Yes I have been doing art and art things but I’ve been diverted …to one of my other interests, family and community history! Just before leaving for Phoenix I received a phone call – a voice from the past. Alvin wanted me to get in touch with someone who was urgently trying to find out information about the Lanark County Junior Farmers. I delayed in making the requested phone call to Barclay Nap until Wednesday and as a result...

A SOS call from my son led to a fast trip to Scottsdale last week. Surgery was scheduled and the medical team would not proceed until  he organized post surgery assistance. Mom to the rescue! Between 40+ degree temperatures that didn’t moderate much at night and my son’s recovery it was a quiet week. I managed a couple of evening walks in this park and a few shots of flora and skies that I would like to share.      ...

    I’ve been watching for additional shows to enter and a couple of years ago I had flagged the ‘Focus on Fibre’, a biennial exhibition in Edmonton as a possibility. The 2016 theme ‘My Heritage’ was especially appealing as it fits so well with my current work direction. Over the past couple of years I have been working on a piece ‘just because’ I wanted to, without a schedule or plan for it!...

Last year a group of Calgary and area Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) decided to meet and share ideas. This gathering resulted in the assembly of an exhibition ‘Road Trip’. The theme was an invitation to share memories or dreams of a road trip. This show was non-juried and limited to new work. It portrays a wide variety of artist styles and interpretations. Earlier this year, this exhibition was shown at the Fish Creek and...

Grand Tour – Fading Memories 2008 – 2012 was create for a SAQA Calgary Pod exhibition in 2016. It documents our travels during our four years of full-time RVing, including our Panama Canal cruise with stops in Central America. Details can be found in Our travel blog. Size: 30″ x 30″ Hand coloured whole cloth fabric, embroidery, applique fabric photo transfer, machine quilting and stitching Exhibitions – Fish Creek...

I am the third generation to appear in this series and what do I say about this piece and myself? For me the series has been about family traditions and memories and the richness to be gained by passing these on to subsequent generations. In previous posts I have talked about Grandmothers and the legacy they left me, my parents and how they influenced my view of the world. This fifth piece is about the synthesis that occurs when that ingrained...

Although Dad didn’t participate in needle crafts, he inspired my work in many other ways. I chose to include him in ‘The Tie That Binds’ because we shared an interest in genealogy that led to my desire to record family history in a variety of ways.  In this piece, I even included one of his favorite ties! Early Life JRE Miller (Ernie) was born at Glen Tay during WW1, attend Glen Tay Public School (SS#3 Bathurst, also my alma...

Evelyn Mather was an only daughter and grew up on a farm near Balderson ON with her three brothers. She didn’t talk a lot about her childhood but based on information from Uncle Gord, her early childhood may have been greatly affected by her Mother’s farm accident. She seems to have had a love of needlework all her life and was probably inspired by her Mother’s work. Mom was a star pupil in SS#9 Bathurst and went on to do well...

Grandma Bella was a little more of an unknown to me when I undertook this series for the TREX exhibition. Although Grandma and Grandpa Mather were frequent visitors, especially for Sunday evening supper, they did not play as large a roll in my life as Granny Alice. As youngsters, we stayed with these grandparents for short periods during the summers and it was during these stays that I was able to take a few swimming lessons at the Perth...

Each piece I prepared for The Tie That Binds has a series of stories embedded within it. Granny Alice is the first fabric collage/assemblage created for this series and I found myself taking a major trip down memory lane as I worked on it. First of all, Granny Alice and I were very close. I was the eldest of four children and we shared a house with our paternal grandparents for most of my childhood. By the time I was wandering around, she was...