Spring is sprung!

I went out of town for about ten days. When I left Victoria it was still cold, muddy, grey, and the plants were only just thinking about growing. It still felt like winter. Well, as much as it can feel like winter here on the balmy coast! Now that I’m home again it feels like spring has arrived overnight.Bulbs are blooming. Cherry blossoms and other flowering trees are puffing up like pink cotton candy. Ants, bees, flies and even a few tiny butterflies are all around. Our lawn is long enough to lose the dog in all that grass! I think it’s safe to say that spring is sprung!

I have a few little pieces of news from my art studio to report.

I have three artworks in the Bloom show at Coast Collective gallery, an acrylic on canvas, a drawing, and a reduction linocut print. The show opening was on Saturday, Apr. 1st (seriously! no fooling!), and the show is up for the month of April. My painted violin is also on display in the Westridge gallery, also within the Coast Collective gallery space, but this is a designated exhibition space for members. That’s right, I’m an official member now! Before I was just a gift shop artist. The painted violin is getting lots of attention, and I personally witnessed visitors gasping in delight when they turned it around to see both sides. That sure made me happy!

I played music and sang at the Bloom show opening reception. I’m trying to perform at every opening reception for the gallery. This is my volunteer gig which is part of my obligations as a full member. It doesn’t feel like work because the acoustics in the space are just lovely for making music, and I enjoy myself the whole time. I’m told that my music keeps people lingering in the gallery for a little while instead of making a quick tour of the exhibit before they leave in a hurry. So I’m glad to contribute positively to the atmosphere at Coast Collective events.

I have a lot of artwork in the gift shop area of the gallery now. If you visit the gallery look for my handmade prints in the shelf by the front desk, and my handmade cards are in a small card rack near the front of the gift shop. There are several framed prints on the walls, and my Red Lanterns linocut is currently on display in the window!

I still have a few things at home that I want to frame and bring in to the gallery. It has taken quite a lot of time and effort to get my inventory built up. My goal was to bring out every good piece from the studio until there is nothing left at home that could potentially be sold. I’m almost there. I’m looking forward to the next step which is to clean out and reorganize my art studio. That will be a big job but it is really needed to refresh my work space in preparation for making some new artwork. I have plans for a few linocut printmaking projects, perhaps a painting or two, and I intend to paint some more retired violins and other instruments.

Before I sign off I would like to acknowledge the passing of Rick Thomas of Creston, BC. He passed away a few short weeks ago after a brief illness. He was the most active mountain man I’ve ever met, climbing the trails on top of the Salmo-Creston pass before dawn to capture the most beautiful photographs of stars, the snow cornices and wind-battered tree snags, the peaks, cobalt blue lakes, and the sunrise. Rick was an incredible guy, so full of positive energy, almost always smiling and making you laugh with his humour. He was my dad’s hiking buddy and good friend for many years. He will be missed by many, including me. Rest in peace Rick, and we’ll see you on a hike someday in the great beyond.