Spring Updates and a Free Colouring Page

As an artist (and a human) it is important to be flexible and adapt to a changing environment and an evolving vision. I am quite grateful that I have always been adaptable, and done a lot of different things in my life. It’s made me quite optimistic in general, and given me appreciation for the little things. Since moving back to Victoria, I have traded in my boat for bikes and boots, have spent more time in the forests, mountains and roads than on the ocean and I have been loving it. I am experiencing the earth from a different lens, discovering new (and re-igniting old) passions, making new friends and moving my body much more than I ever have. Life is just generally freakin’ awesome!

My work goals for this year included working more on my own projects, my brand refresh, and getting myself ‘out there'. All of which I am in the process of. I am excited to announce that my application was accepted for the Filberg Festival this year. It is a huge 3 day event in Comox from August 4-6. I have been to it many times, but never as a vendor so I am really excited to participate in that. Although I would say I am generally fairly introverted, I really enjoy getting the opportunity to talk with people. This means I have to step up my game and get some new work done which is VERY motivating, and a prompt to get my own projects done (one of those goals)!! I have also applied for the TD Art Gallery Paint-In. It was so much fun last year that Im crossing my fingers I get in again. I am also humming and hawing about the Make It Market in Vancouver for December. My application was accepted, but 4 days around Christmas means a LOT of product so I am trying to decide it is right for me. Please feel free to share any input on it if you have any. I haven’t been to a Vancouver Market so it’s more of a gamble for me and an expensive few days in the big city. I am pretty excited for ‘work’ this year… lots of things to think about and plan!

In the meantime though, I will be out of the studio from April 16 to May 9th. Heading off to Spain and Italy to fill up my creative well, ride my bike, hike some trails, eat some pasta and gelato, drink some wine, and doodle…and doodle… and doodle… planning my work for all the summer festivities! It’s all about a healthy work/life balance no?

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school, organization or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please. Enjoy!

The Idea Of Spring Is A Beautiful Thing...

Well hi! I am not sure where January and February went, but this year is cruising along fast (does that just happen when you get older or am I seeing things)! I have been busy scheming up new ideas for this year and getting my client projects all finished up to make room for my own. I am also training on the bike a bunch for our trip which is only 7 weeks away, so between work and cycling my days are getting filled pretty quick!

After many years, I have reluctantly decided not to renew my membership to 1% For The Planet. It was a really tough decision as I respect the organization and what they are doing, however their membership fees have just kept climbing and I was finding that at the end of the day my 1% was primarily going to their administration fees rather than to local businesses HERE who can be impacted more through direct donations, volunteering, or participation in fundraising events. I can understand the benefit for larger companies with massive annual revenues, but not so much smaller ones like me. I’d love to donate more, but I have to be realistic too… you only can do what you can do. So that being said, I will be saving that membership fee and still participate and donate locally as I have in the past. Although I found the brand use of 1% For The Planet valuable for its accountability and recognition, you will just have to trust that moving forward I will continue to support smaller organizations and do my part. Just note some of my copyrighted 2022 and earlier cards still have the logo, and I am still honouring that pledge. I just didn't feel right recycling a stack of cards and prints... that would just be environmentally wasteful and somewhat defeats the purpose. 

And now moving on to my monthly free colouring page. This months colouring page is inspired by the somewhat noisy and impatient Stellar and California sea lions who are waiting for the annual Herring spawn on the west coast. Sea lions and herring are two important species that can be found in British Columbia's coastal waters. Pacific herring are small, oily fish that form a crucial part of the marine food chain, serving as a primary food source for a variety of larger predatory species, including sea lions. Millions of Herring roe cover the BC shoreline in the late winter, bringing everyone out from winter hiding. Sea lions are a type of pinniped (weighing over 1000 lbs) are opportunistic predators and have been known to prey on herring during the winter months when the herring spawn in large numbers. Both sea lions and herring play important roles in BC's coastal ecosystem, and their interactions are an important area of study for scientists and conservationists alike. I do miss my sea lion neighbours on the Tofino Docks… it did keep life entertaining!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school, organization or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please. Enjoy!

It's Been A 'Steller Spring' So Far...

