Re-cap Paint Day April 24

 Paint, glorious paint!  Once again I had a lot of fun at my painting workshop on April 24th. It was held at one of my favourite places, Fruition Cafe on Coburg Road.
What a great bunch of diligent bunch of artists (when they weren`t laughing!) I painted along with them as well as instructing. We were recreating a lighthouse and beautiful coloured sky.

 Sunset or dawn...hmmmm.
We laid out the paintings to dry and make room on the tables for a yummy lunch. Gorgeous!
Then we were back at it! Listening to Motown music and painting up a storm.
I painted the sides of the canvases before the workshop and the green tape keeps them free from paint. We just peel it off after.

Tah dah! The paintings are wonderful!! All the same and yet different. Thanks so much everyone. I had a lovely time:)

 Next one is MAY 15TH, you can find out more HERE!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paint-day-with-shelagh-duffett-may-15-tickets-24926002344

Forest Bathing....

I had a Forest Bath the other day.... a walk in the woods....something we should all try to do as often as we can:) I always feel better in myriad ways after a walk under the trees but did not realize it is a "thing." Shinrin-Yoku is the Japanese name for it. 

 Time spent in the forest has been proven to lower stress levels by reducing cortisol, which elevates your mood and strengthens your immune system.   All you have to do is visit a forest for a short stroll in the green and living space or just sit a bit and soak it all up.

While in the forest we breathe in volatile substances, called phytoncides (wood essential oils), which are antimicrobial volatile organic compounds derived from trees; we listen to the wind in the branches, birds and streams if nearby. All things which are calming...  We move with gentle purpose, soaking up the living energy. It is a real form of meditation in which we unknowingly participate. In Japan there are now 44 accredited Shinrin Yoku forests. I love this idea.

Sleeping In The Forest

I thought the earth remembered me, she
took me back so tenderly, arranging
her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds. I slept
as never before, a stone
on the riverbed, nothing
between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated
light as moths among the branches
of the perfect trees. All night
I heard the small kingdoms breathing
around me, the insects, and the birds
who do their work in the darkness. All night
I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling
with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

 -Mary Oliver

Pictures were taken in Hemlock Ravine with the exception of the first pic which was in Alberta.

Simple Fennel and Citrus Salad!

This a simple and really yummy salad! Fresh and bright.

All you need is fennel (sort of like a mild licorice flavoured celery) two or three grapefruit, avocado, a tiny bit of maple syrup or a pinch of brown sugar, oil and salt and pepper. 

Rinse the fennel and chop off the fronds. Take the outer covering/leaves off if hard and scarred. Chop into narrow slices and also use a wee bit of frond. Toss into bowl. 

Next up, peel the grapefruit and pit and slice into thin slices. Save half of one to squeeze the juice into the bowl. You can ALSO use oranges, in fact that is what is usually used.

With oranges you need NO sweetener. Toss the fruit into bowl with fennel. If your grapefruit is super sour or bitter, drizzle a teeny bit of maple syrup on top or sprinkle brown sugar. If it is sweet, don't bother. 

Chop up the avocado and add to bowl. Drizzle all over with a bit of olive oil and add salt and pepper. Mix gently and let marinate for a half hour or so. 

The juice from the citrus and the oil make the dressing. You could also toss in some pine nuts, add arugula and pitted kalamata olives to really zizz it up ! It is a lovely light and simple salad. 

Show of Costume 1869

 This is happening tomorrow night! Friday April 15. My daughter is in the Costume Studies Program at Dalhousie and her final year culminates with this event! She has chosen to represent Fanny Westphal McNab who would have attended the Ball with her Fiance, Sydenham Howe, Joseph Howe's son. She has designed and created from scratch, the undergarments (even a corset!) using authentic materials, and a gorgeous19th century Ballgown! She is still working on finishing it. Burning the midnight oil with all the others in this course. It is a tremendous amount of work.

