I walk to work every day. Rain or shine, blizzard or black flies, you will find me trekking up the lane to my studio. Every day, every season has it's own particular beauty. There is a short stretch of time, though where the walk is positively intoxicating. And that time is now. The honeysuckle and lilac trees are in full bloom, filling my nostrils with their heady scent, and my ears with the droning of bee and hummingbird wings. My eyes are overwhelmed with the multitude of colours. Drunk... Continue reading ...
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... Continue reading ...
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! Continue reading ...
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... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Sunday, March 11, 2012,
In :
Metalsmithing
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 ... Continue reading ...
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 ... Continue reading ...
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? Continue reading ...
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... Continue reading ...
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... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Thursday, September 1, 2011,
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... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Tuesday, June 7, 2011,
In :
Art
My Spirits of the Heart cohorts and I have been working on our next exhibit project. "White Women Listening" will be a global reflection of the indigenous peoples, their beliefs and traditions, co-relating how we are all connected with similar needs, dreams and realities. The project is well into the planning stages. In between filling out grant applications, sourcing sustainably produced, earth and people friendly materials we are drawing and painting small studies in preparation for th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Thursday, June 2, 2011,
In :
Portraits
Has it really been two weeks since my last post? I always seem to lose myself in my work, and then forget to share it with you! I've been busy catching up on the business side of my business as well as making jewellery, and haven't been drawing or painting at all for ages, it seems. This week though, I stepped over to the art side of my studio to work on a pastel portrait of Katie, a sweet little Shih Tzu.
Here is a work-in-progress photo:
You can also see a few of the over 100 pastel pencil... Continue reading ...
I managed to sneak away from my studio for a bit to do some gardening. I had planned to dig up the asparagus bed, because the last time I checked nothing was coming up. Imagine my surprise when I approached the bed, trowel in hand, and saw this:I've not had much luck growing asparagus, so I was very happy to see these new shoots. So happy, that I was dancing around the garden! A little happy dance of gratitude. I think I might cut a very few of these precious shoots and cook them up for s... Continue reading ...
As promised in my last post here is my Aspiring Metalsmiths Art Jewellery Challenge piece. A mixed media pendant created from sterling silver, copper from my scrap box and a broken agate I found in a box of odds and ends while spring cleaning my studio. This design stretched my skills quite a bit, but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. Interpreting a painting in metal was the perfect marrying of the artist me and the metalsmith me. I can definitely see myself developing this challe... Continue reading ...
I had a very productive day in the studio yesterday, working on a piece for the Aspiring Metalsmiths' April Design Challenge . For this challenge, we are to design a piece of wearable art with a favourite artist or style in mind.
I have many favourite artists and styles, but I chose to focus on Lawren Harris, a Canadian artist who was one of the founding members of the Group of Seven. I love the lines in his abstract landscapes.
Unfortunately, the photos I took of my work in progress didn't t... Continue reading ...
It's hard for me to believe that almost a month has gone by since my last post! Things have gotten a bit crazy here at the Brook, and I'm finding it hard to keep up. Spring has finally arrived. I noticed this lone crocus in my garden while I was hanging out the laundry. Crocuses are one of my favourite spring flowers. Such hardy little things. I have a lot of news to tell you, but it will have to wait for another day. I'm going out to play in sun! Continue reading ...
I know I must seem obsessed by spring. After several months of being house and studio bound due to a cold-related health challenge, being able to go outside for more than two minutes makes me a bit giddy. I feel like a caged bird that's been set free! One of my favourite things to do as the warmer spring weather melts the blanket of snow is to walk around and see what is uncovered. The other day while out exploring with the dogs, we found the long lost Dora the Explorer ball. We hadn't be... Continue reading ...
While walking up to my studio yesterday, I saw my first flock of geese flying north. There have been robin and killdeer sightings, too, but not yet by me. These are fairly good indicators that spring is truly on its way, although it is not unusual to see robins looking for worms under the snow.
Getting back into my studio to work on the backlog of portrait commissions and other projects feels wonderful. Even though I was fretting the whole time I was away, thinking about all the work I had ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Wednesday, April 6, 2011,
In :
Metalsmithing
A couple of weeks ago I attended our local Rock and Mineral Show. As always there was a good turnout of vendors selling rocks from all over the world. Not all of the rocks were ethically and sustainably mined, but by doing a lot of digging (through boxes of rocks, that is) and asking many questions, I was able to find a good selection of fair trade (most found by small independent rock hounds) stones. I always find myself more attracted to the rough cut slices of rock, rather than the polished... Continue reading ...
