Production.....*sigh*

Just wanted to show you what it's like when I'm in production mode. Usually I don't have time to take pictures, but I did get one of my slim pen parts after they've been lacquered and set out to dry.

It's that time of year again?

I can't believe it's that time of year again! It's the Christmas Craft Show Season! This year, I decided to do 4 shows...yes, I said 4! You may say...Hey! That's not alot of shows to do. It may not be a big number if you're doing weekend shows at smaller venues, but I'm actually in 4 different cities....across 2 provinces. Three of these shows are major ones in their cities.

I start this coming weekend in my lovely hometown of Victoria, BC...Gifts for Myself and Others...a beautiful little show with just under 30 of the finest Island Artisans. I'm proud to be part of this group of artists! From Nov. 17-21st, I'll be in Vancouver at the Circle Craft Christmas Market at the new Vancouver Convention Centre. Luckily, I have a nice little break before I head off to Alberta! Calgarians can find me at the Calgary Festival of Crafts from Dec. 2-5th. Hey! Just noticed they used my new teapot in their advertising! Then I wrap up my show circuit in Edmonton at the Butterdome Craft Sale from Dec. 9-12th.

I hope to see familiar faces at these shows...it's the highlight of my year to see my friends at the shows and the clients that I've met through the years.

Sneak Peek on my Work Process...

Many questions have been asked about my work...'Is it Painted?' is one of the most popular one. I thought I'd add a few photos of my sculpting of a cat face cane for my cat winestoppers to show you a bit of my work process....Enjoy!

2010 Teapot...finally!

As some of you may know, I only make one or two teapots a year. Usually this happens in January after all the show mayhem. This year was different for some reason. I was very busy with orders right in the beginning of the year, hence I didn't have the opportunity of making one till this summer.

I had this particular teapot sitting on my shelf for a year with an idea brewing in my head. The vision came to me as soon as I bought it. It reminded me of something out of the Jetsons. It gave birth to the Space Girls teapot. The detail is a combination of canes,carving and inlaying, and other polymer clay techniques to come up with the finished product. It is also sanded with 5 grades of fine sandpaper. The finish is so smooth that it's a shame you can't experience it through a photo.

Coming back to the Blog world!

I've been on a very long hiatus from this blog. Life moves on and this was low on my priority list. But now with the urging of my good PC friend, Gera....I'm going to attempt to jump back onto the Blogging Bandwagon once again!

Ooops!

I was so excited about the article that I didn't even post the link!

Here it is:
http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/Shum+offers+fine+craft+fair+prices/1694672/story.html

OMG! Thank you, Mr. Amos!

I awoken this morning to a whole lot of chatter on my MSN Messenger from my dear friend, Gera Scott Chandler. She had seen the article that Victoria Times Colonist's art critic, Robert Amos had written about me! So, of course I had to check it out and must say that he did a wonderful job in encapsulating our conversation the previous week. I've never been one to seek out attention for my work actively, but I was very honoured that my teapots at the Victoria Art Gallery stopped him in his tracks. Though being an artist can be very isolating, an article like this is just what I need to spark my creative fire for new and bigger pieces!

One World~One Heart Winner Announced!

Hello all,

Thank you for all of you who entered my OWOH giveaway...but there can only be one winner! The winner is.....Sandra Hyler!

I hope you all come back to visit me! Thanks again to Lisa Swifka for holding this wonderful giveaway....what a way to connect the world! I'm looking forward to next years!

2009 Products

I had some of my products photographed aside from the new teapot. The pens are brand new for this season and you'll see the colour schemes that I'm leaning towards this year....lots of reds, oranges, and blues. I don't know why, but it's what I seem to be working with at the moment. Of course, I'm in still making wine stoppers, perfume applicators and business card holders.

The Reveal!

A while back, I showed you a teaser sketch of a new teapot. Well, here it is!

I was at a photoshoot that was put on by the Island Artisan's Association and I love the results. All the detail is caned...no painting involved! It was great having someone do the photography instead.

My Workshops are starting...

This Weekend! I'm teaching a polymer clay basics and beginner's caning workshop on Sunday at Island Blue Print in Victoria. I have a follow up caning workshop called 'Spirals, Stripes, and more' in March 28th. For more info, go to the Island Blue website.

