NEWS AND STUDIO UPDATES
This section includes highlights of some of my latest work, as well as
information about exhibitions and shows.
NEWS ON UPCOMING PROJECTS COMING SOON!
Many upcoming personal projects are in store for 2025 and I am excited to share them with you. Stay tuned for more information!
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Image: Kintsugi: The Poetic Mend by Bonnie Kemske
Image: It all begins with woven cloth
Katie Drobina once said:
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"Maybe you didn't ask for this chapter of your story, the one that feels like a winding road with no end in sight. Yet, here you are, with fortitude, showing up for every turn in the path. Like a river curving and carving along the edge of the banks, you are a force to be reckoned with, here to become who you were always meant to be."
Image: Detail from "Sea of Life, Sea of Humanity"
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND
THANK YOU!
CELEBRATING MY 60TH COMMISSION
As 2025 is here, I am celebrating my 60th commission. 2024 was a year of reflection and personal transformation. As I think about moving forward to the new year I am inspired by authenticity, the expression of emotion through colour and the importance of always creating work that is meaningful. I hope the work can create strong connections and help others in a positive way.
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I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you to my wonderful galleries, my lovely clients, my forever loyal and faithful friends and family - my husband Stephen and my three wonderful children: Hanna, Jacob and Sienna for their constant support and creative encouragement, especially over the last three years. As I think about the upcoming year, I think about gratitude, genuine connections, friendships and fortitude.
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Image: Cape Scott Provincial Park,
The Cape Scott Trail 2024 in Search of Clarity
COULDN'T ATTEND THE EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL?!
Couldn't attend this years' 2024 Eastside Culture Crawl?! Click on the EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL 2024 page on my website and check out the photos of my display. I am also open for studio visits so contact me through my HOME or STUDIO page. With studio visits you will be able to see current Commissions and personal work in progress.
PASSION FOR COLOUR
Check out my new page on my website, Passion for Colour: Memories, Aesthetics, Ways of Seeing and the Lifelong Pursuit of Curiosity through Colour. My first story explores my love for collecting Japanese ceramics and a connection to an old friend:
Memories: "Colourful Sundays at a Thrift Store and an Ode To Sachiko".
"...the idea of beauty living in everything would quite naturally create a more restorative world."
-Alan Moore-
"Do Design: Why Beauty is Key to Everything"
WORK IN PROGRESS:
DECEMBER 2024
A Commission for a Vancouver Home
Currently working on samples for a commission for a Vancouver home.
This 33" x 56" piece for the entranceway will work with hues of Olive and Chromium oxide greens. Thank you so much to John, Adriel and family!
Image: The Sample Planning Process
WORK IN PROGRESS:
OCTOBER 2024
A Commission for a California Home
Currently working on samples for a commission for a California home.
This 42" x 60" piece will work with a gradation of black, teal, raw sienna and yellow ochre. Thank you so much to Phil, Michele and everyone at The UKAMA Gallery.
Image: Inspiration for Commission
A COMMISSION FOR A WHISTLER HOME
"Pthalo Blue, Cobalt Green and a touch of Chartreuse"
I recently completed this 67" x 67" commission for a Whistler home.
This piece focuses on subtle cracks and utilizes eightly washes of Pthalo Blue, Violet, Cobalt, Chromium and Sap Green. Washes of Chartreuse were mixed with a Cobalt Green for yellow - green highlights at the bottom of the piece. Thank you so much to Jamie, Georgiann and of course Harvey from The Art Junction Gallery and Framing Studio in Whistler.
Image: Samples
Image: Work In Progress
Image: Final Installation
Image: Colour Palette
Image: The Sealing Process
A COMMISSION FOR A TORONTO HOME
"The Serenity and Simplicity
of a White line"
Just completed this 36" x 36" commission for a Toronto home working on the gradation of a subtle gray to titanium white. I experimented with chiseling out the white line and added a subtle iridescent touch. Thank you so much to Whitney and Marino - I am grateful!
Image: Final Installation
If you are ever visiting Whistler, please drop by Function Junction. There you will find the Art Junction Art Gallery and Framing Studio and the lovely owner, Harvey. Representing over forty wonderful artists, this Gallery boasts a diverse collection of work. After, head over to FORECAST COFFEE for their signature chicken sandwich and a refreshing cider on the patio!​
NEW WORK FOR WHISTLER GALLERY
Image: "A Quiet State of Reverie". Mixed media. 48" x 48". 2024
I WENT FOR A LONG WALK...IN SEARCH OF CLARITY
AUGUST 2024
I was always curious about the Northern tip of Vancouver Island. In August I hiked the Cape Scott Trail - 60 km over six days visiting remote beaches, surrounded by lush forests and living out of my red backpack. Check out my page below to read more about my wonderful adventure.
