Tag Archives: art

Welcome Back this weekend!

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Dear readers, I know I haven’t posted much this year, and suddenly this weekend is the “Welcome Back to Otterville” annual studio tour. Please forgive me for the late notice – I have been roughing it, trying to build a house several hours away from our current home.

 
This will be my last time hosting tourists in my Otterville home gallery. I’ll continue my work there, with new inspiration from the natural beauty that surrounds us in Eastern Ontario. And perhaps I will be welcomed back to Otterville as a tourist, or at least a friend and neighbour!


I would like to take this opportunity to thank every person who has supported my artistic career here for the last 19 years in Oxford County, whether it was subscribing here, hiring me to teach, inviting me to exhibit, purchasing my art, recommending my art to friends, “liking” or “sharing” any kind of post – you all have my deep appreciation. In addition, I’d like to mention how much I will miss many of these artistic people in Otterville, who have become dear friends. They know who they are.

If you have made it this far reading, I would also like to give you a discount, during the studio tour weekend at my gallery, of 20% off the purchase of any piece of my art. Just mention that you read my blog post! 

Here is a press release about the tour:

Welcome Back to Otterville: Annual Studio Tour November 16 & 17
The historic village of Otterville invites art lovers and community members to the annual “Welcome Back to Otterville” Studio Tour on November 16 and 17, from 10 AM to 5 PM. This much-anticipated event showcases the vibrant artistic talent of the village and opens the doors to both local artists’ studios and significant historical sites.
Visitors can immerse themselves in creativity as they explore various art forms, including exquisite watercolors by Joan McQuiggin, a founding member of the tour, and stunning pottery by Susan DeRoo, both exhibiting at the Grand Trunk Railway Station. Trudy Verberne designs and creates cards handmade cards and also speciality beadwork items.
Attendees will also have the chance to visit other renowned artists such as Sue Goossens, Lianne Todd, Linda DeJonghe, Mae Leonard, and Shirley Hokke, each welcoming guests into their home studios.
In addition to the artistic displays, several historical sites will be open to the public. Highlights include the operational 1845 grist mill, maintained by the South Norwich Historical Society, the Grand Trunk Railway Station and the African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery, a landmark of the Underground Railroad. The octagonal Woodlawn Adult Community Centre will also be accessible to visitors during the tour.
For those looking to savor local flavors, Plaid Shirt Farms Ltd, just east of Otterville, will feature their environmentally responsible farming products. Guests can purchase a variety of items, including jams, chutneys, juices, honey, and frozen haskap berries, perfect for the upcoming holiday season.
Additional information and a detailed map of the studio locations can be found at www.welcomebacktootterville.ca. Yellow flags will mark each participating studio, making it easy to navigate the tour. For further inquiries, please contact 519-879-6352.
Join us in celebrating the creativity and history of Otterville on November 16 and 17. All are welcome to experience a unique day in the countryside!
Thank you to the Township of Norwich for their continued support.

One Week ‘til we Welcome you

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Just in case you don’t follow my other blog, on my watercolours site, I wanted to let you know that next weekend, November 18 & 19, is our annual studio tour here in the little town I live in.

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The above postcards have been placed at businesses and public spaces around the region, but you can also always get one from one of the artists or shop owners on the tour.  Just come to Otterville, Ontario, that weekend, look for the signs and yellow flags, and you are all set.  The back of the postcard has a map of stops, and brief descriptions of who we are, and what we do.  You could also visit our website.

I will have a selection of my fractal art and my watercolour paintings on display in my gallery at the rear of my house.  No matter what November weather we get, the colours here are bright and the atmosphere is friendly.  It makes for a fun day-trip, and you might find something you or a loved one will enjoy for years to come.

Here I am with one of my more recent pieces.  Hope you can make it!

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Welcome Back 2022 — LIANNE TODD

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It’s that time of year again! I will be participating once again in our annual studio tour this weekend. Details are available at http://www.welcomebacktootterville.ca, or you can rely on what I’ve posted here and pick up a postcard when you arrive at my gallery. The postcards look like this and have a map and list […]

Welcome Back 2022 — LIANNE TODD

The above is from my other website and blog, inviting all interested parties to join us this weekend for our annual studio tour.

