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My Extended Earth Hour

Last night was Earth Hour, a world-wide energy awareness hour that most of the modern world takes part in. I was looking forward to this time and had big plans. It didn't go quite as expected, but in the end something beautiful happened...

I really wanted to do my first painting by candlelight. Before the lights went out, I sketched what I wanted to paint- a small painting of a beautiful wave breaking, enveloped by jasmine
flowers. The colours would be simple- ultramarine blue, English green deep, cadmium yellow pale, sap green, and white, all pre blended so I wouldn't have to fuss in the dark.

The Moon








I hadn't showered yet and needed one! So to set the mood I poured a hot bath, lit the candles, added some jasmine essential oil to the tub, and got ready to enjoy a long hot bath. But first, lights out!

Setting the ambiance








I didn't want to JUST turn out the lights. I had the fridge on, the heat, the hot water tank- all big energy suckers. So, I flipped the main breaker! Voila, an hour of energy-free living, and I was ready to enjoy it. And I was, until my 16-year old dog, Daizy, got a little freaked out about the no power thing and started to move towards one of her full-fledged panic attacks, just as I was fully relaxing into the peaceful silence.

After my bath, I set to painting my little Earth Hour contribution. I had a hand-crank battery-free lantern and some candles. I was a little nervous about the flame in my studio. Just about everything in there has flammable warnings on it. Last night I quickly developed a fond appreciation for the 'olden day time' artists who created masterpieces prior to the invention of electricity. I was squinting so hard I was starting to get a headache. It just wasn't working. I looked at the time. 9:30 pm. I wanted to do this so badly and was feeling really disappointed with myself and frustrated that I couldn't SEE what I was painting!

I gave in and went down into the basement to flip the main breaker back on. I thought, oh well I tried. That's what counts. It didn't flip. I tried harder, but it wouldn't budge. It was jammed! I kept trying with all my strength. Fearing something would break and I'd get electrocuted, I called my husband's Uncle Bernie, the plumber and jack of all trades. Stefan told me that I could call him if anything went wrong while he as away. Bernie went into a full rant over the phone about how I was supposed to turn out the LIGHTS, not the main breaker, my house wasn't the CN tower, and that the main breaker isn't meant to be switched on and off endlessly because it eventually will jam. He asked if I'd be ok until the morning since I was going to bed soon anyway. I relented, blew out the candles, and went to bed worrying about the freezing cold basement and the pipes, and trying to fall asleep while Daizy panted and paced around the room, still panicking about the lack of electricity running through the walls. I gave her a double-dose of Bach's Sleep Rescue Remedy, and we both eventually drifted off.

This morning when I woke up I could practically see my breath. The house was fridgid! I told Bernie I'd be getting up around 7am. I had no idea what time it was, but was so much warmer under the covers that I didn't want to get up. I threw on my layers and slippers, went down into the storage room and found the propane camping stove. I made my coffee and went up into the studio. I realized then that I hadn't missed the opportunity to paint during Earth Hour after all! I had hours and hours of power-free hours!

I set out to finish the painting I had started in the dark, this time with the help of beautiful sunshine lighting my way...


Jasmine Beach Break
12" round, oil on canvas
available

In process

This morning, freezing. Wishing I could paint with warm gloves!

Beach Party

I painted this today and documented the process as I went along.

My first van 'Electric Pete' was a 1974 VW Westfalia camper. He was the best!

When I was 17 I wanted my own wheels so badly, but didn't have enough money to buy him. So my boyfriend and I at the time started a small summer business and I saved enough money to buy my first wheels! He silk-screened t-shirts and I tie-dyed t-shirts and we sold them on the sidewalk at the Kapuskasing 'circle', the roundabout town centre. He now has a successful silk-screening business, I'm here feeling nostalgic, painting Volkswagens. While my beloved van died over 14 years ago, I still miss him.

Beach Party

24" x 18"

available

You can also find this in the updated link Gallery - Surf Art to the right.

New round painting... To The Beach

I finished my newest round painting last night and enjoyed a deep sleep with sweet dreams.

Driving into a frangipani sunset to the beach...

