Faye's Feedback

It had been 3 1/2 weeks since I last painted. Starting a new painting was almost a bit intimidating, like I might have forgotten how. But for some reason, last night I was driven to pick up the brushes and a new masonite board that I am trying for the first time. It flowed beautifully all evening, and I feel like I'm free again. The reason for not painting was my mother's sudden heart attack, hospitalization, death and funeral. It was a shock to my system, and one that is taking a while to recover from. Two days before the heart attack, I was taking a weekend painting class in multi-media. My last assignment resulted in a small painting of my mother's face. The facial expression was very fearful looking, and she looked rather ghostly. Having my Mom become seriously ill after painting the portrait kind of freaked me out. Too much of a coincidence. I had been planning a spring art showing in my home, so I decided to go ahead with the showing - even t...

Sometimes when I paint, I don't see the meaning of the piece until it's almost done. But this particular piece wasn't clear for days... I even asked the opinion of friends who have been known to interpret my art for me in new and strange ways. It was after my morning devotions today that the "scales fell off my eyes", and the answer was so obvious, I laughed. Steve Bell had confirmed one of my earlier ideas that it looked like something from creation, and he encouraged me to look at it in a horizontal format. He suggested the name, "Emblem". The painting fits nicely into my Creation Series . The swipes of colour representing (in order from left to right) the Father, Jesus (the sacrifice) and the Spirit, in the creation of our world. They meet in a neat little triangle at the bottom. So there! Of course art is meant to be interpreted in different ways by different people. Everyone "sees" in their own way - right, Byron?

Sometimes technology doesn't work, and you have to depend on God to speak through you and with you. I had that experience last week. I was speaking to a group of art students at the King's School in Winnipeg.  I had met their teacher, Andrea Atkinson at last fall's Manitoba Art Expo at the Assiniboia Downs. She had asked me at that time, if I would visit and talk about my art to her class of students. Well, the time came for the class. She and I had met earlier in the week at my home to discuss the content, and I prepared a powerpoint presentation showing some "progression stages" of certain paintings, to demonstrate technique. I put the presentation on a thumb drive (brand new), and tested the presentation on my computer at work. At the last minute, I sent the presentation via email to the teacher, and even attempted to burn it on a disc. I thought I was ready. A half hour before class time, the thumb drive would not work on two different computers. There was...

My exercise routine usually consists of my treadmill in these dark, winter mornings, but the other day I was lured by the warmer weather to walk outside. I came upon an icy patch on the sidewalk and felt my left foot slip forward, and my right foot swung into the air. I knew I was going down, but the sliding of my foot stopped abruptly, and I slowly lowered the raised leg, amazed and in shock. There was no reason that I should have kept my balance in that peculiar position. I should have been flat on my back, with my head hitting the ice. I continued on my walk, feeling like I was not alone. Once the shock started to wear off, the tears started flowing down my cheeks in thankfulness, and the song, "To God Be the Glory" sprang to mind. Good thing it was still dark out, and no one was around to see me... So this weekend I painted a picture - just for me. It is to remind me that I am not alone - He goes "Before Me", just as He did when my husband Wern died in 2002,...

While I love my job, (like I mentioned in my last blog) it can certainly deal it's own handful of stress, and last week was a doozey. I didn't know how much I had been holding until the weekend began. I know that I paint to release stress, but this weekend I couldn't stop - it was like a very urgent regurgitation of everything inside me - all at once! Saturday started as usual. One painting was finished by mid afternoon (The Cleansing). After dinner, I was driven to the canvas with another idea that was knocking on my brain cells. Luckily, Darl was busy with some shelving renos, so I didn't feel like I was neglecting him. The second painting was finished in two hours (The Firmament). Sunday I woke early and started the third painting. I tried to stay away from the canvas for the afternoon and evening, but it was really hard! (Really, I tried - only sneaked in an hour). Thankfully, Monday's Louis Riel holiday afforded me a few more hours to finish this last pie...

It was a very good day at work today. Steve Bell came into the office for the afternoon and asked us if we'd like to hear a new Valentine song that he wrote for his wife.... ;) My new assistant Sabrina, Dave and I listened as Steve sat down with his guitar and played the poetic, reminiscent and slightly cheeky tune. Have I mentioned that I love my job? One of the best perks of working at the Signpost Music office are these moments where we sit, listen to new music with virgin ears, and later watch the process of a raw song develop into a polished and layered recorded composition. Steve was explaining to us how a new melody usually has a word or note sequence that will at first make us question if we like the song, and then after listening a few more times, we get used to it and either decide we like it or not.  It's the same thing with a painting - we will look at it for the first time and see one thing that may irritate us at first, and then as we take a longer lo...

I had a rare day off yesterday, and after my massage, hair appointment and fantastic coffee from a new place on Main Street called "Parlour Coffee", I sneaked over to the Winnipeg Art Gallery for a quick view of William Kurelek's exhibit " The Messenger". Mistake. I didn't allow enough time to thoroughly peruse the exhibit, although I'm so very glad I went, since the man's genius inspired me in many ways. What a great way to start the new year! At the exhibit, I was standing with several people in front of a complicated and very detailed painting representing the results of a nuclear bomb upon the Hamilton/Toronto area, and a woman nearby said, "I certainly can't see this one in my living room." This comment made me ponder the meaning of art in general. I have learned so much about art in the last little while, and realize that there is so much about art that the general population doesn't know. It's like Kurelek's pain...