It is December Already!

First off...this is happening on December 16th. In the historic Women's Council House on the corner of Young Ave and Inglis Street. I've taught a few painting classes there and it is a lovely spot with loads of parking. There will be hot cider and cookies and live music! My friend Bill Jardine will be singing and playing guitar for us. Most things will be on SALE too! I do hope you can join me.
We are in the midst of a really cold snap at the moment. Unusual for Nova Scotia this time of year. I'm not out walking as much as I normally do. I am a wimp when it comes to extreme temperatures, hot or cold. My internal thermometer likes middle of the road.... This is part of the rails to trails walk in Bayers. Lake. The water is frozen here but it loos like glass.
Ive done
I have been doing a bit of painting.... only just started consistently. My mum has been ill and things are now stabilizing and I can get back to work! This is 24 x 24 on beechwood with deep 1.5" sides painted pale turquoise. On my monitor it looks a bit bright and garish but the real colours are lovely! Every monitor is different so be aware that it will look slightly different for everyone.
This painting is called "The Red Wellies" I love it.  16 x 20 x 1.5" and the painting wraps around the sides.
I hope you have a great week!

YOU are invited!

JOIN US at our opening reception August 3, 6-9pm at the Chase Exhibition Room in the Nova Scotia Archives on the corner of Robie St and University Ave. There will be live music with performances by the Koconut Kings! Snacks and wine and a whole gallery of wonderful paintings to peruse and purchase:) Its an art party!

Elephant Painting

The elephant is a symbol of strength, honor, stability and patience. In the Hindu tradition,, the elephant is found in the form of Ganesha who is the god of luck, fortune, protection and is a blessing upon all new projects.

This beautiful elephant painting is for sale:) 18 x 24 x 1.5" Acrylic on birch wood. Send me an email for more details if you are interested. shelaghduffett@gmail.com
Also available as a print HERE...https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/513286519/elephant-with-flowers-and-starry-sky

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

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

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

Painting ....

So today is an all day studio day. Lovely! I have been very busy organizing my upcoming painting workshop, (which only has one spot available, hooray) and a few workshops to follow, finishing commissions, preparing orders for shops, purchasing supplies, post office, contacting people,  researching, social media promoting, blogging, planning...all the usual busy stuff that comprises my life. Today is just music and colour and getting some much needed painting done! I have practically no stock and people, shops and galleries waiting. Yikes! I am very grateful for that.
This is Monty, my studio assistant when I work at home. Actually a picture of him as a kitten, he is now a fat middle aged man, Ha!

Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink...

Today is United Nations WORLD WATER DAY. March 22.
Some facts for you....
1 in 10 people lack access to clean water (That equals the entire population of the United States)
Women and children spend 125 million hours each day collecting water. Average weight of a jerry can is 40 pounds. 67% of families rely on the women to collect water. Girls lose out on school time to collect water.
Every 90 SECONDS a child dies from a water borne illness  Diseases from dirty water kill MORE people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
1 in 3 lack access to a toilet

Today, be grateful every time you turn on a tap! We are the fortunate ones. We are ridiculously water wealthy and we never think about it. We waste it. We take it for granted. Be mindful today.

Here are a few organizations trying to help
CharityWater.org
Water.org
the WaterProject 

( the painting is by S. Duffett, (me) Black Rock Beach, Point Pleasant Park)

Sea Breeze, Original Painting (sold)

Finished this painting a couple of days ago. 15 x 13 x 1.5" The sides of this piece are painted iridescent gold to compliment the soft sky. For sale in my etsy shop here.
If you live in the local area, message me and we can bypass etsy and save on shipping etc.

Trees and stars

So...for the weekend only, this print is on sale!  $10.00 off! Click HERE to purchase!

`You are a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars.

 In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. - Max Ehrmann.

 

Uncharted Waters....

 

“I find focus in the darkest of days,and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.”-Dalai Lama  So hard to do but so necessary. 

Definition of hope: 

1. A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

2. The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best

3. To desire with expectation of obtainment   

4.  Desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment

5. The feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen

6  A feeling  that something good will happen or be true

Hope..... what a wonderful thing...

Can you effect the outcome in anyway? No? Then do not hope, it will only take away from you. Stop thinking about it and move forward.

Can actions you take turn the tide toward you? Yes? Then hope and act!  Mixing focus with positive emotion can create positive action and change.

Not everything is within our control and not every hoped for outcome is a possibility but we should always hope for brighter futures, no matter how unlikely, as long as there is a CHANCE. Be realistic, know what can or can't be. Some situations cannot be shifted but if there is a chance they could be....direct your focus, energy and emotions towards your desire and you will be motivated to take action. Action is what will get you there. Hope is the tool we use to motivate ourselves. Action is the magic wand.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” - Martin Luther King Jr. 

