koshlong lake

I have been most fortunate to spend 2 weeks in Haliburton, Ontario attending courses at Haliburton School of The Arts...a 50th birthday present from Jerzy. It was a wonderful experience. I'll be posting some photos from my courses over the next few days but today I thought I'd share some photos from Koshlong Lake. I stayed there in a lovely little apartment on top of a former marina, now a workshop where Lise Ainsley - my "landlady" - makes canvas boat covers and does upholstering work. It was a wonderful little retreat for me while I was there. I inhabited the top floor of the brown building in the above photo. Small and cozy...perfect for one person.

Here is my little deck. A great spot for my morning cup of tea. And my evening cup of tea.

And here is my view of Koshlong Lake from that little deck.

Almost every morning started like this...misty and mysterious and unbelievably calm and peaceful.

These floating docks were in different positions each morning depending on the wind and the weather. I liked this configuration.

The mist usually burned off by 7:30 a.m.

Went for a paddle and felt right at home in the canoe and in the rugged, rocky landscape of the Canadian Shield. Back to my roots...

See what I mean. Outcrops of Precambrian granite, lakes, and pines really speak to my soul. As they once did to the members of the Group of Seven.

And swamps and marshy areas are another favourite destination of mine. Especially if I'm in a canoe. There is no better way to explore a swamp!

What treasures you find in a swamp! Here is an intact skeleton and shell of a snapping turtle. With my fascination for bones, I was so tempted to scavenge it but somehow it didn't seem right to disturb it from it's peaceful resting place so I just took a photo.

the draw

Happy Canada Day! As I write this I am hearing fireworks in the distance...or is it thunder? We've had a bit of a rainy day here.

As promised, I have done my Nevr-Dull draw and the lucky winner (picked out of the hat by Jerzy's neutral hand) is Ronna!

I couldn't be more pleased that Ronna is the winner...for several reasons. She is the person who encouraged me to do a blog, so winning my one-year anniversary draw is very fitting. The draw took place around the topic of artist trading cards and she is the person who organizes our ATC meetings and publishes ATC Quarterly. In fact she traded for - and now owns - one of the artist trading cards that were featured in my last post (the Buster Keaton one). And, last Fall, I attended a home art show and sale of her ceramic work and won her draw, so this is truly fate at work. Congratulations Ronna!

As promised I will take my wad of Canadian Tire money (the wad you see below totals exactly $17.20) and go buy a nice shiny can of Nevr-Dull for you...and I expect to see some Nevr-Dull ATCs somewhere down the line!

Thanks to all who kindly left comments for me. I will do my best to keep the posts coming and look forward to future comments!

one year

Today is my one year blog anniversary. ***small fistfuls of glittery confetti joyfully thrown into the air*** Granted, I haven't had much (if any) of a blog presence for awhile. But here I am. Again. I thought since my very first post started with a photo of some of my artist trading cards, I would again honour my latest batch, which was traded a few weeks ago.

The technique I used is probably quite well-known amongst mixed-media junkies:

1. Find a magazine image that appeals to you.
2. Using shelf paper or sticky labels or glue, block off the parts that you wish to remain intact.
3. Once the labels are adhered or the glue is dry, rub the rest of the image, including text, with a wad of Nevr-Dull® Magic Wadding Polish until you achieve the effect you desire.
4. Peel off the shelf paper or sticky labels (if you are using glue just leave it as is) to reveal your masterpiece.

• Nevr-Dull is a metal polish that gives your page a painterly, ethereal quality as it smooshes around the ink on your magazine page
• The best place to find it is in the automotive washing and cleaning section of your local hardware store...in my case - Canadian Tire - my favourite store!
• If you are sensitive to chemicals and strong smells, avoid this activity altogether or make sure you have good ventilation - the stuff is strong!
  
  

I enjoyed using this technique on my cards because I love that ethereal effect and it's satisfying to have an image that says more than it did when you first spied it in the magazine. To do this you can remove an image entirely, fade out an image so it appears as a ghostly presence, obliterate text or leave a faint trace of it, play with colour as you move it around with your Nevr-Dull wadding, or purposely (or accidently) rip the paper for another interesting effect. You never know what your final effect will be until it's finished. There are always surprises.

I sometimes make the mistake of thinking that the artist trading cards I make are just "fun" and have nothing to do with my "real work". But everything creative feeds everything creative. And as I'm describing my Nevr-Dull technique to you I realize that I am doing exactly what I do when I make other "real work": focusing on form and composition, subtracting elements to create a feeling or a narrative, manipulating my materials to achieve various effects that strengthen the work.

So in honour of my first blog anniversary and in honour of trying new techniques, I will enter the names of all those who leave comments on this post in a draw. THE PRIZE: a can of Nevr-Dull® Magic Wadding Polish! Woohoo! This can will be purchased at Canadian Tire using the "wad" of Canadian Tire money (a Canadian institution) that I have been collecting for years and have never cashed in. In keeping with this Canadian connection, the draw will take place on Canada Day...July 1st. So roll those comments in for your very own can of magic wadding polish!

And speaking of artist trading cards, my parents were visiting at the end of May to help me celebrate my 50th (gasp) birthday and while they were here my Mom created her first-ever artist trading cards and accompanied me to her first-ever trade, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I also helped her get started on her own blog so take a peek at her artist trading cards and her birthday surprise for me, both documented on her blog, upbeat meanderings.

sticks and stones

I am pleased to report that three of my pieces have been accepted for a show at Ciel Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina! The show is called Sticks and Stones, featuring art created from natural elements, and runs from March 6th to May 1st. Apart from being included in the show, the exciting thing is that Jerzy and I are taking this opportunity to do a road trip, so I can attend the opening on March 6th. I've never been to North Carolina, so I'm really looking forward to the whole experience. It's about a two-day drive from here to there, and once we are there and I've delivered my pieces, we plan to explore the State a bit. So lots of driving! Below are my pieces...I consider them a triptych.

synapse 1

synapse 1 (detail)

synapse 2

synapse 2 (detail)

synapse 3

synapse 3 (detail)

the wives

When I saw my friend Laurie Boisvert's latest piece, "the wives", I was awestruck. She has created a series of silver lockets to represent each of Henry VIII's wives. I find this work to be very evocative and a good balance between well-conceived and visceral. You won't see these lockets on her website - these photos were taken by one of the galleries that show her work - but you will find many more fascinating pieces on her shiny objects site. She has given her permission for me to share them with you here. Enjoy...

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver with pomegranate seeds encased (Catherine of Aragon)

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver with hinged links (Anne Boleyn)


wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver locket with needle point inside/silk thread (Jane Seymour)


wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver with kuembo interior: 22 karat gold leaf fused onto sterling silver (Anne of Cleves)


wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver locket and rose bush clipping (Catherine Howard)


wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver and paper (Catherine Parr)

sanguine yearning

Red Alert - Week 1 opens today. The vernissage (opening) will be the evening of Valentine's Day. I've called my piece sanguine yearning. Sanguine refers to blood but also to optimism and confidence. I will refrain from saying what the piece means to me. My hope is that it will evoke personal associations and emotional responses from those who view it.

clotting

Motivated by Red Alert, an upcoming red-themed exhibition in which I am one of the participants, I've been mucking about with plaster bandage and sanguine ink. I started to experiment and ended up creating what I have come to consider as small clots, but they are essentially nests or vessels (of course!). Below are some glimpses of my materials and process. The show opens in a few days and I will post some photographs of my finished piece when it is done. I'm always finished at the eleventh hour...