In The Spotlight

A&Q

with June Ellis

“Ithoroughly enjoy painting. It is a part of my identity. Many afternoons, I can be found in my home studio creating a new painting either for a gallery or a piece that has been commissioned. I love to see the joy on my customers faces when they see their completed piece. Some of my work has gone to every province in Canada, USA, Italy, China, and Japan.

One of my proudest moments has been seeing two of my paintings enlarged to 48x65 inch prints on the walls of the Mill River Resort. Most recently one of these prints was again enlarged to 48x65 inches and is on the walls of a client’s home in Calgary.”

About 25 years.

How did you get started creating artwork? I started taking an evening oil painting class that was taught by Nan Ferrier through the PEI Community School that was offered at Ellerslie Elementary School. I was hooked on painting. Afterwards, I began attending Emily Durant’s art classes once a week. I continued to take courses from other artists learning different techniques. What mediums do you work with? I started with oil as my medium of choice. I have also created some paintings in acrylic and have taught several art classes in acrylic. I have tried watercolor but find it much harder and less forgiving, but plan to challenge myself to do some more in this medium. Which do you prefer? I prefer working with oil as it is what my passion for painting originated in and I am most comfortable with. It takes several days for oil to dry, therefore, taking longer to finish a painting. I blend my colors a lot and started off working with just three colors red, blue, yellow, and white. And mixed all the colors from those. One of my instructors would not let us use black, we had to mix it as well. This was challenging, but it made me understand the importance of colour mixing. The scenery of Prince Edward Island is my inspiration. The sandy beaches, the unique lighthouses, and the rolling farmlands.

What are your favourite subjects to paint? My favorite subjects to paint are the beautiful beaches on Prince Edward Island. I like the sand and the rich red cliffs. I find they are calming and peaceful. How do you get started with a painting? Is it an idea, a scene, something else? I get started with a painting by taking pictures when I am out exploring the Island. I may drive by a scene, and back up to take a few photos either on my phone or my camera. From there, I crop it and decide what is the best dimensions. I then print the photo off on my color printer and begin to sketch it out on a stretched canvas. It is important to get the right proportions in any painting. I begin at the top of the canvas with the sky and work my way down through the painting. I then shade and highlight where it is needed. When I think the painting is completed, I leave it for a few days so I can determine if there are extra touches that are needed. Do you prefer working on large canvases or small ones? I prefer to work on 11x14 canvas as it is easy to manage, not too big and not too small. I have painted small paintings for quick sale, and I have also completed much larger paintings for commission work. I presently have some large canvases that I want to challenge myself to start and complete. Do you work on more than one piece at a time? Funny you should ask. Yes, I have been known to work on three paintings at a time as this allows the other ones to dry when I am working in oils. How long does it take to complete a painting? I have been asked that questions several times. It depends on a few factors. The size, the complexity of the scene, and whether it is going right at the time. For a 11x14, it generally takes ten hours. Are your paintings available to view somewhere on the Island?

Yes, my paintings are for sale on my e-commerce website, on my Etsy Shop and during the summer at The Dunes, Kensington Art Cooperative, La Palette Cooperative, Little Red School House, and the Fox Den.

Do you offer classes? Where, when, and the cost for a class? Yes, I have offered classes for groups and individuals. This has been reduced drastically because of Covid-19. Before it began, I offered paint night type of classes at Sleepy Hollow Correctional centre for women twice a month during the day and at the Youth Centre in Summerside once a month for residents and staff. I have also offered group classes for ‘Ladies Night Out’. This past year, I have offered classes at the East Prince Youth Development for the students. These classes are generally $30 per students with me providing all the materials to complete a painting.

I have taught classes one on one guiding the student from start to finish with a painting and charge $20 per hour lasting for two hours.

Having an art business also has its challenges. My biggest challenge is marketing and promoting my art and the time spent out of my studio away from my easel and instead in my office trying to market my business on my own.

www.juneellis.com

SPRING AT LAST

Welcome to the spring edition of PEI Living Magazine. Finally, the days are getting longer, the temps are slowly rising, and the sun is once again heating up the earth. It’s a time of fresh beginnings.

It always makes me a little happier when I see buds coming to life on the trees and shrubbery, and early spring flowers popping out of the ground after a long winter’s nap.

In this edition we are featuring a newly renovated space by Christine Zareck. She recently downsized to a new smaller home and is sharing her beautifully decorated space with our readers.

The choices are fresh and bring about a feeling of spring with her colours. We hope she inspires you with her choices of colours, patterns, fabric, textures and DIY projects.

With spring, most of us take on the task of putting winter gear away for another year, doing a good house cleaning along with taking on organization projects for a fresh start. In the DIY section I am sharing some tips and household hacks that I personally use on a regular basis or have tested to see if they actually work. I hope that you will discover some new ideas in the article.

I wish you all a wonderful year, with good health, happy times and the ability to return your lives to the new normal. Sit back, relax and enjoy the spring edition of PEI Living Magazine.

