The Grammys

Yes Yes I went to LA during the Grammy Awards. Our place was right around the corner from the event location, and we got there just in time to watch the clean up crew. I think I may have seen a few of the performers at the Starbucks. We had a lovely time in LA, walked the beach and climbed some hills. Always nice to get a little warmer in the midwinter. Returned home in time for snow squals however. OK now back to the real world.

Dragonfly Studio Artists

News from the DSA's. Sue Powell's new years resolution is to spend more time in the studio. Yay! Roslyn Levin will be spending time writing a book on Sumie as part of her Reed Cooper Bursary from the DAC (Dufferin Arts Council) She is giving a talk at an international conference next month. Jill is trying out oil painting for a change, she's working on some cows, and she's very pleased so far. Beth has made some delightful beads in pinks and reds for valentines day. And all I can say is that there is a new dragonfly murrini annealing in the kiln as we speak...The last bit of news is that there may be a new artist joining the fold-very exciting!

The Coming Year

Last day for Lucille Weber, Elizabth Babyn ( the photo is an old one) is coming next, yes, another abstract artist, why is that ? Why do I crave abstracts in winter? I seem to enjoy the jolt, the making sense out of chaos, the colour, the excitement! This year, we will be showing pottery, sculpture, glass and garden sculpture in the Window on Broadway, as well as fine art. I can't wait for Steve Wilson's massive 3D paintings coming in June, during the Orangeville Blues and Jazz festival.

New Look

OK I know many of you will mourn the old doors and the chipped paint...but we needed a change and some brightening up. So, with the help of Debbie Essex, faux finish expert, Sue Sue Jill Roslyn and I scrumbled the doors a rich creamy white. Wow it really makes a difference, nice and bright, sets up the dark pottery, and still has the feel of old doors. Besides we had great fun bonding! Thanks all !

Renewal

January is the time to recharge the batteries! This past weekend I went to Ottawa and took a course with Lucie from Lunacy Beads. Lucie is one of Canada's best bead makers, her specialty is making huge complicated compilations of glass called murini. She generously showed us her techniques and tips for making murini. We got to make our own signatures, and a sample flower - which sounds pretty simple-but it was so much work ...and so fun! Her mermaid bead is a good example, the face alone is a murini with probably 4-5 pulled components that each take hours of work. I have used murini in my Starry night beads, but now I will be making them, watch for some interesting new directions in my Beadmaking, due to this renewal.

2011

Wow this is going to be a great year, I'm just finalizing the lineup for 2011. Already we have started the year with the wonderful world of abstracts. Lucille Weber, B J Thompson, and now Emelia Perri We have been planning events, like a repeat of the "Found Art Festival, and doing something really interesting for the Jazz festival. In the window right now, Emelia's work has a feeling, an urgency, Her prices are great too! two people have already expressed interest!! It's an exciting time of year also because we're cleaning up, changing things around and bringing in new artists. Steve Wilson and Kelly McNeil brought in new works, Tanya will be bringing new in the next few weeks. The potters need some time to replenish stocks and in the meantime Beth has been busy at the torch, creating some lovely beads for Valentines Day.

It's a New Year

Lucille Weber, yes she will try anything and everything in her artistic pursuit. Encaustic seems like a suitable follow-up to her acrylic abstracts. Lucille is our Featured artist for the month of January, be sure to catch the show. For the next two weeks, in the Window on Broadway is BJ Thompson. Her rhythmical abstracts are quite powerful.