recent paintings and news

recent paintings and news

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Drawing on Time


The image below (48x72in) will be part of an installation for the upcoming show 'This land is OUR Land: the greenbelt dichotomy'

I was fortunate to receive funding from the Ontario Arts Council towards the production of new work for this exhibition.  I also took a few weeks from teaching in order to fully immerse myself into the project and have relished in every moment. 

I am still busy finishing up a series and very excited to see the exhibition as a whole and what the other artists will bring to it.

*no time lately to leave comments on my favourite blogs but still looking-especially enjoyed Krista Howell's new work as well as Caroline Simmill and Sheila Vaughan










 The More Things Change
charcoal & aluminum on panel
48x72in, 2012


yes, more aluminum -I just find it so intriguing. Below is the same drawing, but in  low cool light. the reflective aluminum light seems to move around the work in a continuous cycle of change-





Thursday, January 19, 2012

Full of Moons

Climate change and it's impact on farming compelled me to investigate  the twelve full moons. 


'Predicting the weather has been a human passion for ages. Farmers wanted to know what kind of a season was forthcoming -- would there be enough rain or would there be drought? Would the winter be cold or mild? How could they tell if a violent storm was coming?' 

Farmers Almanac



Full Moon Names and Their Meanings


National Geographic

One of the most dramatic sights in the night sky—and inspiration for poets, artists, and lovers for millennia—full moons captivate us like nothing else.


Every month Earth's moon goes through its phases, waning and waxing in its constant transformation from new moon to full moon and back again. Full moons occur every 29.5 days or so as the moon moves to the side of Earth directly opposite the sun, reflecting the sun's rays off its full face and appearing as a brilliant, perfectly circular disk.


For millennia, humans have used the movement of the moon to keep track of the passing year and set schedules for hunting, planting, and harvesting. Ancient cultures the world over have given these full moons names based on the behaviour of the plants, animals, or weather during that month.





© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012
January: Wolf Moon
Native Americans and medieval Europeans named January's full moon after the howling of hungry wolves lamenting the midwinter paucity of food. Other names for this month's full moon include old moon and ice moon.




© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012
February: Snow Moon
The typically cold, snowy weather of February in North America earned its full moon the name snow moon. Other common names include storm moon and hunger moon.




© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012
March: Worm Moon
Native Americans called this last full moon of winter the worm moon after the worm trails that would appear in the newly thawed ground. Other names include chaste moon, death moon, crust moon (a reference to snow that would become crusty as it thawed during the day and froze at night), and sap moon, after the tapping of the maple trees.





© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012 

April: Pink Moon
Northern Native Americans call April's full moon the pink moon after a species of early blooming wildflower. In other cultures, this moon is called the sprouting grass moon, the egg moon, and the fish moon.






© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012
May: Flower Moon
May's abundant blooms give its full moon the name flower moon in many cultures. Other names include the hare moon, the corn planting moon, and the milk moon.





© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012 
 June: Strawberry Moon
In North America, the harvesting of strawberries in June gives that month's full moon its name. Europeans have dubbed it the rose moon, while other cultures named it the hot moon for the beginning of the summer heat.







© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012
July: Buck Moon
Male deer, which shed their antlers every year, begin to regrow them in July, hence the Native American name for July's full moon. Other names include thunder moon, for the month's many summer storms, and hay moon, after the July hay harvest.







© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012
August: Sturgeon Moon
North American fishing tribes called August's full moon the sturgeon moon since the species was abundant during this month. It's also been called the green corn moon, the grain moon, and the red moon for the reddish hue it often takes on in the summer haze.





© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012
September: Harvest Moon
The most familiar named moon, September's harvest moon refers to the time of year after the autumn equinox when crops are gathered. It also refers to the moon's particularly bright appearance and early rise, which lets farmers continue harvesting into the night. Other names include the corn moon and the barley moon.





© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012 
October: Hunter's Moon
The first moon after the harvest moon is the hunter's moon, so named as the preferred month to hunt summer-fattened deer and fox unable to hide in now bare fields. Like the harvest moon, the hunter's moon is also particularly bright and long in the sky, giving hunters the opportunity to stalk prey at night. Other names include the travel moon and the dying grass moon.





© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012 
November: Beaver Moon
There is disagreement over the origin of November's beaver moon name. Some say it comes from Native Americans setting beaver traps during this month, while others say the name comes from the heavy activity of beavers building their winter dams. Another name is the frost moon.




© Jan Yates, encaustic on panel, 6x6in, 2012 

December: Cold Moon
The coming of winter earned December's full moon the name cold moon. Other names include the long night moon and the oak moon.



The Blue Moon
Each year, the moon completes its final cycle about 11 days before the Earth finishes its orbit around the sun. These days add up, and every two and a half years or so, there is an extra full moon, called a blue moon. The origin of the term is uncertain, and its precise definition has changed over the years. The term is commonly used today to describe the second full moon of a calendar month, but it was originally the name given to the third full moon of a season containing four full moons.






 I might add  to this series for the forthcoming exhibition 'This Land is OUR Land: the Greenbelt Dichotomy. A few installation works will also be included -am working like mad as deadline is looming, but I like the rhythm of creating when there is deadline-so much planning and problem solving-the pieces are falling into place and  I'm feeling very excited! 



This is a group show -Gordon Leverton, Michelle Teitsma and Jefferson Cambel Cooper  bring  an interesting and controversial slant on the issue of protecting green space and what the impact is on farming as well as urban sprawl.



*With gratitude to the Ontario Arts Council for assisting with this exhibition.



Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Winter Wine Festival





For those of you that live close by, there is a fabulous event happening in Niagara......


I've been gearing up for this weekend's Winter Wine Festival in Jordan Village-10% off everything in the Jordan Art Gallery, including this wee winter vineyard.




January
oil/aluminum on canvas
8x10in, 2011
available

*don’t miss ASHLEY MACISAAC
FREE CONCERT this SATURDAY NIGHT!!!!!January 14 at 8:30 p.m.

Just 1 of MANY events celebrating good food, wine, art, apparel and more- all distinctive of Niagara

There are free shuttles from the festival in downtown Jordan to various wineries in the area
Twenty Valley Winter Wine Festival 
THIS WEEKEND
in
Jordan Village, ON, CANADA
www.twentyvalley.com

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

All is flowing


Change
Said the sun to the moon,
You cannot stay.

Change
Says the moon to the waters,
All is flowing.

Change
Says the fields to the grass,
Seed-time and harvest,
Chaff and grain.

You must change
Said the worm to the bud,
Though not to a rose,

Petals fade
That wings may rise
Borne on the wind.

You are changing
said death to the maiden, your wan face
To memory, to beauty.

Are you ready to change?
Says the thought to the heart, to let her pass
All your life long

For the unknown, the unborn
In the alchemy
Of the world's dream?

Kathleen Raine




December, (greenbelt disaster) oil & aluminum on canvas, 24x48in, 2012



This is another painting for the upcoming February show: This land is OUR Land: The Greenbelt Dichotomy. More on that later, although I must admit - am presently frazzled and a wee bit terrified...