Tag: watercolour

A busy studio

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Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing ok as I know that times are still difficult for so many people. I just wanted to gives a quick update – I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY!!! For some reason, the creative juices have been flowing again and the project is moving along nicely. Here’s a selection of art that has come from the studio over the past week or so – birds, trees, fried eggs, fish, and more!

And, as mentioned before, these pieces have been shipped all over the world – coffee shops in Wales, Cape Town, and Fiji will soon be receiving some art 🙂

People

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I sure hope everyone is doing ok these days.

I’ve been busy, but also finding a bit of time for some art. I decided to take a leap and include some artwork of people in my project. I have always been uncomfortable sketching, drawing, or painting people. To my eye they always look funny. The wrong proportions, off-kilter, or just weird. But I also know that we are our own worst critic. So, what the heck, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Here are a few from the studio, and these (along with a few other pieces) are on their way to a coffee shop in San Francisco! Safe Travels, Art!

Trouvé à Montréal

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Big news from a fabulous Canadian city*… the 58th piece of art was dropped in Montreal and it was found (or “trouvĂ©“)!

This was a “thumbnail landscape” – a small winter scene with a wee cabin and trees. It was dropped by a secret agent on a bench in a fitness center in the downtown area:

The finder of this little piece was delighted, and she tweeted her discovery later in the day! …although it seems to have migrated from the bench to a nearby window sill (Yes, everyone, we have a twitter account)

And this little winter scene was posted up on a bulletin board in its new home:

Once again, it seems this very fun project has brought some joy into someone’s life, and that’s the whole purpose.

The world is a tough place with so many stressful things happening. I believe firmly that art can connect us, bring us happiness, and keep us grounded during difficult times.

Please be kind and spread joy whenever you can.

—

*another piece of art was found a while ago in a different and equally fabulous Canadian city – here’s the story!

Hope and Joy

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I have big news to share with you –

Earlier this month a very special secret agent recently dropped piece #38 at the Seven Stars Bakery in Providence, Rhode Island (the Hope Street location). The piece was carefully placed on the condiment table, as seen in this photo, here:

I’d like to visit this bakery sometimes – apparently it is one of the best.

The day after it was dropped, I received a note from the person who found it, who is named Joy.

It reads:

“I found painting #38 dated October 2019 at the Seven Stars Bakery on Hope Street Providence, RI. I saw it sitting on the service station and assumed someone was coming back for it. After it had been sitting there for awhile I picked it up and turned it over and saw that it was probably left there intentionally. I love it so much, it brought such a smile to my face and now lives on my shelf where I can see it everyday. Thank you!”

You are MOST welcome, Joy!

And it is so fitting that this bakery is on Hope street.

Hope and Joy: these are good things.

The start of 2020: trees and trilobites

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Hi Friends! Welcome to the new decade!

I had some fun over the holiday season, and prepared six pieces to share around the world, including ones featuring mountains, trees, birds, and trilobites. It’s the first edition of ‘from the studio’ for this year!

The craggy trees was inspired by an old painting in my parent’s house when I was growing up – I believe it was in my Father’s “den” (which was essentially a room with his slides, paperwork, a desk, and a bookshelf containing various interesting titles on all kinds of things, including ships, natural disasters, and field guides – you can never have enough field guides!). I recall a piece of art on his wall that depicted warped trees emerging from steep mountains. There is something amazing about the ways tree roots find their way among the rocks to the smallest patches of soil. They persist.

There’s also something special about birds on a wire. Sometimes when I drive home from the train station after work I can see a nice row of our feathered friends on the overhead wires. They are often pigeons, but I’ve also seen starlings there, and sometimes I can’t quite make out the species because the silhouettes just don’t provide enough clues. So, this wee painting of three birds can be whatever species you wish it to be.

So there you have it: Six pieces to start off 2020. Keep your eyes out, folks, you just might come across one of these when you are out on your own adventures. Let me know if you find one!

Small things

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The first year of this project is drawing to a close (how do you like that pun….?).

I’ve just finished the final set of art pieces, so here’s the latest from the studio. I’ve been having fun making ‘small things’ – essentially thumbnail art. These are all done in watercolour (with some pen work on some), and they are all small (the pencil in the photo offers scale).

Small things are fun, and nice. It will also be fun and nice to see these small pieces make their way out in the very big world. Let’s see who finds them!

Jellyfish in Japan

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A little while ago I wrote about some of the recent pieces of art that left the studio – and I can now happily report that one of these pieces (a jellyfish, done in watercolor) has had a VERY big adventure, and was dropped off by a special secret agent in a hotel bar in Japan!

Here’s the proof:

I want to take a pause and give a big shout-out to my friends and family who have been helping move pieces of art around the world (soon some pieces will travel to Thailand and China which is *most* exciting!!).

Thanks for following along! Stay tuned for more adventures…

Feather of the North

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“Hope is the thing with feathers” writes Emily Dickinson.

I have always loved our feathered friends. They are magical animals, seeing the world from the wing, finding small insects among cracks in tree bark, and singing sweet songs. I often draw birds, and a while back I decided that a feather was a suitable thing to paint and share. Here’s the piece just after completion in the studio:

Several weeks ago the Feather was dropped (maybe by me? Maybe by a secret agent…?) at the Yukon Visitor’s Centre, in Whitehorse (Yukon Territory, Canada).

Here’s the drop location (next to the GIANT relief map of the Yukon):

It was found! Hooray! The person who found it wrote to me soon after:

…”I found your feather art at the Yukon Visitors Center in Whitehorse. It’s marked “#27″…. Finding this just makes the trip here all the more special. I am on a trip here, to my childhood home, with my parents. The Yukon has an almost indefinable magic about it. I left 30 years ago, and no place I have been since has ever felt like home. Thank you for adding another element of specialness to this trip down memory lane”

Yes, the Yukon is magical.

Yes, feathers bring hope.

Yes, joy is everywhere, you just have to be ready to look for it, and accept it.

It is so fitting that the feather found the right home, and so fitting that it meant something to its finder.

Here’s the feather in its new home:

…As an aside, and for those interested, there have been about 30 pieces leave the studio since the project started in January; the pieces have been dropped around the world, from Australia to England, Canada to Mexico. Three have been reported as ‘found’, although I’m confident all have been found and enjoyed! Of those found, one was reported from the USA, one from Portugal, and now this one, in northern Canada. By all accounts, it is thrilling to have these three stories to share – all my hopes and dreams for this project are being realized! Stay tuned, friends, as there will be many more stories to come…

From the studio

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It has been a while since I’ve posted, but rest assured, Found This Art is still going strong. Rumour has it that some pieces have been deposited alongside ‘in flight’ menus in the seat pockets of airplanes. A secret agent also took some pieces to coast of north-east England.

Today, I wanted to share what I’ve been working on in the studio. In my part of the world, spring is in full swing, so tulips are on order. I also noticed a good old-fashioned tire swing on my walk this morning. There is also a ‘water theme’ going on, with fun fish, and a view across a quiet lake. These four pieces are numbers 21 through 24 – so I’m staying on track for about one piece per week.

These pieces, and many others, will soon make their way around the world. Stay tuned!