Eleanor Lowden Inspirations

As a continuation of our Studio Project, we checked in on Eleanor Lowden to see what's been keeping her busy & inspired during her time in self isolation, including what she's been creating, cooking, and her view of the world. She replied with a great update along with some photos and a video studio tour.

I live and work in midtown Toronto, I am lucky that I can wake up in the morning and walk into my studio in my pyjamas. I try and get up earlier than my dog Rigby, so I can work for an hour or so before I take him for his morning walk. It just gives me time to focus on what I have planned for the day or week. It is really productive time for me.

In the morning I walk Rigby in the ravine close to my house, and it's an endless source of inspiration. I love the views every day of the year. (This morning maybe one exception, its pouring rain). 

Here is what I mean about my morning walk:

Living alone I normally eat out a lot, meeting friends for lunch or dinner, or eating at friends' homes.  I love cooking, but scaling it back to keep it meals for one is a challenge. So I am eating lots of leftover meals. Its adding to the feeling of Groundhog day when you have butter chicken 4 meals in a row. I drink coffee in the morning, and wine in the late afternoon. Don’t judge me!

In times like this when there are no deadlines or art shows to produce work for I often play with my paintings. I work on paper and do some abstracts just for fun. I feel like a kid, I don’t really have a roadmap when I paint an abstract like I do when I paint something representational. 

  

Abstracts are hard to do, and I applaud any artists that work abstractly all the time. Its not easy to know when you are finished! I think I am finished... and then I just keep painting, and then I make a mess. So I have a number of these works on paper piling up.  I am also keeping a journal during the pandemic. I paint and sketch in it and I also write down all that I am grateful for. It keeps some of the anxiety at bay.

I listen to podcasts a lot while I paint. I try not to listen to too much news, I haven’t heard any news other than that about COVID-19 or the price of oil. But even my podcasts are becoming different viewpoints on the Pandemic; I think I need to revisit some disney movies.

Thanks Eleanor for the update, studio tour & beautiful imagery.

To view available works by Eleanor Lowden, please visit www.canvasgallery.ca.