| Maxine Wolodko Artwork

Sep 13

Knowing When to Stop

Retired in Nova Scotia 18" x "24

Sometimes I have trouble knowing when a painting is finished. When the painting is nearing completion, I have this need to tinker – brightening here, darkening there, adding more detail, fine-tuning the colour, and on and on it goes. The trick is knowing when to stop, before the painting becomes overworked. So, I am taking a break from this one. I think it might be done, but I’m not sure. I have to look at it for a while.

By the way, I’ve painted this boat before (several years ago). You can see the first version on my home page or here.

Aug 15

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Time to freshen things up

For a while now I have been thinking about redesigning my website. Ideally I’d like my new website to include: a gallery of all work, a blog to present new work and share news, and a store.

Currently, my original paintings are for sale on Etsy and prints are available on Imagekind, but my plan is to be able to sell items directly from my own website. Etsy and Imagekind are great sites, but they don’t give me the kind of control that handling my own sales would. For instance, if someone purchases a print from my Imagekind store, I do not have access to their name or info. I am never able to thank those who have purchased prints of my work. (So if you are one of those people, I thank you now! I was not ungrateful – I just didn’t know it was you!).

Anyway, the process has begun. I am slowly working away at my new site. I’m sure this will be a long process – there hasn’t been lot of free time these days with the kids being out of school. On the rare occasions that I have a block of time to myself, I have to choose between painting and working on the website – and painting is just way more fun.

This is a very, very preliminary look at what I’ve been working on:

Aug 2

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Same Elevator – Different Painting

March in Mayerthorpe (6" x 6")

Once again it’s the Mayerthorpe Grain Elevator, and it’s from almost the same angle as my previous painting, but at a much colder time of year.

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Jul 20

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Pick a pumpkin

Pumpkin Patch 14″ x 18″

For sale at the farm that day were: apples, artichokes, gourds, squash, potatoes, honey, homemade cookies and pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins. We bought three – two for carving and one for pie. It was the first time that I made pumpkin pie from a whole pumpkin (not a can), and now I can never go back.

P.S. After my last snowy painting, I had promised to paint something more summery. But it seems as though I’ve gone straight from winter to autumn, skipping summer altogether—just like the weather in Vancouver! (Sorry, complaining about the weather has become a regular pastime around here).

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Jul 2

The Long Winter

The Long Winter 6" x 6"

Some of you may not want to look at this painting. We have been waiting a long time for summer to arrive, so you likely don’t want to be reminded of the piles of snow that melted just a couple of months ago. I think (hope ?) that summer is finally here, so I’m not sure what compelled me to paint this cold grey scene. I think that what really interested me was the criss-cross of power lines dividing up the sky. And on this little canvas (6″ x 6″), it was a lot of fun to do.

I’ll do something warmer next time, I promise.

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Jun 21

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Bridge in Jericho Park

Bridge in Jericho Park 14" x 18"

I am starting to lose track of the number of paintings I’ve done of Jericho Park. You must be getting an idea of just how much time I spend there. I love this little bridge and I’ve painted it before. It is surrounded by huge trees, making it great practice for painting dappled light and shadows.

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May 30

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Down by the Tracks

This is another little picture from my hometown. It provided me with a great opportunity to practice painting snow. If you think that snow is white, you should try painting it sometime. I saw endless colours there, but chose several shades of blue and beige to render it. I don’t feel 100% happy with the result, but I do love the contrast between the cool blues and the bright red rail car.

I also had lots of fun painting the Canada logo – can you tell that my other job is Graphic Design…

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May 15

Crockett House, Mayerthorpe

This house is a landmark in Mayerthorpe, and many of my Mayerthorpe friends and family will recognize it. It is called Crockett House was built in 1935 by Leo Crockett Sr. It sits prominently on Main Street at the top of the hill, just as you approach downtown.

In this painting I was surprised by how much fun it was to paint the various colours of light and shadow that fell on the street.

You can read a bit more about the house here.

May 7

Where to Find It

I just wanted to update you on where you can find my artwork in Vancouver.

Corner Cup, Kitsilano

I just finished hanging my work at Corner Cup, 3301 West 4^th Avenue. It’s a cozy neighbourhood coffee shop a few blocks from my house. The owner, Bruno, has done a great job of creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere, with delicious coffee and snacks. If you’re going to stop by, let me know – I’d love to buy you a coffee.

Laura K Jewitt in Point Grey

I have recently dropped off 3 new paintings at Laura K. Jewitt Design, a jewelry shop at 4469 West 10^th Avenue. Thank you Laura for selling my Boathouse painting last month!

And last (but certainly not least), you can find a few of my paintings at Oh Brothers, 2575 West Broadway. They have a great selection of hand crafted items by Canadian Artists.

Now that all of my work is out in the neighbourhood, I better go make some more.

Apr 10

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Cattails in Jericho Park

Cattails in Jericho Park 18" x 14"

This is the third painting in a series inspired by Jericho Park. The pond and surrounding cattails are a beautiful part of the park and a lot of fun to paint. I did, however, have some trouble with this painting. The problem I was having was that the cattails are quite complex (there’s a lot going on in those tangled up leaves), and the background is also quite complex (lots of high-contrast reflections on the pond). I wanted the cattails to be the main focus of this painting, but because the reflections on the water are so interesting, I think your eye travels there instead. I added some red to the dark cattails, hoping that they would pop to the front. I’m not sure if I have succeeded here, but it’s definitely given me something to think about.

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