Blog posts


September 2019 - Industrial Nature Sculpture
August 2019 - Abstract Mixed Media
June 2019 - Paper Tube Sculpture
April 2019 - Rock Painting Extravaganza
January 2019 - Mini Shelf Pole
November 2018 - Painted Gourd
October 2018 - Matryoshka Doll Wall Hanging
September 2018 - Garden Pole
August 2018 - Mosaic Garden Sphere
June 2018 - Rock Houses
January 2018 - Art Can Happen Anywhere
November 2017 - Negative Space Painting
August 2017 - Altered Books
May 2017 - Annoying Cat
March 2017 - Costumes and Props
February 2017 - T-shirt Mania
January 2017 - 52 Week Illustration Challenge
December 2016 - Wonder Woman Fleece Hat
September 2016 - Lonely Chair Stop Motion
August 2016 - Sponging Rocks
May 2016 - Creating art with kids
April 2016 - Pew pew pew
March 2016 - Garage Band
Febraury 2016 - Stikbots Videos
January 2016 - Cross stitching zombies
December 2015 - Monster Mobile
November 2015 - The Reversible Seal Hat
October 2015 - Hallowe'en Maker Month
May 2015 - Avatar, Harry Potter and Shopkins


September 2018 : Garden Pole


My first garden totem is done!

I was inspired by the large variety of garden totems I saw online and though about making one myself but in my own style. It took way longer than I though and I spent 2 months from start to finish working on it bit by bit over that time.

I started by buying a 12 foot 4x4 inch fence post and cutting it in half. I primed both pieces with white gesso and put one aside to work on later. Then I started laying down a coat of acrylic paint in a colour scheme of my choosing. I am drawn to smooth shapes so I covered the post in long wavy ribbons of colour, often blending colours without washing my brush in between right on the post.

Then post looked amazing and I must admit I thought about stopping and just declaring the post done. However I pushed forward trusting that I would be able to transform this post into a three dimensional version similar to my other negative painted art pieces.


Next I got out my stamps, stencils and patterning tools and added a second layer of acrylic paint creating patterns and visual interest over top my initial painted ribbons.

The next part took the most time, not so much actual painting but with the conceptualization. What theme would I choose to unite the whole post into one art piece? The colours reminded me of an underwater landscape, a coral reef or something similar. With my overall theme chosen I started making paper stencils of different sea creatures, fish, seahorses, jellies, squids and so on. Then I stencilled out the creatures and started painting out background around the sea creatures in a gradient, dark to light blue, mimicking the light as you get closer to the water's surface.

With the shapes painted out I then started creature by creature adding in shading with my Derwent Inktense water pencils and details with my Sakura Moonlight jelly roll pens.

After each creature had been detailed I then started to work with the negative space I had painted out from the pattern background. I carved several smaller fish into white erasers and using a sponge and some acrylic paint stamped smaller schools of fish swimming up the post around the other sea creatures.

Lastly I spray coated the entire post with a Krylon acrylic gloss coating.

To mount the entire project in the garden I drilled a large 1/2 inch hole 10 inches up the centre of the post from the bottom side and placed a 2 foot piece of rebar in the hole. I hammered the rebar into place in the garden and slipped the garden pole onto the reaming 10 inches of rebar sticking out from the ground. I topped the post with a metal fence post cap, although I may change this and put a solar post light on top.