Fall Art Market at The Loafing Shed Glass Art Studio

  Hi everyone. Mark your calendars for October 25 & 26 as the day to do some early christmas shopping. The Loafing Shed Glass Art Studio has invited me back to sell my wares. Myself and seven other artists will be selling one-of-a-kind items that will impress anyone on your list. Come say "hi".

New painting : Operation Sushi

  Today's post is all about my latest painting. I created the watercolour below, "Operation: Sushi" for Hot Art Wet City's upcoming Boobies and Weiners show in Vancouver. Unfortunately time and money constraints make it so that I won't be able to get the piece down there in time. Do go see the show though because I'm sure it will be a good one.

 I don't usually paint nudes of any sort but I was inspired by something I saw in my Facebook feed. In the city I live there are plenty of great restaurants to eat at but there has been a disturbing trend in the food service industry to sexualize the whole dining experience. Large chains like Brown's Social House, Earls, Original Joe's,Cactus Club, and Moxies have aggressively expanded and have required their serving staff to fit to a "grooming standard" that would be unacceptable in most industries today. 2 1/2" high heel minimum, hem lengths 2" or more above the knee and a look of "sophisticated sexiness" are written rules the servers have to to abide by. I'm not kidding here, these are facts. Added to the list are the unwritten rules that you should be very slender, attractive and young. I know I've had this rant before. It's not that I'm just a seasoned server who can't fit the Barbie mould but I think this standard of service is dangerous. It's damn scary slipping on a wet tile floor with a tray full of glasses, I can't imagine doing it in stilettos and a mini-skirt too. As well, I think this style of service puts an unfair burden onto the server when interacting with the customer. Not only does the server have to sell food to the customer using her body(?!) but she has to always consider the relationships between the patrons themselves and between her in relation to her attire. I don't know how many times I've heard people tell me how awkward it feels to have "breastaurant" server clear plates from their children or see the face of their own daughter in them because the server is so young. Why? Why and when did we decide that men needed hard-ons to eat?!

So.....just when I thought the restaurant culture couldn't get any worse I saw a headline about a new food service concept that's come to Vancouver by way of Japan. This new low is called Naked Sushi where diners can order a selection of sushi that will be served on the body of a young, beautiful and naked woman. This young woman is not to speak, the customers are not to touch her or make lewd gestures but rather she is just supposed to lie still and be a plate. Yup, a literal object. You've got to be fucking kidding me. I'm going to end this rant with a big "Fuck You Assholes" and I hope everyone involved with this new venture has mothers, daughters, wives, girlfriends and sisters who are discounted, disrespected and treated as nothing more than a source of desire for other men. Oh, and thanks for the painting inspiration. Jerks.

The translation on the chopsticks are: man, mouth, men and geisha

Hot One Inch Action 2014

Woo-hoo! I made into this year's Hot One Inch Action! This fun one night art button trading show is one of my favourites and I'm only sad that I won't be able to attend. Below is my submitted image "Big Mac" which is from an artist's proof of a yet to be editioned drypoint. 

If you haven't been to this yearly show yet you really must go. It maybe teeny tiny art but it's big time fun. And make sure you trade for my Big Mac!

Langley Art Studio Tour

Why hello there! How have you been? I've been crazy busy! I'm having a bit of a hard time keeping up with my studio practice while still putting out cake orders AND trying to home school our kids while we go through a teacher's strike here. Needless to say my kids schoolwork involve baking and art projects. Meh, makin' it work.

 Right now I'm preparing for the Langley Art Studio Tour Sept. 20-21 & 27-28. This self-guided tour will feature 43 artists in various studios throughout Langley. To view a list of participating artists and venues click here. This year I will be stationed at the Loafing Shed Glass Studio where Robert Gary Parkes will be demonstrating some glass blowing magic. Who couldn't watch that sort of thing all day? As for me I will be doing printmaking demos everyday which will include linocuts, silkscreens, and monotypes. I will be emphasizing  how to print at home and without a press. Demo. times will be 1-3pm each day but I will probably be working on something the entire time I'm there.


Below is a short video I created of using a homemade gelatin plate for monotypes. I will be demoing this technique on Sept. 27. Shall I see you there?

