I think this is going to be a fun year, maybe that’s what the Mayans were thinking when they set up their calendar? Go for years and years and years, slogging it out, then, bang! Fun. Click on the image above if you’d like to read my latest newsletter. You can subscribe to it by clicking here.

Here’s what she said about me:

Mary Ann Archibald is a sensitive portrait painter who captures a soul, and a story, as well as a likeness with a soft, gentle touch in her oil paintings. Her portrait of William Hall hangs in the Nova Scotia Legislature. Archibald also exhibits still lifes of flowers, demonstrating a gift for painting glass, and landscapes like Winter at Wolfville which perfectly captures the winter light and harsh blueness of the Minas Basin in winter.

And here’s a photo of the paper today, her story on us took up almost the full page.

Show continues through December 21, 2011.

Click here to check availability of the painting “Love Tap” which appears in this story.

I was a guest today at a Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign (GCWCC) fundraising luncheon for Hope Blooms, a local charitable and entrepreneurial youth group. The GCWCC recently provided a greenhouse for Hope Blooms so they could extend their community gardening activities throughout the cold months.

Canadian Forces Rear Admiral David Gardam presented me with a lovely Nova Scotian Crystal bowl as thanks for the William Hall, VC helmet I contributed to the Atlantic Maple Leaf gala fundraiser earlier this month. The event raised over $700,000 for the True Patriot Love Foundation and I am thrilled to have been a small part of that.

PS – The salad at the luncheon featured Hope Blooms Maple Sage Balsamic Dressing, it if fabulous! The kids sell it at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings. ;)

The art fair on Doyle Street continues through the Christmas season to December 21 so come on in and join us. One of the group’s artists is present every day and we are delighted to answer your questions about our work

The Annual Group Show is a salon-style juried exhibition with over two hundred artists invited to participate from across Atlantic Canada.  This is a rare opportunity to view the talent of emerging and established Nova Scotia artists in one venue.  The show is exhibited from November 10th-30th, 2011 and all works are currently available for sale, though they must remain on view in the gallery until the end of the month.

Opening reception on Thursday, November 17th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Here’s my painting that is in the show, click on the image for a larger view and details. :)

Tonight, the True Patriot Love Foundation, is holding a fundraising auction. They provided a hemet to paint. I am delighted to have painted William Hall, V.C. on this helmet.

A blue background represents William Hall, VC because when he was awarded his Victoria Cross, he displayed it proudly on his chest on a blue ribbon, to represent the Royal Navy. The front of the helmet is a small portrait of William Hall, with his signature above him. The right side represents his memorial in Hantsport, Nova Scotia, his hometown. The back of the helmet represents the Victoria Cross William Hall earned at Lucknow, India. The ship on the left hand side of the helmet represents HMS Shannon, which he served on during the Siege at Lucknow where he earned his Victoria Cross, Nova Scotia’s first recipient of such an award.

Walkabout™ promotes walking in Nova Scotia and has helpful tips and ideas to get moving more on a daily basis. This is their second contest, (the first was a trip to New York City, oh yeah, entered that one too!). Like most people I know, I love to enter contests even though the prospect of winning always feels slim. It feels fantastic to have this trip to look forward to and I love the idea of it being a walking trip. I understand there are a lot of good walking tours in San Francisco. I’ve started to check out apps and travel guides as well as a short list of artists, galleries and attractions to see.

San Francisco will be a visual feast on foot. I’m looking forward to creating paintings from this trip. Will be exciting to see the cheerful houses on the steep city streets, Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Chinatown, Napa Valley (possible day trip) and more.

I hope there are some good historical tours of the city, one of my favourite tours here in Halifax is the Halifax Explosion walking tour the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in the late fall and early winter. It is a great way to learn more about where you are and be fit at the same time.

I have invited my friend Naomi Walsh, Hair Philosopher and founder of the Facebook group: Run Bitch Run. She is constantly encouraging and challenging group members to get out the door to enjoy the fresh air and stay in shape. She’ll be gung ho for heel-and-toe express through San Francisco.

San Francisco’s climate is interesting. Mary Lynn Cunningham of Maritime Travel advises that spring and fall might be good travel times based on our discussions this morning. With all this soggy wet weather we’ve been having, I’m ready to go now.

Thank you Nova Scotia Heart & Stroke Foundation. This is going to be fun (and fit)!!

ETA: Thank you to the Nova Scotia Egg Producers for sponsoring such a cool contest!

Heart & Stroke Walkabout is an initiative of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection, and the Ecology Action Centre. Together, they aim to revitalize walking culture. “We aim to motivate Nova Scotians to discover the magic of walking and encourage them to consider both the physical and mental benefits of walking within their communities. It’s about changing the way we think about walking – putting feet back on the streets and walking back in the hearts and minds of Nova Scotians.”

Heart&Stroke Walkabout was launched in October 2007. A five-year initiative, the long term goal is to increase the number of Nova Scotians who walk 30 to 60 minutes, most days of the week, for health benefits or as a mode of active transportation. Since our first year, we have focused on supporting and celebrating current walkers in Nova Scotia, while building momentum for more participation. Other components launched in 2008-2009 include access to pedometers, a toolkit for advocacy and policy, a social marketing campaign, and a focus on supporting activity in workplaces and schools. Future priorities include more supports for Nova Scotia’s communities to improve their “walk-ability”.

Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai

The Canadian Red Cross is one of many organizations providing assistance to the victims of the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan. They have medical teams working there now. As I watch the news of this devastation unfold, I can’t help but think they’ll probably send more people and supplies soon.

If you want to contribute to the relief efforts, please contact the Canadian Red Cross they have a number of ways that you can make a difference through their organization:

Canadians wishing to help support relief efforts underway are encouraged to contribute by:

• Donate online at the Canadian Red Cross website.
• Call 1-800-418-1111
• By text the word ASIA to 30333 to make a one-time donation of $5* (more details about how this works on their website).
• By contacting their local Red Cross office. Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked “Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami” and mailed to the Canadian Red Cross National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2.

If you’re not in Canada but would like to help, check out this page for information about various relief efforts, it is part of CNN’s Impact Your World section on their website.

ETA: You can also connect with the Canadian Red Cross on the following sites:

• The Canadian Red Cross on Facebook
• The Canadian Red Cross on Twitter @redcrosscanada)
• The Red Cross Talks blog

And if you can’t help monitarily, please include them in your prayers.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print by Hokusai Katsushika. Hokusai lived between 1760 and 1849 in Tokyo. The Great Wave is the first in his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and is currently located in the Library of Congress.

Click here for an additional tour of their lovely property.