March 11 Painting Class- Cats!

 Painting CATS!!

Join me Sunday afternoon on March 11 for a relaxing day of painting, chatting, nibbling on refreshments, and listening to music!

*We will paint a simplified version of this painting*

Ready to Unleash your inner artist??

Here is the link to find out more and purchase your spot!!

In this workshop we will be creating a painting featuring a cat or two or three! Use your own favourite felines for colour inspiration:)

I will help guide you and give some prompts but in this class, nothing is wrong:) Start the year with some colour and creativity!!

We will be painting with acrylic paint on 11 x 14' birchwood "canvas" supports. They have deep 1.5" sides and therefore are ready to hang when finished. You can use as much artistic license as you please to make it yours. I will cheer you through it step by step:)  NO experience needed but if you do have experience and want to join us for a fun day, all the better!

Please bring an apron or wear something an errant drop of paint might enhance. Casual comfortable, crafty clothing encouraged. 

Coffee, tea and snacks will be provided free of charge.Veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, cookies, trail mix, etc... Great music, good company and at the end of the day a work of art to hang and perhaps some new friends:)

ONLY 5 spots of limited earlybird registration available, $85 until they sell out or March 3, whichever arrives sooner. Classes sell out quickly so purchase soon. Last day to purchase class is March 9. Regular registration fee is $100

The class will be held at the beautiful historic George Wright House on Young Avenue. It was bequeathed to the Local Council of Women-Halifax by the billionaire upon his death which sadly happened as a result of the Titanic disaster. It is a lovely space.

TESTIMONIALS

" Thank-you Shelagh, I learned so much. You are an excellent, patient teacher and a wonderful artist. "
"Wicked fun class! Thank-you!"
"Just a blast!~ Off to buy paint! Amazing results for the whole class!"
"Great day! I am thrilled with my painting!. The venue was nice and bright and the tunes were inspiring:)"
"Shelagh this was wonderful! The energy was so positive and I am feeling very accomplished. I can't wait for another!"
"Thank- you so much Shelagh, this was such a fun relaxing and inspiring day away from the regular routine"
"I will definitely like to do another one and would highly reccommend to anyone to do!"
"Loved the whole day! Will definitely come to another workshop. Thanks so much!"
Hope to see you there!!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/painting-cats-workshop-with-shelagh-duffett-march-11-tickets-43553705305
Find me at www.ShelaghDuffett.com

CATalphabet! It's here!!

Soooo, drum roll please.... At long last, I would like to introduce you to CATalphabet!!

My first children's book! I am very happy with it and know you will enjoy it too! There was a giant learning curve to getting this accomplished. I self published it and am still learning the ins and outs. Now the marketing starts:)

CATalphabet! is a storybook book full of cats and letters of the alphabet. Jonathan Mills and I had a TON of fun writing the verse. We tried to make it super entertaining to read and full of interesting words and concepts to spark conversation and learning opportunities. Some letters of the alphabet were just written for the joy of reading it aloud, like the letter R!

There are twenty-six beautiful full colour illustrations each one featuring cats. Every letter of the alphabet also gets it's turn:) Some of my favourite paintings are included. 

Here are some Amazon.com and Amazon.ca reviews!

"Fun for kids big and small. HIGHLY recommend!
Lots of fun with alphabetical alliteration and Shelagh's fantastic cat-themed folk art!! I'm a fan of Shelagh's "folk art" cat paintings (the one for D is one of my favs) and this is great way to get a collection of her work along with a "bonus" teaching tool (or a teaching tool with "bonus" artwork)."

"Shelagh has deftly captured cats at their whimsical best through her vibrant illustrations. As a teacher, I know this book will be a welcome addition to any Primary level reading program. Kids will want to read it again and again to experience the delightful alliteration that makes reading this book to and by children a joy. Handy for car rides and great for memory work too, as you can query what cat did which activity. This book is sure to become a treasured work of art, beloved by readers of all ages. Kudos to the author and artist!"

"What a beautifully illustrated witty and whimsical book to have fun reading out loud to kids and the young at heart. I plan to gift a few of these to some cat lovers I know! For those that love art and quality illustrations, you will really appreciate the work that went in to this book."

"Ms. Duffett's lively illustrations are well matched with the book's whimsical prose; a great buy for cat-lovers of all ages!"

"Fun for kids big and small. HIGHLY recommend!
Lots of fun with alphabetical alliteration and Shelagh's fantastic cat-themed folk art!! I'm a fan of Shelagh's "folk art" cat paintings (the one for D is one of my favs) and this is great way to get a collection of her work along with a "bonus" teaching tool (or a teaching tool with "bonus" artwork)."

 

This book is available across many online book platforms (Amazon,Indigo, Barnes noble etc) and also as a Kindle, Kobo,tablet download.

BUT...if you would like a SIGNED copy with two postcards from the book, ... you can order a copy here from my etsy store! Thanks so much!

http://www.AliceinParis.etsy.com or email me at Shelaghduffett@gmail.com with any questions or suggestions... 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)

The Unknown Story...

I adore this old picture. Paris I think.Wouldn't you just love to know what they were looking at so intently! Pictures like this inspire the storyteller in me. I want to create a narrative that includes this image. So many choices, kicking off the story or perhaps somewhere in the interior or maybe the closing image. Depends on the tale (tail)....