A Country Home Christmas

http://www.tiarts.org/tour_cc/index.php

I've been having a lovely time at the home of John and Molly Sorensen of Ballycanoe & Co. for our TIA's Christmas tour. Old friends and new joined us for a cup of hot cider and wandered around John's fabulous workshop and braved the chill to explore his giant barn of architectural bits and pieces.

http://www.balleycanoeco.com/

Here I am working away on a new sculpture...can't just sit there after all!! I am a big Dances with the Stars fan and so I decided to do a couple dancing....if you follow the show, it's Edita and Max...it will be a real challenge to give her the bling bling costume she usually wears. I don't know what I'm going to do on Monday and Tuesday nights now!!

I'll be back at Ballycanoe next weekend for A Country Home Christmas...I hope to see you there!

Cheers,

Wendo

My weekend book cover project

As promised I've taken a picture of my book cover. Cathy painted the fabric and let me loose. I found I couldn't easily use the felting machine directly on the tightly woven fabric, too many holes, so I machine felted the tree on to a piece of white craft felt (next time I'll think about it and put my fibre on a darker craft felt..doh) I cut out the tree carefully and sewed it down to the fabric. I didn't get the placement as centred as I should have but I like the skewed look. I then hand embroidered the leaves on...I LOVE hand work..and then last weekend I discovered the fabulous art of FREE MOTION stitching. I had WAY too much fun and didn't want to stop..even when there really wasn't another spot for me to stitch on...I love the look and the texture. I dabbed a bit of sliver glitter glue on the tree trunk and like the subtle way it shines in a certain light.
Oooooo...I can't wait to start something else with free motioning in mind! Monster created!!
Til next time...

Loose Threads Retreat Autumn 2008

What a spectacular weekend...we learned and we ate and we played and ate some more.
Helen, Pam, Sally, Anne, Micheline, Deb, Marie, Helga, Frances, Jo-Ann, Rosemary and Janet...thank you so much for being there with us. I learned how to free motion...and now I'm totally addicted...I'll take a picture of my journal cover to show what I loved playing on.....
Eric..thank you for clearing up all sorts of machine related issues and fixing my little White and just being there to answer questions....
http://vbsimkinssewingmachines.com/
Ladies...I've put up photos of the retreat on my slideshow...so just click on it to get my images...Cathy and Pat will be posting images too...so keep on the lookout.
Happy new addictions!!

Where am I???

I can't believe a whole month has come and gone! I've been flying about like a whirlygig. I'm working in Toronto on Disney's Princess and the Frog and trying to bring it home to work on here in Prescott...Well....the beginnings of a production like this are slow and sporadic at best and frustrating at worst. We're finally getting enough inventory to keep us all busy and happy. The start of a production is fraught with changes in story and design and alas, the deadline never changes....so we all KNOW what the next 9 months to a year will be like! Crazy!

BUT...I'm still involved in the felting business and recently I was a guest at my friend Pat's house for the Seaway Autumn Studio tour.

http://www.sast.ca/

We had a lovely visit...This is the view in to Pat's very comfortable garage..that's Cathy Breedyk-Law's work in the foreground... More of Cathy's workI caught Joanne reaching down for something but this shot shows her work off..sorry Joanne!This is Bonnie Lemaire with her new book hot off the presses!! It's called I'm so Hungry!! check out her work:

http://www.bonniella.com/index.htmlCathy and Pat working on baby quilts..making good use of Bonnie's garage sale chairs!
Well back to work...I'm drawing frogs this week...

Cathy, Pat and I are hosting a fabulous fibre weekend at the Opinicon Resort at Chaffey's Lock Oct 3, 4 and 5...

I'm teaching how to create a moose trophy, Cathy is sharing her very cool use of washers and holes in her art and Pat is teaching her embellishing techniques, We still have a few spots so for more information please feel free to contact any one of us

wendovan@sympatico.ca

purplepatch@xplornet.com

catelaw@ripnet.com

Til next time,

Visual DNA

This is really neat...try it ! When you click on the link, a series of about 15 pictures will come up. Click on a photo in that category that appeals to you. Again 15 pictures will come up, click the one for you and move on. Just continue to keep picking. At the end it will give you a profile of yourself.... It's called a visual DNA.... Your choices dictate your profile.

Http://DNA.imagini.net/friends

The Reford Garden

I'm still mourning the loss of some photos I took before the computer crashed on me but all else is well and good so onwards!

