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Perched on the corner coffee table in our living room is a digital photo frame.

It only comes out to play in December and it’s tucked away again in January.

Loaded on its SD card are 500 family Christmas photos spanning two decades. The frame is set to just keep cycling through the images over and over again.

Sprinkled through the collection, you’ll find the odd attempt at a ‘formal’ group photo, but most of the images are candid shots that capture the spirit of our holiday times.

You’ll see Christmas ornaments, trees, lights and decorations, tables set for brunch and dinner, and baking fresh out of the oven. But even more importantly… (more…)

NEW WORKS! To celebrate the season, I’m releasing the Blue Sky Series featuring winter scenes and deep blue skies.

There are nine paintings in this limited edition collection.

Starting December 9^th, one painting will be released each day at 9:00 am CST for nine consecutive days.

I won’t be posting each release on this blog every day, but you can find and follow them on my FB and IG accounts or on the blog at my Pauseworks Studio website.

Each 6” x 6” original painting is created with ink, watercolor and gouache on archival paper, and will be mounted on a black mat board 8” x 8” in size – ready for framing.

Priced at $75 each (including shipping and taxes), these treasures will go to the first person who requests each one by email message to pat@patkatzart.com.

Whether you pick one up for yourself or to gift someone else, I hope these images from the Blue Sky series brighten your wintry days.

It’s been a while since I published a piece on this Pause blog. That surprises me.

I’ve written my entire life. Publishing a weekly message was part of my business for 25 years. That practice served me and the business, and I like to think my clients and followers, well.

When I stopped penning the weekly Pause ezine and blog at the start of 2021, I thought the writing would still continue as organically as it had in my early days when I could not not write! Not so, as it turns out.

Take away the commitment to and expectation of publishing a weekly message, and apparently, I’m no longer as devoted to putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Who knew that’s how it would be? Not me.

Oh, I’m still noticing in much the same way I have all my life – things, experiences, ideas, and more. And I’m still writing – but mainly in my head – as in ‘here’s what I think or what I’d say about that’.

Mostly that form of ‘talking to myself’ feels like a sufficient expression. The second step of getting the ideas down on paper seems somehow less essential. (more…)

“What’s this?” you might ask.

A social media posting goof up by yours truly?

An all-white painting by pop artist, Robert Rauschenberg – marked sold with the proverbial red dot?

Both good guesses – but you’d be wrong.

It’s White Space – AKA yesterday’s square on my calendar. And as you can see, it was completely empty.

What it meant is that there was no place I need to go and there was no one who was expecting me to show up. I could have declared it an all-day pajama day if I were so inclined. And, in fact, I did treat myself to an afternoon nap on a rainy afternoon! (more…)

Duplex For Rent

We’re less than a week away from the opening of our Artists’ Workshop 2022 Spring Show & Sale.

It’s been a fun adventure sorting through my work from the last three years to decide what I will present in the show.

Amazingly, I’m feeling pretty much ready for the big event.

Maybe that’s a result of having had the last three years to prepare for it.

If I had to choose one word to describe the work I’ll be presenting it would be ‘varied’.

Black Fox Flowers

All of the work is watercolor – nothing has changed there. Some is watercolor with pen and some without.

Some works are on paper and others on canvas. Some are matted and framed under glass; others are presented on stretched canvas with a varnished finish or mounted on cradleboard with a waxed finish.

The inspirations are wide ranging, too.

There aren’t quite so many streetscapes as in the past – given that my travel wings have been clipped.

There are a few landscapes, a few rural scenes, quite a few florals, and a large number of still life pieces.

Rural Roots

The sizes range from 6 x 6” up to 29 x 22” (which is pretty darn big for me).

I’ve got over 40 pieces in this year’s collection.

Just a few of them are featured here.

My eight colleagues in the AW group have all been enthusiastically creating art as well.

Ravello Terra Cotta

There will be plenty of work to enjoy and make your own.

So you don’t have to go digging for them, here are the show details again.

