I have had a couple of weeks off between classes, most of which I have spent trying to clean up and researching lesson plans for upcoming sessions. I also had some fun volunteering in my sons school, [helping with art] and hanging out with my daughter during Spring Break. So not as much time working on my own stuff as I would have liked,but I have managed to make a few new cards. This one is called " Vancouver West End"
I will post more ATC's on my flickr site [link on left column] as I make them.

Have you heard of Artist Trading Cards? I am building a little portfolio of them. It started when I started teaching a class for kids at the Victoria art gallery. It wasnt a class I came up with myself, it was set and they hired me for it: "Cartooning and Artists Trading Cards"
If you look at my art work it isnt exactly "Cartoony" but this encouraged me to look at what kids love about this style of art and to really look into it. I am looking forward to my next session now that I have a little experience under my belt.
So I also became interested in these little cards. I have sold a couple on Ebay, but mainly I just want to have a little stash of these little 2.5 by 3.5 inch works of art.

This is a little sketch I did in one of my watercolor classes a while ago. The inspiration was Mt. Fuji in Japan.

Artists trading cards are a fun way to stay creative on a small scale. They are cut to a standard size of 2.5 x 3.5 inches. I have this Lobster [pen, ink, watercolor.] posted on Ebay right now. I have yet to collect any but I think I am going to start. I love the idea of exchanging cards with artists all over the world

Okay I have posted some still life stuff on Flickr, if you click on the link to your right it will take you there. I used to think it was pointless doing all these types of paintings, more for the benefit of my students and not for me at all. But now I have a group of them I am suddenly into them. I will post more as I paint them.

I end up doing a lot of still life stuff in my watercolor classes. While I enjoy painting them I guess I have never really thought about them as serious "paintings." When I was cleaning up my studio [still] I went through my hundreds of unfinished paintings [I am not exaggerating] and I was pretty pleased. I think a lot of the ones I thought of as unfinished are good the way they are. Whether or not they are good to frame they speak of the journey I am making as an artist. Some of them I will frame as the opportunity arrives.
The most surprising of the bunch was the dozen or so flower still life paintings. Flowers have never been my favorite subject matter but when I lay them out together I like them quite a bit. I plan to take pictures of them and post them as a flickr slideshow or something. If I figure out how to do that and I can figure out how to link it you should see it soon. Here is one of the unfinished ones. Its one of my favorites and the only one that fits on the scanner. I like the simplicity of it and the negative space.
I dont think I will do anything else to it, I have never been able to leave well enough alone so we shall see if I can actually resist continuing to work on it!

This is an acrylic on paper painting I started in the summer.
It's a work in progress and I havent worked on it lately- but it reminds me of warm weather and afternoons at the beach. That and its warm soft colors put me in mind of better weather as I spent the day cleaning my studio [still not finished] and gazing outside at yet another rainy miserable winter day in Victoria. I havent picked up a brush in a couple of weeks and am really looking forward to starting my classes next week at Island Blue [check out www.islandblue.com for schedule] and finishing some paintings. That will get me through the dark and wet days until spring!

If you are in Victoria on Sunday Dec 10th check this out:
Myself and some other artists and freinds will be hawking our wares and sharing Christmas Cheer.

Alesha Fowlie Fine Art
I will be at the Victoria Conference Centre for the Out of Hand Show Nov 23-26

Many people have seen my Spirit Bear Painting but I will have prints available at the Out Of Hand Fair.

Wow its been a long time since I posted anything! Disgracefull really.This is a really terrible picture of the piece I put into "Art Incognito" an auction at the Vancouver Island School of Art which took place in Sept. It has a fish [as usual] I think I am not finished with fish, I still like to paint them. Unfortunately I forgot to scan it before I submitted it so I had to take a picture of it in the frame behind glass which never works very well.

Cannery Row Products

Busy week- Two days of teaching, kids classes at Vancouver Island School of Art. Sculpture is a great class because it offers so many possibilities. Then I am flying up to Comox for four days of the Filberg Festival. I am mainly taking my Cannery Row stuff but also prints and art cards. Should be fun! Then week and a half of holiday with my family, then two days of teaching teens at Island Blue, Then a whole week teaching adults with my Creative Acrylic Class [also at Island Blue.] I am really looking forward to that one.

I am going to be at the Moss St. Paint In Saturday July 15th between 12-4. It should be fun, if you come see me look for spot #75 behind the Fairfeild Church. I will be working on a series of paintings based on these small collage paintings. I didnt get to keep these, they were created to be included in corporate sponsership packages for the Vancouver Island School of Art. I did find them inspiring however, the yet untitled series was started today and am very excited about them.