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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Cygne Anatomy Series March 2011








The long supple and graceful neck of the swan is the first inspiration for this series that evolved first from a sighting of two swans at Adolphuston, Ontario as they swam off the shore at the ferry traversing Lake Ontario to Prince Edward County.
Months later was I able to develop the concept in human anatomy with photographs of necks of my daughters in their positioned elegance, moving in one direction then another. Three drawings came from that series of photographs. The drawings were created as a tonal study in preparation for an encaustic series delving newly into this medium of hot wax application.
The next challenge as it evolved was to create small 10" x 10" panels in encaustic, each reflecting a colour scheme that was emotional in approach. I wanted to react to the personality of my three daughters each in their own right. It was primary for me to use colour and texture of the medium as expressive tools in the works.
These expressive self-portraits tell much to the viewer about who you are even though very few features are present in the works. They also speak to our connection with the beauty of nature as the elegant swan glides gracefully along icy open water, and so my daughters slide along icy waters in their graceful journeys through life.

Isabella Student Art Tote Bag



Recently I designed a practical and attractive tote bag for one of my nieces, Isabella who is a talented art student. She probably has a very busy life and when carrying her art supplies, she wants to know that her tote bag is rugged, durable, made of recycled materials, and attractive too. She loves to take lots of self-portraits that are very expressive.

The tote bag is designed to open flat and carry a standard set of pencils and markers. The entire purse is made of used drapery material and bound with simple black binding ribbon. It has an over the shoulder sash that is edged with lilac leather bought at a local leather workshop in the Kemptville area. The tote bag closes over with strong separable zippers on either side of the closed bag. It finally closes up with a large recycled button in the centre.

This young artist for which the bag is named has also designed an album cover and is leaning toward a career in illustration. I am looking forward to her comments and criticisms regarding the tote bag as it is the first prototype and needs to be adjusted and re-designed to make it that much better. I hope you enjoy the tote bag, Isabella, and keep creating!