27 September 2016

"En Plein Air" upcoming exhibition

Two days ago:  Yet another landscape painting!  Autumn is here, the weather is very fine and I want to spend as much time outdoors as possible before the wintry cold arrives.

finished painting on location, trees and river in autumn


This week I do some final prep, and then on the weekend we go to hang our landscapes at the Western GM Gallery in Drumheller, AB.  It is the first time I show my landscapes here in Alberta, and quite special for my husband and I to be showing our paintings together.  We are quite excited about seeing our work up in this beautiful gallery!


landscape painting exhibition at Western GN Gallery in Drumheller, October 2016


23 September 2016

sketchbook patterns

Exploring patterns in a 9x12", 212 gsm sketchbook.

patterned collage work in a 9x12 sketchbook

The heavy paper makes a perfect base for collages.

working with paper in a sketchbook

The sketchbook has its own integrity and appeal.

paper collage by verna vogel

It becomes a collection of explorations, a unified thing between two covers.

decorative paper collage exploring patterns

An intimate thing which needs to be touched to be experienced. 

beautiful paper collage

Paper is so versatile, so welcoming.


11 September 2016

Alberta landscape #95

alberta landscape painting #95
the view: flat, semi-arial

alberta landscape painting #95
the palette: limited

alberta landscape painting #95
the layout

Alberta landscape painting #95
the beginning

Alberta landscape painting #95
the middle

Alberta landscape #95 finished
the end


In preparation for an upcoming exhibition, I am framing a few of my plein air landscape paintings.  I have seen works where the frame is an integral part of the painting.  That approach appeals to me far more than the standard black gallery frame, so I'm following suit with a simple but colourful framing of my small works.

Alberta landscape paintings - and a few BC landscape paintings


This will be the first time my landscape paintings are shown here in Alberta and I'm feeling excited!

05 September 2016

Nourishment

Making art is definitely nourishment for the soul.

Nourishment for the soul, Fragile Planets painted canvas pieces and prints

I have resumed painting some of the canvas plates that I printed a few weeks ago.  While rolling on the ink and making the prints I had been imagining different ways of finishing the plates.  

In between the imagining and the doing, I got caught up in making books!  Somehow I was inwardly compelled to print 5 editions of 75 prints in 5 sketchbooks, before I could come back to painting my stitched canvas plates.  *laughs*   Well, that's how it goes.

I really like the visual effect of painted canvas plates beside their prints.

Nourishment for the soul, Fragile Planets painted canvas pieces and prints

Nourishment for the soul, Fragile Planets painted canvas pieces and prints

As I may have already mentioned, these plates and prints are part of a larger project that will take several more months to complete.  My excitement about this project is on a constant low simmer; it's a bit like making a really good stew.


Speaking of stew, here's a basic recipe:

chicken thighs with skin & bone in
salt & pepper
butter
homemade crabapple sauce - really tart!
a good chunk of fresh ginger, grated
a bit of cayenne or other chilli pepper
a dollop of honey
an onion or two, chopped or sliced

Rub meat with salt & pepper, place in a buttered baking dish & brown both sides under the broiler.
Meanwhile mix applesauce, ginger, chilli and honey, adding water to make a runny sauce.
Remove meat from baking dish, scrape up any drippings and stir in half the sauce.
Layer onions and browned chicken pieces, and pour the remainder of sauce on top.
Cover and bake for 1/2 hour or so.
Or you can stew it in a crock pot if you prefer.

Last time I made this dish, I added smoked paprika, basil, a wee pinch of cumin and a chopped sweet red pepper.  
If you do not have tart applesauce you could use sweet, with a bit of cider vinegar or lemon/lime juice.


Note: If you make this dish in a crock pot in the morning, you can then spend all day in the studio nourishing your soul, and when you emerge from the studio there is your bodily nourishment.  A nice balance, n'est-ce pas?