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Fancy Hands
Posted by Bonnie Warner Blackburn on
If I could just do lovely handwriting all day I suspect it would be my dream job. In Canada where my parents and siblings grew up, good handwriting is a major necessity of good schooling. It was just an important thing passed on to me. More then any other skills I have bought to jobs over the years I am complimented on my handwriting the most!.. (I don't know what this says about my other skills!?). In this age of typed and printed stuff galore - handwriting duties come to me.. Cards, notices, menus, notes, wedding seating plans and place...
Creations of the more adulty variety
Posted by Bonnie Warner Blackburn on
Outside of the realm of art for children, I do like to find time to dabble in personal projects and occasional commissions for paintings that don't involve jungle animals or fairies. A few years back I had a small one night show with a couple friends of mine.. we called it '3 dumb blondes'; brunette and brainy as we were. It was fun and I gave myself permission to do a series of abstract paintings, an area I wasn't altogether accomplished in but I felt the rumblings of some good ideas...I do think, in completion, they ended up being more...
'Owl flying in the summertime': Scandanavian wonderland
Posted by Bonnie Warner Blackburn on
"Owl flying in the Summertime" is a lush Scandinavian forest scene on a relatively small canvas- 16" by 16". It was a commissioned piece for a friend of mine in Sweden for her new baby Viktor, so it had to travel well, hence the choice of canvas size. A big challenge was creating a scene that included all the things in the brief shortlist.. Ground animals: bear, wolf, moose, deer, badger, lemming, hare, red fox, European adder. Tree animals/birds: lynx, woodpecker, owl, red squirrel. Other things: an ant hill, birch and pine trees. (Woodsy and playful, in the summertime when the...
'Sunshine fairies': teapot, flowers, sunshine and red.
Posted by Bonnie Warner Blackburn on
I LOVE red and I loved painting this- cheerful and dreamy colourful sunlight kissed goodness, 20" by 30" painting on canvas. This piece found it's home on 2 gorgeous sister's bedroom wall. A message to me from their pa: "I really love your paintings. There is something truly special and comforting and familiar about your art. It transports me back to the things that were special and personal to me as a child. I don't suppose the red one with the teapot of flowers in the sunlight is for sale? I was hoping it could be something my daughters will...
'Sophia's Enchanted Kingdom'... and the winner for the most eclectic brief goes to...
Posted by Bonnie Warner Blackburn on
I met a lovely woman at one of my market stalls and a series of emails followed that got me creating this cool, pretty complicated and challenging (as far as a child's painting goes anyway) work of art for her Granddaughter. Over time I had a mighty list of things to add to this composition- all things related to Sophia's young life at this time; a snapshot of beautiful memories, brought together against an enchanted backdrop... A veritable wonderland of interesting and quirky components and nostalgic images that will always help her to remember and reminisce on this time in...