Life Lately

I've been caught up in the hustle and bustle of July and have been immersed in my world of painting, designing, and daily life. Right now, I'm working on several oil commissions that I'm really excited about, along with a few smaller paintings of subjects I really love — interiors.

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Working on commissions and little paintings to hopefully bring to a market one day!

I have also been doing some mid-summer cleaning, going through all my things. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by my space and realized a deep clean was definitely overdue.

During the process, I found a painting from high school—my very first large-scale acrylic piece. I remember being nervous and overwhelmed by the size, but ultimately feeling quite proud of what I achieved. It is interesting to see how much I have evolved over the years and how far art has taken me. I am excited to continue learning and growing my skills, and I’m curious to see how I’ll develop in the coming years.

Overall, the cleanup has been refreshing, and I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle new projects instead of being overwhelmed by the sight of my studio.

My first large scale painting from Grade 11, ten years ago

Painting Vanessa at Bonnieheath Lavender Farm in Waterford, Ontario

Recently, I visited another lavender farm, this time in Waterford, Ontario. It was a spontaneous adventure with my sister-in-law, who is also an artist (you can check out her work here: https://artistrybyvanessa.ca). We decided to practice our plein air painting skills at both Bonnieheath Lavender Farm and a nearby blueberry farm. We spent the day under the sun, surrounded by bees and butterflies, and worked with both watercolour and oil paints.

I celebrated my birthday recently and received some beautiful gifts from people who mean a lot to me. One of the gifts was a plein air easel I’ve been longing for, and I had the chance to use it for the first time at the lavender farm. It was a truly perfect day and weekend :)

Getting many visits from monarch butterflies lately !

Lavender farms seem to have become a recurring theme in my life lately, almost without me even trying. Just this past Sunday, I drove by another one near Sparta, Ontario, which now I plan to visit soon. Why not make this summer all about touring lavender farms throughout Ontario, haha?!

So very very happy and thankful for life and loved ones.