Resource Directory

Our Library

As of this fall (2023) our library has been reorganized and inventoried, (Thank you Gaileen Irwin and Pat Smith) Please click on the image below to refer to the inventory.

Our library is self serve, operating from Studio 16 at the Saltair Community Centre

TO SIGN OUT: Print your full name on the card from inside the book , include the date (including the year) that you sign out the book, and place the card in the card file box.

TO RETURN: Find your card from the file box, write the return date on the card, and place the book in the book Return Box. The librarian will reshelve the book by the next meeting ensuring it is on the correct shelf.

Interesting Links

Here you will find helpful websites, educational videos, and other useful links, all recommended by our members. If you have a link that you would like to share with the group please email us at artgroupchemainus@gmail.com.

Alison Millward is recommending the following resource:

Caterina Giglio: A super talented mixed media collage artist! Her YouTube videos are extremely informative and inspiring and she is very charming. I really learned a lot from a recent video titled 5 Steps to Creating a Successful Mixed Media Collage. You can also find Caterina on Pinterest and at caterinagiglio.blogspot.com.

If you want to learn more about the business of art, the website Artsy Shark is a good resource. They have a lot of interesting articles and courses from 'How to Write an Artist's Statement' to 'How to Price Your Art'. Run by Carolyn Edlund, she also offers Website Reviews and consultations.

Elaine Grodaes has been posting some very interesting drawing videos on our Facebook pages lately. For those who aren't on Facebook or want to know more about the source of these videos, they can be found at VK Artbox Tutorials. Check them out!

Booooooom.com is an online magazine and blog that features all types of interesting work by a variety of artists. It is free to browse, but you need a membership to submit work.

Exhibitions worth seeing is a curated list of art events; exhibitions, lectures, installations, performances etc. all on Vancouver Island. There is a $27/year membership. Once you sign up you will receive a monthly Newsletter with all the upcoming exhibits and events. You can check out some samples of these lists on the website. It might make a great gift for someone who you know loves going to galleries and shows.

CAG Member Natasha Baronas discovered this interesting practice that combines art and therapy called Neurographic Art. It might not solve all your problems but it is a very relaxing way to doodle and enjoy making art. Here are some links about Neurographics.

Astrid Notte recommends participating in the Sketchbook Revival. It started on March 18th, but the past weeks are still available. Check it out at:
https://www.karenabend.com/sketchbook-revival-2021/

Alison Millward recommends checking out an online exhibit with Janice Hofman and her mother Gerda Hofman. Some members might remember when we had Janice Hofman at Studio 16 to do a demo last year. Gerda has also done a workshop and demo for CAG. In this show at the Old Schoolhouse three mother/daughter pairs present their work, reflecting on motherhood, daughterhood and the artistic connection. https://www.theoldschoolhouse.org

Colleen Graham has two recommendations for helpful and free art instructions on YouTube.
The first one is Louise Fletcher. Louise works primarily with abstracts. She has many interesting and diverse videos on her youtube channel.
Art2Life is the brainchild of Nicolas Wilton. His videos are both technical and inspirational. Art2Life is a compilation of many useful videos while also building a community of artists who share their work and ideas.

Here is a very detailed video by Angela Fehr about mounting and sealing watercolours to cradleboards. Heather Kent has been using this method, and finds it really works well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHeDltkj9_M&t=195s

Brenda Grice and Douglas Anderson recommend two interesting sites. The first is DeSerras, an "Opus" like business from eastern Canada. They offer low cost helpful online Zoom classes on a wide variety of topics in both English and French and their own line of art products.

Second is the Draw Paint Academy operated by artist Dan Scott. Dan's site has a ton of interesting learning opportunities that include:

Examples of Dan's own work where he outlines his process and encourages you with a step by step breakdown of his process to try the same inspiration photo;
Free tools such as his "Landscape Painting Starter Kit"; and
Paid Products such as courses,reference photo library, etc.

Learning to See is a free three part workshop online that looks at how to work with a reduced colour palette and composition. Parts 1,2 and 3 are available here. Astrid Notte is taking these workshops and recommends them.

For those who use iPhones and iPads, here is a useful app. It's called the Notanizer and it takes any photo in your photo library and reduces it to black and white and levels of grey. It's a great way to break down your composition in the field. Check it out at here at the apple app stor e.

Mindful Art Studio is the creation of Amy Maricle. She has many online workshops and a lovely blog and newsletter. Her focus is on developing a practice for stress relief, intuition, mindfulness, and finding freedom in your art work. She also has some great workshops on Fluid Acrylics. Heather Kent has been following Mindful Art Studio for a few years now, and loves the slow drawing workshops!

Alison Watt: Alison joined us last year in Studio 16. She also teaches in her own studio on Protection Island. Since the pandemic she has been working on developing a series of online courses in acrylics, mixed media and travel journals. She also has a lovely blog. Visit her website at: http://www.alisonwatt.ca and join her newsletter. It is very inspiring.

Sandrine Pelisssier: Sandrine is a super talented mixed media artist from North Vancouver who offers inspiring online courses. CAG member Mary Ann Gerwing recommends her. Sandrine's website is:
https://sandrinepelissier.com

All About Paint Brushes!: Here is a very detailed and informative article about paint brushes shared by CAG Member Elaine Grodaes

Suggested by Alison Millward:

Betty Franks-Krause paints glorious abstract flower gardens on very large canvases. Her use of colour is inspiring and she demonstrates the importance of layering. She has many instructional YouTube videos demonstrating her process. Here is a link to her channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_LtcQkDngMzTtnGtdl1gxA

Suggested by Alison Millward:

In My Studio with Cheryl Wilson is a very thorough and organized youtube channel. Cheryl is an abstract expressionist mixed media artist. She makes great videos of small doable projects. Here is a link to her channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF85al5tbcWSoDxcB2VwS2Q

Here are a few resources from Wanda Truesdell that you may consider:

Watercolour – Joanne Thomson is a water colourist from Victoria and has instructed workshops for CAG that have been very well received, and she now has a teaching Youtube channel for subscribers. There is a cost to subscribe but it does offer all of her teaching videos, two of which deal with painting glass. The cost to subscribe is $60. Below is an example of her channel and her contact information if you are interested.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalWdzvcWN2Dg9XOWvxhSww?view_as=subscriber

joannedthomson@shaw.ca

Life Drawing - If you are interested in life drawing, there is a web page that is free to subscribe which has models specifically for artists. Croquis Café on Vimeo and the address is:

https://vimeo.com/croquiscafe

Oil Painting – Ken Campbell teaches classes on line. You can check out his website at http://www.kencampbellfineart.comor contact him at kencampbellfineart@gmail.com for his current list of available classes.