I love the hustle and bustle of spring.  It's such a busy time of year here in northern Ontario, with the plants are coming out of their winter dormancy and sprouting up as fast as they can, gardens going in as early as possible - but not too early or the frost will kill the tender plants.  The birds are building nests, hoping to raise their young in time for them to be able to fly south in a few short months.

It's been busy in the studio, too!  So much has been happening I hardly know where t...
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Out of chaos,


Comes beauty.

       

 



As promised in my last post, here are some of the pieces I crafted for the Art Gallery of Sudbury.  I will be delivering them in person on Monday. 

You can also see the effect all that rampant creativity has on my studio!  It's not usually the tidiest at the best of times, but now it's completely out of control.  Tidy the studio is at the top of my to-do list when I return home next week!


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I have been invited to be one of the artists featured at the Art Gallery of Sudbury's big Spring Event Fundraiser!  My work will be on display at their dinner and concert on April 27th. I am honoured to be part of this big gala event, and have been hard at work in my studio creating new work especially for it.  If you are in the Sudbury area, you might want to save the date.  It sounds like it will be a fun evening filled with good food and great music by the Eagles cover band "Hotel Californ...
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I've been catching up on custom orders over the last couple of months.  This ring was commissioned by fellow artist and Riverside Farmer's Market vendor Bonnie Tickner for her husband.

She wanted a plain band ring with a tiger's eye stone, and not too bright and shiny.  So I created this simple ring with a bit of texture and this beautiful stone.  We decided it looked better with a darkened finish.


Even though the design was simple, creating this ring presented an interesting challenge.  It is ...
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The blizzard has moved on, leaving bitter cold and lots of snow in it's wake.  The view from my front porch is considerably different this morning, compared to two days ago.  From inside it looks to be a beautiful and sunny winter wonderland.  Step outside, however, and Jack Frost immediately nips bites freezes solid any exposed flesh.  The -39 celsius temperature doesn't stop my hardy, outdoor loving dog Heart from enjoying the sun and snow.  She's taking a break from digging tunnels in the ...
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Was planning on heading out to my studio today, but after looking out my front window, I decided to stay in and work on the website instead.  These little finches just happened to fly into the shot.  They are more intrepid than I! 
This is the worst storm we've experienced so far this winter.  I have a date with my studio assistant, Miss Allie, tomorrow to do a much needed studio cleanup.  I wonder if we will still be snowed in?



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Muse:

a. A guiding spirit.

b. A source of inspiration.

I have often been asked from where I find the inspiration for my work. If you have seen any of my art or jewellery, I think it is obvious that much of my work is informed and inspired by my deep connection to the earth. I am so blessed to live in a relatively unspoiled rural area, so I am able to experience and be inspired by the land and all that grows and walks on it, the rivers and everything that swims in them, the wide-open sky a...

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So often I seem to run through my days, focused totally on the task on hand and what needs to be done next.  I do try to take time to rest, often reading a book, or playing scrabble on my phone while sitting in my garden.  But even though I take little breaks, I rarely feel rested and rejuvinated.  I am exhausted by the end of the day, and often by lunch time.  

Then I happened upon a post by Havi Brooks of The Fluent Self which gave me a real "Aha!" moment.  Over on her Facebook (aka the "Fro...
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I don't know where the summer went!  I feel like I have been hitting the ground running every day for so long, running madly off in all directions, that I hardly know if I am coming or going.  So I very much enjoyed my first real holiday in a very long time.  (I only had one business commitment during the week, that is a first for me!)

We based ourselves in Guelph, then made day trips out and about southwestern Ontario.  First up was a trip to Stratford to see Jesus Christ Superstar.  After an...
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