Felting

I'm working on my application to Art in the Park, Stratford. I was a member a few years back but had to give it up due to neck paint. I want to try it again with my needle felting. It should be easier, smaller display unit to haul around, smaller pieces of artwork. Cross your fingers. Her is a piece I did for my sister at Christmas. She just got it framed and is going to put it on her office wall, which I gather is red.Rather a large piece. but I intend to do more of my usuall smaller pieces and have a few of my3D pieces to view as well. The smaller pieces are a good price point and easy for tourists to pack, so I'm hoping sales will be good dispite the poor economy.

Shoes, shoes and more shoes

Loved the window display on the left. Looks like it was made out of mylar.

About once a year my sister and I manage a girl's weekend, no men, no kids. This was the weekend. Started off Friday evening with lots of chatter our favourite family or d'ouveres and the movie , "The Help". Great movie by the way.

Saturday we went to the Bata shoe Museum in Toronto. It was started by the Canadian Bata Shoe family. Mrs. Bata collected shoes from all over the world and from different eras in history. They are all housed here .

Guess what these ones were used for? Give up? Crushing chestnuts, like to see them in action.

Don't know how you take a step in these Chinese Dragon slippers.
Then there are these great wooden ones by artist Garry Greenwood. Loved these.

Here are a pair by Andre Perugia in the current display of shoes from the 1920's.


Here are another pair I could't walk in without spraining my ankle, which I've done recently and without the aid of stilts. These are Turkish, guess they keep your feet out of the muck.

These are a pair owned by Canadian Author Margaret Atwood. I'm always partial to anything with peacock feathers. Ms. Atwood obviously has tiny feet.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Fantastic to go visit. The displays have lots of explanation and are well set up.

The weekend continued on with lunch in Yorkville and a trip to Whole Foods. Now that was an eye opener for me, never been to one before. We were there to get raw organic food for one of my nephews who has gone raw vegan....just watch the grocery bill grow. We also picked up some food treats for our dinner and for the next day.

Sunday we spent working on encaustic painting. I had brought my supplies down so we could play. Although mine was serious play as we have that exhibit coming up in a couple of months. This is the first realy large one and it isn't going to be easy. More on that later.


Monday was back to Stratford with a stop at Curry's to buy art supplies for the artists in Haiti. My son's girlfriend's family go several times a year to help in Limbe  and surrounding area. Gallery 96, the co-op I belonge to donated a nice sum of money to purchase art supplies for Haitian artists . More on that when they return.

Tidal Pools

Switching topics again, Gallery 96 first show for 2012 opens in March and is on the theme of water. You can take a political view point, a spiritual one or simpley the beauty of water. Although I have ideas that would fall into the first 2 catagories, I don't think I have the time to accomplish them along with everything else. So I'm doing a series of smaller projects based on tidal pools. Here is the first complete one.

The second one in this picture is just underway, although it is in reality finished and framed

I'm really enjoying doing these and will probably do more. We are allowed 3 pieces in the show so I do have at least one more to do now. I have some bleached driftwood pieces from the ocean, so I think I will use them and keep it monochromatic with threads , yarns, shells in the white/gray range. Might also icoroprate a piece of bright red onion bag in for a spot of colour. As I was reaching for some onions yesterday to make stew, the lightbulb went on...simulate a piece of fish net.

Encaustic show

Great news, Anna Koot, Wendy Orr and myself are doing an encaustic show at the Blyth Festival Gallery on June 22, 2012. It's called "Thre Hot Irons". These are two of the friends that did "Fusion" with me this year. Time to make some new work, the theme is loosly rural. Wendy Orr is well on her way with some done after her trip to Newfoundland.

"Hidden Arches" is done with paper casting and lichen on masonite and painted with encaustic.

The 2 others insist on loading upside down...can't figure it out. This one is suppossed to be the other way around althought the viewer may not realize it. The other is a landscape and so there is no point in adding it until I can figure out the problem. All three photos are from the same file. The one above was done with strings pulled out from under the layers of wax and then some extra carving done. The rust hinge is also encaustic...it seems to have fooled a few people, who thought it was real.

Bags, Bags and more Bags

                    Here are a few of the bags I"ve been making for Green Thimble Designs               

Burgundy and Tan with 2 inside pockets and wallet $60Cdn

                                     Burgundy, Blue and Tan with 2 inside pockets $55 Cdn.

Three cotton satchels that are convenient to store in your purse. Checkered, Morninglory and Teapot satchels are $20 each Cdn.

Jewelry bags to store your jewelry while you are away on a trip. Multiple inside pockets to keep things from getting all jumbled up. Top left, pansy pink, delicate pink, yellow blossoms and front and centre is grapes. Each $20 Cdn.

You can find more bags @  greenthimbledesigns.blogspot.com

A New Venture

Well I"m way behind on my blog entries and I do want to catch you up on my fibre art and encaustic painting, but first I want to tell you about a new venture. Green Thimble Designs is a new business I"m entering into with two friends; Wendy Orr and Bernice Barrett. We are making products from existing materials and are starting off with bags of all shapes, sizes, with a variety of uses. Our goal is to design and make bags to replace plastic or poorley made cloth substitutes. Look back soon to view pictures and other details. We will be setting up a website over the Christmas holidays and you can already find us at greenthimbledesigns.blogspot.com.

 It's such a busy season, I'm busy making a few gifts and  I haven't got to the baking yet. Hopefully this week wil be a productive one.

Have a Happy Holiday where ever you are.