east" (8" x 14"),

"5-horned Goat" (11.5" x 11.5"),

and "2-headed Rat" (6" x 11.5").

For backers who contribute $10 and up, they're offering all kinds of fun rewards including original music by local bands, film credits, DVD's, free screenings, press kits, a virtual Q&A, and lots more... check out the kickstarter page for more info.

I was back home recently and spent some time with our crazy boxer, Mapes, who hasn't made it up on this blog yet, which is surprising considering the amount of animals in our posts:

Cheers,
Pat

Sugar Bush Adventure!

2011-03-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

A few weekends back I went on an excellent adventure with my Da, to a sugar bush. If you have never experienced it, a sugar bush is a magical stand of maple trees that is tapped for sap, which you can then purchase in the refined form of syrup or candies. In the early spring, when the sap production is up, sugar bush operators sometimes have activities for tourists.

Unfortunately, we didn't go on one of the big 'festival' days, so they weren't making maple sugar candies in the snow (this is the best thing ever! You put a popsicle stick in a trough filled with snow, and then someone pours hot maple sugar over your stick and the snow, and then the cold of the snow makes the sugar harden into a delicious candy over the stick. Ah, candy, I love you...).

I took some pictures (and somehow managed to only take one with actual maple trees in it).

I have also been rooting around in old sketchbooks the last few weeks, and uncovered more fan art-y things. Here's Alice the vampire:

- Liz

Weeping Cherry

2011-03-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a new tree portrait that I recently finished, thanks to March break. This one is a Weeping Cherry from my neighbourhood in Richmond Hill. There aren't many old trees around but they love ornamental trees like this one here, most of the houses have one somewhat like this.

Process photos...

Prints are available at my Society6 store.

Cheers,
Pat

Fan Art: The Grateful Dead

2011-02-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

This one's an acrylic painting of Bobby that I did for a vinyl show in Phoenix, Arizona last year.

Here a gouache painting of Jerry that I did a while back.

And one of the whole band, that I drew while watching the Egypt '78 DVD. Cheers!

- Pat

Great big kitty.

2011-02-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a lioness! It hurt my brain to remember how to use pencil crayons, but I'm leading a class through a similar project, so I figured I needed to get back up to speed.

Meow.

- Liz

Bear Fight!

2011-02-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

Crazy polar bears are crazy.

- Liz

ps.

Burrowing owl!

Fan Art: I know, I know.

2011-01-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so, this is fan art for Breaking Dawn. You know what? If you don't think a toddler riding a monster wolf is awesome, there's something wrong with you. I apologize for nothing.

- Liz

Fan Art: Holly Black

2011-01-27T18:15:00.001-08:00

Continuing with the geekiness...

I read books for kids. Like, a lot. Among those young adult and children's books are Holly Black's fairy stories, which I enjoy immensely. These are the most recent odd little sketches I've done of her characters.

- Liz

Fan Art: Post #1

2011-01-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a new series of posts that will feature our fan art!

It may be embarrassing and looked down on by some (most), but it is fun. Many artists keep their fan art hidden away in sketchbooks, on a USB key or deep in some portfolio case. But we think it should be shared. And who is more appropriate to begin this series than Leia? Here'a a pen sketch that I coloured in photoshop:

- Pat

Winter Blog Update

2011-01-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

So, we're finally back in Richmond Hill, all ready to get back into school and get our educations-on! Pat will probably make me change that bit later because it doesn't make sense... I'm all hopped up on green tea ice-cream and don't know what's what.

Winter recap!
Pat decided to kick-off our break by making a breakfast fit for a pre-Revolutionary French monarch.

Yes, that is a donut. And bacon, and whipped cream. Let this stand as further proof of how little there is to do in Richmond HIll to entertain oneself.

Chamcook!
I went back into the wilds of New Brunswick to visit Mumsy and Dewey the wonder dog. We drove around looking at New Brunswick-y things, like eagles and beaches and adorable buildings. We spent an afternoon at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, which I would absolutely recommend to anyone who finds themselves in the Fredericton area. It has a small collection, but it is rotated frequently and the docent we talked to was an astounding font of knowledge. Astounding, I say! (I really shouldn't be allowed to have ice-cream before blogging).

Here are a few pictures from an adventure we had on a beach in Chamcook.

There was an odd little house on the beach that was mostly abandoned. These were silk flowers in the window. Inside there was a bizarre collection of items, including deflated mylar balloons, a photo portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip, a smiley-face beach ball, an old cast-iron range, and broken ceramic figurines. You can see the beach here reflected in the glass.

