ABOUT

MY ART JOURNEY

I always knew I’d explore art more in depth when I retired. Prior to that, other than occasionally sketching and taking a watercolour course at Mohawk College, I never found the time. After retiring I attended an evening class at Art and Soul Creative led by Michelle Guitard, artist, and her business partner Jane Thompson. I was very nervous and found it to be very fast-paced, but at the end of the night I was holding a painting of a girl on a beach with the wind blowing her dress and hair, and I fell in love with acrylic painting. That was seven years ago and I’ve been attending as many workshops as I could over the years. Michelle is so encouraging and I began signing up for instructional courses as well like colour theory, colour mixing, value studies, etc. and I slowly began building up my art supplies at home. I took workshops of images that appealed to me. Anything that caught my eye, from landscapes, flowers, nautical scenes, rural settings, and one I was particularly excited about - a tall, narrow canvas with a cow looking at you straight on!

 

 I signed up for an Immersive Workshop Program and Mentorship Program with Michelle a few years ago, and that’s when I made the decision to go “all in” with my practice and learning.  IOne of the challenges for me was to find my passionate subject matter. I was gaining experience and knowledge with each class and would practice copying artists whose styles I loved, hoping one day I could discover my own ideas and have the skill required to create them. After writing in a journal everyday I realized that there was a voice inside me urging me to follow my passion for all things 1960’s and 70’s. Because so much influences us in the first two decades of our lives, it’s always a part of us, and in my case having been blessed with a happy childhood my memories bring me joy and pleasure. So it made sense to listen to that voice and the more I delved into it and sought out images, ideas have been coming to me for future projects. A turning point for me was when I painted “Betty In Curlers” which is a head on a 12 x 12 inch canvas. I chose an image of Betty Draper from the Mad Men tv series and she became real to me. As I was painting her, I could see her emerging as a person, and even though she doesn’t really look like January Jones (the actress who played Betty) she’s my Betty. That was the first time I felt like an artist. I was happy with what I had created. I’ve since done a few more “Bettys” and love each one. They don’t look completely alike, but they are all Betty to me.  The headshots are a pleasure for me to do and I’ll continue to make a collection, but I also have ideas for larger projects that will challenge me.   Making art has taken on a whole new meaning for me now. I look forward to my time at the easel and happily put off household chores and grass cutting in favour of getting covered in paint.

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Daily art practice, meditation, having a passionate subject matter and MOST certainly having the massive support and encouragement of Michelle and Jane, have given me the gentle push forward and the courage to go “all in”. Art has lit a fire in this old gal to keep going and learning and growing. 

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-Donna Cunningham