Professional artist Constance Budd brings artwork commissions for private collections, creative charitable fundraising, limited edition prints and collectibles, plus more than 25 years as a high school Visual Arts teacher to the world.

Constance notes:

At age three I wanted to be a choreographer. I won my first prize in art for a portrait I painted in grade 3. At age 15 I was finally able to take art lessons from professionals like Robert Rudkin, Alice Holmes and Bob Monks.  I then majored in Visual Art at Western University, followed by my career as an art teacher and professional artist.

Clark home South Walkerville 1986

In Summer 1986 I depicted this South Walkerville home in pen and ink. My 7-month-old son napped on a blanket beside me while I sketched on the front lawn. I only intended to build a portfolio of my artwork, but this is actually how my business in client-commissioned originals began.

After creating paintings of my own children in settings that defined their character and interests, friends began to commission me to depict their children, too, for these heirloom memories.

A Good Secret 1987, features my daughter Devon and her best friend

Ashley & Kristen Miller 1988  – Early original in soft pastel of a client’s daughters

Through Home Shows, publicity, and strong clients testimonials, my career as an artist expanded quickly in the 1990s, with a private commission wait list of months to years.

Alaskan Malamute – client commission – 1990

Principal’s office

Many of my commissions have been accomplished using liquid acrylic and an airbrush which blends crisp definition with a dream-like quality. I needed to first photograph this principal’s office, then use his school photo, to compose this retirement gift from his wife.

Children at Table

It was an honour to create this original in airbrushed acrylic, commissioned by Canadian Living Magazine in 1995 to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Christmas Baking collector’s plates were produced and sold out promptly throughout their worldwide readership.

Landmarks such as the Essex Golf and Country Club, the University of Windsor’s Student Centre and Odette Building, the Yacht Club of Windsor and the renovation of the old Cleary Auditorium, have been some commissions that commemorate or fund-raised in printed formats.

During times of economic recession in the 1990s, I created several faux Grand Homes in community halls, such as the Teutonia Club. They featured rooms by local interior designers, artists working in studios, and entryways by landscapers, to showcase the talent of our creative professions, as well as to raise funds for Hospice of Windsor.

Garden

I photographed many images of the Peace Fountain and Coventry Park to create Dreams Come True.  Limited edition prints were sold to benefit the Hospice of Windsor.

Collage about plight of women and children

This original collage “Why?” (also in print) hangs in the Apartheid Museum in Cape Town, South Africa.

Murals, such as the walls (and ceilings!) of the stairwells in Hugh Beaton School demonstrate that few projects have been too big or challenging during my career.

Although I have created several series of small originals in mixed media on linen to offer in exhibits, such as Windsor’s “Art in the Park,” I have also painted the subject matter used on furniture.

Mermaid

This mermaid muse is depicted on a tall, custom-made wood cabinet.

The Elsdon children- South Walkerville 1996

I strive to depict the best of reality. Although it may look like I photographed these children in a random fashion, I have taken many photos, sketched several compositions and consulted with their parents to capture the expressions, postures, and relationships that characterize them well.

Do you recognize this local girl that I painted at age 5, in 2002?  Alyssa Getty, above, is an award-winning golf champion, currently employed as a teaching pro at Kingsville Golf & Country Club.

Teaching Art at Western Secondary School, Catholic Central High School and, until my recent retirement, at Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School, has been a privilege and an education for me. I am very proud of the hundreds of teens that I’ve worked with in art classes for nearly three decades.

I made this stoneware plaque to adorn and establish my house , which I was thrilled to design and have built on Lake Erie in Leamington.

One of so many great memories is a letter I received from a student who went on to study art at Ryerson. She thanked me for Art History lessons because she was the only one in her class that identified and explained the significance of de Kooning’s paintings called “Woman.”

Logan & truck

In recent years, I’ve enjoyed creating portraits of my five grandchildren. During the year each one turns three, I capture their personality in acrylic on canvas and present it to them for Christmas. This one is Logan.

 
Arts Society of Kingsville is now a major connection for me to the diverse and rich world of art in Essex County. I genuinely appreciate the creative exchanges and opportunities that these new friends offer. Many rewards of artistic expression have been, are, and always will be, central to my life and identity as an artist.

Constance Budd
buddc2019@gmail.com

All photos provided by Constance Budd