Oxford Studio Tour 2022 coming up!

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I am pleased to let you know we are indeed holding our Oxford Studio Tour this year, after a 2 year hiatus. It will be on April 30 and May 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Information can be found at the tour’s website, oxfordstudiotour.ca, as usual. We all have lots of art to show you, and you can have fun with your family or close friends driving around Oxford County to see it.  Maybe you’ll want to have a chat with some of the artists, or even purchase an original piece for that spot in your surroundings you wish had a little something special.

Here I am with a couple of my original pieces:

I look forward to welcoming you at my home studio/gallery location, which is Location #3 on the tour, in Otterville. Red signs will direct you to tour locations. If you need a map, they are available at the website. For a brochure, you may contact me to mail you one, or just pick a location to start at – all artists will have some available.

Sacred and Forbidden

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I just realized today it’s been a whole year since I posted in this blog.  I am sure you can guess what is mainly to blame.  Yes, what with exhibitions and tours canceled, and inspiration flailing for a while, there hasn’t been a lot of activity to report.  I created a few fractals early last spring, and was going to post about them right before they were supposed to be shown in April…

I’ve been keeping myself very busy in the meantime, never fear.   Just not blogging!

This would have been Welcome Back to Otterville weekend in a normal year.  I thought today would be a good time to let you all know I am still here, I do have art available, (see my home page), and if you wish to purchase any (for that extra special gift or any other reason), it can indeed be arranged.  Just use the contact page on this website.

I may as well show you a couple of these new fractals, right?

I think these two speak to our wondering ancient minds, our need for sacred rites and for forbidden places.

Sacred Tree. Digital fractal art printed on metal, single print. 24×32″. $550.00. Artist Lianne Todd.

Forbidden Forest. Digital Fractal Art printed on metal, single print. 18×24″. $400.00. Artist Lianne Todd

 

November Shows

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Today I will be setting up at South Gate Centre in Woodstock in preparation for this weekend’s Oxford Creates Art Expo, organized by Oxford Creative Connections, Inc.  I will have several of my newest watercolour paintings available there, as well as a sampling of my fractal pieces.  There will be many other artists, as well as authors, exhibiting at this show.

In two weeks, I will be opening my own gallery/studio doors to welcome the public for our 23rd annual studio tour here in Otterville:  Welcome Back to Otterville.  This will feature a much larger selection of my own work.  We have a very good variety of stops this year with several new artisans!  I will post again soon with more details about that.

For now, here are the details of both shows:

Oxofrd Creates Art Expo PosterWelcome Back to Otterville 2019Welcome Back to Otterville 2019 MapFor even more information:

Oxford Creates:  https://oxfordcreativeconnections.com/oxford-creates/

Welcome Back To Otterville:  https://www.welcomebacktootterville.ca/

Square Foot Show 2018

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I’ve done a post about this on my other blog – so I will just link you to that here!

But I know a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are my entries in the Westland Gallery’s Square Foot Show of 2018:

Frog Pond

Frog Pond. Digital Fractal Art HD printed on metal. Single Print. 12×12″. $300.00. Artist Lianne Todd.

I hope you enjoy the above fractal piece.  It is printed in high definition on metal, with a very glossy finish.  I hadn’t tried this kind of print before and I am quite pleased with how it turned out.  It doesn’t have the metallic sheen that changes with the light, like my other metal prints do, but that suits this image really well.  As usual, I only do one print per image, so all pieces are originals in every sense of the word.  I had a lot of fun creating this one, seeing all the different things in it that caused me to name it “Frog Pond”.  Do you see them too?  Please feel free to comment on what you see – I’m curious!

Kitchen Alcove, Il Convente dei Carmine

Kitchen Alcove, Il Convente dei Carmine. Watercolour on Paper. 6.25×6.25″. SOLD. Private Collection.  Artist Lianne Todd.

