Day 3 Kira Residency

Today was my third day at KIRA (Kingsbrae International Residency for the Arts). It was another glorious summer day.

Yesterday I started an 11x14in canvas of the lower pond with a cream coloured rhododendron in full bloom and patches of lupins blooming. I was smitten by the dappled shade and the backlit birch trees.
The canvas texture was pretty rough, so I struggled to achive a soft, faery-like feel. I gave up yesterday due to red ants, struggles with the canvas texture and the light changing. I didn't want to give up so easily! This morning first thing I trecked down to the pond again- yesterday's canvas in tow and gave it another try. I was amazed how much smoother it went today. I moved the easel, so there were hardly any ants, I stood up to so to easier move back and forth from the canvas and I arrived earlier then I did in my first session, so I had extra time to observe values, shade and light.

Here is where the it stands with the lower pond painting. Not quite done, but the overall done. I might simplify a few shapes, tweak some edges and adjust a few value bits (tomorrow, haha).

Dappled Light by the Pond, 11x14in, oil on canvas

As my daily flower portrait I had something different in mind, but couldn't resist to pitch my easel when I saw these dandelion seed heads (is this even the right word for them?).

Anyhow, here it is.

6x6in, oil plein air, dandelion seed heads

Behind the scenes:
I was so frustrated with this rough textured canvas that I decided to prime my other canvasses with oil ground in the hopes of yielding a smooth(er) surface.
This afternoon I prepped these panels with Gamblin oil ground. I put on a first layer, now I'll let them dry and put on a second layer tomorrow. They will have to cure a full week after that! Glad I read the instruction label so to plan for the curing time! Yey me (it's the little things;)
Also, I toned the large canvas a bright red.

preparing canvasses outside my studio

All in all, that was my day. Productive- behind the scenes mostly... but pleased to be chopping away on preparatory chores.

Until tomorrow again! Thanks for stopping by!

Simone

Corona Residency at KIRA

 Today marks my second day of my Corona Residency at KIRA St. Andrews (KIRA= Kingsbrae International Residencies for the Arts).
Usually international artists are juried to stay at the KIRA main house and create in their own little private studio. Due to Covid19 and the restrictions to travel and life, KIRA management has invited
local artists of various disciplines to make their home in one of the five studios.
I got invited and feel so honoured to paint alongside some amazing local heavyweight professional artists such as Geoff Slater, Alanna Baird (Tin Fish), Ann Manuel and Stephanie Robb.

Well, as per usual, I am flying at the seat of my pants (is this a right expression???). Monday morning I rushed home started packing my stuff from my 'home closet studio' only AFTER the official welcome at KIRA.

But, Mathias' school year is finished as of last Friday (happy mom, happy kid), so I am NOW calling myself a full time artist/creator for the next month! YEY!
The kids will happily fend for themselves for the month- eating KD for lunch and likely cookies for breakfast and watching TV all day long (Markus hopefully chases them outside to play in the yard, maybe he has them help him work around the house a bit). They loved the news about mom going to KIRA for a month, coming home to prepare dinner and do the dishes, haha!
Man, my little ones are growing up so fast! I am proud of them and hope Markus and 'da gang' will have a bit of fun while I'm painting.
The good thing about taking time away as a mom is that every time I spend a bit of time away, my 'stocks' are going up, aka: I am appreciated more than when I left. This could be a test 'how life would be if mom would work full time'. We shall see, I'll keep you posted on the feedback;-)

My art studio wall day #2 at KIRA

Anyhow, back to my paintings... as said, today is day #2 for me and you can see my efforts pinned to the wall. I decided to portrait one flower each day and slowly fill my wall with little vignettes of what comes and goes into bloom during my time here.

First day painting was of the last few orange/red poppies I could find,

Painting the last poppies at Kingsbrae Gardens.

Red Poppy, Plein Air, oil, 6x6in on hardboard, available

today was a buttercup-type flower (which I didn't write down its name). The gardener told me they are on their way out and I better paint those soon.

