Blog
Changing It Up!
In the last few months, I realize that I am looking for more inspiration in my art work. I feel the need to break out of existing patterns - how I approach a painting, what subject matter I am drawn to, how I decide to attack it. In the past I have found it so...
The Last Repair Shop
"One of the best things that humans do." Worth a peek. Nominated for an academy award. One of the producers/directors, ben Proudfoot, is from Halifax, Interesting how filmmakers injected the personal, emotional stories. There is something valuable and inspiring here...
Writing, an Invitation to Self
I visited Joan Skinner recently at her home in Pleasure Cove, just outside of Pugwash, to talk about her writing practice. Joan has a thoughtful way about her. Like she has the key to the chamber of secrets or the answer to one of life's mysteries. There is a calm...
The Ancient Art of Quilling
You may have stopped by Judy Turple's booth at the Pugwash Farmers Market. You may have been amazed by her art work, including acrylic paints, cards, intricately decorated beach stones and her intriguing quilled creations. If not, I would recommend you search her out...
The Hookers of Cumberland County
When I first moved to Pugwash, it wasn't long before I discovered that the area was a veritable hive of hookers. Rug hookers. It seemed like everyone I met was deep into this traditional form of fibre artistry. I was curious. Not curious enough to dive into...
She Writes!
In fact, Prudy White has always written. When she was training and working as a nurse, she wrote. When she was raising a family, she stayed up late in the evening and wrote. Her husband and kids knew she wrote. It was part of the fabric of her life. And it...
The Real Thing
When you sit down with Rosaria Campbell there is a sense of authenticity, a grounded feeling, a calm that settles in and makes you feel like you are in the presence of someone who is comfortable with herself and her writing. It is hard to describe. But one thing is...
Back to the Forge
Diane Burnham works with metal. Not an easy medium. It requires fortitude, patience and the strength to endure. I was interested in how she discovered her passion for this physically demanding art form. No matter what she is tackling, whether it is a sculpture in her...
Artists for Hire: Commissions Part III
Krista Wells is a visual artist and musician working on the Fundy Shore in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. She is co-founder of the vibrant Art Lab Studios and Gallery and currently one of the five artists - including herself, Michael Fuller, Jill Langford, Krista Levy Odlin,...
Artists for Hire: Commissions Part II
Barbara Muir's paintings are exuberant, colourful and full of a zest for life, just like the artist herself. We first bumped into each other in Pugwash about 2007, where my husband and I had moved to run the Chatterbox Cafe. Barbara and her husband Stephen...