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.

Sneak Peek of Exhibit

Show Statement –

In mid-autumn when the air grows colder and the nights longer, comes the hunter moon. Autumn is the time to reap the benefits from the long days of summer. Food is plentiful. In preparation for the coming long nights much of it is preserved and put away, but there are still the feasts. A carpe diem celebration of the bounty brought by the sun and the animals that give their lives. We think it is important to acknowledge and honour these gifts. When we do, we put an end to industrial farming and factory-produced animals. We regain in our health and enjoyment of the things that really make life good.

Ceramic artist (Tracy Horsman) and painter (Angela Melanson) reconnect with the cycle of life and death, celebrating the rhythms of hunting and foraging. This body of work includes limited edition vessels for enjoying the feast and embracing some of the ancient food traditions like tonics and ales and paintings inspired by our fellow omnivores and the bountiful Acadian forest.

Art for feast and forage under the HUNTER moon

Thought I would share with you the 6 completed mixed medium paintings I will have for my upcoming exhibit at Copper Fox Gallery in Halls Harbour, Nova Scotia. I will be sure to take photos of the exhibit where you'll be able to view both mine and ceramic artist Tracy Horsman's work. Until then, thanks for looking! :)

You can view titles, sizes, prices and how to purchase on the Lala & Gleen Facebook page. I hope to have all of these details up before the opening on Friday, September 30th.

Wild Orchids, frogs and spring...

Thanks to all who came out to the opening of my Bicycle exhibit!! :) The show will be up until June 26, 2011 at Harvest Gallery in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. If you are interested in viewing the artwork, you can visit www.harvestgallery.ca (click on events to view the exhibit).

After finally getting the show up, it was time for me to take a break and enjoy the season and rest a bit before I begin my next project. During this rest I took photographs of the wild orchids that surround my home and of course played in the forest with my dog.

I always love this time of year when I get to discover the many variations, shapes and sizes of the lady slippers ~ such a fascinating floral species. They are considered endangered ~ so we are not allowed to pick them. I do remember as I child though, bringing one of these flowers home to my mother. While she appreciated the gesture she made sure I only enjoyed the flowers in nature where they grew. Since then I have appreciated their beauty as every May/June rolls around.

Some of the trails on our property are quite wet due to all of the rain we have had over the past month. I'm sure the frogs LOVE it! I have been taking photos of the same frog for the past week ~ we greet each other with a glance and then he/she sits still while I photograph him/her in the mud. I always thank the frog for its patience. :)

Another wee project I have been working on is a little book titled "Art & Inspiration". It is a collection of art and inspiration based on my daily jaunts through the forest with my dog. Stay tuned for further info. I will be sure to post more about it when it is complete.

I'm off to work out the logistics of my next project. Hope you have a delightful day and have a chance to get outside and discover what exists before your very eyes. "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" (Christina Pratt).

Bicycle - a solo art exhibit by Angela Melanson

Two more days until opening day of my solo art exhibit at Harvest Gallery in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. I'm feeling good at this point, but still have a few things to finish up.  If you are in the Wolfville area on Thursday May 26, 2011 please stop by and say hello at the opening reception 7 - 9pm. The show will be on exhibit until June 24th, 2011 so there's plenty of time to see it if you can't make it on opening night. I look forward to possibly seeing your there.

You can check out the link to Harvest Gallery for hours of operation, location and artwork in this exhibit by visiting:
www.harvestgallery.ca

International Art Exhibit in Denmark

This upcoming August, I will exhibit my work in Denmark along side the artist collective SEVEN (of which I am a member). It has taken many hours, days and a couple of years from initial idea to confirmed gallery dates AND of course, to create the actual collection of artwork. You can follow our steps by visiting our artist collective blog www.sevenartisans.blogspot.com

I am thrilled to finally have completed my portion of the exhibit with just some final touches to prepare such as hanging wire, customs documents, etc. Lots of work still to be done, but we are all well on our way to the exhibit dates :)

Happy 2010

Happy 2010 to All!!!

I have been busy organizing my years' projects and will be posting more frequently with information and inspiration that keeps me moving forward, creatively speaking, on a day to day basis.

