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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Germotte Photo and Framing Studio Giclee

I am so happy with my first set of giclee prints from the Germotte Photo and Framing Studio !

First two 8x10 giclee prints
"283 Somerset Heritage Home"
Artist: Cindi Moynahan-Foreman

The paper quality, the colour reproduction and the amazing service at Germotte exceeded my expectations.

The original watercolour was in my art journal and the giclee was based on an iPhone photo. It was suggested that I do another run of prints but have Germotte scan the original for me. This is definitely in the plans for my next visit.

Another Germotte suggestion was to try different papers. This time I chose the "Ultra Smooth Fine Art Paper" but, after seeing samples of other available papers, I am excited about experimenting with other papers in the future.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

February Arrives

Art journal page (full page scan: low res) (watercolour)
Artist: Cindi Moynahan-Foreman
Detail: February 1 (watercolour)
(taken on iPhone)

Detail: January 31 (watercolour)
(Taken on iPhone)
Detail: January 30 (watercolour)
(Taken on iPhone)
Thumbnail sketch: of picture on
 Chtisarrrr instagram

As January ends, Ottawa's Winterlude has just begun, a wonderful new pizza place has been found (ZaZaZa) and snuggling and snoozing with Lexie brings much needed warmth whilst a Canadian deep freeze descends.

 Edith Sitwell wrote, "Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home."  I am sure Edith would agree that a friendly paw is equally wonderful!

February also brings groundhog day, Valentine's day, Family Day (Ontario), Chinese New Year and my birthday. That's why I love February so much. It's my birth month....where I started and restart my trips around the sun each year.

February, at one time was the last month of the Roman calendar and a time of ritual purification by washing.

A Calendar of Sonnet's: February
Helen Hunt Jackson

"Still lie the sheltering snows, undimmed and white; 
And reigns the winter's pregnant silence still; 
No sign of spring, save that the catkins fill, 
And willow stems grow daily red and bright. 
These are days when ancients held a rite 
Of expiation for the old year's ill, 
And prayer to purify the new year's will." 

In Ireland, by way of contrast, February is officially the first month of spring, and the first day of the month known as  Imbolc, a Celtic fire festival.

Celtic wheel of the year

Some more February poems:

Leap Year Poem 

Thirty days hath September, 
April, June and November.
February has twenty-eight alone,
All the rest have thirty-one;
Excepting leap year, that 's the time
When February's days are twenty-nine."