Ritals of the Every Day

On Saturday, March 9th I will be exhibiting seven new needle felted pieces in a show titled Rituals of the Every Day. The show takes place at Swoon Gallery on Hammonds Plains Rd in Halifax, Nova Scotia and runs until March 30th. Please do drop by if you happen to be in the area - I would love to see you. As well there will be two other show openings happening at the same time and place.

 Swoon Gallery is a wonderful old farm house which has been lovingly converted into a beautiful gallery with a variety of art, antiques and truly eye catching visuals. If you haven't been, it's certainly worth checking out. Brandt (the gallerist) is also a delight with a great eye and would be happy to welcome you to the gallery.

All artwork is needle felted & stitched and includes an archival mat in a black shadow box frame. Email Swoon Gallery for further details at info@swoonfineart.com.

Time Flies

Wow! What can I say except that time has flown by without me realizing that I need to spend time on my blog. It was a very busy summer and now fall continues with that trend. I am thankful for the many commissions that have come my way, and have also found time to play in a friends pottery studio quite recently. Thank you to those you believe in me and my creations :)

Although it has been a busy year, it has also been a challenging one. I was without a sewing machine to make my stitched creations for five months - yikes! Also, the recession certainly has had an impact on sales and new projects that I had hoped to go forth with. This time has however made me re-think some decisions and perhaps has even forced me to delve even deeper into the creative think tank. So, I guess it hasn't been all bad. :)

These days I have been taking lots of photographs of mushrooms that exist in the forest which surrounds my home. I have also been inspired by the film Exit Through the Gift Shop in that I am back to screenprinting using primitive methods which are much more environmentally friendly. I have also taken my designs into the woods and have left impressions on the trees which have fallen or will fall in the near future. It's a great way to add a bit more character to the forest which is full of mystery and whimsy. Through this I feel like I too am a bit of a streetscape artist although my vista is within the forest realms.

Life is truly grand with all of its' ebbs and flows. It is the journey of such experiences which allow us to learn, evolve and fulfill many creative ideas. Thank you world for that :)

New Pieces...

Thought i'd post a couple of pieces that I have been working on this winter....

First a triptych titled "Even Playing Field" (Acrylic, pastel and pencil on wood panel) Each panel is 8" x 8". The lower image is "Spring Chorus Line" inspired by the many sounds of the birds that came out to sing their songs during a few warm days this March. I used the same mediums to create my pieces. Spring Chorus Line is 20" x 20" on wood panel.

I'm getting ready to begin a medium switch in my studio - from painting to needle felting. This involves cleaning up the whole studio, and moving the new materials in. I will most likely be spending the next couple of weeks focused on creating pieces for galleries and upcoming shows (of which I will try to post at a later date). Thanks for looking :)

Another Day In The Forest

Needle Felted & Stitched

Another Day in the Forest

21" x 21"

This piece is available at Harvest Gallery in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. You can visit the gallery website: www.harvestgallery.ca.

Check out SillyConDesigns ~ she has featured some of my needle felted creations on her blog!! SillyCon has been a true inspiration for me since I met her while working in the costume department of a Nova Scotian Theatre. She has such a colourful imagination and uses this to create many kinds of art ~ including the Art of Living. We also share stories of our Dutch Roots and birthday parades!!! SillyCon Rocks!!! You can also view her creations by visiting www.sillycondesigns.etsy.com.

~ Enjoy

http://sillycondesigns.blogspot.com/2009/03/needle-felt-love.html

Minou and Birdie

This is a needle felted & stitched piece created for my friend Geela. She created my new Lala & Gleen logo for a piece inspired by her two chihuahuas. This was challenging but also really fun to create ~ especially as each dog has their own look, characteristics and whimsical nature!!!

The "tall blonde" recently had a role in the Space Buddies. How fun is that??

If you're interested in having a custom piece created for you, let me know and I would be happy to see what I can do.

8th Annual Acadia Art Show

This piece was created specifically for an exhibit at the Acadia Universtiy Art Gallery. It is needle felted & stitched (using locally grown wool from my sheep farmer friends). The framed size is 21" x 21" and includes glass, archival mat, and white shadow box frame. Price $625

The 8th Annual Acadia Art Show is "an annual celebration of the visual creativity in our community".

If this piece interests you, please inquire at the Gallery by going to http://gallery.acadiau.ca/

Needle Felting

Just thought I would post another image of what I have been up to lately. I have created a whole series of bird inspired pieces that are made from locally grown/dyed wool (from the Gaspereau Valley Fibre Shop, NS) that I have needle felted and then stitched. All pieces are then matted and framed. I will take these pieces with me to the Wolfville Farmer's Market this week. I'm having fun with these and hope to make new pieces each week for the collection.

Multi Medium

I just finished this piece yesterday. It is a combination of needle felting, stitching and painting. I had fun with this one as I just let the canvas dictate what should happen next. It was also fun to stitch on top of a canvas that had just been painted. I think I will try more of this technique using different styles. I will be showing my work in a group exhibit this fall with six other artists (all artists of various mediums) at a gallery in Halifax. The group is called Seven and is made up of seven fabulously creative women!! I can't wait!!!