World Views

World Views. Watercolour on Gold Absorbent Ground on Canvas. 12×12″. SOLD.  Private Collection.   Artist Lianne Todd.

I’ll be at the Art in the Park in Woodstock with some of my other work this Saturday.  More about that tomorrow!

New Eyes

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Thank you to all who came out on the weekend for the 11th Annual Oxford Studio Tour, and welcome new subscribers!  I just wrote a post for my other blog, which is on my watercolour site, and I wanted to make sure it reached all my followers for both sites.  So, if you’ve already seen it, please go on about your day.  If not, here it is:  New Eyes!

 

Ethereal Visions

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Before I begin to introduce this new piece, I would like to thank all of the nice people who visited my studio/gallery this past weekend for the Oxford Studio Tour, and showed such fascinated interest in my fractal art.  You really do help me keep the inspiration fresh!

As you may know, clouds exhibit fractal geometry.  Mandelbrot’s famous quote:

“Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not circles, and bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in a straight line.”

is certainly a confirmation of that if you needed it.  That quote is from the very first paragraph of his book The Fractal Geometry of Nature and he discusses the topic in several places throughout it.

I took the photo of these clouds at sunset one evening here in Otterville.  Living down close to the historic mill in this little town, we don’t always get the best view of sunsets, but every now and then there is a spectacular one that must be photographed.  And of course since I am interested in the cloud geometry, I also like the way it is highlighted by the colours.

It seemed like a very natural place for this fractal, created in Oxidizer, to occupy.  The shape immediately brought to mind something happening in the sky, perhaps a place Zeus would be.  There was an obvious (to me) song title that came to mind too, and perhaps you can guess what it was, or maybe not.  But it didn’t quite interpret this the way I wanted, and I was stumped for a while trying to think of a title.  I liked the little spirals and the curved shapes reminded me of somersaults, and I still felt there was a musical component.

After having it printed on acrylic, and hanging it on my gallery wall, I showed it to my son, and asked him what he thought I should call it.  It didn’t take him very long to say “Aerials” and although the word on its own is ideal, I immediately knew he was referring to the song by System of a Down.  It is on their Toxicity album.  I confess I only know it (and all the other metal that I like) because of my son, but it is truly one of my favourite songs of all, and I hope they don’t mind me naming this piece of art after their music.  I agreed with him that it is the perfect title.  I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.  My suggestion is that you first go find and read the lyrics.  Then listen to the song.  I think you might agree too.

fractal, ethereal, sky, Lianne Todd

Aerials. Digital fractal art printed on acrylic, single edition. 20×20″. Artist Lianne Todd. $375.00

New work!

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It has been a while since I’ve blogged about any new pieces here… I was focusing on my traditional watercolours for the winter, although I did have a piece or two I hadn’t introduced.

For instance, there is this one which I called ‘Swiftly Tilting’.  I had just read the whole Madeleine L’Engle series for the first time, so this image conjured up that title – you can imagine why!  This is another one of my hand-painted pieces of fractal art – a watercolour on Aquabord.  (Image here is watermarked).  It is in a handmade black shadow-box frame (not shown).

Swiftly Tilting. Watercolour on Aquabord. 6×6″. Lianne Todd. $175.00

I’ve created THREE new pieces that will be ready for visitors to see on the Oxford Studio Tour!  It’s May 6 & 7 this year, and it is our 10th year for the tour!  I am Stop #3 this time.  I will be keeping the new pieces, (2 metal prints, 1 acrylic print) under wraps until the tour, because sometimes it is just better if people have the chance to see the art in person first.

Earlier this year, I was the one updating our website with all of this year’s locations, artist blurbs, sample art images, and maps.  It’s going to be a great tour, and there are even more reasons to come to Oxford County what with part of Big Cheese Days happening the Saturday of that weekend too!  Gunns Hill is right on the way down to Otterville from the 401 and their cheese is delicious!

It has been a very busy year of creating and exhibiting so far, and I hope that continues.  I look forward to the tour, and to a more active year of blogging about my art too!