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Author: Aprille

Events

The Square Foot Show in Autumn

September 30, 2022 Aprille

The Square Foot Show in Autumn features one-of-a-kind original 12″x 12″ paintings around the theme of Autumn, created by 52 artists from across North America and I'm excited to be one of them!

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watercolour palette
For the Artist, How To

Watercolour Tips – Know Your Paper

September 25, 2022September 25, 2022 Aprille

Paper, pigment and brushes are your basic tools as a watercolourist. I've seen too many people get discouraged and think they can't learn this medium when in reality, they were fighting their tools. Give yourself a break and don't skimp.

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Bee Faithful
Inspiration

Back to My Future

August 8, 2022September 10, 2022 Aprille

I've sensed the approach of a turning point with my art so I’ve been on the lookout for my next steps. And of course, you learn a lot in the most surprising places when you’re paying attention. 

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For the Artist, The Business Side

Pricing Your Work and Other Things: Business advice for creatives

July 3, 2022June 27, 2022 Aprille

You need some basic business skills as a creative if you want to earn a living from your work. A podcast I did with Joan Sotkin on her show “Prosperity Place”.

Tagged business, podcast, resourcesLeave a comment
For the Artist, Resources, Video

Playing with Catalyst Tools

June 29, 2022June 26, 2022 Aprille

Catalyst Tools are silicone blades and wedges that are a lot of fun and very satifsying to work with as an artist.

Tagged process, toolsLeave a comment

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Recent Posts

  • The Square Foot Show in Autumn
  • Watercolour Tips – Know Your Paper
  • Back to My Future
  • Pricing Your Work and Other Things: Business advice for creatives
  • Playing with Catalyst Tools
  • How to create Art that connects

aprillejanes

Already at day 12 of #21daysinmyartworld! Today it Already at day 12 of #21daysinmyartworld! Today it’s about #currentmotifs that occur in my art. 
A couple of years ago I took part in a show of mini-paintings and I chose a bee as my subject. Since then they’ve shown up in a lot of my work. I like the spark of life they add. 
I’ve been concerned about bees for a few years. As I watch them in my gardens, it feels natural to include them and learn more about them. 
For instance, did you know they are “faithful” to their flower? The same bee will return over and over to a blossom until the flower is finished. Somehow, I like knowing that about them. 
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#bees #beehappy #bumblebees #beeart #artistlife #inspiredbynature #floralart #flowers #floralartist #natureinfocus #natureinspired #canadianartist #novascotiaartist #tinymiracles #savethebees #savethebeessavetheworld
It’s all about a #turningpoint today in #21daysi It’s all about a #turningpoint today in #21daysinmyartworld with @taraleaver. I’ve been mulling that over because life is filled with big and small moments that change everything. I’ve decided to go with a biggie. 
My creative dreams took a back seat for years as I “adulted”. Then, one spring day while out walking on my lunch hour, I waited at a busy intersection. When the light changed,
I started across. 
Suddenly, a speeding vehicle ran the light, glanced off another vehicle and passed so close to me I could have touched it. Debris flew all around me. 
I tottered back to the sidewalk and collapsed. A crowd gathered but miraculously I wasn’t hurt. 
Later, when I was able to process what happened, I knew I would have left this world with something important to me undone. 
The next day I signed up for a workshop with an artist I’d always admired.
I normally avoid selfies because I prefer not to b I normally avoid selfies because I prefer not to be on camera, but because this is day 10 of #21DaysInMyArtWorld with @taraleaver the challenge is to share a selfie. Now that’s a real challenge for me so I’m sharing the spotlight with my lovely studio assistant, who usually helps out by sitting wherever my attention is focused.

I’m also using this as an opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself. As a child, I spent most of my days outdoors roaming and exploring the natural world. As an adult, its still where I feel the happiest and connected to something bigger than me, so I try to find that in my paintings. 

My career as a professional in the computer industry required a lot of travel so focus on creative endeavours was hit or miss. Then we semi-retired, moved to Nova Scotia, and my husband built me a studio. I now spend some part of every day painting. I also try to get outside every day ( at least when the weather allows it.) It all shows up in my art. 

I love the play of colour and transparency of watercolors, but I like the freedom of experimentation that oil colors provide, so I swing between the two mediums. I also love to draw, so I’m trying to bring pen work into my art this year. I’m looking forward to a creative 2023. 

