Red?

While seeing if I could improve the saturation of the reds in the Eastern Bakery photo, this happened and I like it.

Shop change

Better? I took out the Wok Shop title from next door and added a bit more texture while I was at it. Just realized that both shop images from San Francisco feature bakeries. Hmm...

San Francisco shop

Here's another San Francisco shop image. It took a bit longer than I planned to get another image completed. I do feel like I was productive this week, just not in this area. And now that I look at it on here I think the "Wok Shop" is distracting even if I love the name of the store. The main focus should be the Eastern Bakery. I love how this bakery looks like it probably did from its opening.

More to get on with for the Christmas show in November...

The Show must go Up!

So yesterday morning was spent putting up a display of my photos at the Cozy Cafe on the Danforth in Toronto. This isn't far away from where I displayed my watercolours during the Art of the Danforth. I went with a cafe/bakery theme so lots of photos of boulangeries in Paris and even cafes in Berlin (as seen above).

Still working on shopfront photos. I'll include one here that I particularly like from Barcelona. I think I'll also add in some of the modern day shops aka "big box stores." I'm still working out how to present these. They are driving so many individually owned stores out of business. Luckily in many parts of Europe this hasn't happened like it has in some small towns in the states. It really is more to do with the make-up of the town and how far away the big box stores have to be there to find the amount of land they need. It's also a different mentality although that has changed too. My "aging" of these stores to look like they're from the past might become reality sooner than we would like. It's even becoming harder to find the more traditional shop front since many are becoming so modernized with huge marble tiles, lots of glass. Anyway rant over.

December 2, 2009 - 3 photos and a watercolour

More playing around with Paris photos yesterday afternoon until a headache got the better of me. It cleared and I did a small painting of a door in Paris. Probably shouldn't have. Anyway, it's just okay. For instance, you can tell it's a door. I used the very "bleedy" smooth paper I got in Germany. It's a bit of a challenge. I love it and hate it at the same time.

Well, I'm pleased with the photos. I'll probably post them on redbubble today.

November 23, 2009 - London

More blasts from the past. I took an image of this place on the South Bank near the Design Museum in London May 2008. It looked like a combination restaurant and gourmet shop. Very nice area which used to be old warehouses and are now lofts and restaurants and shops.

November 17, 2009 - New York!

So if you've been following and wondering if I have given up or where I was I was in New York for 5 days. And the shop theme continues! I think this shop was on Spring Street. I wandered around that area for a couple of days. Great shopping. There are the big name shops on Broadway nearby but also some quirky and different shops on the side streets especially Spring and Prince. I love it there.

At first I wasn't liking this painting. It's sketchier than the rest but I think it somehow works like that.

Off to have some coffee now, get hubby packed for his trip and have some delicious hazelnut spread from Le Pain Quotidien.

November 8, 2009

Been busy creating more photos than painting the last couple of days but I did get this one done today. It's a beautiful day here so no more of that. Have to get out in the sunshine. It's also my mom's birthday so Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yet another French shop front. This one was near the marche des enfants rouges.

November 5, 2009 - Berlin Florist

Back to the watercolour shopfronts. I had drawn this yesterday but only got to paint today. Saw this shop while wandering around an area not to far from Alexanderplatz.