Shiney New Blog!

ArtPub Studios, an artist networking group I belong to has recently made some changes for the new year. We've got a brand new site and a group blog that has just been launched. Each member has her own individual blog within the blog and we will also be sharing art related content as a group.



My ArtPub blog will have different entries and content than Tattered Edge* does. I will be talking more in depth about the creative process and working as an artist and will be posting about once a month or so. I have already posted my first entry about setting goals and you can view it by clicking here. (I haven't had a chance to update my Artpub button on the side bar yet!) You'll want to bookmark our blog-there will be alot of cool stuff happening there!



In addition to me, you can also view content from the other members, who include:

Angela Cartwright, Deb Trotter, Deryn Mentock, Kathy Wasilewski, Lou McCulloch, Mary Beth Shaw, Pilar Pollock, Sally Turlington, Sarah Fishburn
Sylvia Luna and Tiffini Elecktra X, each an amazing and talented artist in their own right!



I hope you will enjoy this new site and all it has to offer. I am excited about what we have in the works and look forward to sharing with you!



*Don't worry-Tattered Edge isn't going anywhere! I will still be posting regularly here!

Still Digging Out

The unpacking continues. I am almost there now-there's just some reorganizing of closets and hanging stuff on the walls left to do. I found the box with all my wall quilts in it and I can't wait to get them hung up. It's amazing how a few quilts can transform the warmth of a space.



I haven't seriously quilted in some time, mainly because I went over to the dark side (*giggle*) and got caught up in paper art, but after unearthing some of my fabric stash and seeing my sweet little pincushions again, my hands are itching to delve back into textiles. I have several quilt tops that could be finished if I could commit to going to buy backing and batting. I really should do some finishing before I start anything new. I love all the things I started and they would look fabulous sprinkled around the house. One of the local quilt shops where several of my friends work is having a Pincushion Club where you make a different one every other month. I am contemplating signing up.



Fun stuff is happening with the 12 Days of Xmas Exchange. My mailbox has been full of presents lately and each one is such a temptation. Only 15 more days till we begin opening! I can't wait-the ladies always make such wonderful things and wrap them so beautifully. The whole exchange is so magical. If you want to see what we're up to, pop on over to the blog and check it out. Don't forget to click on the archives-not all of this years gifts show up on one page. (There are 26 in all!)



Okay, that's the report from the studio for today. Off to finish unpacking!

Be It Ever So Humble

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

This is of one of the two little Buddhas I bought for my studio. Just looking at it makes me feel Zen. I am taking a moment to breathe and be still after the whirl wind of activity that was the weekend. We were finally able to move into the upstairs of the house we rented. Believe me, the feeling of relief I feel over this is immense. It's been an incredibly long three months with packing and moving downstairs, surviving the chaos that went with the previous upstairs tenants (who were supposed to be gone before we even arrived, but were not!) and then finally getting up here. I have never spent so much time cleaning and painting! We have now officially cleaned and painted the interior of an entire house, something I hope to never have to do again. Seriously.

The whole thing was worth it though-we have finally landed and the unpacking is about 80% done. My studio is about 80% unpacked as well and hopefully by the weekend, we will be settled in and can finally relax. I am really loving having a dedicated space to cocoon myself up in and work. I haven't had a chance to dig into anything substantial yet, but after the weekend, I have some serious art to make!

I have actually had the best time unpacking my art stuff. I am rediscovering old treasures and it's like receiving the gift of the art my friends have made for me all over again. It's very happy making and comforting to be surrounded by my special things once again. I am someone who loves order and let me tell you, camping out amongst the boxes was not my idea of fun.

So...a new chapter begins in our lives and I think we will be really happy here. I would not have chosen to move, nor the circumstances that made it necessary, however the Universe has provided this opportunity and even if we had to earn it the hard way, I am grateful. I am also grateful the Internet guy got my service up and running finally-I was offline the entire weekend. Every time he said he was coming, he'd call back later and say he couldn't make it. He finally managed to swing by this morning and deal with it. The only fly in the ointment now is that somehow our cable's gone out and we've only got 3 stations. I called to let him know and hopefully this will get sorted this afternoon. My guys love their tv in the evenings and they are not going to be happy if it's not restored PDQ!

Once I get the studio ship shape, I will have to post some pictures. Okay, time for me to get back to unpacking! Catcha later!

