Newsletter

The title of this month’s newsletter is taken from Gordon Lightfoot’s, “Pussywillows Cat-Tails”. Spring’s promise in the garden is everywhere. I walk through our garden welcoming back old friends, perennials who have made it through another winter season, and saying hello to new ones, the bulbs planted with hope last fall who are blooming or are about to soon. I am greeted each morning by two new garden visitors, a pair of crows who holler good morning at me as soon as I come out the door. I reply by cawing back and they answer. I am sure the neighbours believe that I have taken leave of my senses. It is easy to become giddy with hope and pleasure this time of year in the garden. There is so much to look forward to.

Similarly, there is much to look forward to in the world of Art.

I was delighted to be invited to speak to the Port Stanley Artists’ Guild a few days ago. What a wonderful group! Their annual show takes place at the Port Stanley Royal Canadian Legion, 310 George Street on June 6, 7 and 8. A great reason for a lovely drive and perhaps a walk on the beach or lunch or dinner after the show.

I will be attending the Annual General meeting of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour soon. It takes place in the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto. This year I will be attending electronically. Zoom is such an amazing thing. The guest speaker will be Dr. Catherine M. Martin who will be speaking about Franklin Carmichael and his CSPWC Presidency.

In two days I will be delivering three of my paintings to Grand Bend. They were juried into the Paint Ontario Exhibition. I am honoured to have all three of my submissions juried into the show and very excited to be a part of it. Here is one of the paintings. To see the other two, you will need to go to the show!

Locally, the Brush and Palette Show will take place April 18, 19 and 20. I have 6 pieces in this show.

The Lambeth Art Association Show is in the near future as well. More about that in my next newsletter.

The Gallery Painting Group’s meeting is also coming up soon and I look forward to seeing everyone and learning about this year’s locations.

And last of all, I have been invited to exhibit as the featured artist at the gallery, Gathered, in Sparta during the month of August. I am so very excited and will let you know more as the date approaches.

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. As always I look forward to hearing from you and perhaps seeing you at one of the upcoming shows. Take care and enjoy the promise of Spring.

I am heading off to enjoy the sunshine, our garden and a hot cup of tea.

Sue

When I last posted we were in anticipation of Christmas. Time has passed and we are now almost at Easter. I apologize for neglecting you for two months. Life can sometimes get in the way.

Once again our garden is filled with birdsong, snowdrops, hellebores and lovely things poking out to promise tulips, daffodils and others shortly. After a very long winter with virtually no sunshine and very little snow the blue skies and sunshine over the past few days have been very welcome as are appearances by cottontails and skunks, grackles and crows and even a couple of robins.

My daughter and I spent a delightful morning at one of our favourite garden centres, the first of many sojourns I am sure. We came home with houseplants and potting soil and visions of this summer’s gardens in our heads and hearts.

Even though my studio has remained abandoned since early December, the Summer and Fall were productive and so I have work ready for the Brush and Palette Club Show, The Lambeth Art Association Show and have submitted work for Paint Ontario and the Society of Canadian Artists. Fingers are crossed. I will let you know the results in April’s newsletter.I have also donated a painting to the New Canvas of Life Fundraiser, an annual event supporting London Health Sciences multi-organ transplant program. Ticket are $100 each and are available at http://www.lhsf.ca/newcanvas . I hope to see you at one of these shows (or more).

Finally I must tell you that I was overwhelmed by the responses to my last newsletter. Your heartfelt messages were read and reread…pure sunshine when I needed it. Thank you.

Take care. 

Sue

At this point in our Christmas preparations I began to strongly identify with one of our tree ornaments.

So I decided a break was in order and sat quietly, a cup of tea in hand with no media distractions and just let my mind wander. Eventually I thought about a question I had heard recently. It was, “Why do you paint?” I arrived at several answers but the most interesting one to me was I paint because my kindergarten teacher was Miss Fox.

She set up a variety of activities which we rotated through. Some changed weekly, others remained longer. The one that captured my attention was the painting easel with a huge piece of newsprint and several bottles each containing a brush and paint. This was the activity I wanted to go to immediately, but I had to wait my turn. What seemed like years but more likely days passed and finally it was my turn.

I will never forget the sheer joy I felt as i put brush to paper. This is why I paint. The joy of paint on paper, the colours, the feel of the brush as it glides over the surface of the paper, the sound the water makes when I clean my brush….they are all part of the magic and wonder that is, for me, painting with watercolour.

if you paint or create with any medium, why do you do it?

