Saskatoon

In just over a week, our Artists’ Workshop group will throw open the doors and share an enthusiastic welcome to our 2025 Spring Show & Sale.  This is your personal invitation to join us to enjoy all of the brand-new original works we’ve been creating.

The event will be held at Grace-Westminster Church (505 10^th St E in Saskatoon) on:

• Friday, April 25 (5-9)
• Saturday, April 26 (10-5)
• Sunday, April 27 (11-4)

‘The Inside Story’ is our theme for 2025. Unique to this year’s show will be a set of 12×12 works featuring ten different points of view around the ‘Inside Story’ theme.

I’ll be presenting work under several different themes:

• Travel Sketches
• Figurative Characters
• Whimsical Village Scenes

(more…)

Mark your calendars!

The annual Artists’ Workshop Show & Sale is coming soon: April 25 -27, 2025 at Grace-Westminster Church in Saskatoon.

A unique addition to the 2025 Show is a collection of 12” x 12” artworks (one by each of our ten artists in their own creative style) interpreting and showcasing the theme “The Inside Story”.

Hope to see you there!

Location: Grace-Westminster Church, Saskatoon 505 10th Street E, Saskatoon

In just one week, our Artists’ Workshop group will throw open the doors and share an enthusiastic welcome to our Spring Show & Sale.  This is your personal invitation to join us to enjoy all of the brand-new original works we’ve been creating.

The event will be held at Grace Westminster Church (505 10^th St E in Saskatoon) on Friday, April 26 (5-9), Saturday, April 27 (10-5) and Sunday, April 28 (11-4).

‘Creative Synergy’ is our theme for 2024. We celebrate the many ways that creating together improve our art and enhance our connections with community.

Unique to this year’s show will be a set of ten 12×12 works on canvas featuring our very different takes on life in Saskatoon. (more…)

It’s been an unusual fall and winter here in Saskatoon with high (for us) temperatures and no snow to speak of all the way through into the new year.

But now that we’re coming up on the middle of January, that’s all changed. The snow arrived this week, and with it the deep freeze temperatures that are common in our part of the world at this time of the year.

Before my fingers get too frosted to work on the keyboard, I want to take a moment to wish you and yours a healthy and happy 2024. May the adventures ahead lift your spirits and your relationships fill your hearts.

I usually sum up our family’s experiences with an annual photo collage of the special moments from our year.  Here’s a link to the 2023 Katz Family Highlights. We’re grateful for the many blessings and adventures that were ours to share.

In just two weeks, our Artists’ Workshop group will throw open the doors and share an enthusiastic welcome to our Spring Show & Sale.  This is your personal invitation to join us to enjoy all of the brand-new original works we’ve been creating.

The event will be held at Grace Westminster Church (505 10^th St E in Saskatoon) on Friday, April 21 (5-8), Saturday, April 22 (10-4) and Sunday, April 23 (12-4).

‘Viewpoints’ is the theme of this year’s show. We celebrate the many different paths that have led us to our work, the variations in what inspires each of us, and the individual ways that viewers and collectors experience what we create.

Unique to the 2023 show will be a set of works expressing our nine different interpretations of the color palette featured in our show logo.  (more…)

Recently, I’ve focused more on art than speaking. However, my experience last week reminded me of how much I love working with groups, too.

I facilitated a half day retreat titled, Cultivating Collegial Connections, for the staff and leadership of the Legislative Assembly Service with the Saskatchewan government.

Like many groups, the distancing they experienced during the pandemic strained that sense of connectedness. Partner a couple of years of remote working with retirements, new hires, and changes in roles means that it can be a real challenge to maintain existing relationships and establish new ones.

The session that I designed focused on… (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!

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.

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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…)