Yesterday I was watching a favourite program on visiontv called recreating eden. It's a lovely half hour featuring different gardens all over the world and yesterdays' episode was on the Reford Garden in Quebec. I've heard of this garden before and really want to visit. The link below has all the details on when's a good time and where it is. I've already put my sisters on to it and we're planning a trip next July to catch the incredible Himilayan Blue Poppies in bloom. I 'lifted' this image from the website. A truly beautiful bloom!

http://www.jardinsmetis.com/english/index.htm

Now back to work!

after the crash

I feel like I've been gone for ages and ages and suffered greatly for it! My computer crashed and was in getting a new hard drive. I lost EVERYTHING. So now begins the tedious task of reloading (and sometimes re-searching) all the software I need to make everything run again. I'm very lucky in that I backed up some files and kept some program CDroms in a safe place (that I could actually find!) so have patience with me as I try to get my little computer world back again!
Cheers,
Wendo

Jack Pine Continued.....

Back to the Jack Pine project! I shaped the 'leaves' with my fingers to resemble flat discs with a pointed end. I needle felted it on to the branches pointy end in and then needle felted the upper side to the craft felt, leaving the rest of the leaf sticking out.
I positioned the leaves up and down the branches to create the illusion of limbs of the tree.I then added reflections in the water and needle felted black fibre around almost everything...I really like to outline my works..black makes everything else really stand out. I added some pale gray and white to create the 'sunny' side of the rocks and voila! It's done!

The Princess and the Frog

This trailer was just released this morning. This is the film I'm working on!

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/

Jack Pine Continued.....

Now that I have a drawing or pattern to go by, I can use it as a reference only or I can trace it on to the craft felt I'm using for the back ground.
I used a varigated corriedale pencil roving...ranging from shades of pale blue to navy to teal....needle felting it on to a white piece of craft felt. This piece is 5" by 7". I made sure some of the darker bits of fibre showed in the sky and some of the more turquoise is down below where the jack pine will be. I left the edges clear so that when I frame the piece I won't be losing any needle felted detail around the edges. I then created a horizon of small hills using a teal fibre made of 30%Mohair and 70% merino...(this is an excellent fibre for needle felting...it's very 'flubby' and chunky..not combed out as much as the corriedale I use). Never create the horizon line in the centre of the piece..locating it below centre creates more drama.

I anchored the hills by needle felting a bit of black where the hills meet the water. I added rocks...needle felting them on only around the edges so they remain 3 dimensional and 'rock like'! I've established that the 'sun' is coming from the left so I put darker grey and black on the right sides of the rocks to give them depth.

I placed the tree off centre to add interest to the piece.

More next time....

Jack Pine

I've been thinking about Algonquin Park lately...I'm heading up near there this weekend and SO looking forward to it!!http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/index.html
It's a huge wilderness area with canoeing and camping and abundant wildlife and TREES. I love trees. I have favourite trees all over the world. The tree that most evokes Ontario for me is the Jack Pine. Tom Thompson has explored Algonquin park and the Jack Pine with enormous success; creating priceless paintings as one of the Group of Seven.

http://www.crossstitchpatterngall.com/tom_thompson.htm

I would like to present my humble attempt at a Jack Pine in needle felting. I will take you step by step through my process from my first inkling of an idea to the finished product. Today I'm starting with the rough idea and sketch.

First I do a very rough drawing of what I would like to do.

Then I simplify, simplify simplify.

stay tuned.......

Kimono pattern

By the way, the kimono pattern we were using on our Loose threads work day was created by Lois Ericson and is the kimono encore #327. It's a lovely simple yet versatile pattern.

http://www.designandsew.com/patterns.html#blouse_etc

She has many patterns to choose from!

AND check out her fabric! She's closing out her batik butik end of the business and is selling the fabric at great prices. These are gorgeous fabrics!

http://www.designandsew.com/fabrics.html

There! I've made it easy for you!

kimonos in the works

Before I left for my new job in Toronto the 3 of us Loose Threads got together to create one of a kind kimonos. Cathy had the pattern and she kindly taught us...she's a great teacher and yes..she was a slave driver! :)

cuttin'

Pat sewin'

Cathy sergin'

Ta Da!

Now I want to embellish the heck out of it. I think I'll do an embroidery running stitch down the lapels and maybe a bit on the sleeves.

Thanks Cathy and Pat for a great day! Go to Pat's blog for more pix.

http://threadsinpurple.blogspot.com/

moving

Wow..the last couple weeks have just flown by...with narry a word from me! I've been busy as all get out finishing things off and clearing things out. I'm at last about to embark on my next adventure...moving to Toronto to work on a Disney animated feature. It's been a long time in the works with lots of to-ing and fro-ing between studios and we're finally able to start work on it.
BUT..before that happens, for me at least, there's just ONE more craft show I'm committed to doing. It's the Muskoka Arts and Crafts Show and Sale that is held every year in the lovely town of Bracebridge Ontario. Weather is always hot and gorgeous (except for that massive storm that became a tornado further east last year..but that was the day BEFORE the show, so it hardly counted!)(I was fortunate that I had lugged my oh so heavy gridwall to the show...it kept my tent and me from blowing away)

http://www.muskokaartsandcrafts.com/Summer_Show/summer_show.htm

If you're in the neighbourhood, come see me in booth 13.

