Canvas #177: a park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Sandy is a beautiful artist who's been re-experimenting with her creative side in the past few months.

She said, I have much to share with you about this process. The act of painting my canvas took several days as I had to wait for drying between layers, which in some ways is metaphorical when I think about spreading beauty and positivity around the world. I knew that I wanted there to be depth because I think beauty and positivity run deep within people. I believe that people are inherently beautiful, kind and compassionate, however sometimes it requires the uncovering of several layers. I knew I wanted to create an artwork that was about tiny glimmers of hope intermingled with wide open windows.

The location I chose to leave my canvas is at a playground just blocks away from my home in Calgary. I took my canvas out while I was running errands in hopes that I would find the perfect spot. As I drove by the playground I was struck by the blue and red equipment against the backdrop of snow and grey sky. The blue of the slide so closely resembled the top layer of my painting and the yellow peaking through like the sun so I placed it on the steps leading up to the slide. I am apprehensive about whether or not it made it through the snow fall today, or maybe someone found it last night. I can only hope. : )

What an interesting design! I love Sandy's canvas. She's told me, since she placed her canvas, that she revisited the spot she left it, and found it buried in the snow. She thinks she'll place it somewhere else and see what happens.

Canvas #25, By-the-Lake Park, Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Kevin writes: Autumn is a fantastic season. I enjoy being outside any time, but fall is special. My favorite outdoor places are private with few human visitors. I chose By The Lake Park to share positivity because it is a beautiful outdoor space complete with many human visitors.

I love Kevin's image of the fall harvest time in Alberta. It's such a gorgeous time to be on the Prairies! I happen to know that Kevin used a very interesting technique in this piece of art. Kevin works in the construction industry, and he noticed that the goop he used for sealing windows was a beautiful sky blue colour. So he scooped some up and slapped in on his canvas! How innovative and definitely an example of this project in action: focusing on the little beauties around you.

P.S. Kevin is my dad.

Canvas #126: a park, Evergreen, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

This project is meant to bring communities together. So I decided to put my canvas in my community. One of the things I love about my neighbourhood is it's right on the South-West edge of this big city. In ten minutes, I was in the country. Look:

This evening, I walked over to a park nearby. I wanted to leave my canvas in a place where people convene, so this was perfect. Kids come here to play.

My canvas is a painting of clouds. Alberta in the fall is so beautiful. The sky is Alberta's biggest asset, I think. It's huge and blue and gorgeous. And I think that so often, people don't notice it. Because it's always there. Because we take advantage of the fact that it will always be there.

I hope my canvas inspires people to notice what's around them. On my walk home from the park, I noticed a pretty wreath on a neighbour's door. I glanced into a window on my way past, and saw two kids sprawled on the couch, watching TV. I saw a pretty cat, perching on a fence post.

Notice. Pause. Stop. Slow down. Your life will be so much richer for it.