PaperGirl Vancouver is back

It's been ages since I've posted on this blog. Sorry. It's not that I haven't been creating but rather my time has been occupied by my other creative venture in cake decorating. Take a peek and you'll see I've been busy learning so many new things. That is one of the best pay-offs for me, the chance to learn something new. I need it. Nothing sends me down the slippery slope of depression faster than boredom. Unfortunately it also means I can't hold a full-time job very well. Ah,the lottery....if I ever win I do believe I would become a professional  student. Teach me more!

 For now though, I'll sneak in my creative fixes whenever I can. That brings me to how I'll be sharing some of my artwork again through PaperGirl Vancouver on July 8th. PaperGirl Vancouver is a city-wide event where volunteers will ride bikes through Vancouver and hand-deliver  artwork donated by artists to anyone they come across. Anyone can submit and anyone can receive a piece of artwork. Take a peek at last years Flickr shots of the event to see how well it was received.

I sent 25 copies of my Birthday Bear this year and one hand-pulled linocut of my edition "Flower". I wonder where they will end up.

Creative Block by The Jealous Curator

It's finally here! I've got my copy of Creative Block by The Jealous Curator aka Danielle Krysa. This book has been the talk of the creative blogosphere for months now and for good reason. The premise of the book deals with the doubts and insecurities that every artist deals with in regards to their work. Am I good enough, do I know what I'm doing, does anyone care, should I bother, what if I fail, what if it doesn't sell, what if I'm rejected, what if, what if, what if.....this is my soul.

About five years ago Danielle and I met at our kids gym-time and we got to talking about being artists and how we both wanted to get back into making art but it was tricky trying to find time between the dishes, breast feeding and laundry. Besides, it was scary. We joked about how appealing laundry can look when you're being confronted by your art insecurities. While we both wrestled with the doubts, Danielle took to writing about artist's work that she thought was enviously amazing. Hence the Jealous Curator was born. The response to her blog was fantastic and she soon had a large following of her daily posts. 

One day,  I was tearfully complaining to Danielle that I wasn't selling my art like I wanted and that I was wishing that I didn't want to be an artist at all. Maybe I'm just not good enough. Danielle offered to reach out to her readers and see what advice they would give. The response was so amazing and heartfelt. So many people responded with a resounding , "I can relate" comment. Not only were the responses coming from readers but some were from very "successful" artists that Danielle had featured on her blog. I found that I wasn't alone in my fears and that the truly successful artists are the ones who have figured out how to get past their insecurity and create work despite it. 

In Creative Block Danielle asks 50 artists about their art practice,why they feel the need to create,what inspires them, and whether they listen to their inner critic.  She also asks each artist to give a project to the reader to "unBlock" their own creativity. Some of the projects are simple and some are quite complex but the underlying theme to most of them is "just create, don't think. Just do." I will make this my mantra.

I highly recommend getting a copy of Creative Block if not for all the great exercises but for the collection of great artwork. Julia Pott, Jennifer Davis and Kate Pugsley are just a few of my favourite artists that are featured in the book. So lovely, so inspirational.

I just want to say "thanks" Danielle for being an empathetic ear and getting all of us creating despite our fears. I'm jealously happy for all your success. Mwah!

The Art of Motherhood

Mother's Day is this Sunday and I wish all the moms out there a relaxing day. Let's hope that it's the one day that you don't have to clean the kitchen. I know otherwise though.
I will be working a double-shift that day so I can't say that I'm looking forward to Mother's Day but I'm hoping for a restful Monday.

  If you don't have anything planned yet for Mother's Day you might want to take in the Art of Motherhood exhibition and tea being held at the Fort Langley Centennial Museum 2-4pm. I have my Restful Dream monotype in the show and it will be auctioned off with numerous other mother themed work to help raise funds for the Langley Memorial Hospital's maternity ward. The actual auction will take place on July 20th so you will have plenty of time to place a reserving bid.

Where to find me this season

Oh boy the time is just flying, isn't it? I'm getting kind of nervous about all the things I need to get done. Why isn't there 36 hours in the day?