Lots of projects under way, but still taking the time to hike and bike and get away from the desk when I can! Five weeks until we take off to hike Mont Blanc so doing a fair bit of training when I am not in the studio! In the meantime, just a few tidbits to share, or scroll on down for your free downloadable colouring page!

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Events

JULY 16 // 11-4pm

After a couple of years hiatus due to relocating, settling, and the pandemic, I have been pretty absent from the market & festival scene. I am excited to be participating in this years TD Victoria Art Gallery Paint-In (formerly known as the Moss Street Paint-In). If you're in the neighbourhood on July 16th from 1-4pm, please come by and say hi!

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NEWS IN THE STUDIO

CLAIRE WATSON x Royal Canadian Mint Collaboration

So this may have happened… again. I am pretty excited to be able to finally share my SECOND commemorative coin for the Royal Canadian Mint! Get yours here before they are gone!

“Having been raised on Vancouver Island, I have always sought solace in wild spaces and I have a deep appreciation for the vastness and diversity of the Canadian landscape—the uniqueness of each coast, the forests, the rugged mountains, the northern tundra, and the grasslands that tie them all together.”

— CLAIRE WATSON, ARTIST

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Free Downloadable Colouring Page

For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school, organization or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please. Enjoy!

Studio Updates ...and another Free Colouring Page

Finding a balance between work and play is a tough one for self employed individuals. One one hand you have the freedom to sneak out and go for a hike or bike ride at any point in the day, but there is always that underlaying feeling of “I should really be working right now”. The advantage of course is that because it is not a traditional “work day” you can schedule your work/life in accordance with the weather… which seems to be how I roll for the most part. The draw for forest bathing or getting out on the bike if the sun is shining is hard to resist, and luckily my creative time is is usually strongest before the sun comes out or later in the day. I have to silence that guilt voice that creeps in to tell me “you should be working right now” as otherwise, I’d be working all the time. All work and no play makes Claire a grumpy girl! A healthy dose of outside time has saved me in more ways than one. It refuels my creative flow, keeps me feeling healthy and fit (both mentally and physically), makes me appreciate nature and everything in it, and just all in all makes me grateful to be alive. I highly recommend it.

On the ‘work’ front, I have had lots of projects on the table this past month… still mostly for clients. I was accepted into the TD Paint-In (formerly known as the Moss St Paint In) this year so I am in the process of coming up with an action plan of attack for that. What do you think? Prints, cards? Another run of hand painted hats? After 2 years of no markets, it is going to be fun to get out there and chat with folks again in that environment! It is on July 16th from 11-6pm so be sure to come and find me and say hi!

I also have some exciting news coming next week, but I can’t say anything… yet! Stay tuned on my Instagram (@utchichi) as I will be sure to share the release! And yeah, sorry I’m not much of a social media poster… I keep trying to commit to a plan for that as I know there is value, but there’s just so much junk on all the social media channels these days that its hard to see the forest through the trees (and I’d rather go out and see real trees). 😏

May also held Pacific Wild’s Wild Auction Annual Fundraiser. Thanks to all who supported all the artists by bidding on their art. My piece “Sunrise Bear” was bought outright in the first half hour which made me feel really good! Thanks you so much to whomever you are!!!! <3

Thats about it for shareable updates! I had a little fun with this months colouring page. I was working on some spot illustrations for Pacific Wild and was having fun drawing the details on the Rockfish… I figured you may have fun colouring them!

Happy June… get outside!!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school, organization or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please. Enjoy!

Spring Mornings - Colouring Page

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school, organization or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please. Enjoy!

Whale You Be Mine? - Free Colouring Page

Happy February! I hope everyone is hanging in there okay with all the insane societal polarization that seems to be taking over the media. This world really needs a little empathy and love now more than ever if we are going to get through it all. I’ve been finding myself checking social media or the news less and less these days as I think I’ve just about had enough of it all. 

