Two of my pieces from Transformations have been juried into the annual OSA open juried exhibition, Memory.

Reception: Thursday, April 3. Ongoing to April 29. Location: John B. Aird Gallery at Bay and Wellesley in Toronto.

Dennis Cliff juried in two of my "horse" paintings for the Markham Group of Artists' first show in Toronto called Breaking Boundaries. The venue is at Art Square across the street from the AGO on Dundas. These are especially large pieces for the show. Open March 14 to 28.

On right now at Markville Mall in Markham, Hwy. 7 and McCowan is the Art Show in the nicest venue we have shown in. I've got 14 pieces up. From March 8 to March 20, Reception on Thursday, March 10, 6-9 p.m.

Please keep checking for future information. Please also consider "Following" me so that my blog info goes directly to your e-mail. Thanks for considering this.

I also want to thank the people who have supported and encouraged me in these artistic endeavours. I am getting to be where I am supposed to be... I love it.

Now, what is it I was doing?

I've been a little frantic because I chose to submit my art to a number of juried venues and they are now coming up. Here's what's happened so far:

I was accepted in the Ontario Society of Artists pARTners project in which 10 artists and 10 emerging artists from two colleges will collaborate on a painting over the summer. This culminates with a show of 30 pieces in the Woodstock Gallery in the Fall. Each artist will show his/her personal work and each pair will show their collaborative results. The exhibition will travel, at least, around Ontario.

What a great way to educate aspiring young artists. I'm looking forward to the collaboration.

I did practice!

I felt it was inspiring to finish a painting in only 20 minutes. But I did it! I did it 5 times and had a blast painting and listening for the alarm to go off. This is a good exercise, too, for those who are feeling a little flat with their work. Because you must stop in 20 minutes, you work from the heart without that long thought process. You should try it.

Varley Art Battle 2011

The Varley–McKay Art Foundation of Markham welcomed Art Battle (http://artbattleto.com/) to host an exciting live competitive painting event inside the halls of the beautiful Varley Art Gallery.

Art Battle at the Varley included a curated one-night, 30-painter exhibit in the gallery with all painters battling for the title. Standing easel to easel, artists had 20 minutes to create the best work possible. There were 3 rounds of competitive painting, audience voting and an auction of all the work created.

I put my name into the hat, hoping to be drawn so I could compete with a 20 minute painting. That didn't happen, so I had a wonderful time looking at the work being done by the chosen artists. Over 350 people attended this event and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Markham at the Movies

I’m a programmer for Markham Art Council’s Markham at the Movies. Our series started in September with a gala showing of the newly restored classic, Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis.” What a great night that turned out to be.

The next films for this series are:

January 24 The Secret in Their Eyes

February 14 Bright Star

March 28 Incendies

April 18 Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

June 20 Love Crime

Coming Soon...

I know it's still only January, but already there is excitement in the air, my air anyway, about a whole new set of ART happenings in the coming months.

February 5: I've submitted my name for the Varley Gallery Art Battle on this date. http://www.artbattleto.com/#889445/Feb-5-AB-theVarley

March 8 - 20, 2011: Markham Arts Council "Art Show" group show. Markville Mall Loft, Markham ON

March 14 - 28, 2011: Breaking Boundaries, Markham Group of Artists at Art Square, Dundas St. across from AGO, Toronto

April 5 - 29, 2011: Ontario Society of Artists Open Juried Exhibition, theme: "Memory". John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto

May 26 - June 5, 2011: Markham Group of Artists Spring Juried Show, McKay Art Centre, Unionville, ON

July 14 - 24, 2011: Ontario Society of Artists Members' Juried Exhibition at Papermill Gallery at Todmorden Mills

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Yesterday I met with Franklin Beecham, abstract artist, Robyn Craig and with Wilson and Winnie, the two partners at the new Cubbii facility where they offer 24x24 inch cubicles and larger areas for vendors to showcase products. The concept for the vendors is for a short term, low overhead space. We discussed how to show art in this wide-open space that features other areas of specialty items.

Some of my artwork is being tested in what was one of the refrigerated casements and small works on easels on shelves.

We developed some good ideas and are already implementing them.

Frank and I are showing our work, all for sale,

starting with an

Opening Reception on Friday, December 3

from 7 pm to 9 pm.

Light refreshments will be available.

Cubbii Market is located at the corner of Kennedy Road and The Bridle Trail, just south of 16th Avenue. Drop in and see us during the Opening Reception.

Today I am asking the energies of the universe to pass on my deep apologies for intruding in someone's life. I knew not what I did but it was basely selfish. I am in the process of learning a life's lesson because of this. Will it make me a better artist? That's not the point here. What it seems to be doing is opening my mind. My heart is crying at the pain I have caused. I am so sorry.

New Website Announcement

My new web site is up as of yesterday. Since you, the reader, have probably been to my website and clicked on the My Blog buttons you know what the web site is about.

Thank you very much for coming to this page. It is a much less formal way of letting my friends and clients learn what is happening with Audra's Art. I post irregularly but I imagine that will change as more people sign up.

And please do Subscribe using the tiny button on the right side and become a Follower by clicking on that button.