Yellow Buttercup, 6x6 oil on hardboard, available

The afternoon I spend by the lower pond below the wind mill. The pond has a natural look with wildflowers growing around it and in between mature woodland trees. It has a bit of the feel of Monet's pond.
There are beautiful lupins blooming right now, so I decided to park my easel by the pond under a mature oak tree (and on top of a large red ants nest). I didn't finish the painting as the sun moved and the colours of the landscape changed (and the ants drove me crazy). So, will go back tomorrow. Here's a pic of my hangout by the pond:

Studies in White- Eggs

Cracked Egg #1, 6x6in, oil on hardboard panel, available here

Last post I shared with you my white mushroom paintings, today I share with you my white eggs.
Yes, I always had wanted to paint a raw, cracked egg. The translucent white in contrast with the bright yellow yolk fascinates me.
To give it a try was the start to my January theme of painting all yummies that could go into an omelet.
I cracked the egg onto a white plate to forgo the mess of cleaning up, haha. Here's a photo of one of the egg paintings on a tray with some of the other veggie paintings. If you have been following me on my Instagram or Facebook feeds, you have seen my 'in situ' shots and studio shots frequently.

As mentioned before, my Valentine's Outreach:
Each of these 6x6in paintings is available for sale. $100 incl. shipping. Also, $15 from each sale will be donated to 'Backpack Blessings and Beyond' who help local school children that face food insecurity. They have backpacks filled with food waiting by the school entrance each Friday as they head home for the weekend. What a wonderful world it would be if every child would have a belly filled and no worry if there's food in the fridge.

Cracked Egg #2, 6x6in, oil on hardboard panel, available here

Studies in White- Mushrooms

Mushrooms 1 (Three Mushrooms), 6x6in, oil on hardboard panel, available here

Yup, it might sounds really funny when I say I am studying to paint whites, ey!?
The longer I paint, the more I 'look between the lines'. Meaning, I try to train my eye to see more distinct differences between cold/warm, colours, shadows, lights, edges and so on.

One of the more tricky things I find is to see the different shades of white. For example a white house might look really different on a sunshine-y day where the sunlit side looks a warm yellow and the white siding on the shadow side really is a purple-y blue. In contrast, on an overcast day the same house might look more grey-ish overall. Our brain tells us it is a white house, but our eyes (if we really look) tell us different.
Allowing to see things as they really are makes for a treasure hunt and a treat to explore.

In light of my January painting excursion themed 'How to Make an Omelet', I bought white button mushrooms. Please note the various shades on the mushrooms, shadow-light, soft edges, hard edges, shadows underneath the mushrooms... and you can also see the painting I created when they were just fresh from the store shelf, and the second painting where they have been waiting for a few days for me to get back on the easel;-)

Valentine's Outreach:

As mentioned in my former post, from each painting sold, $15 will be donated to charity: 'Backpack Blessings and Beyond'. You can read more about it here or here.
The group of volunteers is filling backpacks with food that school children who face food insecurity take home each weekend.  My kids' school is spearheading this outreach currently helping kids in 4 local schools.

Mushrooms #2, 6x6in, oil on hardboard panel, available here

Fill A Backpack With Simone

Yellow Sweet Pepper, 6x6in, oil on board, $100, available

 Happy winter 2019 everyone!

 I hope you all got a good start into this year and are safe and warm during these frigid winter temps!

As for me and my family, we have enjoyed a few nice and quiet weeks over the holidays and now into January.
Yes, and painting I have been as well- almost daily actually!
I started a fun series of 6x6in oil paintings of food. As per comment on my social feed I called it: Let's Make An Omelet!

Today I want to feature the peppers from the series.
A yellow pepper, a red one, green one and two small red hotties.

I hope to have my website updated over the weekend, listing each painting individually (if you want more info on a specific painting).
Each of these 6x6's is for sale for $100 (incl. shipping to Canada and the Continental US) and in the spirit of St. Valentine's Day I will donate $15 from each sale to 'Backpack Blessings and Beyond' charity.

Green Sweet Pepper, 6x6in, oil on boar, $100, available

Red Spicy Peppers, oil on board, 6x6in, SOLD thank you!

What is 'Backpack Blessings and Beyond'?

