January - March 2023
Today, as I write this, is February 12, 2023, what would have been my mother’s 99th birthday. She always spoke of hoping to live to 100 so that she could receive a letter from the Queen. Well, if she had lived she would find mail arriving from King Charles... which was NOT the plan...
I have her to thank for my life of creative pursuits. She set me up with big pads of paper and paints from the time I was a preschooler and had me enrolled in Royal Academy of Ballet from age five because I was shy. I watched her sew, bake, garden, decorate and handcraft.
Upon her passing in 2019, I was inspired to carve a big basswood sun to reflect her nickname, “Sunny” – I still have that wooden sun to complete. With the help from the 'Foredom' that I received for Christmas, it should be less of an insurmountable task… it has been in the works for 3 years and counting. I need a little power tool at my side for the bigger projects otherwise most of my work is carved by hand. Watch for this completion.
Still on the "to-complete" list are:
Relief carving for "Hope Station House"
Bark carving of “The Burrard House” in Port Moody
Relief basswood “Crow” I have to finish sanding and torching as a gift to myself and part of the current Dogwood Display(until the end of March)
2022 - I was thrilled to share many carvings with happy patrons: "The Towers" inspired by Hogwarts of Harry Potter series sold the first day, as a wedding present, at ON THE EDGE Exhibition at Federation Gallery on Granville Island, for which I also received the much coveted “Honourable Mention.” “Bergen, Norway” sold at Harmony Arts Festival in West Van in August. Two tree carvings from Hope Arts Gallery and two owl pairs, “Owl Twins” and “Snowy Owl” have gone to wonderful homes. Eileen Harder’s acrylic painting class helped with the capture of these birds of prey.
This past year has also been a journey of Conservation projects… carving “The Seven Sisters” of Stanley Park, mounting a trout carved of yellow cedar on wave carved bark, continuing to support Ancient Forest Alliance with exhibit at Hope Arts Gallery “Trees, Glorious Trees” with painter Holly Smith last October and joining as a member to OWL (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society) to name a few…
As a member of Blackberry Artist’s Society, our creations can be seen continually and exclusively at Port Moody City Hall, twice a year at Coquitlam Public Libraries, The Club, and the carvers’ display three times a year at Dogwood Centre.
For those curious to know more about how I create what I do, The Art Shuffle will return this year to Port Moody and I will be there demonstrating my bark carving process on June 23rd, so I hope to see you there!
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
Andy Warhol
Photo courtesy: @marselvanoosten