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Wow, where do I begin? Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been my best self lately. You see, over the Easter holiday weekend we had an accidental disaster happen in our home and we sustained water damage on both levels of our house. This includes where I usually make my art (and kitchen, dining room, living room, family room). Luckily, no completed art was damaged but unfortunately it has considerably slowed any works in progress since I now have to paint outside. It's also caused us tremendous personal stress. Our house is still in the same condition but we now have a path forward with the insurance company and the disaster restoration companies. Hopefully construction will begin soon. I hope that explains to you why I haven't been completely on top of my blogging, newsletters and website maintenance. On a good note, my annual one-day art show with Jennifer Anne Burke is still happening ( 'Home' Saturday July 28, 12:30-4:30pm, St. Mark's Church, Port Hope, ON). Although, I will have less work to show you than I normally do, most of my new work is in oils which will debut at this show! Thank-you all for your patience and support during this time. 
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 2/30 oil on canvas paper UPDATE:
This project was never completed due to personal complications. I think I got as far as 10 but never got around to posting them. I would like to try this again in the future and will let you if I do. This is my Day 2 of the #30paintingsin30days challenge. I mixed my own colours for this one which I normally don't do with acrylics. I thought the colours would make a good beach scene so I went with it! I love how the colours seem to glow, especially that peachy orange. I have to work on my contrast but for Day 2 I'm happy and enjoyed the process of making this one.  1/30 oil on canvas paper I decided to give oil paint a try ( a real try this time) and after much deliberation and research decided to buy from Kama Pigments, a small batch company located in Montreal. I also decided that a 30 day challenge would give me the time and consistency to get a feel for my new medium. I will post my progress here, but also on my Facebook page and Instagram accounts. If you are on Instagram you can follow me and my hashtag #trefiakart so that you never miss my posts.
For my first oil painting I thought I'd recreate the moon from a previous painting I did. I had the same colours so I wanted to see how the oils behaved in comparison to the acrylics. All I can say is that they are completely different! Some of my observations while painting this were:
Please follow my adventure with oils. They won't be masterpieces, don't expect that. This is a learning journey for me and hopefully by the end I will have a better grasp of how my new paint works and how it will work for me. Ahhhh the new year. It always starts off so fresh, new and exciting. So many lists! So many goals! I was really kicking it at the beginning of the month. I'd booked my standing art shows and included a new spring one. I figured out my theme for my July show and took lots of photos to support the mood I wanted to paint. My original little inks got an extension to sell at Polish House & Home in Colborne, Ontario.
And then..... I have an exciting announcement to make. For the month of December I have partnered with Polish House & Home in Colborne, Ontario, Canada. They will be carrying a selection of my original 5x7 and 3x5 inks. Polish House & Home is a new home decor store in the downtown of historic Colborne. They have a selection of new and vintage items, so grab your holiday shopping list and check them out! You can also contact me to visit my home studio. I'll show you what I have available and you can see where I spend my days painting. I'll assist you in finding the perfect piece for your home or office. I also take commissions if you want to customize your art further to suit your needs and budget. I'll make the process as easy as possible for you. I'm getting several appointments a week for studio visits right now as people finish (or begin!) their holiday shopping. If there's a piece you have your eye on then please let me know.  #7817 Northern Majesty 10x30, acrylic on gallery canvas  Wow, it's been a whirlwind of a summer! Not only did I have to prepare for my annual summer art show with co-host Jennifer Anne Burke and a juried group exhibition at the Colborne Art Gallery but I had been really ill in June with bronchitis. To all of you who came out to either (or both) shows and had to put up with my coughing and gravelly voice - thank-you! This year's annual art show was as much as a success as last year's Earth & Sky show. A lot of people came out to view the artwork. Some people just came for a chat and to say Hello (which is totally encouraged). Some people came out of curiosity from the newspaper advertisements. Some people came specifically to purchase a piece of art (or to pick one up that was purchased in the show preview). Some people came as a show of encouragement and to give feedback. All of those reasons are acceptable and I encourage it all! One of the reasons I love this show so much is that it is a chance for Jenni and I to show off a collection of work in one easy to access format. It's all laid out there to see. We, as artists, are also accessible for your feedback and questions and many times it is an invaluable learning tool. I learn something new at every show I do. For example, at last years show I had people that wanted to pay by credit card and I couldn't accept them. I made sure that I had that option available this year by registering with Square. One of the things I learned at this year's show was that some people wanted art that was smaller (and more affordable) in compliment to my larger paintings, so I am working on a project for that as we speak (stay tuned). I sold quite a few paintings that day (as did Jenni). Some (but not all) are featured in the photo collage above. There are still some paintings available from the show and you can check them out in the Vast Lands 2017 tab in the navigation bar above. Thank-you for your continued support and encouragement, it means the world to me.  A selection of Jenni's work from the show  The back of my Library I'm so pleased to be able to tell you about the project that I recently completed for the Port Hope Rotary Club. Last autumn my friend from high school, Robyn K Town, was asked to paint some little community libraries for the town of Port Hope. She realized that it was too much work for one person and so she enlisted a group of local female artists from Northumberland County to collaborate. I was honoured to be one of the artists that was asked to participate along with Jennifer Anne Burke, Allyson Demoe and Catherine Lynn. These Little Libraries will be installed in various locations around Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. Hover each photo for artist info and click for website links  Side view of my Library  Photo from Northumberland.com This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Northumberland Hills Studio Tour. It was my first time in many years to be free on this weekend and the thought of seeing other people's work spaces was what really motivated me. Well, that, and art and the chance to speak with the artists. I did not visit every site listed but I marked off the few that were of interest to me, in particular, painters. Since I work out my house I really wanted to have a good snoop around those studios in particular. I was NOT disappointed. We have so very many talented artists in our area and the fact that so many can make a living with their art speaks volumes to the community we live in. I enjoyed every artist and studio that I visited but the following were my favourites (in no particular order):