'Feed School Kids, No Matter The Cost' is their mission statement.
The program buys food for school children that live in homes that face food insecurity.
Before the kids leave school on Friday, the volunteers have food-filled backpacks lined up by the school entrance. The kids that are in the program know to look for them and grab a bag on their way out. The other kids don't know and so there is no stigmatism.
My kids' school is spear heading the program for St. George, Black's Harbour and Back Bay area schools. The program has been established about 5 years ago is providing weekly bags in 4 schools so far. Cost per backpack is $20 monthly or $240 per year.
This program is run by a handful of volunteers and caters to the very vulnerable of society and so I hope to give them a little plug and encouragement and a cheque on Valentine's Day.
If you want to help directly, here's their contact (Tax Receipts available):

Backpack Blessings and Beyond c/o FWC
PO Box 1092
St. George, NB, E5C3S9
506-754-1819 (Chris Sarchfield)
email: backpackblessingsandbeyond@gmail.com
Facebook: Backpack Blessings & Beyond

Sweet Red Pepper, 6x6in, oil on board, $100, available

Tomorrow I'll showcase more paintings from the series, they were so much fun to paint!

Thanks for reading along and following my painting journey;-)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!        Simone

2019 Vintage Volkswagen Camper Bus Calendar

It has become a tradition by now. Calendars!

I love creating these fun calendars featuring my art.

A few years back, the whole calendar idea started out as the climax of a month long painting-a-day marathon. Vintage camper owners submitted photos for a chance to have their glamper photo painted and featured on my blog and social feeds. I was painting a vintage camper trailer each day, followed by a public voting. The crowd favs that gathered the most votes were featured in my first camper calendar.

People loved the idea and sent in more photos than there were days in the month! And by the end I had created 30 paintings in one month!

Let's fast forward a few years to 2017. 

Our local VW enthusiasts have been hosting a 'Gathering of Friends' VW meet at the local Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground in St. Andrews, NB, Canada. Jenny and her husband Barry invited me to come down to the campground and paint at my leisure while the group was set up. And I did just that! 

It was so much fun to pitch my easel in the midst of reno-chatter and the sharing of tips and tricks to tackle specific vintage VW issues. I heard phrases of water cooled engines and sealing leaks Kids were running around and the summer weather was perfect. 

I even met some proud Volkswagen owners!

This past summer I went back, just for a few short hours, unfortunately. But over the last year I created enough VW bus paintings to fill this 2019 calendar.

I still have a few available!

So if you are looking for a year-long gift for the VW lover on your list, here's a video. 

You can order through my website www.SimoneRitterArt.com or pick up in person at our restaurant, Europa Inn, downtown St. Andrews.

Thank you for taking time, it surely is a busy time of year for everyone!

Thank you for your continued encouragement and journeying with me. 

I wish each and everyone of you a blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas! 

Creating House Commission Paintings

Augustus Hall Commission 8x10in oil painting, sold

'It's not just a house, it is a home'. Homes are personal cornerstone places in our lives, mark special events, people, family members and loved ones, history important in one way or another. Many people build or lovingly restore homes. Houses hold memories of happy times spent and special people met.
Everyone has places that are special to them in a personal way.
It is a special honour to be invited to capture a keepsake painting featuring a special house in someone's life. This painting is such a commission. I was actually very surprised when the collector contacted me asking if I'd be interested in creating a painting of his beloved historic home. He is designing, building and also renovating custom luxury homes.
As you know, I'm more an impressionist, meaning that I'm more interested in colour than correct angles, haha. So, this one was going to be a challenge and I knew it! As an added level, the collector asked for an oil painting. So, I knew I had to put aside extra time to not feel rushed. Also to give myself sufficient time to tip-toe into this commission piece.

