My Year Ahead.

I'm back in the studio after two meetings this morning and am super motivated. I've been meeting weekly with another artist/friend since last November. These meetings are all about goals, both career and personal, and keeping each other accountable and on track. Of course there is some small talk and plenty of coffee involved.

The Cityline crew taping in my home/studio.

Much was accomplished last year and probably the highlight was my art/design segment that I worked on with Sharon Grech for Cityline. That dream/goal was a year in the making and well worth the effort. The summer months brought some excitement when I noticed that a couple of my published posters were bestsellers online. Travel is oh soooooo inspiring and there were three trips to Vegas (I know!!) and one to NYC. There were also plenty of field trips to the AGO and local galleries, and I said good-bye to an artist friend that left the country to follow her heart (brave soul)

This coming year is being planned and mapped out. I didn't always do this in fact for so much of my life I just 'let it happen' but now I know that once written down, that dream becomes a goal and attainable.

What I know for sure.

Exercise and eating right are key for me to stay motivated, inspired and happy. Not so much the eating right, that I'm quite good with, but when I get really really busy, the exercise is the first to go. I won't do that this year. The workouts are scheduled in and will happen regularly!!

I need to get out!! Long days painting in the studio can be isolating. I need to get out every day for a twenty minute break, grab a coffee or just a walk around the block. 

A few goals from the past couple of years that were put on hold for one reason or other will be on my calendar this year. The timing is right.

I am going to ask for what I want. Step out of my comfort zone more often, and dream big. I'm not going to let my 'inner critic' screw with me as much. Look out 2015, I've got this!!!!!!

Getting Ready for 2015.

Detail from 'Trendy Birches' 

12x36 acrylic on canvas

$750.

Avaiable at Arts on Queen

All is well here in the studio although I haven't had a chance to get to my easel and paint for awhile now. We got back this past Wednesday from a short break. A long weekend in Las Vegas. It was a much needed break and now that I'm back I'm refreshed and inspired. The desert always does that for me. The wide open space, the big sky and the colors. Oh those colors!

I am now in planning mode. Not only planning festivities with friends and family for the coming two weeks, but also planning for the new year. Setting goals both art related and personal. I like this time of year. New beginnings. A fresh start. How about you? Do you start the new year with resolutions or a goals list?

Birches and Birds on Wires.

Birches, Birds, & Wires is a collection of my paintings hanging at Arts on Queen for the month of November. I worked right up until the last minute for this show and a few paintings were varnished and wired for hanging at the very last hour. It's so exciting to see them in the gallery, patiently waiting to be purchased and off to their new homes.

 Arts on Queen. 2198 Queen Street East. Toronto, On

416 699 6127

 In the window

 Pigeons and birds on wires in the gallery

 A selection of my abstracted birches.

 Canadian Beauty

30x40 acrylic on canvas

$2000.

 Urban Still Life

12x36 acrylic on canvas

$750.

 Standing Tall

36x60 acrylic on canvas

Sold. Thank you.

Upward Reaching

36x60 acrylic on canvas

$3000.

A Gorgeous Day

16" round acrylic on canvas

$350.

'A Gorgeous Day' is a 16 inch round, acrylic on canvas painting. It was inspired after I went to see the Alex Colville exhibit at the AGO. Shown here on my easel.

 Portrait No.1-6

6x6 acrylic on canvas/board

$175. each

Pigeons are about as urban a bird can get. You either love them or hate them. I've always been fascinated by them and thought they'd be fun to paint. Painted in acrylic on canvas and board. I custom framed them in black wood frames to keep with the urban feel. They can be purchased separately but would make a nice display with two or three grouped together.

 Urban Landscape No. 1

6x6 acrylic on board

$175. framed

Urban Landscape No. 2

6x6 acrylic on canvas/board

$175. framed

I also included a selection of  'birds on wires' that I've custom framed in distressed silver frames. I think the soft, silver distressed tones of the frames work well with the blues and grays in the painting.  

New paintings at Arts on Queen for November.

It's time for an Original Art Giveaway!

If you are a fan or have liked my facebook page Rita Vindedzis Fine Art, you might have seen this post from last week

Hi all. Rita Vindedzis Fine Art page needs your help. As you may know Facebook keeps making changes that can keep you from seeing my updates. Unless you like, comment, and share my posts regularly, FB will think you don't find my page interesting and will stop showing you my updates. Here's what you can do to help.

*Like, comment and share my posts.

*If you've liked my page (BIG Thank You!!!) follow it too. Just click the follow button under the header.

*Feel free to add me to interest lists or if you really like my art create a list of your own.

