<![CDATA[ Grace Croughan

<![CDATA[ Grace Croughan - Newsletter]]>Thu, 14 May 2026 03:52:19 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[I'm on a Podcast interview]]>Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:19:32 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/im-on-a-podcast-interview

I was interviewed by Elizavita Zhurkovskaya of 'Curator on the Go' for her podcast. Liza is an Art Curator and owner of Kefi Art Gallery. I hope you’ll have a listen to get to know a little more about me.
You can listen to the Podcast on Spotify, Apple podcast and Google podcast.
Or follow this link.

Take me to the Podcast

]]><![CDATA[Do you have 5 minutes?]]>Fri, 15 May 2020 13:06:53 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/oh-but-i-have-no-time-for-that“Oh but I have no time for that . . .”

I hear this often. In fact I probably say it too. But really it all comes down to your frame of mind.

For around 6 years I was a caregiver for my dad. He had a host of illnesses and dementia made things more complicated. When I look back I was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted but kept going on by just focusing on the task at hand, living one day at a time. There were so many calls to 911 for an ambulance, emergency rooms, trips to doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, tests. . . We put him in a hospital bed in our family room which was open to the kitchen so he could see us and feel included. I set up the office as my studio which was also on the same floor so I can hear him and easily check on him.

I don’t know if I did this consciously but I started to utilize the little bits of time I had here and there. I did small pastel drawings. So that’s how I got started on Facebook. I started posting one small pastel painting a day. People liked them and came back to see more. They didn’t take too long to do. They were done with snippets of time here and there.

Many people thought I had lots of time to paint. But honestly, it takes your full time and energy to take care of another human being, to keep them comfortable, stable health-wise, and happy. But when I had a little time, I would just go into my office/studio and draw with pastels. I kept them small and loose.

So, what I’m getting at is that you can do this too!

But first you have to claim a space or a spot in your home where you can leave out your art supplies. You don’t want to be spending the time in set-up and clean up all the time. So when you have just 5-10 mins you can go there and put in a few strokes of colour. Not into pastels? You can just sketch with a pencil and paper, draw an eye, a nose.

My daughter wants to learn Japanese. She got an app on her phone and is spending small amounts of time every day. Just yesterday, my mother and I were speaking in Japanese and she could kind of follow along and knew what we were talking about!

Now is the perfect time, while you’re stuck at home, to learn something you’ve always wanted to but thought you didn’t have time for. YouTube is full of free information. You can also learn so much by Googling. (my husband loves to tell our kids, “when we were your age we had to actually go to the library and find books to get information. Now you just have to Google it!”)

So, if you have even 5 minutes, I encourage you to pick up something you’ve been wanting to learn, start knitting, learn a new language, practice a passage on the piano, ok you can also have a nap. Lol

Here's some of the small 5"x7" pastels I did back then.
You can see more on my Small Daily Paintings page.

]]><![CDATA[Announcing the winner of 'Evening's Embrace' painting!]]>Mon, 28 Oct 2019 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/announcing-the-winner-of-evenings-embrace-paintingNext Painting Giveaway coming soon!

Congratulations to Diane G. of Saskatchewan, Canada for winning the painting ‘Evening’s Embrace’! And thank you to everyone for being excited for this giveaway. AND IT’S NOT OVER!!! I will now select another painting for ANOTHER GIVEAWAY! It will be nice to round out 2019 with one more, so it will be sometime at the end of December. It’s my way of saying thank you for all your support. . .

I’m also excited to let you know that I have updated my website and opened up a Shop page to make it easier for you to collect my paintings. Of course you can always contact me through the website or email me if you’d like more details about a painting that's not in the shop.

Right now I’ve added the Mountain of Hope Collection, and Mountain Bliss Collection to the shop. And I’m giving a special bonus with each purchase until the end of October – 6 art cards with envelopes (5.5”x5.5”, blank inside).

I’m also working on putting together a collection of small pastel landscapes to put in the shop. Hopefully by end of the week. I'd like to get ahead of the Christmas rush for shipping.

I don’t want to inundate you with emails so I hope you’ll check my website for ongoing news. www.gracecroughan.com But I will send out a newsletter once I decide on the next painting giveaway to give you the details.

Have a great day!
Grace

These are the two art card designs. For each painting purchase from the Mountain of Hope or Mountain Bliss Collection you will get 3 of each card, so 6 cards total, as a bonus.The cards are 5.5"x5.5", blank inside, with envelopes.

]]><![CDATA[How I Became An Artist]]>Sat, 14 Sep 2019 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/how-i-became-an-artistOk, it’s time you know what really happened. . . . . .

How did I become an artist? Back about 12 years ago I enrolled my father, (then about 78 years old and starting to have dementia), into a watercolor class because he used to like to draw when he was a young man and I was looking for something he might enjoy doing. I took him to class and sat beside him with a book to read. Wow I saw all the fun they were having. . .