Stephen Gillberry based in Cobourg, has a beautiful studio built into his home. His work is abstract and in sizes from tiny (bookmarks) to large. I loved looking at his paint splattered floor and easels and was happy to see that I'm not the only artist to get paint all over my bathroom light switch. I was very taken with his use of texture in his beach and water scenes. I also really LOVED that he didn't offer prints but instead does small originals in a 'print-like' way so as to offer more affordable art for those that can't purchase a larger work at that time. I may have to steal that idea in the future! Betsy Miller based in Cobourg, works from her home like so many of us do. She told me she painted in her laundry room (a perfect spot to make art) and she turned most of her house into a gallery for the studio tour. She paints large pieces in an abstract expressionist style and I very much enjoyed chatting with her about technique and influences. She uses palette knives for her work (yes! one of my loves) and her artwork is as bright and colourful as her personality. (I hope you enjoyed your wine after the show Betsy!) Dorothy Siemens based in Port Hope, has a studio in her home (or a home in her studio?). It is a beautiful light-filled space that showcases her artwork perfectly. From mandalas to soft florals and natural images, her work reminds me of fabric or tapestry. It is richly textured to the eye but only slightly textured to the surface. I have to admit I was extremely taken with her work. We talked at length and I liked her calm energy as she explained to me how she uses wax, paint, and oil sticks. I urge you to see her work in person and not just on the computer screen, it really looks much different. I am so glad I did! The next time there is a studio tour in your area - go! Just by attending you are supporting the artists. Go, have fun, make a day of it, tell the artists what you think of their work and ask questions. That is what these events are for. Maybe you will find a new piece to take home (or save up for), maybe you will learn something new, maybe you will find a new artist to follow. You will definitely see some beautiful, interesting, thought-provoking art. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you. Thank-you. Yes, it deserves a sentence all on its own. When you plan an art show you don't know what to expect. Will people show up? Will they like my art? Will they buy my art? What if they hate it? What if they say nothing? When you make your art you are by yourself. You are creating something with your heart and soul behind it. It feels good but the worry comes when it's time to put it "out there". Suddenly your solitary craft is now public and open to all that that entails. You are also present, available to speak and answer questions. This is never a worry of mine because I love speaking with people one-on-one and hearing what they have to say. But, people being people, one never knows what to expect. I'm happy to say that the Earth & Sky art show was a complete success for both myself and my partner in art, Jennifer Anne Burke. The crowd started off small but steady and we had a flow of people throughout the day. It was never too empty or too full and the people that visited were full of good vibes. We had visitors that we knew and people that we didn't (thanks to local radio and newspaper ads). We had a wonderfully professional photographer from SNAPD Northumberland (thank-you for the photos Mallory I can't wait to see them). We had surprise visits from family and friends too. I couldn't ask for a better turn out.  One of my art tables from the show When it was time to pack up for the day my helper asked me where 'the rest' of my paintings were. There weren't any more. I sold 8 paintings for the show and I only have two of the Earth & Sky series remaining (and Jenni sold lots of her art as well). I do have to complete a final piece (the work in progress that was on display) but then I will be moving onto the next idea. I'm happy to tell you that my paintings will now be in Toronto, Ottawa, Trenton, Brighton, Port Hope, Cobourg, and British Columbia.  Jennifer Anne Burke's art Thank-you for attending. Thank-you for your best wishes if you couldn't attend. Thank-you for asking questions and providing feedback. Thank-you for buying my art. Thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you.
I have been busy for the past month painting and organizing for a new art show with my good friend Jennifer Anne Burke. We will be holding our show on Saturday July 30th from 12:30-4:30pm at St. Mark's Church in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. We have named our show Earth & Sky because we will be displaying art that is inspired by the Rocky Mountains and the Northern Lights. This art show came as a bit of a surprise to me. It wasn't exactly planned in advance but happened to come about while having coffee and chatting with Jenni. We are both artists and we joke that we can never have a show together because it seems that we are always on opposite schedules. When Jenni is busy painting like mad I will be in a lull and vice versa. At the time of this coffee visit, we were both painting but really just playing with new ideas and styles and we were both enthusiastic about each others work. We decided then and there to have a show despite not having a huge amount of art to display. Kind of like Field of Dreams 'if you build it they will come', we thought 'if you plan it the art will follow'. So, that's what we did. It's a bit of a leap of faith and a little backwards but I've never been one to turn down a challenge and neither is Jenni. In fact, I think we both prosper in the face of adversity and let's face it, creating art, though challenging, is not what one could classify as a hardship - quite the opposite. So, that brings us to now. A few months have passed by since we had that coffee visit and we are both excited to show our new work to you. I hope that you are able to offer your support by attending and viewing the art. There will be work of many different sizes and price ranges, it's an opportunity to view or purchase an original piece of art from a local Northumberland County artist. |
Jennifer Trefiak
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