To The Beach

20" round oil on canvas

I love this painting. Walked into my studio and said 'hello' to it this morning and felt happy! 'To the Beach' as a name is an option. But what about 'Frangipani Sunset' or ??? Any ideas my friends?

New Blog Gallery - Round Paintings

I added a new gallery to the right for my round painting series! Check it out...

Spring 2010 Flowers

My Gallery-Flowers link to the right is updated!

My Creative Family

In January I was kinda {bragging} about how artistic my family is, and how Christmas mornings are often a sharing of our latest creations. From when I was a young kid until I ventured off to college, my mom and dad were always doing things with their hands as well as my sister before she left for college. While it seemed everyone in town called us creative, none of us were 'artists'. Looking back, I realize we were all dabbling in different projects, on our own paths towards becoming artists. How we each came to have our own distinctive style and medium amazes me. My folks had always encouraged my sister and I to be unique, to find ourselves, and especially to express ourselves. Like it was only natural. Now, in my mid-30s, I know how fortunate we were, and are, to be have a family like ours. My dream is to someday have a Deblette Family art gallery exhibition. They inspire me every day, and I love them to bits...

Dad's Etsy Shop: Wooden Things And Me

Zebra Wood Bracelet

Spalted Birch Vase

Wooden Dragonfly Brooch

Mom helps Dad with his wood art, but Mom is also the most talented quilter I have ever met, though she doesn't exhibit her quilts. She will lovingly spend months and years working on their intricate, whimsical, stories and give them away as gifts!

Cheryl's Etsy Shop: Oh My Ampersand

Lillysella, a blog dedicated to supporting the handmade community and all the amazing artists behind it, recently did a spotlight on Cheryl and her OhMyAmpersand Etsy Shop.

Bird Collage - Finch and Wallpaper

ACEO 10

Fallen Overboard II - Jellyfish Print

Wood Brooch - Retro Design

Updated Galleries

The Seascapes and Figures Galleries to the right have been updated!

The perfect wedding gift!

"Just Married" vintage rusty pick-up truck with Forget-Me-Nots

oil on 20" round canvas

NEW! Round series

For those who have followed my work over the years, I've combined my love of flowers, figures, landscapes, and print blocks into a new series. I have at least 10 more ready to paint and an infinite number of ideas for more streaming in!

This is Hibiscus Aloha...

oil on 20" round canvas

More flowers! Spring must be in the air...

This weekend when I was rooting through the loft in search of canvases to recycle I found lots of these 3/4" square canvases. Years ago I went through a 'square' stage and really stocked up! Now I'm kinda going through a 'round' phase, but thought these would be nice for flowers since I'm feeling pretty springy lately.

First day...

...and finished!

These are both 12" square on 3/4" canvas with painted edges.

Old canvases get new life

Last night I sorted through my old paintings in the loft and decided to give some of them a face lift. I gessoed over them, but found the old painting texture was showing through too much, not in a way I could work with.

So I really plopped on the gesso and spread it like butter with my palette knife evenly across some of the canvas.

Then I took one of my cool hand carved antique wooden print blocks and stamped a different texture into each one. This morning they were dry and looked great!

I sketched out some flowers (I missed painting flowers) and

started working with a couple of them today...

...and Voila!!

Daisy Red

16" x 20"

Wild White Daisies

16" x 20"

Two of my (many) favourite things...

Home should be a sanctuary, where you can always feel safe, warm, and inspired. My little home on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia is that to us and so much more.

This morning I enjoyed the

sunshine while eating pancakes and sipping cappuccino, just before going up to my studio to give some old paintings new life.

This is my favourite painting, Into the Storm, which has more meaning now than it did 3 years ago. I will never sell this one (unless I find someone who loves it even more, if that's possible).

Into the Storm

4' x 5'

Life is NonLinear - New Round Paintings

Life is... as unique to each of us as we are to each other. It has no boundaries, no corners. From our energy fields to

our thoughts to our cells to our Earth and solar system, life

is NonLinear. Welcome to the circle of life. Where we are

exactly where we're supposed to be. And trying to figure out where we are. This is where miracles happen. Where

dreams are born through daydreams and reality is what we believe to be real...

Surfer Girl, 12"

Etsy shop, link to right