Thursday, March 14, 2013

Fun & Inspiration with March's ART Speaker.

Deborah Windsor
Our March Artists Round Table group was a runaway success and really interesting. We had Deborah Windsor as our guest speaker and we also had a good bunch attending.

Cathie & I sit near the cookies!
Deb and I are on the Board of Directors for the Kingston Arts Council together and while doing one of our charity Bingo shifts together we got chatting about being an artist and making a living....maybe someone had just won $150 or something. Deborah was full of ideas for me to pursue in different directions with my work. I said I had wanted to write a book about my 30 years in my branch of textiles....she suggested I go for a writer's grant....now how long would it have taken me to think of that? I would have only thought of OAC craft project or development grants. 


Jane contributes.
It was a lovely meeting also because as we now hold them at various members homes or studios we were at Jane Thelwell's and got to enjoy looking at her collection of a)cups for the coffee she brewed and b) her art.

We also were joined by a new member from Bath, Janice Teare who owns and runs the Academy Gallery in Bath. Welcome, Janice.

We always go around introducing ourselves and telling of anything we have happening by way of shows, exhibitions etc. Deb's method was to go around our number and have us talk about anything we had done with our art/craft/discipline that made us money and was a great experience and fun. 





A good group.

She then pointed out how we should endeavour to do that again or enlarge upon it or work in a different way in the future. I had told her about the theatre costume work I had done, especially while I was living in Toronto. It was good work and well paid. With her suggestions I've started by putting a Theater Costume page on my web site! (why didn't I think of that!!!)


It was good to feed off each other which is what we try to do each month, sharing our ideas and events.  Finding out what each of us is doing that we might also participate in or shoot for.

Tina & Chips...rapt.

 Speaking of things to do, Lindsey Fair asked me to tell everyone about the new Fort Henry plans involving a market that will last all Summer in the Upper Fort. A place they want to showcase artisans, a place for visitors to shop without having to pay to get into the fort...they will have to pay to get into the lower fort. Anyway here's the link for more info......Fort Henry Market

I'm not sure who we will have next month or where we will have it. I'll work on that but welcome input as I'm preparing for and participating in the One of a Kind show from March 27 - 31st.

FYI... Kingston Arts & Letters Club recent events...  

http://kingartsletters.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/new-happenings-at-the-al-club/

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

March ART Speaker

Do come to  Jane Thelwell's place - 2 Bay St, Apt 306.  to listen to and talk with Deborah Windsor (my colleague on the board of the Kingston Arts Council).

We were doing a Bingo (OLG) shift and chatting about getting further with my work and career...couldn't think of what to explore next and she came up with a list of ideas for me.

Deborah Windsor
This is her pic from the KAC and it's not good....she smiles much more!

Deborah Windsor is a cultural industry executive with over twenty years experience in all facets of Not For Profit Management.  Deborah is a seasoned CEO with proven ability to identify opportunities, deliver on strategic objectives, energize teams, and improve financial performance. Deborah was educated at Saint Mary’s University and Dalhousie University in Halifax and has held senior management positions with The Writers’ Union of Canada, The Canadian Television Fund, CAW Community Development Group and Université Sainte-Anne Société de Logement. Deborah, a skilled communicator experienced in marketing, stake holder engagement and media and government relations, has utilized her skills to create festivals in Canada and India. She is a team builder driven by her commitment to community involvement. Deborah lives in Kingston, Ontario with her partner author Ray Argyle.




March 5th 10:30am Jane Thelwell's place

2 Bay St #306

phone:613.583.6398


    

Thursday, February 7, 2013

February's Really Fun ART

What do we do at an Artists Round Table meeting you ask. After this post you are going to be scratching your heads even more and wondering if some of us should be allowed out!

We had

Cathie Hamilton as Mermaid with Annie & Reg



On Tuesday we met at Puppet Annie's studio in the Upper Canada Academy of Performing Arts...a huge room overlooking Brock street and full of giant puppets, shapes, fabrics, sparkly things........


Annie brought out this mermaid of papier machè and Reg volunteered to model it....he had to stand on a chair...it's huge! Then Cathie climbed onto the chair.

Both Reg and Cathie are the two members who attended who have mobility difficulties but it was those two who climbed up behind this 'costume'!!! Annie are you working miracles with your fun?







Liza with a C!?








Well, then there was the hat and the phrase: 'Wilkomen, Bienvenue, Welcome'  jumped into my head. Yeah, that's me doing the Liza Minelli impression!!


I took this shot across the studio...in the foreground is a dragon with a purple dragon head by the door. I picked it up and realized it would take one person to hold the head alone. There are heads, hands, faces, hair, puppets...... Annie had just had a group of children in for a day so there was beautifully colourful disarray.


Yeah, Reg & Annie again.








We did settle down to talk about the 2013 Artist Educator Foundations Course for Artists which I would really like to take but I'm booked those weekends. Too short notice for this and we need to know more. Jane Thelwell might be taking it though ..... you'd have to ask Jane if that's what she is doing....if so I'm jealous! Next year perhaps.

