Canvas #207: Nourish Garden Bistro, Saanich, British Columbia, Canada

Santina made this gorgeous piece.

Santina writes, The piece is called "Year of the Serpent With Love". As the time neared Chinese New Year I was drawn to create something pertaining to the year of the serpent although I wanted it to look like an old existing piece. It turned out to look like an old tile. The colours were muted by having a layer of tissue paper over the piece.

This morning I was heading over to try a quaint place for brunch out in a country setting. The food was wonderful, the company blissful and I decided that this was the perfect location for my little piece to leave my hands. I left it on the table after we finished next to the tulip and the candle! My brunch called Sleeping Beauty was the most unusual pancakes I've ever had, made of oatmeal, served with apple sauce and coconut cream...yummy!
Enjoy it.

She even left a photo of her brunch! Now you're making us hungry, Santina!

 

Don't you love Santina's technique with the tissue paper?

Canvas #148: Chinook Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Can you believe the awesome of this?! Mikee made Grumpy Cat!!!

She says, After a tumultuous winter season in my life, I wanted to find an inspiration for my canvas that made me smile. Tardar Sauce the Grumpy cat became my muse and I pencilled a sketch of him on Canvas 148.
 
I left him in an empty hallway of Chinook Mall in Calgary, took this snap and walked away hoping to make someone else smile.

This is so awesome. Thanks, Mikee!

Canvas #119: EEEL building, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Kesia said, It took me a while to decide what to do on my canvas, and where I wanted to put it. I finally placed my canvas in the EEEL building at the University of Calgary. I wanted my canvas to make people think about something we take for granted: Freedom. I think we are really fortunate to live in a country where we have so many freedoms, from freedom of speech and religion to the freedom we have to explore and be ourselves and have fun. The freedom we have in Canada saves us from a lot of worries. I used words I found in a newspaper (freedom of press) that I thought represented freedoms, like "home," "fun," "innovation," and glued them to the canvas that I had painted black. Over all of this I painted the word "FREE" in my favourite colour of blue. I left my canvas in the newest building at the University of Calgary because a wide variety of classes are held there, and lots of students wait for the bus there. One of the freedoms we have is our access to schooling. I want people to see my canvas take a moment to be grateful for the freedoms we have and appreciate them.

Loving Kesia's idea! Well done, Kesia!

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 #206: outside Velvet Olive, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

This is such a cool canvas. I think it's unlike anything else we've had created for The Blank Canvas Project so far, and I absolutely love it.

Daniel writes, My idea started with a button I like. A robot above "do not self destruct". Wise words from a button bound robot! The button is detachable, so the finder can wear said button during the day and return it to it's holding place for safe keeping at night, while dreaming about their new favourite painting. I abandoned or passed on my painting near the entrance to my favourite third home. All of the best that Red Deer has to offer come to plot against all the worst. A place for original music and bright ideas. It often contains people I greatly admire and some that I love. Thank you Erin, for allowing me to participate in your project! Every bit of the process was fun.

  I love all the photos Daniel sent! Isn't that little robot awesome?!?!

Canvas #204: the old court house, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

Erin is an art teacher in Red Deer who created this beautiful bird art for the project.

In Erin's words, I learned about your project from the mom of a little girl that was in my 4 to 6 year old art class, and thought it sounded like fun! I left my piece of art outside of the Old Court House in downtown Red Deer, where I teach art classes out of. It was gone within an hour! I hope he flew away to a good home.

I hope so, too Erin! Incidentally, if you're stopping by here because you found Erin's canvas, please drop us a line! We'd love to hear your story!

Canvas #3: a Free People store, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I am so happy this is our first post of 2013! Miranda is one of my former students who is now in college for graphic design and arts, which definitely suits her creative nature. She's one of those people you remember years after you met her - she's funny, quirky, wise beyond her years, an incredible writer, and a beautiful artist. I am so lucky I get to keep tabs on her on Facebook years after she stopped being my student. :)

Miranda's canvas sends a simple but effective message.

Here's what Miranda says: I snuck this canvas onto the reception desk of 'Free People', and I hope the people who shop there can appreciate the message!

Speaking of Facebook, don't forget to follow The BCP on Facebook (or follow my personal Twitter, where posts will also be announced) to get a reminder when a new post comes up on the site.