The Art By The Bay Sale

The Art By The Bay Sale hosted by Art On Main and Books By The Bay was a success...though we were unfortunately forced from our large outdoor booths to a less desirable and cramped location the traffic wasn't bad and I think a good time was had by all artists involved... It was a test in remaining cool, and making things work at the last minute with half the amount of space I originally planned for...I think I made things look pretty decent with what I had to work with and my work was wonderfully received. I finally for the first time brought my beloved art dolls a.k.a 'Nubbins' out of hiding and introduced them to people, they were a hit even though some people didn't quite grasp that they were just art dolls and not necessarily useful...other than cheering ones spirits and looking beautiful, ha ha. My art cards are usually a successful item for these type of shows and I was happy to see them as such again...and happy that the card racks Jonathan and I conjured up worked quite well.

My colourful and unique illustrated bamboo necklaces were also introduced to the public and they seemed to be liked by most which was great to see...though some people thought they were getting miniature originals painted on the bamboo for $25! I had to clarify to a confused few!

I love making these and whatever doesn't sell locally in the next couple of months will eventually make it into my Etsy shop.

I also made other bamboo ones, which were about half the size of my 'normal' necklaces, and half the price because they had less beads and plain cotton cording.

I also made a slew of glass pendants with my illustrations, these came with hemp cording and I made quite a few of them so these also will make it into the shop I am sure.

Big thanks to Jonathan of course who helped me get a few things ready for this sale, who helped me lug everything in and out of the sale, unpack and pack everything, who brought me coffee and snacks, who charmed all around him and who kept me great company all day long...thanks babe:D XOXOXOXOX....

...and thanks to my mom and dad who popped over to see what their little entrepreneur was up to that day...and to a new friend who also took the time to come visit my table, Tracey Walsh, a lovely local aromatherapist, for anyone local who's interested in having this type of treatment do check out Tracey's info here.

I was interviewed by our local paper that day also, Jenny Potter from The Nugget is a sweet and pleasant reporter and it was fun chatting with her...I was happily surprised to see that some of our little chat made it into the article she put together for this event. Click Here to read the article.

Over all it was a good day, I met some new artists including a couple fellow Etsians, traded work, bought a new work and definatly consider the day a success.

An Afternoon On The Cranberry Trail

So I am going to do things abit out of order here and share with you today some of our afternoon out on the Cranberry Trail last Sunday(a newly discovered location which is currently one of my favourite places). Ready with our bikes, backpacks, camera, my amazing guy, a very sore throat, some dizziness and a slight headache! we ventured out for a lovely afternoon...

This pond was so beautiful and cozy to me...it brought back childhood memories of growing up wild and carefree in the forest and spending hours upon hours by a pond much like this one watching a family of beavers do their beautiful natural thing...

...Jon likes to get up close and personal when the lens is in his hands, ha ha...and usually it irritates me but I quite like these two shots he took of me...

...though I could have laid down in the cat-tails and happily dozed and watched whatever might transpire...we had to move onwards so back on our bikes we went...

...but first a shot of my honey...

...this little thicket caught my eye and my heart leap and I must admit to believing the slight possibility of faire folk hanging out in this cool delicious little spot, ha ha...

...the first look out was a calming and serene view which doesn't quite come across in the photos. There was a 2 tiered deck where one can the natural beauty and I am quite sure spot a black bear, moose, or raccoons make their way across the vast fields...or perhaps a giant porcupine which Jonathan and I happily met slowly lumbering across our path when out at the trail the weekend before...

...at this location was painter/artist Nancy Dewar Stenning...I really liked her colours and textured paintings...

...and Jonathan waited patiently as I photographed this and that, sat in awe of our beautiful land and chatted with the artist...

...before long we were back on our bikes zooming along to this gourgues point...

....and to these lovely creatures...Jonathan will atest to the fact that I am obsessed with ducks! and I could sit for hours just watching them...they are so very very peaceful and somehow knowing....