Today I thought I would let you know about where you can find my work this season. Just in case you needed some awesome and cute gifts for your family and friends. *wink*wink*.

From Nov.15-Jan 15 I will be showing some original monotypes and a series of encaustic   paintings at the Langley Centennial Museum. The theme is moons and mushrooms and I have numerous pieces there under $100.

One November 24th I will be back at the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair 10am-4pm. I will be selling one-of-a-kind prints, ceramic tea cups and saucers, silkscreened napkins sets, magnets, tree ornaments and more.

If you're out in Coquitlam I have some silkscreened onesies and t-shirts, Xmas cards, napkin sets and some really cute polymer clay bird ornaments at the Place des Arts  Christmas Gift Boutique.

If you can't make it to any of those events you can always get up-close and personal with my work at Bird on a Wire on Main St.

As for my own Christmas shopping I will be checking out some of the local craft fairs in the neighbourhood. Time to see what kind of creativity is hidden in Langley.

Supergirl three ways

For today's post I thought I'd show you some techniques I've been working on. I'm still trying to teach myself how to paint in Photoshop and the top image is of my "Supergirl" painted digitally in oil with a brush that I created myself. I also carved out the image tonally first like I do my reductive monotypes in printmaking. So I started with a deep brown canvas layer and gradually wiped it away to create the highlights and tones. 

I'm pretty happy with how painterly I was able to keep it and figuring how to create my tones makes me feel more confident about moving to digital painting.

The image below is traditional watercolor on paper and it was very fun and fast for me to do. I keep reminding myself that there was a time when I wasn't confident with watercolor either and that it took time before I found a technique that worked for me.

This version below is a digital watercolor and I still don't think I've found a method that I like just yet but it's slowly getting better.  What do you think? Which one seems the strongest? Which one looks like a "Lori" piece? I want to hear what you think.

Wordless Wednesday

Blue Bicicletta

Layla Amber

Roberta Polfus

Queens Park

Rejection - Bring it on

Trace monotype

  I got another rejection notice the other day. I don't really like rejection when it comes to my art but I'm printing off each one as proof of my efforts and determination. In the past I would take the rejection personally, as though it was a comment not only about my skill but as a rejection of my soul. It hurt a lot. This is what I feel like I was born to do, what do you mean you're not interested in what I have to offer?

  The more I keep trying to put myself out there the less importance the rejections take. I'm not going to stop creating, hurt or not, but I think I'm finally starting to get a thicker skin when it comes to showing my work publicly. I can't say that I'm not discouraged and it certainly feels as though I'm due for positive reinforcement but I will get back up and try again.

What about you? What keeps you trying after being rejected?

Year of the Dragon print exchange

Last year I posted about my submission to PROOF Gallery's Year of the Rabbit print exchange. Well this year's Chinese zodiac is the dragon and I recently sent off my submission for the show. I really enjoy working with the Chinese zodiac theme as it always produces a lot of new images for me.

Below is the linocut that I submitted and I only did an edition of 6 for this one. I colored this one with artist pencil crayons. My kids saw me coloring and begged for some to color too. Luckily I had a few dud pulls still around for them to use. This has re-kindled the idea of creating a kids coloring book this year. Hmmmmm....

I just got notice that the deadline for the exchange has been extended to January 25th so if you're quick you might be able to submit a dragon too. Guidelines for submissions can be found on the blog Year of the Dragon.

Why I've decided to close up shop

A little under three years ago I was just getting back into the studio after having my second child. I was just getting back into creating when I heard about Etsy and thought that by promoting and controlling the sales of my work without the help of a gallery that I might just be able to find my path to my true livelihood. My work doesn't fit into the typical gallery genre in Vancouver so I thought if I broadened my scope to world-wide that surely I would find a market for my work. Thanks to my online exposure I've been able to reach a much bigger audience than ever before. For several years now I've been promoting, marketing, connecting and learning as much as I can to forge a career as an online artist. It's been a great learning experience and I'm pretty proud of the amount I've accomplished.