Susan

“I must have flowers always and always.”

― Claude Monet

Susan Snow susan@pei-living.ca

Read PEI Living Magazine online: www.issuu.com/peilivingmagazine

TIMELESS DESIGN

Timeless design choices that are tried and true. Regardless of whether your style is modern, minimalistic, traditional or falls somewhere in between, choosing where to follow the trends and where to remain neutral will keep you loving your home year after year.

NEUTRAL WALL FINISHES

Pale wall colours are calming and provide the perfect backdrop for splashes of colour in artwork, area rugs, toss cushions and/or soft furnishings. WOOD FLOORING

Forever a practical and natural choice. Wood floors are easy to keep clean and they go with everything. Always.

GREENERY AND FLOWERS

QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS

Long lasting appeal, durable and chic for kitchens and bathrooms. Invest in countertops that are gorgeous but neutral enough to work with most paint colours and tile backsplashes. Breathing life, freshness and welcoming prettiness into your home is as easy as including a few plants, herbs, or in-season flower bouquets. Not a green thumb? Instead of real, opt for faux branches, stems, plants, or florals.

PROPANE FIREPLACE

No fuss, no mess. With a simple click of a button warm up your home with a fire, adding coziness, ambiance, and an extra heat source in your home. BUILT-IN CABINETRY

Creates opportunities for displaying and seasonally rotating your favourite home accessories. Builtins are a homeowner’s secret weapon for finding extra hidden storage.

NORTH RUSTICO HOME HARDWARE BUILDING CENTRE

Brings family feel to known brand

By Jordan Parker Photos Story Thorburn

“My parents instilled the values of community and service in me from my early childhood. This is a family venture through-andthrough.”

- Chris Buote At the heart of the seaside community of North Rustico, PEI, lies a family business run by Chris Buote and family. North Rustico Home Hardware Building Centre is a bustling home and construction supply operation that sets itself apart from industry competition every day.

The Buote family have owned and operated the local Home Hardware for more that 30 years and have seen it grow from a small business employing a dozen or so employees into a bustling retail enterprise employing over fifty people and supplying construction materials across the Island. Home Hardware is known nationally for its focus on customer service and Buote’s operation is a shining example of this commitment.

“I started working in the family business after high school in 1993. At that time, I was working in the lumber yard. There were three of us, one flatbed truck and a forklift,” he recalls. “Now we have twenty-five guys in the yard and three boom trucks. I’ve seen so much growth in my time.”

His parents, Wayne and Lise first purchased the North Rustico store in 1990 and moved to the current location in 1996. Wayne passed away in 2010, at which time Chris took a more central role in the

operation. His mother Lise coowns the business with him and contributes to the direction of the business.

“My parents instilled the values of community and service in me from my early childhood. This is a family venture through-and-through,” he says. “My mother has stepped back a lot from the day to day, because she worked hard for so many years but she’s always checking in. The store keeps us together and busy, and I love that we continue to work together.”

Buote loves what he does and takes pride in helping his clients achieve their renovation and building goals. It is not at all uncommon to find Buote or the store’s General Manager Jim Clark on the sales floor assisting customers.

“Home Hardware emphasizes service, and I just feel good coming to work. A lot of people think of owners being out of sight, but I love being out on the floor. My days aren’t always typical and at the heart of what I do is buying and selling. We pride ourselves on dealing directly with people every day,” he says.

Buote considers his customers and suppliers to be partners in business. “We do a lot of contractor sales and finding solutions for our contractors motivates me every day,” Buote shares. “It’s also a busy retail store, even though we don’t experience the same walk-in traffic that you would expect in an urban location. Like the rest of the Island, we have really been growing a lot over the last number of years. The population growth on the north shore and across PEI has resulted in significant increases in traffic and sales.”

Buote credits the talent and commitment of his employees with the stellar reputation and growth of the North Rustico operation. He highlights the contribution of Sandra MacGillivray, a new employee serving as the resident interior designer and says that she has recently brought a new service to the store.

“Sandra is a terrific asset and is able to enhance our service offering with her expertise in design. We have also hired Lais Robinson as a drafts person to help with home design and construction plans.”

“People used to think that we couldn’t compete with big-box stores like Walmart or Canadian Tire but the brand has come a long way nationally, especially in terms of image,” Buote reflects. The work they put in to know and service the needs of customers individually is where they shine. “Our focus is on the customer, plain and simple. I’m not an invisible owner off-site, I love dealing with customers and that really distinguishes our store’s shopping experience. We have the products; we have the service and we can hold our own against any larger retailer in the country.” Buote adds.

“I am proud to be a part of the Home Hardware family and we look forward to what the future holds for the brand and our humble operation on PEI’s north shore.”

North Rustico Home Hardware Building Centre 7381 Cavendish Rd, North Rustico 902.963.2040 www.nrhc.ca