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The Empress Room

Walking through the Empress after painting on the lawn got the old artistic juices flowing. The light coming in through the gigantic windows, the wonderful white and black uniforms of the staff, the guests milling around amongst the glorious patterns of the upholstery and wall coverings are going to provide me with material for dozens of paintings. I can't wait to be in the environment full time. The painting that I am working on is in its infancy - just a sneak preview.

Plein Air at the Empress

Well - today the sun came out!!! And so did the artists! Our day started at midday and I packed up close to 5 - so it was a long day, but very enjoyable.  Initially somewhat daunted by the architectural character of the environment, I found subject matter that inspired me - the other artists on the lawn - and - when that was taken as far as I could, my husband sat for a portrait. Lots of interesting people to talk to and other artists to meet, plus yummy lunch boxes provided by the Empress.

Artishow Plein Air Event Empress Hotel June 26th

Tomorrow June 26th I will be attending this event on the lawns of the beautiful Empress Hotel in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The event will have many Victoria area artists in attendance painting outdoors in the hopefully fine weather we expect to have. The hours will be from noon to six. Hope to see you there.

Artist in Residence Fairmont Empress

Thrilling news! I have been appointed Artist in Residence at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria from mid-August until mid-November. The Empress is one of the grand old CPR hotels, a Victoria landmark, and definitely the ultimate experience for a tourist in the city. This is a great honour and an opportunity for me to expose my art to the visiting public. I shall be painting in the studio/gallery located in the atrium above the registration area most days of the week, so, if you are around in the the late summer or fall, please drop by, enjoy the ambiance and check out my work. This great photo was taken by Benjamin Madison



My Studio Nymph!

Sculpture in fired clay 18"

This was the little figure on the deck of my studio welcoming visitors last weekend. I still feel a novice when it comes to sculpture and so much can go wrong in their creation that I feel very lucky when something survives the process.

Studio Tour June 11 and 12

A couple of photos from last weekend. The rain held off - which allowed for paintings and sculpture to be sprinkled around the garden. A good number of visitors came by and I sold a few pieces - what more could you ask!

Great Blue Heron

oil on canvas 30″ x 20″

Another variation on the heron theme – gave it a lot more drama and more detail in the setting. These birds are all around us, an ever-present reminder of the pterodactyls that dominated the shoreline in pre-historic times. I love them – as long as they’re not taking the fish out of the pond!!

Studio Tour June 11 and 12

oil on canvas 20″ x 30″

These Coast Guard vessels are stationed at Patricia Bay, just a mile or two away from here. The evening light and the still water made this scene a symphony in purples, blues, golds and pinks. This will be one of several marine scenes featured in my studio for the tour show this weekend. I hope the weather will cooperate and we shall have lots of visitors.

Irises and Forget-Me-Nots in My Garden

oil on board 9″x 12″

This was another of those forget-what-you-are-doing-and-look-outside moments. There was the sun beaming down on one of my beds – a mish-mash of blues and purples and greens and greys. Of course, plein air painting requires a maximum of speed and minimum of planning – so revisits, if needed, must occur at the same time of day and under the same weather conditions. One is reminded of Monet’s hay stacks as examples of how quickly changes in light affect the subject.

Tanner's Bookstore

oil on board 9"x 13"

This is the time of year when I am preparing my studio for the annual studio tour on June 11 and 12. This year I will have fewer little pieces, but this will be one of them. Captured on one of our rare sunny days in late winter, this is a scene from downtown Sidney that will be familiar to all its residents.

Elizabeth May Rally

A gift for my favourite candidate in this nail-biter of an election. Elizabeth May has to be the most vibrant, intelligent, compassionate, honest and funny politician going and I have all fingers and toes crossed that the electorate in this riding are smart enough to vote her in. The country needs her badly!

Grape Vines

oil on board 11″x14"

This is re-worked from a plein air painting and right now we could do with a little more sunshine in our neck of the woods! It’s been a long, cold spring and we are all looking forward to lush grape vines and lots of summer sun.





Silk Scarf

oil on canvas and silk 40″x 30

This was an assignment from the Art Gallery of Victoria to incorporate a silk scarf into a work of art to be sold at an fundraising auction. So – I cut into the canvas, covered the silk in gesso and basically just glued it on, creating a bit of a 3D effect. The painting is based on another I did from life.





Striped Scarf

oil on canvas 16″ x 12″

This is a little demonstration piece that I did for a student using a black and white reference photo. Not quite sure why she’s wearing the scarf – but love the contrast between the softness and curves of her features and the stripes.

Morgan

I am working with a variation on a theme! Stole one boy out of my group portrait and placed him in an abstract setting. I love the ambivalance of his expression and the containment of his pose. Painting a smiling or laughing face is far more difficult than a serious one (not getting the expression pefectly can make the sitter look deranged or diabolical!) and a serious expression allows a viewer to see something different every time. But sometimes a smile says it all!!

Three Brothers and Tess Revised

oil on canvas 36″ x 48″

This is the final version of the painting. It has been a joy to work on something as demanding as this one. Three very different personalities and a complex composition – lots of different textures and pictoral elements. Paintings really become children after a while and I shall be sorry to lose this one.

Sunset,Downey Road

oil on canvas 48″x 36″

Driving down the road, I was struck by the wonderful interplay between the deep purplish hues of the road at dusk and the brilliant oranges and yellows of the safety vests worn by the riders. Horses and riders are common sights in our area – a perfect combination of rural and urban.
Just a reminder that I have my main blog on my new website - http://www.judymclaren.com/blog/

Moment to Relax

This self-portrait is in my loose style – an exercise in visual memory as, of course, I couldn’t draw and hold a cup at the same time! The shape of the pink gown reminds me of an ice cream cone with the feet a couple of wafers (albeit small ones!) balanced on top. The physicality of the figure with its exaggerrated foreshortening is in contrast to the flat geometric pattern of the background, the straight lines complimenting the curves in the gown and cup.

New Blog, New Website

Another update - please check out the new website - I am very happy with it and think it showcases my work beautifully and there is a blog attached. A few wrinkles to iron out- will probably happen after the holidays, but worth a gander. All the best for the New Year and hope you enjoy my new posts!