GARDENSCAPE 2014

Gardenscape is now over and done for yet another year.  The weather, with the exception of one day, was terrible, especially when the whole idea of Gardenscape is to bring about thoughts of spring....of gardening....hmmmm...hard to do when it's snowing.  Anyway, the Art Show was reasonably well attended and I managed to sell a few pieces. 

 This is Grandma's Pansy and was so-named because my Grandmother loved blue pansies and always had them in her garden. This piece is sold.

On the Rocks  is still available.  It certainly attracted a lot of attention at Gardenscape. Email me if you're interested in this piece. The artwork is 10" x 8" and is framed to 15" x 12". It sells for $280.00

 







This piece is sold also, in fact, I think I could have sold it about 50 times!  I don't think I have ever done any work that has attracted quite so much attention.

This is The Dandelion-gone to Seed and is available. It measures 7" x 5" for the artwork and is framed to 12" x 10".  I'm asking $185.00

This is also available for $190.00. It's called Oriental Lily, measures 7"x5" for the art, framed to 12"x10".

This is Dotted BlazingStar and was inspired by the multitude of these flowers growing at the Beaver Creek Conversation Area.  It measures 6"x4", is framed to 10"x11" and sells for $115.00.

 I have a few more pieces available and will post them next week.

While at Gardenscape last weekend, I was asked by a woman to reproduce a piece that had already been sold.   Although I was quite prepared to do another version for her, it seemed that she wanted the exact same image.   I will do commissions, but I won't do duplicates of a piece already sold, regardless of size.  I sell my work as original art and just don't feel it's original if I'm selling duplicates.  I also don't feel it's fair to the person who has purchased the original.  Once I've used one of my pictures in an art piece, it's permanently retired. I'm sorry if some people find this annoying, but I assure you, I have hundreds of pictures and if you find one that you like, I have LOTS more and can make it up into a thread painting that's unique to you. 

Now that Gardenscape is finished, I have a talk to prepare, a few pieces to finish for a gallery and then I've promised myself the summer in my garden. I've just started my second year of showing and am very pleased with the way my art has been received.  I've met a great many other artists and have to say that, for me, getting togther with these people is the high point of Gardenscape. These people were a tremendous support to me last year at Gardenscape 2013, which was the very first art show for my stitched pieces. I was very glad to see all of them back this year, with a few new, welcome additions. I hope we can get together in between art shows in the coming months!

I intend to post more regularly in the coming weeks.  I find it difficult to justify spending time on my computer when I have work to complete, and so I'm afraid my blog gets neglected. But I am planning on getting a website put together in the near future or possibly an Etsy shop. Who knows.....but I do know that it's nearly time to get out the camera for the spring season and seeing as how the Beaver Creek Conservation Area and Cranberry Flats are basically my "front yard", I'll definitely be spending lots of time there. I have a fairly major project on the back burner and will tell you about that when plans are more concrete.

Ok - I'll post more in a week or so. Look for more of my work by the end of April at the SK Craft Council Boutique............................................................................donna

Did anyone see March???

I distinctly remember it being cold - VERY cold.  I also remember being very very busy. I hate that - when weeks and weeks pass so quickly that you can barely keep up. Ah well....here's some of what went on.

The beginning of the month I was in Moose Jaw teaching a thread painting workshop to a group of women from the Prairie Hearts Quilters Guild. My pal Mary and I drove down together - it was great to have company, especially considering how cold it was outside.  The room we occupied for this class was huge!  It was the Art Room in one of the high schools and I have to say that I was very impressed. The lighting was terrific and everyone got to work at their own table. Work from the high school students was scattered around and goodness, there's a LOT of talent in Moose Jaw.  But the workshop was fantastic. I've never seen such an enthusiastic group of women. Even on the coldest day in something like 20 years, everyone showed up and produced work that simply astounded me.  I had assumed that there would likely be some who would have free motion quilting experience and this was the case, but the class ran from a few with no free motion experience at all to very experienced artists.  Anyone who started from scratch caught on immediately and those who already had a grasp of FME zoomed ahead. We got through all of the material I had prepared and got to spend the whole second day working on projects.

 

We had yummy treats too!!!

....working away .....

See how much space everyone had??

The only down side of the whole weekend was the weather. My car wouldn't start Saturday morning, so we hitched a ride with the owner of the Cottage Redland B&B where I was staying. When we got back later in the day, it started fine, but I was then completely paranoid that it wasn't going to start another time and worried that I wouldn't be able to get to the workshop, or get my car loaded up to come home. But it all worked out, thank heaven. My car is a Mini Cooper and as such, doesn't have a block heater (synthetic oil) and this was the first time that it wouldn't start. Mind you, there was a wind chill factor of around -50C.  When we went to pack up to leave, I found that the hatchback had frozen shut. Now, lifting two large, heavy sewing machines over the front seats (yup, it's a two-door) would have been pretty difficult for me, but thanks to Linda Dirkson's husband, who I'm told is experienced in packing cars, everything got stuffed in. So, other than problems related to the weather, the whole weekend was terrific. 

Thanks very much to Linda Dirkson who organized the workshop and to all the participants from the M.J. Prairie Hearts Quilt Guild. It was a pleasure meeting you all. I have pictures from the workshop that I'll send along to Linda - so if you'd like to have a copy, please let her know. Or, if you email me, I can send them along to you directly.  Email me at acdc@sasktel.net.  Thank you also to Linda's husband for his help loading my car - you have no idea how much I appreciated this.  And to the wonderful folks at the Redland Cottage B&B who looked after us very very well, fed us to bursting and acted as chauffeur on the coldest day of the year.

Incidentally, if anyone is ever looking for a place to stay in Moose Jaw, I can highly recommend this B&B. It's a lovely old house in a beautiful part of town. It's all furnished in period furniture and I have to say, I have never eaten so much for breakfast in my life!  Fabulous meals! The individual rooms are very large, and the beds are sooooo comfortable - best sleep I've had in about three years - no kidding!!  I was very impressed with Moose Jaw as a whole - I had no idea it was such a pretty city. There's an abundance of wonderful old houses, many of which have to be in the 100+ years old category and very well taken care of.  As one who loves old things, I felt very at home there and will definitely go back.  

So, that's the beginning of March.  I'll post another time on Gardenscape.........donna