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"Workshops are a joyful experience for me. I enjoy moving from the quiet and isolation of the studio into the the tornado of workshop personalities and creative energy. I took participants out onto the beach at Hollyhock this year, not only to paint the beach but to paint 'on' the beach with brushes, seaweed, sticks and whatever came to hand for an immediate connection between the work, the landscape and summer sun. My workshop tour of interior BC provided a totally different heat-scape. My gracious Quesnel hosts gave me a tour that included the 7 - 8 foot river ice still a long way from melted in early April." Dianne |
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The artist's life is full of surprises. For Dianne, a phone call in in late May led to an intense five month project illustrating a children's book on the well loved Martin Mars air tanker aircraft used in forest fire fighting.
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| "It seemed quite serendipitous. I'd been thinking about how much I enjoy illustration and then, within a few days, I undertook a project that utilized my whimsical illustration skills and my fondness for landscape and colour." Above Dianne is at work on one of the twenty-nine 24" x 12" facing page illustrations for the large format 64 page book.
Below, illustration in progress and one nearing completion. Unfortunately these photos are of uneven quality. The actual illustrations are much brighter and richer.
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To see more of Dianne's illustrations with book order information
CLICK HERE.
Other Work - Below is a photo of Dianne's easel with her original sketch and other reference plus acrylic work-in-progress, Dianne's contribution to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Oceans of Art Show in June at the Nanaimo Art Gallery.
To see the final rock fish CLICK HERE.
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2009 Workshops took Dianne on a return visit to Fort Saint John, with new stops at Quesnel, Prince George and Cranbrook in addition to her regular classes on Quadra Island and at Hollyhock. Dianne encouraged new ways to think about shape, colour and composition with the use of large shapes and spontaneously selected colour to represent tonal value. Results were spectacular! The photos above and below are participant work. Wonderful! To see workshops of 2009, visit workshop page. Workshops are being organized for 2010. Check in again. |
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While we're on the subject of summer and the outdoors...
Dianne has fallen in love with roses. This is a beautiful Abraham Darby bud. "Our new place came complete with a developed garden and a fabulous collection of native and exotic plants. I'm smitten." |
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| It's nice to see what other artists are doing. We often pop over to Quadra Island and visit Christina Munck who is preparing for a signature jury. |
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Jodi's mask carvings.
Photo to left. Jodi has completed two masks, one of which appeared as a work-in-progress on our February newsletter. Carvings of this size are quite a physical challenge, but Jodi knuckled down and kept at it. The finishing sanding required hours of hand work. When the desired finish is achieved Jodi oiled the masks which preserves the wood and deepens the colour. CLICK HERE to see Jodi's finished masks.
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Jodi's most recent 2-D art combines watercolour and ink to create a series she calls "Stained Glass". Jodi's new work also includes more of her stylized trademark birds. See what's happening in Jodi's 2-D world CLICK HERE.
Below: Our new exhibit space "Muse Gallery" had a very good first season. We had lots of visitors and a very successful Cortes Island Studio Tour. It's amazing to share our work with so many people who find their way to our special island. In the photo below, our carpenter, Marc, is building a roof over the front and side entrances. The roof is now installed and we've planted a jasmine to climb the wrought iron trellis and onto the roof. The building in the back right is our working studio. Please visit us if you're "on island". Originals, fine art prints and greeting cards await your perusal.
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This plein air painting was done as a demonstration for an Art Retreat client who bravely visited Cortes in February. Despite the month, the weather was dry and warm enough to work outside on several days. We explored local beaches and this viewpoint on Easter Bluff. From the top we looked south over Cortes Bay, Twin, Hernando and Savory Islands and even Texada on the horizon. To see recent plein air watercolours, acrylic landscapes and Dianne's on-site studies CLICK HERE.
Art retreats are still in development but please visit our new page at
ART RETREATS CLICK HERE
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CLASSIC WATERCOLOURS. A rare opportunity has arisen to acquire some of Dianne's earlier work. "These are some of my large complex watercolours that often took weeks if not months to complete, layer after layer, brush stroke after brush stroke. This painting (Manzanita and Fir) is typical of several of the pieces." If you are interested in knowing more about this opportunity contact Dianne |
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Dianne says: "Better late than never. I've been planning to get these paintings on the web for ages. In 2008 I painted three acrylics from my Texas sketches. Here is one all trim and ready to hang. It was photographed at a frame shop. Along with it's two companion paintings. it now resides in a private gallery on a ranch in Texas.
To see more CLICK HERE |
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Manzanita Muse Studio newsletter,blog,Canadian west coast artists Diannne Bersea,Jodi Forster,workshops,watercolor,acrylic painting,drawing,whimsical art,editorial cartoons,art gallery,workshops, art classes,art retreats |
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In this newsletter --
News and photos of recent art and life events
Work in progress, as always
Back-on-the-Market
Four of Dianne's Classic Watercolours
Workshops past
Island Rest B & B
Our vacation & art retreat!
Scroll down to check it all out, and be sure to visit the rest of our site. There's lots to see.
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Newsletter Archives: Did you miss our previous newsletters? See them here: February 09..., October 08..., May/June 08..., March/ April 08..., October 07...,July 07...,March 07..., Dec 06..., Sept 06..., May 06..., January 06...,Sept 05,...,July 05..., May 05..., March 05 |
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Coming Soon!
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