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A Moment In Time

Genesis of the Collection

 

The seed for this collection was planted almost two years ago when a friend approached me to create twenty-five cards honouring landscapes from across Canada which she would then send out to friends for Canada Day. At that point, I was not venturing into landscape art but instead focused on individual subject matter in my art such as ballet dancers and with some placement of wildlife in their natural habitat. Always eager to challenge myself with each new project, I designed and completed those cards. This resulted in further developing my techniques and advancing my skill level. I began doing larger landscape pieces. With some of the pieces in this collection, I have started, stopped, and begun again many times over until I was satisfied that I had achieved my creative vision for that piece. It is always exciting for me to envision how a piece will come together, select materials and layer tiny pieces of leaves, petals and other components to create a whole image. Patience is essential in the process of creating using this medium. Many times, I have reminded myself to wait patiently to see where the layering of botanical materials takes me.

 

About the Collection

 

 

The title of this collection of artwork is “A Moment in Time” and it captures the idea that all of us experience moments in our lives that leave lasting impressions upon us. Whether that be a particular location or experience in nature, we carry those memories within us because we relate to them and want to revisit them time and again. When I began focusing on the subject matter to be included in this collection, I thought of those experiences and places people could relate to, but in the end, I realized that it was a personal journey to those places, experiences, and feelings that have touched my life. From my son’s first pastel drawing of the quartzite mountains of Killarney, my camping trips to the Bay of Fundy National Park, my first sighting of the covered bridge in West Montrose, a lazy Sunday drive in rural Ontario, or the sights and sounds of geese on the river that flows behind my apartment, each piece captures a moment in time that has touched me and influenced my life. Even this medium reflects my connection to nature and the world around me. My hope is that you not only enjoy the pieces in this collection but reflect on the moments in time that have touched your lives.

 

 

My grant from the Ontario Arts Council enabled me to jump into the world of art shows and exhibits as well as, showing pieces in galleries. This collection and my solo artist exhibit of these pieces at the Elora Centre for the Arts are a reflection of my growth as an artist and the final goal of this funding. I am grateful to both the Ontario Arts Council and the Elora Centre for the Arts for this opportunity to bring my artwork and this medium to a public forum.

Gallery

Please tap on the image to enlarge and scroll down for a detailed description of each piece.

Cheltenham Badlands, Caledon, Ontario

This beautiful heritage site is located near Caledon, Ontario. 

 

Creating this piece involved sorting through over 500 fall leaves and several attempts, to capture the right shading and undulations of the dunes. In addition, attention to the veining and directionality of the veining in the leaves was critical to the success of this piece

 

 

The dunes were created using various shades of fall leaves: ornamental pear, burning bush, and yellow ginkgo, as well as, dyed red daisy florets. Touches of mountain wildcat flowers represent the wildflowers growing at the edges of the dunes. The trees were created using raintree and rose leaves, and leather leaf fern. Finishing this piece are natural blue hydrangea petals.

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 14x11" 

Original NFS

Giclee Prints Available - 3" Mat - $200

Printed Cards Available - 5"x7" with envelope and protective sleeve $15

Bay of Fundy National Park, New Brunswick

Camping at the Bay of Fundy National Park meant lobster boiling in a pot on the camp stove, watching the tide roll in, driving through the Point Wolfe Covered Bridge, and swimming in this cove at low tide. This piece reflects an abstract interpretation of the Hopewell rocks along the shoreline as well as, the layering of pressed botanical materials to capture the seaweed covered rocks seen at low tide.

 

 

The rocks in the background are created by layering fall daimio oak and nine bark leaves over different levels of Arches watercolour paper with accents of asparagus fern and larkspur greenery for the seaweed and feather leaf fern for the trees. Fall oak leaves were used for the beach and along the shoreline. The rocks in the foreground are covered in asparagus fern over an underlay of tropaeolum leaves. Acrylic paint was applied to white marguerite petals for the water.

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Archival Paper

Size 14x11" 

Original NFS

Printed Cards Available - 5"x7" with envelope and protective sleeve $15

Hiking Through Killarney

Camping in Killarney, my son’s first pastel of the quartzite mountains in Killarney and my friends’ stories of hiking these trails have led to this composition of a lone hiker walking the trail in the stunning beauty of fall in Killarney. The pine trees in this piece are my ode to the Group of Seven whose own visits to Killarney were invaluable in introducing Canadians to this incredible land.

