Mended: an Exhibition sponsored by Surface Design Association BC + Yukon While in Vancouver I was thrilled to be able to visit a juried show sponsored by Surface Design Association BC + Yukon: Mended.  It did not disappoint. Even my husband enjoyed it! I can’t find my notes written after visiting the show and although I have photos of the artist statement cards I can’t match them to the photos. My apologies! I am sharing just a few...

On a rainy morning in April 2015, after breakfast overlooking the harbour with my cousin and her husband, I searched out the studio of Jill Sullivan. Jill lives on the wonderful Sunshine coast of British Columbia. Jill started quilting before she knew the rules, then when she learned the rules she didn’t want to follow them! Today her work is abstract is style and has layers of colour and luscious texture painted on fabric. Although her...

When I arrived at Anni Hunt’s house I almost didn’t want to go inside. The view was so stunning. But when I did, I met a hospitable artist whose work amazed me! The artwork of Anni Hunt is varied. She is a fibre artist who uses many different surface design techniques in her work. The first images to catch my attention were her images of Haida totems based on photos she took a number of years ago. I noticed on her blog that many of...

Cherry Blossoms: A Textile Translation I know this is a bit behind the times but as part of my British Columbia travels last spring I visited a number of art galleries and wanted to share some of them with you. One of the first shows I attended was discovered thanks to an alert friend who was keeping tabs on my travels. She knew I was located close to the Silk Purse Gallery near the West Vancouver Seawall. After checking into the RV park we...

Jennifer Cooper has a heritage that inspires her artwork, her west coast and fishery series in particular. She feels strongly that the Canadian fisheries, whether east or west coast, was a dominant factor in the settlement of this country and needs to be highlighted. The off-shore fisheries were popular for centuries before official discovery and settlement of this country and has been a critical factor in the development of Canadian culture....

Mark on the Body Project Honoring those who live with type 1 diabetes I have followed Margaret Blank’s ‘Honoring Those Who Live With Type 1 Diabetes’ project for some time and recently contacted her to make a contribution. Her husband died at a young age as the result of diabetic complications and she has undertaken a mammoth art project entitled ‘Mark on the Body’. For the details visit her blog. She tells of how...

Yesterday’s PlayDay helped me achieve another ‘start’ for 2016 – sketching. … and I’m running a day behind by the date in the photos…LOL. I think I mentioned that I chose faces as a project because I find them challenging to sketch or paint. Hosting the gathering made it difficult to focus on the exercise so when we returned from the gym I decided to take some time an do sketches starting with an oval,...

Embracing the new year! Letting go of the ‘old’ from 2015 and embracing the ‘new’ of 2016. This morning got off to a great start with the start of a new cycle at the gym. Jenn our coach for the Living Well program keeps us on our toes! I’ve been missing the structured exercise program over the past two weeks. I’m still ‘clearing’ bits and pieces from 2015. Today was work on our computers. I spent...

On my first day in West Vancouver we set out to travel the West Vancouver sea wall and to get a feel for the community we would call home for the next week. A friend alerted me to the proximity of the Cherry Blossom 2015 fibre art show and I was watching for the Silk Purse Gallery during my travels. When I arrived at the gallery the organizers were setting up for the feature event of the week: A presentation about a fibre art copy of Joy...

Donna Polos works with colour not only in her fabulous painted landscapes but also in her wonderful, whimsical gardens. I recently had the pleasure of spending time with her and learning more about her work. Outside her home her spring gardens are flourishing and attest to her loving care.  The children’s tree-house is now a favorite place for summer afternoon painting and a small greenhouse is a mix of art and plant seedlings. Look...