Lots of exciting

Hello! I am safely home and happy doing all the usual art things and helping out at the store. Feels as though I hit the ground running when I returned from Norway. Our son had just started University and moved to Toronto, we had an Australian art student move in to our spare room, lots of art details to take care of and numerous 'catching up' events filling the rest of the time. I feel like we are finally living in a more settled space and slower pace again, though we still miss Odin lots. On the plus side, having our son in the big city means more frequent visits!
Chris has just returned home from a two week artist residency at Spark Box Studios in Prince Edward County. He is refreshed and relaxed, but also excited about all the work he was able to do and now eager to continue. The two of us will be showing our residency-inspired works together in a show at the RedBrick in Feb. 20- April 2, 2017. It would be great if we were able to incorporate an artists' talk about residencies. More details about this to follow in the new year. 
There are plenty of things going on right now... I have two works included in the World of Threads Festival! I am so honoured to have my work included in this International show. The opening is this Saturday, October, 29th 2-4pm at in the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre. Please join me- it looks like an amazing show. You can get more details here:
http://worldofthreadsfestival.com/exhibitions_menu.html

Below are just a couple of the groupings of artwork that are on display...there is lots more!

In November I have a number of my large print works on washi showing in PI Fine Arts 40th Anniversary exhibition. Below are a few photos of the work in the space. This space is pretty amazing and I am so thrilled to have my work hanging here in the same space as Jim Dine! And so much room to take it all in. I think the white frames are so wonderful. More details about the show, November 4th - 27th, here on their website, http://www.pifineart.com/

Later in November, I will be showing some of my smaller washi works with a great group of talented washi artists at the Japanese Paper Place's  Washi Artists’ Sale 
Sat. Nov 19 11-5pm 

at their lovely new location:

103 The East Mall unit #1

Etobicoke 416-538-9669

www.japanesepaperplace.com

Chine Collé Slide Show

I often get asked about the printmaking technique, chine collé, what it is and why to use it. It is printing on a fine grain paper (traditionally a washi- or handmade Japanese tissue) while pasting it to a heavier support (traditionally a cotton rag European paper) all in one pass through the etching press. It is a technique I use every time when printing since I first discovered it over 20 years ago. A very lightweight gampi is one of my favourites, though there are so many different ones I use as well (thank you Japanese Paper Place!) I love the semi-transparency and the way the very fine grain of the paper picks up so much more information and subtle plate tone than a heavier rag paper. Some people are not fond of plate tone and tiny scratches, but I find these sometimes unintended marks part of the surprise and what I enjoy most about printmaking. 

So while I continue to put together my photos from Barbados...

here is another wonderful slide show for you. This one is vintage and is from slide film that Chris shot many years ago now. I like the feel of the photos and seeing how my studio used to be set up (things have moved around a bit since then). 

Busy weekend

A fun weekend coming up if you like to shop local, handmade items from artists and craftspeople. Friday November 28th there is a great group of talent at the annual Helluva Good Time show at Michelle Miller's abode 137 Arthur St. and in the Trafalgar Building 123 Woolwich St. 6-9pm. On Saturday November 29th (11- 5pm) both groups will be open again and joined by Necessary Arts Centre's Holiday Pop Up Shop (10-5pm)  at 67 Wyndham St. N. in the Gummer Building. 

I will have lots of new small mono prints on show, as well as a few new etchings. If you are looking for some handmade unique gifts, this may be where you get all your holiday shopping done. Or maybe you just want to check out what is out there and sip some cider with these lovely people. Either way, I hope to see you!

If you missed me in Guelph, you can catch me in Toronto on Sunday at the Japanese Paper Place, 77 Brock Ave. 11-5pm. Lots of wonderful washi artists doing all kinds of lovely things. All works are small, $20. - $200. If I didn't get all my shopping done in Guelph, I will definitely finish it here. We will be joined by guitarist Patrick Power in the afternoon. If you haven't visited the warehouse before, you should come on Sunday. It is a pretty special place.

After a few days out of the public, I will be back out there with an art opening on Saturday December 6th at the Flesherton Art Gallery. I will be showing some of my botanical etchings alongside the paintings of Ila Kellermann. Come visit 7-9pm with the artists. Flesherton is about an hour and 20 minutes from Guelph, I think and the gallery is located at 22 Collingwood St. It has been awhile since I have shown my work there, almost 20 years since Ryan Price and I showed some of our prints. Maybe it wasn't that long ago...

making washi video

People often ask me about the word washi and why I describe the paper I use in my work, as part of the medium. Washi is handmade Japanese paper and though there are many different kinds, they are all made with great skill by a small special group of craftspeople that used to be part of a much bigger community. 

