Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

We spent the morning exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lunenburg, a town that is the best example in the world of an 18th century town planned in England then built in the New World. The straight streets arranged in a grid pattern ignore the hilly terrain so some streets are very steep.

I opted for a self guided walking tour to view the range of architecture that has been preserved in the town.

In the historic area most of the buildings have been lovingly restored.

And there were lots of pleasant details waiting to be found.

Bluenose II in Lunenburg

After exploring wooden boats moored on the west coast of Canada a couple of weekends ago, I spent today on a famous wooden boat off the east coast. The Bluenose II is a replica of her sister, a fast fishing schooner built in 1921. The replica is in Lunenburg's harbour in Nova Scotia.

I captured another series of images that focus on line and circles on boats.

But I also found some interesting lines of stitching.

Inspiration & Work

Summer is a time to travel and visit. I took our recent visitors/company to one of my favourite places in Alberta - Dinosaur Provincial Park. It didn't fail to inspire me again and got me thinking that maybe there is more work here for me to do.

When Articulation (the group I study & exhibit with) came to together, the first place we studied was Dinosaur Provincial Park. We each produced a series of Badlands work and exhibited it. I thought I had completed my Badlands series but every time I go back to this park I find it still full of ideas.
Every year since, Articulation has come together in a special place in Canada to do a study. We then return to our individual studios across the country to turn the inspiration and research into a personal response. These individual series of works are then exhibited, usually back near where they originated from.
As an artist co-operative, this combination of sharing, support and individuality is one of the things that makes Articulation unique.
An exciting new aspect for the group is the development of a presence on the web. After exhibiting in galleries on the Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast and places in between, a website is needed to keep us connected with those who are getting to know our work.
So that's where the work part of this post's title comes in as any one who has had a hand in developing a web presence knows. It is a lot of work.
If you visit our website regularly you will see the cyber growth of another articulated arm of Articulation.
http://www.articulationtextilegroup.com/

Banff March 14

ReBecca Paterson, the 6th member of Articulation to arrive in Banff, had to ignore her jet lag because we had booked a curatorial led tour of the Whyte Museum collection where we were looking for inspiration for our Women Rock body of work.

Michale Lang is the curator of the Whyte Museum.

She took us through the Peter & Catherine Robb Whyte Banff Heritage House, which is such a treasure trove of Banff mountain culture, frozen in time.

Leighton Artists Colony

Here is a view from our studio looking out towards the neighbouring one which is designed for an artist working with sound.

Here we are last March, all bundled up in our winter gear, heading to our studio for a mornings work.

Click on the title of this post to find out more information about this wonderful programme the Banff Centre offers artists. We will be doing an Independent Residency in The Gerin-Lajoie Studio which is a space specially designed for visual artists. The light coming into the studio is perfect.

At the same time we have many services and facilities available to us at the Banff Centre, including a large arts-focused library/archives, exhibition space and printing/media departments. All of our personal needs are taken care of with private, serviced, hotel-like rooms, meals in a spectacular eagle-nest type restaurant, full fitness centre and ozone drenched mountain air everywhere.

Imagine having all of your personal needs & physical requirements being taken care, being surrounded by mountains & trees, & being continually supported by colleagues who speak the same language - for a whole month!

With these conditions, I predict some amazing work is going to be produced by Articulation.

Banff Centre , Leighton Studios

Exciting news! Articulation, the fibre arts group I belong to, has been accepted into the Artist in Residence program in the Leighton Studios for the whole month of March next year, 2009.
Last March we spent 2 weeks in our studio in the trees carrying out research for our 'Women Rock' study. We are all now back in our studios across Canada developing our ideas, sampling & gathering materials. Come March we will return to our goup studio in the mountains to make the body of work. We already have bookings to exhibit our 'Women Rock' work which will complete the last phase of this large group project.

McMullen Gallery, University of Alberta

Early in the morning Donna Clement and I packed the car then headed north to Edmonton to the University of Alberta Hospital Mc Mullen Gallery to install our work.

The large gallery space was daunting as we laid out our work.

But with help of family members we found a place for everything by early evening.

Donna and I will attend the Artists' Reception on April 24th from 7 to 9 pm.

Banff Centre Artist Residency

While in residence in the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre with the fibre art group Articulation, I made an installation in the trees near our studio.

I was exploring how we manage a natural environment while I was staying in a National Park/ UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This study is part of my Opus BA(Hons) degree work.