There were also massive icicles.

And a dead deer!

Back home, Dewey demonstrated his amazing pancake-balancing abilities. Just like his personal hero, Oolong.

Holiday stuff!
We received lots of excellent stuff for Christmas and our birthdays! Thank-you to friends and family for awesome times and too much food!

Pat got a hat...

A small mound of (some of) the books we received. And then we went out and bought more books with our birthday money! Pat was also given a wee Dexter figurine (complete with knife, garbage bag, and ID badge) and I was given the warthog from a friend who knows me too well.

We aren't big on Christmas trees, but we try to make our houseplants a bit festive.

Adventure!
This past weekend we went to the Science Centre to see the Whales: Tohorā exhibition. They had an excellent collection of odontocete skulls (excellent if you are a major nerd, like myself) and two full sperm whale skeletons among other natural history displays, as well as a collection of Maori artwork both depicting whales and made from whale teeth. While we were there we stopped by to visit the kinetic fish sculpture I was involved in constructing (as an art facilitator to the community) and the indoor rainforest.

Me and fish.

Rainforest room!

Art stuff!
Before the break I was working on a weird assemblage piece to fulfill an assignment I had, to represent my own philosophy of education. The whole piece is glued and epoxied together, so I can lean it against things at dangerous angles.

See?

And I finally finished a skeletal study I've been ignoring forever! I started this right after I graduated art school and promptly buried the sketchbook it was in. I hope to do more studies like this soon.

Meow, meow, meow.

That's some of what we've been up to in the last month. I hope you are all having a good start to the new year!
- Liz

School's out.

2010-12-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Living in the suburbs is driving us crazy. Our primary coping strategy, not involving playground equipment, is to leave. SO! We'll have some good out-of-town adventures to share in the next few posts.

When school resumes in the new year we hope to use the energy generated from our adventures to be rocket-powered ninjas of learning.

Merry Ho-ho,
Liz and Pat

9 Painted Beetles

2010-12-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

More paint textures and beetles...

- Pat

Painted Beetles

2010-12-16T03:59:00.000-08:00

I've been trying out different ways to combine acrylic paint textures with line drawings. For this one I used Illustrator to put it together...

- Pat

Gift Ideas at Pat's Society6 Store!

2010-12-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

Check out Pat's Society6 store for Hanukkah and Christmas gift ideas including: iphone cases, laptop and ipad skins and prints!

Sweet Christmas (break)

2010-11-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a holidays tree painting I just finished that might end up on some cards soon. It's just a little one, acrylic on canvas. I know it's a bit early, but I guess I'm already thinking about the Christmas break...

- Pat

this week

2010-11-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

I added a few links this week to the 'Arts and Design' sidebar. Now you can travel on from here to see the illustration work of our fellow Sheridan grad Sol Lym, or the hand crafts of our good friend Emma Day (lower case creations). They both have beautiful work share on their blogs!

- Liz

Hallowe'en at the Zoo

2010-10-31T09:52:00.001-07:00

I went on a photo-gathering expedition to the zoo yesterday with my bff, Colin. Here are a few pictures I took, and a sketch I finished from another photo when we got home.

- Liz

PS

Saw-whet owl at the zoo, from Colin:

Cute!

Richmond Hill Locust Tree

2010-10-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a tree portrait that I just finished, this one's a locust just down the street from me. There are some trees in Richmond Hill, not a lot, but some.

- Pat

Drawing at the Museum

2010-10-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Pat and I met up at the Royal Ontario Museum to go for a stroll. Besides insisting that Pat buy me one of everything in the geology gallery, I did a bit of sketching in the biodiversity and bird galleries.

Here's an albatross, flap-flap-flapping his albatross wings:

I miss drawing, you guys!

- Liz

Pat featured on Society6

2010-10-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

This week Pat is a featured artist at Society 6, one of the works for sale is "Angry Liz" available as a print, a t-shirt and a hoodie. Enjoy!

New Brunswick Adventure!

2010-10-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

I just returned from an amazing trip to New Brunswick. I stayed with my mum (and Dewey, the bestest dog in the world) in her adorable bayside house in Chamcook. We took wee day trips into Saint Andrews, Saint Stephen, Deer Island, and Saint John as well. I was feeling a little too burned out on school work to do any sketching, but I'll try to make up for it in later posts! In the meantime, enjoy some photos...

