Uncategorized

I have been making things in the studio all week, but most are surprises, so I can’t share them here until after Christmas. But here is one I can share. It is for one of my favourite people who wanted a medium-size tote that will stand up to the daily abuse of a busy life. I thought this striped fabric I bought in Ireland which is waterproof and durable would be perfect and make a great City Tote. I combined it with navy leather and lined it in orange waxed canvas. So this tote can be wiped clean, both inside and out.  It has leather carry handles and a cotton webbing cross-body strap, a metal zipper and a large split pocket inside. It measures 12.5″ tall, 13″ wide and has a 4″ base.

My long-time friend is visiting and our favourite thing to do is to spend a few hours sketching. Yesterday was a lovely sunny day, so we parked the car on a side street of a nearby town and sat, one in the driver’s seat and one in the backseat, each with a good view of this great old Victorian place. This part of the house faced the side-street and was attached, not entirely seamlessly, to the large square two storey main house which faced the main street. I was initially attracted to the garage doors with their diamond windows which must date from the 1940’s or earlier. I didn’t even note the street, so will go back to see if I can learn a little bit more of the history of this classic.

I’ve just begun a new sketchbook and this one is a Pentalic Aqua Journal. I like the paper very much, but after using the Large Portrait Hand.book which is just a little larger and oriented the other way, I felt space was tight on the page. I need to get back to working a little smaller.

I am home again after 2+ weeks in the south of Spain and France. We stayed for a week in Nerja, a small town right on the Mediterranean. We walked everywhere and every chance I had I tried to sketch the architecture, whether from a cafe, from the many marble benches or from our own terrace. It was warm and sunny the whole time we were in Spain–perfect sketching weather. Using Nerja as a base, we travelled out to see the marvellous Granada and Cordoba–but were also happy wandering through the market and the streets of Nerja.

Pio Pio was a favourite spot to have a cafe or an omelet. Its playful frieze was just asking to be sketched.

We also headed out on bus and train to Granada to see the Alhambra (magnificent) and to Cordoba to see the breathtaking ancient, mosque/cathedral with its endless rust and cream arches and walled garden full of orange trees. Again, so many amazing things to sketch and so little time. I loved the many shades of pink and yellow of the walls, and of course the red tiled roofs. Here are the sketches I finished, the first sitting in a cafe, the other three standing, leaning against a wall. I got the sketches done on site, but often added the paint later. 

I have been in Toronto for the last two days buying leather supplies. But I also went to see the hooked rug display at the Textile Museum. I took photos of my favourites to share with you. The Canadian themes with beavers and maple leaves were strong. I particularly loved the second rug, the chunky beaver with the wonderful setting including the chewed trees.

The border on this rug by Ruth McWhirter was so charming, I had to share it. I’ve used hearts in a border before on my rugs, but I love the way these hearts interlock as well as the play of red and black.Grenfell rugs are so often outstanding. Look at the precision. And it’s the same for the exquisite Quebecois rug which follows.

And how lucky to see an Emily Carr rug!

However, my favourite piece of the show was Joanna Close’s kitchen. Joanna documented her family farm in rugs before it was torn down to make way for a gravel quarry. The farm had been in Close’s family for six generations, from 1858. This piece is the only one in the series to depict the farm’s interior. It embodies the creative impulse of women who found the time, amid long days of hard work, to honour their world and make something both beautiful and useful. (And when I checked her website, I found Joanna is also a delightful sketcher. Check out her drawings HERE.)

I couldn’t wait to work with this great coated fabric which I bought in Ireland. I combined it with orange waxed canvas to make a pouch which is water-resistant inside and out. It can be wiped clean–and if you have a spill, wiped out. These pouches are perfect for makeup or art supplies or whatever small items you carry with you in a larger bag. Each time you pull it out you will smile at these wonky birds.

The pouches are featured in pairs, showing the front and back sides. Each one is different. The fourth pouch is lined in crisp striped canvas which has a light protective coating. These items are in the online store.

I have been away for a couple of weeks–in Ireland. I took my sketchbook and paints determined to sketch as much as I could. Our first three days were in Dublin, a great walking city. There were so many buildings I wanted to sketch but managed only a few. Sketching while travelling is a balancing act. Sometimes I got the ink drawing done on site and added the colour later. Other times I was a able to finish the full drawing. But always these sketches were started outside on location. I was using a Stillman and Birn beta coil sketchbook–both the paper and the book size worked well.

This was our hotel, the Davenport. Apparently it started off as a church and then became a theatre before its present iteration as a good central hotel. We discovered that the hotel was right next to Oscar Wilde’s home and a great statue of him lounging on a rock was in an adjacent park.

I saw this puzzle building on the drive in from the airport and loved its whimsey. We walked along the Liffey River past the poignant Famine Statues and then found a spot on a bench with a good view of the puzzle building . The trees, just turning colour, were as bright as the building behind. 

Further along the river is the O’Connell Bridge adorned with these marvellous lamps. I sat at the base of the Daniel O’Connell statue  across the road and sketched the lamps and then in an outdoor cafe a little further down to sketch the building below. It is amazing how much of the day you remember just by sketching–the sun, the crowds, the conversations all come back when I look at these sketches.