Image: Entrance to Cape Scott Provincial Park
KAREN HALLER:
BEHAVIOURAL DESIGN CONSULTANCY
November 2023
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Since April, I was enrolled in the Advanced Colour Group Mentoring Programme through Karen Haller: Behavioural Design Consultancy. Based in the UK, this fantastic program specializes in Applied Colour and Design Psychology. Last week, I received a Certificate in Advanced Colour and Design Methods for Industry Professionals, Stage 1 - Foundation Course.
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I really learned the importance of creating harmonious colour palettes for our overall well being and the psychological effects colour has on our behaviours. I also learned the importance of positive colour choices in creating supportive environments and to always be thoughtful of the behavioural outcomes within a given space.
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I highly recommend this course to anyone who works with colour within their business. As an artist, this was something we did not learn in Art School and this valuable knowledge moves beyond the concepts of the colour wheel and the principles of art and design. For more information, please check out karenhaller.com
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PIECE TRAVELING TO FLORIDA
This piece, "Meditations on Rediscovery and Restoration #2". Mixed media. 24" x 96". 2023 found a home in Florida. Thank you so much to The UKAMA Contemporary Art Gallery.
Image: Detail of piece
NEW WORK
November 2023
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The Japanese poet. Kobayashi Issa once wrote:
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“This dewdrop world - is a dewdrop world, and yet, and yet…”
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Embracing Kintsugi - the art of ‘golden joinery’ I rub the cracks with iridescent gold and mica pigment. Creating these golden veins chronicles my imperfect past and is a reminder of the beauty of human fragility. I weave linen by hand then crack grout to create tactile skins. Using a hammer and chisel I chip away then patiently mend, saturating them in acrylic paint. This dewdrop metaphor is a reflection of life in a world of instability - stability, adversity - fortitude, suffering - beauty.
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Image: "Weaving the Chronicles of my Past in a Dewdrop World". Mixed media. 42" x 48". 2023
A COMMISSION FOR A CALGARY OFFICE COMPLETE
MARCH 2024
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Completed this commission for a Calgary office inspired by the landscape of the Prairies. Thank you so much to Nathan and The Effusion Gallery and Glass Studio in Invermere.
Image: Inspiration from the Prairies: A Study in Blue and Yellow Ochre. Mixed media.
40" x 30". 2024
Image: Commission in Progress
Image: Samples in Progress
INTERESTING READS PAGE
I have been adding new books to a reading list as well as MY WISH LIST located on my INTERESTING READS PAGE. I also have a list of books for creative confidence for children on my TEACHING PAGE.
COME CHECK IT OUT!
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I would also love to hear some of your interesting reads so feel free to drop me a message.
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"A room without books, is like a body without a soul".
- Marcus Tullius Cicero -
Image: Searching for a "Meditative State" with blueberry pie and a good book
NEW WORK FOR
THE UKAMA GALLERY, GRANVILLE ISLAND
MARCH 2023
These three pieces entitled, "Meditations on rediscovery and restoration". mixed media. 24" x 96" will be installed at The UKAMA Gallery the first week of March. These pieces explore the art of kintsugi, and rediscovering a new mental clarity. The pieces also utilize an iridescent mica pigment rubbed into the surface - symbolizing that in the darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of light or hope within us.
Image: "Meditations on rediscovery and restoration #1, #2, #3". Mixed media. 2023
Image: Detail. "Meditations on rediscovery and restoration #3". Mixed media.
2023
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A COMMISSION FOR A NORTH
VANCOUVER HOME
"The Mystery and Serenity of
the Deep Blue Sea"
Just completed this 42" x 72" commission for a North Vancouver home in hues of dark emerald greens, pthalo blues and greens, raw sienna, cobalt blues and black. Inspired by the clients passion for scuba diving, this piece utilized more then 80 washes of colour. Thank you so much to Dave and The Ukama Gallery - I am grateful for your constant support and creative encouragement.
Image: Final Installation
A COMMISSION FOR A PALM
SPRINGS HOME
"An Ochre: The Oldest Known
Natural Pigment
Thank you so much to Janine and Mireille from The UKAMA Gallery and Gregory for this exciting commission. This 24" x 70" piece will explore titanium white, nuances of greys and yellow ochre. Ochre is the earliest known pigment to paint our world. It was the most commonly used pigment for painted walls in ancient Egypt and the Egyptians loved yellow ochre as they associated it with gold - "the colour of the Gods." Yellow ochre can be found throughout archeological sites in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Mexico and Egypt.
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