Gratitude Cards

This past summer I was fortunate to be employed by two individuals who gave me an opportunity to work outside. One person, Bernadette was my student in class and hired me to mow her lawn weekly, trim her hedge, weed her garden etc.  During this employment, I was fortunate recipient of her garden produce such as cherries, pears, apples etc.  The cherries were the most memorable experience for me as I never in my entire life had those kinds of cherries before.  Although I froze most of my cherries, I did make a homemade cherry pie which was shared with my family.  The second person, Dan who also employed me during the summer enabled me to experience landscaping to the fullest.  I absolutely loved the experience of going to greenhouses, picking plants and working my skinny arms off.  I learned so much from him as he has a wealth of information regarding plants. I am extremely grateful to these two individuals who gave me the opportunity to work outside (which I absolutely love), get some exercise and earn some extra money.

The above gratitude cards are rendered with pen and ink from my walk in nature where I of course have to feed my models to get some photos.

Not too long ago, I walked into a local art store, Delta Art and Drafting, and the head sales clerk comes up to me with a massive grin hiding something behind her back.  As she pulled out this sketchbook, I was at a loss for words.  Staedtler Canada had released a limited edition of sketchbooks that featured my winning piece on the cover.  I was shocked and stunned-and of course thrilled.  I am honoured that my artwork was chosen to be represented on the cover.  Of course I bought several to give away as gifts to wonderful students.

On another note, I have been updating my facebook account on a regular basis.  Please check out: https://www.facebook.com/Susanne.Lamoureux.Artist

Recent Exhibition and People's Choice Award

This past weekend, I participated in a group show in  St. Albert.  The first picture above are some  portrait studies I did in coloured pencils of the models that I hired.  The second picture are two of my pastel drawings.  Ama, shown with the red ribbon, won first place in people's choice award from the  participants in this city and now is hanging in a collectors home.  Congratulations to the new owner of Ama,  and wishing him many years of happiness and beauty in his home for years to come. Thank you to the participants who voted for me.  I am honoured and grateful for the vote.

There is something that I wish also to discuss on my blog as I was approached this past Friday while attending the opening of the show by a lady who asked  if I would consider  reducing my asking price on one of my pastel drawings. Perhaps there are artists out there who may bargain and reduce their prices, and this lady felt it was acceptable to request a price reduction but I was shocked by her question.  Upon discussing this matter with other artists, they too have been approached from time to time about a price reduction in their creations.  Although I cannot speak for the other artists and represent their thoughts, I can address mine and the current reality of my situation and explain why I do not bargain my asking price. First of all,  every show that I have participated in takes a percentage of each item sold ranging  between 20-30 percent. If I was represented in a gallery a greater percentage is taken.  The second thing is that the people I draw are hired individuals.  The third thing is money is spent on the materials used in the creation of the picture as well as the framing costs.  Perhaps the final thing to consider is my time invested in each drawing.  The pastel drawings specifically take me over one month to come to fruition and larger pieces take more time. In reality my asking price doesn't even cover my investment in time. Moreover, the time invested in education and my experience are also a factor.

Finally I wish to address the point on investing in art and paying the asking price.  Perhaps up front it may seem to some people like a chunk from their pay check (less than a month's rent) but in reality art will last a lifetime and beyond. Unless exposed to the elements, it is one of the few items that can last for hundreds of years.  Can't say that about vehicles.   If the piece speaks to the individual, it is worth having beauty in the environment for years to come.  No price can compensate for the joy and happiness and beauty that art adds to a life. Since it lasts for many many years, in the end consider the fact that it is less than a penny a day for the benefits attained by the purchase.

Pursuing Dreams

Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve – Wilfered A. Peterson

The above quote by Wilfered A. Peterson accurately describes the mentality of a young girl named Melanie, who came into my life many years ago. For a young lass she had an incredible work ethic, was committed to excellence, persevered through difficulty and was determined to excel.  I was blessed to teach her privately for six years and when working with an individual on a one-to-one basis, the accumulated time together enables me to get to know and understand a person’s characteristics.  From the get go, Melanie was a focused, disciplined and an eager student.  She worked hard during her lesson as well as at home during free time. She was the type of student who always wanted to do her personal best in any given situation and embraced challenges enthusiastically which allowed her to perform remarkably.  Melanie was a perfect pupil for any teacher to experience.