Creating the Painting:

And time it took- this little 8x10in oil was occupying my mind and brush for almost a month!
What proofed a challenge was that white clapboard siding, few shadow areas, working from multiple photos taken at various times of year showing various sunlight at various angles.
My aim was to keep correct the angles of the architecture (well, as good as I could manage that is). Also to keep colours crisp and clean while playing with pushing the white towards different tints such as pinks, yellows, blues, purples and so on. Just the tiniest smidge of yellow warms pure titanium white to look sunny and friendly. On the other hand, just a bit too much makes it appear like yellow siding. Also, if a warmed white is put next to a cold, blueish white, the contrast between both colours shifts the cold colour backwards and lifts the warmer colour to the front.
I went back-and-forth. I adjusted angles, whites- and scraping off again. Yup, and I applied paint again and eventually got a pretty good feeling of the home. Yes, I was glad when I could finally say: yes, this painting is finished, I'm OK with it! I learned so much like applying layers, adjusting temperatures and adding pops of colour and I really have to say it has grown on me and I had fun along the way.

What a surprise when the collector came and not only picked up the commissioned oil painting, but the (below) watercolour as well. I hope both paintings will be a sweet memory of their beautiful home! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture your special place!

Augustus Hall Commission 8x10in, watercolour, sold

St Andrews Winter Painting Spears Fishing Hut

St Andrews Winter Painting Spears Fishing Hut

orig. oil on canvas, 8x10in approx. $225

more info and purchase here

This one took me a bit longer to paint. I am determined to not give up with the sub zero temperatures the East Coast has seen lately. So I strapped my oil painting kit and tuckered off down to the wharf to do some paintin'. Smart thinking I was loaded with hand warmer pads, ski pants and triple layers underneath my down coat. I guess I must have looked like the Michelin Man wobbling down the street. I have to say I stayed warm until almost to the very end when the sun went down and my fingers and toes got nippy.

First session, laying underpainting down[/caption]

I couldn't quite finish the painting in one session, so I went down a couple of days later during similar weather. My hope is to see the various colours reflecting in the snow. Not just the dirty, brown snow, but the blue and purple-ish cast shadows, the yellowish snow reflecting the low angle afternoon rays and so on... it is a journey. The longer I am looking at snow (and white in general), the more I learn to see subtle colour variations in the landscape. I hope to continue observation this winter... sun is setting, time to finish the painting

Living the long winter

Making myself go out does my spirits well as they are lifted in the fresh breeze and with the sunshine. Winters are hard for me here, German winters are shorter and not as harsh, and I have to admit that I never really have adjusted to the winter climate here. My dear husband has just put in an order for a 'mood light' to help me beat the winter blues. It hasn't arrived but I'm looking forward to indulging in a daily dose of 'happy rays'. Only 50 more days til Spring, yey!
Hope to being able to share more painting with you soon! Thank you for stopping by!!

RPod Watercolour- Creating Custom Paintings

RPod Watercolour- Creating Custom Paintings- (Painting is Sold)

Before Christmas I got contacted by a woman who proudly owns an RPod camper.
She has seen my name endorsed on the Girlcamper.com website and sent me an email after visiting my website.
So far I have painted lots of vintage campers, glampers, VWs and the like but modern, new campers have not been my regular fare. I loved how she reached out and accepted the commission.
It was funny how I quickly set out to put the first layer of basic shape on the paper and it was the oval, egg-shape of so many of my vintage 'glampies'. I really got a juckle busting my own well trodden path, haha! Nothing better than starting the new year with something new, right?
The owner is a designer and wants to create a custom flag for her campsite, too. So came to an agreement of using the image for her personal use. So far I have not been approached by a designer to use my art in a design product. I have used them myself in my calendars, cards and other products though.

About Copyright:

Interesting to know, the copyright of artwork stays with the artist even if the painting is sold! Many people don't know this and might (unknowingly) infringe on copyrights by creating cards and the like of artwork they own.

I appreciated the openness of the collector and it made for a very positive collaboration. The painting is already on the way to its new home and I hope she will enjoy her painting and her camper flag. I am excited to see her final product and cannot wait to share with you;-).
With sub-zero temps in the Maritimes again, I'm dreaming of summer, sun, warm and camping and meeting new friends and likeminded! Only, hm... maybe 4 more months to go, haha! Thanks for stopping by and stay in touch with new art soon!

