A West Coast Creative Life

Studio Notes from the Coast

There's sooo much to tell you about 😄

- Permission to Play free online class - Wed Aug 26 
- Opus (Victoria store) live demo - Sat Aug 29
- Opus online demo - Wed Sept 3rd 
- Sointula Artist Residency!

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Hi there Lisa, 

I have so much to share with you this month that I barely know where to start - so let's just dive in, shall we? Pull up a chair and a cuppa ☕

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FREE Art Class - August 26th!

You know how I'm always saying messy is magic and that watercolour sketchbooking is pure spontaneous joy? Well, my next free class is exactly that - come paint loosely and fall in love with the freedom of a sketchbook.

This online art class is happening on Wednesday August 26th at 11:00am PDT. It will be a start-to-finish watercolour demo. (See image below for a sampling of what we will paint, but it won't be exactly this.) 

Come join me, it's free, it's fun and I promise I'll make at least one mistake so you feel better about yours 😂

👉 Register here

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I'm an Opus Brand Ambassador!

I have been a fan and loyal customer of Opus Art Supplies for years. They are a wonderful Canadian brand! If you've ever stepped into one of their stores you know exactly what I mean - it's the kind of place where you walk in for one thing and walk out an hour later having discovered twelve others 😄

So when they approached me about becoming a brand ambassador for their acrylic line of paints, brushes and mediums ... I was absolutely thrilled. This felt like such a natural fit - a brand I already genuinely love and have been recommending to my students for years. I couldn't be more excited about this partnership and I can't wait to share more with you as it unfolds 🩷

  Come Paint with me - LIVE at Opus Victoria!

To celebrate, I'd love for you to come and join me in person!

Come and paint with me and play with acrylic paints at the Opus store in Victoria on Saturday, August 29th. It’s a wonderful opportunity to paint along with me, I can share a tip or two and you can ask me questions.  We can spend a creative afternoon together.

Spots are limited (only a few time slots are left) so book now! Come say hello - I would absolutely love to see you there!

Opus Art Supplies, Victoria
Saturday, August 29th

👉 Register here

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FREE Online Demo with Opus -

Painting in Reverse on a Gel Plate!

Instead of the traditional gel plate approach of pulling prints from stencils and textures, we're going to paint directly onto the gel plate with brushes and acrylic paint - just like painting on a canvas, but with a fascinating twist: you have to think completely in reverse 😄

You'll learn how to build up a composition with bold brushstrokes, manage colour placement and layer details for rich, expressive prints. It's spontaneous, playful, a little bit unpredictable and honestly so much fun. One-of-a-kind monotypes full of energy and depth - that's what we're going for.

It's completely free and there are still spots available.

Thursday, September 3rd, 11:00am - 12:30pm
(online via Zoom)

👉 Register here

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Did You Miss my Solo Show

at the Coast Hotel & Marina?

If you weren't able to make it to my solo show at the Coast Hotel - where I showcased over 50 of my original paintings and select favourite prints on canvas (and sold quite a few!) - I completely understand, life is busy! But here's the good news: I still have many of the paintings available for viewing right here in my home studio.

If you've had your eye on something, or you're just curious to come and see my work in person, I would love to have you over for a visit. There is something so special about seeing a painting in person - photographs simply don't do them justice.

Just hit reply to this email and we'll find a time that works. My studio is a warm and welcoming place and I'd love to share it with you 🩷

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And Now - My BIG NEWS ...

I'm going to SOINTULA

I have been sitting on this for over a year (quietly hugging it to myself) and now I am ready to finally share it with you ...

Next month, I will be heading to Sointula
for a month long ARTIST RESIDENCY!

Sointula is a tiny, extraordinary community on Malcolm Island, just off Port McNeill on the north end of Vancouver Island. Sointula was founded in 1901 as a Finnish colony and today has around 600 year-round residents. (And of course, before that - the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples have used Malcolm Island for fishing, gathering and camping for thousands of years!) It is remote, it is beautiful and it has been a haven for artists, writers and sculptors for many years - anchored by community galleries and the wonderful Sointula Art Shed & Sointula House residencies.

I was accepted to the residency more than a year ago and I have been looking forward to this for so long ... I can hardly believe it's almost here. 

I'll be there from September 16th to October 15th (a full month!) with the sole purpose of focusing entirely on my art. I'll be exploring the natural wonders of the north island, gathering loads of reference material, soaking up the landscape and painting as much as I possibly can!

I'll be honest - I'm a little nervous too. A month is a long time, it's remote and it's just me and my art and whatever the island decides to offer up. And I'll have to schlepp my entire studio with me 😆! ... But mostly I am absolutely buzzing with excitement - and I know it will be soooo good for the introvert side of my artist soul. This is exactly the kind of experience I have always dreamed of.

I also have some exciting shows on the horizon for later this year and into next year - nothing I can share just yet, but this residency is going to feed directly into that work and I cannot wait to show you what comes out of it.

If you aren't yet following me on Instagram or Facebook - this is your invitation to do so now. I'll be sharing lots of updates from Sointula as I go - so stay tuned. It's going to be quite the adventure 🔥