Charles Comfort Medal and Swinton Award

Wow what an Open water this year. The jury chose an amazing group of National water colours and then awarded my painting both the Charles Comfort Medal for excellence in figurative work accompanied by the Swinton's Award.

Paper Rose is an image inspired by one of my wonderful models. One day the model came over and we had fun crunching paper and taping it onto her as if it were a high end blouse. The imagery deals with the concepts of fragility, facades and pretences as they relate to our media and our youth.

LaCrosse

What a beautiful part of the U.S.A. with treed hills and quaint farms nestled into the landscape.
Becky, you are the best and I hope to see you again!

The workshop dealt with mixing water media in different combinations. We held the workshop inside part of a brewery! While there I was able to pick up a Norwegian grill for Christmas backing, oh ya sure.

On the last morning, Becky drove me around the country side to see Amish farms, what a privilege for me!

Vist with some Friends in Toronto

While in Toronto I was able to take time for some of my friends.

I met with Bruce and Marlene and Joyce one evening for a delicious dinner. So good to see you and thank you for the song written on your way home Marlene and Bruce!

Then of course were the Rusty Nailers of 2008. It was so good to see everyone, thank you for taking time to visit, eat and talk art.

And.... there was a Castor spotting in down town Toronto!!

Toronto Watercolour Society

After the E.C.O. workshop, I had the pleasure of teaching for the T.W.S. at a cute hall in Lemonville.

This was a figure class with two models a day and lots of instruction to boot.

We were even able to paint through power and water outages!

Thanks Toronto for a great workshop.

East Central Ontario Watercolour!

Well the East Central Watercolour Society really knows how to paint and party!

For one weekend every year over one hundred like minded painters travel to a camp and work hard and play hard with skits, music and dancing the night away.

My class was great, I really enjoyed being a part of the weekend!

Over the years you meet such wonderful friends like Brigitte Schreyer (she is a fantastic artist!) who attended the E.C.O. weekend.

The Eye

By the way, in my Face and figure workshops I will demo different concepts. This is an example of an eye demo in progress.

Gabriola Island Symposium

The Federation of Canadian Artists organized a symposium on Gabriola Island in September. I was lucky enough to participate for a couple days before flying off to Toronto for another workshop.

The photo describes some of the beautiful scenery found on the Island.

East Coast Trip!

The first part of the trip began in New Brunswick where my friend Debbie showed me around the St. John area. Deb was a wonderful host and we had a great time touring art galleries and touring the local landscape.

We then traveled to Cape Breton Island for the CSPWC symposium. The week was a tremendous success videos of the week can be purchased through the water colour society (C.S.P.W.C.).

On the last day my friend Nicole and I toured the Cabot Trail, here is a photo of the beautiful scenery.

Whistler

I have to say that Whistler is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen.

The Whistler Arts Council invited me to teach a layering workshop in a beautiful cabin on a lake.

The participants and I had a great time painting at such a spectacular location!


Thank you Jenn and Bea!

Cheyenne!

I had a wonderful time in Cheyenne where I taught a workshop for Laramie County Community College. Mrs Esther Clay invited me to lead the workshop for a full class of keen painters.

The Clay's hosted a lovely dinner and gave me a tour of Cheyenne showing me where the world famous Frontier Days take place.
I saw a tone of antelope throughout the country side and visited some crazy rocks at Veedavoo.

What a great trip, I hope that I have the opportunity to see Wyoming again.

Face and Figure Workshops to Consider

Here is some information on two upcoming Figure workshops this year. The first is at Red Deer College in central Alberta and deals with the figure in costume.
The second workshop deals with the face and figure at Dillman's resort in beautiful Wisconsin.

Red Deer
Welcome to Series 2009 and Red Deer College!
We are delighted that Series Summer School of the Visual Arts will be the first occupants in our new Visual Art Building. New painting, sculpture and ceramics studios, classrooms and gathering areas, along with the current studio spaces, have allowed us to expand the variety of workshops in our summer program. You can help us spread the word about our great workshops. If you know of someone who might be interested please direct them to our website at www.rdc.ab.ca/continuingeducation or email us at arts@rdc.ab.ca . If you belong to an organization or know of one which would like to distribute our brochures or let their members or clients know about the program we will follow up with them.