I’ve definitely spent most of the winter plugging away on lots of client projects (most of which I cannot share… yet), but have had a healthy balance of work and play. I’m also working on a few changes in my business. After moving to a new town, and pretty much changing EVERYTHING in my life in the past 2 years, I have been feeling like it is time to grow professionally as well. I have decided to give my art business a name - ‘Bearfoot Creative Studio’, a name which resonates with me…Claire Watson Art no longer feels right and I feel like I am moving on from it. My intention for the switch is so that I will treat my ‘business’ more seriously and not as a side hustle (even though it IS my full time gig). I also find it super challenging to ‘sell’ myself and my work (I am sure many of you artists can relate to this as well), but by taking myself out of it (even if only by name) I will treat it as something to grow and nourish. I also feel as if it will allow me to play with merchandise more as a ‘brand’. I am excited about the change… I love ‘building’ to this gets the creative juices flowing’. Please follow @bearfootcreative on Instagram as that will become my primary for the business side of my art (commerce, new products etc.)… my other account will be more works in progress and things that inspire and motivate me!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please (which will be changing up next month).

Happy Holidays (and a FREE Colouring Page download of course)!

Happy Holidays to you all! Feeling pretty warm and fuzzy these days as the holiday season rolls around again. I’d like to extend a warm thank you for all your support this past few years, I couldn’t have got where I am without it. I’m really excited for what’s to come next year…

Enjoy December’s colouring page and I will catch you in 2022!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Autumn Skies - Free Colouring Page

A new colouring page, just in time for a forecasted rainy weekend (at least here on Vancouver Island anyway)! Lots going on here in the studio… the new Buff Designs are now out for fall/winter, a few other projects are now finished up (sorry can’t disclose them yet… haha), my shop is stocked with holiday cards (I know… already), and I am getting excited for the winter so I can dive into my playing card deck. I have been patiently waiting the day when I can bring them up to the top of my priority list, and since that day never seems to just ‘happen’, I am going to MAKE it happen! I will be sure to share updates as I complete them!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Spooky Season - Free Colouring Page

There is Halloween candy in the grocery stores, the leaves are shedding, the days are getting shorter and shorter, I have pulled out my wool socks, and am contemplating the commitment to putting the dang fenders on my road bike. I love October… its the month of my first born, and I love the feeling of prepping to hunker down a little for the darker months. I am so grateful I am not going to spend the winter relentlessly checking the ‘Windy’ App and dreading the gusty pink bar and heavy rains that would make the boat toss, turn and drip for weeks. Those were the challenges of living aboard on the west coast in the winter months, and I am perfectly okay to let them go. Here in Vic, the weather is milder so camping, biking and hiking all year is doable… with a hot shower to come home to (I must be getting soft 🤣)!

October is also the month of Inktober, the daily Instagram drawing challenge that has been going on for a number of years. I have never quite made it to 31 as its a pretty hefty time commitment, but I may try this year (although I am busier with work so not sure if I can pull it off). I will post when I do, but don’t give me hard time if I find I have more fun things to do outside when I am not working because that just may happen.

Speaking of drawing, this months colouring page is something a little different. I do admit I like to geek out on the holiday stuff sometimes, and Halloween is no exception so a west coast version of Scooby Doo seemed fun. I could have easily made it more freaky, but for the sake of the kiddos out there I kept it light. Have fun!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox when I occasionally send out a newsletter, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month (more like once every 4 haha)! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Spring Break - Colouring Page

I am going to shake it up a little with regards to my monthly colouring pages. After having done these for the past 5 YEARS (yes… thats nuts I know), I have decided that rather than hosting them all on my website, I will be sending them STRAIGHT to the inboxes of those who want them! So as of NEXT month (June), I will be sending out my free printable colouring pages (hi res) via email and sharing the low resolution versions only here.

A couple of reasons for this! One (and the most important), is that you will get them hand delivered to your inbox… like Uber Eats… for colouring pages and other cool news. Two is they certainly take up some space on my website leaving them here, and I want to keep room available for new awesome things. And three (also important) is I am now back to being a self employed, full time ARTISTE (said with a French accent while twisting a handlebar moustache), it is important to diversify one’s marketing. It is too much of a gamble these days to rely solely on social media platforms for ‘getting yourself out there’ as you never know if one day they will just be gone! So rather than keeping all my eggs in one basket, I would like to be able to CONNECT more monthly with those who really want to know whats happening in my art world. I believe I said something at the beginning of the year about making this my goal, but for some reasons newsletters are SO HARD TO COMMIT TO! This will make me do it. Hah!