Setting Goals

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

The year is beginning to wind down and as is my habit at this point, I start thinking about goals for the new year. I find it really helpful to have a game plan for what I want to accomplish with my art for the year. It helps me decide which projects I want to take on and which ones I will take a pass on to keep from feeling overwhelmed.


Here are some of my suggestions about how to set goals:

1. Put your goals in writing. This dramatically increses the likelihood of achieving them. How can you know what you've accomplished over time if you can't remember what you wanted to do? Writing them down makes them more tangiable.


2. Choose goals that are meaningful.Think about what you would do if you knew you would not fail. Those are the true dreams of your heart. In order to achieve those goals you must feel passionate about them. Don't be afraid to be specific!


3. Remain flexable. Sometimes goals will change over time. For example, I thought this year, I should have one of my goals be to create a portfolio of my work to use as a tool to secure teaching contracts. I later realized that rewriting my CV to reflect my work as an artist was sufficiant. Sometimes goals may get left behind. I have a theory on this: sometimes the journey is more important than the goal. You may find along the way you got to a certain point and that was enough. This is not a failure. Sometimes the learning was in the process so you learned what you needed to and then moved on. This is OKAY!


4. Cultivate a support circle. I can't stress enough how helpful it is to have folks around you who will help you remain accountable for your goals, aid in troubleshooting when you get stuck and celebrate your accomplishments with you. Everyone brings their own strengths and body of knowledge to the table and this can be a powerful resource. You know that old saying "Two heads are better than one"? It's true!


5. Take stock. Throughout the year have pre-set times when you will read through your goals and report in to your support circle. I like to review at 6 months (June, if you are running by the calendar) and then again at 9 (September) and lastly at 12 (December). At the 6 month point, the year is half over and it's a good to see how much you got done in 6th months. This can help motivate you for the remainder of the year. At 9 months, you have 3 months left to work on anything you didn't already get done-make the final push. At 12, it's time to see how far you've come in a year, talk about what worked and what didn't and use that experience to formulate your goals for the new year. It's amazing how sometimes you feel like you didn't get much done, but in reviewing your goals, you will often find you really did accomplish more than you thought. The part I enjoy is seeing how, if at all my priorities changed.


I have found this process to be invaluable in helping me move foreward with my dreams and aspirations. I hope that some of what I've shared strikes a chord in you and moves you to action. Don't be afraid to start living your dreams. The time is NOW!

Again With the Moving!

See this mess? You would never guess that this is actually a bedroom and not a storage locker! This is what I have been living with for 3 months now. It began at the old house with the packing, then when we got here and knew we were going to actually end up upstairs, I didn't unpack except for the essentials. We have been camped out amongst the boxes ever since. I can't tell you how much I miss my things and want to get settled. Almost there...

It amazes me how fast and furious the ideas for art come when you have no studio to work in and your supplies are buried. At the beginning of the year, I bought myself a little Moleskine journal to carry with me so I could jot down the various art related things. The journal has proven very useful in helping me remember ideas I had for various projects. When it's full, I will be buying another.

So what's in mine?

-lists: to-do lists, exchange participants list, lists of things on my wish list, supply lists for classes, swaps I am participating in, publications I have submitted to, movies I've seen, books I've read, songs I want to buy for my iPod

-sketches of artful things I want to make

-snippets of information clipped from wherever

-artful bits off of envelopes I received from artist friends

-return address labels off mail from friends

-idea clipped from magazines of things I want to make or buy

-song lyrics I like

and so on. If I think about it, chances are it's in there!

Right now it's turning into a repository of art ideas that I am having while in moving limbo. I cannot wait to get into my studio and WORK!! December 1st, that's where I'll be, plugging away, getting my hands dirty, music cranked, oblivious to the outside world. I keep teasing my guys that they will be slipping notes under the door begging me to come out and feed them and I don't think that's that far off from the truth! Perhaps I should stock up on frozen dinners now. *grins*

Before I sign off, I wanted to wish all my friends south of the border a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you all have a wonderful, laughter filled holiday and if you are travelling to be with family, a safe journey.

To Life!

"Tree Of Life" by Artist Heather Chisholm

I have wanted to share this painting with you all for the last couple of weeks but the camera was lost in the chaos. I finally located it but the light wasn't right. I feel kind of guilty showing it to you now because it looks so washed out when in truth it is bright and vibrant and has really cool texture work on it. Anyway, let me get to the spirit of this post: the gift.

