[i] LoveLife

Polar bear sighting.

I am just back from a whirlwind experience. Last week, I was in Churchill, Manitoba. Which means I NEVER LEFT THE PROVINCE. Which means I had a life-changing experience falling in love with EXACTLY WHERE I AM. Which kind of blows my mind. I stood on the shores of the Hudson Bay and could simply not process the awesomeness. The beauty. The power. The fagility. The danger. The complexity. The SNOW. The winds. The people. IN MY OWN BACKYARD.

I have never felt more proud to be Canadian.
I have never felt more grateful for the powers that move things.
I am humbled and really, really happy.

I was in the subarctic with a really nice crew from Animal Planet. They were filming a short documentary. About me! Well, actually - it's just one episode in a television series where people are introduced to their favourite animal. In the wild. My favourite animal is the polar bear and I have developed a bit of a reputation for painting polar bears... which is kind of crazy because I've only ever seen ONE live polar bear. And she was the oldest living polar bear ever in a zoo.

SO. While the crew was filming my story (and hooking me up with some really amazing people to talk to and learn about polar bears) I was experiencing just what it's like to travel to Churchill during polar bear season.

The show doesn't air until next year (FEB 2013). On Animal Planet. And I can't say that much... (I did a time lapse painting on film!!) but I haven't stopped dreaming and thinking about bears since the moment I got off the plane. And I can't describe with words how much it has changed me. And the way I will be able to paint polar bears from now on. I am desperate to help and I was overwhelmed by the magnitude. AND IT'S AMAZING TO SEE A BEAR UP CLOSE. I was an emotional mess the entire trip because if you've been reading my blog this year - you know that this was a rough year. And I never expected the year to end like this.

I could talk about it FOREVER. There is SO much to say and share. Beautiful, magical, wonderful place. I feel like my priorities were set straight and my perspective was changed.

*

If there's anyone to thank after the big old magical Universe - it's Dan. Thank you Dan - for taking over while I was away and encouraging me to go on this adventure. I found my self. My old fire. And I found I have more in common with these big, magical bears than I ever hoped.

Best. Trip. Ever. I can't wait to go back. If I didn't have small people (and Dan) I would have never come home. My heart is in the Arctic.

Well, the subarctic if you're being technical.

(All my photos were taken with my iPhone.)

Incredible!

Hello! I'm off on an adventure. With a team from Animal Planet. For a whole week. I don't really know what to expect, but I will post what I can. When I can. Because I'm pretty sure that my head is going to explode from excitement!

Come with me! (@kalbarteski on instagram) Oh, yeah! To commemorate this occasion there is a new little print in the ARTSHOP.

See you next week! GO!

Blues.

If you're wondering what I listen to when I'm painting... a whole lot of this guy. In fact, this song - turned up real loud - is on repeat. Say what you will about Mr. Mayer... I dig him. I truly do. And I'd let him in.

Happy weekending.

Here now.

I got these rad new (odd) boots for all kinds of reason. Mostly because I always wear black and they're bright red. That bright red colour was intentional. It makes me stop and take notice of exactly where I am - reminding me to be present.

HERE RIGHT NOW:

• I'm in a happy painting groove
• I am slowing down to savour the morning walk with Pilot to school
• I'm behind on my work for the Masquerade artshow (NOV16)
• I am loving how much Pilot digs school
• I am seeing Penn's imagination explode (she's so cool)
• I can't get eoungh of Poet's happy-firecracker personality
• I am so happy Dan is rocking his garage project
• I have pneumonia again (booo)
• I'm working hard to keep my Pilates a priority
• I am happy it's tea season!
• I could not imagine my life without the 4 hearts that make my world turn
• I'm nervous and excited about a big adventure
• I'm so grateful for being right here

AND I can feel the pace of life picking up. Pre-holiday craziness. A little bit of TO-DO-list anxiety. Okay. A LOT. I am doing everything that I can to slow down and subtract things from our lives. The busy-busy energy of this season is hard to ignore.

[Breathe.]

Today: I will script some stuff that's rattling in my brain and I have a painting on the go (you can watch progress shots on Instagram). I haven't been feeling great and it's put me behind a bit. Which is a bummer, but manageable. It's the weekend and I'm really looking forward to seeing friends and being in the moment. Coffee! (Happy weekending!)

GO!

Learn.

I'm taking a self-imposed learning day. I'm trying to recover from a nasty chest infection that's been stomping on my productivity. Rather than beat that dead horse another day this week - I'm going to sit down and learn some new things. I have a nice iPad, but so far it's not a productivity tool and I am going to learn how to make it one. Tips? What do you use your iPads for the most?

I'm glad you liked the video from yesterday. So fun.

Today: A little reading, a little writing and a little vacuuming. I have some special guests checking out my studio on Sunday and it's a straight mess. Today is black coffee, new ideas and sorted art supplies.

GO!

Blind lines and continuous learning.

I love continuous line drawings. I remember the exact day I fell in love with them - on a college field trip to the Medicine Hat Art Gallery in 1994. My little pee brain was set on fire by the idea that art could represent a thing, a moment and a feeling. Art could be simple. And simple could be beautiful.