And yes… did you catch what I said in point #3 above? When I moved/transitioned to Victoria I was working full time but not on my business (Covid slowed things down for sure too), and these left me a little spread thin and playing catch up. BUT, I am now back on my own again and feeling pretty PUMPED about it, so you should hear more from me in all my channels and definitely more art projects on the horizon for sure!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing sometime this year, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Otter Space - Colouring Page

It's April, and I am not sure how that happened! Winter came and went and now there are cherry blossoms and the temperatures are finally hitting double digits. It was a winter of minimal socialization, face masks, and enough hand sanitizer to fill a bathtub. It's been a little solitary for sure, but starting each day with gratitude has been a huge help (and my girls of course). I am pretty sure your all with me in that we are all getting pretty burnt out on it, but trying to keep an eye on the light at the end of this tunnel and remain optimistic of summer socializing again. It's coming!

As for me? I have remained pretty busy with a variety of projects over the winter. Definitely feeling a little spread thin these days. Doing some regrouping for sure, and spending time scheming about breaking the art business in a new town. If you know of any markets, galleries or anything of that sort please let me know! I've also been burying my head in creativity and motivational podcasts too on my walks… it’s getting me pumped for the year ahead!

I have been missing my stinky little otter neighbours recently, so I figured I was due to add them into the mix. Enjoy!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing sometime this year, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Happy New Year Twenty Twenty One...

I’m not a big fan of New Years resolutions as January 1st isn’t particularly a magic reset button to new behaviour, but now that the dust has settled in my own life and there seems to be an air of hope in the world, I’m looking forward to getting back in the swing of things, and making my own projects a huge priority for 2021. Although this small block of time is a bit of a holiday time warp, I really love clearing the clutter of the computer files, the studio desk… basically all the stuff that’s built up in the eddies, restricting my creative flow! Now out come the lists, the blank sketchbooks, a brand new planner, the freshly sharpened pencils… an outpouring of new ideas and scheduling for a new year. Lets hope we can maintain this momentum in the weeks and months to come. I see so many posts of people happy to see the back side of 2020, and although it was a ‘challenging’ year to say the least, it also had some really great things happen too. Heck my daughter NAILED it. She said… “If you are happier at the end of the year than you were at the start of the year then it was all in all a good year.” So for us, 2020 WAS a good year. It was a pretty big roller coaster ride, but a good year none the less. I guess its like anything… going through a big storm makes you really grateful when then clouds part, and the ocean calms. It can be just the little things that you appreciate after that.

So I think that maybe after about 4.5 years of monthly colouring pages, I SHOULD do a book. This latest colouring page is ‘busy’ since we are all supposed to be laying low again, and I am sure you all want a break from Christmas jigsaw puzzles and Netflix holiday specials! Oooooh… maybe a puzzle would be cool… okay back to work!

I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season and may 2021 be a LOT more smooth sailing than 2020 was for most. xo

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing sometime this year, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Happy Holidaze - Colouring Page

Hah! I just realized that I forgot to upload last months page as one month seems to blur into the next these days. Ah well the past is the past… its time to move into some Christmas Spirit and winding down this bonkers year! Bring on the baking and the twinkly lights, and the rum and egg nog. No amount of Covid chaos will dampen my holiday spirit this year dangit!!! I always love doing the holiday colouring pages… I feel I can just let loose and be silly. This year I am doing something extra special (since we are all on orders to steer clear of going out again). I have compiled 5 of my holiday pages into one file free for download on my shop page for your ‘sit by the fire’ holiday colouring enjoyment. Let that be my gift to you this season (or you can simply scroll down and download this years as usual)!

