Archives for October 2012

a perfect final day in Paris

October 28, 2012 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

This morning I walked down rue Mouffetarde to buy a loaf of bread and find a spot to sketch. This is a lively area of market stalls, shops and cafes. This has been a roadway since the Roman settlement of the area and originally lead to Rome. Many of the current buildings date back to the 13th century.

I found a table in a cafe with a good view for sketching…

and right beside me was wonderful fench music and dancing!!

All around people were singing and enjoying the street theatre and a morning cafe. How civilized.
Then this afternoon we walked along the Seine to the Tuileries Garden to sketch. The weather could not have been more perfect. All of Paris seemed to be out enjoying the afternoon. The Tuileries has many, many chairs, enough for everyone to take in the sights and savour the day.

We finished the day with a short visit to the Louvre–a perfect ending.

a day in Chartres

October 26, 2012 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

Yesterday was lovely in Paris when we boarded the train for Chartres one hour late (the early train was cancelled because of the strike.) But in Chartres it was overcast and the spires of the cathedral were bathed in fog. But nothing could diminish the stunning beauty of the cathedral and the ancient town around it.

I love the small details of craftsmanship which are everywhere.

Our train back to Paris was running on time and after a full day we were back in just under an hour–strikes or not, there is much to admire about the french transit system.

Paris

October 25, 2012 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

The weather in Paris has been clear and sunny, intensifying the beauties all around.

The Marais is my favourite area in Paris, and Place des Vosges is its quiet green spot where the people watching is the best.

We also went to a wonderful fabric store in a courtyard in the Marais just off rue des Francs Bourgeois, Entree des Fournisseurs. Linen, Liberty cotton, yarn, woollen felt and so much more.

Yes, that is my bag of purchases outside the door. And, everywhere I look I see potential rugs!

And last for today, our visit to Sennelier to buy watercolour paints. What a place!

Weimar

October 24, 2012 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

When we arrived last week, we drove to Weimar, a city full of history. The Bauhaus Museum was a highlight for me, especially the textiles. And we found a little yarn bombing just outside, although this looks manufactured rather than hand-made. The tag says “Stitch graffiti makes the world colourful and cozy.”

Of much more cultural significance…

That last photo is of the Geothe and Schiller statue in the square outside the Bauhaus Museum. After two days, not nearly long enough, we went to Leipzig to the Thomaskirche where Bach was the organist and Kappelmeister from 1723 until 1750. What a thrill to go inside and hear a choir practising!

first post after almost a week away

October 22, 2012 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

I have been in Germany for the past week with my long-time friend, A. How lucky we have been with 20+ degree days of sun. We spent two days in Weimar and three in Berlin, sketching and taking photos of these incredible cities. For the next couple of posts I will include some of my favourite images and then later some of our sketches. Today some shots of Berlin. First off, I could not resist the red Deux Chevaux! And one of our favourite corners was this one:

The street name reminds us to “remain faithful” and this corner gives us the message in German and in French.

The incredible Reichstag Kuppel is a structure of glass and steel erected on top of the original 1894 building housing the German Parliament.

Marx and Engels:

Art Nouveau or Jugendstil design elaborately executed and echoed beautifully in the subway:

And finally the Berlin bears spotted all over the city.

sketching away

October 16, 2012 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

I am leaving tomorrow for two weeks away. A week in Berlin and a week in Paris, sketching and absorbing. I will keep you up to date right here, I hope, if the wordpress app cooperates. I have my sketch book, new palette, brushes and pens ready to go. I also have my reading planned: C.S. Richardson’s new book, The Emperor of Paris. Check out this link and the lovely short video which may make you want to go to Paris too. I absolutely loved Richardson’s first book The End of the Alphabet and I have great hopes for this new one. I always try to read a novel about the city I am visiting. For Berlin, Ian McEwan’s The Innocent. There isn’t a book of McEwan’s that I haven’t enjoyed, but the one on my top ten list is Atonement, a wonderful film too. But I digress…

It will be cold for sketching, especially in Berlin, so I decided to make myself a pair of fingerless gloves. You can see them in the top photo and below you will see I got carried away and made more for the show coming up in December. They are so easy to wear and so practical. There is a slit for your thumb and then your fingers are covered to the knuckles, but free for sketching or texting. Perfect. These pairs are made of gray cashmere, so wonderfully cozy.

