Barbara Pagani's Tresor Cache 101

I absolutely love this little desk. It has a couple of scratches on the paint but all in all in mint condition for a curb find. The bottle is stamped 1969. I love the 2 little drawers on the top too for my receipts and change. It fits in perfectly in my tight studio with way too much in it already. I sit by the window at my desk and do some water colours but other than that I only work in there now when I am working on bigger paintings because it is small. And to my surprise , I found a similar desk in the new Ikea catalogue with a mirror for $269.00. Now we all now that mine is pure wood and I am loving it.

I know that a lot of you thought that this painting was pretty cool but it just was not doing anything for me the creator. So one sunny day while in a zen state and all my paints outdoors, I proceeded to change it up first off by adding texture with some tissue paper to cover the under painting which I was no longer able to add gesso on top of the varnish medium that I had used. I applied that with modeling paste and let it set for 24 hours. The next day I decided to use up the rest of my paints with pouring medium so that I could clean out the containers and make a new batch and proceeded to drip like a 5 year old randomly on the canvas. I did have the idea of doing a humming bird for my sister in law but in the end when it dried it looked more like a hawk to me. She was visiting from Ottawa and walked past the room it was drying in and fell in love with it before knowing it was for her. She said it reminded her of a fairy butterfly. So having that in mind, I then added some whimsy t

This painting scene of Montreal which I did many years ago has been requested by one of my faithful followers and after doing the latest one and posting it on FB and instagram, it is probably the most liked painting that I have done. I need to do 2 16x20 this week. One is heading off to Calgary and the other locally. My daughter wants me to do a huge one but I told her that it would be later in Oct because of all the birthdays in this family from Aug to Oct, it is just too busy.

You know if you do one small thing it could change a lot. Smile at someone and they most likely will smile back at you. Hold a door open for someone and see how appreciated people are.Take a little bit of extra time out for someone even if you don't know them. This is my challenge to all my friends and family, every day  whether it be donating your time, money it is up to you.  So I will be donating the proceeds of this mini 6 x 9 acrylic painting to the highest bidder ending on Aug 28th in memory of my mother's birthday and the proceeds will be sent to ALS. Just for the record my mother did not have ALS but I am sure she would be happy if she knew what I was up to.

We visited this wonderful restaurant Kayak Cafe on Sunday with our good friend Larry. My husband and I had only heard about it but never visited it. We arrived at 4pm and had some drinks and appetizers and at about 7pm we had dinner. During our stay there must have been at least 100 people that came through between the restaurant and the kayak rental below. The food was very presentable but nothing spectacular for people who enjoy cooking like my husband and I. The dumplings cost $6.99 for a plate of four which I found a bit pricey considering they did not taste home made. The calamari was bowl full with a dip on the side for approx the same cost which was more reasonable. The meals were tasty and the service was very good.All of the staff other than the owner were young and very friendly. The view was wonderful considering it was at least 80 degrees outside. They definitely have a perfect recipe for success being right next to a camp ground and the Riviere Rouge

Source Google search  Ray Phillips

So far I have only tried the Krink metallic paint which comes in a small bottle with a sponge applicator on 2 edges of paintings and 1 card stock. It spreads so nice like butter and completes the painting better than any of the paints that I have been using till now. It took me approx 3 mins to do the edges of a 16x20 painting which would normally take me 1/2 hour with regular acrylic paints. On the test for the card stock, I was surprised to see that it did not bleed through. Next up Cobra dark blue spray paint with a fresh new canvas with the On the run paint in my new Molotow transformer marker. I will be doing a 48 x 48 Montreal night scene similar to the one that I sold this year. This should keep me out of trouble for a bit.

Another inspiring artist Mae Cheverette. I am inspired to get back into decoupage thanks to her https://www.etsy.com/shop/maechevrette

One great thing about being on vacation at our cottage is that there is no internet because otherwise I would be on it and not taking it easy. This is when hubby and I get a chance to do some art work in between all the work that is needed for a second home. So as soon as I unpack when I am home, the first thing that I do is load up my computer and get caught up on all my favourite inspiring artists out there. This one in particular is one of my favourite encaustic artists, Eric Gaston Simard. Check out some of his amazing pieces they are so colourful and here is some of the details of his proces with encaustic. I am so doing this with a couple of frames that I have where the glass broke, of course after I finish the paintings that I am working on. http://www.ericgastonsimard.com/#!gallery/c22j5