The Big Unveiling ~ lululemon's new mural

I am approaching my 1st year anniversary with the Halifax Seaport Market, and what better way to celebrate than to unveil my greatest pride and joy project of 2011, a huge mural installation for lululemon athletica's Halifax store! Check out their Facebook Page for more photos and local happenings.

Daina's completed 7-panel mural installation at Halifax's lululemon athletica store, 5490 Spring Garden Road, Halifax
Dimensions: l x h = 119" x 90" (9.9' x 7.5')

How I came to be chosen to create this soul-filled "Live near the ocean"-inspired series is a question I'm asked often, and can really only chalk it up to being in the right place at the right time, or if you believe in fate, when the universe was perfectly aligned.

It began with a trickle of visits to my Seaport Market "Art By Daina" booth. This lovely girl named Sarah visited my booth before Christmas, once on her own, once with her mom. And then in February I enjoyed a studio visit from her boyfriend who wanted to give her one of my paintings for her birthday! I started to get the idea that she could feel what I felt in my paintings.

Meanwhile, one of my best friends, Peta (who recently relocated to lululemon in Whistler), was raving about her manager and how she was a big fan of my art. Finally I connected the dots! Sarah Hockin is the Store Manager at lululemon! Then in June Sarah contacted me with the most exciting offer. To create a mural for lululemon! The head office began spearheading this amazing project in support of local artists a couple years ago, and it's making its way across the continent. Of course I jumped on board, and we began our collaboration working together over the next few months to make our vision come to life.  I am so thrilled to have been so lucky, and I hope you all can come visit the store and see it in person sometime soon!

Clockwise, from Left to Right, the following are each of the paintings that make up the completed mural installation. They were painted on 3/4" plywood, primed, and painted using heavy body fine art acrylic paints. The solid colour-block texture on each painting was created by imprinting an antique hand-carved wooden textile print block (collected from India, the birthplace of yoga) into a thin layer of gesso prior to painting.

Panel #1 ~ Dhyana (Meditation) Sunset, 45" x 35"

Panel #2 ~ Creativity..., 21" x 84"

Panel #3 ~ Point Pleasant Park Runners, 24" x 35"

Panel #4 ~ Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Sunrise, 45" x 35"

Panel #5 ~ Dance, Sing, Floss & Travel, 21" x 84"

Panel #6 ~ Virabhadrasana I (Extended Warrior I) at Lawrencetown Beach, 24" x 35"

Panel #7 ~ Lotus Wave, 48" x 48"

...and to think it all began from this tiny 8-1/2" x 11" mock up sketch.

Thank you Sarah and the entire lululemon staff for believing in me and trusting me to bring your vision to life, to represent the East Coast! Blessings and Happiness to you all... ~ DDS

Christmas Season Craft Shows

With only 5 weeks left before Christmas, local artisans everywhere are attending weekend craft markets, selling their hand-made creations to gift shoppers. This year I've taken on 3 venues, and am thoroughly enjoying these opportunities to show my paintings and reproductions off to new visitors. 

Fine art doesn't have to have a steep price-tag, and so I've made sure I have something for everyone. 

Nova Scotia is proudly named "Canada's Ocean Playground".  If you have saltwater in your blood, and love living near the ocean, or wish you could, come check out my booth and say Hello!

"Seasons Greetings" Postcards, set of 10 for $10.
Available in my Etsy Shop, or at my Art By Daina booth at the Halifax Seaport Market.

I have stocking stuffers ranging from $2 to $20

Original Art from $35 to $95

Group gift ideas for Family or the Boss,

And a perfect something for the Traveller, the Biker, the Sunset Gazer, 

the Beach-Goer, the Surfer, the VW-Lover, the Romantic,

the Gardener, the Yogi, the Nature-Lover, the Artist,

Grandma & Grandpa, Mom & Pop,

Dear Husband & Lovely Wife too!

Even Kids love my mini encaustic beeswax collages.

And remember, Everyone needs a 2012 Calendar...

Support Local Artisans

Give the gift of Hand-Made this year ♥

Art By Daina booth at the Christmas Craft Fairs, November 2011

You can find me at the following venues through November and December...

Dalplex Christmas Craft Market at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS

Booth #7

November 25: 12 noon - 9:30 pm

November 26: 9:30 am - 6 pm

November 27: 10 am - 5 pm

Halifax Seaport Market

Saturdays 7 am - 4 pm: Booth #139 (December 3, 10, 17)

Sundays 8 am - 4 pm: Booth #114 (December 4, 11, 18)

*If you want to know what other days I'll be at the market in December and in the new year, please go to the Market Map, select the date, and choose Art By Daina. Easy as pie!

Photography e-course with Shelagh Duffett

My friend Shelagh Duffett, a super talented daily photographer and folk artist, is offering a fun interactive e-course!

Photo by Shelagh Duffett, Alice in Paris Loves Art And Tea blog

Check out her Blog for more details and, well, really you should check it out anyway because she is always writing about so many interesting stories and posting beautiful photos that are sure to inspire. 

Registration is required by Wednesday at midnight AST, and the course runs through November 11th until December 16th. 

