Many people ask us what Lynn's been doing since she retired from creating FBorFW.

She's been enjoying time with her granddaughter and grandson, travelling, and doing many other things, including painting with acrylics! You can see some of her art below.

Lynn has also been experimenting with pattern designs, which are commonly used for fabric, or applied to other kinds of products. Have a look at Lynn's pattern portfolio here.

I had in mind an image of a twisty tree on a lakeside. It just came into my head. I used a photograph of a sunset for the background, but for the most part, this is a made-up image. It's in 2 parts and altogether, the work is about 5' X 3'. When I showed it to my daughter, she said the tree looked like a big, soft female form, which I think it does! Even though it's a bit like an animation background, I am fairly happy with it.

This goofy dog with the flower in his (or her) mouth was done for my granddaughter's bedroom wall. She likes it, which means a lot to me. I did a funny cat for my grandson which he has on his bathroom wall. Someday, when he wants one...I'll do a big painting for him as well.

Two of the abstracts are oil and cold wax. The one that looks like a desert with mountains in the background is acrylic. To begin this one, I used gesso and mop cotton, which I pulled like wet spaghetti across the canvas. This was to keep me from making a cartoon landscape; I wanted to do an abstract. Unfortunately, acrylics are what I'm used to, so this painting went from abstract to this desert-looking scene because I overworked it. I played around with it too much. Oil and cold wax is like working with creamy icing, which you spread onto a hard surface using palette knives or squeegees. This is a real change for me. I think it has forced me to work in an abstract style because it takes a while for the surface to dry, and I can't use small brushes. Over the course of the pandemic, painting has kept me busy, happy and sane!

Just before we left North Bay, Ontario, I saw a sale on tiny canvases at a local art/craft shop and thought I'd take advantage. You never know when you'll need a 4X4" canvas, so I bought a bunch of them—I have friends who use them to try out new materials. I thought I'd putter about with cartoon animals in COLOUR, for a change, and these looked like a perfect size. What you'll see here are some fast experiments; some are on wood, others on canvas, and all are done with acrylic paint.

I like to use glass egg trays when I paint. The colours are kept separate. I can mix on the centre of the glass or on disposable paper mixing sheets. I use a laundry sprayer to keep the paint moist as I use it, then I cover the tray with light, plastic shower caps so nothing dries out for the next day's work. These can be found at your dollar store.

What's great about a glass palette is that acrylic paint washes right off leaving the glass completely clean—no contamination when you do the next job. Let the paint dry hard, then soak the dish in hot water. The paint will pop right off. Keep in mind that this stuff will clog your drains, so I scoop what I can out of the sink with a small strainer, then use a straining cup in the drain when I let the water out.

You can sometimes find these "devilled egg" trays at second hand stores. Buy all you can find because they are getting harder and harder to find! I have about 8—all in varying sizes; some with "gold" edges...all glass. Larger dishes with compartments are also useful, so go on a hunt for them if you like to work in acrylic!

It would be fun to see what you are doing out there. I am going to try my hand at some larger paintings some time soon. LJ