Jewelry by a silversmith

My mum is one of the most creative people I know (right along with my dad who has been creating oak furniture from scratch since I was a kid). She has been taking a weekly silversmith course since 2006 and created some stunning pieces.

I am the lucky owner of a few and love wearing them. For her most recent birthday we created a book with only some of her beautiful pieces. You can view the images on this blog.

Here's a little taste:

 

When writing and painting come together

As an artist, I am first and foremost a writer. However, art is about expressing oneself and since 2005 painting has been a part of that for me. Two of my best friends in Squamish, where I moved two years ago, are painters.

One works in oil while the other tends to focus on acryclics. Check out the links to their beautiful artwork, Wanda Doyle and Michiko Splinter. When we get together it always involves checking out visual art at a gallery and often a visit to the art store. Invariably I come home inspired.

This year I've done very little painting, as the work on my books takes up most of my time. The few canvases I created are based on my poems, as published in my book Sunshine on a wooden floor. It's been great to combine my writing with my painting and I would like to explore more of that in 2011.

Here are the two results I like best:

Believe 16x20" acrylic and paper on stretched canvas
In private collection in Squamish, BC - Canada

"Flight" 20x30" acrylic and paper on stretched canvas
In private collection in Scotland, the UK

Read more on my website www.MargreetDietz.com

Drawing

This is a drawing I did in 2005 during an eight-week course with John Webb in Sydney, Australia, and I (finally) framed today. It's 16x20".

Tulip in oil workshop

During a recent visit to the Netherlands I took a 90-minute oil-painting workshop. Here's the result.

A small painting

One of my most recent paintings. Acrylic on canvas, postcard size.

Experiments with paint & poetry

This weekend I began experimenting with mixing paint & poetry. I had been thinking about a way to do this for a while and was recently encouraged by good friend and talented painter Wanda Doyle.

Using one of the 28 poems from my fourth book Sunshine on a wooden floor (publication June 2010), this was the result:

(In private collection in Chicago, USA)

(In private collection in Scotland, the UK)

My latest painting: Riding the Wave

My painting "Riding the Wave" was shown at the UpStares Gallery in Squamish during February in the group show titled "Water/H2O".

The painting is large, 32"x44" (acrylics on canvas).

As part of the show, each artist was asked to write what water means to them in 100 words or less. Here are mine:

Water means the harbour next to the house in the Netherlands where I grew up
water means the mix of fear and excitement as thousands of arms start turning together at the start of an Ironman triathlon
water means a drink at every aid station 2 kilometres apart in a marathon
water means the sound of a rushing river in Squamish
water means my dog’s excitement about swimming in the Howe Sound
Riding the Wave symbolizes the powerful and positive forces that move our lives if we allow ourselves to be open to them and never give up.