silent auctions

This post will be a little ditty about the other work that I have been doing of late. My partner is a Mason and last weekend, they had a fundraising steak night with a silent auction.

He asked me if I would donate a painting. I was so honoured that he thought that much of my work - I still catch myself being suprised when I think of myself as an artist.

Anyway, I thought my chakra paintings might be too ...well, abstract for a bunch of old Masons. (no offense J!!) So I had intended to donate the autumn leaf you have already seen.


But the day before the event, I realised that it wasnt going to fit in the frame I had for it and no amount of creative framing was going to work.

Pick the frame first, then paint to fit the space. mmmm - good lesson

So, I started another piece.

This was literally four hours before the event and of course, what content do I know well enough that it will flow out of my brush without fear of me fudging it up? The chakra.

And so, as J calls out that he is leaving to take the donations to the lodge for that evening, I open my heart and call on Spirit to create a painting. I ask that the person that it was meant for, would see it and would recognise it as their's immediately. I decided to paint the heart chakra.

Here it is:
I am still amazed at how quickly it painted itself. I watched as it unfurled in about half an hour. I had it done and framed before J was ready to leave. It was meant to go to that fundraiser.

Here is the quick pick I took with the phone of it sitting with it's bidding sheet at the dinner.


You will have to excuse the quality of the picture. I was a little shy taking a photo of it with everyone milling around inspecting all of the donations.

Anyway, as you can see, there were bids on it. I was over the moon. Part of me was definetly afraid no one would like it and that it would come back home with me.

But someone did. And that someone is my beautiful friend Ellen. She fell in love with it and took it home with her.

Now, the amazing story of this picture doesnt end there. Ellen is a very sensitive soul and she has felt the energy of the heart chakra calling to her. It is emanating off her painting and is sending that healing light her way. I am awed that I am a conduit for this light and energy. It is an amazing experience.

Now as it happens, my kids' school is having a silent auction in a week or so. And I was asked to do a painting for them. I had thought that it would be a chakra painting - that people in the neighbourhood would be able to see an example of my art and my own style with the curly, swirly lines of my chakras.

But that isnt what came out.

I tried.. but the piece looked dreadful. I should show you.. but I havent taken a photo of it and way too late and I'm way too tired to do that now.

So, what I did was I got some new paper... you saw my post about the landscape... and from there, I found that the free flowing lines, the total surrender .. well, that was the lesson. And this is my second attempt.



It reminds me of home - of our mountains that are too small for snow. Or perhaps that should be - where it is too warm for snow!! But most of all it is the purple of those mountains when the haze is coming off the valleys and fields in the foreground and you know they really arent that colour, but your heart sings that nature can be so mercurial, changing each day, each moment even. Then the sun sinks a bit lower and the purple hues become the dark indigos, and the sky lights up with millions of stars. I love the smell of the country at night. The smell that greeted me when I was a child, as I got out of the car when we arrived at our Granddad's on a Friday night. So cool and clear and filled with starlight.

Home soon to smell that air.

CATCHING UP!!

I know, I know. How slack of me to not write. But I was feeling a little down - something I usually blame on the weather. But if you have been in Saskatoon over the last few weeks, you will know it wasnt the weather. It has been gorgeous. So sunny and warm and the colours!! Officially my favourite time of the year - one of the reasons we named our daughter Autumn. With the colours in the leaves and the smells in the air - such a sensory delight. I love the sound of walking in the crunchy dry leaves and cooler mornings with warm afternoons. At home in Melbourne, we also get fog but that is something I dont see here too often. Too dry I guess!! There is something ethereal in being in something you cant quite see through. Very magical.

I just love the contrast of the gold and the blue in this picture.

And of course, this one is pure magic with the red berries.

Looking up through the ceiling of leaves.

so beautiful, unless of course it is your lawn full of them!

I wish I could have seen the wind blown all of the dandelion seeds everywhere.

Some pics from around the neighbourhood. I wish I could have captured some of the red leaved trees as contrast - perhaps I need to get out with my camera some more.

The problem with this amazing scenery, however, is that it just doesnt last long. Literally a week and most of the leaves have gone from the trees. I have been laughing at people trying to rake them all up - an exercise in futility, surely. But with the leaves on the ground, it sure does make stomping in them a lot easier to do.



Anyway, as you can see, it has been very inspirational. Hence, my next watercolour piece - an autumn leaf.



After I was nearly finished, I came to the same question I found with my sunflower. A background!!??!!??

And since this had been a quick sketch that I wasnt overly attached too, I decided to experiement. I'd heard of a watercolour technique where you submerge the entire piece in water. So, into the bath it went!!


(yes, that is a pink bath. Don't laugh - it is a rental afterall)



I quite like the way it turned out - though I do miss the crisp lines from the original. The background could use a little more depth - so it is the next thing to tinker with... but I've been distracted with another piece....and for that I'll have to keep you updated.


Now, if only the uploading of photos would go a bit quicker, then I could be done here and back to the painting.

Hope you are enjoying the weather - whatever side of the planet you are on.