We’ve listened to previous participants and we are cutting down on paper usage as much as possible. We are regularly updating our website www.rdc.ab.ca/continuingeducation with information regarding events, food services, accommodation, and materials for workshops. If you can’t find what you’re looking for please contact us at arts@rdc.ab.ca

The cancellation policy is outlined in our brochure. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to cancel since some workshops are very popular.
Our goal is to run every workshop we offer but if we do have to cancel due to low enrolment, we will provide 30 days notice and try to accommodate you in another class.

Getting to your workshop
Red Deer College is just off the QEII Highway (Highway 2) at 32nd St. If you are staying in Residence please go to Residence Administration any time after 2pm on Sunday and check in. There are no food services available at the College on Sunday but we’re planning to light the BBQ for an informal gathering of participants staying in Residence. Details will be posted at Residence Administration and on the Website.

You are welcome to get set up in your workshop on Sunday evening. Series summer staff will be on hand to direct you to your workshop and provide assistance.
Your workshop is from Monday – Friday, 9am – 4pm. The studios are open in the evening until approximately 10pm (8pm for the glass studio) for you to practice your skills. Due to the nature of art classes, schedules are flexible and your instructor and/or the technician will keep you informed of any schedule changes.

Series is not just about workshops!
· Bilton Contemporary Art Gallery, Red Deer will be exhibiting the work of selected Series instructors.
· Red Deer College will showcase the work of Series Instructors in the annual Series Faculty Exhibition.
· Series Instructors present their own work in an audio visual presentation on Monday evening.
· Series welcome dinner on Monday evening.
· Thursday evening is the highlight of the week as participants present their work to fellow participants and the Red Deer community and celebrate the week’s accomplishments with a cheese and wine reception.
· Special events will be posted on the website and your instructor will keep you informed.

Series Visual Art Workshops
Your supply list is online at www.rdc.ab.ca/continuingeducation Please check before you come in case your instructor has added any last minute items. Red Deer College Bookstore sells basic art supplies and there is an excellent art store in town. In some workshops the supplies required to complete the projects planned will be provided and the cost has been included in the fee.


Dillman's
For information call: 403.356.4900
or e-mail: continuingeducation@rdc.ab.ca
To register call: 403.357.3663

Pederson October 5 – 11, 2009 (Five Teaching Days) Faces and Figures in Watermedia
New to Dillman's http://www.jeanpederson.com/
This course is designed to open the door into exploration of various combinations of water media while dealing with the face and figure. You will be encouraged to take risks beyond the traditions of watercolors in the pursuit of your own personal language. As well as working with traditional watercolor, we will be mixing it up by exploring how everything from watercolor to gouache, gesso, inks, and mark making tools can work together. These techniques can be applied to a variety of styles to create your own unique artistic statement. Emphasis will be placed on personal style.
Jean has been painting for over twenty years, balancing her strong teaching and writing abilities with her continuing aspiration to convey her ideas in visual form. Jean's portrait paintings are based on people who have influenced her in some way. These subjects often reflect different walks of life as well as diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Expressing the human figure in a language that reflects the twenty-first century is perhaps the greatest challenge in figurative work today.
Jean's traditional practice includes referential imagery of people, still life, landscape and non-referential imagery. Layering of various media offers Jean an assortment of possibilities; quality of edge, line and texture all play a role within her imagery. Although well known for her mastery of watercolors, mixed media has become an important vehicle for her creative expression.
Jean has been honored with numerous National and International awards over the years, and has work placed in the Royal Collection in Winsor, England. In 2005, she was the first recipient of the Federation of Canadian Artists Early Achievement Award, recognizing her many honors and awards for consistently exceptional painting, and for her international writing to promote art education.
Jean has exhibited her work internationally in London, England, Stockholm, Sweden, New York, United Nations, San Francisco, Mexico and across Canada. Outside Jean's traditional practices, she recently completed an exhibit dealing with the changes that have occurred within the social fabric of Rural Canada. Slated to travel to various public galleries, Farm Fragments is as eclectic as the people who made up the rural society. Jean has included paintings, collage (using the old documents to symbolize all that is left of the family farm), and Polaroid transfers of old and new photographs, and installations using the pieces of the old house to tell this story. The people who broke the land are the real story, they immigrated, toiled and nurtured the land it’s community. Any experimentation that you practice will ultimately creep into your traditional practice to keep it fresh.
N E W S R E L E A S E
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: Dillman’s Creative Arts Foundation, P.O. Box 98
Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538 (715) 588-3143
http://www.dillmans.com/ art@dillmans.com

