Three Amigos

I apologize for not posting any art work recently. So, here is a piece I did awhile back. :)

© 2012 Heidi Chouinard 

Acrylic & modpodge on  12"X12" canvas

Scallop Palette

A friend of our's who is a fisherman brought by a huge bucket full of scallop shells! They will make the perfect canvas for painting! Although first we got to do all the gross work first. 

© 2012 Heidi Chouinard 

They still have a little of scallop meat on them. You can imagine how stinky they are! :P

We have them scattered on the black pavement out back so that they can dry out. Then we will fill a large bucket with water and bleach to finish cleaning them. Hopefully we won't have to boil them!

© 2012 Heidi Chouinard 

Along with the shells was this ancient sea coke bottle covered in barnacles and sea growth. 

© 2012 Heidi Chouinard 

Thank you George for your contribution! :)

Weeble On A Slate

Now that the mural is finished we(my sister and I) have been back at the store for some laid back creativity, from getting creative with paints on hanging slates to birdhouses. It is June and we are already beginning to paint things geared towards halloween. Living in Salem for a good chunk of my life, I have successfully avoided the total ciaos that takes place downtown every year during the whole month of October(don't get me wrong, it can be a lot of fun, it is just not my thing)...but this year it is going to be unavoidable. We are going to be setting up a booth down town in October with some halloween things as well as some regular items that are sold at Nightingale. We are going to be in the midst of it all! Ahhhhh! 

On a positive note, I think it is going to be good exposure for Nightingale. 

Below is one of my halloween creations on a slate. As most of you have guessed, I like to create cutesy characters with unique, simple, designs/patterns. Weeble, is a ghost who is dressed up as a sort of bunny, who dwells gaurdian over the pumpkin patch during the night. 

© 2012 Heidi Chouinard 

© 2012 Heidi Chouinard 

© 2012 Heidi Chouinard 

Bitter Sweet Strokes

Today I am back to posting some of my art . :) This is one of my favorite pieces I did for Nightingale Arts.

watercolor and colored pencils on cold-pressed watercolor paper
© 2011 Heidi Chouinard

This piece was the last piece I painted before the store opened. It was sad to end the wonderful summer of creating side-by-side with my amazing sister! However, we were both looking forward to finally opening the store: Nightingale Arts!

This painting brings back a lot of memories. During the summer of 2011 my sister and I spent every day of the week in the Nightingale studio, doing our best to create unique works of art. I have to say, it is a time I will cherish forever. Many days my sister and I had so much fun blasting David Bowie while painting together. Also, having her around was fantastic for getting inspiration and constructive feedback on everything we made. Of course, there were many frustrations and challenges as well. Being creative and having to produce sellable pieces on a daily basis was at times stressful, and I didn’t always wake up feeling creative.

Now that the store has opened we still work on art behind the counter, but it sure is not the same as being in that creative work zone with no distractions. I will always miss that summer, and I am so thankful that I was given that opportunity (once again was all made possible by Marie Barron; owner of Nightingale Arts).