 

Home, home on the wall...

I love seeing my art in the homes of my customers:) This Dyptich now lives in a large old Victorian farmhouse cottage in Cape Breton! Looks great! Thanks for your support!

The Moment

“Kindness can transform someone's dark moment with a blaze of light. You'll never know how much your caring matters. Make a difference for someone today.” -Amy L Mercree.         Painting for sale! Acrylic...36 x 48

Last Day of January!

Point Pleasant Park in Halifax looking out to sea! This is one of the few paintings I have kept for myself:) A view I am very familiar with as many people here in Halifax are.

Winter is moving along. So far so good... not too cold, not too snowy, not too oppressive. Pots of veggie soup, boots left out to dry, and burrowing under warm covers at the end of the day have been par for the course.Trying to get motivated to paint has been hard. Not sure what is happening there! Once started, I enjoy it. (For the most part... as long as the image is shaping up the way I want it too, ha! ) Ive been doing lots of other things biz wise but the meat and potatoes have been pushed to the side for the last couple of months. Beans and potatoes!! I'm a Vegetarian :) Time to get back to the core of my business!!

What do you do to motivate yourself? How do you work towards your goals? What keeps you on track? The eternal questions.Those and many more....
 

Shaking off the Winter Doldrums

January is always a bit of a shock to the system. Once the glow of the holidays wears off and the New Year's Resolutions have  faded, we are left with winter! Always a hard time of year for me. This year I am fighting back. I am extricating  myself from the grips of too much comfort food, too many drinks,  too much Netflix, not enough fresh air and lack of motivation. How you ask?  

I make myself tiny "to do lists"! Each night in my iPhone notes, I write a couple of healthy things to accomplish the next day that are beyond my usual winter slothishness and I set an intention to make sure I do them the next day and voila..... I am getting stuff done. Even something as simple as  "Do a plank", "drink four glasses of water";  they all add up to feeling accomplished and even though they are baby steps they add up.

I am also keeping a mini Daily review/gratitude list in my iPhone notes that I add to every night. I go through my day and choose the three best things. Sometimes it is as simple as that wonderful feeling of falling into bed at the end of the day or speaking to a friend or the way the light looked spilling through a window! You will be more mindful of your day doing this, and will find yourself looking for the good. xo

End of July

Well here it is July 31 exactly 31 days since I broke my foot. It has been a hard slog for me. I am usually very active and this has forced me to spend a lot of time on the couch reading and sadly, becoming a Netflix junkie. My latest find is Grand Hotel. A wonderful over the top at times, drama from Spain similar to Downton Abbey. It is subtitled but after a few episodes I am not even aware I am reading and have convinced myself I understand every word they are saying. Click here to see some pics from it. Romance, intrigue...it has it all! Soooo good:)

I've also just finished a 16 x 20 commission. the client wanted a blue painting featuring her cats Clementine and Mr. Meowgli. Contact me if you are interested in one for yourself or a gift. (The top picture is Hollis Street in Halifax)

Auction ends July 11

I`m auctioning this wee painting on my facebook page.  6 x 12 x .75 acrylic on canvas.  The picture was taken with my iphone and is a bit blurry but actual painting is clear. Bidding started at $50.

Almost April

A splash of colour on my sideboard.  Wonderful how light can transform things. Today it is raining, and yesterday it was raining and tomorrow it will rain. Normally that would not thrill me but....we had a huge dump of snow last week and this rain will do it's best to make sure that it disappears and we can get on with the business of Spring!
I've been doing a few commissions lately and they have been fun. This was a request for two Siamese cats, some knitting, Autumn colours and no ocean....

 This one was a request for three cherished pets, one of whom has passed on.... I was given a rough idea of what they wanted and came up with this.. Riley's Moon

Both of these are now available as prints in my etsy shop, AliceinParis If you are interested in a commission, pleas contact me any time:)

Eventide

This is my latest painting.... Eventide, 12 x 24x 1.5". Sailing across the dreamy sea..... as always, if you are interested in anything you see please drop me a line.

I've decided to start a little newsletter.Sign up if you want to be part of the "in" crowd hehe.I will probably be sporadic with it and  every now and then there might be a special update. News, events, some special sales ONLY for subscribers, the occasional recipe, general chat, and who knows what else you might find in it...this is a work in progress.  Click on this link and away we go:) (P.S. I won't share your address with anyone else)

Red House

This Is my latest painting....I quite like it. There is a lovely mysterious mood to it I think. It was sold to a person who said it reminded them of their summer house:)