For sketching inspiration I have been following Luís Ricardo Simões’ amazing blog, World Sketching Tour. Check the blog out, particularly this video. Here is one of his sketches from Berlin. His wonderfully loose style is so appealing. My friend A and I are hoping to absolutely fill our sketchbook with all kinds of images from these two great cities. I will keep you posted!

Here are a couple of my own recent sketches. A. and I spent a recent weekend sketching with Sharon Cranston, learning to relax and let the pen do the observing. This sketch is from a Picton Ontario food fair, full of people and great smells. We were right beside the fresh bread booth! The second is on the GO train into Toronto.

Drawing people is tough. Luckily this young woman was so involved with her phone that she didn’t notice me. Maybe by the time I am home from Europe I will have figured out how to do faces. When I add the mouth, I seem to ruin it. Ah well. What I am really after is the wonderful connection with a scene that you get from drawing it — far more than taking a photo. I can still smell the bread from the picture above!

new tote and pouch — www dot!

October 15, 2012 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

I got a chance to do some silk screening with the first of my new designs. I knew that I liked the bold graphic quality of the chevrons and dots, but was very pleasantly surprised with how it worked into the angles of my pouches and bags. Many thanks to Melanie who translated my line drawings into a computer image that repeats perfectly both horizontally and vertically. I am still working on mastering the big sheets!

This tote is a great size, 13x12x5″. It is lined with moss gray-green 100% cotton with a leather pocket for your phone and has a very sturdy 44 inch leather strap. This tote will easily accommodate your ipad, sketchbook and other essentials.Here is the www dot pattern in a pouch, lined in bright orange 100% cotton with a durable zipper. It measures 8x6x3.5″.

3 gaspé totes

October 13, 2012 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

Cherry, Candy Apple and Bubble Gum. I have been having fun this week with some great leather from my remnant stash. I liked the rough pouches very much and thought the idea would translate well to a tote. Since I am working with small remnant pieces, I had enough for the body of the bag, but not straps–so I worked on the idea of coordinating straps, or in the case of the Candy Apple, some purchased straps that I had on hand from my days of making hooked bags. So here they are–unlined, heavy-duty totes with a pocket on the outside, two pockets inside and a zipper closing. Ready to sling over your arm for a day of shopping or for a weekend jaunt. These bags are one-of-a-kind. On the sewing table next is one in grass and one in rugged brown…and an ipad case.

Here is the Candy Apple. (October 14 update: Candy Apple has been purchased!!!)
and the Cherry…and the bubble gum…

I have been printing labels on the computer with my birdbrain bird for a long time. For a change I decided to use a stamp that my sons gave me a few years ago. It stamps well on leather and I love the shot of colour on the interior of this bubblegum bag. I will also be sewing it on the outside of some new pouches which are in the works. I got a pile of rough leather remnants when I was in Toronto and I am eager to try some new designs–an ipad case for sure.

yarn bombing and more

October 10, 2012 by Birdbrain Leave a Comment

Many thanks to Wendie who alerted me that my photos here taken last week in Picton Ontario are examples of yarn bombing or yarn storming. There is a good explanation here along with this great Thank You Tree. And if you want to pursue the idea, there are books written on the subject, Yarn Bombing, Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti and Knit the City. Seems to me this is an elegant and non-destructive way to make a point or just bring joy to a sterile place. And speaking of thank you, Wendie has a wonderful thanks pillow in her latest post.

Today I was back in the studio. Have begun screen printing my new designs. These are for new canvas totes and bags as well as for lining of the leather bags. I love the graphic quality of these chevrons. This is the first of three new designs.

And…the cherry Gaspé bag is almost finished. I think the size and the leather combine to make a great bag. Pictures on Thursday, I hope. For tomorrow, I am off to Toronto to stock up on zippers, interfacing and screen printing ink–and maybe a leather remnant or two if I see an irresistible colour!

colours of the north

October 9, 2012 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

Thanksgiving is our weekend to close down the cottage for the winter. This weekend was cold — minus two overnight — but one of the most beautiful I can remember. Saturday we had a double rainbow, but I was a little late with the camera to catch the second.

But I did get up early enough for this.

And out in the kayak for this.

And along with thanksgiving and birthday celebrations I found time for the wedding rug. The gap is closing.

But the exciting creative achievement of the weekend was definitely this birthday present. My younger son, Owen, made his brother a surf board bag which zipped neatly around the top and had an optional zipper for the fin.

At the end of the weekend, the board was tucked into its new bag and all set for the trip home to Montreal.