In 1991 I moved to the Annapolis Valley after teaching school for 22 years for the Halifax County School Board. In Wilmot, NS, I founded and operated "New Leaf Kindergarten", an alternative primary class for young children. Six years later I taught in Costa Rica for one year before retiring to become a full time painter.
I am a self-taught artist except for the many workshops I have taken from other artists I find inspiring. Some of them are: Jeannie Hancock, Charles Spratt, J'anna Jaquelin, Louise Williams, Brian Ateyo and Sandi Komst. I continue to take several workshops a year and always leave them full of ideas and creative energy.
I paint in my studio near Middleton, NS and belong to the Artists Circle whose members have played a major role in my development as a full time artist.
(See https://theartistscircle191003851.wordpress.com)
I enjoy learning and in recent years have been exploring and experimenting with acrylics after 30 years as a watercolor artist. Nature is my primary subject and I have received many First Prize awards from Art Shows and local Exhibitions. I have also taught many workshops to children and adults in watercolour and acrylic.
Children come to art without fear. What they wish to communicate comes directly from their core and is on the paper in seconds. It is a thrill to watch them use twice as much paint as adults. See for yourself:
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People ask me how I discipline myself to paint, but I don't seem to have any one way. Sometimes I paint nonstop for days, and then weeks can go by before I am called to my studio again. I love the passion that wells up like a wave that I just can't resist surfing, and then it is calm. Everyone's energy is different and being gentle with one's ebb and flow is essential. So knowing ahead of time that there will be days when you just have to "show up", feeling like your muses are on vacation, is just part of any artist's life.
"When I discovered my subject, I sat before it for some while...feeling my way into it, asking myself these questions, What attracted you to this particular subject? Why do you want to paint it? What is its core, the thing you are trying to express?" -Emily Carr
I leave you with another question from Emily Carr...
"Is painting for the world?...Or is one just trying to get nearer to God and express that which is in all things and fills all space?"
Good luck finding the creative expression that "fires you up" and write me a note if you have time.
My EMAIL is: christeve3@gmail.com