I really appreciate your help and don't fret, it will be worth it. I'm planning a giveaway just for you all. Stay tuned 

I'd love to reach 200 (dare I say even more!) likes this month and it's been ages since I had an art giveaway so I thought this is a great way to combine both. I haven't chosen the art yet and I think I might just carve out some extra time and paint a new piece just for this. So click on over to Rita Vindedzis Fine Art and give me a like to be eligible for this giveaway. Please don't be shy, share and pass it on. Tell your friends and they'll tell two friends, and so on...:-)

Spotted One of My Paintings on Steven and Chris Today

I just happened to have the Steven and Chris show on today while I was painting. I was pleasantly surprised when design expert Maia Roffey presented a segment on Scandinavian design.

Right there above the bed hung my painting 'Taupe Forest' 24x48 acrylic on canvas. Available at Art Interiors. I took these pics right off the TV screen.

It's always such a thrill for me to spot one of my paintings in a magazine spread or on television. Especially nice to see it on Steven and Chris as I'm a bit of a fan and have been to a couple of their tapings.

Here I am with the guys at a show taping in 2010. They are so nice and friendly with the audience and they posed for lots of photos. You can read that blog post here.

Dreaming of Spring.

There has been much going on in my little studio. Even on the days when the windows wouldn't open because of the freezing temps and I couldn't paint. There was paperwork, blog writing, banking, social media and marketing to be taken care of. So when I finally had some actual painting time today, I was thrilled.

As an artist, the inspiration, prep work and the actual painting are the favorite parts of my job. Today I'm working on a medium sized painting for a client and it needs to be done fast. Thankful that I work with acrylics and have my hair dryer handy.

I'm painting a quiet scene using yellows and greens and blues. Birch trees. A subject I've painted many times but never tire of. As I mix the colors on my palette I'm relaxed and happy. I've mixed up this pale shade of green blue with just a hint of gray so often that it just feels natural.

As I paint the blue onto the canvas and create the background I get into my 'zone'. I'm not bothered by the construction noise or traffic from the street, or the sirens off in the distance. In a way, I'm transported into the scene that I'm painting. Blue sky, leaves gently swaying in the warm breeze. Birds chirping. This zen moment has left me craving an early spring for sure. I hope mother nature complies.

For the Love of Birches.

Golden Day  18x18  acrylic on canvas

$550.

Available at Arts on Queen

Birches have been one of my favorite subjects to paint over the years. To me they are just so beautiful. My paintings of them have had a few different variations from very realistic to quite textural and abstract. Golden Day is one of my most recent birches paintings completed this past summer. It's available for purchase at Arts on Queen, Toronto.

We are Having a Studio Clearance Sale.

The studio clearance sale is happening!!!! Friend and fellow artist Lynn Kelly is joining in and has graciously offered up her studio (at 401 Richmond). We will both be clearing out lots and lots of original work. Paintings in acrylic, watercolors, illustration, and mixed media. All works are original and one of a kind, created by Lynn Kelly and Rita Vindedzis (me). Our studio clearance sale is taking place mid November.  I'll post more details soon. This is just a teaser. Stay tuned.

June is My Month.

Glistening Waters

18x18 acrylic on canvas

Summer has finally arrived here. The heat and humidity are high and I'm grateful for central air. I've sort of slipped into vacation mode. There's lots going on in my world and plenty of projects on the go but I'm taking care of everything in a more relaxed 'summertime and the living is easy' sort of manner. During the month of June...

I finished a handful of new paintings

painted and submitted new work to my publishers

worked on collecting images and info needed for my website re-do

had a birthday

traveled and took lots of inspiration photos

framed some work and hung them up on the wall

Went to the AGO and looked at art

chose some artwork for my 'art wall' in the making

confirmed one very big project

connected with some new friends through social media

was thankful everyday for getting to do what moves my soul for a living.

Springtime. New Birches Paintings.

Springtime #1 and #2

acrylic on canvas

$375. each

I delivered a few new paintings last Saturday to Art Interiors. I'm still getting lots of requests for birches, especially tall verticals. These are 6'x36'. I find these so enjoyable to work on especially with our delayed spring. They are a gentle reminder of what's to come.

Spring Fling.

New Birches  30x40

Acrylic on Canvas

$2000.

Drop me an email for purchasing info

It's all about climate change. I know that it's a bad thing for the plants and animals and for us humans as well. I've read the literature and seen the movie. I completely agree with Al Gore, but I have to admit that when the weather gets like it is today (April temps in January) I'm thrilled.

I (and the 2 cats) have spring fever in the studio today. Painting with the windows wide open and enjoying the smells of spring wafting in the window. Today I don't even mind the loudness of the trucks as they come by to make their deliveries. That's just part of living in the heart of the city. It's part of the ambiance.

