Birds Of A Feather Archive Website

We've been working long, hard and furiously on completing

the Archive Website for my Birds of a Feather Solo exhibition.

and now it's done and awaiting your perusal....

There are many photographs of the Installation, The Opening & The Artwork itself.

There's also 3 videos...

1 is a visual tour of the exhibition,

the 2nd is an interview with yours truly

whiles showing beautiful landscapes we filmed from around our home

and the 3rd is an art talk about several piece in the show.

Do have a visit, take a look around and Enjoy...

It's perfect for those of you who wanted to see my exhibition but just couldn't...

and for those who did see it but want to have another gander.

We are simply over the moon with it.

and I must say, once again, that I am completely luck filled and honored to have a honey-pie who tirelessly and most beautifully lends and blends his talents with me and mine....WOW.

A site I will cherish always.

p.s The 3 videos are also available in HD on YouTube as well....

The ArtTour is here,

The Interview is here,

and The Art Talk is here.

See you next week

XO An inspired Bijou XO

Emmeline & Everly

I have been wanting to introduce you all to...

Emmeline and Everly

Emmeline is a gentile lady with a strong constitution and a love for the natural world and

the friends she finds there in, such as her dearest kindred spirit Everly, truly two peas in a pod

This is an acrylic and coloured pencil painting on muslin and companions to Tilda and Thorton.

(I'll let you know when prints will be available in my Etsy shop).

XO Mandy & her 4 pea pod bunny buddies XO

Tilda and Thorton

I am crazy in love with this newest picture of mine...

"Tilda & Thorton"



(these are photos so please excuse any slight blurriness)

The complementary kinship of a fine lady & her feathered friend.

This is an acrylic painting with coloured pencil on muslin, which I sewed up in tapestry style, so a black wooden pole will slip through on the top and bottom & it will hang by a beaded string. 

ohhh soooo loving it.  It's been awhile since I've done a picture, stood back and whispered to myself 

'wow, you did that...' 

Well this was one of those pictures & it's awesome when that happens cause it doesn't happen alot.

Prints of Tilda & Thornton will be available in my online shops soon.

XO Mandy

New Exhibition/Display Space

I am so happy to be starting this New Year (which is going to be brilliant & abundant in so many ways) with a fantastic new place to display, exhibit and sell my work.

My friend Becca who opened up the local organic & vegetarian juice bar called 'Veg Out' has granted me 2 perfect walls....she wanted positive, uplifting and colorful work so she defiantly came to the right artist, ha ha.

"Veg Out" is now also carrying my art cards.



I am so excited and so grateful for this new space to show in....see it's starting out to be a great year already.  (despite some very bad migraines already!)

What do you think of how I displayed everything???

I am so so glad to be back in blog land, it was a great & restful holiday but I am sooo ready to try out my newly planned studio schedule & to get back into the online world.

See you on Friday everyone.

XO M & 4 bunnies happily full of carrot top

My New Display at the New Art On Main...

So finally, I am posting to show you my new display for "Bijou's Whimsy" at the newly moved Art On Main (the artist collective I've been a member of since June of 2009). I've been getting tons of great feedback and people seem to love my Beautiful Birds Collection AND the water blue I painted the fantastic shelves Jonathan built for me...

I am also getting lots of positive comments on the cedar branches I decided to put up to hang my Nubbin birds from:D...

...I worked my butt off to get 14 (of the so far 20) Beautiful Birds prints mounted...and I am so so so pleased with how they turned out, the whole process of making them and the quality...

Two of my Beautiful Birds are in the window display alongside work from our newest member Dave Carlin. I find it such a lovely thing to be in the same window as Dave because he's been such a significant light to me and to my creative world...he was my first mentor in the art world and one of the first ones to nurture my creative spirit...and to this day, even after attending one of the best art schools in Canada, he is still one of the best art teachers I have ever had..and he is also a dear wise friend, so needless to say I am proud to be in the same space...

...So that's me and my work, what do you think of my new display???

New Illustration 'The House & The Dreamer"

I've been working diligently more so than I have in quite awhile and I have to say it feels fantastic to be so focused on my work. I have a forward momentum going now that I really hope I can keep up because I have so many more new ideals I am so excited to finally get to... But yeah, here is a new one...again for my exhibition...It is called "The House & The Dreamer"...I think the concept and story is pretty straight forward with this one. At the bottom I wrote "The House Protects The Dreamer And The Dreamer Fills The House". It was sparked by my ideals and possible theme for a co-exhibition I have coming up in 2010.

And of course....a print is available here in my beautiful Etsy shop:D....do pop on in and have a browse if you've never been before.

I am off to colour some more and to snuggle a bunny...after all it is very gloomy yet cozy fall day and whats better to do than hang with bunnies on these kind of days:D

I am in the last stretch of exhibition preparations and going in Thursday to hang my show so I don't know that I will post alot this week, but I'll try if I have time for I do have 3 more new illustrations created just for the exhibition to share with you pluse I'll take oodles of photos once it's all hung...oh I can't wait. The frames Jonathan made for me are all done and just wonderful and seeing my work matted and framed just gives me a boost and a little reminder that 'heh I am pretty good' ha ha.... and I just can't wait to see so many of my coloured pencils collected together all in the same place...ohhhhhh so excited:D

p.s. If your interested in signing a petition to try to stop Iceland from killing whales there is a new form here or in my 'take action for animals' section on the right hand side of this blog. Thanks!

Shadowy ART for a Shadowy Planet

Good Monday everyone. I have quite a few things which I am excited to share with you, but I am trying to pace myself to 'reveal' them slowly over the next couple of weeks instead of all at once, ha ha.

