Pistachio shell painting continues, in the studio and at artclub98
Shout out to all the contributing artists who have helped paint their original designs, special thanks to Rhea Szariks and Rachel Warwick

It is April and Dandelions are starting to bloom in the Fraser Valley. Harvesting and crushing into "paper", for it is a rough and in-precise science I am conducting these days. I have started making this paper from plants, flowers and foliage that catch my attention and are very seasonal in their short existence. Below are papers made out of Rhubarb flowers and Cottonwood buds which have the most beautiful fragrance but make a sticky mess that still needs a lot of experimentation.

Rhubarb flower and Rhubarb flower paper

Cottonwood buds, sticky and pungent - Cottonwood bud paper

Growing my own canvasses from lemons grown in our home, from discarded peels of bought oranges and pomelos. Reviving old technique and tradition of using citrus fruit peels to dry over containers and use as canvasses.

Work in progress- the painting of Pistachio shells goes on and on, over 1300 painted with my in studio made charcoal paints. Shout out to Rhea Szarics, the fabulous Rhea and her contributions to the painting of these shells. A big THANK YOU to all that have joined me at ARTCLUB98 and in our Agassiz Studios

Collections, so many things collected, so many resources discarded and disregarded. When I first started this project, my biggest fear was not having enough ready to use materials but was I wrong! Its really hard to restraint myself because there is so much potential in our waste and excess. And excess is everywhere in our society.

Round tea bags painted on with charcoaled coffee paints. I am so happy with the developments in studio and the results of continued experimentation. I am so grateful for the time I have to work on this project, for the work needs time to cure and test for steadfastness, fading over time and archival issues and concerns.

March in the studio: experimenting with spent teabags as a mark making surface and canvass. Painting them with charcoal and eggshell paints. All the inks and paints are made in studio. all materials used were once destined for the compost but now destined for a gallery exhibitions. Testing for archival qualities and steadfastness, very slow and meticulous process.

February has been a pistachio shell month ALL THE TIME! I am obsessed with painting these glorious "allreadymade" canvasses. In this work, I only use materials that were destined for the compost. I dry, select for quality and integrity, grind and bind with either soya milk or egg yolks.

Influences, Inspirations and Aspirations. In my everyday travels, I observe the lives of others and the marks they make in their travels and work and all of it has a profound impact on my visual mark making, be it from the rusty leftovers of once useful metal staples or the eaten and carved  travel path of an industrious beings, on wood or plastic surfaces to the freezing and thawing of winter puddles and the leftover patterns.

 Work in progress, over a thousand pistachio shells painted to date, with the help of colleagues who have joined me in the addiction of painting these "Allreadymades" after Marcel Duchamp.  Ten thousand painted pistachio shells is the goal. February is all about pistachio shells.