Collector's Pics

Christmas updates from my collectors:

It ALWAYS makes my day when I receive Collectors Pics of my paintings in their new home.
This year a couple of people sent in these pics of the paintings under their Christmas trees. I see it as a great honour being included and getting a glimpse where my paintings find their home.
I was so busy tending to commissioned paintings that I didn't have a lot of time to post on my blog in December, so I hope to thread in in the next few weeks what has happened last month in my 'studio' (actually my easel is pitched in my living room by the warm fire, haha).

If you have been following my blog, you have seen above painting before. You can read the story behind this painting in the blog post by clicking here.
And the painting below was purchased by a sweet husband who wanted to surprise his darling wife. I had painted the Winnebago Cabover Painting as part of my 'camper a day' project this past September. He called me up mid December and I got the painting on its way right in time for Christmas. I am smiling as I see how lovingly it is placed! You collectors of mine are theee best, thank you! I appreciate each one of you so very much! You keep me painting and pushing my limits to become better at what I love to do! Thank you!!!

Cold Snap

Have I mentioned it was cold here in the Maritimes the last couple of weeks? Below are some photos from the St. Andrews wharf I took just a few days ago. The sea smoke on the water is a sure fire indication that it is a verrrryyy cold day. 

My painting day today

We are expecting a 'snow bomb' to explode here in the Maritimes tomorrow. Markus and the people of St. Andrews have been busy getting their houses ready. I hope people will stay home and stay away from the roads. Here this was the view from the wharf this afternoon. Isn't it beautiful? I started a painting, but couldn't quite finish due to frozen cold fingers. Will post about that in the next few days sometime. Hope to finish some last touches, maybe tomorrow. 
Thanks for taking time to visit, and stay in touch again tomorrow.

Two Apples, More Vitamins

Two Apples, More Vitamins

oil pastels, 5x7in approx. matted to 8x10in

more info and purchase, click here

Day two this year and I've painted a second apple, wohoo! The little pleasures. So I call this sketch Two Apples, More Vitamins. I like this medium, always come back to it as a ways to see things new. It is straightforward to judge the colour stick to the actual colour of the object. I then can either put it down or substitute by finding a different colour the same value. This creates little colourful flicks here and there that make the painting more interesting, more colourful. Well, a colour junkie talking here, haha.

Hope to find time again tomorrow for another little sketch. On Thursday another snow storm is expected, so I might be stuck inside still with the kids bouncing off the walls. At least the temperatures are expected to be higher and freezing water pipes are less likely.

Welcome 2018!

Welcome 2018! I hope you had a great start into this new year!
My very best wishes to you and yours! A new year upon us gives us a chance to reflect back and also plan ahead. I am in the midst of both. Here is a little vignette I created for my Instagram feed, it shows the nine most popular posts of the last year. Yes, I was travelling, painting as often as I could, hm, or should we say: walking the tightrope between my mommy life, wife life and artist life. Surely keeps things interesting, haha! I think for the most part it worked out thanks to my supportive family big and small. Thanks guys!

Welcome 2018 with an apple a day!

orig. oil pastel 4.5x6.5in approx.

purchase info click here

What am I looking forward to in 2018? I want to tackle my website, which likely means a complete overhaulin'. Painting regularly and especially POSTING more regularly. I have been pretty good on my social feeds, but my blogs and newsletter have been neglected somewhat.
In the spring I hope to do some renovations to my little Shasta travel trailer. This old girlie is in her 50's, so requires some TLC along the way...
Well, the year is young, so let's start with some fun and bright small sketches! Have taken my oil pastel set out and just finished 'An Apple a Day'. The system of applying paint is the reverse of watercolour, where I usually start with very light washes and work my way to darker and darker shades. Here i am very roughly outlining where my subject shouldbe on the paper and start with darker colours first before adding lighter tones and highlights last.
I'll keep you posted as I'll be working my way through hopefully more little sketches. I hope they'll help me judging values when painting from life.

I'm sending you my very best wishes for the new year, may your dreams and hopes come true, esp. health and happiness and God's blessings!

