The Return

Wow. It's been over 3 years since I last logged on to this site. So many things have happened, good and bad, just Life really.  Don't know why I was drawn back to this page, maybe I finally have something more to say.

2016 has been a strange and frightening year for most of the world, but it's been full of beauty, too.

Sterling silver and copper bracelet

I closed down my Fine Art website and sold my studio, and jumped head first into a new way of expressing myself - silver and metal smithing. My current website (www.TerryRMDesigns.com) is evolving as I find my voice in the new mediums. Although I'll never give up fine art, working with metals is extremely satisfying, both visually, tactilely, and emotionally.

Silver is especially sensuous and responsive, and I love combining it with copper.


I hope to get back into writing in 2017, to finding my voice and adding my thoughts to the universal library that is Life. It doesn't matter if anyone hears, it just matters that I put myself out there.

If you're receiving this out of the blue, because you were on my original mailing list, please feel free to unsubscribe at any time. If you want to reconnect, welcome back.

I won't be writing regularly, but I will be writing. Maybe we can start a dialogue, maybe  not. Whatever the case, I'm glad to be back.

May the coming year be good for you and everyone.

Terry

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 3

Snowshower on the Canal
6x6 inches
oil on panel

Aargh - I'm falling behind!  (I'm busy doing a portrait commission as well).

Here's Day 3 - a sun-snow shower on the Rideau Canal Skateway. I was on a bridge overlooking the canal when I took a photo a few years back.
It took me this long to decide to paint it :-)

Having some difficulties working so small, especially trying to paint figures alla prima .

But that's the gift of a challenge - you get to practice, try out new things, and see where you need to 'brush up' LOL

Now - on to Day 4 - hmmm, should I stay with the winter theme, or go abstract?

TTFN
Terry

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 2

Foggy Morning
2.5 x 3.5 inches
charcoal and pastel

Well ! This is going to be interesting :-) .  Here's my painting for Day 2 -  thought I'd try an Art Card on for size. I am a great admirer of artists who can paint so small and still make it look detailed - clearly something for me to strive for.
.
(As a matter of fact, I am the proud owner of two small pastels by Karen Margulis - check her out.)

Anyway - this is the view from one of the hallway windows at my office building.  Yes, I work in a beautiful building on an island in the (almost) middle  of the city, how lucky is that.

140 lb watercolor paper, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, using pastel and charcoal pencils.

Looking forward to Day 3 - no what will I paint next?

TTFN

Terry

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 1

Hello folks.  It seems I haven't posted for over a year! Well, that is changing right now :-)

I have joined Leslie Saeta's challenge to paint 30 paintings in 30 days! About 250 painters have joined in this challenge, so it's going to be exciting - and a lot of hard work!

Untitled
oil on panel 6x6 inches

Here's my first challenge painting - no title yet -  my first try in oils with a knife. I usually use a knife in my acrylic abstracts - where everything dries FAST - so this was a new experience. Must plan more in oils.  Looking forward to tomorrow's painting!

El Camino - Pages

"El Camino - Pages" 2011
Pastel 14x11.5 inches
Pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes

Happy New Year, everyone!

This is my post for the year 2011, and I must apologize for being  remiss about posting, but as we all know, life happens J

It's been quite an eventful year, for some more than others.  Through it all the one thing that has amazed me is the closeness of the artistic community, and how much of a family you all are, even though you're spread around the world.   The creativity you all share is reflected in the largesse of your hearts, and in the alacrity with which you spring to each others' sides in times of need.  I'm proud to be part of that family.

It's amazing how, even though only connected by email, newsletters, blogs, the ephemeral world of cyberspace, photons, electrons, bits and bytes, I feel as if I know you all personally.  This is most evident when I participate in webinars, as I have been over this year with various instructors.  The 'regulars', with their colorful aliases, are old friends, and the chat rooms take on a life of their own during the webinar sessions  J .

It always surprises me to find out that I'm speaking to someone in South Africa, Norway, China or the southern US.  And that, while it's early afternoon. here, there are those of you who are participating even though it's 2 a.m. and you've been up since sunrise!  That's passion for your art!

This past year I've been painting, drawing, pastelling, and Thinking - oh my how I've been thinking  J   Seems that at least 40% of the time my mind is on the next work of art - muddling around with subject, placement, design, color, style, and medium.  And that's when I'm at my day job ...

So I wish you all a happy new year - may it be better than the last, may you always be creating, and may your hearts be filled with light and color J

See you next year!

Terry

eBook

Folks -

As you may know I have authored 2 books (CARS! A Love Affair with Form and Colour, and Heat of the Night) in print, both available from BLURB.

Now CARS! is available as an eBook for the iPAD and iPOD ! The colours glow, you can take them anywhere, and they make wonderful gifts (they're affordable too, at $4.96 US).

Christmas is coming - why not take a look?

I will be making more eBooks - so stay tuned :-)

CARS ! by Terry Rempel-Mroz | Make Your Own Book

No (r)Egrets

No (r)Egrets,  2011
5x7 inches, wax pastel on watercolour paper

I'm sitting at my PC in an ice-cold house (15C, about 59F, because it's too soon to turn on the heat, yes, it is), getting ready to post this blog before I go pick up my son Caleb and grandson Jade to go to the Butterfly Show at Carleton University.  My fingers are numb!  Can't wait to get into the warm, humid building full of live, free flying butterflies and moths!

I'm really enjoying wax pastels. What? Are they new? No - they're actually the Caran D'Ache Artist Crayons, which are no longer recognized as colored pencil media by the major organizations like CPSA, and so are now called wax pastels.

Any way ....  the above piece has been created specifically for the Wildcard  event - to be donated (if accepted/juried in to the event) in support of the Le Nichoir Wild Bird Rehabilitation Centre in Hudson, Quebec. It's based on a photo from Florida when I visited a few years ago - the egret was standing on some rocks on the seashore, and totally ignored me as I snapped photos :-)

The wax pastels, being reminiscent of my childhood crayon experience, allow for greater interpretation of scenes - hence the fuchsia and turquoise rendering of this magnificent bird.  And it's great fun, feeling the waxed pigment melt and move under your hand - very liberating!

Back to the Wildcard event - a worthwhile cause.  I strongly recommend supporting it, or whatever serves in your neck of the woods to rehabilitate wildlife. 

Gotta go - need to warm up before I set off to pick up my boys and see some jewelled beauties at the Butterfly Show.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

TTFN

Terry