Here's the catch.....I have found that I have a real problem with selling my artwork, or rather NOT selling my artwork and feeling as though that's a reflection of my self-worth. I struggle with any large dips in sales and wonder if there is something wrong with me as a person. I know this kind of sounds silly but it still happens to me. Because I have wanted to be an artist for so long and have felt that being creative is really where my talents are, I get down on myself when I feel no one is willing to pay me for those talents. I can get paid (minimally) for baking and for serving diners or working at a bookstore but I almost always pay to create and share my artwork. "Do what you love and the money will follow" still hasn't happened for me. I think it's following a bit too far behind and my persistence and optimism is being drained. I know that I can't give up creating (I've tried several times before) but I think I need to release the pressure to sell my creations as a livelihood. I need to find a way to make a living creatively AND happily.

I will be closing my shop starting June 1 for an indefinite amount of time so that I can really examine what I need in my life, what I need to be happy. I will still be blogging and tweeting because I've found my online friends, you, to be a great source of encouragement and inspiration. I do hope you keep checking and sharing your ideas with me. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and how you've dealt with any money versus creativity issues. Am I the only one?

So Inspiring

For today's post I thought I 'd share with you a couple of artists that inspire me with their work. There really are so many that do but today I'm picking Jennifer Davis and Adam Rex as the people who make me want to paint and express myself via the canvas.

I'm not sure where I first saw Jennifer Davis's work but it blew me away. I've clicked all around her shop and blog trying to choose one piece that I can put on my ThisNext wish list.  A very hard task indeed. I find Jennifer's work so beautiful in the most unconventional way. Each piece is unique and has some unusual and peculiar narrative going on. Most fantastic.

The other artist, Adam Rex, I found when I went to the library to choose some children's books for the kids. We always get a pile of books for bedtime and then I choose some just for myself to look at. Because I've had this long range goal of illustrating a children's book one day, I always enjoy absorbing the images and techniques of other children's book illustrators.

Adam Rex's work reminds me of Daniel Adel's in its painterly fashion and I'm enthralled by each brushstroke. Adam paints the way I wish I could. Expressive yet controlled and filled with the textural beauty of the paint. I recently ordered "Frankenstein makes a Sandwich" through my daughter's school fundraiser just so I could add another of his books to my children's book collection. Not only can Adam paint, but can also write a humorous and engaging story. How inspiring is that? I wonder if I'll ever be able to afford on of his originals. Hmmmm....

Tell me which artists inspire you. Are they online, are they historic, is it your own mother? Would love to hear about it.

Stop-over in London

  On our way back home from Greece we had a stop-over in London, England. We had one day to explore this amazing city and I knew  it wouldn't be enough. My only goal was to visit the Tate gallery. In the four years of art school I noticed that some of my most favorite paintings were housed in the Tate. I, of course, didn't know there was more than one Tate.
Since we had the kids with us and we knew they were't too thrilled with walking around art galleries we made sure to bring strollers and a knowledge that we would have to absorb the art fast. The fact that the Tate Britan was free made us feel a little less pressure to take it all in.
I was thrilled to be able to finally see so many amazing paintings that I've only seen in books. I was surprised to learn how big most of these paintings are. My most favorite works were pieces that showed the hand of the artist and their skill. While I did see some beautiful Caravaggio paintings I was dissappointed at how flawless the surface of the painting was. I couldn't tell you how they were painted. The Singer Sargent paintings were some of my favorites and everytime I see one in person it makes me want to paint with fluid, bold and fast strokes.
By some miracle we were able to see the Tate Britan and the National Museum while on our short stay. If I get a chance to visit London again I hope it will be for at least a week because I know the city has so much to offer.
Below are some pictures of some of the pieces that made me "ooooooo" and "aawwwww".

I didn't do any real shopping while in London but I did go into a store which has been established since 1707(!). I only saw a small portion of the Fortnum and Mason store but I have to say that it was just amazing. This is one fine department store! We hit the teas, candy, and pastry floor, of course, but by chance for a washroom we hit the kitchen supply floor and ended up with a new cooking apron. As we walked through we saw beautiful tea sets which the girls loved. As I stopped to pick up a cup I noticed the price....540 pounds! This was not the price of the whole set, this was the price of the one cup. The set will put you back 7,655 pounds.  Below is a photo of the most expensive tea set I've ever seen. I promised the girls that when we got back home we would get some fancy tea cups from the thrift shop for our own tea party but "please don't touch anything!"

