Chrysanthemums drinking in the afternoon sun in our kitchen window. 

At this time of year the sun is so fleeting, and cut flowers are any time of year. It's enough to make me want to write a haiku, if only I didn't have to move on to my next task. It's been nice taking this little beauty break though.

Anyone who has taken one of my painting courses, or even attended one of my talks, will have heard me describe my studio as a laboratory.

I call it that because I am always experimenting, trying out new ideas, but also testing very specific things like I am today.

Curry's Art Store has a relatively new line of self-branded mediums. I was disappointed with their first product about a year ago, but they seem to have re-formulated so I've bought their gel and medium+varnish products specifically for testing purposes.

If they turn out to work well then they will provide a lower cost alternative to the premium brands. Some of the cheaper brands are not worth their apparent cost savings because they simply don't perform well. That's why I test!

Stevenson (officially D.L. Stevenson & Son Ltd.) is another line to consider if you're trying to lower your cost while keeping professional artist quality. Maybe I'll discuss them more in a future post.

Personally I will use the premium lines like Liquitex and Golden for most of my work, but not everything I do needs the top product lines, and many of my students are looking for affordable options whenever they're viable.

If you work (or play!) with art or craft materials, do you have a favourite way of saving money that you wouldn't mind sharing in the comments?

Recently, when my friend artist Patricia Singer generously suggested I teach a workshop at her studio, I didn't have to think about it for long. Looking at these photos I think you'll understand why I and this small group have been having a wonderful time working in her space and our great luck that the days – and our view of them – have been glorious!

We've been exploring contemporary mixed media, working with photos and other digitized imagery in a variety of ways and combined with all kinds of traditional media.

Collage, working into prints (by drawing, painting, cutting, sanding, peeling, piercing and even embroidering) and trying out numerous image transfer techniques has kept everyone very busy and the days seem to fly by! At the end of each day we take a look at what some other artists have been doing along the same lines to see what's possible and get fresh ideas.

Not everyone has a studio large enough for a group to work in, but if you do, it can be fun and convenient (you don't have to schlep all of your materials somewhere else!). Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss the possibility. Depending on the time of year, my availability can be quite limited.