summer days

I'm having a pretty great summer so far. I'm itching to paint again, but during the Olympics I am setting myself up with my drawing board and parking in front of the TV. After I catch up on everything I've neglected that is!

July 20th I loaded my car in an absolute downpour and made the two-hour trip up to Whistler. By the time I arrived there was a break in the rain and I was able to set up my easel at the weekly artisan market, sponsored by White Dog Studio Gallery, at Nita Lake Lodge. I had been planning to paint the mountains but it was so socked in that I ended up tackling the gardens, not my best subject matter. It was a bit of a losing battle with the weather anyway. I ended up under the awning, trying to stay dry and warm and losing the battle.

The next day, with the weather still flipping me the bird, I gestured back and spent the day at the gallery, instructing a student and painting alongside her. She was eager and willing, and painting in the loft was a real treat:

When I left the gallery that evening, there was a break in the clouds and I saw this view of the back of Blackcomb Mountain, so I proceeded to pull over and photograph it. That was what I'd wanted to paint the day before!



I also spent Sunday at the gallery, getting Eve to the point where she could finish the painting on her own, then loading up my car in the pouring rain again to head home. It was a really fun and productive weekend and I just love working in Penny's gallery.

Since getting home I have been on a mission to find myself a mountain bike. It's tricky working within a strict budget and seeing what amazing bikes are out there. In the end I got a Norco Mountaineer, such a pretty blue and with disc brakes, something I thought I wouldn't be able to get in my price range.
 

It's August tomorrow and that means a getaway to the B.C. interior and some fantastic canoeing this month, plus a couple of art events. Stay tuned for invitations. In the meantime, check out what love at first sight looks like to me: