"Water" Travelling Show...

As some of you may remember, my piece, Ode to Dr. Seuss was accepted into the Threadworks juried fibre art show earlier this year. It was also was selected to be part of the travelling show.

These photos were recently shared with me, showing the exhibit as it is displayed at the Temiskaming Art Gallery.  I must say it's pretty awesome seeing my work hanging in a gallery!

Please check the schedule of the travelling show below for a location near you.  

  Threadworks 2013 Travelling Show:

  2013                                               

1.  Wellington County Museum, Elora/Fergus    April 20 - June 9

2.  Joshua Creek Gallery, Oakville   June 30 - July 28                                             

3.  Temiskaming Art Gallery, Haileybury     Sept. 1 - Oct. 25

4.  Fort Frances Museum     Nov. 4 - Dec. 14 (or so)

                                                                                                 

2014

5.  Dryden and District Museum    Jan. 4 - Feb. 22

6.  Lake of the Woods Museum, Kenora     March 9 - April 27

7.  Thunder Bay Museum    May 11 - June 29

8.  Museum of Northern History, Kirkland Lake   November 2014 - March 2015

                                                                                                 

2015

9.   Bruce County Museum, South Hampton   November 2014 - March 2015 

10.  The Station Gallery, Whitby    March 13 - May 3

      11. Woodstock Art Gallery    May 15 - July 5

      12. Gibson Gallery, Amherstburg   TBA 

 

* Please check the gallery near you for their Opening          

Creating My Own Autumn Tones...

It's been a while since I've had a chance to get back into my year long photography group/class Beyond Beyond with Kim Klassen.  I'm actually a few weeks behind, but decided to play with this week's lesson ideas (I'll get caught up on the others soon, I hope).

Working in Lightroom, I've taken a couple of images that I shot in the summer and following some of Kim's tips, I've played around to create an autumn feel to them.

Before

After

Before

After

I was able to add a nice, warm glow to the images, and yet, nothing beats the wonderful fall colours I captured in these images, which I took last fall while up at the cottage.  With the incredible forecast for the next week or so, I sure wish I was up there and not down here in the city!

It's always a good idea to look up when you're surrounded by beautifully colourful trees.  The contrast of those magnificent leaves against a bright blue sky is not to be missed!

Time For Some Reworking...

I did this piece several years ago, and just didn't know where to go with it from this.  I've never been very happy with it, and the other day I was looking at it and decided it was time to rework it somehow and make something of it.  I don't know what that is yet, but the first step is recognizing that it needs "something"!

A Sneak Peek at a Work in Progress...

Here's what I'm currently working on...


































So far I've painted the background and added some handwritten text and a few stamps.  I'm off to the sewing machine to add some more texture with stitch before I start working on the foreground.  I'll keep you posted as it progresses.  As always, I'm glad you stopped by for a visit!

Symmetry in Nature...

I thought I'd share another beautiful reflection shot of our view at the cottage.  This was taken from our dock, and shows the little island just across and to the left of our place, and the larger island in the background.  To first time visitors, the lake looks smaller than it is because they can see the land across from us, but a boat tour quickly corrects that image as they discover that these are only islands.  Having said that, the lake is still relatively small...I can kayak to the farthest bay and back in about three hours.

A Blog Hop Featuring Pam Carriker's Stencil...

For today's StencilGirl Blog Hop, I'm working with Pam Carriker's "Complementary" stencil. My first thought was to do a journal page, but as I started thinking about what I wanted to do with the stencil, whimsical practicality took me in a different direction!  The journal was set aside and instead I pulled out a 10" x 12" canvas.

I used matte medium, a palette knife, and a few old dictionary pages to create a background layer.  I then pulled out the stencil and some Golden Fibre Paste and I covered the stencil with a good thick layer.

When I lifted the stencil, I was left with a lovely raised image of the design.  Make sure you wash your stencil right away so the fibre paste doesn't have time to dry on it!

The next step, after the fibre paste has dried, is to get out the paints.  I applied a few different colours in random areas, and then did a bit of stamping with the cardboard insert from this box of Christmas tree bulbs.

It didn't work as well as I had hoped but I did get some of the diamond shapes I was imagining.

I wanted more interest in the background, so I used Michelle Ward's "Damask 4" stencil as well as a few clock stamps.

So far so good, but I don't like that sepia colour.  I put Pam's stencil back over top of the raised fibre paste area so I could paint just that area, without having to be to careful about going onto the background.

I added several layers of paint, stippling it on to allow colours underneath to still show through a little until I was happy with the colour.

I then added some more stamping, and some numbers and the piece was starting to really take shape.

I added a little hand written text, on torn dictionary pages so they'd stand out from the background.  Such an important message in these busy times when it seems we are being pulled in so many different directions all at once!

 I auditioned the remaining numbers in a smaller size, decided I liked them so I went ahead and drew them onto the canvas using a Copic marker.

And then I added the clock works (I got mine from Lee Valley)...a clock for my studio!

I hope you've enjoyed this stop on the hop.  Remember, if you visit all of the blogs, and leave comments at each, you increase your chance to win in the giveaway!  Good luck!

StencilGirl Talk

Pam Carriker

Carolyn Dube

Janet Joehlin

Corrine Gilman

Linda Kittmer-You are here.

Leslie Tucker Jenison-Your next stop on the hop!

Maria McGuire

Brilliant Idea for Stencil Storage!

Thanks to a post on StencilGirl Talk, by Carolyn Dube, sharing how she and Maria McGuire store their stencils, I've been able to adapt their idea to fit my studio space and now I've got a great way to store my stencils, while keeping them visible and easily accessible!  My method also gives me some shelf space to store my magazines!

In this shot you can see the J Hooks (S-11655) along with the labels I've made so I can organize the stencils alphabetically by designer. [note: the above line gets you to the Canadian warehouse for U-Line.  If you want the US link, it's available in Carolyn's post on StencilGirl Talk]

Only $20 for four feet of closet shelving complete with the hardware needed to hang it, an easy installation (make sure you're screwing into studs if you plan to have any weight on the shelf!), plus the J hooks and its ready to use!

Thanks so much Carolyn and Maria!  I never would have thought of this fabulous idea without your inspiration! It's the perfect solution since I don't have room for those amazing racks that you use!

Reflection...

I'm playing catch-up on my wonderful Beyond Beyond year long 'class' with Kim Klassen. On day 26 we were challenged to a bit of a scavenger hunt.  Since I'm so far behind (that lesson was from mid July), I've decided just to use this one image of the beautiful early morning reflection which is the view from our cottage.  Not a bad sight to wake up to!
Although I loved it right out of the camera, I did add a very light layer of Kim's texture, 'Appreciate' at a blend mode of soft light at 25%, which just gives it a bit of a boost.

GOE is giving back...

I'm so exciting to share this fabulous collection of journals and bags made by the members of Group of Eight Fibre Artists.  For the second year, we have made a collection of journals, and this year some large tote bags, for donation to our local women's shelter.  It is our way of being able to give something back to the community.  There are seven tote bags and twenty-seven journals (with three four more journals to come!).

Update...the last of the beautiful journals have been delivered to me.  I'm now ready to take them to the shelter for donation!

Thank you to my wonderfully artistic friends...you've done another fabulous job this year!

When I Need An Art Fix...

ATCs are perfect for that quick art fix when you need to get into something but you don't want to spend too much time in the studio or you just don't have your head around how you want to start the next big art piece.  I've been really enjoying using collage and paint in my ATCs lately.  This one is for a swap I'm participating in.