She has many testimonials from USA to Scotland who have really enjoyed her course, and I'm sure you will too. All you need is a camera, internet access, and a sense of adventure!

Here's the cherry on top: I'm holding a draw on my Facebook Art Page for one lucky follower. All you have to do is click on this blog post on my page and "Share" it with your friends, family, anyone who you think would also love Shelagh's photography e-course. One lucky winner will be picked on Thursday, November 10th. Just make sure you've enabled your Facebook to have a "Message Me" option for those who try to contact you who are not on for friend's list, or better yet- add a comment on the bottom of this blog post and include your email address and a note that you've shared it.

Photo by Daina Scarola, Lawrencetown Road November sunrise

Over Makapu'u ~ encaustic mixed media series

This summer I had the incredible opportunity to tandem paraglide over Oahu's beautiful Makapu'u Beach with expert instructor, talented photographer, and all around stellar guy, Jorge Atramiz and his friends. I have so much to share about that magical day, but that is another story...

Many have asked if I've started painting my Hawaiian experiences yet. Here is the first of them- a set of 5 encaustic mixed media collage paintings titled Over Makapu'u, based on photos I took while flying high over sunbathers, bodysurfers, and bodyboarders.

Over Makapu'u has not yet been listed or shown anywhere yet. Email me if you're interested in adding this series to your collection!

Melting 1st wax layer of Over Makapu'u series #5. Sides of panel are taped to keep the edges clean.

Just finished! Makeshift encaustic studio in my dining room.

Close-up view of 4- 5"x7" Over Makapu'u encaustic mixed media painting series. Materials: pure beeswax, filtered beeswax, pigmented beeswax, photograph decoupage on bamboo fine art paper, sand from Lawrencetown Beach, oil sticks, all on Enkaustikos panels (5"x7") and paulownia wood panel (9"x12").

Over Makapu'u #1, 5"x7" framed (sunbathers on the beach). $85

Over Makapu'u #2, 5"x7" framed (breaking wave view). Sold.

Over Makapu'u #3, 5"x7" framed (bodyboarders and bodysurfers overhead view). $85

Over Makapu'u #4, 5"x7" framed (lighthouse point view). Sold.

Over Makapu'u #5, 9"x12" encaustic mixed media painting. Sold.

Over Makapu'u #5

Close-up of Over Makapu'u #5

Over Makapu'u Beach series of 5 encaustic mixed media paintings.

The best tandem paragliding guide ever! Visit Jorge Atramiz' website and blog.

Jorge's paragliding crew & friends, and Stefan & I's VW camper rental from  Oahu Camping Vans.

Melting Beeswax: fun new encaustic art

For the past year or so I've often caught myself daydreaming about what it would be like to play with a new medium...encaustics. Whenever I visit art galleries I am drawn to this ancient art of working with beeswax, contemplating the process, all the while enjoying the sweet scent of honey delicately hanging in the air around each piece.

Finally the timing felt right. I had a huge block of pure beeswax collecting dust, patiently waiting to become something beautiful. Just as I did when I started oil painting, I ordered a couple how-to books online and started to teach myself, experimenting with different tools, surfaces, and techniques. I was instantly swept away! How ironic that the two most water-repelling mediums, oil and wax, help me express my beach wanderings and ocean play best.

My friend Claire Mackenzie helped me take the leap. She is an amazing encaustic artist who is also a watercolour painter and graphic designer. Check out her website ClaireAstra. Another inspiring encaustic artist who shares my love of depicting surf culture is Susan Wickstrand. Check out her Blog.

I'm sure this new medium will grow and evolve over the years just as my oil paintings have. For now, I'll go with the flow and enjoy working with them in earth-friendly collage paintings, using my giclee reproductions on bamboo fine art paper, layers of melted filtered beeswax, painting highlights with pigmented beeswax, adding subtle carvings for texture, all mounted on 1 1/2"deep cradled panels made from renewable quick-growning paulownia hardwood trees.

I couldn't find any books or encaustic materials locally around the Halifax area, and had to improvise on many tools. Here is a list of where you can find what you need if you want to dive in like I did...

Studio Space: my dining room table (yup!) covered up well
Hot Palette: griddle at Canadian Tire
Brushes: hog-hair brushes already on hand that were retired (too stiff to paint with)
Wax Pans: muffin pans and tin cans
Carving Tools: old pottery and lino-cut tools I had on hand
Wax: find a beekeeper to buy bulk unfiltered beeswax, or source filtered and pigmented beeswax in Canada through Curry's and Opus, or through Dick Blick in the US
Supports: use cradled wood supports or Encausikos primed panels, both available through the above shops
Tools: heat gun, wood-burning tool, torch, masking tape, pottery tools, etc.
Mixed Media: scrap-booking paper, sand, oil sticks, watercolors, acrylic paints, and anything you can imagine to use for different textures
Ideas: Two great books I've been referencing are Encaustic Art by Lissa Rankin, and Encaustic Mixed Media by Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch. They are both packed full of creative ideas and invaluable resources.

To see more of my encaustic collage paintings, please visit my Shop. To see my current art show featuring some of my encaustic art, please visit my website for more info on United By The Waves.