A Yummy Start to the Week.

Good Monday morning. Did you have a fabulous weekend?? I hope my many U.S. friends enjoyed their 4th of July celebrations. Now it's a new week with new possibilities. Contrary to that popular 80's hit, I DO like Mondays and here's what I started my day with today. It's been a while since I shared a recipe with you here and here so today I'm sharing my favorite smoothie recipe that I created. Yes, we are a household of foodies here! Try one of these heavenly banana smoothies when you want a light breakfast or snack. It's yummy!!! Oh, and sorry about the somewhat blurry photo, by the time time I looked at the photos my smoothie was done. Cheers.

Heavenly Banana Smoothie

I frozen banana
1 to 11/2 cups soya milk
1 tbls. ground flaxseeds
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Whiz all ingredients in a blender and enjoy.

In2art Gallery

Tranquility 36x48 Acrylic on Canvas
Available at In2art

I'm happy to announce that my work is now carried by a new gallery in beautiful Oakville Ontario. In2art opened earlier this year by owners Kelly McDonagh and Susan Hoeltken, is situated in downtown Oakville at 136 Church St. in the "Valour House". In2art has an urban edge and a design forward approach to art. Clients are given the opportunity to take the art home on a trial basis as Kelly and Susan understand that the art needs to work within your home and budget. In2art is a relaxed gallery space where both experienced and new art collectors can discover great contemporary painting, photography, etching, and multimedia. You can view all the gallery artists here.

Summer Is

White Peonies

Time spent in nature

Trips to the beach

Listening to the waves

Pool toys

Summer is finally here. Our summers are so short here that this year I've vowed to enjoy every single moment that I can. That means dinners outside, enjoying my Starbucks on the patio, day trips to the beach and the harbourfront, and visiting friends with swimming pools. I'll be keeping up with my painting as well as I have a show coming up at Arts on Queen in August. How perfect is that? a show in "the Beaches" in Toronto.

Metamorphosis Show Continues

"Metamorphosis" a duo show I'm having with artist Anne Barkley, continues at Leonardo Gallery until July 11. I can hardly believe that we are into the third week of it already. For those of you that missed the opening reception on the 4th, I will be at the gallery again this Saturday, June 27th from 2-4 pm for another artists talk. Please stop by if you can.

Celebrate!

photo courtesy of Erik Vindedzis

I used to take stock of my life and the way things were going every New Year's Eve. All this changed in 1991 when my son was born on December 31st. After that, all my New Year's eves were making sure I gave him the best birthday I could, which became harder as he grew up and realized that all the celebrating, balloons, fireworks and noise makers were not exactly all just for him. So I moved "taking stock of my life" to my birthday. That will be next week and for days now as I've been going about my chores, and painting and taking care of my art business I've been listing all that I'm grateful for in my head. My Health. My family and my friends. The list goes on and on. I was reminded of this poem which became an internet favorite and later a popular song and video.

I'll be finishing three paintings today and making a delivery to a gallery but after that I'm taking a long weekend to celebrate Father's Day and then my birthday. I'm going to...

enjoy some pampering.
a little shopping
watch the British Grand Prix
help make a father's day breakfast to have while watching the race
watch a couple of dvd's
visit my dad
a margarita (or two)
definitely champagne

more shopping
eat chocolate
celebrate

Artists Toronto

Winter Dusk 8x10 Acrylic on Board
Avaiable

Solitude 24x30 Acrylic on Canvas
sold

The Artists Toronto website was started by a group of Toronto artists who are dedicated to provide art purchasers, corporate art buyers, interior designers, and art lovers easy access to the original work of a wide variety of Toronto artists. Although I've been included on this site for about a year, I recently invested in a comprehensive listing, which for a very reasonable fee allows me to have 12 images of my work, a full biography, and listings for upcoming shows and events on the site. Even though I have my own website I really think it's important for me as an artist to be included in Artists Toronto especially as potential clients are sent directly to my site and email. Sure, it's a great place for artists involved to comment and discuss all that's going on in the art scene, but it's also a wonderful resource for the public to get information about Toronto art happenings, gallery listings, and event listings. Whether you're a first time art buyer or s seasoned collector, you are bound to discover artwork that will suit your budget and taste. And let's face it, Toronto has an abundance of wonderfully talented artists ready to show you their work. You can browse through the listings, read about artists, and even view some videos. Check out this great new site and pass it on to friends and art lovers everywhere.

Get Them While They're Hot!

Little Birds 4x4 Acrylic on Canvas
Click Here to Purchase

Summer Birches 4x4 Acrylic on Canvas
Click Here to Purchase

Birches 4x4 Acrylic on Canvas
Click Here to Purchase

I just listed three more mini paintings into Red Banana's (my) Etsy shop. One more for the "Birds on a wire" series and two more for the "Birches" series. I like the square format of these.