The last time we talked about painting, I was exploring landscapes and still lives. Let’s see what’s been happening since then.

Well, I decided to try my hand at portraits. First, let me say that while I love portraiture, I have always struggled with it. I can draw a basic cartoon face well enough, but realistic portraits are challenging. Even so, I have been saving inspiration pictures on my phone for a while; I am drawn to interesting faces, not necessarily conventionally pretty ones. Strong features, memorable angles and lines. One of the portraits I’ve been wanting to do for a while was Grace Coddington. Initially, I wanted to make an embroidered portrait, but that never came to pass. Instead, I decided to try a painting.

Here was the photo I chose for inspiration:

I started this picture on a whim, and put brush to canvas without doing a sketch beforehand. I have never attempted to paint without a guiding sketch before, much less a portrait at that. It was kind of terrifying but also compulsive. I did the rough “draft” of the face in about 30 minutes and … it wasn’t as bad as I feared it might be.

The painting ended up taking about a week to complete, in small spurts, and while it’s by no means very good, I felt it was a decent first effort.

Rather than jump into another portrait right away, I took a detour and tried a new approach to landscapes. A more abstract, colour-focused approach. I liked the results a lot.

Then I ran into a creative rut. I tried a few pieces that didn’t work no matter what I did. I felt stuck and very frustrated. It was my first experience of self-perceived failure since I started painting, and it was very demoralizing. Eventually, I decided that the only way to move forward was to chuck the pieces that weren’t working (they were too heavy on the texture to try to paint over) and start fresh. An article on Edith Sitwell caught my eye, and I decided to make her my next portrait subject.

I love how this one turned out, even though my mom did ask if I was painting Morticia Addams. To be honest, I don’t care if it looks more like Anjelica Houston than Edith Sitwell. I want my portraits to have atmosphere, and I think this one has it. I found it a spot in my library, and I love how it looks there:

Then I went back to the drawing board again and decided to do a still life again … but in my own way. A contributing factor in my earlier creative rut was the fact that I was looking online at how other people were painting the kinds of things I wanted to paint, but was having trouble making that work for me. For this painting, I found inspiration in my own work – namely, the floral embroidery work I did a while back. Remember this blazer:

I did a semi-abstract still life based on those flowers and using a colour scheme that just spoke to me.

I was pretty pleased with how this turned out; so much so, that I decided to find it a spot in the house too. I took a couple of my paintings (plus an original acrylic I recently thrifted at Value Village) and updated the gallery wall in the master bedroom.

I love the splashes of colour, and I am thinking that there are a few more prints that I want to replace with original art.

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, but I’ve been sitting on this outfit idea for weeks, waiting for the weather to catch up. With fall in full swing, the time has come.

Ok, I know. This outfit (from the Brandon Maxwell Fall/Winter 2019 runway collection) probably doesn’t scream “autumn” but wait till you see my interpretation. This look was one of the major standouts for me when I perused the Vogue runway collections edition; to be honest, I really wish I could own these exact pieces because they look so incredible. I also wish I lived a life that would allow me to wear this outfit like it’s no big deal. Alas.

Belted blazers are apparently a trend again. Some of the looks I’ve seen remind me of what we were all doing back in 2012-2013, though I think most of us were skinny-belting cardigans at the time more so than blazers. Belts are tricky for me these days – I can usually only wear them for about half a day – but the beauty of belting a blazer is that, well, if you take off the belt, you still have a perfectly acceptable outfit.

Here’s my take:

The main piece is the skirt – although it’s not satin like the original, it has a similar fluidity – one of my favourite elements from the inspiration. I tried a couple of blazers, and in the end chose this Giorgio Armani; it’s impeccably tailored and slim-fitting which is key because you don’t want extra bulk around the belt. This obi belt was a long searched-for item. I spent years scouring eBay for something like this, but ended up finding this one at Value Village for $12; it’s real leather, and a collab between Greta Constantine (Canadian designer) and Danier. It’s a wonderful finishing piece, and the adjustability makes it easier for me to wear for longer periods.

As with most of my runway-inspired outfits, this was not a literal translation but one that I felt captured the spirit of the original (or, at least, the part that spoke to me) and worked for my actual lifestyle.

Yellow By Any Other Name

I have the hardest time describing the colour of this Aritzia sweater, or capturing its true shade in photos. It’s not quite mustard, not quite burnt orange. It has brown and greenish undertones to it. The product description was “tamarind”, which may or may not speak to you. Since I don’t cook adventurously, and certainly not with tamarind, it only conjures up a vague idea of a colour.

Regardless, it’s lovely. And it’s almost a perfect match for the background colour in the skirt print (except the latter is a bit more golden and less green-brown) which is why this outfit practically jumped out of my closet begging to be worn. I happily obliged. The blue shoes were a nice finishing touch and a bit of a call back to Adina of Years Past.

Notes: Suno skirt (thrifted, $9); Aritzia sweater (retail, $140); J. Crew shoes (thrifted, $15).

Cozy Chic

This outfit is probably not everyone’s cup of tea but I really enjoyed it. It’s, somehow, peaceful. I guess I find taupe a very soothing colour, hah! Conventional wisdom suggests that long layers should be paired with shorter ones, but I went the opposite way – long over long over longer still. The result might not be conventionally *flattering* (no waist definition, gasp!) but I like the proportions just fine and, frankly, I don’t care about presenting my body in that way. Or, at least, I like having the option to forego that objective when the mood strikes.

Notes: by Malene Birger tunic (thrifted, $9); Ovate dress (thrifted, $8.50); Elizabeth & James vest (thrifted, $18); Poppy Barley shoes (thrifted, $25).

Crayola Chic

This Gap sweater continues to be a wardrobe MVP, which goes to show that you can’t wholly write off brands even if they’re not your usual speed. I love the bold, graphic design – almost minimalist in a way, despite all the colours. I paired it here with a new-to-me Okakie dress in a vibrant blue. Okakie is sold at Workhall, an Edmonton-based design boutique; think a mix of Aritzia and Oak & Fort vibes. This dress is a lot more body-con than I normally prefer, but I decided to go for it anyway. Worst case scenario, I’ll resell it. So far, so good.

With the temps dropping ever lower, it’s time to bring out the boots again and I couldn’t be happier. This Tory Burch pair is one of my faves, although the fact it’s mostly suede makes it suitable only for early fall. Not to worry though, I have approximately a bazillion more black ankle boots to see me through the season … and I’m sure I will talk myself into a few new pairs at the thrifts this year.

Notes: Okakie dress (thrifted, $8.50); Gap sweater (thrifted, $5); Tory Burch shoes (thrifted, $20); MbMJ bag (thrifted, $20).