I want to thank Allen Class so much for teaching me how to control my own website and this blog. He's got a great new site at ArtGoneGlobal

How things happen

Things happen. Sometimes we even find out why.

I like to think that things happen for a purpose. You know, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." We are rarely in such "presence of mind" so we don't know if the horse has come or left. Or the egg...

But some things do happen for a purpose that becomes visible. Yesterday, Jim Allen was describing someone's work and wrote at one point, she was "figuring out the references of her philosophy and choices...."

Here's the thing: I commit Art as often as possible. If you are an artist, you know how awful it feels when you are blocked. Although I've got many other artistic activities in which I am involved, I wanna paint when I wanna paint. So I diddle around by putting a new streak here or there. Doesn't finish the art piece though.

So we artists walk around the work table until something kicks us where it counts and at last we sing out "Hallelujah" because we have just been presented with the hammer with which to break the block.

The above quote caught me because I continually find satisfaction using text in my art; from the title to text in the piece. I have added text onto the bottom of mats; made hand made books with text printed on vellum; used many common techniques to include text. I have figured out another way to incorporate words. All because someone sent me an email. Thanks for the hammer, Jim.

This is when we know things can be right in this world.

Something new every day

I love it when serendipitous things happen. I've just been on holiday and did a little drawing, a little photography.... Have you ever actually missed working at your job? It must mean that it is not a job, it is what you are supposed to be doing. I am doing what I love. And it pays off in some interesting ways. I've just sold two paintings that I like. I am glad they are going to an appreciative home.

I am still working on fine tuning my new web site and decided part of that "marketing" should include more exposure on Facebook. I don't like Facebook, though. It takes up a lot of time.

In some circuitous way, one of my friends is also a friend of an artist who I met many, many years ago. His fashion photography was so enticing, I used to shop in the stores he photographed for. I introduced myself on FB, reminding him of people that it turns out we both know - or knew. A boyfriend once said that Photography was a very small world. And so it is. You know someone I know.

I find it exciting that this happens. And I f ind it exciting that I have reconnected with someone who didn't know me personally, but who remembers the people I knew back then - one of the most exciting periods of my life.

Photo art started for me then.

Rewards come to she who waits.

I am pleased to announce that three of my images have been chosen for the 138th Annual OSA Member's Exhibition,"Being in Time." 410 images by 95 artists were juried by Carla Garnet, guest curator at Gallery Stratford. 82 works by 63 members were chosen.

The exhibition Reception is April 11, 2010, 2 - 4 pm, the exhibition dates are April 11 to June 6.

The Stratford Festival will be ongoing by then. Hope you make it a point to drop in to this fine gallery.

Gallery Stratford

54 Romeo Street South

Stratford, ON N5A 4S9

At any time now the New and Improved web site Audranobleart.com will be on line. Please be prepared, also, for further improvements.

Are you an artist? Then you probably know how I am feeling today... I had sent in a submission of my work to a well known public gallery and thought all submitters would be notified on February 15. Heard nothing on the 15th, 16th or 17th. Made a call, got no answer!

Yikes! did I not get accepted?

Called again this morning. I missed the part on the submission form that said "notified by mail on Feb. 15."

Three of the five pieces I put in HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED. YEAH!!! I feel like an Olympic champion. But that's the way I feel whenever my heart-earned work gets recognized.

Now to work again on web site....

It is amazing how quickly days go by when you are having fun. I love what I do!

I have a list of the submissions and exhibitions slated for the next few months and I am utterly thankful that I am using iCal to keep things straight. Here's a small taste:

Jan. 12 to Mar. 2 Teach Beginning Photo for Adults @ Varley Gallery, Unionville

Feb. 10: Colour/Fusion workshop

Feb. 15: Stratford Gallery acceptance notice

March 31: OSA Open Juried Exhibition submission deadline

April 9-12 Brian Smith Abstract Figures workshop

April 11 Stratford Gallery Reception

April 22-25 Heintzman House Exhibition

May 6 OSA Opening Reception at John B. Aird Gallery

May 17-22 Mayor’s Art Showcase juried exhibition, Markham Civic Centre

Although I have artwork that is ready to go, I am always doing more, better work.

A client is deciding to commission an abstract painting that may be larger than 4 x 5 feet.

It's the new year

The Christmas holidays were great fun. Family all behaved well so that Christmas Day was, well, the best we've ever had - and they have all been swell. We had a wonderful qourmet meal at New Years with our very good friends - artists, all. I got to show them my work at last and get their comments.

We all have a new decade ahead of us. No matter what may happen, we should remember that we are in some control of what we do with our lives.

To that end, I'm submitting 2 works for a critique session tomorrow. It is always good to have other people look at your work. You learn something for the next piece of art and you can improve on the critiques piece.

All the best to you.

Here we are... at last

Allen has just helped me set a new web page (to be online soon) and we have also set up this blog. Quie the morning's work.

I'm showing you one of the new works that I have created. At the left is a detail of a new image that is 13 inches wide and 44 inches long. It is very elegant and rather Asian in style. It is a photograph on which I have added paint strokes to add dimension.