Here is a video that Nancy from the Japanese Paper Place sent to me in place of the wonderful videos that her husband shot while they were in Japan recently. Apparently, his videos still need a bit of editing, though I thought they were just perfect, we will have to wait to share those. This video is a good illustration of the washi making process and the enormous amount of care, time and patience that goes into making each sheet. Click here to watch 'Washi Paper: paper making in the Shimane prefecture by the Sekishu-Banshi craftsmen's association: production process'. In the video they are making Sekishu (kozo) paper.

I have a number of favourite washi papers that range from a whisper fine tissue that picks up every tiny detail in a delicate textile transfer print to some heavier, textured support papers that are wonderful to carve into and sew with... it is hard to describe how wonderful they are. If you like working with paper, you should treat yourself to sampling some papers from the Japanese Paper Place. They have workshops regularly at the warehouse and invite consultations with artists wanting to find just the right paper for a particular project. You can find all their details here. They are also have many resellers across the country (like Wyndham Art Supplies), so if you are not in Toronto you might still be able to find their lovely wares closer to home. 

this paper is sitting on top of another paper, which you can see behind

above is a range of Tosa washi that I was using for a special project. 

work in progress, Summer 2013

I am working on a couple of projects right now and am excited about completing the bulk of the work early in the Summer before my son gets back from his canoe trip. There are a few editions that I am having lots of fun with, a large woven and quilted etching that is keeping me very busy and a few bits and pieces that distract me occasionally with their state of 'almost-oh-so-close-to-finished'.

These small works are etchings on washi on panel.  A couple  from the bottom grouping are now at the Japanese Paper Place as part of the group show, A Commitment to Washi: Canadian Artists Explore Tosa Washi.

This large woven and stitched etching on washi (in progress, here) may show this Fall in a group show.  I will post more details on the show very soon.  An exciting group of artists involved...

Lastly, a couple more 'works in progress' for a solo show at the Rotunda Gallery at Kitchener City Hall this October.  Lots of working this Summer in the studio, thankfully the heat wave has passed and I can spend some more time up there.

A Commitment to Washi

I was asked if I would like to participate in a group show at the Japanese Paper Place to start in Toronto the beginning of June which would travel to Japan later in the Summer. The show is to highlight some of the artists that have used Washi in their work for some time and show a commitment to the use of the papers.  The following photos might appeal only to people who are a bit geeky about their Japanese papers. I took a photo of all the squares of new papers as well as ones I already use, from the Tosa paper house so that I could remember what all their names are. I think they look so lovely just like this... hopefully my work will do the paper justice. Have a couple more days to finish everything up before it has to travel into the big city. My fingers have been crossed alot lately as some of the different properties of the new papers have created a bit of problem solving and some struggle but looks like something good might come out of this- other than my new knowledge of new papers.

This is a snap shot of the finished works for the show, titled 'Winter vine, woven (left) & (right)'. I wish that I had a better photo of these before they went off to show... 

This piece (above) is one in a series of four works that I made with the Tosa papers. Unfortunately, I still have a few things to work out with this process and the different papers, the works are still drying, hopefully flattening and did not make it to the show in Toronto. I am still working on this... but will have to get some more paper as I used all the lovely papers 'experimenting' and left nothing for the end result. A little presumptuous maybe? I found that a lighter support paper makes the world of difference when pasting so many different papers to the surface. Though this shouldn't come as a huge surprise to me when I have been working with this process for over 10 years, I have always used a heavier cotton
rag paper for support. A heavy support paper definitely allows some room for the variety papers and wide range shrinkage in the washi used. 

If you are in Toronto on the 6th of June you can see them in person at the Japanese Paper Place on Brock Ave. from 6-8pm. 

This is the paragraph that I wrote about the work and my experience with washi papers for the show.

Through my work with washi, I find a means to explore my continued fascination with the natural world—its strength and beauty—while drawing attention to the imperfections and impermanence of all living things. The 'perfect' asymmetry in nature, the odd shaped spaces between branches or the awkward curl of one petal on a flower is where my curiosity takes root. The process and materials are as important to my work as the subject matter, and it is my great love of working with fine washi that informs how I work. The weaving and stitching of etched strips of delicate paper is slow work that forces me to be more mindful of the materials I am working with and the world around me. It is my hope that I am able to create pieces that convey a sense of calm and nostalgia while paying homage to the beauty in nature and things thoughtfully handmade.