Claire Nicholson first picked up a paintbrush when she was just a toddler - and now her imaginative creations are on offer at several holiday events around the area.
Claire, now 13, teams up with her grandmother Ruth Nicholson for their “Grandma and Me” table that can be found at craft sales; their first of the season was last weekend (Nov. 9) at St. James United Church and the duo will also have a table at sales this month at St. Matthew-on-the-Plains in Aldershot (Nov. 23) and at Wentworth Village (Nov.30). Ruth also look after a booth at Wentworth Lodge on Nov. 22 - which falls on a school day.
Their display features original paintings and printed cards made by both Ruth and Claire, depicting a variety of subjects. One of Claire’s designs, a gnome in the forest, has been so popular it’s nearly sold out.
This fall is a busy time for Claire – she’s in Grade 8 at Allan A Greenleaf, which means getting ready for high school, and she plays left wing for the Flamborough Falcons U15B squad, which means being on the ice four or five times a week. She’s also excited to help with the family’s latest addition, Larry, a service dog puppy they’re raising for the Lion’s Foundation - the first pet for Claire, mom Alicia, dad Paul and brother Owen. In her spare time, she enjoys baking up tasty treats.
But she still makes time for painting, which is a special activity she shares with Ruth and something of a family tradition. Ruth taught art, after earning her fine arts degree; her mother, Alta Ferriss was also a painter and some of her pieces hang proudly in Ruth’s home.
Claire enjoys working in acrylics and water colours. In addition to working with Ruth, she has taken a class at Creative Insights in Waterdown and they both enjoy online lessons by Canadian artist Jesse Robertson.
One of Claire’s favourite pieces shows a candle reflected in a window; it took some time to capture the different textures and dimensions. Another piece, with a beach theme, allowed her to practise some more challenging techniques.
“The sand dollar was kind of hard,” she said. “Just getting it right, like the shadowing, to not make it look so flat.”
Claire and Ruth tackled a larger painting, a Halloween-themed gnome, together.
“This one was kind of a fun one, but it took a long time,” said Ruth. “I think we had to sit down two or three times to do this one because there's a lot involved with doing that character.”
While the Grandma and Me project earns a bit of money and gets some exposure for Claire and Ruth, it’s really a labour of love. Ruth says it’s more of a “break-even” effort by the time the table fees and the printing costs are covered.
The real value lies in passing on a passion for art, and the opportunity to continue learning to her granddaughter.
“You're learning so much each time you do a painting,” she said. “There’s so much to learn, it’s never-ending.”
