‘Tis the season for art sales

My blogging has taken a bit of a back seat to creating artwork, packaging and preparing for several of the season’s art sales. This time of year is both crazy-busy and so much fun. A time when I get to frame my art or lovingly package it to go out into the world. And, a time to reconnect with friends, family and followers who attend the sales.

Here is a taste of what I have been working on. And, for my fellow artists who follow this blog — thanks so much for your blog posts showing your inspiring art displays this season. You always help make my displays better!

I have one more show to pull off this weekend in the studio I share with Barb Fyvie. Our fabulous artist collective — the Artists of Elk Run in Canmore — will open their studios this weekend (Dec. 7 & 8, 2013) for people to come, meet the artists, see demonstrations and shop for Christmas.

Enjoy the season, and if you are in the Canmore area, do drop by this weekend for a chat!

To prepare for the Christmas season, I created a few new products, like these hand-printed wooden tree ornaments. This year’s themes: puppies and kittens…something I am always asked for at shows!

I was also busy hand-printing a large number of Christmas cards this year. I am happy to see the return of the hand-written card, as evidenced by the fact that my cards are flying out the door this year! This penguin card shows my block and the final card. For all my Christmas card designs for 2013 visit my Facebook page.

Lots of Christmas cheer hanging in the studio drying on the line.

The first show of the season (for me) was one of my favorites: Hand Made Here Boutique Sale on November 23 & 24. This is a collective of 25 artists who self-organize a show in the Triwood Community Hall in Calgary, Alberta. It’s a great mix of professional artists creating in many mediums: painting, glass blowing and fusing, metal work, woodwork, fibre arts, paper arts, and of course, printmaking!  Here are a few photos from our show.

My booth at the show. I’m loving the new metal gridwalls that get my framed prints up off my easels!

These little baskets make it easier to display my unframed prints.

Beside me was the lovely Anne Ormerod who makes jewellery, tiny metal sculptures, and illustrations on paper and fabric. Really, what doesn’t she do? It was great to hang out and chat all weekend. I even found out that she lives in a house in Calgary just around the corner from where I grew up! That is the best part of these shows: connecting with others. It is a small world, indeed.

Across from me was Cheryl Peddie, an accomplished acrylic painter and teacher. Cheryl was demonstrating her painting techniques and finished a painting at the weekend show. People loved watching her performance art! Beside her (left in this photo) was Janice McDonald who makes lovely felted bags, hats and bowls.

Close by was Steve Pulvermacher who does wood turning and creates amazing pieces for the home from wood. I challenge anyone to walk past his booth without touching his pieces! And, across from Steve (right in photo) was the the booth of the lovely Nicole Tremblay Blown Glass (from Canmore) whose glass creations were a hit with shoppers.

Next up, the following weekend (November 30), was the Banff (Alberta) Suitcase Sale where a dozen artists brought their creations and displayed them in vintage suitcases. We were located in the Harmony Lane Mall, and it was a fun and festive day, complete with carollers who dropped by to sing.

My suitcase was a lovely vintage one, donated by my friend Joan Gregory. It was her mother’s and still had her initials on it. Pretty special!

These adorable hand-sewn owls were made by Junko out of vintage Japanese kimonos and hand-dyed fabrics.

The best part? The whole display fit in a couple suitcases and a bag. That’s a big switch from the previous weekend where I needed to load the entire car with hardly room for the driver!

Here I am hanging out at the Suitcase Sale. More photos of the event can be found on Banff’s Orange Girl Photographs Facebook page.

And, finally, this week, I’m preparing for my last organized sale of the year: The Artists of Elk Run 2nd Annual Open Studio Tour. This is an artist collective of professional working studios located in the Elk Run district of Canmore. Our group features a wide variety of artists including potters, glassblowers, painters, sculptors, a photographer and a goldsmith. Nine of our studios will be open this weekend, so come meet the artists and do some Christmas shopping!

And, as always, I will be in my studio up to just before Christmas. If you’ve missed any of these sales, I can always be reached through the contact information on my website. Have a happy holiday season, all!