Another Beautiful Bird...

I survived the long stretch of daily headaches which finally abated into a nice stretch with no head pain, WAHOO:D! and the weekend sale 'City Walk' was alot of fun and a great success (I'll post a couple photos soon). I have to admit that I am glad that the busy week is over with and I am looking forward to just spending abit of time with friends, the buns and Jon and just getting back to my own self-imposed projects, such as more birds. Speaking of Birds, here is another of my 'Beautiful Birds'. It seems birds are a popular thing to illustrate/paint around blogland lately, ha ha...but I swear I didn't realize this until after I started my series! I just wanted to divert abit from rabbits..though I do have inklings of a similar series with rabbits roaming around my head. This one was actually the first "Beautiful Bird"that I did...I am really happy with how the painted backgrounds are complimenting the coloured pencil birds. I've used this technique before and it's defiantly one that is growing on me. What do yous think? I hope you can join me on Wednesday for some of my favourite photos from a summer trip to Toronto (I told you I was behind!). I have alot that I want to share so I'll show them in 4 part over 4 weeks..well that's the plan at the moment!

I hope your homes are all glittery and cozy with holiday cheer...ours is full of happy bunnies and really that's all we want for Christmas.

The Past Civic Long Weekend!

Okay so quite abit late with these photos ha ha...but I just got around to adjusting them etc and I love these shots so I really wanted to share them with you all. I find I am so very very content lately, sitting on my computer, playing around with my photos with music blasting...I feel at home...I feel cozy and than I hit a really great shot and my heart dances...so maybe I defiantly should look into opening a photography shop sooner than later!!! We'll see... Anyhow...During a long weekend this past summer, our little city of North Bay had it's annual summer festival. Jonathan and I always walk down, spend the day hand in hand enjoying the bustle and crowds (and avoiding the petting zoo)...these are my favourite shots from that weekend festival... I do love taking shots of really cute houses...so I snuck a couple on the way there... ...and than we hit the festival area...

I think these are some of my favourite shots of the whole year!...

...and a couple more cute abodes on the walk back home:D...

I think perhaps my achy body and head are already longing for the warmer days of summer past!!! Oh Oh...and we're only at -8 so far soon enough it'll be the -30's! But than we'll have the warm coziness of xmas decorations to help us past that chill:D

Be Well all...Be Well...may memories of perfect and lovely summer days past embrace you with inner smiles, warmth and remind you of the happiness in that exact moment of where you were.....and perhaps of where you currently are:D XO Mandy.

A New Image....Another Beautiful Bird

Hi there...here's another Beautiful Bird...I have 24 designed for this collection so far and I am having so much fun with them. This one is a cardinal...of sorts I guess...I am by no means going for any kind of realistic interpretation but really just want to create some beautiful little birds that will cheer one up with their colour and/or expressions and perhaps even to remind people of how special and beautiful our natural world is. It's also so fun and full filling somehow to play around with the shapes of the plumage.

I'll let you know when it's available as a ready to hang mounted print in my shop.

For anyone local...don't forget tommorow night (Friday) is North Bay's old-fashioned downtown Christmas walk and I'll be at my artists collective, Art On Main from 6pm-9pm most likely (if I am not stuck in 'last-minute-pulling-my-hair-out-still-to-do's' for 'City Walks'!) ...it should be fun and festive so come on out.

And mentioning 'City Walks', again for anyone local, don't forget to join me and all the other hardworking artisans for the City Walks tour/sale this Saturday 9:30-4:30.

I'll be at Mary Bon's place so come on out and say Hello:D I'll be selling my art cards, bird nubbins, tons of necklaces and some xmas decorations. P.S. Have you seen this YouTube Video of french artist Nathalie Lete painting a mural...it's lovely and soooo makes me a)want to get back to a large free painting and b)paint a fabulous white design on glass and see where it goes from there:D Check it out if you need inspiration.

Matt Dusk Is Sweet....

Okay so I fully admit that Canadian crooner and jazz singer Matt Dusk makes me slightly weak in the knees and sends my heart a flutter, ha ha. No worries, Jonathan is fully aware and tolerant of my crush and still accompanies me to his performances, ha ha. We've seen Matt 3 times in concert now, once 2 years ago in a very intimate setting of only about 50 people, that was my favourite until... Last week we saw him in concert for the 3rd time (his newest cd is his best yet and I do like him better than Michael Buble!) and we got to spend abit of time with him after the show. He's as cute and sweet and funny and approachable as I hoped he'd be...and he swears alot too, ha ha which I loved! Thanks to our friends Jessie and Kirk, who took these photos for us, I adore the top shot. I had a migraine that night and took some migraine medicine which makes me alittle light headed and gives me squinty eyes!...and also made me forget my camera...oh I was kicking myself because we had great seats and I could have gotten some amazing shots...but Kirk and Jess are being kinda enough to let me use some of theirs for this blog post:D thanks guys...

