| Maxine Wolodko Artwork

Aug 21

Small Reminders

As you can see, I have been attempting to get some work done on the potatoes. Although I am not ready to comment on my progress just yet, I thought I could talk a little about my work environment.

Our apartment is not very big, so if I want to paint, I have to paint in the kitchen. Slightly inconvenient, but not a big deal. A bigger challenge is trying to find the time to paint with two small children in the house, especially in the summer when they are not in school/preschool. Usually I can find some time in the evenings. Or, like yesterday, if the kids are playing well, I often pull out my paints and attempt to get something done.

Invariably, I get in about 10 minutes of work before someone comes in and says, “Mommy, can I paint?” Of course the answer must be yes, so I get out the watercolours. Then they ask for stamps, then they take out the stencils, and lastly, the markers. They get lots of art done. I try to get a bit done too, amidst the chatter and activity. As distracting as they can be, the kids approach to art offers me some important reminders. The easy way they work with the materials reminds me not to take myself or my work too seriously. Their joy in the experimentation reminds me not to be too safe with my art. I should be trying new things as fearlessly as they do – just to see what might happen.

One day I hope to have a studio of my own where I can really focus on my art. And I will happily share it.

Aug 14

Studying Strawberries

Strawberries - study 1

So here is my study of the strawberries. I finished it last week and it is now in the show at Small Ritual.

I don’t usually work this small (8” x 8”), but it allowed me to really focus in on the berries (which is the whole point of the study, isn’t it?). This small size felt freeing to me. There wasn’t the usual burden of expectation of a larger painting. If it worked, fine. If not, well it only took a few hours. It also reminded me of the frame of mind I should always have when painting, and that’s to think of every painting as a study. It really takes the pressure off and let’s me enjoy the process, rather than getting too concerned with the end result. (Easier said than done).

Anyway, about the strawberries… I am happy with how this turned out, but perhaps if I do another one I would try to loosen up a little. I had intended for my reds to be brighter and to have a more expressive brush stroke. It’s funny how the painting seems to have its own direction, separate from my intentions. Now it’s time to move on to potatoes!

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Aug 8

Small Ritual

Yesterday I put up 16 paintings at the Small Ritual Coffee Society — a relaxed, neighbourly coffee shop in White Rock. We had the opening yesterday evening.

Music was played. Coffee was enjoyed.

The crowd

Checkers were played.

Me, relaxing after the work was done.

The art work will be up through the month of August, so stop by for a coffee if you get a chance.

I love the book shelf - take one, leave one.

Aug 2

Westham Island Herb Farm

I want to share with you one of my favourite places to escape the city. Westham Island Herb Farm is located just outside of Delta, BC. We usually go at least a couple of times in the summer and would not miss the Pumpkin Patch in October. The kids love to see the chickens and pet the donkeys. I love walking through the garden to see what’s ready, and stopping at the cute little general store for some honey and jelly. In addition to the fresh produce, I always come back with lots of painting ideas. The painting in my previous post was inspired by our strawberry run to the farm in June. I have included here three more paintings from the farm (and more to come, I’m sure).

Jul 27

Farm Fresh

Farm Fresh 16" x 16"

I am discovering that I love to paint fruit and vegetables. I really enjoyed doing the strawberries. That is not to say that they were easy. It took me a few tries before I figured out how to paint them. The danger when working with acrylics is that things can quickly become overworked and these berries are on the verge. I would like to follow up this painting with a smaller study focusing on just the strawberries and see if I could do better the second time around.

I would also like to do a study of the potatoes, not because they were difficult, but because they were so much fun. In this painting, I think of them as the spectators (taters?) watching over the strawberries. But they have such personality that they threaten to steal the show. They definitely need their own painting. Watch for more produce paintings coming soon!

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Jul 24

Photo Reference

Elevator in Mayerthorpe with the photo reference

I work almost entirely from photographs. As much as I would love to be outside doing plein air painting, my current life situation (with two small children and a part-time job) doesn’t allow much time for it. So instead, I often travel through my days with a camera close at hand, in case I see anything that might spark a painting idea. I thought it might be interesting to do a series of posts where I show a painting along-side the photo that was used as a reference.

This first one is the grain elevator from my hometown. For me, seeing this image conjures up the comforting memory of the train whistle in the night or early morning. This painting was done a few years ago, and as I look at it I have trouble remembering why I did certain things. You can see that I moved things around quite a bit, which was done to improve the composition. Moving the elevator to the right places it closer to the center and gives it more importance. I removed the pole on the right because I didn’t want the sky to be divided up. Overall, I simplified everything in the photo, which is very typical of the way I paint. My goal is not to copy the photo but to do whatever works to make a better painting – a continual learning process.

Jul 11

Louise’s House

Louise's House

This one took me a while to finish (that’s what happens when the kids are out of school), but I really enjoyed working on it. Louise was my grandma and this is the house where she lived and raised her 11 children. My grandma has been gone for several years now, and although this picture shows the house in disrepair, it brings back great memories and warm thoughts for me (and hopefully for my many aunts, uncles and cousins too).

Jul 5

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Roadside Inspiration

Leaning Fence

I saw this fragile looking fence beside a country road near my hometown of Mayerthorpe, Alberta. When I go home to visit, I always come back with lots of painting ideas from the town itself as well as the surrounding countryside. My brother or dad will usually take me for a drive so I can take lots of photos. It is a task that requires their patience as I continually shout out “Stop here! No, back up.” At this point I often jump out and hike around in the ditch to find just the right view-point. Then I get back in and we repeat this process a mile down the road. I hope they enjoy it as much as I do!

Jun 28

Calgary Stampede Western Showcase

Today I shipped these four paintings off to the Calgary Stampede Western Showcase. The show includes 129 pieces from 33 artists, all with a Western theme. Unfortunately I am unable to attend the show this year, but am very excited to be a part of it!