4th Annual Mentors' Day

4th Annual Mentors' Day

On May 9th I participated for the third time in the 4th annual Mentors Day and the Leighton Centre.

This project was initially conceived to honour the teaching and mentoring legacy that the Leighton Art Centre is built upon and the artists of today who have taken on the important task of passing on their own legacy by teaching others. Join us for this special day which has become an annual spring event at the Leighton Art Centre.

The Mentors presented this year are a wonderful example of the talented teachers found in the Calgary area.

Jean demonstrating layering using abstraction.

Fernie Workshop

Students watching Jean doing a demonstration.

I had a great time teaching at the old Train Station for artists in Fernie.

Although the weather was a bit chilly, the enthusiasm was great and everyone had lots of fun with mixed media!

Workshop painting!

Robed Creature of Cedar Lake Spotting!

I must admit that I was reluctant to post this sighting but fellow artist Marc Gagnon encouraged me. Last fall our Algonquin group painting trip was filled with great inspiration but also frightening experiences with ghost apparitions and other unusual sightings. At first we thought that it was a local Sasquatch sighting…

On closer inspection some of our painters thought the creature to be rare FRENCH BALD BEAVER.

We were lucky enough to get a closer look and realized the this vision was that of the "Robed Creature of Cedar Lake"

Marc, thank you for permission to release this burden form my camera!

Big Still Life

The big still life "Balancing Act" is 60 x 60 - acrylic/mixed media on canvas. The process of layering different media is similar on paper as on canvas. My pallet is also very similar to the watercolours, some colours are different when you jump from water colour to acrylic.

The painting is currently at the White Rock Gallery in White Rock British info@whiterockgallery.com (604) 538-4452

Costescu

Thank you for your note about my book. I am glad that you are finding the information useful and hope that you share some of your new paintings with me!
Best, Jean

Cape Breton

Mary,

Thank you for your comments on Cape Breton. I am looking forward to the symposium for several reasons but the location is something special!
I have only seen photos of this location and it looks spectacular.

Jean

Watercolour Symposium

CAPE BRETON WATERCOLOUR SYMPOSIUM
Presented by the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour
On the Cabot Trail at the Gaelic College Facility in St. Ann’s, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
August 23rd - 28th, 2009

This promises to be a week filled with beautiful landscape, history, art courses and artists; what else could you ask for! Instructors Brian Atyeo, Christopher Gorey, Ron Hazell, Jean Pederson, William Rogers and Anna Syperek will offer a variety of workshops for participants.

Look for more information at http://www.cspwc.com/

White Rock Gallery

"Balancing Act" arrived at the White Rock Gallery last week. The gallery sent this great photo of the 60"X60" painting to show how great it is looking at the West Coast!

These balance paintings are self portraits of myself as they relate to my life. I am balancing so many things Artist, Mom, wife, daughter, friend, volunteer, writer and so on...

The paintings show myself holding things together with fragile grace; one gentle breeze could upset the apple cart!

Hope you like the painting and if you are interested in purchasing it you can go to www.whiterockgallery.com

Thanks for the photo Dennie!