...at this beautiful spot were two more local artists at work...here you see Edna Scott working on a watercolour of the vista...

...and Robert Smith, a talented wildlife artist...

...working with charcoal to create this lovely little squirrel...(both artists being my fellow Art On Main Members).

It was indeed a beautiful day, very relaxing for the soul and defiantly uplifting for the creative spirit....

Thanks for sharing some of our day with me...come back and visit again soon as I have shots to share of the Art By The Bay Sale, my Nubbins and of course some new work from our little rabbit warren in the North:D...

In non-artistic ventures...yesterday my mom and I went to see 'The Proposal' and I loved it, it's the best romantic comedy I've seen in quite some time. We saw 'Ice Age 2' the week before and to me, it is by far the best installment yet. I've been craving to buy the 'Twilight' series, but don't know if that will ruin the movies for me, hmmm...and Tonight is SYTYCDance...and if it's in anyway as good as it was last week, we're all in for a treat tonight...hoorah:D...now I am off to enjoy the rest of this sunny day and to make a puff pastry-asparagus-goats cheese-tart! wish me luck! and Be Well all, Be Well....

Art By The Bay Gallery Exhibition

Hi everyone...I've missed my blog and posting over the last week...but now things are calmer, our little 'stay-cation' somewhat beings...and I have time and lots to catch yous up on...firstly being the juried gallery exhibition called "Art By The Bay" which I am currently in at the Dufresne Gallery, a little gem of a gallery somewhat hidden in the sweet town of Callander. Here are the two pieces I put into the show..."Weather Patterns", an older coloured pencil... ...and "State of Mind", a newer coloured pencil...both in beautiful frames that my honey made for me, thanks Jonathan, your a life saver.

The exhibition opening was two Saturdays ago and the turn out was good and the exhibition wonderful in my opinion. Every piece in the show was strong and it is an excellent representation of some of the local talent. I thought I'd share a few shots...

...and here's me with my mom outside of the gallery... ...and my honey with my mom...two people I can always count on for support.

Well that's all for today...more in a day or two. Thanks for popping in and again I am sorry for being away so long...but I am back and though still pooped, the creative spirit flows strongly and surely...Be Well all and Happy Creating...

Art By The Bay

One thing keeping me on my toes these days is my involvement with Art By The Bay which is in conjunction with the already popular Books By The Bay. There are three parts to this event: 'Books By The Bay' is all hoopla to showcase and celebrate Canadian authors, 'Art By The Bay' is all hoopla to showcase and celebrate local Canadian artists, and coinciding is also an art exhibition at the Alex Dufresne Art Gallery also showcasing and celebrating local artists. There are few of us, like moi! who are in both shows.

The Gallery show is fine to get ready for, it was just a matter of framing up the pieces and delivering them once I found out I was accepted for the show. But for the outdoor sale, well I for one always find it quite stressful to get ready for these kind of sales. What do you sell? How do you sell it? For how much? How big should my tent be? How many tables do I need? What about wind blowing my stuff everywhere since we'll be right on the lakeside? What if it rains? How much of each thing should I make? Do I have time to make everything? Do I have bags, business cards, a cash float, etc ready? Will everything fit in the car?...These are just some of the hundred of questions running through my head in preparation for this one day sale...and I am possibly doing another 2 day and a 5 day sale later in the month! Yikes! We'll see about those because I am not sure at this point if I can get enough merchandise together. Oh I've done sales before don't get me wrong and even the tiniest ones stress me out because well I guess I want to promote myself and my work as sleek and professionally as I can which unfortunately and here comes the biggest stress point...it doesn't come cheaply! And of course at crunch times like these is when the printers decide to stop working, etc...Oh well...wish me luck, I know I'll do just fine, I always do somehow.

So if I am abit absent from my blog from now till the 18th you know why, ha ha. But do check back because though the posts might be shorter in the next couple of weeks, I do have some new work to show you. For now I am off...a coffee and some calming bunny snuggles are in order.