Back to Routine

Happy New Year to one and all!!!  It has been a crazy ride since the last time I wrote, so it took awhile to get back into blogging, but now I AM BACK and ready to start the New Year!

2013 was full of surprises, even though I did not register for any out-of-town shows, I was still very busy with local Juried shows.  These shows have opened up new connections and opportunities, commission work and sales.  I am very blessed.

Among my many surprises was being invited to participate in an invite-only Christmas show and sale with the Sunnybrook Hospital.  The show is organized by the SBH Volunteers and is well managed.

Last fall, I have taken on the role as Newsletter Editor for the Society of Canadian Artists!  It will be a good opportunity to meet working artists throughout Canada and to be more involved in the visual arts on a national scale!  I am excited and anxious at the same time!

My workshops are up and ready for registration with the Visual Arts Centre http://www.vac.ca/adults-learn.html and hope to see you in the next little while.

Lots are in store for 2014, but before I go... I wish you all Happiness and Health for the New Year.

Keep painting!
Marissa

Christmas Show and Sale at Sunnybrook Hospital

(photo courtesy: Linda Kim Rawe)

 

Month of Shows

Fall seems to be the best time to visit art shows, exhibits and studio tours.  It seems after summer, the world is ready to receive the beauty found in art (3D and 2D) and inside artists' workshops.  Fall is also the time people are ready to take classes, to study a new craft, to be mesmerized by something new.

At SweetArt Studio it has been busy with weekend classes and Thursday Open studio.  My regular classes have started again at Pickering and Bowmanville locations.  Just last week, I had a terrific 1-day Mixed Media workshop, where 3 tenacious and inspired students took the reigns in building their own mixed media pieces.  It was a lot of fun, that I even forgot to take pictures!

My next class is scheduled for November 16 - Painting Skies in Acrylic and November 17 - Fall Landscapes in Acrylic.  Classes are starting to fill in, so register now, to reserve your spot. You can email me, at Marissa.sweet@rogers.com.

In Port Perry, at Meta4 Contemporary Craft Gallery,  I will be teaching Mixed Media and Photo Collage for 2 -days on November 9-10.  It will be a more intensive class, since it is a two day, where students can work on their paintings, learn different techniques and take more time to practise.  To register, visit the Meta 4 website.  http://www.meta4gallery.ca/courseCalendar/brochure.pdf

I love Mixed Media, it is such a great way to infuse found objects, photographs, other painting mediums, charcoal, inks, graphite into an acrylic work.  Hope to see you in one of my courses, or perhaps at one of the many art shows in the Durham Area!!

Marissa

Falling for Fall

"The falling leaves drift by the window...the autumn leaves of red and gold.  I see your lips, the summer kisses, the sun-burned hands I used to hold".  Wow, isn't that such powerful words for such a beautiful song, " Autumn Leaves, by Nat King Cole.  My mother used to play this song whenever she would sit on our piano and every time I hear this song, I remember her.

Every fall, the beauty of nature surrounds us.  The leaves become golden, red, deep hues of green, while the sun bursts with brilliant orange.  How not to be inspired to paint all these!!!

I am participating in my only group show this year ( after a 1 year hiatus), which is with the Oshawa Art Association.  This widely anticipated group show and sale showcases fine art work of the Oshawa Art Members, closed to over 150 now!!  It is an honour to be surrounded by such great art, in all mediums!  It is the biggest 'painting' show in Durham. 

Hope you can come visit!!

August

August, a very interesting month.  Usually, the most popular month in summer as it is the warmest and seemingly the shortest with September looming around the corner!  It has been a good month for me with time to get away with family renting a cottage in the town of Bala, Muskoka.  It is always good to get away from technology distractions such as internet and TV, but this cottage has good cell phone capabilities so we got to read Facebook updates and email from our phones!  Yet even with all these, we managed to restrain ourselves from technology so that we could re-connect with family time! Enjoyed it to the heavens and back!

We had a work summer party this month as well, getting everyone together to enjoy friendship  outside work, enjoy food and drink and brace ourselves on the on-set of the hectic schedule of back-to-school in September!!

Today, I taught an Art Camp at Meta 4, with the them of Out of Africa"!  I had a good bunch of fun loving students, majority of which where 6 years old and a few 8 years old!  Most if not all, were very cute and creative.  Looking forward to next summer.

Together with my students.

Wee One's

Last Tuesday, I had the opportunity to teach 8 young aspiring impressionist artists!  The workshop was part of Meta4 Contemporary Craft Gallery's SUMMER ART CAMP!  Our theme for the painting day was to paint anything based on a famous artist!

Now who do you think is my FAVORITE and famous painter of all time?? Claude Monet!

After a brief lesson on the colour wheel, we launched ourselves into the impressionistic style!!!  Some students decided to paint their own version of impressionism, but most stayed true to the lesson and worked with me to create a wonderful seascape!  Here are a few pictures taken during the class.

Enjoy!
Marissa

The Chosen One

Here is a picture of an abstract painting I started as a demo with the Visual Arts in Clarington class last year.  It was part of a collage to abstract painting  lesson I wanted this painting to be very "grey".  

 

 

 

After abandoning it for about 5 months, to focus on working on new lessons, it is only now that I had time to continue working at it.  I added Naples yellow, white and transparent red iron oxide to the grey and here it is now with a new life. It is called "the chosen one".

 

Never give up with your paintings!

 

Marissa

Taking a break

Most of my friends and clients ask me, what shows I am doing this year or where am I going to show next and honestly, I am NOT showing next.  YUPPer, Am taking a break from shows for a while.

Of course, it is not to say I am terminating my career as a visual artist.   Certainly NO WAY!!!  But rather just taking a bit of a hiatus, an interval or rather a break from showing my art through shows and fairs.

I am teaching a lot and continue to work on my own paintings and gather new reference materials for future work.  I have a ton on unfinished work and have made efforts to finish them one by one as I create new ones.  Due to this more relaxed atmosphere, I feel more inspired to create and continue with conceptual work soon to be unveiled.

Even without shows to gear up to, I feel the most productive as I have ever been in years!!!  Even without the deadline, I continue to work on my projects whether it be painting, research, motivation, marketing, teaching, mentoring, administration, networking, and web social media.  This break really isn't the break people think it may seem to be, but rather this break has pushed me to work harder than ever before.

Here are two finished works, I am sure my Bold Floral students will be happy to see.

Happy Summer!!
Marissa

Peace 24" x 24" Acrylic

May Belle 24" x 24" Acrylic