Local Wildlife

Local Wildlife:

horses by Cathy Rycroft, $150

While visiting Port Moody, don't forget that we're right next door to wilderness. 

Head north into the mountains and there's nothing but forests and bears.

grizzly by Cathy Rycroft, $350

Set off from Old Orchard beach and say hello to the fish.

Poke your head into the back yards and whistle for the birds.

Head west into town and wager a few dollars at the races.

paper art by Yolanda Cheung, $28

intarsia bird magnets by Del Holbrook, $8 each

wicked seahorse

wicked seahorse, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Last night's sketch before bedtime - did this contribute ot a restless night?

fibre friday: floral T

floral T, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Creativity is slow work these days.

I should get down to some new projects, new 3D projects, but all I can muster right now are some digital doodles anda a few watercolour sketches.

This is an old project; I've entered it for a gallery exhibition and, while I wait to hear yay or nay back from the curator, I need to have it framed properly. It's entered NFS which means Not For Sale as it's a gift for my son.

It's the latest flower initial I've embroidered for family. Only mr ebb and I are un-stitched.

studio portrait thursday: same old messy desk

same old messy desk, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Not much happening at the bench; I'm too busy hunched over the keyboard on the other side of the room to tackle wire, pliers, beads or fibre these days.
:(

I did take a bundle of stuff in for the upcoming Amelia Douglas gallery exhibition in New Westminster. Some of my 'home is where the heart is' pieces will be on show. In fact, my most creative non-text endeavour this week has been making a new display board for the little house brooches.

Exhibition opens August 9th and the gallery will be open for the New Westminster Culture Crawl that weekend (11th and 12th). Why not drop by and let me know what you think of the brooches' new home?

wordless wednesday: mojacar street scene

mojacar street scene, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

more digital doodling

sketchbook stuff: lots of cat

sketchbook stuff: lots of cat, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Fitting in the creative moments when I can. This page-ful of Griz arrived late one night, just before bedtime, as she waited patiently for me to hop under the covers.
Sketching with watercolour is tricky; there's no erase, boldness of line varies with water-loading the brush, and the colour tends to run out just when you get that perfect line going ....

And then the darned model decides to wash her butt!

Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here:

cottonwood bark carving by George Blackstock, $250

Moving away from family is hard, missing celebrations and everyday moments many miles away. So when summer comes, suitcases are eagerly packed and acquaintances renewed.

art card by Yolanda Cheung, $4.95

My, how much you've grown!

So when did you redecorate the toolshed?

What happened to that painting I gave you last time?

Save any embarrassing gifting moments with a trip to the Blackberry Artist's cooperative shop. Local artists and locally made work makes gifting special and meaningful  to your far-flung relatives.

And it's not difficult to pack. For instance, this intricate cottonwood carving weights less than a paperback and packs easily into a suitcase. And we have a splendid selection of art cards to go with your gifts.

Buy local but gift internationally.

Bon voyage.

fibre friday: my stash

Wordless Wednesday: Ocean Tides:

tidal weave: handwoven scarf by Beryl Hickinbottom, $84

A re-post from another blog, but featuring the beautiful work of Beryl who is one of my fibre suppliers. Every so often I find a bag of weaving thrums, the leftovers from Beryl's loom projects, tucked away in my folder at the Blackberry Gift Shop. It's like being given a painter's palette of pre-mixed colours to play with.

It's usually a tangled mass, a riot of colours; with some patient detangling I'm left with workable lengths for embroidery, crochet and more. I usually work with more than one strand for the crochet work and select the thinner threads for embroidery.

But it's worth being patient :)

studio portrait thursday: even messier desk

Can it be so?

Of course!

Look at all those lovely goodies, just waiting to be consumed at the teens' jewelry design class I'm teaching at Place des Arts in August (it's fully booked).

I spent a lovely hour wandering round (purposefully) with the incredibly helpful Cyrena at Beazu's just-off-Main warehouse, selecting wire, jumprings and beads for the class, both of trying to think like a 12-to-14-year-old. I think we got a great selection!

I do have some other classes coming up. There's a whole string of Pro-d day classes for 12 to 16-year-olds at Port Moody Arts Centre this Fall where I'll be teaching wireworks and chainmaille jewelry design plus giving a wire crochet taster session. 

I also have an adult class for Thursday evenings starting Sept 27th at PMAC. It's grandly titled Jewelry Salon and will feature a different technique each week, with projects, suggestions, tips and advice from yours truly. Based around my teen's design classes and spinning off from the multi-strand necklace workshop, students will amass a number of basic jewelry-making skills from which they can create their own pieces.