Saint Andrews
The Bounty was in Saint Andrews for the Thanksgiving weekend, and there were many people of all ages dressed in homemade costumes for the ship's visit. The Bounty was built for the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty, and is three times the size of the original ship.

The Bounty.

At the helm. This is my serious hat.

Rigging and masts and stuff. I'm not going to pretend I know anything about ships.

Other silliness in Saint Andrews at Kandy Land. Serious hat makes another appearance.

Chamcook
Mum lives in Chamcook, right on Passamaquoddy Bay. Her backyard is a rocky beach, much enjoyed by her golden retriever.

The backyard.

Deer Island
Deer Island sits between Passamaquoddy Bay and the larger Bay of Fundy. We took the car ferry out one evening, with Dewey in tow, to explore the island.

Dewey! He takes a pretty picture.

Shells on the beach.

Fall colours. Pat's not the only one who gets carried away looking at trees...

Strange rocks.

Boats and boats.

Fishing weir.

Seals came to visit us on Deer Island. I am terrible at taking pictures of wild animals. We went out to the Bay of Fundy one afternoon to watch whales, and although we had some great sightings of a finback, and seals and porpoises, I have no pictures for you. :(

Beautiful tree!

...and another.

Now I must return to my hectic scholastic life... Please leave stories you have about the Maritimes in the comments! I'd love to hear about your experiences out east.

- Liz

PS

Pat's Freshest Endeavour

2010-10-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

Pat has started a great new blog dedicated to art education. Split Complementary will be a place to get news and inspiration about art in the classroom and will suggest novel ways to present art theory and history. We hope you will stop by to join in the conversation!

- Liz

PROJECT: postcard: Nuit Blanche 2010

2010-09-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in a little show as part of Nuit Blanche 2010 at the Purple Thumb (just west of Bathurst on Queen St). That is this Saturday (the 2nd) from 6:57 to sunrise. The show features hand-made postcards by some local artists on exhibit and for sale. Feel free to stop by anytime if you're in the area. Here are a few of mine,

Cheers,

Pat

Tree Postcards and Painting Video

2010-09-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tree postcards that I've been working on for an upcoming show in Toronto. I'm going to do a few more and post them along with info about the show soon. I've been enjoying working with watercolours again, they're so quick and versatile it's the perfect medium when you don't have time to fuss around and you just want to get right to the painting part.

- Pat

Angry Liz

2010-09-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

Here's another Illustrator project, I was just messing around with the drawing from the video in the last post,

Cheers,
Pat

Check Out Pat's Drawing Video

2010-09-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

Digital Saw-Whet Owl

2010-09-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

I've been having some new ideas about colour lately that I wanted to try out. I like the sketch of this little owl so much, so I brought it into Illustrator and started playing with colour possibilities. It's fun getting back into digital art after being away from it for a while. I'm working on another project with a similar approach that I will post about soon.

- Pat

Allan Gardens

2010-08-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Pat and I took a break in the city, enjoying the last days of summer vacation. We visited Allan Gardens Conservatory one afternoon, and took in all the beautiful plants and gorgeous buildings.

The Palm House.

Pat and the enormous palm trees.

Me, with slightly less grand vegetation.

Leda with swan, fishes, pond.

In a window.

The Palm House, 2.

Epic sun-flare.

Here's hoping for an industrious and invigorating September!

- Liz

Hungry Owl

2010-08-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

Here's a piece that I just finished on the thick paint background from the last post. I did a sketch of this little Saw-Whet owl a few years ago and always wanted to use it in a painting and came across it last week while I was working on ideas for this.

I tried a few different pens for inking the hair and found that a brush pen is by far the best because, with the slightest change in pressure, it can make a line that flows from fine and delicate to thick and bold.

The rat is based on my first and favorite pet rat Domino, (photo-reference as she is no longer with us). I have painted her before and probably will again. She is the archetypal rat and embodies both their intelligence and, at least to me, their cuteness.

I have to apologize to Liz for being such a blog hog, I'll let her have a turn for the next post.

Cheers,
Pat

"Paint so wet that I'm in need of a mop"

2010-08-21T11:08:00.001-07:00

I am referring to a new painting that I'm working on and not a candy-coloured ride, although being in suburbia I kinda wish I did have a nice car.

Like the background of my tree portraits, I start with a layer of really thick brushstrokes of colour. There is something so satisfying about thick paint- applying it freely without having to worry about details. I like to go back to the painting later when the first layer dries and add imagery on top, where I can focus on detail and bring the beauty and liveliness of the thick paint through to the rest of the piece.

