BLOG – Artsy blather & info – Tessa Stanley Art

October 14, 2023

Metis Art

Having Metis status, I finally accomplished a bucket list item and recently learned how to bead and sew a proper pair of mukluks and some moccasins. I had watched both of my Grandmothers create many beautiful handmade items, but never thought to sit down with them to learn in my ‘youth’.

Well, recently I received an extraordinary ‘gift’. Beads, porcupine quills, leather and other items, inherited from my Grandmother and Great-great Grandmother. There were some gorgeous examples of their craft / art skill as well, which I have pictured below. I am so inspired by their skill that I am itching to start beading again. Painting may once again be set aside for a time while I finish a couple of beading projects I had started.

September 23, 2023

Time Away

Every now and then I find life happens and I prioritize family and other aspects of my life – ignoring my art to some degree. The past year or so this has happened somewhat regularly, with family health, moves, etc taking precedence. No apologies really, but I have missed painting on a regular basis.

This last month, I and the spousal unit took a vacation to the west coast in our van. It was wonderful and I kept a journal as I do on most trips. Below are some of the sketches from the journey. With winter coming, some of the photos and sketches are bound to turn into a painting or two.

August 18, 2023

Back at it

Spring and summer have always been a busy time & this year has been far busier than usual. With a move, landscaping, gardening, visitors and camping trips, very little time was dedicated to painting. Today – finally – I have put a nice dent in a painting I had started a couple of months ago. Here’s a step by step of the painting process so far.

The underpainting – using burnt Sienna to draw in

Into the colour now and getting a gradation in the sky

More colour and lots of stepping back to see if I am digging the drawing and if the values (light and darks) are correct. I already see some areas I need to adjust once the sky is dry, but overall things are going well.

April 25, 2023

Upcoming Show

I have been a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists ( https://artists.ca ) for several years now. I am also a Chapter member in Edmonton and 2 of my pieces will be on display at the Edmonton Chapter show starting May 13, 2023. There will also be a lot of other very talented artists – so come down and spend an hour checking out some beautiful art!

March 12, 2023April 8, 2023

What to do when things go south…

I started this painting on a large canvas – roughly 40 x 48″. I was inspired by a cold drive along Highway 2 and the sky colour and cloud patterns were pretty ‘exciting’. After I was 3/4 done I decided I wasn’t digging the large expanse of sky. I tried scraping, repainting and then put it aside. There is always an ugly phase, but this was tooo much.

A month or two later… fresh eyes … I liked the ground and low clouds much more. Out came the jigsaw and sander and I chopped off the top half, and repainted some portions. I was much happier with it!