After this show I'll be busy setting up and getting back in to drawing all day for a living (I love it!) I have some very cool ideas for my fibroholism however...so stay tuned!

http://www.panoramio.com/places/

I was doing a bit of surfing on the net when I discovered this amazing website called Panoramio.
You see a google earth satellite image with photos superimposed on it that people have taken in that area. I found this site by chance while searching for an apartment in Toronto...when I wanted to see the location on a google map, these little photos sprang up too...showing me a picture of the street I was focused on! You click on the photo to enlarge it. You see who took the photo as well. I noticed it's been around for a couple of years with way more then a million photos that people have uploaded. I've now joined and can upload images I've taken around the world (like I need MORE fun yet distracting things to do!) The site will automatically place the photos where they are in the world. Pretty cool stuff!
I've gone one step further and added a "Photo Finder Widget" to this blog...a smaller version of panoramio...try it out!

Canada Day

Traditionally I spend Canada Day in the Ottawa area. We drive off to some beautiful spot and then head back in to town for a BBQ and walk downtown to watch the spectacular fireworks. We always stand near the National Gallery of Canada. This year was no different except that the weather was GORGEOUS!!! We've had a rainy Canada Day for the last few years and it was a very pleasant surprise to see that THAT traditional was not going to mar our day. This year we went to Pink lake in the Gatineau Hills. We used to be able to swim there but it's been turned in to a protected place. It's wonderful to see the huge variations in plant life..and animal life. This birch tree below appears to have a large muppet-like mouth and many sewn up scars a la Frankenstein!
We saw a ton of tadpoles..this one below has wee little legs already.
We headed east to a hillside above the quaint town of Wakefield Quebec. Here is where Canada's 14th Prime Minister is laid to rest. We found a woman who comes every year to place a Canadian Flag at his grave. Very appropriate as his five-year legacy is very impressive: a new flag, the Canada Pension Plan, universal medicare, a new immigration act, a fund for rural economic development, and the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism which led to the foundation of a bilingual civil service.

Happy Canada Day...and Happy 4th of July to those south of the border!

cheers,

Wendo

Grand National Invitational Quilt Exhibition

I just received my "A Needle Pulling Thread" magazine. It's a great magazine that promotes Canadian Needle Arts. Inside there is an article on the Grand National Invitation quilt exhibition and I'm thrilled to note that Catharina Breedyk-Law was one of the participants. Your piece "Water" is truly awesome. Congratulations Cathy!

You can download the free catalogue of the exhibition from the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery at:

http://www.kwag.on.ca/section/view/?fnode=107

Finding old work

I've been clearing out the garage for the past couple weeks...preparing to move to Toronto and generally having a good rubbish removal. It's incredibly satisfying to lose the junk....every year a bunch of stuff I couldn't previously get rid of gets delegated to family or Goodwill or the dump.

While I was reorganising, I found this old piece I worked on 4 or 5 years ago. I never knew what to do with it..so it went to the garage. (When something goes to the garage...it's pretty likely to remain there, in obscurity for a number of years) I got my Mom to hold it up for me to try to get a feel for which direction I could take it in...It's alot taller then she is!

Lately I've been playing with hand stitching on my feltwork..(as seen below with a detail of my piece "Flow")...and it just seems to make sense to continue on with this piece. I think I'll do a complementary colour on the animal's bodies just to see how it works as a whole. Way back when, I did a free motion stitch all over the creamy white of the background...I think adding some handstitching to the animals will make them pop. When I started this piece I never considered doing a hand stitch element to it...amazing how things grow and flourish with new experience.
I've been itching to get back in to felting/sewing/anything to do with my hands and I think this project will keep me busy for a while!

Til next time,

Wendo

Fibre Art show at Britannia Gallery

I've just put up a slide show of some of our work from Passages, currently showing at the Britannia Art Gallery in Ottawa. The participants are P. Susan Clow, Catharina Breedyk-Law, Pat Lemaire and myself. Check it out!

FallingWater

I drove down to Southern Pennsylvania this past weekend to see FallingWater; Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece of a house. We clocked 1798 kms on the car but it was way worth it! We started out leaving Prescott at 5pm Saturday evening. My Mom, my sister Jeni and my niece Joanna and I drove like maniacs to get as far as we could that evening. We passed through many lovely small towns and villages..one of which had this very interesting vending machine! I am assured that they are all over the place but I have never seen a live bait vending machine!

