A Peek at the West with "Snowy"

I am accepting orders for your own custom "Peek at the West." Painting.

Painted on 9 X 12 board with Acrylic paint

Cost: 150.00

Contact me @ heaventouchingearthart@yahoo.ca

Check out other paintings HERE

A Peek at the West with Brass

"A Peek at the West with Brass"

"I am taking orders for more paintings like this one painted on 9"x 12"

for $150.00

Contact Susan Harris: heaventouchingearthart@yahoo.ca

Akiane Kramarik - Art - Inspired by GOD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_qMuLRq0g4

Horses

When you live in horse country it is inevitable that you end up painting horses.
"Frosty Morning"

The Mayor Bought My Chair

Well, we had our Gala and Auction for the AIRdirondak Chair Project to raise funds for an Art Centre in Airdrie, Alberta.
12 chairs were auctioned off with a wonderful result of $8650.00 raised!!!

Mayor Linda Bruce bought my chair along with another one which she plans to put in her back yard.
It was such a fun evening with live music, wine and cheese. They are planning on making it an annual event so I hope I can go next year and support my friends who will be painting chairs, as there are alright another 12 artists ready to go.

Thanks to all that made this event a great sucess.

"Old and Crafty"

My friend just bought "Old and Crafty" in Cochrane, Alberta just outside of Calgary. She phoned my up to ask if I waited to place my art work in the Gallery part of the store.

It Has Been an Incredible Summer

I know summer is not officially over yet but it always seems like it is when the end of August comes and we are inundated with back to school commercials. Even though I have no children on their way back to school this year (unless you count my new daughter-in-law on her way back to university) I still get that same feeling that summer is over.
Yes, it has been an interesting summer full of joys, challenges and wonders.
Everything from our son getting married to wonders in the sky. I don't think I will forget this one for a long time.

Fooling Around

I just read a news letter from Robert Genn entitled "The Fine Art of Fooling Around." I found it very encouraging because that is what I do most of the time with me Art. And come to think of it, most of what I do in life seems to be in this fashion. I don't really like doing things the normal way or the way most people are doing things; and what is normal anyway?

In the news letter he talks about loosening up, listening to music and getting happy. I can't turned out anything decent unless I do these things. I put on gospel praise music or just worship Jesus Christ in my thoughts and it always turns out so much better then I think it will.

I also work on numerous pieces at once. If I don't know what to do next I just put it aside until I do. I play a lot and don't worry if when I come back to a piece I want to completely paint over it. It doesn't matter because now I have some interesting texture underneath the paint-over. I experiment a lot and sometimes have a hard time remembering what I did to get a certain effect when I want to do it again. Oh ,Well, that is way it goes and now I know it is the fine art of fooling around!

Cross Iron Manor B&B

I just hung some art work at my friend's Bed and Breakfast near the Calgary, Alberta, Canada Airport. Click Here to see her website.

Rejoice!

I have been working on this painting for a long time. I guess I am one of those artists that works on many paintings once. Sometimes I have look at it for awhile to see how I want to finish it. I work a little here and there.

Now, I had a hard time deciding what to name it. Oh my, well, usally I get a name for right away but this time I just couldn't think what I wanted to call it. Naming a painting is kind of like naming a child. As an artist you put so much into you work that it really does feel like your baby. They are special because you put something of yourself into each one.

Anyways back to the name. Well, I could call it something with flowers or garden in it but I have lots of those. I decided to think about how it made me feel and what it was saying to me; what I was trying to say through it. "Rejoice!" That's it!

Rejoice means to be glad; take delight; to rejoice in another's happiness; to make joyful; gladden: a song to rejoice the heart.

And THAT is what I want people to feel when they see this painting!

Summer Beauty

Summer is so beautiful this year because of the rain we've had. As I drove to my friends house through the country side I was just amazed at the beauty of the green fields intermingled with the bright yellow ones of canola meeting the brilliant blue sky on the horizon. The grand clouds billowing up were breathe-taking.

We sat around the table visiting and sipping tea. She showed me pictures she had taken of the sky the night before. Hasn't the sky been amazing this summer? We are in awe.

I painted some summer flowers she had placed in a little vase. The first one is called "Joyce's Flowers." The second is called "Boutique of Flowers" because each one of us is like a flower and when we all come together with our various gifts and personalities we form a beautiful boutique. We are better when we are together.

Joyful Moments

Joyful Moments

A new born baby’s smile, An unexpected giggle from a child, A beautiful morning sky, A touch from the one I love, A really good cup of coffee, A random act of kindness, A smile from a stranger, A joke from the sales clerk, A kind word, A bird’s song, A letter from a friend, A card with a grateful note, A soft still voice, A hug from God, A new perspective, A change of scenery, A chance to worship Him, A Special Day with my God!