 

Rich in detail and texture, this piece is the result of layering thousands of leaves, fern pieces and petals. In the foreground, the reverse side of ningma leaves have been layered under dusty miller leaves to add shading and the presence of moss peeking out from the quartzite. Frosted fern or saginella was used for the bushes along the trail. Layers of fall sumac leaves and leather leaf fern make up the trees in the middle of this piece while layers of dusty miler, natural Japanese maple, high mountain silver stem, red Japanese maple, fall sugar maple, fall sumac, fall ornamental pear, fall birch, and rhombus fern leaves blanket the mountains in the background. The pine trees were created using nine bark leaves and asparagus fern. Fall ornamental pear, green aspen, fall ginkgo and nine bark leaves were used for the hiker while stem dyed hydrangea and white larkspur petals complete the sky.

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 14x11"

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat, $2000

Vacuum Sealed Behind Conservation Anti-Glare Plexiglass then framed with 3" Mat and Museum Glass

Giclee Prints Available - 3" Mat - $200 

Conquering the Crack, Killarney

The hiker has arrived after climbing The Crack in Killarney and the viewer is left to wonder about the beauty of the scene below. This piece captures the many hiking tales of friends’ visits to Killarney while the style of the pine tree is my ode to the Group of Seven members who first brought the beauty of this land to the attention of Canadians.

 

 

The variations in height and the undulations of the quartzite mountain top is captured by placing different thicknesses of Arches watercolour paper under layers of tropaeolum and dusty miller leaves. The pine tree was created using bark and asparagus fern. Nine bark, fall ornamental pear, and green aspen leaves come together in the hiker.

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Archival Paper

Size 10x8" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat

Original Sold

Giclee Prints Available - 3" Mat - $150

Printed Cards Available - 5"x7" with envelope and protective sleeve $15

David St. Bridge, Elora

The David Street Bridge in Elora offers pedestrians a birds-eye-view of the Elora Gorge and at its base, a popular setting for family and wedding photos.

 

 

True to its actual location, the bridge is prominently placed in cedar branches to represent the abundance of cedar trees surrounding it. The bridge itself, was created using fall oak leaves for structure and then overlaid with acrylic paint. The green-brown colour of the Grand River that flows through the Elora Gorge was captured by using the reverse side of high mountain silver stem leaves. The shoreline was created by using different shades of bark, pieces of northern brome grass, and the stems from the silver lavender flower.

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Archival Paper

Size 14x11" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat, $1000

Vacuum Sealed Behind Conservation Anti-Glare Plexiglass then framed with 3" Mat and Museum Glass

 

Giclee Prints Available - 3" Mat - $200

 

First Winter: Guelph Covered Bridge

I​ wanted to capture the Guelph Covered Bridge as it looked in the first winter following its timber frame build. It stands in all its splendour and beautiful new wood.

 

 

The covered bridge was created using fall oak and crab apple leaves with touches of nine bark leaves for shading. White marguerite petals and dusty miller leaves were used for the snow. This artwork is finished with dyed blue chrysanthemum and silver lavender petals for the water and bridge supports, with the stems of the silver lavender flower for grass

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Archival Paper

Size 10x8" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat, $650

Vacuum Sealed Behind Conservation Anti-Glare Plexiglass then framed with 3" Mat and Museum Glass

 

Printed Cards Available - 5"x7" with envelope and protective sleeve $15

 ​Guelph Covered Bridge: A View From Speed River

​Seen from the Speed River, the timbers of the Guelph Covered Bridge have aged and darkened in colour. With this piece I have captured the changing flow of the river and the shadows cast on the water by the bridge and its support structure.

 

 

I began this piece by layering stem dyed hydrangea petals for the sky and dyed blue chrysanthemum petals for the water. Over that the nine bark leaves for the bridge and its shadow were applied. High mountain silver stem leaves were used for the concrete supports of the bridge and the retaining wall along the river. Finishing this piece are raintree and aspen leaves for the trees and tropaeolum leaves for the grass.

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Archival Paper

Size 14x11" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat,  $1200

Vacuum Sealed Behind Conservation Anti-Glare Plexiglass then framed with 3" Mat and Museum Glass

 

 West Montrose Covered Bridge

When I first moved to Guelph, I discovered the beauty of Ontario’s oldest covered bridge – The West Montrose Covered Bridge. Since that time, I have had the pleasure of completing pieces for family members of the original builders and admirers alike. This is the third in my series on this bridge and captures a sight common to this Mennonite community, a rider with horse and buggy.

 

 

The West Montrose Covered Bridge was created using dyed red daisy petals and fall sumac leaves with fall oak leaves and white larkspur petals completing the interior. Nine bark leaves were used for the rider, horse, and buggy. I used the reverse side of dusty miller leaves for the road, fall oak leaves for the fence, petite licorice leaves for the bridge supports and ying yang grass for the tree. Completing the scene are tropaeolum leaves for the lawn, two shades of dyed blue chrysanthemum petals for the water and shadows, stems of the silver lavender flower for grasses along the shoreline and stem dyed hydrangea petals for the sky.