As 2020 comes to a close I want to extend an ENORMOUS thanks to everyone for your support this year, both professionally and personally (you know who you are). I know its hard as everyone has been hit by Covid in one way or the other, be it their business, their personal life, or people close to them. Regardless of all that came with it (as I am sure everyone is also navigating THOSE waters in their own way), 2020 was definitely a whopper for me. A big freaking reset button of grand proportions… and it had nothing to do with a pandemic (that just made it oh so much more ‘fun’). Sure, Covid affected my business in many ways of course (closed shops, no market, businesses curbing their spending on design work etc), but it was my personal life and my relationship with my partner that took a significant turn which threw all my puzzle pieces of planning and feelings of security and/or direction sky high. It 100% hampered my creativity for sure (hence a relatively quite social media presence this year), as I spend more time just trying to figure out next moves. Its hard to know whether its better to divulge whats happening with clients and followers, or simply put my head down, get to work, stay classy and pretend like nothings changed for the sake of the deadlines (which definitely suffered a bit too). As I tend to be relatively private in my personal life, I just hammered though it, leaned into it and kept one eye on the light at the end… just letting go, and going with the flow. As I feel more settled in my new space, and I am pretty happy to be feeling like myself again. All the puzzle pieces are settling back into place now and I feel like the worst is over. I feel those creative juices FLOODING back, and now its time for me again to sink my teeth into building my work! Staying optimistic that 2021 will be a rockin’ good year!

Thanks again for everything peeps! Warmest wishes this season! xo

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing sometime this year, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Deep Blue - Colouring Page

It’s October! I forgot what it was like to live in a place with somewhat stereo typical seasons! To a visitor used to seeing the obvious leaf colour changes, it is harder to know the seasons are changing in Tofino unless you have spent time there as the trees remain green year round, and the temperature only fluctuates on average 15-20 degrees or so all year (I know a couple of people who wear sandals and shorts all year). The changes in season come in different ways. The season for the feeding bears and visiting whales, lifecycle of the salmon, the different birds on the beach, the levels of fog, the measurement of rain and strength of the wind, the weight of the dew, the location of sunrise and set, the size and quality of the swell, the line up at the coffee shop and the brewery, and the daylight… or diminishing daylight. October is on of my favourite months in both places. Wool sweaters, Turkey dinners, my daughters birthday, all the Halloween weirdos… its just a fun creative time. Now I get to explore Victoria area more, visit pumpkin patches, hike through fallen leaves, drink pumpkin spice everything, slurp soup and doodle some Inktobers! Perfect time now to get back on track and get some creative projects finished up.

On the note of hunkering down… Have you seen My Octopus Teacher on Netflix yet? Quite a touching and beautiful story/documentary. Definitely worth a watch. This months colouring page is all about those curious cephalopods… <3

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download as a high resolution PDF here (scroll down to the button below). If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing sometime this year, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

KAKAWIN - Colouring Page

I am a little mind blown that it is September already. I can feel the chill in the air in the evenings now, and see that the sun doesn’t want to stay up as late anymore, and the dew is a little heavier too. I actually love September. It is a time for organization, routine and a feeling of productivity. This year has flown by, and I am sure it has felt that way for many of you too.

We are settled in our place in Victoria now. I’m already sad to be missing my morning harbour sunrises, my dock family, my friends (sorry if I didn’t say bye… I’m terrible at them), and my little stinky otter pals, but I’ll be back and forth… often (and I’m not THAT far away). Being a live aboard in the harbour for over 6 years was amazing, but certainly not without its challenges. I love living on boats…it keeps you so in tune with the weather and the tides, and the sleeps are the best (except maybe the 6 weeks of storms in the winter), and doing so for so many years has given me a huge appreciation for the little things that most take for granted (showers, laundry, full sized fridge, freezer, actual WORK SPACE with all my supplies under one roof… and basically not living out of totes anymore). It’s made me a resourceful and pretty hardy gal, and truly grateful for the little things. I am looking forward to be able to spread out and be able to play with mediums that I couldn’t really use unless it was summer and could do so outdoors (I just bought a 36”x48” canvas to pick away at). So that being said, lets open the page to a fresh new chapter. All you peeps in Vic, I am here now… feel free to reach out!