We arrived at FallingWater just in time for our 1pm tour on Sunday. I was disappointed to find out that picture taking was not allowed inside the house so I've included a link so everyone can see what I saw first hand.
FLW was a genius with canterlevered architecture. He also created furniture and fixtures using this method of construction. He was a character, though...becoming quite annoyed if one of his clients dared to put any kind of furnishings in to one of his houses that he did not design himself.
The Koffman family who owned the house collected many different artists. I saw 2 Picasso's as well as a number of sculptures by Diego Rivera. There was also a gorgeous madonna and child from the 1600's..they had to create a special niche for her to stand...above the fireplace in the living room.

this is the most photographed view of any of Wright's houses. It was chosen as America's most famous house last year.

The grounds of FallingWater are completely covered in rhododendrons...unfortunately they weren't in bloom...that would be truly awesome...though this little bush was way ahead of the rest!

FallingWater is located in an area called the Laurel Highlands...beautiful flowering shrubs with a touch of scent...lovely.

Here we are, waiting for our group to be called. The PA Conservation Authority has a very well run schedule of tour visits, plus a very nice little gallery, a superb cafe with yummy fair trade coffee and a really well stocked museum shop. They included little touches throughout the house, with gorgeous bunches of rhododendrons in Tiffany vases and an herb garden on one of the terraces. These homey touches added a really personalised aspect of the house..as if the family had just stepped out for the afternoon.

If you ever get the chance to be in that neck of the woods, I heartily recommend stopping in to see this truly amazing national treasure.

Til next time,

Wendo

Art in the Park

I was in Ottawa last weekend participating in the Art in the Park in the Glebe.

Ottawa had the distinct honour of being the hottest city in Canada last weekend. It was WAY too hot for comfort. It was 42 Celcius with the humidex . Last week was fleecy weather..this week it's the dead of summer!


I love this show. My friend Chandler Swain is one of the organisers and they do an amazing job of producing this high end art and craft show. Check out Chandler's wonderful work on her website....

http://www.chandlerswain.ca/

This was my booth...I sat across the pathway in the heavenly shade of the trees bordering the park. My booth was an oven and I even considered baking some bread, but gave it up in the lassitude that heat can create.Wool is definitely not a favourite in hot humid weather...I had planned on working on a dragon I was in the middle of...but I just couldn't imagine touching, let alone working with wool fibre. I just did my Sudoku....when I wasn't drinking water and dowsing my head.

Just a few of my animal trophies...this is Jeffrey

Gerome ( of course)

I've been playing with threadwork on my felting...I love the texture it creates...

Arnold

And directly across from me in that blissful shade were John and Molly Sorensen of
Balleycanoe & Co. They create wonderful whimsical artscapes and figures in what they call

ArchifolkArt. Check them out at:

http://www.balleycanoeco.com/

Bill's tree

I've been working on a project for my friend Bill. He has a favourite tree, actually 2 favourite trees. Tree # 4503 in the TierGarten in Berlin and another here in the Experimental Farm in Ottawa. They are both oak trees...massive and majestic...lording it over their lesser counterparts. My idea is to take a photo of the tree in each season. (Sadly...I'm not able to take pictures of the oak in Berlin! I wish I had thought of it while I was there!) So far I have Winter, Spring and Summer. I was lucky this year as I got to take a picture of summer before I leave for Toronto and my new job. It is truly amazing how quickly the seasons pass. I'm not sure how many seasons this mighty oak has endured...it's a grandaddy of a tree.



Now I have a perfect excuse for getting back to Ottawa in the autumn!

Back in the Saddle again!

I've just received fabulous news! I'm going back in to animation again. I'll be working on the latest Disney film, The Frog and the Princess. This will be their first classically animated film in years. I am thrilled to put pencil back to paper!

It's very hard to concentrate on the things that need doing right now but I'm still putting the finishing touches to my work for a fibre arts show at the Britannia Gallery in Ottawa. Our show, called Passages, will run for the month of June with our opening on Thursday, June 5, 6:30-9pm. If you're in the neighbourhood, come in for a glass of wine and a chat.

Contact the gallery for information and directions:

613.721.1559

2728 Howe St.

Ottawa, ON

It's a learning curve!!!

I learned something today! When you have a black background DON'T use a black font for your type! HA! I kept thinking there was something wrong with my blog...but no...there was something wrong with the way I was putting my thoughts down!
So from now on all my writings will be in lovely light colours.

Pet Portraits

This is my boy, Cheddar. He's taken a great interest in my felted 'flirts'...won't let this one go!!

He is the subject of my first pet portrait. The felted fibre really works in creating a life like furry portrait.

This is Buttons.

I take commissions to do any animal you'd like. Check out my website for more pet portraits.

Cheers,

Wendo

Onwards

Hi all,
I'm finally back to a sort of routine and will be posting regularly on this blog. I will be sharing my thoughts and ideas and where I'm headed.
Cheers,
Wendo