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If you're looking for something to do later this week, near the western tip of Montréal Island, why not stop by the opening night Vernissage for the "Entre-Nous 2025" art show at the Maison Trestler (Trestler House)?
This national historic site in the Old Dorion area is a stunning field-stone building, more than 225 years old, with gallery and concert spaces as well as a local history museum.
Their annual "Entre-Nous" exhibition features local artists, each displaying only one selected work, curated by staff to show among the historic décor and period pieces.
It's always an honour to see my paintings on the wall in such a gorgeous setting, with windows overlooking the natural beauty of the lake, so I'm pleased that one of my watercolours was included in "Entre-Nous 2025".
The Vernissage will be from 1700 to 1900 on Thursday, January 16, at La Maison Trestler; 85 chemin de la Commune, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec J7V 2C3.
Update 16.01.2025: Although I'd planned to participate in the Vernissage this evening, something has come up with my car and I won't be able to make it. I am, however, looking forward to viewing this new exhibition next week!
Last week I shared my "Top 5" artistic moments of the year, so today I thought I'd continue the trend by sharing my "Top 5" moments or memories while painting in 2024. These won't be my best works of the year, though, as my favourite memories are often of my rather rushed plein-air paintings - created outdoors - rather than of my studio pieces.
Why is that? Well, almost all of my most memorable artistic moments occur when I'm painting outside, usually off the back of my bicycle, and those pieces are quick studies rather than well-planned studio paintings with many steps and multiple glazes or layers of colour.
Whether because of charming wildlife, or pleasant strangers coming to chat, or our beautiful waterfront scenery and historic buildings, there's something special about creating a painting outdoors. In other words, although the plein-air watercolours aren't my best works, they're the ones I tend to have the most fun with - in spite of voracious mosquitoes, sweltering heat and humidity, a pesky squirrel trying to steal my paintbrushes, ever-shifting shadows and sunlight, and even a groups of passers-by wanting me to stop what I'm doing to give them a free watercolour course, "like a TikTok tutorial"! [I referred them to the YouTube channels of a few of my preferred artists, who've posted tutorials for beginner!]
Then there's the added fact, which I never forget, that I was told by my doctors in 2016 that I'd probably never ride a bike again. I see each new ride as a gift, and instead of complaining that I have to stop to rest every 15 km to 20 km (because of my two rare diseases) I use these breaks to appreciate the farms, historic buildings, nature parks, waterfronts, and wildlife within riding distance of my home. That's also the reason I chose "Watercolours on Two Wheels" as the theme of my first solo show, last year, featuring a mix of plein-air pieces created during my bike rides and studio paintings based on my plein-air studies.
That, by the way, is definitely my overall Top Memory of 2024, but it doesn't count here as I'm listing my favourite moments or memories while painting!
Oh, and instead of ranking my "Top 5" painting moments of 2024, I'll let YOU rank them! I'm listing them in chronological order, so read through and let me know which of these YOU think should be "Number 1" (best), through Number 5. There are links to any post I've written about each memory, if you'd like to get the whole story!
Pop your responses into the Comments section of the site, and I'll share the ratings - by majority vote - in February; I won't post any comments or names unless you specifically ask me to.
So here we go, in chronological order!
. March 23, 2024: I was painting a wild turkey, in studio, from a photo taken while cycling, when my sweetheart called down from upstairs: "Quick, quick, come look, there's a turkey on our driveway!"
Wild turkeys have walked calmly up to me during the warmer months, when I've stopped to paint quietly in the forest while out cycling (I'm always respectful of them as wild animals with a reportedly vicious bite and sharp talons, and as carriers of several diseases).
But to have a wild turkey coincidentally walking around outside our home - in the snow! - while I was painting a turkey in my studio? That was an absolutely exceptional moment.
. April 8, 2024: My sweetheart and I biked to a hilltop park to experience the full effects of a once-in-a-lifetime event, the Total Solar Eclipse. Our end of Montréal Island just happened be one of the areas where the moon's shadow would completely cover the sun, known as the "Path of Totality" or the more media-friendly term "Totality". The Path of Totality for the 2024 solar eclipse wound a narrow ribbon across North America, first crossing Mexico then northeast from Texas through Maine and across Eastern Canada. The last total solar eclipse visible over Montreal occurred in 1932, and the next one won't be for another 180 years - in 2205.