With my time with Melanie, her art skills soared dramatically. And it came to no surprise when she won numerous awards locally, nationally, and internationally.

I was inspired to do this drawing with Melanie playing the violin as a tribute to her character as well as to reveal the complexities of learning a musical instrument or anything that requires skill development.  To be proficient in any skill such as drawing , playing a musical instrument or sports, it requires an investment of time, perseverance and striving for constant and never-ending improvement.

She was a real gem to teach and a very rare focused girl at her age.

For Sale

Drawing size 21.63 x 15.5" plus frame and mat

Please contact susanne@lamorearts.com

Moonlight Sonata

When photographing models, the wardrobe, the angle of light to the person’s features, and the position of the camera relative to the position of the individual are considered.   During the photo session, I will take several photos of the model to capture the right look and pose.  Moreover, the photo session with the model may take several days to get a few useable photo references.  This is what I did with my all of my models.

In the drawing entitled Moonlight Sonata, I was inspired by Rembrandt, a seventeenth century Dutch artist, who is famous for the technique employed in his art work called Chiaroscurism (strong contrast between lights and darks). Bold, strong values in a drawing give the composition a sense of drama.  I wanted to capture that drama in my drawing and found the perfect opportunity while photographing Ama.  Wanting her face, hands, and the violin to be the main focus in this drawing, Ama was dressed in black to cause the unimportant features to be lost in the shadows.  I positioned the spotlight on her and removed any secondary light source that may have conflicted with the effect.  I liked how her glasses shimmered against the darkness and how radiant she looked with the violin.

Moonlight Sonata

Pastel

20.75x15.4" + frame

For Sale

For more information please contact susanne@lamorearts.com

The Opening

Above are some examples of my pictures at the exhibition before it was opened to the public. The day, which I was happy to see was sunny and warm and a perfect day for distance travellers.   The first thing I did was look for my name and picture on the highway sign advertising my show.  Yeah I saw it and was thrilled to see one of my drawings on display for the public driving by to see an example of my work.

The afternoon went by so fast!  I was pleased to see so many people at my first solo show and many people travelled from far and wide to come and see the show and  I am so grateful for the effort and time to those who came.  Thank you for coming.  Although it was difficult to talk with everyone, I am happy people were patiently waiting for their turn.  It was nice to hear from the public which piece was their favourite and why.  A vast amount of interests but a few common ones as well.  At this show, there were pastel and graphite drawings as well as coloured pencils. The show is until March 27 and if you get a chance do come by.

Next month I will be part of a group show in St. Albert between April 26-28 and will be starting a new piece today and hope I will have it completed by the show at St. Albert (that is if time is on my side) as well as hope to display more studies at this show too!  I will be there opening day Friday April 26 between 5-9 pm at the City Hall in St. Albert if you would like to come by and say hi.

 I am booked to have another solo show at the Dow Centre in two years and have already started planning my pictures.  Yesterday I spent the day walking outside and came up with some new ideas and am eager to hire models to pose for my next series. I am quite excited about my new series and yes indeed it will take two years to undertake my theme.  I will, be part of group shows intermittently between now and 2015 and will give the public a sneak peak of what to expect.

Embraced By Light

 Since there is a tapestry of cultures that participate at Edmonton’s annual Heritage Days, it was a perfect place to photograph people for future drawings. One little girl caught my eye. It was by accident that I saw this girl as she poked her head out of the tent.  I knew immediately when I saw her I had to photograph her.  Although, it was an overcast day, I did manage to sneak a few shots but when I got home the quality of the photographs were somewhat compromised.  The next day much to my delight was sunny and armed with my camera I set out first thing in the morning.   I liked how the sun embraced this little girl from behind and on top of her head causing her beads to glisten in the warm light.  The sun’s strong light created interesting shadow shapes on her face.  Perhaps the most challenging thing for me when I did this drawing was to capture her happiness and joy while being enveloped in the warm light.

Pastel

15.5 x 18.5"

framed

for sale