Keepsake Pouches

When I am not working on larger pieces for specific exhibitions, I continue to work on smaller things that I can sell at art sales through the year. One of these things are my Keepsake Pouches, a handmade pouch made out of waxed Irish Linen that can be used as a keeper of one's personal amulets and talisman.

The last group of these were made for the Women Rock study and were made in the colours of rock (black), ice (white) and blue Alberta skies (blue). After spending approximately 8 hours making one of these (all done with needle and thread) I then pick beads, buttons and charms to decorate them and then fill them with colour coordinated crystals and semi-precious stones. They are then hung on an adjustable leather thong.

The ones shown above are all sold, and the ones below are some I still have around at the moment.

Page-a-Day Journal for 2011

A friend of mine brought to my attention Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord's blog. More specifically, her video on a Word-A-Day Journal 2011. These books were just too cute not to dive into and make a collection of my own.

The books are made of five signatures, each completed one measuring 2" by 3". They are bound by months, so there are 12 of them in total, with ~30 pages each. She originally made them as a word-a-day journal, but I think I will be using them more as a work and life journal for this year 2011.

I had to travel midway through this month, which involved a 10-hour day in airports (just to get across Canada!), so I went through my collection of painted papers and cut 60 pages to size in a colour wheel assortment. On the plane I was folding and glueing. Once I got home, I added the covers...

And then made a box to keep them in, which measures 5" x 3" x 2".

Because I have used such a variety of papers, I will have to experiment with a variety of pens to write on the pages - that will be part of the fun!

2010 Calgary International Film Festival

The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) ended for another year (ok, I started this post back in October) and I managed to see 17 movies in 7 days. I rated the movies on a system using 1 to 5 and I saw some in every category! But my top five movies were:

INCENDIES (CAN)
A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love. This is Canada's entry in the Foreign Film category at the Oscars this year. I considered this a perfect film with its storytelling and emotional pull.


AT WORLD'S END (DEN)
Black comedy filled with deadpan humour and unlikely scenarios, this absurdist comic adventure is in the vein of Romancing The Stone. Filmed in Indonesia, it involves a frantic chase scene through the jungle with outstanding performances and incredible cinematography.


CERTIFIED COPY (FRA + IRAN + ITALY)
Certified Copy is a French drama film by Iranian writer and director Abbas Kiarostami, starring Juliette Binoche and the British opera singer William Shimell, in his first film role. The story is set in Tuscany and focuses on a French antiques dealer, who spends a day with the writer of a recently-published book on the value of copies in art. This movie requires intense concentration to unravel clues you don't even know you are getting.


FAMILY TREE (FRA)
When wealthy patriarch Frederick refuses to attend the funeral of his firstborn son, other family members can't stomach his decision. What could possibly drive a loving father to absent himself from such an occasion? As his gesture sends shockwaves through the extended family, the most buried elements of Frederick's past stand to be revealed.


THE ILLUSIONIST (UK)
The Illusionist details the story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars. Forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theaters, garden parties and bars, he meets a young fan who changes his life forever. I was initially interested in this animated film because it is by Sylvain Chomet, director of the much-loved Triplettes Of Belleville, and incorporated an unproduced script by Jacques Tati. I was not disappointed!


So far only The Illusionist has shown up in Calgary theatres - I expect to see more in the new year.

New Addition to the Blog!

Just to let you know I have added the sidebar (along the top!) with my gallery of art. Have just started putting pieces up, so there will be more to come, but these are my newer pieces that are not on my web site yet.

I am busy finishing up my very newest work for the 2011 exhibit at the Whyte Museum of the Rockies in Banff this fall. This all started with our artist retreats to the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre in 2008 and 2009.

In 2008 Articulation invited specialty speakers (Ben Gadd, Tara Moran, Jennifer Salahub, Willi Schmidt, Paul MacKay) on mountain culture and had several tours of surrounding geology and general terrain. In 2009 we rented studio space and were able to do large production work using silk screening, printing, and dyeing.

After two years of researching (Whyte Museum Archives) and coming up with design ideas, I currently have ten pieces on the go at the moment!