Gallery 2013

2013 has arrived!

After a very hectic holiday season and a major clean up of my studio after last season, I needed to come up with a project that would kick start the new year.  Usually I start my year by building a new teapot, but with orders and an upcoming wholesale show, I have to come up with a quicker boost!  I started by custom blend some new colour sheets.  Afterwards, I created some fun simple tumbling block canes with them.  I couldn't stop doing it for 2 days!  These brightly coloured patterns has really boosted my creative juices and it's time for another year of creativity!  Sometimes all we need is a simple perk up....kind of like a shot of expresso!

Make it! Vancouver....Here I come!

It's amazing how fast time has gone by....it's April already!  Since the last time I posted, much has happened.  I helped coordinate the Gifts for Myself and Others show for the Island Artisans Assoc.  My husband's off on training in the other side of the country, so I'll be single mom for awhile also!  But that won't stop me from creating though!

This coming week, I'll be in Vancouver at the Make it! Show from April 20-22.  If you're in town, please come by for a visit and see what I've been working on recently.  Hope to see some of you there!

Textures, textures, textures!

With all the carving on the Night Circus teapot....I was on a roll. Decided to take that energy and create some customized texture sheets for my other works. These were all carved polymer clay sheets and their 'stamped' mates. I'm looking forward to putting these to use!

Damask Cane

For part of the teapot, I wanted a damask wallpaper pattern. This black and white pattern took me almost an entire day to create.

Poppet's Face Cane

Just a few pictures featuring my face cane process. I've been making millefiori canes for over 18 years now and people still believe my work must be painted!

It's that time of year again!

For me, that time of year means creating my first piece of art. This has become a new year ritual for me.....after all the fall shows and holidays are over, I create a unique piece that makes me happy!

During the fall shows, I read the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The book took me to a magical world that conjured up imagery that were very Tim Burtonesque to me. I knew a teapot had to be created from it. And for some of you who knows me, I have a 'few'....about 2 dozen teapots in my possession, just waiting for me to cover them! I knew the exact set that would be perfect for the job.

For most of January, I created component canes and refined my design for the piece. Alot of thought went into it.....constant revisions. Most of this is done in my thoughts...without sketching it out too much. Other than the full length view of Poppet, which was transferred...all other details were drawn and carved directly on the teapot.

What I found fascinating is how much time simplicity takes. For me, this teapot is graphically simple, but technically complex....a combination of canework, carving and inlaying..and a new one for me, carving and revealing. This seems to be the case in most of the pieces I make.

I'm very pleased with my results...this piece makes me happy and energizes me creatively. It motivates me to produce my art for the rest of the year for others to enjoy!

An Artist's Life is full of Surprises!

When I thought I was all done with prep for my upcoming wholesale show this weekend, I decide to add another product! I've been toying with a flower pendant idea for a month or so now but have been waiting for the bails I've ordered for them also. Well, they arrived this week and I decided to try them out.

Lo and behold, I love the results! And realized they should also be added to my wholesale lines for this upcoming Spring. I don't do retail shows till the Christmas season, so they have to offered my shops for sale. I worked frantically this week and came up with 6 colour patterns for my clients to choose from and in 2 styles, a simple, origami inspired petal and a funky, frilly petal one! I always ask myself why I do this to myself, but I really can't control how my creativity works. It doesn't understand deadlines much.

New Product...Winestoppers!

With an upcoming wholesale show, I wanted to make a new product for it. These came to me through quite a few requests I received during the christmas craft show season. I had realized if I had more frog and turtle products, I would've sold them in a heartbeat! So, with that thought and the lamps I made....these pond-themed winestoppers were created! I had alot of fun with these.