What's to come - Fall Artist Studio Updates!

Back To Mexico

First though, I wanted to tell you that I’m back in a new studio space in Mexico. We moved over the summer months into a new place and while it’s a bit smaller than our previous rental, it has a lot more outdoor space that is very green and has communal gardens that I’ll be able to use and show our girls how to grow some of our own food. Stay tuned for that! The place is an apartment but it’s a very low density, small building that only has 21 units, and each one is powered by solar panels. We obviously get so much sun here in Queretaro, Mexico that it just makes sense. Our apartment is ground level so we have direct access from the terrace to the communal landscaped space and garden.

Who doesn't love art studio updates, right? As for my studio, it will be a bit of a scramble at the beginning – the watercolour classes will be held on the terrace next to the garden, with some of my painting space next to the dining room in a den (it gets a lot of sunlight!) and the studio/storage in a room that I’ll be sharing with my husband. I’m excited to get things set up and personalized. While I’ve been in Canada with the girls, my amazing hubby moved all our belongings, painted all the walls, installed water filters, bought some furniture that we needed and helped me get a lot of paintings up and ready for an upcoming gallery opening.

As for what’s to come, here’s what you can expect from my art studio in the coming months:

New Paintings!

Yes, I’ve already started working on a new collection of oil paintings. They’re a bit different than what I’ve recently done, but have that same rawness and natural quality that I love! Hoping to have that collection done and out to the Collectors by early October.  

Weekly Watercolour Classes 

In-person watercolour classes are starting up again, in group format. If you’re in the Queretaro area reach out if this is something you’re interested in. I sent out an email a few days ago with some info. I know some of you are waiting for that and I’m looking forward to getting back into teaching and painting alongside you!

Start Date:

September 11^th, 2023.

Adults: Monday at 11am-12pm.

Kids: Monday 5-6pm.

These are weekly classes that will start with the very basics of watercolour (so no previous experience needed!). We’re going to start with some colour theory, fundamental techniques and lots of practice so don’t feel intimidated if you’re new to art.

Course Overview:

Week 1: Materials and Techniques I, Colour Theory I.

Week 2: Techniques II, Brush Strokes, Colour Theory II.

Week 3: Personal Colour Wheel

Week 4: Bubbles, Rocks and Lines

Week 5: Colour Palette

Week 6: Leaves and Flowers - Leafy Pattern Painting

Week 7: Composition, Colour Blending - Cherry Blossom Painting

Week 8: Layering, Textures - Simple Landscapes

As for the kids classes, those will follow a similar syllabus but are geared towards having fun and building confidence with painting. The weekly classes each feature a different lesson and theme – such as caring for our planet, animals, personalizing our rooms with name art, planets, cars, food and much more!

For the first class, you don’t need to bring anything. However, if you have some supplies at home I recommend you bring them to class so that you can work with the tools you can practice with at home. After the first class, I’ll make some recommendations if you want to go out and purchase some of your own materials as practicing daily will really help you refine and accelerate your painting skills. 15 min a day is really all you need to see incredible growth, not to mention relaxation!

Gallery Partnerships!

I’m going to be sharing some exciting news next week about a gallery collaboration that I’m thrilled about!!

The Watercolour Journal

Also coming in September, this is a really great resource if you’re wanting to get into watercolour painting in a thoughtful way. It’s great for beginners as it starts with the very basics, and then builds into a journal format with daily practices that build slowly but really help you focus and understand the medium. Think of it as daily mindful creativity practice. I just love the flow and pace of this book and I think it’s really important to find time that teach us single-task focus again, and creativity based activities do just that. When we’re doing a creative activity, the part of our brain that produces worry or stress literally can’t function at the same time and it's why painting, for me in particular watercolour painting is so relaxing.  

BIG Format Art Prints

Lastly, we’ll be announcing a really exciting collaboration with a Canadian interior designer where we’ll partnering to bring you big format art prints. I don’t have a live release date yet, but we’re aiming for early September as well!