As we were hauling all our stuff off the boat, there had been a few instances of Orcas, or Kakawin in Nuu-chah-nulth cruising through the harbour (I had the best neighbours), so I felt it fitting to include them into this months colouring page (and Robinson, I even included your boat at your workshop on Strawberry Island)! What colours do you see when the late summer fog breaks in the mornings? Feel free to colour and tag #tofinocolour if you want to show me your stuff!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download here (scroll down to the button below), and on the Tourism Tofino website. If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing sometime this year, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

TIDE POOL - Colouring Page

It has been a few months since my last post and colouring page. With Tofino Time taking a print hiatus during the initial Covid ‘crisis’, I took the opportunity to also give my creative brain a break too. It was a good rest, but now I am back in the swing of things again.

This colouring page is inspired by the current state of Tofino (or probably any small remote tourist town). A crowded ‘tide pool’ of groups of visitors hoping to escape the cities and go where there is ‘space’. Unfortunately though, being such a small town, Tofino is basically a potential petrie dish of possible infection. Residents are hiding out, while visitors crowd the shops, streets and beaches. Don’t get me wrong… I like having visitors here, and I know the business owners are happy to have ‘business’ again, but its such a strange juxtaposition of local economic needs versus the health and welfare of the people, and no one seems to know the ‘right’ thing to do these days. So much confusion, and that stress brings out so many different reactions in people. A little empathy can go along way (except maybe for the deliberate fools that totally disregard the suggested protocols). The weather has been nice so its not exactly a chore to chill in the harbour and watch the boats, enjoy some creative time, or disappear to less travelled trails and spaces for the day!

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For those who are new to my site, each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download here (scroll down to the button below), and on the Tourism Tofino website. If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing sometime this year, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

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I love donating my colouring pages for all to use. Heck, one day I may make a book, but who knows? Donations are 100% optional, but they’ll definitely help keep me motivated to do more of them.

Donate

ALONE TOGETHER - COLOURING PAGE

Pretty crazy times these days. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken over the media and people minds all over the globe. It’s hard to clear your head when there is so much information… both accurate and inaccurate that is flooding the news and social media. Tofino is pretty much shut down… most of the shops and restaurants have voluntarily closed, and the District of Tofino along with Tourism Tofino and the Chamber of Commerce have asked visitors to stay home and not come (or go home if you are here). Fair enough… we only have one small grocery store, and a big enough population that solely relies on it so it is already stretched thin. No one knows how long it will last, and everyone reacts and deals in their own way, so it’s really important to practice kindness and compassion right now. Thanks to all the front line workers at all the essential services and businesses for hanging in there during this.

As a freelance illustrator, I work from home already so the concept of self isolation isn’t really a new thing for me, but we do live in a small space which certainly makes it tricky to buy lots of supplies to carry us through this. I also miss the spin bike at the gym already… but I bought a yoga mat, and the dog is getting regular walks. I’ve been getting regular text and messages from friends and family, and I am making sure to reach out to them too. Not everyone likes self-isolation so its important to check in with those people who are going nuts stuck at home. Rowan and I are working on staying creative, keeping well hydrated, eating and sleeping well to keep our immune system strong!

I am still finishing up some projects for clients. I am honestly not sure whether that will stop during this global crisis, or whether people and business owners who are forced to stay home and maybe work ON their businesses (creating work for me). Uncertain times, but I am just going to keep on trucking. If I don’t have client projects to do I will create more art and work on finishing up my playing card deck. I am sure the economy will be taking a hefty hit, but there is always plenty to do to keep me busy enough.

On a weirdly positive note, global pollution is way down. Apparently because of tourism and the traffic, Venice hasn't seen clear canal water in ages. Even Dolphins and fish have been appearing, and swans are enjoying the peace! Perhaps nature is taking an opportunity to reset. It will be interesting to see how we all come out of this.

In this meantime, here are some Pacific White Sided Dolphins to colour while you self-isolate. Let them remind you that we will all be swimming together soon enough (and not just in spirit)!

Oh, and wash your hands. xo

Greetings from my window… a few feet away from you all.

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FREE COLOURING PAGE:

Each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download here (scroll down to the button below), and on the Tourism Tofino website. If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing that for 2020, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Happy New Year

WANTED: Turkey Bandit and accomplices. Probably moving slowly after all that turkey, yams, potatoes, roasted veg and stuffing. Seems to have opposable thumbs. May have a greasy face, bloated belly and still be carrying a container of his leftovers. Thanks for leaving us the cranberry sauce.