Last month I promised to reveal what I have been working on in my studio. It is a series I am calling Time In A Bottle. Today I am showing you #6 in this series, “Save Every Day”.

In closing, I wish you and your family a wonder filled Christmas, one with colours and music and fond memories as well as one bringing new experiences that fill you with joy.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks, as always, for your continuing support and encouragement. Love hearing from you.

Sue

I suppose it it because November is the month in which we commemorate Remembrance Day, but I almost always feel nostalgic at this time of year. As November comes to an end, Christmas approaches triggering happy memories of beloved family members no longer with us. I am reminded of who we have been, of my childhood, the childhood of my daughter and later, that of my grandson. Those little people and the little person I once was, loved Christmas with such innocent carefree enthusiasm.

All of this leads me to tell you that while I reminisced, the lyrics of the song, Time In A Bottle, came to mind and with them the idea for my latest series of paintings. If you follow me on social media, you will have seen one of these paintings, Remembrance, already. I have completed six others to date and have not yet run out of steam.

I will not be posting any more paintings in this series on social media but will give you a sneak peek of a few in my newsletter in the New Year. And if you are wondering what my plans are for these paintings, I have no idea! I am enjoying the process and will continue with the series now and then again in the New year after a short hiatus over Christmas..

My studio is a busy place these days.

Time In A Bottle Series: #3, Remembrance, 12 x 24

As always, take care, and thank you for your interest and support. Talk to you next month.

Sue

I hope that you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and friends. It was a wonderful time for us as our grandson came home from university and we spent a lot of time together with our daughter and him.

Traditionally at this time of year women are in the midst of Fall preparations which included storing harvests in root cellars, canning and preserving them, preparing fruitcakes for Christmas and so on. While I don’t can at this time of year, I do prepare and freeze squash and pumpkin, and applesauce. In the garden cuttings are taken from tender plants like pelargonium geraniums and coleus. This year cuttings were also taken from citronella, fuchsia, sweet potatoe vine and mint. Yes, I know that mint will survive the winter but how wonderful it will be to have fresh mint on hand all winter long! Spring bulbs have been purchased and planted and the amaryllis brought inside for their nap before blooming again this winter.

This is also the time when my studio gets tidied and organized in preparation for a productive winter. Plein air kit is put away, sketchbooks perused and photos put into files on the computer. Any day now I will begin playing in the studio.

The fall is also the time when the Gallery Painting Group has their exhibition of work produced during their plein air sessions this year. This will be a wonderful show. Don’t miss seeing it. Circumstances were such that while I attended some of the paint outs and made sketchbook paintings, I was unable to produce paintings for the exhibition. There will be one of my paintings available at the raffle table along with the work of nine other artists.

Several of my paintings of various sizes and price points are available at Main Street Gallery in Bayfield. This is such a pretty location with great restaurants and shops and the drive to Bayfield is usually scenic and enjoyable. Gallery owners, Linda and Jim, are welcoming, helpful and friendly.

My current work can be found on my website www.susangarrington.com . If you see something you like and would enjoy seeing it in person or if you would like to see paintings not currently on the website, my studio is open by appointment. Just call or text 519-859-0171 or email me at sgarrington@rogers.com to arrange an appointment.

I look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon. Take care, stay well and enjoy your autumn preparations whatever they may be. 

Hello to You!

While it is still officially Summer, the cool mornings and evenings along with the start of a new school year, signal that it is almost over. Every year the seasons race by more and more quickly leaving me painfully aware that change is the only constant.

This time of year is always a strange mixture of excitement and melancholy. New adventures await youngsters returning to school or, like my grandson venturing off to university in a new city and at the same time melancholy ensues as we think about how they grow up so quickly. The end of many of the colourful flowers approaches at the same time as the leaves on trees and many plants begin their burst into autumn colour. In spite of these contrasting emotions or perhaps because of them, Autumn is absolutely my favourite season. Brisk walks through the fragrant fallen leaves, bulb planting, Thanksgiving, sweater weather, a change of wardrobe…. so very much to look forward to while saying goodbye to another summer.

Art News:

I have paintings in two shows currently and two more on the horizon.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS:

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:

I have started teaching a four week series of watercolour workshops at Westland Gallery. I enjoyed the first week very much and am looking forward to the remaining three.

I am going to end this newsletter now as the sunshine is calling to me to get out into the garden while Summer remains.

Have a great weekend and enjoy these last days of summer. I hope to hear from you.