Two weeks ago, my friend Heather, whom I met when we worked on the crisis line (I was her mentor) and I got together. Heather is a wonderful artist. I always think of her as very spiritual, insightful and playful. She paints and I am so envious of anyone who can paint for real. I don't know if I can or not-I have never had the opportunity to be guided into the world of paint, but I LOVE what she does. Anyway, just before I was going to come home she said something incredible to me. She told me her paintings needed to have a new home and she wanted me to choose one to take home with me. I stood there for a moment kind of bewildered and wondered if I had heard her correctly. So I asked her and yes, she meant for me to have one. WOW!

I stood there for a moment pondering which one spoke to me most. Finally I chose this one. I love the spirals of the branches-I have a "thing" about spirals. I also have a soft spot in my heart for trees and I like not only the texture on this piece (which sadly you cannot see) but also the wispy darkness of the sky. When I look at this, I see the tree has found purchase high up in the crags, grounding itself and finding strength to grow in an improbable place, unfurling itself to the heavens. I think it is about thriving even in difficult circumstances and being true to your nature, no matter what. If I tree can rise up from the rocks, anything is possible. It's mystical and this painting says so much about the friend I know and love. If the colours were true, you would also see that this painting will ease gently into my new studio space. I am very much looking forward to hanging it there.

It's been a long three months with this moving business. I packed up my studio so long ago it seems and now I find myself longing to unpack and rediscover all the wonderful pieces of art my friends far and wide have gifted me with over the years. Each piece is precious to me, for it speaks to me of the love between friends and I see the best of who they are in their work. I always think of art as a small fragment of someones soul going out into the world. It makes me feel really blessed to have a collection of these precious fragments to surround myself with, to be inspired by and to remind me that there is this community of spirit that we share with one another.

THANK YOU Heather, for being my friend and for your endless kindness and generousity of spirit. You inspire me simply by virtue of being who you are. xo

*Apologies for the bad photo. When I get settled, I will take another so you can see it as it was meant to be seen.

Le Voila!

So yesterday was a hugely busy day. It began with my Mixed Media Bracelet Workshop at Place des Arts which turned out to be an enjoyable afternoon. We had a bit of a wrench thrown into the works, but luckily my students were incredibly understanding and flexible and we were able to just carry on and make the best of it. There was laughter, especially when I hammered my finger but good (but hey, I laughed too!) which is always an important part of any workshop and lots of creativity. Thanks Ladies for a lovely afternoon.

When I got home, my husband had dinner waiting and friends had arrived to help us with painting the upstairs. They got started while I made a quick trip to Home Depot to see about the paint for my studio. I took that piece of scrapbooking paper I bought a month ago with me and the nice gentleman at the paint counter had no problem matching it exactly for me, using this machine that reads the colour sample you bring in. (Very cool!) When he had it all mixed, he brought it over and opened the can to show me. I just grinned and said "That right there is happiness in a can!" I don't think he realized how incredibly happy I was to see that paint, the exact colour I wanted and know it was about to go on the walls of my new studio.

I took the paint and headed for the checkout and on the way I was thinking about what great service I had had from Home Depot yesterday. Earlier in the morning, I decided to try calling in a pint order so my husband could get started painting the living room while I was off teaching. They were very accommodating and filled my order quickly and without any problems. I decided to tell the manager how impressed I was with the staff in the paint department. I always like to tell the manager directly because people who show pride and integrity in their work deserve to have someone capable of giving them a raise hear it. I asked the checkout girl if there was a manager available and she got that look like 'Uh oh!" but I smiled and reassured her I wanted to give compliments, not complaints. She got right on the phone and asked one to come down.

And this folks, is where the magic of the universe steps in. The manager came out, we looked at one another and there was instant recognition between long lost friends. Yes, the manager was someone I had not seen in 10 years, someone I really liked and had lost touch with! So we stood there having a super quick catch up and then I got to the part about how great the paint department staff were and that I would not hesitate to buy paint from them again and how nice they were to me. Had I not listened to that little voice inside my head that said "You need to give these folks their due and repay their kindness." this moment of reunion would never have happened. As one of my favourite quotes says (forgive me, I can't remember at the moment who said it) "It's one of the lovely compensations of this life that the more you give, the more you get to keep for yourself." This is the magic of my life, for which I am enormously grateful.

When I got home, the gang had finished painting first coats on some of the other rooms so we broke open the studio paint and got to work. I cannot tell you how much I love the colour and now I am excited to get the furniture in there and get it all set up! It still needs another coat tonight, but YAY!! One step closer to bliss!