Of course this shot of me with Matt makes me completely giddy, ha ha. AHHHH he's SO CUTE! Life is good:D

New Illustration

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend...we did but it did seem to fly by much too fast. It was a busy one full of great entertainment...which I'll fill you in on later, for it's going to be a crazy week and I just wanted to pop in

to share a new image of mine...A new series I am working on...Beautiful Birds...

Done in coloured pencil on Stonehenge, cut out and than mounted on a painted panel. They will be available as beautiful prints...printed on the same paper, Stonehenge and than mounted and sealed onto boards, ready for hanging...but I won't be listing them individually as I post them, like usual. I am going to try posting a block of things all at once, so I'll let you know when the first group of birds will be up in the shop. However winter is here and soon enough the freezing temperatures which will prevent us from getting into the garage to cut more wood...I am already scrambling...so I might be making a small run of each for now. Hope you enjoy it?...a pretty little birdie to brighten your day. p.s. If you've yet to see Julie & Julia, I highly recommend it...what a fantastic movie about not giving up on yourself, despite your path diverting from it's original plan and also not letting others opinions take your joy away...loved it so much. Meryl Streep is defiantly one of my favs.

Art On Main Window

Most of you who read this blog of mine already know that I am a member of a fantastic arts collective called Art On Main. Anyhow, my pal and fellow member Rachael dresses the windows of the store every month and I am always impressed with her arrangements...so I thought I'd share one of Novembers windows with you all (and okay I admit I am happy she included my coloured pencil "At First Light" in the display as well, ha ha)

Next week should be a good time to start showing you what I've been working on...a new collection of birds....they are so fun and sweet, I am anxious to share them with you all. Till than have a wonderful and warm weekend.

p.s. Am I the only one who hated the movie "Where The Wild Things Are"?

A Sewing Machine and A Bunny

I am still not feeling well but wanted to pop in with a new post anyways... I've been meaning to show you all this beautiful antique sewing machine we bought for super cheap at a thrift store a few months ago..and it runs like a dream too, not that I am a big sewer mind you, I usually prefer doing things by hand, but well we just thought it was so nice and old and 'cool' looking, ha ha so we brought it home.

...anyhow, it sits atop a lovely piece of furniture my dad made for me ages ago...and I just crumbled with a happy heart when I spied one cozy day, our sweetie pie Jaks taking a nap underneath...ha ha...too cute.

Aren't bunnies just oh so wonderful...ahhhh they make me happy and bliss full...yes even despite this constant migraine!

Some Art On Main Business...

A couple weeks ago some of the collective members from Art On Main gave their time, energy, supplies and knowledge to teach local dignitaries abit about their crafts. The results were some wonderful art pieces made by the AOMer teachers and the dignitaries together, which now will be auctioned off at the store...if your local and an art lover come on out in support....50% goes to us, AOM and the other half to the dignitaries favourite charity.

Also on December 4th, at the same time as the auction is another event I am getting work ready for...this one is a member show, sale and fundraiser in the store's gallery space (where I recently had my solo exhibition). Each member will be showing 2-4 pieces at a time and all pieces will be $100, no more, no less (well except tax of course!). We all hope it goes well and for anyone local reading this post again...please do come out to support the great talent at AOM and in your little Northern town.

Also, I have been meaning to post these photos for awhile....but better late than never right! This past summer, a group of fellow AOMer's got together, for a fundraiser for our beautiful little store/gallery and held a children's t-shirt printmaking session at our local festival. It was a great ideal, deemed a success and lots of fun. I know some of you out there are indeed teachers of your own art classes as well so I thought I'd share these photos and pass the ideal along to you all as well.

That's all for today....See you's tomorrow hopefully...we'll see how my little noggin's holding out!

Sorta M.I.A....

Hi everyone...and thanks so much to all who left feedback on the new website, I really appreciate it. I am anxious to get the shop section completed but that may not come until the New Year, for I want my webmaker supreme and code spinner (a.k.a. Jonathan:D) to have abit of time off! I didn't mean to be M.I.A post wise last week but it's not been a great time for headaches and migraines and honestly at this time I am kinda knocked off my feet from them. In the last week I've had one day free of pain and though I am getting lots of work done...well considering anyways I guess...I am staying off my computer, scanner, email etc for the time being...hence the lack of posts. But I just wanted to pop in, say 'Hello' and 'Don't Forget About Me' and thought I'd share this photo I snapped of a beautiful pileated woodpecker, a bird which is somewhat common in our region. I wish I had this photo when I had to illustrate this exact type of bird for a conservation manual last year! So anyhow with all that being said, I hope to be back in full swing soon and I am anxious to show you all some new work. If you don't hear from me much again this week it's because I am having to move very slowly and having to tend to my head but also always with this comes extra time to hang out with my sweet man and the honey bunnies, with abit of extra yoga and quiet time...so it's not all bad...