Once we'd arrived at the park, I prepared my bike-as-easel so that I could paint four different phases of the eclipse en plein-air (outdoors); a little watercolour for each quarter of the eclipse!
. June 18, 2024: And all the other times my sweetheart would bike over to where I'd stopped to paint en plein-air, so that we could bike together to one of the local cafés for iced coffee and snacks - usually at about the halfway point in his 100 km [63 mile] rides. In this photo, he stopped a bit further down the road from me as there was some broken glass in the grass.
. July 1, 2024: On Canada Day I found an isolated spot to do some plein-air painting off the back of my bicycle, at a historic building. I'd just finished my pencil sketch and was painting the first wash or underlayer of the scene, when a wild rabbit hopped up to my bicycle and literally begged to be painted. So of course, as a nature lover, I abandoned my preliminary sketch of the building and instead painted the bunny!
. September 1, 2024: A 'close encounter with of the bird kind', when a Bald eagle flew past me while I was setting up for plein-air painting on the shore or a lake. It was the first time I'd ever seen a wild eagle in my area (a fairly recent addition to our local bird population, I later found out).
Whatever you do this year, I wish you many happy memories!
Happy New Year! I'm sending you all the best wishes for 2025, above all for health, laughter, love, and many moments of joy. In the traditon of artists and others around the world, over the past few days I've been looking back at 2024 - and have realized that I've been incredibly lucky, in some ways.
There's an interesting expression in French, noting that person can be "chanceuse dans sa malchance" or "lucky in their bad luck"... which applies in many ways to me.
My art adventure began in 2021 specifically because of chronic pain and a Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), both resulting from a rare disease formerly named Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and now known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Although I'd had a dream of learning to use watercolours since childhood, after seeing an exhibition of them with my grandmother, in 2021 I couldn't draw a stick figure. But I'd recently read research showing potential benefits of art-learning, as well as from developing a personal art practice, for chronic pain and cognitive issues.
So I began exploring the world through watercolours in 2021, as a form of DIY (do-it-yourself) movement-therapy for my right hand and arm - which are significantly affected by CRPS - and as brain-plasticity or neuroplasticity training to hopefully prevent any further cognitive decline.
And I fell in love with how the pigments and water dance on the surface of the cotton paper, introducing unexpected harmonies and rhythms into a scene that I'd envisioned while planning a painting.
In just these past few years, my paintings have won awards, appeared in more than thirty group exhibitions, and even been featured in a three-month solo show - with additional exhibitions already planned for 2025.
Meanwhile my #ArtDespitePain initiative evolved, intertwined with my art practice, to raise awareness of chronic pain while encouraging others who live with pain to use art - practice or appreciation - as a tool for pain management. As part of these Art Despite Pain activities, this year I've appeared in a television show on chronic pain, co-presented a TEDtalk-style presentation on pain research, taught guest lectures to pre-medicine students at a university, and given numerous talks about the impacts of the arts and creativity on persistent pain.
This is why I adore that French expression I mentioned earlier, that a person can be "lucky in their bad luck" - because I have been. I'd give almost anything not to live with CRPS - or the second rare disease with which I was diagnosed in 2022 (Fibromuscular Dysplasia, or FMD, which puts me at heightened risk of aneurysm, spontaneous coronary artery dissection [SCAD], and stroke) - but I am thankful that it was the catalyst for this artistic adventure.
In that spirit of thankfulness, here are my "Top 5" art memories of 2024 - in chronological order as I can't bring myself to rank them!
