Blog

We have finally found a venue for our Shards and Gems show.

(Affectionately referred to as Smash and Bling)

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We have been taking some time out for individual work after the intensity of Shard and Gems. I have been working on my monochromatic still life series, Contemplations.

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For the past 18 months Liza and I have been working on a new series. She has been using shards of broken pottery as her subject lately she has pressed the shards into styrofoam heads in a kind of headress. I have been painting jewelry, blowing it up, examining the details and finding patterns. We have completed the series and are presently looking for a venue for the show Shards and Gems or as we are affectionately calling it Smash and Bling.

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Linda and Liza

Liza and I have been painting together on Fridays for just under two years now. The enjoyment we find has kept us motivated to continue the practice and to make it a priority. Friends now take for granted that on "Fridays" we are unavailable. In winter the short days make us scramble to direct lights so we can finish up and in summer we try to beat the bleaching power of the west sun. In the changing seasons Fridays are tiny carefree holidays filled with good coffee, culinary experiments and brush strokes.

Despite our many differences, Liza is a bouncy extrovert who enjoys the limelight and I am a quiet introvert who doesn't, there are many similarities in the way we approach painting. We are both enamoured with colour in all it's myriad facets. We both prefer a direct approach and are inspired by real objects rather than photos. The length of our attention and engrossment is very much aligned. Also, listening continues to be an important feature of the day. We need words; radio interviews and books on tape engage our brains and take them out of our way. There are those who find music conducive to painting but we find it's not enough to keep us from thinking too much.

Alexander McCall Smith is still a favorite and we hope he keeps turning out new books. We have also discovered Bill Bryson. We listened to the whole unabridged Mr Norell and Johnathan Strange (14 discs in the first half), although we were ready to scream at the end of it and only finished out of stubborness.

More books, more Fridays, more painting please.

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Except for the two monochromatic paintings all the paintings on this site have been done on Fridays in the companionship of Elizabeth Hollick beginning in the spring of 2012.

I love Liza. She is an amazing ball of creative intention, an extraordinary painter, a force of nature and a long time friend. When I offered to have her come to my studio while hers was shut down I had some qualms. I am a much more introverted person and her energy is so strong, I thought I might be overwhelmed by it. We agreed to Fridays and I thought, "OK, once a week, I can do that."

It turned out so much better than I could ever have imagined. Our disparate modes of operation somehow fused and worked together. Friday became a day to anticipate with pleasure, a time of intense work and camaraderie. The state of the world, everyday difficulties and even major life events were left outside the oasis of the day.

In the morning we started with coffee and CBC. When Liza brought snacks I made lunch and we alternated each week. She often surprised me with flowers and pots for my still lifes. I supplied an extra easel and mirror for her self-portraits. She would arrive laden with paraphernalia and costumes for that session. We each set up our own challenge and dug in. In the afternoon we listened to Alexander McCall Smith on CD and by five thirty we were always scrambling to get finished...and then a glass of wine.

Every so often life gives us an unexpected gift and Friday's with Liza have been one of them.

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