This year’s event will be hosted at Grace Westminster Church Auditorium (505 10th Street E here in Saskatoon) on these dates at these times:

• Friday, April 29, 5-8
• Saturday, April 30, 10-4
• Sunday, May 1, 12-4

Sure hope to see you there!

‘Rekindling Spirit – Moving Through Malaise’ is the title of a seminar I’ll be delivering next week to a group of financial folks as part of their upcoming professional development event.

Every time I work with this material, I’m reminded of the wide range of options we have for getting ourselves unstuck – shifting our experience from ‘ho hum’ to ‘woohoo’.

As part of the program, participants will be invited to reflect on their past – from childhood pursuits and skills sets to bold imaginings and deferred dreams.

The idea is to take a look backwards at things we used to enjoy and interests we may have discarded along the way – to see if there is something that might add a spark of joy and excitement to our lives today.

Along this vein, yesterday I helped my octogenarian Mom hang a newly framed cross-stitch that she recently completed. It was and is an epic piece of work.

Mom first started working on this piece of handwork in the 1980’s. As life grew busy in other areas,  (more…)

I just want to keep you all in the loop about developments in my world on the art front. In this case, with respect to a group of artists that I create with most Mondays.

It’s been 3 long years since our last Artists’ Workshop Spring Show (Thank you Covid!).

And as of today, it’s just 3 short weeks until our 2022 Spring Show which WILL be going ahead. Yeah!!

Our members are excited to share our fresh artwork with all of you. Read on for more details.

(more…)

When it comes to appreciation, one size does not fit all, and a generic thank you falls short of the mark. This is a point that I often stress when I speak and write about how to boost the impact of appreciation and recognition.

Today, a prime example of this idea arrived in my mailbox.

For several years now, I’ve been a member of CARFAC – the association representing Canadian professional visual artists. Each year I pay my dues and in return I receive my membership card, a receipt and a letter pointing out the benefits of belonging to the association. Pretty standard and a tad ho hum.

This year, I found something extra tucked into the envelope. (more…)

As the calendar turns on our second year of the Covid 19 Pandemic, we know more and we’re protected some; but the virus and our understanding of it keep changing. If there was ever a time for resilience, this would be it!

With the introduction of vaccines throughout 2021, some of life’s normal activities returned. Even being able to do simple things like meeting for coffee or sharing a meal were greatly appreciated.

In our world, all but the most modest of travels were curtailed. What took on great significance for me were short visits with nearby family. I had missed them so.

In recent years, I’ve made it a practice to sum up our family’s year in photos. As you will see from the Katz Family Christmas Letter 2021 included here, we continued to find joy and pleasure in spite of the various restrictions of our times. We’re especially grateful for blessings of good health.

May this message find you well and looking forward with hope to life as it will unfold in 2022.

Warmest wishes to you all, Pat

The more attentive we are to the events of our lives, the richer the potential in mining for meaning. As I reflected on themes around my recent adventures in art, I found myself seeing more than a few of my life experiences with fresh eyes. Reflecting on some of your everyday experiences might prove rewarding for you as well.

If you’ve been following my recent posts on social media (Facebook and Instagram), you may have caught one or more of the ten brief videos vignettes in which I shared some of the experiences and inspirations that gave rise to the ‘Care For A Cuppa’ exhibition and the Café Series in general.

The series touched on all of these themes:  hospitality, contribution, community, relationship, connection, contemplation, beauty and creativity.

The entire series of vignettes has now been combined into this composite video along with a selection of the paintings from the show. If you are so inclined, I invite you to grab a cuppa your favorite beverage, press play, and reflect on your own life experiences connecting with self and others over a mug of coffee or a cup of tea.

If you haven’t yet seen the ‘Care For A Cuppa’ exhibition which has been featured through the fall at City Perks Coffeehouse in Saskatoon, this link will allow you to browse the individual works virtually and enjoy a virtual video tour of the show online at the Pauseworks Studio website.