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 12x9" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat,  $800

Vacuum Sealed Behind Conservation Anti-Glare Plexiglass then framed with 3" Mat and Museum Glass

 Sunset Over the Speed River

Over the last few years, whether at home or in Northern Ontario, I have often seen the evening sky ablaze with the brilliant colours of sunsets.

 

This artwork captures a red-orange sunset over the Speed River in Guelph. Did you see the heron coming out of the shadows?

 

 

The sunset and its reflection on the Speed River was created by layering hundreds of red, orange, and yellow-orange gerbera daisy petals. The trees and bushes were created using fall sumac and dyed rue leaves. I received an order of pressed rue leaves that were meant to be colour enhanced to bring out their natural green colour but instead, I received rue leaves that were black in colour. This was the perfect opportunity to use them to create the bushes along the shore of the river that lie in the shadows of the taller trees. I used nine bark leaves for the heron. This piece has been varnished with a non-yellowing clear matte varnish that results in a blending of the colours of the petals. 

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 14x11" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat

Original Sold

Giclee Prints Available - 3" Mat - $200

Printed Cards Available - 5"x7" with envelope and protective sleeve $15

 

 A View From Island 10, Lady Evelyn Lake, Ontario

Each year I travel to Lady Evelyn Lake to spend a week at Island 10 Fishing Retreat. In addition to catching some spectacular fish, my soul is replenished for another year by the stunning beauty of nature and the calm that comes from a week without my phone. The incredible sunset over Lady Evelyn Lake is captured in this view from my cabin on Island 10.

 

 

The sunset and its reflection on the water is captured by using different shades of orange gerbera daisy petals and dyed orange chrysanthemum petals. For this piece I used the stems of dyed rue leaves as well as, individual leaves to create the branches in the foreground and the trees on the island in the distance. Accents of fall sumac leaves complete the shading around the island. 

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Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 9.5x7.5" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat, $800

Vacuum Sealed Behind Conservation Anti-Glare Plexiglass then framed with 3" Mat and Museum Glass

 Old Barn, Rural Ontario

A favourite past time of mine is to drive the back roads of rural Ontario where just around the next corner an old barn standing in an overgrown field with the remains of a crop planted years before, emerges. Many thanks to my friend Brenda whose insight and first-hand knowledge of life on a farm in Southern Ontario helped me choose just the right materials for this piece.

 

 

The barn with its missing boards and rusting roof was created using nine bark, fall ornamental pear, and green oak leaves. The oak leaves on the roof were first yellowed and faded by placing them in direct sunlight. Layers of saginella or frosted fern and wild sage make up the field with touches of goldenrod leaf sitting along a road of fall oak leaves. This piece was completed with natural blue larkspur petals for the sky, raintree leaves for the trees and nine bark leaves for the fence.

 

Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 10x8" 

Framed Under Museum Glass, 3" Mat, $800

Vacuum Sealed Behind Conservation Anti-Glare Plexiglass then framed with 3" Mat and Museum Glass

 Reflections of Fall

With this piece, I wanted to capture the splendour and beauty of the fall colours, their reflection on the water, and another favourite pastime of mine – sitting on an Adirondack chair absorbing the soul nurturing of nature.

 

 

For the trees and their reflection on the water, I layered red Japanese maple, fall birch, and fall autumn tear drop leaves with leather leaf fern pieces. Pressed bark completes the shoreline. The dock and Adirondack chairs were created using fall maple, fall oak, and nine bark leaves. The water of the lake and its shadow around the dock were done with dyed blue chrysanthemum and blue daisy petals, while stem dyed hydrangea petals were used for the sky.

 

Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 14x11" 

NFS

 Reflections of Summer

This piece may stand alone or accompany “Reflections of Fall” and captures a lone Adirondack chair facing the lake and surrounding trees.

 

 

I used different shades of fall sumac and fall ornamental pear leaves to bring out the contour and dimension of the Adirondack chair as it sits on a dock of fall oak leaves. Touches of nine bark leaves were used for the shadow beneath the chair. Aspen and raintree leaves along with leather fern were layered to create the trees with pressed bark for the shoreline. The water of the lake was created by first layering white marguerite petals and applying acrylic paint to the petals. After dealing with changes in dye lots of commercially dyed flowers, I chose to take charge of the colouring of petals used for both the water and the sky. The sky was created using layers of stem dyed hydrangea petals. 

 

Original Art: Pressed Botanical Materials On Arches Watercolour Paper

Size 10x8"

NFS

 

If you are interested in purchasing a piece of original artwork, giclee print, printed cards, having a custom card made, or discussing a custom piece of artwork you would like,

Please Use The Contact Form to contact me or reach me by email at ilived404@gmail.com. 

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