Be Well all and hope your all having pain-free days and enjoying each day regardless.

My Brand New Website Is Ready and Up....

I am beyond excited and proud to announce the arrival and completion of The New Home to "Bijou's Whimsy" my brand new website ...it's up and ready for your visits and viewing.

It's been a year in the making. It's been a big job for me. It's been an insanely huge job for my partner and web-maker supreme, Jonathan...who besides extreme talent also showed immense patience, as I know I was a very difficult and demanding client, ha ha!

And I can't think of a better day to finally launch it, than today, on my 32nd birthday:D...wow! I've yet to see another artist's website with the search capabilities that Jonathan has built in for me on this beautiful site of mine...wow, it's all mine:D...WOW!...

Well back to my birthday festivities:D It has indeed been a wonderful and amazing day...and again, please do leave your comments and feedback about the site and also please do pass the link around if you think it's as fabulous as we do:D, ha ha. WAHOOOOOOO!!!!!:D

An Amazing Show...Ovo

So a few weeks back Jonathan and I decided we needed abit of a treat and bought ourselves tickets to see our first Cirque Du Soleil show. It's never an easy decision for us to leave the rabbits, even for a single night and even though they are left in very capable and trusted hands. And its also a decision for us to brave the highways during hunting season! (when Jon tells me to close my eyes I do without question or argument for he knows and protects my tender heart better than anyone else). So anyways, I think after the heart ache of loosing our Hazel, we felt the need for a big treat so we went to Toronto... ...we've been wanting to see one of their creations for ages now... ...we saw 'Ovo' and it was so so spectacular, especially with front row seats...being that close to the action and seeing facial expressions and make up and costume details so perfectly was incredible...

We weren't allowed to use cameras in the big top which I found slightly frustrating because there were a few times that I knew I'd get some photographic gems, if only I were allowed the camera...c'est la vie and totally understandable though.

The outside of the big top was so lovely as well, it just filled me with such excitement and joy.

I feel so lucky to have been able to take in such an incredible and unique visual treat.

...taking in the Toronto skylines with my honey, having a fantastic dinner at one of our favourite vegetarian restaurants, seeing this amazing show AND getting to spend time with my best friend too....well indeed, I feel like one lucky and spoiled gal let me tell you!!! It was a heavenly weekend, one I'll never forget...but you know what, if we don't spoil and be kind to ourselves and give ourselves visual treats who will right!...so cheers to good things and good times...Cheers cheers cheers:D

p.s. The mondays 'reveal' might be put off a day or two due to some unforeseen circumstances...we'll see....

Soul Far, Soul Good...Peter Sloan

On the 30th of October, we went to the opening of 'Soul Far, Soul Good", this show features incredible new works by talented local North Bay artist Peter Sloan.

The exhibition is being presented at the beautiful artist collective that I am a proud member of, Art On Main. Peter has been a member of the collective for some time and this exhibition just continues to show his incredible and unique talent.

I was happy when Peter gave me permission to photograph his works for this post for I just knew I had to share his work with all of you....I promised at the inception of this blog of mine to share my visual inspirations and Peter's work is definatly something that makes my eyes pop and go 'wow'.

I always found his work incredible but these new 14 pieces in the exhibition are even more so, they are exciting, earthy and mesmerizing whiles gripping you with their fossil/petroglyph feel. They seem like some odd and organic relic from the past...well that's what I see anyhow!

Below is my very favourite in the show, entitled "Comfrey". The colours in this one are so bright but very gentle and the composition and detail is just beautiful to me.

I am usually not a fan of skull imagery but within Peter's work I do enjoy them as they do take on a beautiful and ethereal tone.

I can't even begin to figure out what Peter's process to make these would be! All I know is that they are made with unfired plaster and includes embossing or stamping from Peter's own handmade miniature stamps.

This is another of my favourites, something in it makes me feel close to my European history and I find myself saying 'Ohhhh' and than it draws me in closer for a more intimate look...

And here are a few other beauties...

Peter's show runs from October 28th to November 27th 2009. The AOM Gallery website is located here and Peter's own site here. All of Peter's works shown in this post and in his exhibition are only $275.00 plus taxes so if your interested contact Peter or AOM.

Thanks for taking time to pop in...I am breaking pattern and doing a Saturday post this week so pop in again than if you've time and hopefully Monday I'll have a big surprise to share:D, oh I can't wait. Be Well all, Be Well.