Another Christmas come and gone. It honestly feels like yesterday that I was putting down LAST years tree! This season seemed short and sweet. We spent some time before Christmas in Victoria, Sooke and Mayne Island visiting family, then picked up our eldest daughter and brought her home for a few days over Christmas. It’s never enough time to really get quality visits with everyone, but I suppose thats just how it is when family is spread around like that. Tofino is tough to come to at that time of year… especially when living on a boat as there isn’t really room to put family or friends up and hotel accommodation can be pricey and pretty elusive over those popular days. Nevertheless, it was really nice to just stop and be present. This was also the first Christmas with our new stove, and Adam finished the salon table the week before so we could actually sit around a table and not our laps! I am not sure if those are the reasons it was easily the best Christmas dinner we have ever had, or if it was the company, or the food. Apparently the racoons thought so too… they were waiting patiently for us to put all our leftovers in the cooler outside (not a big enough fridge indoors). Those sneaky buggers managed to get in, and open click lock containers too. Perhaps that made our dinner even better… the fact that we didn’t get the opportunity to get sick of leftovers. 🤣

So here I am… writing a post, drinking coffee, and getting ready to take down this years tree. The week between Christmas and New Years is always a good one. I have no idea what day of the week it is, but I do know that I am already scheming and planning, writing lists and goals…excited for a new year. Wishing you all the best for 2020!!

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UPCOMING EVENTS:

Artist In Action at The Wickininnish Inn: I feel pretty honoured to have been asked to join The Wickaninnish Inn to help ring in the new year as an ‘Artist In Action’. Looking forward to doing some drawing/painting in their super cozy Driftwood Café, while the forecasted wintery winds blow outside on Chesterman Beach! I'll be there at the following times. Come say hi!

Monday, December 30th: 4:00pm - 7:00pm (opening reception)
Tuesday, December 31st: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Wednesday, January 1st: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Thursday, January 2nd: 10:00am - 1:00pm

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FREE COLOURING PAGE:

Each month I offer free west coast inspired colouring pages that are published and distributed in Tofino Time Magazine. They are also available for download here (scroll down to the button below), and on the Tourism Tofino website. If you would like them to come straight to your inbox each month as I am planning to start doing that for 2020, please sign up for my mailing list (yeah, that annoying pop up). Personally I hate getting a bunch of spamming emails, so I promise to keep it to a maximum of once a month! Please feel free to download them for personal use. If you are a restaurant, school or business that wants to print them for your clients, customers (or to keep their kids happy) or students then I am totally fine with that too. All I ask is you leave my contact info at the bottom of the page please.

Happy Holidays - Colouring Page and December Events News

I’m late! I’m late! Wow… this fall/winter has been such a scattered mess of projects and ideas that it’s already December 5th and I haven’t uploaded my colouring page yet! I suppose it’s bad enough I have no new cards or calendars this year for you either!! So sorry! Sometimes it just is’t going to happen (yes you will notice some similarities in my colouring page as well… haha).

So on that note… there are a couple of cool things happening this month.

There are only a few days left to bid on TWO fundraising auctions that I am participating in. One is over at 1% For The Planet. I am auctioning off a Limited Edition ‘Coastal Hunters’ 16x20 Giclée print! This auction wraps up December 9th so get your bid in while you can!

The other one is ‘Friends of Pacific Wild’ #wildauction2019 in support of Pacific Wild’s Fundraising campaigns to conserve and protect the Great Bear Rainforest. Auction Week will be December 2-6, with the auction closing at 5pm December 6. Head over to Instagram to see the original 12x12 piece I created specifically for this event.

If that isn’t enough, I am also participating in the second Pacific Board Art Show over in Cumberland Friday December 6th. I will have a couple of hand painted skateboards for sale at this event. Sounds like its going to be a fun night! Art show with LOTS of cool creatives, live music, and the whole town is taking part in the Little Village Light Up. It also happens to be a fundraiser too… they all seem to be happening this month!!

