Expecting good things at Portobello this weekend!

Ok so I'm a part of the Portobello Holiday Market this coming weekend and after browsing the list of other folks there, I'm really excited to check out this work in person (instead of just online)!
Above- don't you just adore this hand-knitted sweater?? Ok so I'm saving up for a new pair of glasses and must remember that when I dearly want that sweater... Deer Love Sweater and Toque by Granted Knitwear

I've been meaning to get my passport up-dated, with one of these and a ticket to a tropical island I'd certainly have the incentive to stand in line: Petit Ecole Friends Passport by Noei

A beauty of a bag by fiveleft -while we (Dean) already own a lap-top bag and wallet by fiveleft, I'm thinking a Christmas wallet for my brother-in-law...

I think I saw these on Poppytalk a while back and am really looking forward to taking a gander by the Henderson Dry Goods table... again, will try to restrain myself from spending everything that I sell:)

And of course, I'll be there with some new work out of the kiln, some of my tile frames, and my new photoprints on bamboo frames:)

Oh, and check out this little link while you're at it! 

November Calender

Clearly we are in the midst of Fall on the Pacific Northwest! We've had such great weather in Vancouver this year, many clear and sunny days and a lot less rain than usual, but I think that's about to change for the season. Today was a really dreary, wet and windy kind of day and with the darker mornings and early darkness by 4:45-5pm, it really feels like November! Ahh- November already!
The Eastside Culture Crawl is really only 2 weeks away (Nov 20, 21 & 23)! It is a 3 day show involving more than 30 studio sites in the Eastside of Vancouver, with over 300 artists in their studios to visit! The show is free and fun and interesting! As an artist it is really great to have the public visit me in the 'comfort' of my own studio. It's great for them to see where I get inspired, along with the space that allows for my work to happen! It is great for me to have hundreds of people walk in my studio door and instantly have the chance to engage with my work. I'm in a new studio this year and hope that it will have a similar vibe and be as interesting for people to visit!
The weekend after the Crawl will be Portobello West's first Holiday Markets (Nov. 28-29)! I always look forward to this show as it feels so festive and is great to get in the holiday mood! I'm always excited about doing my Christmas shopping at this show and I always find just the right gifts for some of those hard to gift people in my life!
So, November, here I come... ready, steady...go!

Portobello West Spring Opener!

Portobello West Market was this past weekend and it felt really good to get some new work out of the studio and in front of a few hundred people! There were quite a few other potters (6 of us- the most I've ever seen at Portobello at one time), and it was good to connect with other artists and designers from all over BC.
As promised before I am uploading some new items to my etsy shop and will be off to Granville Island this afternoon to drop off some much needed work to the BC Gallery of Ceramics (which nearly sold out of my work this past month:)
Thank you to all those who bought work from me over the weekend! I took a bunch of orders so will be back in the studio working on those, while also preparing for Calgary!

New work!

Fresh out of the kiln, the new bottle vases finally turned out the way I had imagined! Also I am loving the new ginko bowls- So fresh and springy, would look amazing with a salad or fruit inside! Pale inside or dark Turquoise blue. I'm saving everything I have made for Portobello West this weekend, but will put some new items in my shop after:)
Don't forget, if you are in the Vancouver area: Portobello West Market, Saturday March 28th, Sunday March 29th from 12-6pm at the Rocky Mountaineering Station, on Cottrell Ave just off of Terminal. $2 at the door!

March Forward

Well here's a little up-date on the aloe aristata that is currently blooming in my window! I kept hoping the long blossoms would actually open up. Maybe it does during 'midnight' conditions (it's got to be called a 'midnight lotus' for something) and I haven't quite been able to replicate that. They just have this long shape with this tiny little opening at the tip, I guess big enough for a hummingbird's beak to get inside of it. It's kind of mysterious, this plant, and I'll have to chat with Abby at Kermodi about it next time I see her!
Thinking ahead to my March shows..! I'll be busy with my first Painting show opening at the new gallery initiative on South Granville on Thursday, March 5th, 7-10pm. Today I went by the new home for ON The Rise Artist Collective (ONTRAC), and met with Merete Kristiansen, who, as she said, 'has the rolodex to make this kind of venture happen'. I'm really excited about her vision, background, education (Master's in Art Gallery Management ), and connections (Dad owns oldest gallery in Vancouver), and was pretty impressed that she's volunteering to start this up!
My next gig in March will be in conjunction with The Hermit's CD release party and art show, "Turn up the Art" opening March 14th at 8pm-1am at the Chapel Arts.
And at the end of March, I'll be at Portobello West Market for their season opener with my ceramics, March 28-29 at the Rocky Mountaineering Station, from 12-6!

A great market and end of season!

Thank you to those of you who came by my booth at the Portobello Holiday Market! It was a great weekend and so encouraging to have people respond well to my work! I am hoping for equally as great responses for all those who bought my work as gifts on Christmas morning!
Thanks again and I'll post up-dates of my new studio space soon. For now I'm going to put my feet up and enjoy another glass of wine by the fire. Oh yeah, and I'll watch the snow falling outside too. Vancouver has now had it's official first snowfall of the season!

Bird Sightings!

We have been watching the 'Planet Earth' series of videos lately- absolutely amazing footage of animals and plants on this beautiful earth of ours- if, of course, we can manage to keep it this way! The bird footage in the series has been great to see, especially the birds of paradise portions, where the male bird struts and dances around to try to impress the ladies! On my own bit of bird sightings, we went to the Parrot Sanctuary in Nanaimo, BC with the kids a couple of weekends ago. It is really unbelievable how many exotic birds have been plucked out of their natural habitat to become soon-to-be unwanted pets. The bird sanctuary provides a home with other birds as parrots live in flocks and like to be in the company of other birds. The birds are really loud but friendly- will say 'hello' to you when you walk into their space, but I really can't imagine having them in my own home. Furthermore, they often live for up to 100 years!
Anyways, the bird theme in my life has, of course, come out on my ceramics more recently. Since finding a baby bird that had fallen from it's nest in spring, I have been playing around with bird shapes on my ceramics. Some cardinals have recently appeared as a hommage to the cardinals I would see when I grew up out east. Also a couple of hummingbirds, a pheasant, and the little sculpture of a sparrow that I hope to make more of.

In other news I was back at the clay studio working away on the Christmas orders that have started to come in fast and furious... I also posted some new work on etsy, and hope to continue posting more images over the next week to have the shop well-stocked for the holidays.
The Portobello Holiday Market is coming up really quick so there will be more Cardinal Tree Ornaments finished in time too! Save the date: December 13 & 14, Noon-6pm at the Rocky Mountaineer Station- $2, kids free!