backtracking 3/8: folly beach

From mountains to ocean. March 4th. Made a dash for South Carolina because on a whim we decided to visit Charleston before the show in Charlotte. Our first stop was Folly Beach (recommended by Kathy) where we dipped our feet in salt water. A bit chilly but we definitely felt that we were far from home and on vacation!

backtracking 2/8: blog buddies

March the 2nd. After delivering my pieces to Ciel Gallery in Charlotte we hit the road again especially to visit (and meet for the first time) two of my blog buddies. We headed towards the Great Smoky Mountains and the next day met up with Kathy Van Kleeck (above) and had a wonderful Southern breakfast with biscuits and grits (my first grits ever and I love them) followed by a visit to some galleries in the artsy city of Asheville. As expected, we really connected but we were absolutely certain of it when we bonded (and drooled) over some amazing art by the artist Leslie Walker Noell (click here as well).

After lunch we headed further into the mountains to the town of Boone (note the twisty road in the photo) to visit Jessica of Wayfaring Wanderer and her boyfriend Cody. Jessica recommended a walk near her house so we got to stretch our legs a bit and see the area where she takes many of her amazing photographs before meeting them and heading out to a Thai restaurant. We had a lovely evening and a delicious meal. Unfortunately almost all my photographs of us are blurry so I suggest you go to Jessica's post for some better photos!

Meeting my blog buddies was certainly a highlight of the trip. Looking forward to more of that soon...

backtracking 1/8: on the road

No! This photo does not depict weather conditions in Canada at this time of year! Today it's a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 22C (72F). I'm actually backtracking a bit. I never did blog about our road trip to North Carolina to deliver my art pieces to Ciel Gallery in February/March, so I have designated the next eight days as backtracking road trip days. Every day will document a different experience on the road.

We left on February 28th. On day 2 of the journey we ran into a freak snowstorm. Being Canadians who were still experiencing winter conditions at home, we still had our winter tires on and this was no biggie for us. Not so for most people. Lots of cars in ditches and people panicking. Note Jerzy's big smile...we were listening to a station playing Blue Grass followed by Celtic music as we drove through the storm. A nice memory we won't soon forget. I think a good snowstorm brings out the creativity in people. Take a look at that snowman!


The following day we were stopped on the highway for over an hour due to a serious road accident. I took the opportunity to climb over the barrier and take some photographs while we were waiting. My most favourite activity...

papeterie saint-armand

I am a fan of Saint Armand paper and have been wanting to visit their mill for quite some time now. Last year at an artist trading card gathering, I was fortunate enough to meet the owners, David Carruthers and Denise Lapointe, who also belong to the group. They are lovely people and invited me to drop by for a tour. I never did manage to make it, but when a friend of mine who had some business there invited me to come along, I took the opportunity to finally visit. What an amazing place! The sign above is the only indication of where they are located. Once inside, it's like entering another world. Here are some photos (especially for you Lynne!).

And that's the end of the tour. Thanks for joining me!

finnegan's

I recently had the opportunity to display some of my art in a booth at Finnegan's Market. Always shy about promoting myself, I spent most of my time behind the booth reading, writing, and exploring my immediate surroundings with my camera....

gathering...

Some calming images I gathered while in Haliburton...like my favourite sculpture in the Sculpture Forest - "Curled Figures" by Susan Low Beer, pictured above.

Beauty in water

Beauty in details at the Haliburton Highlands Museum