. April - June 2024: My first solo show, "Watercolours on Two Wheels" featuring a mix of plein-air pieces - created during my #Watercolours-on-two-wheels bike rides - and studio paintings based on my plein-air studies, at the School of Continuing Studies of McGill University here in Montréal
. May 2024: Receiving an Honourable Mention for one of my watercolour paintings, at the 130th anniversary exhibition of the historic Women's Art Society of Montreal (WASM) at the Viva Vida Gallery
. September 2024: Attending the 3-day "Design & Imagination" in-person watercolour painting workshop with award-winning American artist Thomas W. Schaller, and his adorable dog Otis, at the Atelier d'aquarelle le Partage near Montréal. As a bonus, at this workshop I also met lovely local artist Renée Dion in person for the first time - even though I've been taking her weekly virtual watercolour courses through the fall and winter semesters since 2021!
. October 2024: Participating in "Intuitive Approaches to Watercolor", an in-person workshop with Brazilian artist Fabio Cembranelli (and his brilliant wife Flavia) at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops (HRVAW) in Greenville NY, from Sunday evening through Saturday morning, with my sweetheart traveling with me and spending the workshop hours exploring nearby natural attractions and towns
. October 2024: Seeing original watercolours by John Singer Sargent at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston, along with many of his other works at the the Boston Public Library, the Harvard Art Museums, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston - all with my sweetheart.
So much to be thankful for, most of all my much better half André - with whom I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary in 2024. Merci, mon amour!
is there anything in particular that you're looking forward to, in 2025? I'm already excited about my first art education session of the new year, starting on January 11. Offered through the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, it's the "Landscapes in Watercolour (Online)" course with brilliant Canadian artist David McEown:
"In this three-session course, award-winning artist David McEown will conduct detailed step-by-step demonstrations that will cover composition, how to transform value sketches, and how to elevate photo references into intricate, original studio paintings inspired by mountain landscapes. Key watercolor techniques, color theory, and depth of field will be discussed."
David McEown, by the way, was profiled in 2019 by "American Watercolor" magazine, in a piece entitled "A State of Mindfulness". The article described him as an artist and an explorer, a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), and an Elected Member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC; of which I'm a associate member). This profile piece also noted that David has won the CSPWC's A.J. Casson Medal twice, in 2005 and 2018, "for outstanding achievement in watercolour painting" - which is Canada's highest award for this medium.
My first workshop with him was in 2021, the fabulous "Online Watercolour Masterclass with David McEown" which spanned 4 weeks with about four hours of instruction per week; the course description had indicated three hours per week, but David is such a generous instructor that he always provided additional teaching and tips.
The McMichael's description of that 2021 course was: "this virtual studio program is a special opportunity for practicing advanced-level artists to fine-tune observational and technical skills under the guidance of award-winning artist David McEown. Through guided perception exercises and live demonstrations, participants will learn to paint scenes from nature and enhance their understanding of the environment. This online studio program aims to help artists develop a personal visual vocabulary while interpreting sketches and photo references."
Then in February 2023 I attended David's virtual session for CSPWC members, entitled "A Walk in the Wild Blue Yonder, With David McEown", which combined his exploring and plein-air painting with his studio work. This image is from the magazine article I mentioned above, but a similar photo was shown during the CSPWC event that he presented. David's wife is professional photographer Daisy Gilardini, so their adventure-travel and art-instruction tours often offer both painting and photography so that they can travel together. This image is from a small bay at the foot of the Salvesen Mountains, leading towards the Bertrab Glacier, on South Georgia Island in Antarctica (a place I've never been, but have read about).
In April 2023 I was fortunate to participate in a wonderful in-person workshop with David, at Pine Cottage on the grounds of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinberg Ontario, north of Toronto: the "Essential Watercolour Workshop with David McEown". I don't think I've ever learned so much in such a short time, in all of my painting experience to-date!
In 2024 the timing wasn't right for me to attend any of the limited number of courses or workshops that David offers, due to his extensive travel schedule, so I was thrilled to get a place in his new online course in 2025. The upcoming "Landscapes in Watercolour (Online)" course, again through the McMichael, is a "virtual studio program... designed for intermediate to advanced level" watercolour artists. The theme of this course will be mountains, which is perfect as I have a large collection of my own reference photos of the Adirondack Mountains in upper New York State after almost 30 years of hiking and snowshoeing up and down summits near the Lake Placid area - with some occasional cross-country skiing thrown in. The, of course, there are my old travel photos of mountains including the Black Cuillins and Red Cuillins on the Isle of Skye and other summits in Scotland, Paul Cézanne's beloved Montagne Sainte-Victoire in Provence, and other peaks.
