Melinda Wilde's Projects
People always ask me what I've been up to, or they glance around the studio and ask me to show them my new work. I need to tell you that sometimes my "new work" doesn't manifest itself as paintings on the wall. Of late, I have been extremely busy producing a set of 5 instructional DVDs and just prior to that, I painted a 55 foot mural at the local elementary school library. I hope you will explore this page on my site and enjoy the pictures of the many other works, that don't neccessarily hang on the wall.
Recent Projects
The Demonstration Project
March 01, 2010
Look for "The Demonstration Project" at the Gabriola Professional Center, to be hung in March.
This will be a varied blend of works done as demos for my students. If you've ever thought about taking classes with me, this will give you an idea of the sort of subjects we paint. Landscapes to florals to portraits...enjoy!
More DVDs!
October 01, 2009
After a summer off; Michael was busy teaching in Victoria and I was on Gabriola selling and teaching; we reconvene and decide to expand to our original idea of a series of DVDs.
Things moved a little quicker now that we have a wee bit of experience behind us. Still, hours of editing are required. Just in time for the Gabriola Gallery Tour, we get lessons 2 thru 4 on the shelf.
To see a sample video clip of these DVDs click here
Mural at Gabriola Elementary School
June 28, 2009
Whew! This has been a real "ahhh!!!!"(that is NOT a sigh of relief!) project. After the first day of laying part of the base colours, I came home totally overwhelmed and discouraged with the immensity of the task. And the fairies did not do their part during the night so all 55 feet of mural space was still available for the painting in the morning.
The kids picked the undersea topic and stopped by daily to oooh and ahhh(different from the ahhh! above) over the new additions. (total payment for me!) Of course suggestions were made,such as yellow submarines and great white sharks, which would have been cool, to be sure, but I decided to limit the characters to things I had seen on my diving excursions and knew in fact did exist in our local waters.
In the end,along with an intensely aggravated neck and back, I completed the project in around 60 hours,which I thought was rather speedy. Click here to see more of this project.
DVD....me?
June 01, 2009
I could tell right way that Michael was very determined if not brilliant when it came to learning something new. He showed up in my beginner watercolour class and one day we got talking about u-tube and DVDs. Long story short, we embarked on a partnership to create a series of how to watercolour DVDs.
Michael had the gear....for producing bow making videos (the skill of which he teaches at the conservatory in Victoria B.C. and his bows are bought worldwide) Van Bowed Industries .
So we filmed for a day, naively assuming that would be enough.....OK...NOT...so we started again with a different camera...even more resolute, and filmed for hours and then we edited and edited and edited and, you guessed it, edited some more.
At long last Experience Watercolours Lesson One was ready for the shelf!
Tess' Kingdom
November 01, 2008
Judy talked me into it! Fairies and castles are not in any way my genre of art but Princess Tess is so cute and such a benevolent monarch; how could I say no?
After my first day at the under construction Manana B+B, I was SO into making Tess the most amazing kingdom with beautiful fairies and a castle that King Arthur himself would want to move into. Judy has that effect on people...the ultimate smoozzer but very sincere also. It was her attitude, that gave me the gall to walk onto someones' designer home and paint pictures on their walls.
The total size was 9 feet high by about 14 feet long. 20 hours give or take.
Please click here to view more extensive pictures of Tess' Kingdom.
Mural at Agricultural Association Hall
March 02, 2005
Yeah!!! I've completed my first public mural! I felt like Michelangelo when Howard came up with the rolling scaffold for me to sit on in order to reach the mural location which was 9 feet off the ground. Great idea Howard! The total size was 3 1/2 feet high by 34 feet long...a bit of a composition challenge.
I tried to make it light and fun, for kids especially; hoping they would enjoy looking for their favorite animal. Howard suggested I put the antique farm equipment out front of the hall, in the mural. He is full of great ideas! A few last minute sketches of those beasts in the parking lot, enabled me to do that. The Agi Hall Association folks seem very pleased.
Duration of project...around 60 hours.
Please click here to view all segments of the Agi Hall mural.
Islands in the Salish Sea Community Atlas
February 01, 2002
I was delighted when asked to produce a map of Gabriola for this project which the Land Trust Alliance was undertaking.
The idea for the background of the map was a no brainer for me...it had to be my favorite place in the whole wide world..Berry Point, complete with arbutus tree, seals, Entrance Island, sunset,Mt Baker with moon over top and the coastal range in the distance.
The content on the map proved a little more difficult as the only criteria I was given was that it had to look like a map (Land Trust Allince planned to publish an altas in the future)
EJ Hurst, the co-ordinator and I spent many a wintry day deciding what would go on the map to give the essence of our beloved island.