In between these workshops is the Vancouver Polymer Clay Guild's first 'Horizons' retreat. I'll be teaching a workshop called 'Complex Cane Made Easy', which is a companion to Gera Scott Chandler's 'Leggy Bowl' workshop. I'm excited to be participating in this upcoming retreat...sounds like there's alot of fun to be had. If any of you have some free time in February, you may be interested in coming up for this fun retreat!

One World~One Heart

When I saw this post made by Tina Holden that she is participating in this virtual giveaway, I thought it was a grand idea! What a way to connect with others and have a chance in winning wonderful handcrafted wares!

This wonderful giveaway is the brainchild of Lisa Swifka(A Whimsical Bohemian). What a way to bring artists from around the world closer.

I'm offering a one of a kind business card holder made especially for this giveaway.

How to enter:

-Leave a comment under this post. One post per person only. Leave either your blog or email so that I can contact you if you're the winner.

-The giveaway will be drawn on February 12, 2009 and the winner will be posted here in my blog and will be contacted.

So far there's over 350 artisans participating in this, so please click on the 'One World~One Heart' logo above to check the Gypsy Caravan out. Feel free to enter as many as you want!

Creativity revealed!

I decided to show you how an idea for a teapot is created. I have had the idea of combining two of my loves, orchids and frogs for about a year now. I finally starting working on it this past weekend. Through my process, I decided on putting the design on a teapot. I've chosen my teapot and now I reveal some of the background work I do before I even start applying any detailing on the actual teapot.

Since majority of my teapot detailing are caned, I still have alot of canes to maked before I even start working on it. Just thought you may like a sneak peek into my creative process.

New Year Start!

After every christmas production season, I do a major clean up in my studio. I finally got rid of an apartment fridge to make room for a storage unit. Loving the extra storage!

And can you believe my table not covered in cane slices....yet!

First Victoria Craft Show!

I was so excited that I premiered myself as a local artist in Victoria...finally! I participated in the IAA's Gifts to Myself and Others Show last November. It was an intimate little show (under 30 artisans) with very loyal clienteles. I had a great time and will hopefully be able to attend it next year.

Perfume Project

The second time I participated in Filberg Festival, I met a wonderful aromatherapist/perfumier, Anita Kalnay of Flying Colors Aromatherapy. She approached me about a project where I could design containers for her custom perfumes based on the scents. I found the idea very intriguing because I strongly believe in the experiences through all levels of our senses.

Finally this past fall, the project was executed. Anita sent me a beautiful fruity blend for me to draw my creativity. I envisioned colours of peaches and visions of peach blossoms swirling around as I held the scent to my nose. I find it fascinating how I can see these imageries just from the smell of something. I was pleased with the final product and so was Anita. We're hoping this is just the beginning of an interesting collaboration!

Happy New Year!

Hello all...it's been awhile. I guess if I was to make a resolution, it's to write on my blog a bit more...but I don't make resolutions. ;)

Filberg was Fab! Yet again!

Well, another year at Filberg Festival is over. I really love this show....so invigorating and energizing. The outdoor venue and all the inspiring artisans are things I look forward to every year.

I was fortunate to set up earlier in the day and missed a big of heavy rain. It was just drizzling when I was doing it. I did come back to the site the next morning with a big pool of water in the roof of my tent. I was so glad to have decided not to put out any of my jewellery and purse hangers till that morning. Luckily, the rest of the show was lovely weather...actually got a bit hot out there. But I was under 2 huge trees with the beach at my back to keep my booth quite cool.

The show was successful which was a bit of a surprise to me. I did not have high expectations with all the high gas prices and such, but I must say that I couldn't complain about how I did. Choosing the right products to create is a big key to success....at least that's what I believe. I truly hope I can get into the show again next year!

Mini Teapots

Been awhile since I've posted new work, but I have these cute little teapots that were just begging to be covered. They're around 3-4" in size. I liked the way they turned out.

Final Prints for sale!

After a few attempts with photographing my jewellery....the final prints are ready for sale! Filberg's coming up this weekend and I'll be selling them there. I'm interested in seeing where this venture will go. By the way, these were done by my brother, Ben Shum, a multi-talented artist in his own rite..check out his site!

I'll be putting them up for sale at Etsy later!