It was finally warm enough that I could get out for a short walk yesterday. A sure sign of spring! I took my camera with me, on the hunt for other, more subtle signs that spring is well and truly creeping in. Some things I found:Leaf buds on trees Paw prints in mud The huge snowdrift at the top of the hill is shrinking so that the road is just over one lane wide instead of the less than one lane it usually is all winter. We are supposed to have a week of temperatures above freezing, which h... Continue reading ...
We were fortunate to have a clear evening for viewing the "Super" moon last Saturday. My husband set up his camera and tripod on our front porch and captured these unusual photos of the moon as it rose behind a hawthorn thicket. Doesn't it look like a great ball of fire? Like some magical, mystical sorcery is brewing.....
Continue reading ...
The grass has not riz, and I know where the birdies is - they are chowing down at our feeders, trying to keep warm on this snowy first day of spring. Winter is not yet letting go in my neck of the woods, and will still be hanging around for another month or more. I do love the cold beauty of winter, even though by this time of year I am looking forward to seeing some green. The ground is covered in a soft white blanket, but other things we don't see the rest of the year are exposed. One of m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Monday, March 14, 2011,
In :
Art
Martha, over at An Artist's Journal, has issued a Before and After Challenge. The Challenge involves showing photos of a painting which one has reworked into something different. I've been doing that for a few months now with some of the paintings with which I am not completely happy.Here is one of them:This was originally titled "Where the Eagles Fly" and was created for the Biker's Reunion Cancer Fundraiser in which I participated last year. I finished this on a tight deadline, and was nev... Continue reading ...
I've been falling behind with posting my Thing a Week Jewellery Challenge efforts, so here are a couple of more "Things" for you to see. Week 7: Another eco-friendly bracelet created from vintage copper wire. This one is very substantial, simple and rustic. And something a bit different for Week 8: An adjustable leather bracelet. Created from leather scraps that were given to me, and a large leather piece with an embossed horse-head which I discovered in a box of odds and ends left over fr... Continue reading ...
Across the road from our farm and house are gloriously tangled thickets of hawthorn trees. I am always struck by the lacy, abstract patterns created by the branches and long, spiky thorns.
Beyond the hawthorns stand groves of poplar and birch.
Their linear, upright trunks contrast beautifully with the hawthorns. These trees inspired the copper and sterling cuff I created for the Thing a Week Jewellery Challenge on Flickr. This is a view taken last autumn, looking from the stand of poplars... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Wednesday, February 16, 2011,
In :
Portraits
Last month I posted a work-in-progress shot of this memorial portrait of my daughter's dog, Tilly (you can also read a bit about Tilly in that same post). I tend to procrastinate when it comes to finishing things I create for my family, but we are going down to visit my daughter this weekend, so I pushed myself to finish it so I could deliver it in person.
A bit of tweaking, and the mixed media portrait is now finished and at my printer/framer to be scanned for future prints, and matted and... Continue reading ...
My week 6 Thing A Week offering is a cuff, inspired by trees, and again created using metal from my scrap box, which means it is Earth (and tree) friendly, always a good thing in my book.
I stamped the inside with a secret message:
Click on the photos to read more about the inspiration behind this copper and sterling silver cuff, and to find out what the secret quote is. Continue reading ...
Lately I've been on a real Alexander Calder kick. In fact, three of my five Thing a Week pieces have been inspired by his work. Week two was this copper necklace:Week four, a cuff: This past week, I created another copper necklace, again Calder-inspired. I think I was channeling my inner hippy, too. Doesn't it look like something straight out of the 60's?
Posted by Julie Brown on Thursday, February 3, 2011,
In :
Art
This is another painting I was working on before Christmas and couldn't show you because it was a gift. I painted this sheep for my husband from a photo he took of one of his favourite ewes before he took the plunge and sold our flock. He was finding the work involved in looking after over 100 sheep plus their lambs just a bit too much in addition to his full time job off the farm, and so made the tough decision to sell them. I thought that this pastel painting was almost complete, needing j... Continue reading ...