I really wanted to share with you my photos from the Shadowy Art for a Shadowy Planet exhibition/auction. Jonathan and I went to the preview last Saturday and had a good time. There were 30 artist created original shadowboxes...here's a sampling...

...and of course, as you know by now...here is mine "Earth Intruders".

Let me show you some of my favourites...here is one by Alex Maeve Campbell. She is now the gallery coordinator (in my old position) and she's doing a great job as far as I can see. Alex had brought me into her office to give me a sneak peek at the other boxes when I went in to drop off mine and I saw this one and said "Ohhh, I love that one..." and she said with a happy smile "Thanks, that one is mine..". Love it when that happens. Another Favourites of mine was actually Alex's dad...the ever cool and amazingly talented world-reknowned potter/sculpture Keith Campbell (check out his website, Keith makes great pottery). I took some classes with Keith and he's also an amazing teacher. He is also a fellow chronic/acute migraine sufferer so it's always nice to chat and complain with him because we know we totally understand what the other is going through. Now, I am against guns (except for law enforcement) but I just loved this box. It is all created from Porcelain I believe, even the gun. I just find it so strong graphically and therefore beautiful. I also really liked the minimalistic colour and of course the craftsmanship.

And I have to show you Arlie's box. Everyone was so thrilled with Arlie's box because it was so very cheeky and such a departure from Arlie's usual work. Whenever someone would see Arlie's name on the tag they'd go "What....I love it..." ha ha...

The guest support artist for this whole exhibition/auction was local artist Betty Sager. I never get tired of looking at Betty's work, she makes these incredible little self-contained worlds, each one so different then the other. I would like to have one of Betty's pieces someday. I had the pleasure of working with Betty abit when I worked at the Gallery and I remember her being a very nice and warm person. Her shadowboxes are so crowded with doo-da's one would just have to wonder where in the world she gets all the teeny tiny stuff. Apparently she has a group of family and friends who help her collect, they find stuff for her in their basements, at thrift stores, at garage sales etc and pass it along to Betty for her collections and art...I'd love to see her studio. I know that Betty lost her son a few years ago...and well I was happy to see all of these new shadowboxes and to see that she is indeed still creating despite her immense loss.

This was my favourite one of Betty's. I think it was called "The Underground Woman". Some thing hit home with me in this piece. The streets above seem abit cold and full of people and bustle, yet ultimately full of nothing-ness...yet below is this sweet and endearing old lady, cozy in her little crowded abode...the place is full of cats, one sleeps on the bed...there is a photo of a boy hanging on the wall (I assume it's her son) ...I just could have looked at this piece for hours and still find something new.

Here is a detail...

So the big auction night was this past Friday. I did not go as I wasn't feeling well but I hear from a few people that it was a great evening. Sales were abit slow apparently but there were a few boxes that harnessed bidding wars and I was happy to hear that mine was indeed one of them. I know that local artist and metal smith Peter Sloan won my box and I really hope he's happy with it. It always strikes me as funny...just when you think you know who likes and who doesn't like your work, someone new pops in the mix, it's a delightful thing.

So with all that shared I must go. A busy week is ahead of me I think. Jonathan and I are unfortunately starting this new week quite tired from the crazy weekend we just had with house/studio projects. As mentioned before, with the increase of snow and lowering temperatures we're in a race against the clock to get projects in the garage done.

Until tomorrow, be well and Happy Creating.

I love September, a New Illustration and Some Honest Musings

I just adore September. I guess perhaps it has something to do with the fact that a) I don't have to go back to school (even though I always loved school) or b) I am not stuck in a boring and typical 9-5 existence (thank goodness!) but September for me just always has this wonderful energy of renewal and excitement about it. It means the wind down of a really busy and productive summer and the entrance into a cozy, relaxed and productive winter. I honestly write this blog today with a real sense of excitement about my artistic future, I have my heart and head newly wrapped around exciting ideals and plans...I have a fantastic honey and 4 sweet bunnies who are all healthy and happy...I am truly blessed and excited and happy on this wonderful September 2nd.

Also let me finally show you my piece for exhibition "Art of the Carousel" at the Alex Dufresne Gallery...(I drop it off today)...

I wasn't going to show you all until it was actually up in the gallery but I am too excited about it to wait. I just consider this piece a success on so many levels and it's part of the reason I am so very very excited and pumped today. The frame that Jonathan made for me is perfect and the successful framing of my image will just lead me to a whole new world of possibilities and successes. I am honestly however very disappointed with one thing and that is the response of comments to enter the draw for my "Sundance" print giveaway. So I'll make it even simpler and say that anyone who leaves a comment on any of the posts up to the draw date will be entered into the draw and have a chance to win the print. I am unsure if the lack of response means the blog readership is way down, which is upsetting.....or if it means people just don't care about one of my most favourite images which is equally as upsetting...so anyhow, I am not going to let it upset my most perfect beginning to September, but I feel that I should gently remind readers that the option to win something is there! Another note which I feel I should touch upon today...my blog...At this point I am unsure if I'll go back to the 5 time weekly posting...I am thinking that I will continue with the 3 times weekly posting for abit longer but change it to Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays perhaps. I love blogging, part of what I love about it is it's fluidity and ability to change. I've tried different things so far, be it regular lino cuts, daily paintings, daily sketches, but the truth is that isn't how I work. I can't put strict time lines on my work and that's just me being completely honest. Sometimes a piece will take me 2 days, sometimes it'll take me 2 weeks and sometimes it'll take me 2 month, it really all depends on what I have going on and usually I keep myself occupied quite well. So I hope you continue to tune in even though the format or number of postings may change. It's an exciting time and I am up to some exciting things so I hope you'll visit me here often and take if but even a single moment to see what I am up to in my own little enchanted world.