I'm going back to work on this piece and hopefully it will be done later in the week. I am taking a break from painting trees for now, this time it will be something different...

- Pat

White Oak, finished!

2010-08-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

It's finished! I had a weekend of binge painting, which is how I'm sure many artists do it. I committed myself to my studio until the piece was done, leaving only to get coffee. I haven't done that in a while and I forgot how much fun it can be so I'm planning on doing it again soon.

- Pat

New York: Part 2

2010-08-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

I had such an excellent time at the museums I thought they should have their own post. This weekend I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters, and The American Museum of Natural History. My mind is ready to pop from all the imagery I've tried to cram in there. While I was delighted by all the artwork and all the dioramas, it was of special personal interest to see the work of Charles R. Knight, who's illustration and theory inspired me as a child and still informs me today.

At the Met.

Cloisters 1.

Cloisters 2.

Cloisters 3.

American Museum of Natural History.

Sketching at the AMNH.

More sketching...

Sketchy sketch sketch.

- Liz

New York: Part 1

2010-08-18T06:46:00.001-07:00

I have just returned from a wonderful long weekend in New York City of visiting a childhood (and adulthood) best friend. We spent many hours walking parks and museums, which left me exhausted, but inspired by the artwork and architecture. I think my mind may be permanently warped by the number of paintings we attempted to view at the Met (eventually we were forced to surrender). An effective balm for the gallery fugue was walking Central Park which, as you might imagine given the tone of the last post, I was extremely eager to do.

Below are some images of the park and the city. Excuse the hopeless tourist photography.

Girl at the airport.

Another airport girl.

Central Park 1.

Central Park 2.

Central Park 3.

Central Park 4.

Central Park 5 (Strawberry Fields).

Library lion.

Flatiron Building.

Skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge.

- Liz

Park Garden

2010-08-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

Pat and I have recently moved to Richmond Hill (ON), and have set about to find some natural oasis near our new suburban home. This has proved to be a greater challenge than we first anticipated, but we are not easily thwarted! There is a park down the street that will tide us over with its pretty wildflower gardens, until we can find some more serious vegetation.

Clear blue sky.

Pat sketched some bees...

...and we took their pictures.

Another busy pollinator.

A bench! My favourite.

Pat also enjoys a good bench.

Sculptures in the garden.

- Liz

Tree Portraits and Street View

2010-08-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

To follow up on the last post, here are a few of the tree portraits that I've done from around the Beaches neighbourhood. I've linked each title to Google Maps so you can have a look at the street view of these trees. Luckily, the street view van made its rounds during the fall and the trees are in the same seasonal stage as when I painted them.

These paintings are part of my submission to two group shows held in the Beaches at Balsam Bistro. The first one "The Good Show" happened July 8th 2009 and the second one "This Place" we had on July 8th 2010, and I'm looking forward to the third one next July.

Queen and Balsam
(Northern Catalpa)

Lee, south of Queen
(Chestnut Tree)

Queen and Maclean
(White Oak)

Leuty and Alfresco Lawn
(Chestnut Tree)

Kew Gardens, from the north-east
(White Oak)

- Pat

White Oaks

2010-08-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is a project I'm working on of a beautiful old White Oak for a client in the Beaches. The neighbourhood is one of the best in the city to see these trees in particular. They can be seen all over the area, some of my favorites are around Queen St and I've painted a few of them; one on SilverBirch, one on Maclean, one on Willow and another in Kew gardens.

This sketch will soon (hopefully) become a painting in acrylic.

Cheers,
Pat

Centre Island

2010-08-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

Toronto Island is one of my absolute favourite places in the city. It is beautiful, easy to walk, and allows me to indulge in drawing animals (at the hobby farm on Centre Island). Last month Pat and I took a trip out to the island to walk, draw, and explore.

Toronto skyline from the ferry dock.

Liz and Pat on the south pier.

Calf and pony meeting at the gate on the hobby farm.

Liz draws cow and calf.

Pat sketches a goat.

Liz's cow.

Some sleepy animals sketched on a previous island trip, from Liz.

We hope to visit again soon, perhaps to see some autumn leaves.

- Liz

New, Green, Nascent

2010-08-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome!
This blog is a collection of sketches, projects and thoughts from the everyday. We hope you enjoy!

- Liz and Pat