For more information about this gem of the Canadian art world, the McMichael describes David in this way, in the course description:
"British Columbia-based artist David McEown has used the medium of watercolour for the past 30 years to explore and express many of the planet’s biomes. The subjects of his paintings span the North Pole to Antarctica. David’s work is represented in collections worldwide. David is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design and an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, which in 2005 and 2018 awarded him the society’s prestigious A.J. Casson Medal. He is also a sought-after teacher and has conducted workshops and presentations for numerous art societies and museums."
So I'm sure you can understand why I'm already looking forward to this online course!
Whatever you have planned for 2025, Happy New Year! ,-)
This past week I realized that I hadn't yet posted any photos of the current exhibition at the Trestler House (Maison Trestler) national historic site, where one of my watercolour paintings is on display.
It's always a thrill to see one of my works on a wall there, as this gorgeous building on the waterfront is more than 225 years old.
"A unique heritage property, Maison Trestler is a window back in time. Built in the late 1700s, the 16-room stone house is a shining example of Québec history, complete with period furniture, artifacts, even its own ghost!"
Trestler House features several gallery spaces on the ground floor, and a local history museum above. This museum also highlights its original owner's importance to the economic development of the area.
Just for fun, I've pulled together information from several different sources to create a brief timeline showing how this German man came to what's now Canada in the 1700s - and then created a home and business that would later become a national historic site.
1759: Johannes Trestler (Johann Joshef Tröstler) was born in Mannheim Germany [where I stayed for a week in 2002, taking trains to different cities each day while my husband stayed in Mannheim for work].
1776: At 17 Johannes signed on with the British Army, as a mercenary soldier, to fight off American incursions into now-Canada. "He may also have performed the duties of a military surgeon, as his continuing interest in medicine suggests... Over the years he built up an impressive medical library of some 130 volumes, most of them in German. One of his sons, Jean-Baptiste, became a surgeon and a professor at the Montreal School of Medicine and Surgery."
1783: Released from the British Army after seven years, Johannes headed to Montréal where he worked as a vendor selling merchandise as far afield as Rigaud (off the Island of Montréal) for a few years.
1786: Already fairly successful after leaving the British Army, and able to speak several languages, Johannes bought a property on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains (le Lac des Deux-Montagnes) just off Montréal Island; he converted the existing wooden building into a general store and home.
This was a strategic site for travelers, a point of land along the paddling routes to both the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River - anyone heading to Ottawa or towards Toronto and the Great Lakes (or eastward to Montréal and beyond) by water would've passed by Johannes' shop and eventually his warehouse and other businesses. "Trestler’s profits from trade and industry enabled him to make loans and in particular to invest in real estate."
1798: The central portion of the current stone-built Trestler House, which again melded residential and business uses, was completed in 1798.
1805: The western portion of the structure was added.
1806: A new section was added to the eastern end of the building, creating the Trestler House as we see it now.
1808: "Having become a prosperous businessman, Trestler could not resist the attractions of a political career. He represented the riding of York in the fifth parliament of Lower Canada from 18 June 1808 until 2 Oct. 1809."
1813: Johannes passes away, at 56 years of age.
1969: Trestler House was designated as a National Historic Site by the Canadian Government.
1976: The building was finally designated as a historic monument by the Quebec Government.
"An ambitious merchant determined to prosper from growing trade through Montréal, Trestler built this prestigious house on the Ottawa River, the major river highway to Upper Canada and the West. Trestler’s descendents continued to occupy this house with little change until 1927. In 1984 it became the property of the Trestler Foundation, a private trust created to ensure its preservation and public accessibility as a heritage building."
Back to the present day, the "Fall-Winter Nature" exhibition ends in early January 2025. Trestler House, however, will be closed to the public during the holiday period as it has been reserved for a number of private and corporate events for Christmas and the New Year.
