The POLES are in my head!

I'm about to be part of a really exciting public art initiative on Gabriola Island- painting selected hydro poles, yes we're bringing colour to the streets.  I was ecstatic to be one of the artists selected by the Gabriola Arts Council to participate in this project, and even better yet is the company I'm in- Melinda Wilde, Derrill Shuttleworth and Clint McC.
So now the fun begins, as i drive/walk/cycle around my neighbourhood all I can think about is the hydro poles.  The plan (as I know it) is that we will paint 3-4 poles in a distinct way that represents our neighbourhood. We may be using fish in my area (tyee, coho, blueback are just a few names of the local roads), so tonight I thought I'd just have fun doing up a few sketches and mock designs.
I'm not sure how they'll go over, but they are just ideas at this point and the Island meeting is on monday night and is open to all.  If you have any suggestions, comments, ideas please throw them at me.  In the meantime, I'm having fun imagining the possibilities.
And I won't even tell you what my comrades are planning for the group piece this saturday by the post office, you'll want to check it out as we kick off the "festival of the arts".

A little painting to remember: whispers of love

"Whispers at the door. where love is"

It's taken me a little longer to do this piece for my Aunt Lilli than I intended, it was a struggle just to start. I wanted to send her a little painting for her to remember and celebrate her brother (my father), today's his birthday and I know were all missing him a lot. I used a lot of matte medium, fluid acrylics, white jelly roll pens, stamps, music sheets, dictionary definitions and parts from my dads obituary to create this piece that I hope she see's as a celebration of a beautiful man.

Look what a dollar buys !

On Friday my daughter and 4 of her friends are coming over to kick start "friendship fridays", i've decided to take Bianca out of school one day a week and allow her a chance to try out a new experience -with some of her friends that are home schooled.  
I thought they may want to write about their experience, or have a little journal, a place to write, draw and create.  So I went to the GIRO (Gabriola Island Recycling Organization) and picked up these old books for 5 for $1.  They'll transform them with a little Gesso and a lot of creativity into journals.
Apparently if we gesso the inside pages, maybe saving a "special" word from the page, and put wax paper between them as they dry, we should have a few very unique journals.  I'll update you as the transformation of these books into journals happens.

We Invited the Fairies into the yard!

The kids and I decided that our theme yesterday would be "shelters" and "homes", first we did a little reading and then we headed into nature. We'd been to the beach to collect driftwood to make our homes for fairies and little creatures the day before. It was a great day to build, with lots of imagination going on, there are staircases, ladders, clotheslines, tables, little vehicles, a town hall and little signs to welcome the fairies. Really we just used wood from the beach, some shells, a little twine, a few bones the kids collected, a little moss, a few items we had around the house and a glue gun and nails. The kids were so happy with the little village they created and will be checking for signs that the fairies have been here.

Driftwood Tags

Ok, so I had some time at home with the kids and I really wanted to try and make some pendants with my new supply of paper, punches, glass and the blanks. I had tonnes of fun and so did the kids - they were easy enough for them to make, and the ones they did turned out really well. I'm on a budget and trying to re-use where I can, so the gold that makes the dragonfly on this charm glitter was thanks to the wrapping from a pkg of butter, we just washed it and punched out the shape. I was also out of ink & paper for my printer and didn't see a trip to get some in my near future, so a walk on the beach gave me inspiration for my new packaging, yes driftwood ! Maybe creativity on a budget is more fun...

Gearing up for The Gabriola Thanksgiving Studio Tour!

With less than 20 days left before the tour, I'm starting to finish off some of my paintings. A friend gave me a book of robins, it was a sweet book and the starting point for this painting.

I'll be #22 on the Studio Tour, 2635 Islands View. My mom and sister will be joining me at my studio this year to have their handmade items on display.

Ella the Elephant

We were invited to a party for Miss Clare, who just turned four this month. Her mom said she likes elephants, so that's what we decided to maker for her. The kids and I searched youtube for how to draw an elephant and they drew one that they wanted me to create.
We'd like to meet you to meet Ella the fluffy pink elephant, equiped with a pocket so that she can be a tooth fairy pillow.
Happy homemade birthday Clare !