They each had to research and write a paper on the person they chose, someone who would have lived in Halifax and attended the Ball in 1869. Snippets about each person will be read as they model their dresses. There will also be a Viennese Waltz performed by the students and wine and nibbles served afterward.I am looking forward to it!!!
Still a few tickets left but not many. You can purchase them HERE 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-honour-of-his-royal-highness-prince-arthur-the-military-ball-of-1869-tickets-22665342650

The Crows and The Stag

Just finished. 16 x 20 x1.5" Acrylic on wood. Available, send me a message if interested in purchase. shelaghduffett@gmail.com

Sunday walk

I love walking in the woods, along the ocean, down meandering trails but I also enjoy exploring interesting streets. This is a street I have walked down a million times and I still enjoy it. South Park Street, headed to Point Pleasant Park. Lots of the houses have plaques declaring they are part of  "A Victorian Streetscape". Yesterday my friend and I had a lovely afternoon enjoying these Victorian Streetscapes!

We came across a interesting little table on the sidewalk which I contemplated taking to paint. A woman putting out bags and bags of items to be given away or collected as garbage, told us she was clearing out the apartment of her aunt who had lived fiercely independently there for 45 years. She had just died at age 95. We stood and chatted in the sunshine for about thirty minutes. Her aunt had worked for a law firm, never married because she enjoyed her freedom, she was the last of the older generation, her niece who I was talking to was from Toronto, they were having family gatherings nightly......
I like to talk to people, I am curious and interested in them and I find that most people like to talk back if encouraged. Makes for a better day:) You can learn the most unexpected things sometimes.
We stopped in at the Halifax Central Library for a coffee after our long walk. Pavia up in the sky! Hope you had a good weekend!

Don't forget, my painting workshop is coming up! April 24.  Five spots left out of fifteen. For more info and to REGISTER,CLICK  HERE

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paint-day-with-shelagh-duffett-april-24-tickets-24207958656

Theosophical Mystery

Mysterious Theosophical Illustrations! My friend found fourteen of these at a yard sale recently. So beautiful! The one above is called Eternal Energy. We've tried to discover more about them but to no avail.

What we have gleaned is that they are circa 1930. Divine Breath is below

 They were printed as a set in Italy in Torino by Vincenzo Bono. The print underneath is called Reincarnation.

 This one  is The Light of the Soul. What you see as ochre yellow is actually gleaming gold!

 Kether,the Crown. Would LOVE to know who the artist was, who had them published, basically anything at all.Anonymous seems to be the only credit given.

 The Grail

 The Portal of Initiation. Cannot find anything other than circa 1930.

 The Central Spiritual Sun. I also saw them called Sacred Geometric Illustrations.

 

These are interesting mysteries of Art. Anyone have any info? Want to be a detective for me? Mystery of Life below

and then there was this! PM Justin Trudeau

He leaned in for a kiss....

It was good....... he got the prints:)

Post Paint Day April 24 with Shelagh Duffettt

Sunday April 3rd was the first of my painting workshops!

I hosted it at Fruition Cafe on the corner of Coburg and Oxford Street. A lovely bright and cheerful cafe owned by my friends Seth and Jess.

There were 16 of us and it was a perfect number. Just enough to feel like a party and small enough to feel intimate.

Everyone painted the same image which I demonstrated step by step, yet were encouraged to add their own twist.

I have to say I had as much fun as they did! What a lovely group of enthusiastic and friendly women!

We listened to fantastic music and basically zoned out or rather "in" for a few hours. Stopped for lunch and laid the canvases outside so we had room to eat our healthy lunch. See how the paintings are all the same but different:) Still in progress.

We continued for a couple of hours after lunch...

Everyone lost in their creative process....

Loved it!!

and then......Tah dah!! Thanks everyone you were GREAT! I am teaching another class on April 24. You can REGISTER HERE. Still some spots available! 

or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paint-day-with-shelagh-duffett-april-24-tickets-24207958656