Monday, January 31, 2011

Painting, Cards and Snowshoes

Hello!

Well, much has been going on lately, and I've finished another painting! Some photos of its various stages are below.

It's being printed up on cards that will be available soon. On that note, I just discovered the problem with ordering the cards, and it is FIXED. So now you really can order my cards, sorry to anyone who has previously tried to order cards to no avail!

My days have been filled with painting... every day for some portion of time I sit by our wood-stove, brushes and canvas in hand. I squeeze blobs of paint onto my palette and run my brush through the bright colors, watching them swirl beneath the fine hairs. And then I begin to paint.

I find it amazing how many emotions I can have just while sitting at the table, brushing colors onto a bit of canvas. It can be so satisfying, or meditative, or sometimes incredibly frustrating. I also like to listen to things while I paint, some times music, but most often radio programs. The BBC has a wonderful selection of programs on their website and I can pick anything from the latest science about biomimicry, to dramatizations of the works of Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen.

Every day I also try to do something else (or many other things) to further my fundraising. And today, with the help of my mum, I'm ready to send out a piece about a snowshoe fundraiser adventure!

Jon Wescott has very generously offered to be the leader, and I'm delighted that he can do it, he is a very fun outdoor guide and teacher. Some of my fondest memories are of field trips he led to a camp with sled dogs, where he took us hiking and skiing through the snowy woods. He is very safety conscious and also has a knack for including kids of all ages.


Here are some pictures of painting progress:







Hila

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Progress

Hi all!

Today I've been busily painting for my new card! I'm very excited about its progress and it's been lovely to do some art. Aside from from that, I'm pleased with the progress in fundraising I've been able to make so far this week.

On Saturday I took my cards, (see them here) including my latest, the Ecuadorian Toucan, out for the first time to a local potluck hosted by the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition. I was immediately happy how well the toucans were received, then astonished when I returned to my display basket to see they were completely sold out! Hurray!

The Toucan Card

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Adventure Begins

Hello!

I'm Hila, and in September, I'm embarking on the most exciting adventure of my life. Joining with a dozen other teens I'm taking part in a four-month expedition to Ecuador to study their culture and learn from the native people. We'll explore the rainforest, raft Amazon rivers and climb one of the tallest active volcanoes in the world. I'm very excited!

But the adventure doesn't just begin in September. Before I go I have lots of preparation to do, including earning the $12,500 that is the cost of the program, quite an endeavor in itself! This blog is here so you can share some of my adventures in fundraising and preparing for the trip, and also as a place to exhibit the cards that I'm selling to raise money. Once we leave on the trip I'm hoping it'll be an easy transition from this blog to the Semester Trip blog if you want to follow our adventures in Ecuador as well.

Thanks for reading!

Hila