Apparently this painting is now in the Philippines. I hope they are enjoying Joyful Moments today!

Prairie Skies

I am just enthralled with the Prairie Skies this summer. I don't know when I have seen them more breathe-takingly beautiful and unusual. I have really enjoyed painting them too because it seems that I have been painting them in my mind for years as we drive along.

Enjoying the Prairies

I love the prairies with it enormous skies and expansive plains. Every day the upper atmosphere holds a new picturesque canvas of clouds billowing upward as if to touch the heavens; ever changing it's emotions as if monitored by an tell-tale meter or an endless hue of brilliant blue as the sun radiates her brilliance. We have a local saying here, "If you don't like the weather then just wait 10 minutes and it will change."

On the western horizon swooping down over the great Rocky Mountains roll the Chinook winds carrying the gathered warmth of the Pacific ocean giving the canvas skies an arc that stretches from corner to corner like an upside down smile.

AIRdirondak Chair Project

AIRdirondak Chair Project

Well, I am finally finished my chair. I am just putting a couple of coats of varnish on it and it will be ready to be on display at the....

4th Annual Empty Bowls for the Hungry Arts Festival.

A celebration of the arts that include handmade pottery bowls, live music & arts.

There will be clowns, face painting, fish pond etc for the kids. It's a fun family event in the park for all ages.

AIRdirondak Chair Project

Well, I am at it again. I thought I would give it a white picket fence look with garden theme.

AIRdirondak Chair Project

Well, I am finally starting to work on my AIRdirondak Chair project.

It is Airdrie's first AIRdirondak project. This project was created to stimulate interest in the arts in Airdrie and to begin a fundraising program for a future Arts Centre.

The chairs will be on display at the Empty Bowls Festival in Nose Creek Park on
June 12, 2010.

The Chairs will then go to 12 locations in Airdrie until September 30.
Auction date for the chairs to be determined (early October).

Musical Theme

I have never been musical; oh, I tried to take music lessons, sang in a few choirs as a kid etc...etc... but everyone knows in my family that is not my gift. But I do enjoying worshiping God the Father through Jesus Christ and I am closest to Him when I worship with my art accompanied by others providing the music. Whether I am on my own or with friends I just love some good worship music to take me to that place of Creating with God. After all He is The Great Creator!!
The first 2 paintings here were done at a ladies prayer group. The second one was done of one of the gals. God was truly blessed that day as she poured her heart out to Him on the grand and I got to capture it. It is a picture of how God views us when we give ourselves to Him.
The 3rd painting was done over a period of time in my own studio as I worshipped the Lord. I was pondering also, my heritage and thinking of what has been passed down to us from generations past. Were there musical individuals and could that be why some of my children have these gifts of musical abilities? It was done as a prayer also that these talents would be manifested in my children and their children.

Portrait of the Boy Jesus

Can you imagine what is must have been like to live in those Bible times and to be born into a life mission to save the world?

I tried to capture this in the look of innocents yet intensity of purpose.

I love to capture more than a likeness; more then the shape of the face figures but to capture the emotion of the moment is what I like to aim for.

This is a close-up of just part of this drawing that I called,

"The Path Before Him."

Faces

I have always been captivated by peoples faces. Never will I forget a face even if I forget the name. Faces tell so much about a person:

• It tells if they are young or old



• It tells if they are happy or sad



• It tells if they are fair or dark or darker



• It tells if they are male or female (usually)



• It tells if hardship has been their friend



• It tells... well so many things...

Faces can tell what is in the soul and what is on the mind. I love trying to capture that most of all. The challenge of capturing the likeness it really important but to capture a mood, a feeling, an emotion or the character of the person is very fulfilling.

This is part of a drawing that I did called, "Crisis Pregnancy Blessed Hope." I tried to imagine what it must have been like for Mary in those days when they would have stoned an unmarried woman who was caught pregnant.

Coffee

"Where the Coffee Comes From"


Tuesday
Latte I always thought coffee was bad for me and preached this anti-coffee life-style to others for years. I don't know if it is my body changing or what but I love coffee now and it actually makes me feel better. I have since found out that it had health benefits. The last couple of years I went from not drinking coffee and still using an old drip coffee maker that I used for the occasional victims to an amateur coffee connoisseur with all kinds of methods and types of coffee. This is translating into my art work with "Tuesday Latte" and "Where the Coffee Comes From."