Art Workshop in Todos Santos

 In mid-January I traveled with my friend Kath to the Baja Penninsula where were had signed up for an art workshop with an artist named Anne Hebebrand.  Anne lives in Maine (USA) in the summer and spends her winters in Todos Santos, a growing community on the west coast of the Baja north of Cabo San Lucas.

It was great for both of us to get away from the cold and wet coast of British Columbia.  We were lucky enough to stay at a wonderful place called Cien Palmas just a few blocks away from the building where the workshop was being held.  Cien Palmas means 100 palms, and there were probably more palm trees than that on this lovely property. 

 

There was a lovely outdoor restaurant beside our casita where we had quite a few of meals and met the lovely owners and the warm friendly staff of this beautiful place.  The only problem was that the nights and mornings were very cold. I was so glad to have brought my puffy jacket to keep away the cold. I won't forget one evening when we ate dinner under the palm trees wearing out parkas and toques. 

But the days were sunny and the art class was inspiring. Kath an I tried new techniques using oils paints and cold wax and texturing tools.  Here is one of Kath's pieces.

 

And here are some of the other artists efforts.  Really beautiful

 

The last weekend we went to visit some other artist studios in the area. Here's some their work.

And we got to go to the beach and walk in the sand and see lots of migrating whales.  A wonderful getaway.

If you get a chance to visit Todos Santos, go for it.  It's a really beautiful spot. 

Still Online

I haven't posted here for a few years. I stopped posting during Covid and then my husband Harry was diagnosed with colon cancer in early 2021. He died in May of 2023.  I am still grieving and trying to establish a way of living as a single person. 

It's possible I will continue this blog, as I often look back and read the posts to remember all the good times we had together.

I have been continuing to live in the house on Yukon Street and creating abstract acrylic artworks.

What Emerges--my solo show at the Gage Gallery

Members of the Gage Artist's Collective are scheduled in rotation for a three-week solo show. and finally this week my exhibit opened. It took longer than expected because of Covid. Originally my show was to be in May but it was postponed while the gallery was closed. We reopened in June and now it's my turn.

I decided to call the show What Emerges because the paintings aren't preplanned at all. I start with a feeling and a few colours and begin to paint, not knowing where the painting will end up. Here's what emerged over the past year from the time I was recovering from my knee replacement in September to now. 

   The outside view of the gallery.

Some of the walls showing the paintings hung.

And here are a few close-ups of the paintings. They vary in size from 6"x6" to 36"x36" and it was a challenge to hang them so they related to each other. For this show I scaled up my paintings from the smaller sized (12x12 to 24x24) to 24x36 and even 36x36 inches. That's the largest size painting I am able to produce on my easel and painting table in the bay window of our living room.

Summer Morning (36x36)

 

Emergence  (24x36)

This was the first painting I did after my knee surgery.

Together and Apart  (24x24) 

Incoming Tide (36x36)

Blue Rondo (36x18)

Upward Flow (24x30)  SOLD

I found painting these canvasses during the first months of Covid was a very calming and energizing experience. I'm so glad that I had this time to focus on my art and come up with a result that pleases me.

Here's a final look through the window. Paintings of all sizes and priced from $250 to $600. There are other paintings in the show as well. And it's up until October 18th at the Gage Gallery, 2031 Oak Bay Avenue. They're open Tuesday through Saturday 11-5 and Sundays 12-4 if you want to drop by.

Evening wanderings

 It's been beautifully warm the past few days, and that's rare for Victoria.  We've enjoyed heading out for walks in the neighbourhood after dinner.  Here are a few photos of what we've seen.

A view of one of the plots in the community gardens.

A heritage house lit by the setting sun.

Garden outside another old house, tended by a retired man who works incessantly on it.

Flowers in the light of the setting sun.

Victoria High School, built in 2013.  Our son's alma mater.

Looking west to Victoria's downtown as the sun sets.

An old fir tree in the front yard of a house on Caledonia Street.

Another heritage house with garden.

Heading up Yukon Street. Our house in on the left.

The red house.

The yellow house.

The green house (ours).

The back patio as the lights come on.

The misty west coast of Vancouver Island

We've spent the last few days in a cabin on South Chesterman Beach near Tofino. This has been in the planning stages for about a month since we were offered a home exchange for six days. 

It was a great opportunity to take a little trip without leaving our Island home and to spend some time with our friends Paul and Wendy from Comox.

Like all trips, it's had its ups and downs.  We arrived after a long, hot and winding six-hour drive to gorgeous sunny weather and lovely accommodation right across the road from the beach access.

The next morning I took a low-tide sunrise beach walk. South Chesterman is really beautiful. This is a place where lots of people come to learn to surf. 

Our friends Paul and Wendy arrived the following day. We had time on Sunday to explore Tofino and get dinner ready for them.  Here they are with Harry on the beach that evening.

This was the Sunset Sunday night. Gorgeous!

The next day we explored Tofino and planned our week. Paul took a bike ride on the cycle path north to Tofino and we had coffee on a patio overlooking the Tofino Harbour. Things are somewhat different with Covid as the communities are being very strict with numbers, masks and protocols. Lots of restaurants and businesses are closed but there are still lots of visitors. This means lineups to get into coffee shops and stores.  Here's the Tofino harbour with its mountain backdrop.

And here's the view from the coffee shop (panorama).  You can see that the weather was changing.

Back to Chesterman we took advantage of the falling tide to walk around the headland to a hidden beach that's accessible only at low tide. It has sea caves and clefts in the rock that you can walk through.

On our way back Paul went swimming. He's able to do this only because he has a wetsuit. The water if freezing cold.  

Tomorrow I'll fill you in on our rainforest explorations and walks.