The paints, the colors, the creativity! It got me so excited and brought back the feelings of my first love - painting. Next session I enrolled and was painting along beside him.

In June of this year my father passed away. I’m sad but know that he is now resting in peace. For the last 5 years when he got worse and was pretty much house bound I really couldn’t go anywhere overnight. I was offered solo shows and other opportunities out of town which I had to decline but I don’t regret any of it, and am glad I was able to spend time with him in his last years.

But it’s because of him that I rediscovered the joy of painting. I can’t wait to get out of bed each morning so I can go into my studio. You know I truly believe when you do something to help someone else, you end up getting so much more in return. So I thank my dad for giving me the gift of art!

'Morning Rocks' - watercolour

My very first painting to win an award and sell. This won the Mayor’s Choice Award and is part of the City of Richmond Hill Fine Art Collection and hanging in Richmond Hill City Hall.
I’ve since moved on to Pastel landscapes and acrylic mountains. I love painting so much, I find there’s just not enough hours in the day!

Don't forget, the draw for 'Evening's Embrace' will be on October 27, 2019. It will be here before you know it!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

]]><![CDATA['Evening's Embrace' painting giveaway!]]>Wed, 28 Aug 2019 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/evenings-embrace-painting-giveaway

Here it is!
As promised, here's my next painting giveaway! This time it's for one of my original acrylic paintings, 'Evening's Embrace'. Since you're already on my email list you don't have to do anything, you're automatically entered! It's my way of saying thank you for all your support, comments and likes. You are truly making my artistic journey an exciting one. And don't forget, I'm going to continue to do these Painting Giveaways throughout the year so even if you don't win this time, you never know about the next!

Have a great day!
Grace

]]><![CDATA[Invitation to Pigments Show]]>Thu, 18 Jul 2019 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/invitation-to-pigments-showNext Painting Giveaway coming soon!

Congratulations to Pauline V. for winning the Painting Giveaway! Which means you didn’t win but don’t be disappointed! There’s another draw coming up! I will select a painting and give you the details in August once I finish with my 2 shows. I’m very busy but excited about the upcoming shows. . .

I would like to officially invite you to the opening reception for ‘Pigments’ on Thursday, August 8, 7-9 pm, at Earls Court Gallery in Hamilton, Ontario. I am one of 5 artists, and I will have 11 small pastel paintings there. If you live in the Greater Toronto Area it would be great to meet you there!

Also, if you like my acrylic mountain paintings, I am participating in Oakville Art in the Park on Victoria Day, Monday, August 5, 2019. I’m hoping for nice weather. Last year, it was on the hottest day of the summer, and around 2pm a storm blew in with thunder and lightning and we were ordered out of our booths to a safer place. Lol! If it storms again . . .!
I’m in booth #99. Come say hi!

]]><![CDATA[Top Of The Hill]]>Mon, 17 Jun 2019 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/top-of-the-hillPainting Giveaway! 'Top of the Hill'

In less than two weeks I will be giving away this
original pastel painting ‘Top of the Hill’. . .

This is a place up in Muskoka overlooking Lake Rosseau. My boyfriend (now my husband), my friends and I used to go up there on our times off from the summer camp nearby where we worked. It was a beautiful spot overlooking the lake and you could see out for miles. A few years ago our son Brenden worked at the same summer camp. When we went up to visit him we hiked up to that spot. It was now a private property but of course we had to sneak in and take in the view, and it did not disappoint!

It’s amazing how fast time goes by, but this place had stood still in time and remained as beautiful as ever. Places in our past, the scent in the air, music playing on the radio, all leave lasting impressions in one’s heart. This place brought back a lot of fond memories of when we were young. I had to paint it!

**********************************************************
The draw will be on Sunday June 30, 2019, noon EST. Since you're already on my mailing list, you don't have to do anything - you're automatically entered!
**********************************************************
‘Top of the Hill’ – 5”x7” matted to 8”x10” in a white frame.
Normally I do not ship paintings with glass but since this was already framed and is small, I think it will be safe to ship.

]]><![CDATA[Orange Delight Winner Announced]]>Sun, 31 Mar 2019 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.gracecroughan.com/newsletter/orange-delight-winner-announcedHi everyone! We have a winner for 'Orange Delight'!

But before I announce the name I want you all to know that I will be having giveaways throughout the year just for you, to thank you for signing up to my email list!
The winner is . . .

drum roll please, Tam Greenley!
(FYI, I randomly selected the winner through random.org)

Ok, I guess that means you probably didn’t win. But for the next draw I will be giving away another original pastel painting “On Top of the Hill” pictured below.

Look for my next email where I will give you the date and time of the Giveaway and the specs of the pastel painting.

Thanks again for entering and joining me on my art journey!
Have a great week everyone!

Grace Croughan

]]>