Christmas Snow St Andrews

Christmas Snow St Andrews

orig. oil on canvas, 8x10in, $225

more info and purchase here

I hope you had a great Christmas this year! In our house it was a bit different. My husband came down with a bug and was sick to his stomach for a full 24 hours. He spent his Christmas 'talking to the big, white phone' as he so calls it. Poor dude. We even had to cancel our annual pay-what-you-want dinner that day! It was pretty upsetting (pun intended;-).
So, on Boxing Day I decided to head out with my oil paints to capture the low afternoon sun at low tide. However, I never made it out to Indian Point. Once I saw the beautiful interplay of shapes and colours in the homes lining Water Street, I just had to pitch my easel there. Hence the title Christmas Snow St Andrews.
Smart me, I dressed warm and had hand warmers with me. The temperatures dropped as I was painting the afternoon away and by the time I was done, my toes were really cold and the finger tips nippy. However, the oil paints stayed great, got a bit more sticky maybe, but overall, a great performance. In contrast, when I venture out with my watercolour, painting is very different. There my paint freezes inside the palette and onto the brush (even with water being replaced with vodka or other high percentage clear spirit of sorts).

On another note:

Now, the New Year is fast approaching and I have a few more camper calendars here. So, as a Special I've reduced my camper calendars more than half to $10 (first come first served, click here to order)!
If you are looking for a glamping gift for a friend or yourself, now's the time! If you have ordered one and like to get another to give away, no better time than now!
Thank you so much for all your encouragement this past year!
Stay put what's coming in the new year- I am working on some fun new ideas! Stay tuned!

Girlcamper Podcast Feature

Wow, what a suprise! Yesterday I listened to the Girlcamper Podcast by Blogger and GoRVing contributer Janine Petitt. She featured my vintage camper calendar, Creative Journey and glamping gift ideas on her Podcast Show!

The show was titled Christmas Gift Guide from our Women Entrepreneurs (Episode #112) and you can listen to it by clicking HERE.
The title made me grow a couple of inches instantly, haha! Thanks Janine! For anyone not knowing of www.Girlcamper.com phenomenon yet, I invite you to check out her website, Facebook or Instagram. You'll feel empowered to go on your adventure, even if you have never camped before or hitched a trailer. I like women like her, they give us the tools, the know-how and right contacts to make our dreams come to life, she makes us feel confident that we can do it; be it to travel alone or with other women, start something new, reach for the stars and adventure further then we've ever done before.

And what is Your dream?

What is YOUR dream? What do you need to make it happen? And what needs to happen to bring this dream out from the 'dream closet' and out in the open to actively pursue its fulfillment? See, whatever your dream might be, whatever it would need to make it reality... It likely is much easier to not walk alone but have a support network and team to cheer. Janine is someone like that. She rejoices with every woman who's dream of towing and exploring this glorious continent comes true.
Thank you Janine for all you do! For who you are! And for all your efforts to empower women to reach for the stars!

I have still some calendars and other artsy-glampy gift items available if you are looking for a meaningful, artist-direct item for the glamper in your life;-) I ship from the US twice a week and to Canada daily. Hop on over to my web store to see what's available;-)
With your purchase you support a living artist, mom and small business. Thank you very much, it means so much!

East Coast Woman Powerhouse

Today I want to introduce you to Sheena Young, a real East Coast Woman Powerhouse.
A couple of days ago I was invited to check out a fleet of fishing boats on Deer Island, NB, Canada to be captured in a watercolour painting.
starting a small sketch of the Young Family fleet of boats[/caption]

The Young Family

All boats are owned by the same family, fishing the waters of the West Isles for several generations now. The family has expanded since into selling quality Atlantic lobster wholesale abroad. Their business is called Young's Lobster Company. The little wharf in Leonardville seemed to be a family operation. Sheena, who invited me, introduced all the boats by name- from her dad's fishing boat, to her brother in law's and other relatives' boats anchored. Dad is also the wharfinger (or harbour authority).
Everyone in these small coastal towns works together and looks out for one another, dad explained as every family works so hard to make a living. Fishing is a tough life, but I have always found the people genuine and very likeable. Sort of like the lobster they fish: tough and rough on the outside, but special and sweet on the inside. Reminding me of the locals in my native German Bavarian alpine region.

