Save the Date - Harvest Festival of Art is coming Soon!

I've been felting like crazy over the last few weeks trying to have a few new pieces ready for the Hants County Arts Council's annual group show. As a part of Culture Days, I will be onsite at 69 Cedar Street on the 27th and 28th along with my fellow "Needles and Hooks" fibre artists working on a rug hooking of the "Old Stone House"  which overlooks the St Croix river in Poplar Grove.

Built in 1699, this house is the oldest in Canada, east of Montreal, and once served as a mission. The house, currently owned by photographer Sherman Hines, is listed for sale, and could be yours for 2.195 million dollars!

We plan to have the rug completed for the next Great Little Art Show scheduled for May 8th - 10th, 2015, and we will be auctioning it off as a fundraiser for the Arts Council and the Museum. For updates on the progress of our rug, be sure to follow us on facebook!

Save the Date: 16th Annual Great Little Art Show, May 9th - 11th, 2014

Inspired

I keep floating back and forth between big and little feltscapes... when the big one gets a little over whelming I take a day off and start something small.

This week I've been incredibly productive. Last Saturday I woke up and went to work on adding the finishing touches to my last piece for the Hants County Arts Council's Annual Group Showcase at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn. This was our first time hosting an opening in the afternoon and I think it's safe to say it was very successful with many new and familiar faces attending the opening.

For me the highlight of the afternoon was receiving a giant shopping bag of wool from fellow fibre artist Rose Marie MacDonald. 

Did I mention I had mistaken the deadline for the Swoon group show and it was also February the 15th... so not only did I wake up felting, I finished out the weekend hooking (Brandt the sweetheart gave me a days extension). 

I don't think it was even 4 hours before I finally had the chance to go through Marie's bag of goodies. Within a few minutes of exploring I was back at it, completely inspired to make use of my new found fibre bounty!
 

Mister checking out my new bag of loot from Marie!

Since I was quite low on many a shade of roving (almost out of blues entirely) I decided to make use of what I did have - black and a lovely lapis lazuli blend by the Uber Wench.

I experimented by starting with the shadows and slowly built up my night sky. I have a habit of starting a piece by working upside down and putting my sky in on the bottom, and then eventually I flip it. I wasn't long into this piece before I decided not to flip my canvas and my dark sky became a wild ocean.

At one point I was going to add white caps but I resisted, and Bryan kept me from adding a fish. With every piece I create I like to live with it for a little while. As I got used to my fishing boat I decided to get past my urge for white caps and giant jumping fish and I made a little "Big Tuna".

The last few days I've been working on a feltscape inspired by the latest handbill for the Bread Gallery, also a Carol Morrison original. Hopefully my 3-D wall hanging will be a fitting tribute to this beauty! This piece will no doubt make an appearance at the 16th annual Great Little Art Show, May 9th - 11th, at the Avon River Heritage Society Museum in Newport Landing, NS.



This showcase features work by myself, Carol Morrison, G. A. Jank
and nearly 20 other members of the Hants County Arts Council.

 

Getting ready to stitch on the foreground of my latest 3-D feltscape ,
inspired once again by the plien air paintings of Carol Morrison.

 

Sometime I just need to sit beside the piece in low light
and map out where I'm going to put the next layers

I'll keep you posted on my progress...

Home is where the ART is!

Over the River and Through the Woods

I'm happy to announce that I will be once again taking part in the Avon River Heritage Societies 'Great Little Art Show' in Newport Landing.

For their 15^th year, the ARHS is expanding the show's organization to include the Hants County Arts Council. We are thrilled to be working together and we've adopted a theme for this year’s show, “Home is where the ART is”.

The Great Little Art Show is a major attraction in the community and is a significant fundraiser for the Avon River Heritage Museum. It is known as the area’s flagship show fostering local art talent of all ages, right here at home. This year this will truly be the case with the début of our children’s art show, “The Great Little Youth Show” showcasing art from local youth under the age of 16, giving rise to a new generation of artists.

Newport Landing resident Jenny Mitson runs “Little Pumpkins” Daycare and is a pediatric nurse at the IWK. “I am so happy the museum is taking an opportunity to showcase local children's art work,” says Mitson. ”I feel very passionate about encouraging children to express themselves through art using what ever medium they choose allowing them to expose their individual uniqueness. Art is a huge self-esteem builder in a world that can be constricting for our children.”

The opening is Friday, April 26th, 7:00pm to 9:00pm with a wine and cheese reception and an opening presentation by Laurie Dalton.  

