Glacier Sun Winery and Tasting Room, Kalispell MT

If you're not out enjoying all that winter has to offer here in Montana, stop by the Glacier Sun Winery in Kalispell MT. I have several canvas giclee's showing in the wine tasting room, located in the Apple Barrel Country Market. 

I collected grape leaves from our family farm and used them to make initial marks on watercolour paper.  I also embellished with rice paper and some gold leaf.

The Winery offers a great location not only to enjoy great wine, but art as well.  Enjoy!

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Mark Making with Leaves

I have found that using leaves to make initial marks on paper or canvas  can be a magical process.  Over the years I have experimented with image making by using acrylic, watercolours and ink painted on to all kinds of leaves and then pressed to a surface. Sometimes the results are dynamic and detailed or the impression left can be lackluster requiring work on my part to be visually interesting.

I scrounge for leaves in the winter, and have wonderful friends who bring me bags of leaves from their gardens during the growing season.  I have found that freezing leaves allows me more play in the snowy winter months.  My husband says we have no meat in our freezer as it is full of leaves....and he loves me still :)

I have experimented with applying pressure to get the paint to release and merge on the paper; rolling with a brayer, applying a paper-towel over the leaf and pressing gently with my fingers to fully weighting down the leaves overnight.   

The pictures below show an application of watercolour to leaves that I picked from our family farm in WA recently.  In this project, I applied a solid surface weight (acrylic sheet over the leaf and then plywood on top) overnight to let the paint seep into the paper and do its magic.......

Grape Leaves 

Watercolour wash applied to the vein side of the leaf

Grape leaf imprinted onto 
Arches 140 Lb. paper

Grape leaf imprinted onto 
Arches  140 Lb.  paper

Sometimes I cut the individual leaves out and use them in collage, other times I work the background to complete the piece.

Thank You All for a Great 2014 Studio Tour

It was a Gorgeous weekend for Open Studio. The sun was shining, people were out and about enjoying the weather and some of the most amazing art that the Flathead valley has to offer. I appreciate your support and  encouraging comments.....it was really fun to meet so many new folks and reconnect with others. 

Thanks so much. 

Short slide show of the weekend event.

Watercolours for the Copper Sun Gallery

I'm excited to be working with  the Copper Sun Gallery in Kalispell Mt. 
Three colourful  watercolours delivered this week. Stop in and meet Beverly and her husband Dave and see their beautiful Gallery, conveniently located at 3955 "A" Highway 35 in the Creston Center.