MyLife at BCIT » Carla McAfee

Carla McAfee — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 07:54:04 +0000

Of course, I have been following the Olympics closely and can recite endless lists of statistics on the subject, being an Internet generation youth and all. Despite all the mishaps and tragic accidents of the games, including the death of Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, I am very impressed by the way our athletes have been able to pull off some impressive performances. The first that comes to mind is Joannie Rochette, winning a bronze medal in women’s figure skating just days after the sudden death of her mother. Another unbelievable performance, although not by a Canadian, was Slovenia’s Petra Majdic winning bronze in cross country skiing with five broken ribs and a collapsed lung suffered in a training accident earlier in the week. Feats like these take something really special…the desire to dig deep and push oneself to the very edge of one’s abilities. And think about this – Canada has won more gold medals than any other country competing in these Games – despite our smaller population and lower funding for sport. At the beginning I was a cynic – but the ability to shine in unimaginable circumstances is a testament to the tenacity and competitive drive of these athletes.

A Couple of Fun and Beautiful Paintings for Sale!

Carla McAfee — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:35:29 +0000

So these pieces have been sitting around for a while but I have decided to put some fancy touches on them and put them up for sale. They are also available on my Etsy shop. I am having problems uploading photos so I have linked this post to the listings on my Etsy shop instead.

Painting #1 – Sleepy Cat – $200

Acrylic and gold leaf on Gessobord.

Etsy Listing

Painting #2 – Thunder – $125

Watercolour on paper mounted on 1 1/2 inch thick cradled wood panel.

Etsy listing

Thanks for looking!

Self Portrait in Charcoal

Carla McAfee — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:25:19 +0000

Admittedly, I haven’t gotten as much art done in the last few days because I have been watching…the OLYMPICS. I did manage to dash this one off last night though, which is my first charcoal drawing in probably about five years. I’m not quite as comfortable with charcoal and pastel as I am with wet media but I am actually reasonably pleased with this one. Of course I have also been plagued by camera and computer technical issues but I think these are all worked out now so I should be able to get back to a semi-regular posting schedule. I really think every artist should attempt a true self portrait at some point. Its amazing how the way we view ourselves is so different from how others view us.

Some fellow artists I love

Carla McAfee — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:54:41 +0000

I have been addicted to reading other artists’ blogs lately…mostly ones from www.dailypainters.com. I think the concept of creating a new original small piece of art every day is great…these artists are making their work more accessible to the general public which I think is why we all became artists in the first place. I have been making an effort to follow the daily painting movement with my own art…lately I’ve been producing 3-4 small works each week in addition to working on larger commissions. Without further adieu, these are the blogs of some of my favourite fellow artists (not in order of preference, I love them all):

Of course these are only a small cross-section of my favourites, but it would take quite a bit of space to list them all here. Last but not least, don’t forget to check out my own art blog:

Kawara Daily Paintings

Cheers!

A Work in Progress…Plus Reference Photo

Carla McAfee — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:21:45 +0000

A fun little painting I have been working on the last few days…I have made it my goal to post more work in progress photos. I have also had a sweet tooth lately…hence the preoccupation with candy. In most of my work lately I have also been trying to employ a more loose, less realistic style, and this is the result.

The Reference Photo

And the almost finished product

New art work – and please check out my art blog!

Carla McAfee — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:36:59 +0000

I have been in a painting frenzy the last few weeks. Commissions mostly but also a few non-commissioned works which I am planning on posting in my Etsy store. Most of my commissions have been pet and children’s portraits, I’m not the most proud of all of them but as long as they capture the essence of the subject the clients seem to be impressed. Cats seem to be the most fun – but I’ve also started painting miniatures of yummy deserts. I’ve also began regularly updating my art blog – which you can look at here.

Peek-a-Boo! Acrylic on Gessobord - SOLD

Sweet Things - Acrylic on canvas - 6x6" - $75

George - Acrylic on Gessobord - SOLD

My tribute to Monet - Watercolour on paper - 14x18" - $300

Nigel - Acrylic on canvas - SOLD

Puddin - Acrylic on canvas - SOLD

Mango - Acrylic on canvas - SOLD

Run-run-running into the New Year!

Carla McAfee — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:11:36 +0000

Well its been a fairly good start to 2010, most notably that I’ve taken up running again and started coaching at the Running Room. I’m coaching the 5km Advanced group and doing some hill repeats, speed work and tempo runs with them. I started off thinking I was going to train for a full marathon but since I’m just coming back from some significant time off with an Achilles injury I think the half is far more doable. The next race coming up is the Making Muscles Move 5K on Valentine’s day…all proceeds go to charity and firefighters are serving chili to all the race participants afterwards. I have also just found out about another exciting opportunity – the Joints in Motion team sponsors runners to attend international marathons provided they raise between $1,000-$2,000 for the Arthritis Society! I’m seriously considering doing that…choices for this year are Nepal, Athens or the Cayman Islands! Stay tuned…more to come in the adventures of this rogue runner…

As I reflect on the past year and look ahead to the new one…

Carla McAfee — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:28:53 +0000

This has been a chaotic and tiring year, but I also learned a lot of things about myself. My clinical term was a very rocky road, and my instructor suggested I get tested for Asperger’s Syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism) which I do have. It makes some things very difficult, particularly dealing with changes in routine, reading nonverbal communication, and interpersonal relationships. I also went travelling by myself for the first time, and learned that I can have meaningful conversations with fellow travellers and make some very good friends. Clinical also went fine in the end thanks to a huge effort on my part. I have however made a number of New Year’s resolutions: I need to devote more time and effort to my art, since it is my favourite thing to do. This is part of my being “healthy and well-rounded as a whole” strategy. The biggest changes can be made in my life if I shift my outlook from a negative one to a positive one. I am confident that if I can do this, everything else will take care of itself.

My Christmas

Carla McAfee — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:44:35 +0000

This year I got what I wanted…gift certificates for art supplies! I spent today shopping at Opus for the best deals, from 20% off all paints to 50% off canvas. I decided to venture into oil painting and move away from watercolours for a while and I think I bought all the things I need to get started. I have been experimenting with new techniques like gold gouache, gold leaf, and even pressing lace into the wet paint to leave a pattern. I started an art blog as well: http://kawaradailyart.blogspot.com in which I aim to post one painting per day. “Kawara” is part of my mother’s maiden name and I think its a neat tribute to my Japanese heritage. This painting is a commission of a gerbera daisy I completed this Christmas. Happy holidays everyone!

Man lights himself on fire outside Jubilee Hospital

Carla McAfee — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:02:23 +0000

http://www.timescolonist.com/health/lights+himself+fire+outside+Victoria+hospital/2327259/story.html

This happened on Thursday at 2:45, about fifty feet from the BC Cancer Agency, and in full view of the group of construction workers taking afternoon coffee. Several witnesses saw the 23 year old man dousing himself with gasoline and then setting himself on fire, with flames that shot over 4 feet above his head. One very brave security guard put out the flames by smothering him with blankets, very risky considering that he could have suffered severe burns himself. Nobody knows why he did it – he was heard “apologizing” to onlookers and saying he “would not do it again.” It is very disturbing that someone would choose to attempt suicide in this manner when others would undoubtedly see it and be traumatized. According to the most recent news reports, he is in a medically induced coma with severe burns covering most of his body.