#21DaysInMyArtWorld #ArtistLife #InMyStudio #DoItForTheProcess #CanadianArtist #NovaScotiaArtist #Watercolor #Cat #oilpainting #ArtistStudio #catslover
Finished and satisfied. Okay, I admit it. I’m Finished and satisfied. 
Okay, I admit it. I’m  excited because it feels like a huge shift for me away from tight and controlled and into simply playing with the medium. I wasn’t even sure what this would be when I began. I started with the idea of negative painting and then let the movement of the watercolours guide me. 
A couple of posts back I talked about the physical challenge I’ve been experiencing with my hands. I asked myself “How can I continue to make art if this becomes permanent?”
So what seemed a challenge was actually the doorway I’d been looking for. So this is a P.S. to that post. Sometimes the challenge is to see the opportunity!
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#21daysinmyartworld #watercolor #watercolour #canadianartist #novascotiaartist #doitfortheprocess #challengeyourself #lessonlearned #floralart #lupines #inspiredbynaturekomilfo
The topic today in #21daysinmyartworld is about wh The topic today in #21daysinmyartworld is about where the art happens. 
For years my “studio” was often a hotel room as I travelled a lot for business. I eventually had a studio in our Ontario home which I enjoyed but I was still running a business and time was a precious commodity. 
After we moved to Nova Scotia, I had the time to paint every day so my husband renovated an old outbuilding and created a studio for me and a workshop for himself. That’s one of the joys of this space. We’re together but separate. 
There’s a lot more outside of this photo but this is where I paint - on the table with my watercolours or at the easel when I’m working in oils (although at the moment the easel is holding watercolours in process.)
I try to sort my brushes by type - rounds, flats and specialty so I have some sense of where to find them. 
There is no running water in the building so the two buckets under the table are my solution. One holds clean water and the other is for used water.
The empty table closer to the camera is one of the workshop spaces and in between it provides space to lay out reference materials and sketchbooks. 
Out of the frame is my storage. A friend built me a “flat file” large enough for full sheets of watercolour paper. It also allows me to keep unframed art on paper flat and safe. The shelves slide out so I can quickly find what I’m looking for. Beside that is a counter made with kitchen cabinets that hold workshop and shipping supplies. 
A desk by the front door with laptop, business files and printer make up my office space. 
And of course, I can see the Bay of Fundy in all her moods right outside the windows. 
My favourite place to spend my day!
Today in #21daysinmyartworld is about Inspiration. Today in #21daysinmyartworld is about Inspiration. 
That was easy and hard. 
Living by the Bay of Fundy there’s so much natural beauty I simply have to step out my door.  Inspiration is everywhere. 
The hard part was selecting just a few videos from my camera roll so I tried to represent the seasons 
Enjoy! 
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#novascotia #margaretsville #bayoffundy #canadianartist #inspiration #inspiredbynature #seascapes #sunset #lighthouse #artistlife
Not complete by any means but really happy with th Not complete by any means but really happy with this so far. @pvcollinsphotos asked me to share as I worked on this one so here you go!
Lots of fun playing loose and easy with the paints and a straw to encourage movement. Negative painting (around an object) is a different way of thinking about a piece. 
Day 7 of #21daysinmyartworld is “Colour Palette” so I included the colours I am using in this painting. I recently switched to @danielsmithartistsmaterials and love the richness of their pigments.
Day 6 of #21daysinmyartworld with @taraleaver is a Day 6 of #21daysinmyartworld with @taraleaver is about Challenge. I hesitated to post this but perhaps it will help someone else. 
I’ve been dealing with pain and weakness in my hands which began with shoulder issues last summer. I had reached a point where fine work was very difficult and it was very concerning. 
The good news is we recently discovered what was causing the original shoulder problems - a broken box spring in our bed - and its been fixed. Things are definitely improving and these pressure gloves help the residual pain in my wrist/hand a lot. 
Proper physical support is SO important to everything we do as artists. Don’t hesitate to get the right chair/mattress/table. Take care of your most valuable tool - you.
Day 5 in #21daysinmyartworld with @taraleaver is t Day 5 in #21daysinmyartworld with @taraleaver is to share a favourite art tool which is hands down my sketchbooks. I learn so much from playing in them and they also create a permanent record l can return to.
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