tour of the arts 2011

Yesterday was the 4th annual Columbia Valley Tour of the Arts, and it was wildly successful. 45 artists participated and almost 800 people bought passports (the ticket which admits you to the five different site locations and also contains artist images and bios). The turn out was great and the weather was sunny and perfect! I owe an endless  barrage of THANK-YOUS to my sister Ali Martin who was ever so helpful, not to mention the greatest salesperson ever (it’s the teacher in her, she distills information). My also dad came along with us in the morning for set-up and helped make my booth look AMAZING! I was at the Gratton Property, a gorgeous log cabin on several acres which overlooks Lake Windermere from a distance. I set up to the left of their incredible house, in a semi-shady spot right beside some very large spruce trees. I min-waxed the other side of the board I built with my father for my framed feathers installation and suspended it from a tree. On one side was a re-vamped “feather” wall with 5 new works (as I had sold several pieces from the original installation at my show). On the other side was a framed set of the animal calls series, 4 wall-mounted altered books, and one of my sculptural etchings from the secret handshake series. I finally set-up my gorgeous green pop-up canopy at an event, instead of just in my backyard, and used my folding table for something other than extended studio space. My table was prettied up by a custom sewn table cover by my talented quilter mother, with a lovely dark green fern pattern. She even accommodated my request for 2 slits on the back side, so it can hide boxes, packing material which makes the booth look clean and professional.  Buttons and magnets on the fern table cover were a hot item, and screen-printed moleskines and my hand-bound altered book journals were also a success.  Framed prints were scattered around the lawn on my site, on top of or leaning against wooden logs. While unframed prints were strung between poles of the canopy tent. I sold several of my new etchings, a hanging altered book and many unframed prints. The bargain table was also a hit, with 11×14 prints all priced at $20. The tour is always a super fun day for patrons and most interactions are purely positive and inspiring. Getting ready for the tour and setting it all up is of course a lot of work, but the exposure, the encouragement and the sales make it so worth while. I’m so happy to have been a part of the tour, and am glad it was a wild success for the Columbia Valley Arts Council and many of the 45 participating artists. My hat goes off to the countless volunteers and organizing committee who made this fabulous event possible, and hope that the tour continues to grow, evolve and flourish for years to come. And finally, to those who purchased art, were interested in the process of printmaking or who took a business card with intentions of reading the blog or staying in touch, THANK YOU, you inspire me to continually create.

road-trip snapshots (part 2)

Without further ado, I give you part two of my roadtrip photos & videos. This batch includes the drive home to 100 Mile which includes a stop over evening in Invermere for a visit with Nick and a sleep at my cabin.After getting on the road, I realized I was too tired to do the entire drive, after having printing all morning at Alberta Printmakers. So part way in, I took a short detour to stay at my cabin, and only 5 minutes after the turn off, an incredible and HUGE grizzly ran across my path, gave me a nice view of his big dump (his giant grin included, free of charge hahaha) then promptly ran up into the woods. awesome.I spent the evening hanging at Nick’s house enjoying the incredible view. Tough life… Here’s a short video of the lookout so you can hear the birds chirping and further experience the amazing panorama.Back on the road – finally on my way home. A foggy mountain top stands tall, as I get closer to the Shuswap. Snow in late June!! Now that’s Canadian!A favorite stop since childhood, Dutchman’s Dairy in Sicamous. BEST CHOCOLATE MILK EVER AND CHEESE CURDS GALORE! Thanks for the tasty treats guys!What a little beauty! Hi buddy!!!Getting close so close to home!!! One of the lakes near Savona.Mmmm the South Cariboo.RED ROCKS. The last stunning landmark before I arrive in my tiny town.

I had a fabulous trip, mixed business with pleasure, and got to drive across the lower west end of my gorgeous country! I’m excited to return to these spots in just over a week… Wednesday we leave for upper Alberta to do a visit with John’s family and friends, then will be back in the valley (John in tow) for my 2 week solo show and a month of art opportunities! So, there will be many more photos of summer adventures to come…

road-trip snapshots (part 1)

I wanted to share a bit more about my road-trip… but this time: less talk, more action.    A post (part one of two) featuring some snapshots and videos I took during my travels.
Hitting the road, leaving 100 Mile House.The rocky hills of the South Cariboo and a very long train in the distance.If this isn’t pure Canadiana at it’s finest, I don’t know what is. A short video featuring one of the amazing views from highway 93 during the drive. It’s just after Radium when you come into the valley. Getting SO close to the cabinPretty wildflowers near the lake.
An osprey. Such a powerful and agile bird of prey. Invermere has tons of them because there is an awful lot of good fishing for them to do.Baby robins in a nest at Nick’s house! Such little cuties!!!Indian Dinner Party!!!YUMMY! On the menu (and all made by me): butter chicken, chick pea dahl, beef rogan, kashmiri pilau, vegetable curry, spring salad with spiced yogurt dressing & naan bread.Working on some etching plates in the open air. Close enough to the lake to enjoy the view, close enough to the licensed Pynelogs Cafe to enjoy a cold cider.
Driving through Kootenay National Park on my way to Calgary.The incredible Castle Mountain – the halfway point between Windermere Lake & Calgary.Back in the big city, but not for long.

*part two to be posted tomorrow*