I’ve also got some cool client projects happening too - book illustrations, logos, posters and an apparel collaboration. So as you can imagine, I had to pull out of the Christmas Winter Artisan Market this year. Sorry to all who were wanting new card designs or calendars… next year… next year.

There is a fun little piece of news though. I decided to sacrifice any chance of a winter vacation, and spend the money on a new printer (and not just any printer) a large format, pigment ink (archival ink), Giclée printer!! I was finding that with the costs to get high end prints printed, I was more hesitant to do smaller runs of archival prints. My lack of storage, and remote location (can’t just quickly drop in to the print shop) is also an issue. This will allow me try more images that I wouldn’t normally get printed. It will also allow me to give my smaller prints a more personal touch. Larger ones and cards will still be done through my favourite crew over at Art Ink Print. :) My little ‘Paperboat Press’ is sitting buried under half painted skateboards and paint until I can get through my list of projects. Looking forward to experimenting with it when I can get to it. haha! 2020 is going to be fun!

I am also admittedly excited to be back to working on the boat! My studio space wasn’t quite working out for me, and I honestly seem to work better in the chaos of my floating space. I decided to save the rent, and go back to working around Rowan’s homeschooling and Adam’s galley/salon building (keep it simple… sort of). It’s weird what we get acclimatized to. That being said… we do have a new stove and almost a salon/work table so our wheelhouse is getting closer to finished!

Anyhow, on that rambling note. A very BIG THANK YOU to all of my supporters this year… it keeps me going on doing what I love to do! I am super excited for 2020 and all it may bring.

And don’t forget to use CHEER2019 if you go to my card for 20% off for the next couple of weeks.

Wishing you all a warm and happy holiday season!!!

Stream Keepers - Colouring Page

Autumn is finally here! Every year I am stoked for the crispiness of fall. Time to break out the wool socks, beanies, sweaters and gumboots. I’ll miss those warm mornings and long days, but there is something to be said about just getting cozy and creative in this less chaotic time of year. This year I have a studio to retreat to when the weather gets rocky which is something I certainly look forward to!

October being the month of fall colours and Halloween, I did up some wild salmon for you in their more ‘ghouly’ stage of life. The return to spawn to the river from which they came. Starting from tiny eggs buried in beds of fresh water rivers, they go through many stages of fresh water life before venturing out to the open ocean for a few years before making the trip back. Between deforestation and destruction of natural habitats, fish farms, sea lice, natural predators, human industry, climate change, rising ocean temperatures, pollution and other threats, these incredible fish have a tough life. Wild Salmon are a foundational species to life on the Pacific Northwest. Wild Salmon have been a huge part of First Nations culture for ages. People and many species of wildlife depend on the marine-rich nutrients that wild salmon provide. Salmon watersheds provide clean drinking water, and because they are composed of flowing rivers and dense forests, they absorb carbon to slow climate change! The commercial fishing industry also supports local economy and communities along the Pacific Northwest. Wild Salmon are important for so many reason and I am glad to see more and more organizations fighting to protect them and restore their habitats.

You’ll see this page in Tofino Time magazine this October. Please feel free to download from my site as well, but please… pretty please… leave my contact info on the bottom if you are sharing them in your business, or other public spaces. :)

** I love doing these colouring pages and I hope you do too. I am so happy when I see them printed out in restaurants, or used in schools, and I love to see people colouring them! The other day however, I went into one of my favourite shops in the city and saw kids colouring one of my pages. Normally I would be so stoked to see that, but this time honestly I felt cheated and disappointed. The line of contact information at the bottom of the page was cropped off! Now I completely understand that images posted on the web are at risk of this, and perhaps it was an honest mistake, but I have included that contact info at the bottom of every upload so it was definitely deliberately cropped. That info is my calling card. That is so if someone sees the pages and likes my work, they may hire me for a project. I do not get paid for the hours of work these pages take, nor do I charge to use them, but that ability for ‘exposure’ (yup, artists hate that word), and the projects that may come of it is in essence how I do get paid for them. If you want me to keep doing these, then please, all I ask is you leave my info at the bottom of the page. If that is too much to ask, then I will just have to stop giving them away for ‘free’. **