On that note, Happy Holidays! I'm sending all the best wishes to you and your loved ones for a Happy New Year - above all health, laughter, and love...
If you're looking for things to do in the Montréal area during the holidays, why not take in a few art exhibitions? Several of my watercolour paintings are included in group shows through the holiday period, with others opening in early January.
The largest of my current paintings is on display at the Trestler House (Maison Trestler) national historic site, in Vaudreuil-Dorion, as part of the "Fall - Winter Nature Exhibition" which continues through January 7, 2025.
Meanwhile two of my smaller paintings were juried into the "Small Works and One-of-a-Kind Exhibition" at the Viva Vida Gallery in Pointe-Claire Village, ending on January 10, 2025.
Opening in the New Year, another of my watercolours will be on display at the Trestler House historic site as part of their "Entre-Nous 2025" celebration. This art show will open on January 16 then continue through March 16, 2025, although no date for a Vernissage has been set yet.
Next up are two virtual shows, perfect for those who don't want to venture out onto our icy roads in January and February!
The second annual "Members Only Online International Exhibition" of the new organization Women in Watercolor (WiW) will open on January 25, 2025 and remain available for almost a year.
Then the Winter 2025 "Online Art Show" of the Artists in Montréal (AiM) group, with "Breaking the Ice" as its theme, will open on February 16, 2025 for about a month. The Virtual Vernissage will take place at 1500 ET on February 16, 2025.
By mid-March I'll be helping to set up a local group exhibition, the "Spring Art Expo" of the Artists Circle of the West Island. This show will run from March 20 through 30, at the City of Montréal's lovely Pierrefonds Cultural Centre. If you'd like to save the date, our Vernissage will take place during the evening of Friday March 20, 2025.
By then I'll also be preparing for the 131st annual exhibition of the historic Women's Art Society of Montreal (WASM), to be held at the stunning Montréal Arts Council (Conseil des Arts de Montréal) - on the Mezzanine level - from May 1 through 31, 2025. The WASM Vernissage will be held in the Atrium (main hall) of this gem, from 1730 to 2030 on Thursday May 8, 2025.
"The centrepiece of this Beaux-Arts building is its atrium, a vast, multipurpose space adorned with a cathedral ceiling and spectacular stained-glass windows."
Construction began in 1914 to open as a public library in 1917, then when the library moved to larger premises in the 2000s the building was renovated for Arts purposes and renamed for Québec poet Gaston-Miron. I'll post more on the historic features of this museum-like space in April or May.
I'm also planning to enter watercolour paintings into several other exhibitions this coming winter and spring, although I won't mention any of those until my works have been accepted - a common practice among artists.
Stay tuned for updates on upcoming exhibitions, and remember that you can also sign up for my seasonal/quarterly newsletter here.
Happy holidays!
I usually write these posts on Sunday nights, but this time opted to wait for a special event on Monday. Last night my sweetheart and I attended Montréal's preeminent annual holiday concert, for the first time, and I wanted to share this with you!
I'd been dealing with a pesky cold for the past two weeks - likely picked up at an overcrowded artisans' and artists' fair at which I had a table in November - but by Sunday the virus seemed to have run its course. I'd stopped coughing by the end of last week, and since then have mostly been dealing with residual fatigue from my rare autoimmune and neuro-inflammatory disease.
We thought it would be safe - for others - for me to attend the concert, but both wore masks throughout the almost three-hour event just in case either of us might be contagious. My bioethics and healthcare background means that I still think of others when it comes to preventing the spread of viruses, in particular for our elders who often live with cardiovascular or respiratory diseases which can make even simple colds dangerous for them.
What was this wonderful annual holiday concert? It was Handel's Messiah, with vocal soloists and professional choir singers, presented by the Orchestre Métropolitain symphony orchestra.
Not only were the musicians and vocalists superb, but so was the setting; Montréal's historic Notre-Dame Basilica is a spectacular setting for Christmas events. No photography was permitted during the concert, so we arrived a bit early to get a few shots of the Basilica itself.