Sue

How are you occupying your time during this ongoing rainy weather? I began in the garden shed tidying, sorting and generally making things easier to access. I then moved the tidying and organizing indoors and did my desks, cupboards and various drawers and storage bins. Still on the list are my studio and the kitchen cupboards, but I must admit I am running out of steam and really hoping for some sunny days to work in the garden, sketch on location and….

This summer has been the summer of wee things in our garden. We have had baby cardinals, sparrows, finches, starlings, grackles, blue jays and chickadees. Our yard has become an avian nursery. Along with fledgling birds, we have had baby rabbits and chipmunks. It has been so much fun watching all the young wild things.

I am so happy to tell you that the Opening of my exhibition, Along The Way, at the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre’s Joyner Gallery, was very well attended in spite of lots of rain. I met several delightful art lovers, some fellow artists and many of the volunteers who make this gallery a success. I was photographed and interviewed by local journalists and approached to conduct workshops. However, the best part of the day was meeting up with a dear friend. Marg. She and I met in kindergarten and have been friends ever since so having her join me there along with my sister, Cathy, and Brian, my husband, made a special day even better.

If you haven’t had the chance to see the exhibition I hope you can make a day of it and travel to Niagara -on--Lake. Afterward, go for lunch or dinner at one of the amazing restaurants, walk along the path by the river, visit the fort or go shopping. The Shaw Festival Theatre is not far from the gallery so perhaps you would like to plan a longer stay. In any case, Along The Way is continuing until the end of the month so you still have time to make plans.

Rain figured into the Westland Plein Air event too. I set up in the alcove (see the photo below) and worked in my sketchbook. Other artists found various places to shelter or used large umbrellas and carried on painting.

There are lots of exciting things on the horizon and I will tell you more about them in my next newsletter. In the meantime I will share that I will be teaching a workshop in the fall at Westland Gallery. All the details are below. Call the gallery if you would like to join us or drop in, see the current exhibit and sign up in person. Space is limited so call soon to be sure not to miss out.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. I enjoy hearing from you too, so tell me about what you have done this summer or will be doing soon or, alternatively, how you have spent the rainy days. Have any of you used the rainy days to catch up on your reading? If so, do you have any books you would like to recommend? 

Take care and enjoy our summer. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue

Our family has been very busy this month. The highlight was watching our grandson graduate from secondary school. This brings to mind the question,”Where has the time gone?”.

I have been busy in my art life as well and will be taking part in Westland Gallery’s Plein Air Event this coming Saturday. I will be painting and sketching somewhere between Bruce and Elmwood on Wortley Road. I hope you can stop by for a visit.

Coming soon is my solo exhibition at the Joyner Gallery in the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, taking place from June 28th to July 30th. I hope that you will have an opportunity to see it. There are 25 paintings in all, some old favourites from my personal collection as well as new work. The Opening Reception takes place on Sunday July 2nd from 2 to 4. I am inviting you to come to the Opening! I would be so excited to see you there, to chat about my work and to visit. 

 Summer’s here already! I hope that you are well and enjoying the first days of summer. Take care and thanks for your continued support.

Sue

I must apologize for sending this out a little later than usual. I have been happily busy with a number of events.

I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour held in Toronto at The Arts and Letters Club. This is where the idea of the cspwc was conceived. You have likely seen photos of the members of The Group of Seven meeting here, usually sitting at a long table.

All three London Art clubs, LAA, GPG and B&P have also had their Annual general meetings.

I am showing Dear Flora #3, in the Ontario Society of Artists Western Hub exhibition which is being held at The Gallery, 4452 Queen Street, Niagara Falls from May 31st to June 24th.

In the “getting ready” phase are:

                                                Westland Plein Air

                Along The Way, Solo Exhibition, Joyner Gallery, Niagara , Niagara Falls, June 28 to July 30

The Gallery painting Group has started our on location painting. So far I have been unable to attend but am looking forward to the next location.

I hope to see you over the summer at one event or another or perhaps at a GPG paintout. It was delightful to see many of you at the Brush and Palette Show and The Lambeth Show. 

As always, thanks for your continued interest and support. 

Sue

As i sit at my kitchen table overlooking our garden this morning I am enchanted by a sea of blue. Scilla have carpeted the lawns and gardens reminding me of a long ago trip to Oxford, U.K. where we were treated to woodland meadows filled with English bluebells. The Scilla are a slightly different shade of blue but are beautiful in their own right.

If you are as in love with colour as I am, you should join me today at the Brush and Palette’s annual show at St. Paul’s Cathedral. There are many shades of blue to be found and other colours as well.

I will be working on the cash desk from 12 until 2 and wandering through the show until 4. Hope to see you there.

Sue