I’m currently attending an oil painting class, once a week at a community center. We started by painting a couple of chromatic circles, but now here is my first painting on canvas. It’s 11×14″, if I remember it correctly.

I would like to pretend it is my own composition, but it will have to be for another time: in this case, it was based on an illustration I love by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite — whose rendering of it is rather superior, but oh well, we all need to start somewhere… There are many details I would have liked to achieve better (water ripples, water lilies, bat) and some things with which I struggled a little (the face!… the more I worked on it, the worst it got, so I ended up leaving it as is) but I’m still glad with the result.

All it needs now is a pretty frame so I can hang it in some dark corner of my basement. Hehe.

During the weeks prior to our trip to Vegas, we have been quite busy with preparing for leaving. So we did not take the time to note the great work of our friend Nicolas Bouchard, who came to photograph Frank’s family. (Link to his gallery for that day.)

I know we take a lot of pictures in general, but it’s rare enough that we have a nice picture with all four of us on it, or even a couple’s picture! Thank you thank you!

Nic also took group pictures with Frank’s family. And recently, when we were at the annual Halloween party Amelie and him are throwing, he took pictures of each costumed guest, in his small home studio. Cool idea!

The party, as usual, was good fun. This year’s theme was Red Carpet: appetizers, candy, video games and glam decor under the artistic direction of the talentful Amélie.

(Photo credits: Nicolas Bouchard)

De Automne2010

Little automn hike through the wood near our house… It was a warm day outside, with gorgeous light.
(Side note: the crochet vest Orly is wearing in the pics was made by her great-grandmother — my father’s mother. She probably made it in the 70′s, for one of her grandchildren. I’m happy Orléane can wear it today…)

Oh, and on the way home, we made a new friend.