Andrea Mulder-Slater

by Andrea Mulder-Slater We were out for a walk near our house when we wandered through a cloud of stench at the top of the hill. The odor, which - over the past number of weeks - had become rather familiar, was the first clue that something immense, wild and sour was hanging around nearby. The second, found further down the hill... this: Now, since moving to the country, I’ve encountered a lot of wildlife including – but not limited to – a moose, deer, a coyote, raccoons, porcupines, rabbits, a turtle, a weasel, wild turkeys, ruffled grouse, eagles, chipmunks, squirrels, mice, June bugs… And, to be clear, when I say I’ve encountered wildlife, I mean I’ve watched or heard creatures, doing things, outside… from the comfort of my living room. Or car. Except the June bugs. The June bugs were under my bed. Thanks to the 5 year old. But here’s the thing about living at the edge of the wilderness, next to a heavily wooded area. You know there are critters in the thicket

by Andrea Mulder-Slater I've opened up an Etsy shop ( andreamsart.etsy.com ) to showcase some of my artwork and  I'd like to share some paintings with you, starting with this one. " Thaw " is an original abstract, painted with acrylic paint and molding paste on a 24" x 36" gallery style (2" deep) canvas. The edge of the painting has also been painted so it is ready to hang as is, or you can have it framed. Here it is, from the front...   And here is what it might look like in your home, if your home has cement coloured walls, wood floors, a Scandinavian style table, linen-covered chairs and a lovely decorated bowl. And this is what it would look like if you walked up - nice and close - to have a better look. View this painting on Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/207742248/original-acrylic-abstract-painting-thaw While I have your attention, from time to time, I've been asked my abstract painting process, so I

by Andrea Mulder-Slater I watched the numbers on the dashboard clock change... 12:40pm, 12:41pm, 12:42pm. I was already officially late and was still at least 10 minutes away from my destination at the local hospital. My mind began to sprint, along with my heart. Why did I leave at 12:20pm when I know it takes at least half an hour to get to the hospital? Why did I agree to an appointment with a cardiologist? Is it possible for my heart to beat right out of my chest? Is this what a heart attack feels like? Will the painfully slow driver ahead of me notice when I slump over my wheel? I smell licorice. Calm down, calm down, calm down…  Arriving 10 minutes late for my first ever meeting with a heart specialist, I was told by the nurse behind the counter to head to radiology and get an EKG before coming back to the waiting room. There were at least four people ahead of me all staring at the Closed For Lunch sign. Like me, everyone in the queue was there to see the cardiologist.

by Andrea Mulder-Slater I love Dick and Jane books.  I loved them when I was a kid and I love them now that I am teaching the 5 year old how to read. Yesterday, I was in the office, busy writing about another one of my brushes with the medical community, when I heard my daughter reading aloud in the living room.  She was going through a book we had recently purchased at a library sale.  Then, I had a slow-motion conversation inside my head -- because, look at this. Um... what exactly is this story about? Oh shit. Did I accidentally buy a Dick and Jane parody book? WHAT can work for her? Good lord Dick! That's when I sprung into action.   I rushed to the living room, distracted the 5 year old with a box of raisins and grabbed the reader in time to see this... I love Dick and Jane books. No, really.

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Since hitting my thirties forties, my body has gone a wee bit haywire, thanks to a combination of hormonal skirmishes and sour cream and onion potato chips. To give you an idea, earlier this year I watched a tiny freckle on my collarbone inflate into a horrific skin balloon worthy of its own after school special. Circa 1983. It was enough to land me an audience with a dermatologist, but not until two months later. The timing turned out to be less than perfect because as it happened, my ghastly growth heroically absconded from my neck exactly one week before my appointment. It’s like my body isn't even trying to be normal. Still, I kept my meeting, mostly because I wanted to make sure the rest of my beauty marks weren’t plotting a mutiny, but also because I thought I might be able to talk the good doctor into removing a bothersome bump located just below my left eye, which had been eliciting far too many “here let me get that smudge off of you”

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Part of the fun of back-to-school, is all the fresh new supplies! This month, I was thrilled to receive a box of goodies from the Dixon Ticonderoga Company , featuring several of their art supplies (as well as a group of competitor's products) for me to put to the test. I began with a set of Prang Large Triangular Colored Pencils ... These colorful pencils have a unique, chunky triangular shape which makes them easy to hold - for both big and small hands.   OnceI  started working with the pencils, I noticed immediately how "creamy" they were... they seemed to just glide on the paper. By comparison, a leading competitor's brand was kind of "scratchy". The Prang colors were rich and bold and the variety was fantastic. I'm a big fan of metallics so I was especially taken with the inclusion of silver and gold. The pencil sharpener (two pencil sizes) was a nice added bonus. All of that aside, I wanted