Oh What A Night

When I arrived at the gallery I was totally unprepared for what a beautiful job Carol and Stuart had done of hanging the work. I kept thinking "wow, there's my name on the wall alongside two artists whose work I have admired for such a long time". Big, big moment for me. The first people to arrive were my friends Anders and Vivian and shortly after that the fiber arts group I lectured to last month, my friend Kim. It is always so very good to see friendly faces. My butterflys were gone after about five minutes and I was having an amazing time.

John showed up with the girls about an hour into the show. He had been away in the city all week so it was the first time I'd seen him in seven days. Everyday I count how very fortunate I am to have a guy who believes in what I do and supports me in every way possible. Ok, as my kids would say, "enough of that sappy stuff".

Alice and Pamela were probably more wonderful than I had even imagined they would be. So generous and interesting to talk to you. I feel like I've made two new friends. Our three styles of work were so varied that the show was even more visually appealing than I had first imagined it would be.

Around 8:15 Karla Crawford walked in with her guitar in hand. She is performing at the gallery next Friday night and stopped by to give us a taste of her music. We all gathered around and while she was singing you could have heard a pin drop. Her voice blew me away. She only sang two songs but I know everyone there including me was hoping she would do a couple more.

Around 10 pm there seemed to be a bit of a party forming at the gallery but I was spent. All the excitement and six hours of talking had worn me out. My hat goes off to the Carriage House Gallery for all of Carol and Stuart's hard work. Words aren't enough to thank you both. Big thanks to Alice and Pamela for making the show such a success by including their gorgeous work. My friends, you know who you are......you wonderfully supportive people. Thanks also to Alison who has just started reading my blog and came to the opening with her husband. It was great meeting you. Thanks to Liz.......everyone should be as fine a supporter of the arts as you are.

By the end of the night I had sold six pieces. I was a happy girl.

I probably won't see the studio at all today. Laundry needs to be done and the floors have to be washed but I'll be washing them with a smile on my face.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow I'm going to post some of my smaller pieces.

Where's My Nursemaid???

Well I should have known...... it was inevitable but here I sit with a stuffed up nose, wads of kleenex and clogged sinuses. The kids are back to school, John has left for work so I'm wondering where is my nursemaid???

Everyone flew out the door this morning with a "hope you feel better soon" as I dragged my tired body to the kitchen. I yelled after them "is there any hot tea?" Nothing....just the sound of the door slamming shut. Oh well.........I'll survive.

I've been sketching quite a bit lately as I have some new ideas for a few abstract pieces that will be bigger than what I've been working on lately. Lots of primary colours and a lot of heavy machine embroidery with various threads in gold and silver.........perhaps even more texture as I may throw some batting in too. Depending on how I feel later today, I will try to spend some time in the studio.

Carol Currie and Stuart Leggett have their website up and running for the Carriage House Gallery. Beautiful job....amazing artists.

Here's wishing you a healthy day.

The Perils of Driving in Bad Weather

John took my work to the Carriage House Gallery this morning after I spoke with Stu to let him know of it's arrival. Carol and Stu are just about the nicest people you would ever want to meet. I am so going to enjoy being a part of their gallery.

So funny the other day when I was blogging about my terror of driving in bad weather. Last night I had to pick up my oldest daughter and Kelly's daughter from play practice and by 4:00pm I could see the blowing snow and grey skies and yes, I did begin to feel a tad panicky. By 4:30pm when I hit the highway the first thing I see is a major collision in the southbound lanes. Cars in the ditch, cars smashed up, ambulances, etc. etc. Ok, so now the little bit of panic I was feeling has expanded to full panic. Dry throat, rapid heartbeat ....you know the drill. But I am driving slowly and am saying a mantra to myself "you are a good driver.....just go slow" over and over again, maybe that is why my throat was so dry. By the time I arrived at the school the temperature had dropped and all that wet snow had turned to ice. Yikes!!! It was a white knuckle drive home and extremely silent in the car. A drive that normally takes 10 minutes took 30 minutes. Kelly called when I got home to see if I was alright. I just love good friends especially when they know all your "wierdness" and still love you.

I am back in the studio today finishing up another piece and last night was playing around with acrylic on canvas......

Hope everything is good in your part of the world

I really love this piece. Don't know specifically what it is but something about it makes me feel good. Maybe it's because the photo that inspired it was taken on a great weekend in Toronto with John and the girls. The man reading the newspaper on the steps of the Scotia Plaza on King Street in Toronto just seems so unassuming. The red of his hat sets of the potted flowers behind him so beautifully. The entire piece is completed in acrylic paint except for the folliage which is done in thread. I've been giving a lot of thought lately to selling my work online. I am still thinking about it and haven't quite decided but it does deserve some serious consideration. I would like to reach a much larger audience than I have with the galleries that I am with. There is a whole world out there and I would love more exposure. I would probably only sell small pieces which would of course be framed. I'll keep you updated.

I received an email from my friend Carol Currie and Stuart Leggett a couple of days ago announcing the opening of their new gallery "The Carriage House" in Midland. Carol is an amazing artist as is her husband Stuart Leggett. Together they have formed Claustro in which they create sculpted paintings. Absolutely beautiful work. Since they are both outstanding artists I'm positive the gallery will be wonderful also as Carol has a fabulous eye for design. Anyway, I heard from her again today asking if I would be interested in having some work at the gallery for opening night. Of course, I said yes. John will drop it off on Wednesday and we'll just have to see how it goes. This may lead to being part of a group show or perhaps even a solo.
Hope you had a relaxing weekend