The last few months have found me floundering a bit creatively. Feeling a bit stuck and uninspired, in an effort to jump-start my creative flow I joined the Thing a Week Jewelry Design Challenge 2011 Flickr group. Each week we design and create a piece of jewellery, and upload a photo of it to the group pool. So, at the end of the year, we should each have created 52 new designs. I thought that participating in the challenge, with the accountability factor of posting something each week, ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Thursday, January 27, 2011,
In :
Portraits
This was a Christmas gift for my daughter, so I wasn't able to post this before the fact. As often is the case with gifts I create for my family, I wasn't able to finish it in time (I have a difficult time saying no to last minute commissions from clients!), so I gave it to her as a work-in-progress. It is still incomplete, most of the individual images need finishing, and then it needs some tweaking to pull the whole thing together. This mixed media portrait montage is of Tilly, my daugh... Continue reading ...
And why wouldn't they? They are a thing of beauty. I love wellington boots the way some women love their Jimmy Choo's or Ferragamo's.
 And these Hunter wellies are so red. And shiny. And sexy.  My old wellies (wellie wanna be's) are pink plaid. I loved them, too. We had some good, down and dirty times together, but after only two years, they are worn out. Faded and full of holes, they are finished. I've been wearing them anyway, because I could not find replacements in my small town, a...
We had our first great winter kick-off blizzard over the past three days. Snow, howling winds and -30 Celsius windchill. We will have worse storms throughout the winter, but this first one of the season always seems to hit hard.
 The view from my front door in a brief moment when I could actually see beyond the porch!
 The chickadees were hanging on for dear life! I am amazed that they could even fly in the face of the gale.  My wreath looks lovely with a bit of snow on top, don't you think? ... Continue reading ...
High bush cranberries grow thick along the creek (brook) and road. The tart, deep red berries provide nourishment through the autumn and winter to the birds and animals that live nearby.
The berries are particularly striking against the white snow, and that vision inspired the creation of a series of pieces I call "Winter Berries".
 "Winter Berry" Synthetic Red Jade and Sterling Silver Earrings  "Winter Berries" Synthetic Red Jade, White Freshwater Pearl and Sterling Silver Necklace See these,...
Posted by Julie Brown on Saturday, December 11, 2010,
In :
Metalsmithing
The Aspiring Metalsmiths team I belong to has a monthly blogroll challenge. I missed the one last month (I managed to take photos and start my post and then my computer crashed and I lost it), and I'm late with this one, but better late than never, right? The topic this month is "What skill do you want to learn next?" I found it incredibly difficult to choose just one thing. I love learning new skills and, still being very much an "aspiring" metalsmith, I feel that I haven't really solidifi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Julie Brown on Wednesday, September 15, 2010,
It's found a new home here on my website, with plans to stick around for quite a while. You should see more activity here, now that everything is in one place. Easier for you to keep track of what's new at Wabi Brook Studio, much easier for me to write about it. The website has a new look, too. Among other things, shopping for art, portraits, and jewellery just became easier! Now you can purchase your favourite things directly from the website! I'm all for simplifying things, and this ha... Continue reading ...
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A Bit About Julie
| Julie A. Brown, Wabi Brook Studio |
| A Farm Near New Liskeard, Temiskaming Shores |
I'm a full-time artist and metalsmith following my own path. I live a creative life inspired by nature, and fueled by tea and dark chocolate. When I'm not in my studio slapping paint around or pounding metal, or collaborating with my Spirit of the Arts partners, you will find me in my garden under my favourite tree, lost in a good book.
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2014 Winter Workshop Schedule:
Wednesday, January 26: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. - Ring Making
Friday, January 31: PD Day Art Adventure Camp: 9:00 a.m to noon - Exploring Texture and Colour
Tuesday, February 4: 10:00 to Noon - Earring Making Thursday, February 13: 10:00 to Noon - Chain Making Tuesday, February 18: 10:00 to Noon - Introduction to Metal Stamped Jewellery
Tuesday, February 25: 10:00 to Noon - Metal Stamped Jewellery Part 2
Tuesday, March 4: 10:00 to Noon - Metal Stamped Jewellery Part 3
All workshops and classes are held in the studio at Spirit of the Arts on Lakeshore Road in New Liskeard, ON
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