What I paint is definitely dictated by the weather. Today was not the day to paint my moody cityscapes but rather a day to paint spring in all it's glory. 'New Birches' is just about finished. All I have left to do is to sign the painting and varnish it. Canvas panels have been prepared and I'm getting right back to work, starting a new series of birches. I just can't stop painting them. They make me happy. 

Even if it's just for a day, I'm soaking it all in and enjoying this spring fling.

Untitled.

We've been in a deep freeze here for the past few days. Such a contrast to last years balmy winter. Needless to say, I've spent some free moments looking at vacation photos of warmer climates. If I concentrate enough, it's almost as good as being there. :-)

I have no new work to share with you at the moment. Even though there are numerous canvases and illustration boards in various stages of finished strewn about the place. January and February for me, are all about organizing-the studio as well as my show schedule for the year. I have applied to a couple of shows this year, just to change things up a bit.

 The cold weather is perfect as it keeps me inside and painting. That's it for now, back to my easel.

New Birches at Art Interiors

New Birches  12x36  $750.

Acrylic on canvas

Available at Art Interiors

New 'Birches' paintings were delivered to Art Interiors this morning. I've been getting requests for them in medium sizes so I was happy to paint up a few this week. There are plenty of smalls available too. Art Interiors Festival of Smalls runs until Dec. 24th. If you can't get in to the gallery in person, you can purchase online here.

November Birches 2  3x5  $50.

Acrylic on canvas

Available at Art Interiors

Art Interiors Festival of Smalls Opens Tomorrow.

Good Food  6x6  Acrylic on Canvas

$250.

Available here

Art Interiors 19th Annual Festival of Smalls                           

Original artworks in gift sizes

from $55-$250
November 10th to December 24th
Opening Reception Saturday November 10th
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm  Sun 12-5pm 

If you can't get to the gallery in person you can shop online here.

Art Interiors 19th Annual Festival of Smalls Sneak Peek.

I've been participating in Art Interiors Annual Festival of Smalls for many years now, and no matter how prepared I think I am, it always catches me a little off guard. I spent almost the entire weekend working on painting small works for this very busy show.

Lisa requested that I do up a bunch of my mini birches as they always sell out. I really get into the groove working on these little ones. They're a lot of fun to paint.

This year I wanted to challenge myself and do something fresh and new for the show, so I painted up a few 'signs' These take so much time and patience to paint. Even though they're small at 6x6 each, there's plenty of detail. Especially the neon letters.

I'll post images of the finished paintings and the show details soon. They'll be available for purchase at Art Interiors and on their online store if you can't get to the gallery in person.

A Peek Inside My Home/Studio

Living and working in the same space can be challenging at times. My tiny studio space is just a corner of the living/dining open concept room. Every inch of space counts and having canvases all over drives me crazy. So I've started to make use of all the wall space available. We are lucky, we have more wall space than many of the newest condos going up in the area-they seem to be all glass. Where does one hang their art??

    
At first I thought it odd to hang artwork so high but as we have 10 ft. ceilings it works. Here I've hung a 12x48 in. landscape above the entrance to the master bedroom. The framed painting on the left hangs above the large flat screen television.

I finally got four "Birches" paintings framed together and am very pleased with the look. Separately they are four 12x36 in. canvas panels, but stacked on top of each other and framed in a black floating frame, they look like one large "Birches" abstract.

This space by the window in the master bedroom is a perfect spot to hang one of my vertical "Birches". I painted this one just for me. 

This spot above the kitchen sink and stove top area is perfect for display. I've set up a little retro vignette with some favorite items. The "R" was a gift that I received this past Christmas (thanks sweety) It came from Metropolis Living.

Affordable, Original Art Makes a Great Holiday Gift.

Christmas and the Holidays are fast approaching. Did you know you can give art as a gift? Original, affordable art makes a great gift for a loved one, or even yourself :-)

Many galleries make a point of having small works on hand at this time of year. Art Interiors even has a special online shop where you can make your Holiday purchases conveniently. There a only a few of my mini birches left. You can purchase them here.

 Mini Birches  3x5  Acrylic on Canvas

Click Here to Purchase

Mini Birches  3x5  Acrylic on Canvas

Click Here to Purchase

Style at Home Magazine December 2011.

 Style at Home Magazine

December 2011

Tamara Robbins Griffith's lovely dining room.

That's my painting reflected in the mirror.

I had a nice surprise while reading my December issue of Style at Home magazine this past weekend. I spotted one of my birch paintings in the magazine. The More the Merrier pg. 126, features the lovely home of Tamara Robbins Griffith, Style at Homes managing editor. She purchased the painting from Art Interiors a couple of years ago. It's always such a thrill for me to see my work in peoples homes.