Could be fun!

PS: the photography book bottom left is by my friend, Sarah Ronald, who is taking part in BC SPCA's Paws for a Cause event by donating her artistic skills in return for donations. You could get your image printed on a mouse mat or even have Sarah draw your pet's portrait. Check out her donations page here.

wordless wednesday: messy desk

fibre friday: con:text

con:text - 419 collar

mixed media art collar in metal chain, gold copper wire crochet, glass,
resin, silk with text transfer, stainless steel

con:text - plain cuff

silver copper wire crochet with porcelain, blackstone, acrylic, paper

These are the two pieces currently on show in the Port Moody Arts Centre instructors' exhibition (on until mid-August).

con:text artist statement

The two con:text pieces are a visual representation of plain English.

plain English -  a generic term for communication in English that emphasizes clarity, brevity (definition from Wikipedia).

The collar is also a play-on-words as it uses text from a Nigerian 419 scam email.

Nigerian 419 con - a type of advanced fee fraud; the number "419" refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud (definition from Wikipedia).

Fraudulent emails are usually badly written in florid over-the-top language; they are great examples of not using plain English.

The simple black-and-white cuff with its four words is the plain English version of the 419 text; easy to understand the message here "give me your money".

419 text expanded:

Dearest friend.

I am in dire need of a Godly and trustworthy person to distribute my inheritance
in the sum of $20million to charities around the world.I am Mrs.Anita Brown,aged 70yrs,currently diagnosed with terminal cancer andundergoing medical treatment for stroke.
I have just about 2months left to live in this world.This is my last wish on earth as my death is imminent and its final.
Please,you should try distribute the funds to charities as instructed.I dontintend for my inheritance to be used in the wrong ways when am gone.
Indicate your interest by writing to my personal email :anitabrwn@myself.com and i will furnish you with further information and start the process of getting the the money transfered to you.
1. Your Full Name:..
2. Residential Address:..
3. Mobile Number:..
4. Direct Telephone Number:..
5. Occupation:
6. City of Residence:..
7. Country:.
Yours sincerely,

studio portrait thursday: fruits of my labour

Another mobile studio moment.
My work is once more on display at Port Moody Arts Centre and in the Plum Gallery display case.
This time it's opposite amazing textile artist Colette Lisoway's work, seen above reflected in the mirror.
I am so lucky to be associated with such an inspirational arts hub as the arts centre in Port Moody. The exhibition, which spreads through the entire gallery, features work by all the visual arts instructors - amazing and talented company.
Visit the exhibition, buy their art, take a class.
Support the arts. Support local artists.

wordless wednesday: lighter than air

clouds - digital water colour 

you are cordially invited ...

Yes - I have a couple of pieces for this show!

See you at opening night :)

Staycation!

Staycation!:

framed photograph, Vancouver beach scene by Alina Markiewicz, $85

What are your plans for the summer - home or away? Visitors or visiting?

In the blog this month I will be featuring artwork suitable as gifts, souvenirs or midsummer pick-me-ups - all with a local flavour to remind you of home.

If you're travelling, why not visit the gift shop before hitting the road / taking to the skies? I'm sure we have the perfect reminder of Port Moody to take with you as that unique hostess 'thank you for having me' gift. Many of our items are easy to pack and light to travel with.

If you're staying close to home, why not nudge your visitors our way for either a perfect local souvenir or even drop enough hints for a host gift yourself!

Feel free to bookmark the blog posts if you see something special :)

Have a lovely summer.

Please note, summer hours in the gift shop for July and August are Weds - Sunday, 12 noon to 4pm.

fibre friday: powered up

Progress on the power station is inching along. I've filled in some of the voids between the struts in the structure using a mixture of cross stitch, short stitch and random fillers I invent on the spur of the moment. 

I foretell this will be a very boring endeavour - there is a lot of pipework and a lot of void. 

Ho hum ...

studio portrait thursday: cheat edition

I took the studio al fresco on Canada Day to do some crafting with fibre at the Coquitlam Town Centre Park celebrations. I packed the fingerless mitts but it turned out warmer than I expected. 

And the rain stayed away :)

Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a chat - it was lovely to see you.

wordless wednesday: Port Moody Arts Centre instuctors' exhibition July 12th

Yes - I have a couple of pieces entered for the show.

wordless wednesday: Port Moody Arts Centre instructor exhibition

Yes - I have a couple of pieces submitted :)

brocade: the new wire and fibre cuffs for summer