Canvas #284: Innisfail hospital, Innisfail, Alberta, Canada

Elisha makes beautiful art with newsprint. She's shared some of the process of the creation of her canvas for the Blank Canvas Project over on her Facebook site, as well as some of her other beautiful artwork.

Elisha says, I was very excited to participate in this project as it ties in so wonderfully with my artwork.
 

I use newsprint in my art and specifically incorporate positive words into each piece.
I chose to leave my piece at the local hospital/extended care here in Innisfail, AB. I arranged with the ladies in admitting to leave it in a patients room while they were out. Due to privacy I was not allowed to do it myself. So I left it in admitting and can't wait to see who received it!!

 

Don't you think it would be so inspirational for a patient to find that in his or her room?? Positive vibes all around!! Thanks, Elisha!

Canvas #140: Art Gallery of Calgary / Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Catherine has created such a lovely piece for the project, and left it in such a cool place, too!

Catherine writes, I am an educator at a contemporary gallery in Calgary (The AGC), and we were hosting a Family Fun day where kids would be coming in with their guardians to draw their ideal Halloween costumes.  I placed the canvas on the table along with some children's Halloween books and all sorts of art materials. 

I was inspired by Mexican Day of the Dead Masks.  I wanted to show that even past the point of living on Earth that there are still things that live on--Love for example!  Although it was a bit morbid to choose Death Masks, I thought that in the spirit of Halloween, that this would be a recognizable symbol of things that live beyond death.  "Love is Eternal" is hopefully a message that resonates with many as something positive and inspirational.

Later I placed the canvas in the mouth of the Lion at the gates of the Calgary Chinese Cultural Center but unfortunately I haven't seen anything on the website of it being found...yet!

All the imagery and symbolism in Catherine's piece is great, isn't it? And how awesome is it that Catherine left it at her gallery for kids to see?

Canvas #137: Mojo's Pub, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

Sarah made this beauty:

Sarah says, I left the canvas at a pub in Lethbridge, Alberta called Mojo's. We had dinner there and I left it on the table when we left. I hope our waitress or whoever found it likes it.

Wouldn't you love to see it there if you were a waitress? What a beautiful way to brighten someone's day!

Canvas # 35, Millet Public Library, Millet, Alberta, Canada

Sandi's little canvas found a new home in the public library! Could you imagine finding a little piece of art between books about holy ghosts and podcasting?

Sandi says: "Well I know I used an old Beatles line, but I've been coming to the realization lately that love really IS all there is."

Canvas #19, River Valley, Edmonton, Alberta

I grew up in St. Albert, AB but spent much of my time in Edmonton, especially visiting my grandparents on my Mom's side. They lived in an apartment on Jasper avenue facing the River Valley. My Opa (grandpa in German) has since passed, but my wonderful Oma still resides there and just had her 91st birthday. She is doing very well and every time I go to visit her I am astounded by how strong of a woman she is and her view on the world is always enlightening to me.

Her and my Opa used to walk the River Valley everyday and my family joined them frequently. It was a very special place to them, and when my Opa passed away, my Oma spread his ashes along the river.

I have fond memories of these steps from when I was younger; this area means so much to me not only because of my wonderful grandparents, but because of the great energy here. Every time I come here I am reminded of how important it is to feel active, youthful, social, solitude, a sense of belonging and to cherish the memories while we still can. Also, it is important to appreciate the scenery while it is still there and before the time comes that we may no longer be able to do so.

Life is a beautiful thing that we have the privilege to experience, so do things that are important to you now because the chance doesn't last forever.

Canvas #17, Lake Agnes hiking trail, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

This is my canvas. I left it on the Lake Agnes trail in Lake Louise on the way up to the Teahouse. It belongs in the open air where is so natural to take in a deep breath. It's a bit tough to see, but it says "Breath it all in. Love it all out." and has a red glittery heart. Why? Because above all things I believe in love. And I don't mean romantic love between two women, two men, a man and a woman or any such variation, I mean that feeling in your gut. The one that you feel when you see one human treat another with tenderness, compassion, empathy. The one you feel when you see two people embrace at the arrivals gate at the airport. The one that you feel when you see someone pick up a stray kitten and give it some milk. That's what I mean by love. And this world lacks that reminder on a daily basis. We get caught up with being busy, and competitive, and making money, and producing hate.

This is my simple reminder to the world to take a moment to slow down and love.

Canvas #11, Calgary Jewish Centre Cafe, Calgary, Alberta

Julia started out by using her fingerprints to leave her own personal stamp.  Using glitter glue, she created a heart and then asked for some sugar.  As she sprinkled the sugar on top of the heart, she watched in amazement as it transformed the heart, then caused all of the colours to blend together.  The end result?  A reminder that the smallest change can transform something into the unexpected.  When Julia was finished, she said "Mommy? The best part about being an artist is not knowing how my painting is going to turn out."  Life is sweet...

Canvas #1, Riley Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Here is Canvas #1! I decided that if I was going to ask others to do this, I'd better damn well be willing to do it myself. So I made the first one.

The Message
Well, quite obviously, that I love you! I think it is possible to love someone you don't know. I often have days when I see a stranger do something or act a certain way, and there's no way to describe the feeling other than love.

The Design
I've always wanted to make art out of sprinkles! And the message I wanted to send was a sweet one, so I thought it fit. This art didn't take much artistic talent (I'll do one of those later). All I did was paint glue all over the canvas, stick cardboard letters & a glittery heart on it, then cover the lot in sprinkles. I sprayed everything with a clear spray paint to seal it all in, hopefully.

The Location
I chose Riley Park, a lovely park in Calgary's Kensington/West Hillhurst neighbourhood. Riley Park has huge trees, a playground that is never empty, and a wading pool that's pretty popular in the summertime. And a cricket pitch!

I just hope it doesn't rain and ruin the art!

I put it on a picnic table under a tree, so hopefully it'll be okay.

Who Am I?
I'm Erin, the creator of the Blank Canvas Project, and

I love you!