This past fall, we adopted a wonderful, high energy dog who requires lots of outdoor activities and adventures. As part of my daily rituals, I take Meeya out into the Acadian Forest which surrounds my home. Each daily walk provides me with a different perspective on life - what I see, hear and smell. Each of these senses propel my mind into imaging the magical woodland creatures that are perhaps watching us as we go about our walk. It is within this magical world that I draw much of my inspiration for my creations. One of my endeavours is to create a body of large works inspired by these very daily jaunts. I am so looking forward to this process and will be posting my inspirations, ideas and completed works as I go.

*The photo is of my shadow on the snow while snowshoeing on Dec 31st, 2009.

Uncommon Common ARt (Project #2)

This sculptural tree bower was a collaboration with myself and my lovely neighbours. We created this piece around a cluster of trees already in existance which also had a little stump in the middle ~ perfect to stand on!!!

We started by wrapping the trees with chicken wire, and then used locally grown cut saplings to create a basket structure. We hand wove and tied beautifully coloured wools from a local fibre artist. We also added old man's beard, feathers and greenery to fill it out.

If you are in the Wolfville area (of Nova Scotia) and would like to see this in person, pick up a local map called Uncommon Common Art 2009. These maps will be ready and availble in June. Hope you have a chance to see what our Annapolis Valley artists have been up to with their art creations for public spaces. Enjoy*

Uncommon Common ARt

"Uncommon Common Art is a comunity-based environmental art project in which artists are asked to create an original art piece in nature that in some way asks us to stop and pay attention. Whether on private or public property, all art locations are accessible to the public."

I LOVE this project!!! This is the second year for this project that takes place in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

I am working on collaborations with a number of friends, artists, and neighbours. It's truly an exciting way to create art with lots of creative minds by using what you have or can find in nature. The pieces I am collaborating on will feature as part of  the bicycle trails beside my house. The trails are fun to bike and walk but by adding art with the already existing flora and fauna ~ wow, what a wonderful way to celebrate the world in which we live!!!!  :)

Stay tuned to the many creations by various artists from this part of the world by visiting www.ValleyArts.ca. This project will be up and running by June.

*Enjoy

Featured Artist of the Month ~ Love, Me Boutique

Just wanted to share with you a recent interview that Chara of Love, Me Boutique (in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) did on me and my business (Lala & Gleen):

http://lovemeboutique.wordpress.com/artist-at-a-glance-october/

 If you ever have a chance to visit this area, be sure to stop by the boutique to check out their fabulous hand-made and utterly creative pieces that they carry by Canadian artists. (www.lovemeboutique.ca)

A Bicycle Built for You (paintings by Angela Melanson)

For those of you who have yet to see the quirky creations of Angela Melanson, pop into the Designer Café on Main Street in Kentville to see what you’ve been missing. If you are familiar with the smiles that Angela’s artworks inspire, these new works are guaranteed to have you grinning from ear to ear. Enjoy! - Deborah

A textile designer by training, Angela has always loved to paint. Combine this medium with an adoration of Dutch city bicycles and all things eco-friendly… and ta-da!… a show based on the essence of the whimsical ride through colourful rural vistas. “My bike rides throughout the Annapolis Valley and the Netherlands are true inspirations for me. Hope you enjoy the show!”

Angela has training in textiles, costuming and fashion. Her work can be seen in various galleries and boutiques in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Boston.

Quilt and Friends

Quilting is a Nova Scotian tradition upon which the quilter usually gathers leftover fabrics or pieces of recycled clothing to make a blanket for warmth and aesthetic values.

To carry on this tradition, my friends create a quilt as a gift for each of our friends' weddings. Each person creates a square inspired by the couple getting married. Often times, the couple no longer lives in the province but maintains a strong connection to the area. Some squares are created based specific areas of the province that hold a special meaning to the couple. It's a great way to carry on such a tradition as well as gathering friends together to work on a beautiful piece of art that is everlasting. The photo is of my friends on a very windy day at Kingsport. We were checking out all of our fine work!!!

Clouds at Lower Blomidon Beach, Nova Scotia

Cloud formations are pretty incredible. I have a gazillion pictures of clouds on many different days of the year and during various weather patterns. Not sure what I will ever do with these photos....but I think I am completely obsessed about capturing them on camera. The light and formations amaze me every time. This photo was taken on a gorgeous sunny day at around 6:30pm during low tide. The beach is Lower Blomidon Beach in NS (which I just found out today that I have often mistakenly referred to it as Medford Beach).