This reminds me of a night a long time ago. I'm remembering because it was dark and I thought I was was lost....
I was driving to visit my brother and his wife in Baysville but it started to snow and blow and it was getting dark - I took a wrong turn and finally realized I was lost and at that time I had no cell phone. Snow was blowing and it was dark I could barely see the road then , all of a sudden I noticed massive strobe lights filled with rich, brilliant colours flashing up into the sky! I pulled over to have a better look - it was a fiery and magnificent light show, one like I had never seen before and the colours were transparent but rich and vibrant ... but could not flashing lights from a nearby city, I was in the middle of nowhere, on my way to Huntsville, what was this?
It was Aurora Borealis! Incredible, I forgot all about where I was and that I was a bit scared, as I had my 5 year old asleep in the back and the snow that was blowing had covered the road and the road signs. I rolled down my window only to hear a symphony of sound to go
along with that spectacular light spectacle . It was a series of low to mid tone whistle type chanting sounds that were synchronized with every movement of the light. I've heard about Aura Borealis having sound on the rare occasion but I was actually experiencing it! I felt like I was just given the most incredible gift, and I knew somehow I was meant to be lost because maybe I really wasn't... it was perfect.
I continued on, to stop at a gas station, purchased a map and finally made it, a few hours later, but made it to my destination.
I will always remember that night and am reminded that there is always light somewhere, even though it may seem dark, there will always be hope waiting to be found. -keep looking, be patient with yourself on the journey -and when you are open to all possibilities, you never know where and when you will find it.
Peace💖
Show Opening coming up March 6th 4 pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1535183466776021/
This piece is part of a multi media group of work I have been working on. The wuestions I ask, What will be there for our children, and there 's? what will we leave them as our earthly legacy...
Labels: A Gift of Art agiftof-art.com
Quetico provincial park
This one did not stay for long as a result this is the only record I have if it.... An iPhone photo! Thank goodness for camera phones.
Labels: 2014
landscape work
A landscape of the Gaspe Coast... Day1--4 process
Labels: 2014, Day1 - 4 of this painting, this one took me 4 days to complete 27 X 30
Pansies
Acrylic on canvas done with brush and pallet knife. The inspiration comes from the dramatic contrast in colour value from the pansy flowers right from my garden. I didn't choose the cool colours for the background as much as they chose me; sometimes you just know what feels right and this cool background contrast with the warm coloured flowers is exactly what I wanted.
(36x54inches)
PRICE $ 950.00/ can.
Stephani's Roses
Stephani's Roses, the garden variety, were a gift from her grandmother. For this painting, I used raw stretched canvas and watered down acrylic paint; adding water to the painting as I went. As long as the work is wet, the paint spreads over the canvas . Once the acrylic is dry, it becomes permanent and fixed. The original work is available, and can be purchased directly from Shelly Gifford Studio. Enquire here for pricing.
Wild Cat -- Book Cover Photography
Wild Cat by Jacques Poulin. Cover design and text design by Tannice Goddard. Cover art and photography by Shelly Gifford.
Kassi Cowles has written a review of Wild Cat in The Silhouette, McMaster University's Student Newspaper:
"The androgynous spirit of the elusive feline, perched on the balance of beauty and aggression, seems an apt metaphor for Jacques Poulin’s novel Wild Cat. ...
The metaphor of the elusive feline is central to the text: the characters feed and nurture their cats as a gesture of routine and the human need to domesticate what is untamed. The cat, however, comes to mean something far deeper to the text: instinctive and androgynous, it becomes a symbol of death. The title, then, seems ironic, as the characters and images are so serene. But the ‘Wild Cat’ emerges in the end. The details and outlines of Jacques Poulin’s novel fade quickly, but the depths, colour and emotions of the story remain long after it is finished."
The Part-Time Vegetarian -- Book Cover Art
The Part-Time Vegetarian: An Alternative to a Traditional Vegetarian Diet by Louise Lambert-Lagacé and Louise Desaulniers. Cover design and text design by Tannice Goddard. Cover art by Shelly Gifford.
"In this groundbreaking guide to healthier eating, renowned nutritionists Louise Lambert-Lagacé and Louise Desaulniers teach you delicious ways to incorporate the best vegetarian foods on the market. With more than 50 mouth-watering recipes, this book will help you reap all the benefits of vegetarianism - and you can still eat meat!"
The Part-Time Vegetarian won Silver in the Cuisine Canada Culinary Book Awards in 2002, in the category for French language cookbooks.
I used watercolor crayon for this cover, on watercolor paper. I used the crayons without water for the majority of the work, but for the final details I used brush and water. The subject being vegetarian cooking, led me to use a "fish tail" on the cover rather than a roast of beef or anything with a face :) The fish tail seemed more visually appealing and works with the looseness of the style. I also wanted to show an abstract figure in the work that would express an air-like free quality. The colors I chose are very important; red and yellow stimulate the appetite. The flowers are orange blossoms.