Artfest 2009, Part 1

I just pulled all the photos off the camera and uploaded and organized them on my hard drive. WHEW! I didn't realize how many I took until I did this!

So the first slide show is all the trades I received over 5 days, including some pics of the Inspiration Deck, which was a collaborative project with my housemates. The idea was to have art on one side, then some sort of inspiration to turn to on the other, for days when we're feeling stuck.

A few of the ladies had never done a collaborative like this before and were feeling anxious about whether or not they had done a good job, but once they saw how wonderfully all the contributions melded together, it was all good. The deck turn out amazing and I think it will be a nice keepsake of Artfest 2009.

When I was laying out all my trades so I could take photographs (quick ones, with everything just plunked on my bed!) I was amazed at how many there were and how different each one was for the next. The talent pool at Artfest runs deep!

This second slide show is of pieces from the Artfest gallery, based on the sea monster theme. There were several I just fell in love with. Who wouldn't want a velvet octopus in their studio? I don't remember who made it (alas!) but it was my favourite piece, along with the mermaid necklace Jacque my housemate and new found friend made. Just so you know, as the slide show plays, mouse over the pics to see the captions. That way you'll know what you're looking at.

One thing I really enjoy about being exposed to so much art is that I see things that I look at every day, but I see it being used slightly differently-different assemblage of materials, different colour pallets, and so on. It allows me to consider new possibilities about what I can do with the materials I have here in the studio. One thing I was blessed with was the ability to look at something and figure out (most of the time) how to do it myself. (Thanks to my Gramps-those genes came directly from him.) The trick is getting it down on paper before I lose the idea. You know how it goes-you get a flash a brilliance and then it's gone!

I am still tidying up the studio and putting things away. It's a challenge finding just the right spot for all my new treasures. I'll share some more Artfest goodness with you when I get another window of time to post. Until then, enjoy!

Artfest Preparations

So at long last, some art for all my faithful readers. I have been chipping away at preparations for Artfest. It always amazes me that it takes me about a month to hunt down and gather everything I need for the classes I am taking and get it all organized and packed. I know some folks pack the night before and that leaves me dumbfounded. How do they do that?!?

As it is, I have already had a couple nightmares that I've gone to Artfest and arrived with no supplies. How crazy is that!? The other morning, my son woke me up just as I was dreaming that I was in a class and we were about to learn how to make a book with a wooden spoon as the binding mechanism. I was so annoyed that I didn't get to finish that dream!

Anyway, pictured above are some luggage tags I made for my trades. I did similar collages for the Artfest ATC book. I like the image of the girls that I used. I chose it because I think the curly headed girl looks kind of like me.

For those of you not in the know, this year's theme is "sea monsters". I'm not much of a sea monster girl, so I went with more of an oceanic theme. Living on the west coast, I have a deep appreciation for the ocean. I spend alot of time walking along the sea wall in my beloved Stanley Park and beach combing whenever I get the chance. It's a favourite pastime.

I also made some magnets from some of the ATCs I've made over the years. I didn't make as many trades this year as I have in the past. I've just been too busy.

I've also been working on a housemates exchange that I host every year for the ladies I room with at Artfest. This year we're doing something really cool. I will post it after I get back-I don't want to spoil the surprise.

This is the journal I made for my trip. I whipped it up today and it's Moleskine size. I like the smaller format, as I tend to like to glue things in that I collect in my travels and make brief notes about what I learn in class. I'm not heavily into writing longhand in my journals. I find that my problem has always been that my hand can't keep up with my thought process, which is why I prefer to blog. Anyway, this little book should do the trick. The Octo on the front is something I drew (be kind-I am not that kind of artist!) for an article I wrote for my friend Tina's zine. She creates zines as her AF trade and they are wonderful.


Lastly, this is a journal I made for a friend who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. I have a thing for vintage medicine labels (I own about 300 of them!) and I thought she might enjoy having a place to record/reflect/vent about the experience.

I mailed it to her and she got it late last week and said she really likes it. I hope it will help her cope with her treatments. There's nothing worse than getting news like that. She's being a really good spot about it, but still, it's not the kind of thing anyone ever wants to go through. I hope this will bring her some comfort.

This weekend, Indy, my sweet, sweet boy is celebrating his first birthday on the Ides of March. (The 15th.) He's grown so quickly, though he's not as big as some breeds of Labs are. He weighs in at a respectable 60 lbs. so far. I don't think he's going to grow much bigger, but he'll likely fill out a little. He's solid muscle as we exercise him alot-lots of walks, lots of time playing at the dog park. It sneauxed here this morning and so we took him out in the yard to roll around in it. He loves the white stuff-he should have been a rescue dog.

My best friend loves Indy so much that she and her husband are getting a puppy from the same breeder. Indy's mum was bred this weekend to the same dad as Indy had so soon they will have one of Indy's siblings for their very own. I am excited because it means I can enjoy another Lab puppy without all the work! The puppies are due in late May. I can't wait to see them!

Okay, time for me to sign off. I am so tired I think my eyes are going to fall out of my head. Off to dream about Artfest some more!

Artfest 2008 Part 2: Trades

So of course one of the biggest parts of Artfest is the trading that goes on right after dinner the first night and continues on a smaller scale in class after that. This year more people know about Moo Cards so there were Moos aplenty. I was really pleased to add more to my collection.

Last year, the big thing was charms and some folks made them again this year. There was a really nice selection. Lots of owls and blown glass.

I loved that someone did an altered day timer as a trade. I plan to use mine! I also thought the Notes book was clever and the fabric journal was really cool. The artist who made that did 60 of them if you can believe it! I especially loved the raw silk cording wrapped around it. I would love to know where to get some.

Then of course there were the ephemera packets which are always nice-new fodder for playing with!

Some folks made ATCs. I think my collection now stands at something like 1400 or pretty darn close! I have it housed in 4 binders at this point.

Then there was the little owl from the logo, which inspired people to make owl themes goodies. The little owl at the bottom right is a magnet and someone was giving away little owl unmounted rubber too! (There were also several owl charms, if you look closely at the charms photo.)

And last but not least, there was a hodge podge of goodies that didn't fit into any of the previous categories, so I grouped them together here. That parachute fabric leaf at the top is kind of funny. I found it on the lawn next to our house, blowing on the breeze. Tina told me she'd received one as a trade, so I picked it up and added it to my goody bag. I guess it was a tithe from the universe. In any case, I looped it around the closet door handle in the studio where all my Artfest name tags are dangling.

The studio is pretty much tidied up now and most of my tools and supplies have been put back where they belong. Tomorrow I have to go set up for the studio tour. No rest for the wicked!

More Artfest to follow, stay tuned!

In Artfest Mode

Here a house, there a house....It's that time of year again-the time when I am madly dashing around pulling together all the things I need for Artfest! These are my general swaps, little houses with a muse inside for folks to put in their studios for good luck. I spent all day yesterday finishing them. I'd cut them out way back in December, but only just managed to complete them yesterday. I had the pedal to the metal, quite literally as I sewed them all on my sewing machine. I started at 5 a.m. and got all 108 of them done just after dinner last night. The picture is only a fraction of the ones I made.

Now I am moving on to working on the special swaps for my housemates. I have a great idea in mind and I should be able to get them finished by the end of the week. I also want to order more Moo cards to trade with anyone who brings theirs. I guess I should also pull out my supply lists for my classes and get to ordering anything I need. Artfest is only 27 days away!! I have renewed my passport, had my car tuned up and all that's left to do is get travel medical insurance. (Don't leave home without it!!)

I am so excited! I can't wait!