I’m very, VERY excited to join a group of painters tomorrow on Brier Island. We stay for a week and paint and paint and paint!

The island is on the tip of the ‘neck’ of land that borders the Bay of Fundy and stretches to the Atlantic Ocean. Hopefully the weather will be less hot and humid than what we’ve experienced in Bear River, NS. But whether it is or not, it’s a wonderful place to smell the salt air, to feel the sand under foot, to watch swooping birds, to see windblown fields of wildflowers and to be near that mighty ocean. And to paint!

It’s not that I’ve been idle this summer. This has been the busiest summer I can remember in terms of painting and gardening.

New collectors visited my studio and took home paintings. Made in the Maritimes Boutiques and the Teichert Gallery, both in Halifax sold paintings for me.

And I am super pleased to say that the new Founder’s House Dining Room at the Annapolis Royal Golf Course purchased one of my lupin paintings “Abundance” at Bear River Artworks Gallery. It now hangs prominently over their century fireplace, itself decorated with hand painted tiles by Deb Kuzyk of Lucky Rabbit. I’m in good company.

I’m also getting ready for a solo show of a dozen paintings at Sissiboo Coffee Bar and Gallery in Bear River. Whew! The opening is Sunday September 9, 2-4pm. I hope you’ll join me!

In the meantime, I must finish packing. This is my list for the painting supplies I’m taking:

Brier Island painting retreat painting list – 2018

• Paper palette
• tubes of acrylic paint
• containers of acrylic paint
• acrylic inks
• gel medium
• matt medium
• brushes
• colour shaper
• spray bottle
• latex gloves
• clips
• 2 water containers
• gallon jar for water
• rags/paper towel
• 2 coroplast boards
• Assorted sized canvases (15 to 20)
• sketch book
• wc paper
• Charcoal
• Inktense crayons
• markers
• spray can fixative for charcoal

• French easel
• bungee cords
• plastic drop sheets
• stool
• foldout table

• lunch
• water
• sunblock
• sunglasses
• insect repellent
• hat
• raincoat
• camera / recording device / ipad + pencil
• business cards / brochures

Here is a video about the first time I painted on Brier Island with others in 2012. The quality isn’t great, but it will give you a sense of my set up.

https://vimeo.com/floradoehler/painting-on-brier-island

I’ll post my progress on my facebook page if we have service.

PS: This retreat coincides with the Paint the Town in Annapolis Royal and I’ll be painting at the end of Gull Rock Road instead.