So what other places must I visit when I get a chance to make it to London again?

There's creativity in those genes

When I was younger I was really puzzled as to why I seemed to be the only member of my family interested in art. My passion for creating visually has always been with me and sometimes I felt like the black sheep of the family with this desire. As I got older, I realized that I wasn't alone and that my family was actually full of creative people that just showed it ways other than art.

Today I thought I would show off a couple of people in my family who are creating things that I think my readers would enjoy.

First off is my sister, Tracey Dean who since having had  a little girl of her own, has been sewing up a cuteness storm. Tracey searches thrift stores for unique fabrics and bedding  to create duvet covers, curtains, decor pillows, girls dresses and hats. My daughters have gotten quite the collection of decor from her.
I've always been really impressed with Tracey's ability to walk into a shop like Walmart or HomeSense and find great home decor pieces on the cheap. If she can't afford a decor item then she's game to creating it herself. Thrifty and creative, she's got the ability to visualize her end result be it in interior decorating, home accessories or children's fashions. That's creative.

Above are some photos of some pieces she has done. Although she doesn't yet sell online, she has been taking custom orders. Please feel free to leave comments below as I know she would appreciate the feedback.



The second person I want to introduce is my cousin Gina Miller who is also a visual artist living in Vancouver. Currently attending Emily Carr University for fine arts, Gina plans to pursue a career as an art therapist. What I'm really excited about for her is her upcoming solo show at the couture retailer LEONE in Vancouver. Gina's paintings will be paired with fashions by top designers like Armani and Dior. How cool is that? Opening night is April 29 6:30-10:00 pm and I'm sure there will be some tasty h'orderves. If the baby-sitting fairy comes through I'll be there.
Below is a little preview of some of the pieces in the show. The multi-media pieces are quite striking and would surely be a focal point of any room in that they measure 36" x 48".

© Gina Miller

© Gina Miller

Art Card Trading @ CARDED

I have another invite for you. This time it is for anyone in the Vancouver and Lower Mainland area. The hosts of the recent Red Hot One Inch Action show are putting on another art show called CARDED. My image of "Superboy" has been accepted for this one night show. With this format 50 artists will present their work on traditional 2.5"x 3.5" art cards for trade amongst each other and any audience members willing to purchase $5 packs of 5 cards. The trading is supposed to be fast and furious and reminiscent of those hockey card trading days of our youth. How many cards will you give up to get your favorite one?

I have created art cards before but this will be the first trading session I will have ever gone to. If you would like to take part in the trading as well, you can find the show on Saturday, February 27th at the Jacana Gallery, 2435 Granville St, Vancouver. Doors open at 8pm and I hear it's pretty important to be present at the beginning of the show to make the best trades.

Visit the Hot Card site to get peek at last years show and participants.

And the winner is....

Thanks to everyone who participated in my 2010 art calendar give-away.

I would like to announce that Cabootique was randomly drawn as the winner and I will be mailing it out shortly.

Say "Hello" with some art

Writing Christmas cards to family and friends is a time honored tradition that has seemed to persevere even with the introduction of e-mailing and text messaging. A card filled with warm thoughts and notes of the year's family events seems so much more appealing written by someone's hand. I had hoped to create a few Christmas card designs myself but there just wasn't the time to do them properly. There are so many lovely cards available now that Christmas card writing is just one great excuse to buy some beautiful stationary. Below are some of my own cards that I've released into my Etsy shop. Not necessarily holiday themed but the blank format gives you the opportunity to use them for any occasion you see fit.

Which pendant is your favorite?

I'm doing a little bit of an informal survey and I would love your input. I've done a line of glass art pendants which feature my artwork and I'm thinking of putting them out into the retail market. To help me prepare  for this transition to offline sales, I would like to know how others see these images. Which pendant do you find the most interesting/appealing and why? 

Comment below between June 12 -20 and earn a chance at winning one of these pendants with chain, your choice. I will number each entry for anonimity and then I will randomly select a winner on the 21st. I will contact the winner to confirm their shipping address. So.....fire away, tell me what you think!