Drought, Resilience and Art

Artwork, Musing / November 28, 2024 / By

When tagging and sorting market lambs this fall I was pleasantly surprised at their weights. A look back at a few photographs from the summer season and the surprise seems unfounded. So does the dry conditions of the prairie apparently. All I took note of this past summer was the lack of water and the abundance of grasshoppers. I missed what the prairie was doing, how much it was continuing to grow, regardless of the hardship it is under. I have been going on at length about the dry conditions here and yet even with drought and grasshoppers the photos show an abundance of quality food that any sheep would be eager to dive into.

summer grazing sheep

There is a resiliency in the land that makes my heart sing to see it, the weights of those market lambs are all nature’s doing.

This makes me pause to consider what I have been missing in my pursuit of being artist. At first glance into my studio what I take note of is the growing pile of abandoned efforts, ruined attempts, and false starts. Some days it’s a struggle to even go into the space and try again. I don’t even see the successes of the summer. I forget that while I am struggling with a new medium pieces are still selling. I forget that, as long as I show up and put in effort, what will emerge is a skill set I did not have before. What will emerge is artwork that is my own style and therefore re-energizes me. I feel as though I am in an artistic drought, meanwhile my artistic resiliency is being built, the seeds still being planted for when that hint of rainfall finally does arrive.

collection of watercolor paintings in progress

Prairie Sheep Collection

Artwork, Sheep / October 16, 2024 / By

needle felted wool sheep, prairie sheep collection

I have a number of felted sheep that stayed with me when the main collection of the Felted Flock sold. It didn’t seem right to relegate these remainders to storage, not to be seen again, and because they were part of such a creative and expansive project before, in my mind, they needed a re-touch, they needed to become something other than remainders of the felted flock. So I decided to re-create them in a manner that is reflective of the place that stirred the whole project to begin with – the prairie.

The Prairie Sheep Collection includes needle felted ewes in colors reflective of each prairie season: Winter’s Touch, Spring’s Bloom, Summer’s Rise and Autumn’s Calm. And for the traditional, I’ll make a few white sheep and black sheep available as well. And just like the real sheep, no two are alike.

This first group is now at the Saskatchewan Craft Council Boutique in Saskatoon and I’ve made a good start on the second group. I’ll continue adding new sheep to the collection which can be viewed here. There is a limited number of these.

Once the staff at the Craft Council has entered them into the store inventory they will be available for purchase. Purchases can be made via the Craft Council, in person, or through their online store. An alternate purchase option is buying ones from the next set directly through me, just send an email. These are available individually for $135 each (CDN funds), or in a small flock of your choosing. I can offer a discount on sets of three or more when a purchase is made through me (discount is not available through Craft Council).

Glad to See Summer Go

Artwork / September 26, 2024 / By

watercolor sketch of two dogsI may be the only person who is glad to know that Summer is behind us and Fall is in full swing. Summer is my least favourite season.
She gets an unfair knock from me though because she heightens my struggle between artwork and ranch work. She heightens my resistance to doing artwork and throws in an extra dose of guilt whenever I’m not outdoors getting something done.

Any artwork accomplished in the summer is hard fought. I’ve been letting myself swing between felting and painting and not worrying which should be a priority because if I’m in the studio it’s a win. I’ve taken a dive into water color painting as something new to learn and be challenged with, and because I know I want to do something similar to drawing again. I am intrigued with watercolor painting even with all the beginner struggles I am having, particularly with painting white subjects like sheep and guardian dogs. And doing paintings outside of the sketchbook, which the one below is, is still very novel and tentative.

watercolor practice