Laurie is the Director/Curator of the Acadia University Art Gallery and Adjunct Art Historian in the Department of History & Classics. Her curatorial work emphasizes the role of university galleries as part of the critical academic space of a university, bringing in exhibitions of both contemporary and historical work that promote visual literacy. Her research interests lie in Canadian visual culture, heritage and exhibition history, in particular how meaning is a process of display, didactics and audience exchange.

Viewing times throughout the weekend are:

Saturday, April 27th, 10am - 5:00pm

Sunday, April 28th, 11am - 3:00pm

For more information, contact Heather Desveaux, ARHS (902) 757-1933

www.avonriver.ca

Great Little Art Show

This weekend I'll be showing a few of my new hookings at the Great Little Art Show held at the Avon River Heritage Museum, 17 Belmont Road, Newport Landing, near Avondale, Hants County   Friday April 27- Sunday, April 29

Baby Blue by Tacha Reed - 2012

For longer than a decade, this show has been an important means for promoting visual arts in Hants County.

Lead the Way by Tacha Reed  - 2012

Casually the organizers say it's "a great little show with a lot of great, local art!"





Love, True Love by Tacha Reed - 2012

More officially, it is a venue for both professional and novice local artists to display and sell their work in a semi-formal environment. Each spring we look forward to seeing the work of participants and the blossoming of new talent.


"The Great Little Art Show is our most important fund raising event. Sales of the exhibits provide the Avon River Heritage Society with the needed capital it requires to keep our community museum operating from year to year."




The show will get under way with a wine and cheese reception on Friday, April 27 from 7pm to 9pm with a special guest speaker sculptor Alison MacNeil.

The show continues over the weekend with viewings at the following times:
• Saturday, April 28 10am – 5 pm
• Sunday, April 29 11am – 3pm

Admission: $7.00 for Friday night opening; $2.00 Saturday and Sunday; Children under 12, free.

The Smell of Art is in the Air!

Many of us artists and artisans are relieved by winters arrival because it means a break from the constant back and forth between production and sales. This time allows us a chance to relax and experiment again, taking us down new paths, creating brand new work. After several months of a slightly more relaxed schedule I know that I suddenly have the spring itch to get out there and show the world what I've been making during my hibernation.

This spring there are a lot of great shows scheduled and many have application deadlines coming up quickly.

 

With only 2 days left to apply, interested young folks should get themselves in motion for a chance to take part in a Gifted Young Artist Retreat hosted by Ross Creek Centre for the Arts. The centre is inviting talented high school students to apply for a unique opportunity for young Nova Scotian artists to collaborate across the arts. Nova Scotia educators (including the Department of Education and the NS Teachers Union) will be holding a Summit on Gifted Education and Talent Development at Mount St. Vincent University on May 23–25. Ross Creek Centre for the Arts is inviting NS high school aged arts students to apply for a week-long experience to collaborate with their peers under professional guidance, culminating in a presentation at the Summit. This is an amazing opportunity for young creative individuals! If this sounds like a perfect fit for you, then quick, ask a teacher and and an artist for their endorsement so you can take advantage of this amazing experience! DEADLINE MARCH 9th

 

One event that has been creating a great deal of excitement locally is the Avondale Art Fair. This juried show will be accepting 100 artists for their one day outdoor event being held in pastoral Newport Landing, overlooking the Avon River and its spectacular tidal bore. On Saturday, June 16th this charming little village will burgeon into the best art fair venue around! The organizers are looking to showcase exceptional artwork that will include paintings, jewelry, pottery, glass, sculpture, fiber, leather, photography and more! DEADLINE MARCH 15th

 

 

Another event I'm personally really looking forward to is the 2nd Annual Art vs Craft, taking place in Halifax July 21st & 22nd at the Forum. This show is for the more quirky creative folks, like myself, who might be a little bit out there with our creations. Since this show is held in such a large space it has the ability to feature a wide variety of artists and there will definitely be an emphasis placed on including really unique creations. DEADLINE MARCH 23

 

 

Another wonderful local show, now in it's 14th year, is The Great Little Art Show. This 3 day show running April 27th-April 29th has proven itself an important means for promoting visual arts in West Hants, creating a venue for both professional and novice artists to display and sell their work in a semi-formal environment. Sales of the exhibits provide the Avon River Heritage Society with the needed capital it requires to keep the museum operating from year to year. DEADLINE APRIL 10th

 

So, those of you, like myself who have enjoyed a winter of creating - it is now time to photograph all that work and start applying so that you too can share your creations with everyone else this spring!

 

Good luck!