from the cariboo to the kootenays

Life has been a whirlwind and I am still trying to catch my breath… but I couldn’t be happier to finally be next to my beloved Kootenay mountains and the gorgeous Columbia River. I figured I better sit down and blog quickly about the recent adventures and changes before I have a massive pile of photos to share and not enough blog space to do it. Hard to believe that we were in 100 Mile House only a short 5 days ago, packing up boxes and sitting on camping chairs with John’s parents in the (very empty) living room. Feels good to have packed up the old house, survived the long drive down BC highways, and to now be settling into a happy new home. Soon I will start sorting through the many piled up boxes that are resting in our little nook and there are of course lots more fun things to share with you very soon! I hope all is well in your world.

so long my sweet studio

I have tasted this bittersweet feeling many times before. Leaving a special space where I have been inspired, creative and productive is really hard. Of course I’m excited about the prospects of the future studio: I get to experience a new space, new ambiance and new opportunities. However, leaving my current space is also an uprooting that changes my studio set-up, my gorgeous inspiration wall, and the spot where all of my recent accomplishments from the past 20 months have taken place. This particular space even made it into Uppercase Magazine! I made sure to stand in front of that wall for a long while until many of the memories of my 100 Mile House studio found dear spaces in my heart.I thought it was a perfect occasion to share and reflect about two of my other studio uprootings from the past half decade. Above is my studio during the final year of my Bachelor of Fine Arts studies at ACAD.  It was in the back corner of the printmaking department where my beloved animals, drawings and prints exploded on to the walls. The studio space I rented after my BFA was at the Co-op Studio & Gallery, Blackstar in Invermere, BC. It was a great way to transition from being a student into a practicing artist: I was actively involved with an art community that I care about dearly and I also got to spend time daily with a few of my best friends who were also renting spaces. 20 months ago John landed a great radio gig, so my East Kootenays studio was packed up and I moved up to 100 Mile House. It only made sense to leave you with a final shot of my empty studio space. I look forward to sharing a lot of fun and exciting ideas, events and creations when I return to the blog in just a few days… The move starts tonight, wish me luck. Goodbye 100 Mile House. So long my sweet studio.

quick update

As you know from my post last week, my life is in serious transformation mode right now and I am trying to keep my head on straight as I dive right into all of these crazy, exciting and quickly approaching changes. I am working on a big blog post about this past week’s adventures in the West Kootenays while road-tripping to do some house hunting… there are tons of great photos to show you! Plus I will be soon sharing a few personal reflections that have arisen since being faced with some things that are totally new and unknown. Before my own move was happening, I mentioned in a post a while ago about my parents recently selling their home of over 25 years, that I am a Taurus and therefore often find comfort in routine and simplicity; complicated unknowns aren’t usually my cup of tea… however when faced with them in the past I must admit that I have grown and learned so much from those experiences, and so I am learning to embrace this craziness as a chance for exploration and fresh experiences instead of viewing it as a forced upheaval. Moving to this area of the country has always been a dream for John and I, so I have also been keeping my eye on the prize whenever I start to panic about the piles of household and studio crap that have yet to be boxed. Wanted to also post quickly to let my wonderful readers know that my trusty Macbook of 4+ years finally bit the dust the second I got home from Nelson. So sad and such ironic timing. I’m not even going to sit here & pout, because honestly, there is no time to do so! I don’t even really have time to take it to an Apple store until after the move, so I just worked out the kinks of software downloads, operating systems plus uploading and editing on John’s (Windows) computer *shudders*. Luckily I am slowly getting the hang of it, and since there is so much to share with you right now, I will do my best to navigate the digital world with Bill by my side instead of Steve, so that I can continue blogging often, as I always have. Although I’ll admit, re-training the index finger to click everything twice is proving to be more difficult than I thought.Finally, some fresh blades of grass & I wanted to say a quick but BIG thank you to everyone for their outpouring of congrats, positive energy and general sweetness about all the recent exciting news! Your kind words and support mean a lot, and I can’t wait to experience this grand adventure and share it with you along the way!