22l of the paper pieces that need to framed are ready to go to the framers. The two pieces on the far right are on cradle board and don’t need to be frame.
WORKING HARD IN THE STUDIO
I have been working hard for two few months in the garden and in my studio. I start in the studio at 6:00 am and work right through to noon. I set a timer and go out and move a sprinkler or give some plants a drink, but I am right back into the studio and back at it. My progress is going well, my show opens on September 21, 2018. I want to be ready the early part of September, for taking photos - getting work completed and I have about 20 pieces that need to get framed..
Selfie @ 8:30 in the morning.. Forest fires blot out the sun making it red -you can see the glow of it on my face. I am standing near a window facing the eastern sky.
AUGUST IN MY GARDEN
PREPARING COLLAGE PAPERS
I ran out of prepared collage papers, I needed t stain Washi paper again and burn holes. I do this outside as it is very stinky and smokey. I wear surgical gloves as the smoke can stain my fingers yellow. As well I wear a mask so I don’t inhale the smoke. It is a very time consuming activity. It takes about an hour to fill a full sheet about 10 x 12 inches.
ANACORTES FERRY
I took the Anacortes ferry from Sidney, BC to Anacortes WA to visit my life long friend Jenifer and her husband Dave. The Anacorts Arts Festival was on, with all the booths lining the main street. We had lots of fun walking around and looking at art in many forms.
As well as all of the artist and artisans who had booths on the street, there was a wonderful juried art exhibition called Arts at the Port. in the “Port Transit Event Center” building. Arts at the Port is the crown jewel of the Festival, showcasing regional contemporary fine art exhibitions. It is located at the far north end of the Festival, in the historic waterfront Port Transit Event Center.
“Arts at the Port” in the Port Transit Event Center. Anacortes, WA
NEW WORK IN THE STUDIO
Here are three more mixed-media collage pieces that I am working on for my show at the Chapel Gallery in September, they will be part of a series I am going to call SeaForms, inspired by the intertidal zone.
SANDCUT BEACH NEAR SHIRLEY, BC
Sandcut beach is a popular beach with Victoria and Sooke residents, Sandcut Beach is a 3.5km long cobbled beach which is part of the Jordan River Regional Park. The beach offers spectacular views of the Olympic Peninsula and boasts an impressive waterfall at the south end of it.
There is a fantastic walk through the forest to get t the beach, which takes about 20 minutes. The last ten minutes is steep and down many stairs, which you really feel on your way back up at the end of the day. This is the beach where I gather lots of dried out kelp root balls.
Dried kelp root balls
See drawings of these root balls here:
SUMMER IN MY GARDEN
BOTANICAL BEACH - PORT RENFREW BC
Natural History
Botanical Beach has extensive upland habitat, but is best known for its abundance of intertidal life. A visitor can find hundreds of species of plants and animals. The organisms that live here must be able to handle a wide range of conditions. When the tide is out there are large changes in temperature, predators, food sources and salinity.
Geology
The main tide-pools and sculptured formations are formed out of soft sandstone. Some of the parks tide-pools are formed by wave-tossed boulders grinding out pockets in the sandstone. Purple Sea Urchins further modify these tide-pools by grinding out small pockets. Ridges of shale and quartz jut up through black basalt,and the southern cliffs form some of the most photogenic landscapes found on southern Vancouver Island.
LAVENDERFEST AT DAMALI IN COBBLE HILL, BC
Beautiful fields during Lavenderfest at the Damali Winery in Cobble Hill BC
DOUGAN'S LAKE
Dougan Lake, in Cobble Hill, BC. A very small lake that is a couple of miles from where I live. The lake provides an excellent fishery for both cutthroat and rainbow trout which are stocked regularly. March-June and September-October are the most productive fishing months.
Dougan Lake, Cobble Hill
TOP OF THE MALAHAT DRIVE
Late evening drive home to Cobble Hill from Victoria, BC on the Malahat Drive.
ADAPT, IMAGINE, REVERSE, CONNECT, COMPARE, ELIMINATE, PARODY, INCUBATE.
Sources of inspiration. Burning holes in stained washi paper to add into my mixed-media collage work. TI like to create my own collage paper, distressing them and altering them to have a look and feel from my memory of the beach and all that I see there. There seems to be so many holes in the different species. Barnacles look like holes, the boring sponges create holes in scallop shells, weathered worn seaweed has holes in it… These are some of the words I think about when I am working, thinking like this, allows me to think laterally, get out of the box or groove and push myself to think up new ways of working.
NEW WORK IN THE STUDIO JUNE ,2018
Working away on my mixed-media collage pieces that are inspired by the intertidal zone. Having a great time.
Details of the pieces above.
JUNE IN THE GARDEN
A day trip to Salt Spring Island on June 18th, 2018 and the start of summer in the garden.
