Westland Gallery is an amazing place for art. In the heart of London, Ontario's Wortley Village the Westland hosts new, original art shows each month. Their biggest show of the year is undoubtedly The Square Foot Show, opening July 12th, where you will see over 500 pieces all measuring 12″ x 12.” That alone is... Continue Reading →
Gimli Yacht Club 50th Anniversary
I wrote this in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Gimli Yacht Club, July 1, 2017 (tune: This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land) This Club is your boat, this Club is my boat From speedy cruisers to anything that will float From the harbour mouth To this great lake’s waters. This... Continue Reading →
10 Ways to Enjoy an Artist’s Studio Tour
Art studio tour signs brighten my day. For an artist to let you into their private space is a treasure and an honour. If you have never 'done' a Studio Tour or wanted to do one but not known 'how to', here is my listicle: Get the brochure ahead of time and circle your... Continue Reading →
Thoughts on Grief
A year ago I drew this labyrinth in the sand on my favourite beach. Dragging my fingers in the barely-warm April sand felt wonderful after having spent three days in a nursing home. My mother was struggling so overwhelmingly. The only thing I really knew how to do was play the piano for her and sing the... Continue Reading →
Turner 8
Turner 8 - 1471. That's the way we used to say it over 50 years ago. It's a telephone number. "Turner" was the exchange; a telephone number from Winnipeg. "Turner" was the exchange for the suburb of St. James. All my friends had 888 as the first part of their phone number. Everyone knew which part... Continue Reading →
Walking the Mystical Path with Practical Feet – The Four-Fold Way
Being a mystic is one thing. But showing up for everyday life is another ball of wax. Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., an American cultural anthropologist (d. 2014) taught The Four-Fold Way™ , emphasizing four major principles that integrate ancient cultural wisdoms into contemporary life or as she interpreted it "walking the mystical path with practical feet": The Way of the... Continue Reading →
Under her Piano
"Music" by Anne Porter from Living Things: Collected Poems. © Steerforth Press, 2006. When I was a child I once sat sobbing on the floor Beside my mother’s piano As she played and sang For there was in her singing A shy yet solemn glory My smallness could not hold And when I... Continue Reading →
Reflections on a Year Long One-a-Day Ephemeral Art Project
I spent all of 2016 focused on an endeavour called One-a-Day Ephemeral Art Project*. Every day for a year I went outside and had a short conversation with nature. I made a piece of art with foraged objects and left it for someone to find (or not) celebrating whatever the environment offered me each day. I documented... Continue Reading →
1 year of stitches
I'm embarking one a new one-a-day year-long challenge, this time with a good friend. And this 365 day project doesn't have to be done outside. (In 2016 I did an daily ephemeral artwork project outside, everyday!) Each of us are fibre artists but we rarely work solely in embroidery. It's the type of challenge which... Continue Reading →
Coiled Basket Workshop Summer 2016
Location: Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba, Canada Register with Heidi Hunter at 204-389-4083. Here is the link to all summer classes at Runs With Scissors Studio in Winnipeg Beach, MB.
On Ceremonies, Cloth Bags and Grief
One of the most powerful moments of my mother's committal service was seeing my brother and sister-in-law placing her ashes into the ground. They knelt down on the grass beside the small hole. Gently her arm went all the way to the bottom of the soil floor, over a metre down, like a final caress. Families who are not... Continue Reading →
Sitting on the Edge of Patriarchy
"Say 'goodbye' to Patriarchy," said my husband as he passed me the captain's chair. 1977, a very special wedding gift from my parents. A suitably expensive Roxton maple dining room set; 4 chairs and a table. We have gathered around that table for the last 39 years. We still love the table. Whoever designed the... Continue Reading →
Coiled Basket Joy
I recently got the opportunity to teach coiled basketry at The Craft Bee, a monthly maker's night in London, ON. I really love teaching. The Craft Bee is held at the homey Soulshine Studio in Wortley Village. So much can be accomplished with just three colours. Rachel McGarry, of Urban Farm... Continue Reading →
Colour and Shape
“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn't say any other way — things I had no words for.” - Georgia O'Keeffe
365 Day Ephemeral Art Project 2016
I'm challenging myself in 2016 to produce an ephemeral art piece each day. So what is ephemeral art? It's a piece of art made on a walk with no tools and only what I find and then leave behind for others to find (or not). This came as a result of gazing around Instagram and... Continue Reading →
Where the Good Way Lies
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16
God’s Nest of Creation
I've been weaving a series of coiled basket creations mounted on driftwood, which I call "Bird Nests". Recently someone purchased this one and sent me this beautiful story. Nests evoke all kinds of emotions and bring forth thoughts of birthing, creating, preparing, anticipating and incubating. This Christmas I am gifting one of your nests to... Continue Reading →
Grapevine Weaving
It all started with this. A huge grapevine choking a large tree on my property. I dragged it all down and this huge pile became art material! Find two trees far enough apart, but not too far. The weft comes first. Up to ladder height. Warp and weft. Yes, that is an old wooden chair... Continue Reading →
Nests in Trees
Dusk. The perfect time of day to see into the trees.
Machine-stitched Rag Basket Class – August 2015
A very enthusiastic group gathered on August 29th at Runs With Scissors Studio in Winnipeg Beach to learn how to make rag rope baskets. The first project is to learn the method by sewing a coaster. Then comes the basket and learning how to 'throw a pot' on your sewing machine. With lots of hard work... Continue Reading →