A few weeks ago, the friendly people at ArtResin reached out to me with a challenge. They would send me some free ArtResin if I would do something creative with it and share it with all of you. Challenge accepted!
Alcohol inks look amazing under resin. The intense translucent colours of Penny Gabor Art are brought to life under this glossy finish.
ArtResin protects the artwork the same way hanging it behind glass would do, with the added benefits of not needing a frame and keeping the UV rays at bay.
It was late March 2021 when I created these beautiful blooms. I live in Northern Ontario, so it was still cold and we had a bit of snow left. It's on these dreary days of 'spring' that I start dreaming of gardens full of blooms and the sights and smells they bring.
My flowers are not paintings of any specific flower, rather they are more about the feeling of delicate beauty and the fleeting moments that we have to take them in. I've had my Easter Lily sitting in our dining room and I take in a deep breath of the lily's fragrance every time I walk by, but this morning I noticed that the last of the flowers is starting to wilt and there are no more buds. It seems like such extravagance and elegance to last only a few days - it always makes me sad when they are finished blooming. But as they finish others start, and so it is with nature. Each thing has its season and its beauty to contribute.
Last summer I bought a Gardenia tree - the fragrance of those beautiful white waxy blooms is other-worldly! And I enjoyed it immensely all summer! I brought it indoors and attempted to keep it alive all winter and we almost made it. It's rather amazing how finicky one plant can be and how hearty others are. Take the 'beautiful' Dandelion for instance - can survive under any conditions it seems. We call it a weed and yet it has highly nutritional leaves and a pretty funky spiky flower. Little children always see its beauty.
2020-21 has been a difficult season for many, and while the world seems to be in chaos, nature continues to blossom and bloom. Hard times have fallen on humanity before, and here in North America we are certainly not accustomed to days like this, but others around the world face difficulties we have never known as their norm. As we sit here, in our little garden called life, it is my hope, that through my paintings, I will inspire you to take in the beauty around you. We may have to look a little harder these days, or just pay attention to different things. It's nature for sure, and spring is coming! But it's also in those around us, and it can be in each of us.
What are you bringing to the garden today?
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