Lobster Fishing

The day was dreary, overcast with that smell of snow in the air. People that live in colder climates know that special smell, we even say to one another: 'it smells like snow today'. Two days ago, it smelled like snow, temperatures around the freezing point. It was supposed to be the start day of lobster season. A very special day for any lobster fisherman.
For days and weeks preparations have to be done. From making sure there is enough traps and buoys (yes, it appears this is the correct plural spelling), rope, and so on... the traps are to be filled with bait and equipped with long rope to haul up from the ocean floor. Each trap is carefully stacked on the back of each boat. The boats are loaded to capacity as it will be a race to be first at the best fishing grounds. So, having as many cages per run as possible is very important. To me it seems almost a science when I look at those loaded boats. (There is more info and statistics on the government website by clicking here).
As said, it should have been the first day of lobstering season, but it had to be postponed for one day due to high winds offshore. That was my signal to take the ferry to Deer Island to take photographs and make sketches from the Young family fleet.
Sheena and her family were already at the wharf getting last things seen to, her brother in law bringing in his new boat from the mooring and docking 'Explorer 1' next to the other family boats. Dad was bringing down the delivery truck from the lobster wholesale biz to the wharf.

Visiting the Lighthouse

After taking oodles of photos, I warmed up with a cup of tea from my thermos, went for a short drive to the lighthouse. Lucky me, a couple of guys were working on replacing the lead-painted shingles, so I stopped by the road and asked if I could sneak a peak inside. They said yes and here is a pic I took.

Usually the lighthouse is not open for visitors- what luck, this made my day! (Sheena leads a community group 'Friend’s of Leonardville Lighthouse' who are hoping to gain possession of the now ‘surplus’ property of Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This woman does it all)!

I think I've found the epitome of a strong East Coast Woman Powerhouse in Sheena! You go, girl!!!!

I hope to being able to start the large painting soon, I will keep you posted with the final result...
Thanks for stopping by and stay in touch,
Simone
Below, the video is not from Deer Island, but I wanted to include it anyway. See how massively loaded those boats are??

Annual Gift Sale Starts Today!

Wow, has October flown by so fast! And as we on the East Coast still enjoy phenomenal late-fall weather with warm temperatures, I have been busy designing gift items for the vintage camper  and art lover. My annual gift sale and Christmas sale is starting today and I hope you get a chance to stop by my online shop.

Greeting Cards:

My greeting cards have been very popular in the past and people like picking them up throughout the year. As a thank you for your continued support, I am offering special bulk rebates for greeting cards on top of my sale prices. So if you are looking for some quality stationary for your glamping friends or bundle a few together as a hostess gift or stocking stuffer, these would fit the bill (and not break the bank). Quantities of 10 or more receive 10% discount, 20 or more receive 20% discount!

New this year, holiday greeting cards!
After seeing how much people loved the gingerbread house themed little Shasta camper, I have decided to offer my favorite holiday themed glampers as seasonal cards. They have writing on them, too. (The snowy pink Aljo is on backorder, but should arrive soon. Will list once it arrives).

calendars:

of course, the calendars have arrived, too. I am offering a glamping calendar featuring your 12 favourites, the winners of the October voting held on my blog. You can check it out here.           
And for my non-glamping friends, there is a calendar, too. 'Creative Journey Caledar' features 12 watercolours created this year, from florals to land and seascapes and the gingerbread camper for December, it features a bit of everything what I've been working on these past months.
Fun Christmas gift tags are here, too... check them out- perfect little stocking stuffer. 12 for $5.
Looking for a one of a kind gift? Still have a couple of slots open for your special glamper commission painting. And of course:  free shipping for $60 or more.
Anyhow, I better get back to packaging a bit more and hope you get a chance to stop by my annual gift sale!

What's Your Favorite Camper? Voting Has Started!

September is over, all paintings are painted, now it's time to vote! I ask you for help to select YOUR most favorite 12 campers I have painted this past month. These 12 will be featured in my 2018 Vintage Camper Calendar.

3 lucky winners will receive a calendar, just leave your email at the voting page. I need your email to contact you if you win;-)

I will keep this short, but hope you'll hop on over to my voting page and choose your favorite glampies!

thank you and stay in touch!!

Simone