To provide some background, this was Canada’s first church in the Gothic Revival style conceived as "a testament to... the intimate relationship between religion and art" here in Montréal. "Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1982, its religious, historic and artistic significance makes it a jewel of Quebec’s heritage."
In terms of local colonial history, European settlers claimed the island of Montréal in 1642 and by 1672 the French Sulpicians (a society of diocesan priests founded in Paris in 1641) had begun building a stone church near the site of the current Basilica. By 1823 plans had been approved for a much larger building, as the congregation had rapidly outgrown the original building.
In typical Montréal irony, this French Catholic church was designed and built under the direction of a Protestant architect (James O’Donnell) from 1824 through 1829, with the towers added later.
The western tower was finished in 1842, with the eastern tower completed the following year. Each tower houses bells cast in England; an almost 11,000 kg bell (11 tonnes) in the western tower, and a ten-bell carillon set in the eastern tower (unfortunately, the latter is currently covered for renovations).
It’s the interior of the Basilica, though, that’s the true work of art in my view – as much for its architecture as for the multiple artworks incorporated into its design. The organ alone is a masterpiece handmade by a local firm in 1891, then upgraded to 7,000 pipes for its 100th anniversary.
Our seats were in the same row as one of the most unique carvings in the Basilica, the original pulpit and stairs (from which the priests used to deliver sermons) which were installed during renovations in the 1870s. The sculptures at the base feature the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah, while the guardrail incorporates statuettes representing other figures from religious history.
Although the acoustics weren’t nearly as good as at Montréal’s Maison Symphonique (symphonic hall), it was a truly lovely – and appropriate – setting for Handel’s Messiah.
For those of you more interested in the music than the setting, the Conductor was our favourite one; Montréal’s somewhat flamboyant Yannick Nézet-Séguin. There were four vocal soloists; Soprano Anna-Sophie Neher, and Mezzo-Soprano Emily D'Angelo, with Frédéric Antoun as Tenor and Geoffroy Salvas as Baritone. There were also a grouping of professional choral singers for this concert (all of whose names are listed on the website link below, for tickets and concert information).
For my husband and me, this event marked the official start of our holiday season. If you’re in the area and interested in this almost three-hour musical celebration, there will be a second performance this evening (10 December 2024 at 1930); if any tickets are still available, they would be here.
Whatever you do over the holiday season, I wish you beauty and joy – whatever that means to you.
A few weeks ago I was on-stage at The Gesù theatre here in Montréal, as part of my Art Despite Pain (#ArtDespitePain) initiative. No, I wasn't doing a painting demonstration on-stage! I was co-presenting a TED-style talk on pain research with neuroscientist Dr. Zoha Deldar from McGill University.
This was part of PAINtalks 2024, an event featuring 10 different talks about cutting-edge pain research, organized by the Quebec Network of Junior Pain Investigators (QNJPI).
PAINtalks 2024 was held in-person, along with a professionally-produced livestreaming option, to about 900 live viewers.
The entire event was aso recorded, for the QNJPI YouTube channel, and I'm happy to share with you that this video is now available!
To view my co-presentation with Dr. Deldar, about how the scientific concept of "Flow Theory" applies to how I use watercolour painting to distract my brain from my chronic pain, scroll over to about 41:15 (41 min, 15 sec). The entire event was fascinating, so if you have any interest in pain or science it's well worth viewing all 10 individual PAINtalks.
With a giant THANK YOU to Dr. Deldar and to the entire QNJPI team!
Click here for this video the QNJPI's YouTube channel
I've barely done any painting or sketching over the past few weeks, as I've been busy preparing for the inaugural "Christmas in the Country" makers' market yesterday. First, I set up our six-foot folding table in my home-studio with the tablecloth and banner, then slowly assembled all the display racks, my rotating stand for greeting cards, and more. Next, I had to decide which of my small watercolours would be displayed on the table, as there isn’t room to show all of them on such a small surface. The fun part came next, deciding where to position each rack or stand on the table. The rotating card rack goes at either end of the table, so it doesn’t block my view of visitors, then I try to sort the selected display paintings into groupings across the four staggered display racks; animals and birds on one, flowers and plants on another, landscapes, waterscapes.
