Hi!

Just a short note to say that I am part of the Art in Action Tour in Burlington this coming
weekend.  It runs from 10:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday the 7th and 8th of
November.  I am in Gallery 8 at 23 Main St. Waterdown, Ont.  There also will be Katia Liberator
Potter and Kathy Fenton a jeweller.  It should be a great weekend and it is getting closer to Christmas, time to look for those special gifts for those special people.

Busy painting today.  Working on Urban & Rural, the exhibition coming up next year.
It will be interesting to see all of the work will look like.  Exciting!!  All of the Burlington Fine Arts people  are busy working and looking forward to our 50th aniversary next year.


Not too warm today, even if they did say it was going to be 18C.  Maybe we're too near
the lake or something.  Not too many sunny days like we have had.  It has been lovely and
we're getting spoiled.

Sad news.  Jeannette La Belle, a fellow member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour
has passed away.  What a bundle of energy and joy she was, an amazingly original painter and much loved by everyone.  She will be greatly missed.

Put those i phones and i pads down and pick up those brushes and get going.  Life is short you
don't want to miss any of it.

Happy Autumn!!!

Hi again!

It's been a long time.  It was a busy Spring and Summer with lots of
family situations to look after but now things are looking up.

I have a new website.  It is www://fratesifineart.ca.  Hoping it is working
well by now.  Had a little problem in getting it to come up in Google.  If at
first you can't access it, please keep trying.  Now to get new cards made up.

I've been painting as often as I can.  Large canvases, small ones and in between.
Many of my larger pieces have been sold(thanks to the AGB and Artspace Gallery.
I have to get busy and paint, paint, paint!  If you have time, take a trip to Oakville
to Artspace Gallery.  It is a wonderfully quaint old home filled with beautiful
art and you will find Chazz very welcoming and helpful.


Next weekend, the 7th and 8th of November is the Art in Action tour in Burlington.
I will be in Waterdown at Studio 8, 23 Main St.  Hoping to see you there.
We have 9 studios and  29 artists all with wonderful new pieces to show you.
Also there is an exhibition of the Art in Action artists at the AGB that is on now
Take a trip there to see it and to browse the Art Etc. shop as well as all the other
interesting art the Gallery holds.

I love this time of year and am sad to see the beautiful coloured leaves falling.
There has been so much red and gold this season.  It invites you to take long
walks and breathe in deeply the crisp, clean air.  Gardening chores take up time
but it is such good exercise.  Remember to take a break when you are painting to
stretch and maybe run up and down the stairs a couple of times.  Have to stay
healthy.

I will be teaching watercolour painting at Oakville Art Society in January for four
weeks.  Always good to see up and coming artists and when you are teaching,
you are also learning.  The company of other artists can be such an inspiration.

Looking forward to seeing you on the Art in Action tour next weekend and hope
you are all painting up a storm.  Remember, perseverance will reward you
just keep painting.

Once again I have let time slip by without updating this page.  No excuse,
just busy with painting and life and bemoaning the snow and cold.

It seems to many things come up this time of year.  It's time to submit
for the Art Gallery of Burlington's Annual Art Auction which isn't til
June but needs to be in by the end of February.  There is the Hamilton Art
Gallery's Spring Art Sale, there is the Art in Action Tour and there is the
"Burlington, Urban and Rural"exhibition which takes place next year but
the submission needs to be in by the end of March.  With this many balls in
the air it does give me inspiration to keep painting and painting and painting.

I heard the cardinals outside my window singing this morning.  That means
that perhaps we can't see Spring coming but they certainly can.  Can't wait for
warmer weather and being able to paint plein aire.  Some people paint all winter
but not me.  I hibernate til Spring!

I will be giving a watercolour class at the Oakville Art Society come April for
anyone who would like to brush up on their skills.  The Pelham Art Festival is
coming up Mother's Day weekend in Fonthill.  That may seems like a long way
away but time seems to hurry by.

Enjoy every single day, regardless of snow or wind or any other happening the
weatherman throws at us.  Keep your spirits up and keep painting.  Of all of the
qualities  we possess, perseverance is the most important when it comes to painting.
Just do it as the slogan says. Even when you don't feel like it step up to that canvas
or paper.  Don't look at other peoples work with wistful envy.  Be so busy with your painting that
you have no time for that and "surprise, surprise" you may have enough for a solo
show.

I read a few art magazines, Plein Aire, International Watercolour, American Art Collectors
etc.  If you can't paint, at least read about it to see what is relevant and what is happening.
As artists we spend a lot of alone time and we need to keep ourselves up on the art world.


Won't be long now before we see some green out there.  Be ready for it!!