Even though I missed the summer party at Centra Cam due to getting a flu during the summer, I still got my years of services certificate for being at centra cam. I have been at Centra Cam since I was 19 years old, so it’s been 11 years already! I also recieved a star pen and a deck of gold and black playing cards.

My parents’s grand puppy and my puppy niece Coco’s birthday was on September 2nd, my mom gave her a special doggie treat for her birthday and a little cappuccino cookie. It’s ridiculous what you can find for animals nowadays! She absolutely loved it!

On Sunday afternoon Joel and Ashley had their baby Winterhalt’s baby shower which was baby book themed. We had to write the new baby letters and take pictures with the parents to be! They had lots of food, a game where you guessed how many Jelly beans in the Jar and bean bag toss. Pretty soon baby Winterhalt will make her entrance into the world, in less than a month. Congratulations to the proud parents to be!

On Tuesday afternoon I had to get my wisdom teeth removed. It was really more difficult than I expected. So much appreciated the prayers and well wishes from friends and family. Good thing that you don’t grow your wisdom teeth twice in your lifetime, because I wouldn’t want to do that again in my life!

It was my Auntie Gail’s 55th birthday on Wednesday. Since she was in town for the baby shower I coloured her a birthday card and gave it to her at the baby shower!

On Friday afternoon Rose Club had a mask craft event where we decorated some masks for the annual charity auction. I think people will be able to bid on them at the party. I made a gold mask with pearls and I also did a black mask with gold pieces of paper and gold feathers and some other things to decorate. It was really fun to see everyone else’s masks and what they could design.

On Wednesday morning, I went to the office to learn about Truth and Reconciliation day! We took a truth and reconciliation test online and the kids were very good at it. They must have had the same test at school on Tuesday. Then we took a group picture together outside with a silly goose. There was a book called Phyllis’ Orange Shirt about truth and reconciliation day and a display on the side table at the office ! It was a nice outing for the morning! It was weird to have a day off from Centra Cam in the middle of the week!

On Friday evening I went to Halloween/ Fall bingo with Rose Club and we discussed events for the November’s calendar. I won a bingo .

I wasn’t feeling well on thanksgiving, and this is what happened….drum roll please! On Tuesday, I found out that I had dry sockets in two of the teeth which was from my wisdom teeth surgery! This had been going on since I had them removed on September 15, but we didn’t know because the problem seemed to be a cough that turned into vomiting, and I said my mouth didn’t hurt. So we had to go to the dentist to pack two of my teeth with a concoction that smelled like cloves. My mom used AI on her phone, she told it everything that happened and it suggested that it might be the issue. After 31 years of being frustrated, it told her that people with Cerebral Palsy feel pain differently than others – they can’t tell where the pain is, because they feel it in their whole body. I had had a 2 dry sockets for a whole month. During that month we had over a ten hour wait in the ER, and three trips to the dentist. It wasn’t a fun month! On Wednesday morning I got a beautiful card with a picture of a horse and it said “Thinking of you” from my best friend Teresa Mae and she gave me a beautiful butterfly keychain that I put on my purse. It was perfect timing because I was having a hard time with some health issues.

On Friday afternoon I painted a stepping stone for a friend of mine who had a birthday party and wanted nothing but homemade birthday presents! I also made her a cross stitch cupcake picture that took a few Sundays to finish. My grandpa made a beautiful picture frame for it. How do you like it?

On Saturday afternoon we carved pumpkins and painted pumpkins with friends! I did the theme of ghost busters for my pumpkin! We watched Charlie Brown’s The Great Pumpkin and had Halloween music in the background. It was fun afternoon with friends!

We decided to decorate our house for Halloween on Saturday afternoon since the power went out and a crazy wind storm blew in Out Of NOWHERE ! We decorated our windows with Halloween pictures, which was different than the usual Halloween decorations. We also hung some Halloween decorations over the windows. We had signs on our bedroom’s doors saying spooky! How do you like our Halloween decorations? Meanwhile my friend Melissa did the honor of delivering a birthday card that I had coloured for our friends Mary’s daughter Alayna’s 13th birthday! I can’t believe she’s a teenager now?! Where did the time go??

On Sunday afternoon I got a new haircut! How do you like it?

Come back for more exciting memories and more adventures!

Our family met Steve at the Camrose community church when we used to go to church there. My mom became friends with his wife Cheryl, and our families became friends. I was curious about his art and how he started his artistic journey..

1. Where do you currently work?

I have a studio in my home, and that is where I create my paintings. I also have a wood shop in the yard where I build the frames and supports for my work. I have been a professional artist for over 30 years, and my studio has really become the centre of my life and my work.

2. What are your hours?

Well, I can paint anywhere from an hour to all day—and trust me when I say all day. I tend to lose all track of time when I am in my studio. I actually enjoy painting very late at night and into the early hours of the morning. There is something about that quietness that I really enjoy. No one is calling, no one needs my attention, and I can simply be present with what I am creating. Those are often the times when I feel most connected to the work.

3. What are some of the other jobs you have had?

For many years I was a finishing contractor, and that experience has become surprisingly valuable to what I am doing with my art today.I have always enjoyed working with my hands and understanding how things are constructed. That knowledge of construction and woodworking has helped me tremendously, particularly with the direction my work has taken.I now use century-old reclaimed wood that has lost its original purpose and incorporate it into my paintings. I build much of the structure myself, so my background as a contractor has given me a practical understanding of materials, construction, and how things can be put together. It has probably been one of the most valuable resources I have carried into my career as an artist. And somehow, in the middle of all of that, I always found time to be quiet and draw. If something caught my attention, I drew it. I was curious about how things worked and how they were put together. I was constantly trying to figure things out and get whatever was in my head onto paper.

4. What was your childhood like?

I was born in Hay River, in the Northwest Territories, and growing up in a remote northern community had a real influence on me. I was raised with an appreciation for the resources around us and an understanding of how precious they were. When you live in a remote area, you become very independent, but you also learn that your decisions matter. Making a poor decision can have much greater consequences when there aren’t a lot of people or resources around to help you.I learned a great deal about human nature up there too, and that is something that has stayed with me throughout my life. Most of my childhood, however, was spent after we moved to Terrace, British Columbia. Terrace was an outdoorsman’s dream. There was fishing, hunting, skiing, hiking and swimming in some of the most beautiful lakes. That is where I really developed an interest in drawing and creating. I also made some of the best friends I have ever had. I was a very busy kid.

5. How did you get started in your current job that you have now ?

Eventually, we moved to Camrose, where I began junior high school, then went on to composite high school. From there I went to college and studied fine art and design before graduating from the University of Calgary with a degree in Fine Art. For most of my artistic career I have had my work in galleries then I took time away to develop this new series. Now I am back showing my work in galleries with a current exhibition now at the Red Brick Common Gallery in Stony Plain. You can view my work at https://www.stevemitts.com/

6. Tell us about your family.

I met my wife, Cheryl, before I even started college. She wasn’t particularly interested in me at first, but I was very interested in her. It took her about five years to finally notice me—but when she did, well, we’ve been together for over 32 years now. We have two beautiful daughters, Raelene and Katie, and we are incredibly proud of both of them. They have both moved out now, so it’s just Cheryl and me once again.The house is certainly quieter these days, but in some ways that has been a wonderful thing. It gives me even more time in the studio, and that is really where I am happiest.