As you can see, my preferred subjects are the fauna, flora and natural areas that surround me. In fact, most of the small paintings that I offer at these types of artisans’ and artists’ fairs are plein-air watercolours; the 4” x 6” and 5” x 7” formats that I paint outdoors, often off the back of my bicycle when I need to rest during a bike ride. Montréal is an island city, with several nature parks or preserves in my area, so I’m never far from beautiful natural areas and waterfront scenes. One of my two rare diseases can cause fatigue, along with high-impact (severe) chronic pain and other issues with my right hand and arm, so I ride with one hand on the bars – this means I have to stop after every twenty to thirty kilometres to rest, and so that I don’t injure my left arm and shoulder. I’ve turned this into an advantage, by using these breaks to paint, creating 'watercolours on two wheels' (#watercolourson2wheels). Each is painted on 100% cotton watercolour paper, which I mat and mount using acid-free and lignin-free materials, with archival tape that I special-order from a framing shop - the same quality of framing supplies as for my exhibition and gallery paintings.
For the makers’ market this year, I’d opted to also offer a small assortment of framed plein-air paintings after a few people asked about that at last year’s event. I’d picked up some small good-quality frames last year, when an art store just outside of Montréal had a liquidation sale prior to their renovation closure, so was prepared! I spent a few days pulling the glass panels out of these frames, to carefully clean each side of the glass panels, and choosing which of these small watercolours to frame. Of course, now I had to find room on the table to put at least some of these small framed watercolours! I’d been gifted some small wooden mini-easels, which were perfect for this. With the table display finalized, it was time to carefully pack everything up and number the boxes so my sweetheart and I would know in which order to carry them into the event space.
This makers' market was held at the Whitlock Golf and Country Club, in scenic Hudson Québec, on Saturday. After doing a Saturday and Sunday "Gathering of Artisans" last year, I was looking forward to having a one-day event for 2024 as I'd found the two-day fair to be far too demanding for my two different rare diseases. And as I need my sweetheart's help at these events, because of a Mild Cognitive Impairment caused by one of those rare conditions, I only do one table-sale each year.
Unfortunately, we found out when we arrived yesterday that the organizers had made an error with the measurements. The floor plan for table locations showed rows of back-to-back tables, without enough space in between for the artisans and artists to sit behind their tables. The last-minute solution was to move several tables to the lobby, to make enough room for the first few rows of tables to be able to fit in their chairs. But by the time it came to the last row, where my table was, there still wasn't enough room for our chairs. This meant that I had to stay standing for the entire six-hour event, in addition to the set-up and take-down periods; from 0900 to almost 1700 (the market was open from 1000 to 1600).
Perhaps worse, our aisle was so narrow that visitors couldn't stop to look at our tables and with no space behind my table I couldn't access my boxes of paintings. I only display a small selection of paintings on the table, to avoid overcrowding it, so would usually ask each visitor whether they were interested in a particular type of scene or image and then pull several out of a box for them; my boxes of watercolour paintings are also sorted by type of scene! On the positive side, there were a lot of visitors, with almost no lulls during the first few hours and then only infrequent pauses until the very late afternoon. Just as well, as I was completely exhausted by then from having to stand for so long. Another positive was chatting with a large number of visitors about chronic pain, as part of my Art Despite Pain #artdespitepain initiative; I always reserve a portion of my table for information about persistent pain, and one of my goals is to raise awareness of chronic pain. The highlights of the day were the family members and friends who stopped by, so Thank You to Fiona (and for the photo), Jan and Nick, Kath, Suzanne and Christella, and the others who came out to spend some time with us!
