Kaleidoscope Art

Word Jumble (AKA: TEXT-ING) at Blink Gallery

My show at Blink Gallery opens next Thursday evening.  I'll also have my clothes and be artist-in-residence from Wednesday to Sunday.  Come and make your favorite word in pillows! Hope you can make it!!!

Studio Video...Camera is dying

Video footage of my studio and in-progress art projects. My camera is dying. It is all fritzy and confused...and creating very interesting effects. I am trying to get the most out the the dying days of my Sony Cybershot, after being dropped or jangled around a few too many times.

ArtPark=Success

Had a great day at ArtsPark, despite the chilly weather. (note: I'm wearing a winter coat + a down vest!) Atleast there was no rain.  Here's a pic of me and my 'booth'.  Thanks Cecile for the tent loan! And thanks to all who perused, purchased and supported my handmade, one-of-a-kind clothing!  

ArtsPark This Weekend, May 10

  

I’m a vendor at ArtsPark in Hintonburg this coming weekend.

On Mother Day, May 10, from 10:00-4:00pm

I’ll be selling my clothes and accessories

All One-of-a-Kind garments: shirts, hoodies and skirts, hair accessories and brooches

Can’t wait! See you there!

(Bring Cash!)

oh, and I also have a piece in the art exhibition

All the deets at:

http://www.hintonburg.com/artspark09.html

FREE FALL at Gallery 101

Here's a pic of my FREE FALL work installed at Gallery 101.  I also found out that night that Isabelle Pauwels was the artist who assigned me the piece.  It was a busy night...thank you BC artists, for bringing a great party to the Ottawa art scene.  We needed it!

BC Scene + SWARM + FREEFALL

I am part of Gallery 101 + Helen Pitt collaboration for BC Scene.  The Exhibition opens on Tuesday, April 21 with a gallery SWARM starting at 6pm.  Galleries from across the city are exhibiting the art of BC artists.   The Gallery 101 + Helen Pitt collaboration, 5 artists in ottawa and 5 artists in Vancouver were assigned to develop an art idea or concept to be created by an artist in the other city.  I was assigned something rather vague and open ended.  A photo of it is located here, on the Helen Pitt site.  

So what do you do with that????  Was I to go skydiving? Should I jump out of plane?  Ottawa, Illinois is home to the largest skydiving school in North American. I spoke with several people about this idea, jostled ideas around, which then lead to an interview with a woman who had recently taken up skydiving (41 jumps in 2 years, and she had just bought her first parachute, true commitment to the sport).  One of the questions I asked her was how would she describe skydiving as idea/concept. She explained it as a spiritual experience, and developing a new relationship with the sky. The free fall portion of the jump is fast an windy, and yet weightless and 'floaty', like swimming in air.  I thought that was very intriguing, to be part of the sky in a new way, and it was on this idea that I developed the installation I am exhibiting.

In creating the work, I researched the perfect sky blue paint by gathering many paint chips from Canadian Tire, Home Depot, etc...  I did some paint tests in the studio and on canvas to make sure I could sew painted canvas.  As I have been working on a Word Jumble Pillow Project, I created the words FREE FALL in letter pillows out of painted blue canvas and shiny metallic fabric (for glitter and sparkle). In working with other artists in the show, we all settled on spaces to install in the gallery and everyone agreed that I ought to use the skylight.  Last week, I was up on a tall ladder painting in the sky light and hanging the letter pillows.  Here's pics of the painted skylight and the pillows in-progress in the studio.  I'll post some pictures of the installation after it opens this week.

This has been a challenging and exciting show to be part of... in developing work for someone else to make (a whole other blog post :), creating work based on someone else idea, the logistics of exhibiting/installing and working with the other artists in the show.  The show runs until May 30, at which time there will be a publication launch and artist talks.  See you at SWARM on Tuesday!

Spring Studio Workshops!

What Do Pie, Cornwall, Skydiving and Brooches have in common??

 

Pie? Cornwall? Skydiving? Brooches? A rather disparate set of ideas, and yet they are all part of  the spring art explosion for Kaleidoscope Art.

Cherry Pie Women’s Networking Event

I’ll  be conducting a demo on on brooch making (see more below on Brooches) and meeting other business women in the city for networking and inspiration.

Lagos restaurant, Dow’s Lake

MArch 31, 2009 7pm 

Tickets: 15.00 ea or 2 for $22     (students $8)

Catherine 819-776-5161 RSVP to catherineknows@videotron.ca

Cornwall Regional Art Gallery 

I’ll be doing an artist talk on April 5 at 1pm along with woodworker Norman Pirollo, and metalsmith Cairn Cunnane.  The Gallery is located at 168 Pitt St, Cornwall, 613-938-9619

Masterworks East Tour of Eastern Ontario organized by the Ontario Crafts Council

March 1-April 17

http://www.cornwallregionalartgallery.ca/

Tour Dates and Locations: http://www.craft.on.ca/OCC_News/Regional_Update

Skydiving?

How did this one happen?

Transcontinental Divide is a collaborative group exhibition with Gallery 101 and Helen Pitt Gallery (Vancouver) and is part of BC Scene.  The 5 Ottawa artists in the exhibition were assigned to develop an art idea/concept that would be swapped with 5 Vancouver artists to create.  In turn, we are creating works Vancouver artists to be exhibited at Gallery 101.  My assigned was skydiving.  Did I jump out of a plane?  You’ll have to attend the exhibition to find out...

Opening April 21, 6pm-11pm, part of the Swarm Galleries Tour

Gallery 101, 301 Bank St, 2nd floor

BCScene.ca

www.gallery101.org/

Brooches

I will be conducting some spring Brooch and Hair Accessories workshops at my shiny-newly expanded studio.  These fuzzy and cheerful brooches will add fluff and delight to any spring wardrobe.  Fun and funky hair clips will also be demonstrated.  And the best part is you made them yourself.  Grab a gal pal and pick a workshop time that works for you.

Thurs April 23 from 7:00-pm to 9:30pm

Sat April 25, from 2:00-4:30

Wed, April 29, from 7:00-pm to 9:30pm

Other dates to be announced in May...

Cost $40, includes all supplies and materials.

contact Karina to register, or sign up with you come to the Cherry Pie event.

613-266-5936

Studio 155b Lorretta Ave, Ottawa

Masterworks Tour 2009

I was juried in to a touring show through the Ontario Crafts Council.  It is touring through eastern Ontario over the next 5 months.  I went to opening at the Cornwall Regional Gallery on Friday night.  It was nice to see all the work in the show, and I'm really excited about exhibiting as a 'Master' in something.  Details for the tour at here, the Ontario Crafts Council site.  And images of the pieces in the show are at the Cornwall gallery site, click on Exhibit.

My piece is the fuzzy creature in the foreground: Positus Navitus (Positive Energy)

New Beautiful garments in the SHOP!

I whipped up a bit of sewing storm this week at the studio.  And new ITEMS are in the SHOP!!!

Take a look at this Lovely composite sweater...made with fuzzy knit, sleeves from someone else and cute lacy trim to spice it up.  Its soon to be warmer out but in the interim, this will get anyone out of a winter slumber!

Also in store are some new brooches for adding zip to spring...super cute and floral-y with a bit of fun fur, just for fun!  You can't beat pretty!  Rumour has it I'll be hosting some in-the-studio HOW-TO workshops on making these brooch beauties next month.  More details soon...