Many years ago, I bought a set of watercolours on a friend's recommendation. I love it; the pigmentation was rich and deep. I used the set a lot before discovering Daniel Smith watercolour, and it became my new favourite child. Still, I would come back to it and remember how good the sets are from time to time. My only problem was the limited number of colours and that I didn't remember the brand name. 
You see, I ordered it from overseas, it was not a local brand, and the packaging had no indication whatsoever! Poor marketing strategy for sure. Earlier this year, I stumbled upon a set called White nights that stated that they were previously called St-Petersburg, and I was like: That's it! Finally, find it. Let's see if they have more colours than the basic 36 set I already had. I was happy to find out that yes! If you ask me, it's still poorly branded, but I got the set of 6 newest colours (pastel) and the set of 9 colours of 2019. They did not disappoint! I own a few pastel watercolours, of none have the vibrancy these have! The bright colours are as yummy. The caput mortuum is super rich. I can highly recommend them. The complete set will last you forever. If you are looking for a professional quality foundation set of watercolours, I saw the original St-Petersbourg 36 colours set on amazon for less than CAD 40 a still. I paid around $75.

to see them in action, here is a timelapse of a painting I did with the new colours + 2 PWC light flesh colours and gouache for the background. Enjoy!

In no particular order.
Why 54? I was aiming for 100, but my memory is failing me.

Every significant change in life comes with its share of self-doubt. The best way I know how to evacuate them is to create art pieces and let them go. The human brain is wired to see changes as danger; our natural instinct is to fight or flight. Persisting in action that will ultimately alleviate our life quality is not an easy thing. Lately, I feel like I have to deal with a lot of thunder inside my head. I'm fighting with myself not to sabotage all of my efforts. 
This painting was created with that feeling in mind. While I'm fighting the thunder, I choose to wrap myself with warmth and stay focused on the goal.

Like her? You can purchase her here

​Throughout our lives, we all go through life-changing events. Sometimes it's big and side, others it's small and, we barely notice at the time. We realized it much more later after the fact. 

This last year has been a mixed bag of challenges, roadblocks and sadness.  But all the sadness also brought opportunities, new people/friendships and new adventures. 

I begin the year in convalescents after a hysterectomy. In that period, I could do nothing but rest and think. The brain fog was slowly dissipating. Projects took form in my mind, and I realized what I didn't want to do anymore. 

Being secure and a creature of habits while I welcomed new opportunities, it was hard to let go of old patterns and ways of living. 
This long period of self-isolating also brought back feeling of loneliness. It is not something I often feel as an introverted artist. While I usually can't get enough alone time, I was craving the company of others. 

A bit more than a month ago, I lost my job to restructuring. At first, it hit me hard but being someone who doesn't like to sit in sadness for too long, I decided to see it as THE BIG OPPORTUNITY! I still have a good 15-20 years, if not more, on the work market and have more life experiences than when I decided to become a Graphic designer at 15.

It's a weird question to ask yourself at 46. What do you want to be when you grow up? I love creating art traditionally; it is and will always remain my first love. But I have always been attracted to technology and the wonders you can produce with it. 

So my plan, for now, is to take 6 months to complete an associate degree as a UX designer. Creating the best user experiences for someone like me who is always on the lookout for better ways of doing something seemed like a natural fit. At the same time, I will further my knowledge of video editing with adobe premiere and After Effects and grow my online presence. These are all things I had on the back burner for way too long. 
Of course, if the perfect job comes along the way, I'll take it. in the meantime, why not seize this wonderful opportunity life has sent my way.