It was one of the first times I remember feeling validated as an artist. Line drawing is capturing magic in quick moment. Because my technique is fast + gestural - in school it was often labelled as lazy. Messy. Careless. I was always encouraged to rework things, "to finish it" - to make things perfect and continue reworking things long after my own personal-interest had expired... I always felt it was stealing my heart from the work. But what I've learned over the years is this: I am gestural and loose. I am fervent and furious. I am reactive and I am okay with that. I work fast because it allows me to create without slipping into the quicksand of overthinking. It works for me. And line drawing represents the freedom of that discovery in my life. I respect and admire the artists the have technique and patience to work so beautifully... AND I am also comfortable recognizing my own strengths and feeding them. I am continuously learning.

I love the idea that one single line, like a piece of thread, could create an idea that was so delightfully fleeting that it could be unravelled to the very blank page it started from.

I simply love line drawings.

kalbarteski blind continuous line drawing from kal barteski on Vimeo.

(The music is by radiotimes - so good. Turn it up.)

When I do blind continuous line drawings - I don't lift my pen. I only use pen. I always finish what I start and I try to move as quickly as possible limiting myself to short intervals of time. Sometimes 10 seconds. Sometimes 30 seconds. Sometimes one minute. I don't worry about mistakes. I never start over. It's simply a moment. It can never be repeated and when it has passed - there's a new moment.

The video is a little skewed because I was balancing my iPhone on a coffee cup to shoot it. The moment.

Today: I'm heading to Pilot's kindergarten class to see if they can help me with something special. And then I'm drawing, painting and organizing my studio so that I can get down to business. October, November and December are going to be the hosts of a creative explosion in my studio.

GO!

Feeling polar.

Winter is coming and I have all things polar on my mind. I can't help it. I think it's a chemical reaction to the change of seasons. Preparing. We have our parkas pulled out and I have begun the task of making sure everyone has warm boots, coats, toques, scarves, ski pants and mittens for the appoaching snow.

Being organized is not really one of my strong suits... but I have a bit of a system for making sure that the girls keep their fingers warm. I buy 10 pairs of the same mittens. Multiples of everything. Actually, that is not a lie. I bought 10 pairs of the same mittens last year and we have 4 single left hand mitts left. That is weird, but that's what happens. Things get lost, forgotten, wet, ripped, thrown overboard. Poet (especially) insists on throwing her mitts off and that resulted me putting Dan's knee high sports socks on her hands (stretched all the way to her shoulders) under her snow suit. And over it. Too bad, baby. The house rules are love, love, love AND don't even think about taking your mitts off outside*. I don't think that is a snazzy phrase you will see framed on Pinterest, but it keeps everyone with their extremities. (*Applicable October through April only.)

*

Here's a peek at a painting I just finished. If you follow me on Instagram (@kalbarteski) then you saw this one come together. The canvas is big (48 by 48 inches) and I couldn't get back far enough to get a shot in proper proportion. Or without glare from the window (as seen in the bottom right corner of the image). But you get the idea... it's a polar bear cub. All things polar. I've been thinking about this one for a while. I could say more - he's isolated, centered and on blue instead of the typical snowy background. Vulnerable. And the falling snow gets me every time. I think he will make an appearance in my ARTSHOP next week as a print.

Today: I'm still working on some ideas + techniques so I will be painting my brains out until I get where I'm going. Loud music + coffee.

GO!

Painting the days away

At dinner a while ago a good friend of mine pointed out that life has worked out pretty good around here. She's right. I used to dream about painting my days away in a studio in my home and a busy family to love.

The universe was listening.

And I am so grateful it hurts.

Today: if you've got an extra positive thought i could use it. I'm waiting for test results that will hopefully bring me some answers about my health*. Hopefully.

(*Edited: THANK YOU! The results were good.)

GO!

On the inside.

This is what the inside of my head looks like. Ok. Well, half of it anyways. The theme for my upcoming show with GMB Chomichuk is masquerade (underthemask.ca). But with a twist. Dark. But magical. The pieces are all sketched and primed, but for some reason they are hitting so close to home with their dark-side that I am having trouble getting things rolling. For fear that I won't be able to stop the deluge. I'm full. This year has been a mystery for me and there have been some dark parts. And some sad parts. And some hard parts. And some really happy parts. And some stars. And some magical things...

And more mystery than I'd like, but hopefully that will sort itself out.

And in the mean time - I'll paint.

Today: I have two paintings in my sites and maybe some loud music and a date with a lovely black crow. If you want tickets for Masquerade they are available at both Loka Boutiques and also Urban Waves. They are going very fast so get yours soon.

GO!

Happy + thankful

I do not suspect that you could ever be TOO GRATEFUL. Inspired by Thanksgiving it was not hard for me to be overwhelmed by the goodness greatness in this life. I think that might be why October is one of my favourite months... the cinnamon and spice of it all. The grateful pumpkin. The good stuff. The friends. The family. The babies. The food. The dreams. The realization that life is great. I could probably explode the internet with the list of things I'm grateful for - but the stuff that keeps me going is pictured above...

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary. And that's something to celebrate. We only knew eachother a few weeks before we jumped a plane to Maui and got married... and I guess I am constantly inspired and impressed by the stuff you know solidly in your heart. Love you, Dan.

Today: I'm in the middle of a ratty cold and I'm going to see if mixing coffee with a whack of cold medicine helps or hinders productivity. BECAUSE I need to get productive. I have two weeks of feverish work in my studio and then a wild and crazy adventure.

GO!