My Busy Workshop

I feel like one of Santa's elves. The painted ceramics I showed at Art Fayre produced several commissions! Here's a baby bowl for 1 year old Maya.

Her sister, six-year-old Abby is getting this flowery plate. I hope they enjoy them.

Checker Cab Plates

I got a few of these plates from a friend who was getting rid of them. Could I use a few white plates that had a couple of small black squares around them? That was the challenge! Here's what the plate looked like before I got to it...and after.

And here's a close up of the finished plate. What fun.

Bright, Sunny Days

Yesterday was sunny and bright. A cool breeze was blowing, the scent of balsam poplar and lilacs in the air. And lily of the valley too. Always reminds me of my grandmother who wore 'muguet des bois' perfume.

Ceramic Updates

The ceramics were flying yesterday. I was volunteering at Art Fayre at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan and almost all my stuff on display is sold (only the big dipping platter remains). I also got an order for another asparagus platter; someone took my name to make a special order and to come see what stuff I have; two gals were both interested in buying flower teapots, much like the sold one on display; and I sold 3 tiles in the Museum gift shop. Today I am painting more tiles, especially the Scotch thistle. It's a popular motif and might just become the Museum's bestseller!
The plate and mug above were done as a special order for a birthday gal who loves cats. Hope she loves this set.

Busy Weekend Stuff

It rained all day Saturday and looks like rain again today. The Art Fayre was a success with tons of people choosing to be indoors. There was a "doodle table," where folks could sit and doodle on a huge piece of white newsprint. And there were real, live artists there, demonstrating their craft (watercolour painters, people building pop-ups, etc.). I'm back there today as a volunteer for a couple of hours, in case anyone has questions about any of the artwork.
The artichoke server above was one I wanted to put in the show, but I kind of missed the deadline to add it to my stuff.

Nutmeg's TV

Nutmeg watches her own specialty channel out the window. It's called "The Chippy Show" and it's on from dawn to dusk, as long as I'm feeding the little guy peanuts (off camera).
Chippy can be seen in the bottom left of photo.

Mood Indigo

The forget-me-nots have gone wild in my garden, making it into a sea of pale blue...

...which inspired me to repaint the Adirondack chairs and tables in a similar colour...

...which inspired me to paint a fat, blue cat on a soup ladle...

...and another few fat, blue cats on a luncheon set...

...and another one on a funky, little teapot.

Art Fayre 2008

The Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan, Ontario is holding its second annual Art Fayre beginning this weekend. This year I decided to show a selection of my hand-painted ceramics.

Two side views of a flowery teapot.

A set of 6 cups and saucers, each sporting a flower that's also on the teapot.

Two side views of a veggie-inspired cannister.

A super-duper sized 14" dipping tray, ready for veggies and dip.

Going Dotty

The centre spread for the latest issue of ATC Quarterly had the best response yet! The theme was Polka Dots and we were inundated with dotty ATCs...way too many to print in the magazine. So check out www.atcquarterly.com and click on the centre fold. You'll see spots in front of your eyes.

Julien Chung's Fantastic Artwork

I am really thrilled to have reconnected with my old buddy Julien Chung. Julien and I went to Concordia University together in Montreal where we studied graphic design. Julien has gone on to be a talented art director and has launched a business specializing in animal themed art for graphic, product and various design applications. You've gotta see his stuff. It's fantastic! Click here julienchung.com to see what Julien's been up to lately!

Julien also has a cool blog called "View from the Zoo: A look at the animal world through contemporary design, illustration and craft." I'm tickled pink that he's featured some of my kitty cat drawings and ATCs on it. Check it out: View From the Zoo

Morel Motherlode

Richard and I were busy as beavers yesterday. While I mowed the front lawn, Richard was using the chainsaw in the back. We bought/planted tomatoes and peppers and even stopped at a bunch of yard sales in Hawkesbury. We also treked to the back woods to search for morel mushrooms. The season is short, only a few weeks, and they are pretty darn elusive. Richard spied 4 tall ones in the woods but after a half hour of searching, that was all we found. On the way home, we spotted a few more, and then "here's another," and "another one!" until we had close to 3 pounds of them.
Last night's supper was rib steaks on the bbq, asparagus and morels fried in butter. The rest of them have been put in the dehydrator and will be made into cream of morel soup later on. What a great day!

Dog Daze

Yesterday I spent a wonderful day in Prescott, Ontario, visiting my friend Jen. Her newly opened store, the Milkhouse Gallery is amazing. It has all manner of scraps and bits for collage, new stuff, old stuff, books, vintage aprons, maps, food labels and seed packets. The list is endless. It is absolute heaven for anyone who likes old things and loves interesting bits and bobs. If you're in eastern Ontario, it's just a hop, skip and a jump from the 401. Check it out! If not, click here to see her blog. The website for the Milkhouse should be up soon.
The lovely beagle above is Jen's 14-year-old pup Rosie. I drew her, a while ago, basking in the sun. She, along with their other cute doggie Gumdrop, were pretty happy to see me yesterday. Nice to be remembered!

Glengarry Pioneer Museum Gift Shop

I was asked to sell my ceramic stuff at the gift shop of our local museum, here in Dunvegan. Here's what the display looks like -- my stuff is on the bottom shelf.


I made some tiles sporting a Scottish Thistle motif. Since it is the Glengarry Pioneer Museum and for the most part, this area was settled by the Scottish, I thought it might have some appeal. (Somehow pioneer olives didn't have the right ring to it!)

Sneak Peek: ATC Quarterly #11

The summer issue of ATC Quarterly has been printed and all that's left to do is to stuff 'em into envelopes and get 'em in the mail. That should be done on the weekend. It's a really good issue, full of artful ATCs and interesting stories. Great stuff!