Overall I was disappointed by having to stand at this event, although the locale was lovely and there was plenty of natural light. But I experienced issues with last year’s “Gathering of Artisans”, so I’m not sure whether I’ll continue joining an artisans’ and artists’ fair every year. Early last spring I’d talked with a couple of members of my local artists circle, an organization with sixty members, about the idea of holding a group 'summertime studio tour day’ – but then dropped the idea after an elder family member had an emergency hip replacement soon afterwards and needed our help on an almost daily basis through the summer. But I’ve revived the concept for this year, and have already proposed this group ‘open studio’ day to our circle’s President. At this point, it’s almost certain that this will be my focus for next year; opening my home-studio for a day or two, with my folding table and display racks all set up here, as part of a group “visit the artists’ studios” event. That will be much easier on me and my rare diseases, as well as for my sweetheart; rather than having to pack and transport everything, set it all up elsewhere, then dismantle and pack everything – in a rush at the end of the event – to bring it home, I’ll be able to take my time and set up my home-studio over the course of several weeks. And then to put things away gradually, at a much slower pace.
Stay tuned for news about this in the coming months! In the meantime, several of my larger watercolour paintings are on display in two different exhibitions. My largest piece is at the Trestler House (Maison Trestler) national historic site in Vaudreuil-Dorion, until late December, while two slightly smaller paintings are at the Viva Vida Gallery in Pointe-Claire Village through January 10, 2025. On that note, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! And, as always, thanks so much for stopping by!
There was a great turnout at the Viva Vida Gallery in Pointe-Claire Village this past Friday night, for the Vernissage of their juried "Small Works & One-of-a-Kind" exhibition. It was nice to chat with the three fellow members of the Artists Circle of the West Island who also had paintings accepted into this show; Elsy Torres, Catherine Zanbaka, and Doina Bundaru. Many thanks to Catherine, for taking a photo of me with one of my two watercolours!
It was also lovely to meet several members of different local art associations for the first time, and to see their paintings on display; Alicia Sosa (and José), Manjit Singh Chatrik, and others. This juried art show features a wide range of artworks, from ceramics/pottery to fabrics/textiles to paintings/sketches to sculpture and more.
The concept is to expose visitors to a variety of pieces by local artists, and to provide some truly original gift ideas for anyone who’s doing their holiday shopping. The entire Pointe-Claire Village area is known for its original and quirky boutiques, cafés, and beautiful lakefront location – so it’s well worth a visit, particularly on a beautiful weekend!
This exhibition continues through January 10, 2025, so if you’re in the West Island area of Montréal, drop in and take a look. The Viva Vida Gallery and Art Centre is on Lakeshore Road in Pointe-Claire Village, between Sainte-Anne and Lourdes Streets (at 278 chemin Bord-du-Lac/Lakeshore Road).
The Gallery’s hours are Saturdays from 1000 to 1700, Sundays from noon to 1600, and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 1000 to 1700 (closed on Mondays).
As with the other boutiques in “the Village” in previous years, they may add extended holiday hours at some point in December, but these have yet to be confirmed.
If you’ll be in the Hudson area next Saturday, northwest of Montréal Island, I’ll be at the “Christmas in the Country” artisans’ and artists’ sale at the scenic Whitlock Golf and Country Club. That’s a full-day indoor event, with no entrance fee or tickets required, from 1000 to 1600.
We’ll be collecting non-perishable items at this event, for a local food bank, so if you do drop by please try to bring in a food item!
My sweetheart will be there for the day, as my ‘right hand man’, literally and figuratively – because my right hand and arm are severely affected by CRPS (a rare disease now called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD). That’s actually one of the main reasons I started learning to paint and sketch in 2021, as a form of brain-plasticity or neuroplasticity training for the chronic pain in my hand and arm – as well as for the Mild Cognitive Impairment that developed at the end of 2018 as a result of this autoimmune and neuro-inflammatory disease.
So my table at this Hudson art event will include a section with some information on chronic pain, as part of my Art Despite Pain (#ArtDespitePain) initiative; using my artwork and events to raise awareness of chronic pain while encouraging others living with persistent pain to try creative pursuits as a way to help manage their own pain.
Hope to see you there: Whitlock Golf and Country Club, 128 Côte St-Charles, Hudson QC, from 1000 to 1600 on Saturday November 23, 2024!