As we have several photographers who meet with us Nicole brought us some information on copyright and licensing of photography. Here is a site to check out...
http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/Home?OpenDocument


A costume maker's dream.





We are having Deborah Windsor speak with us next month about grants, making your dreams work for you and moving forward as artisans. As a fellow Kingston Arts Council board member I've had some great conversations with her and really want to listen to her more and pick her brain.You will have the opportunity on March 5th at Jane Thelwell's place (details will go out closer to time on the Artists Round Table Google Group email).
If the shoe fits...Cinderella!






I had a question about HST so we discussed the how's and wherefores of the taxes to which we have been subject over the past few decades and Jane suggested that as the cost of living goes up so should the GST/HST limit. It's been $30,000 since it came in in the eighties. Before that we only had to collect/remit 7%.  I've decided to drag someone in from the tax offices of the government to clear things up, inform us and answer questions...I'll try for our April or May meeting.




See you March 5th.

Monday, January 21, 2013

2013 January's Artists Round Table


On January 8th we met at Tina Roeder's house for our Artists Round Table meeting and we had a very fun and animated gathering...though there were only 4 of us...Tina, Annette, Annie (who I always call Puppet Annie) and me.

I was early so Tina and I sat and discussed shipping our work and the ins and outs of sending knits and precious metals around the world and having our goods arrive. No one at any post office will steal socks but Tina has had jewellery go out into the ether, never to be seen again.

We had last January's meeting at Tina's house and each time we get to look at her work and find out a little about her techniques.

Our February meeting will be at Puppet Annie's place on Brock Street.

Our March meeting (haven't decided where) will involve speaker Deborah Windsor who will speak to us about moving forwards, making our dreams work and about grants. She is a great brain to pick so do come out for Deb.

I'll post to the Artists Round Table email list more information.

Happy New Year.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Kingston Arts Council 'Year In Review' Party!!!!



Saturday night. December 1st, is going to be a great night to head down to the Kingston Yacht Club for the 'Year In Review' bash.

The even starts at 7pm, it's at 1 Maitland Street and contacts are  613-546-2787 or programs@artskingston.ca

Tickets are $10


The 2012 Year In Review will include the announcement of the recipient of the Nan Yeomans Grant for Artistic Development, which aims to help promising young artists and/or artisans in furthering their education and professional artistic growth.
This Year's Programming includes: Performing Artists: PS I Love You, The Sleuth Bears, Sadiqua de Meijer, and Cantabile Choir Video Installations by Kurtis Chen, Mathieu Rioux, The Artists of Kingston Project; Speakers: Matt Rogalsky and Christine Dewancker Exhibits by artists Mike Bayne and Maggie Sutherland The event will be an excellent opportunity to network with other artists and arts organizations, while sharing stories from the past year in the Kingston arts community. Hope to see you there!

     
Once again....


  • Date: December 01, 2012
  • Time: 7:00PM
  • Location: Kingston Yacht Club
  • Address: 1 Maitland Street
  • Contact: 613 546 2787  programs@artskingston.ca

See you there!












Wednesday, October 24, 2012

October ART - Farewell Denise...

Denise, Cathie, Tina, Nicole, Joanne, Anne, Carolyn.

At our October 9th Artists Round Table (bumped because I was still on the Trans Canada Highway on Oct 2nd) we bid farewell to Denise Love of www.lovetheworldphotography.com as she packs up and leaves Kingston for London Ontario. We will miss her, I don't think she missed an ART meeting, and so will Modern Fuel Gallery where she worked for the past year.

As you can see from the photo of my dining room there was much in the way of munchies and we just talked about Denise's move, work, galleries and what we were doing this Fall and Christmas season.

There is no art fair at the fort this holiday season as, sadly, Lindsey Fair has moved on to greater things and the Fort got onto the bandwagon and the stretch over three weekends kinda wrecked the one weekend blast we had previously enjoyed.

I personally am trying to make the move from shows to shops with my felted work though they still want my knits...which look awful on a hanger for longer than one day whereas the felted can hang forever and not lose their shape!

There is a small show and sale this weekend at the Frontenac Arch Biosphere at 19 Reynolds Rd at the 1000 Islands Parkway. I will be there with a group of other artists:
Blaise DeLong, Margot Miller, Carolyn Barnett, Ron Tidrow, Jane Thellwel, 
Diana Earle, John le Blancq,  Arlene Massey & Otis Tamasauskas.

October 27 & 28th 2012
10am - 4pm



Our next ART is, again at my house, November 6th 10:30am





Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Photographing Your Work....

......workshop!

Photographing my buttons.




 The next meeting is an exciting one: 


From the 



Denise Love has been able to get the New Media Workspace coordinator, Matt Kyba, to present on our workshop morning 11am Aug 7th at the Modern Fuel Gallery. 


A $5 donation per person for his time is recommended. 



He will also advertise it as a workshop to encourage new folks to come 

and 

maybe join artist roundtable so it could be reciprocal. 


See you there....I know I could use some tips!