No. 22:
Hello friends,
Fall has finally arrived here on the West Coast; leaves crunch underfoot and the days are chilly. It's my favourite season. I love the deep sense of nostalgia that settles over me, as my hair whips about in the wind and rain. There is a moodiness to Fall that I feel drawn to, a darkening of the Earth as we head into Winter.
This Fall in particular feels especially charged with the energy of renewal. I see myself stepping through a portal of pure light, the next stage in this great journey.
Let’s get into it!
PROJECTS:
Something fun I’ve been working on lately is making my own clothes. This Summer I successfully made a tank top, dress, and am 90% finished a button-up shirt (just need to add the buttons!) For the dress and button-up I thrifted a couple of cotton bed sheets; the tank is linen with cotton binding.
For all pieces, I used Birgitta Helmersson’s book Zero Waste Patterns. Making clothes has always been in the back of my mind, and this book has given me entry into that realm; her steps are easy enough for me to follow and I can see that I’m learning the techniques behind the garment itself. That makes me excited to keep learning and sewing.
I can see eventually creating my own fabric designs using my art as the basis and creating garments, potentially for sale.
EXHIBITIONS:
My piece What’s Ahead is Also Behind was recently featured in the End of Summer Social at Slice of Life Gallery in Vancouver. This was my first time participating in a group show at Slice and it was a lot of fun! I would recommend for anyone looking to connect with the artist community in Vancouver.
This piece pushed my work into a new direction, combining elements from the book I created for the Alchemy show and recent sketches. It is created from a series of abstracts on watercolour paper that I then sliced up into a series of portals of various dimensions, and layered together using glue and double-sided foam tape.
During the creation process I played around with a number of shapes and materials, testing out combinations before settling on the final form.
The piece is completed with a 9x12” back-loaded wooden frame with glass from Opus Art Supplies, hanging hardware installed.
EVENTS:
Back in August, I was one of the featured artists at Snag in the Valley.
Here are some behind the scenes photos from the process of this piece: starting with a sketch in Mildliners, followed by some experiments in gouche in my sketchbook.
The final piece didn’t end up going quite as expected; sometimes things go awry during live events and you just have to pivot. Unfortunately, during the event the paint that I was working with alongside the masking fluid idea that I had, just wasn’t going to work within the time frame of the event. I would still like to pursue the idea though.
The final result: a swirling cosmos, exploding in the flames of creation.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
These are the final workshops of 2025:
Intro to Bookmaking - October 11, 10:30-12:30pm @ Slice of Life Gallery, Vancouver. Tickets. 4 spots left!
Intermediate Bookmaking - November 8, 10:30-1:30pm @ Slice of Life Gallery, Vancouver. Tickets. 6 spots
Intro to Bookmaking - December 6, 1-3pm @ Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Tickets.
Intro to Bookmaking - December 13, 10:30-12:30pm @ Slice of Life Gallery, Vancouver. Tickets.
INSPIRED BY:
📖 Swimming In Darkness by Lucas Harari - The story of a young man’s obsessive journey to the Vals Swiss Alps thermal baths. A dark and intriguing graphic novel, with art work that reflects the modern sensibility of its setting. 10/10
🎨 The Century of Artist’s Books by Johanna Drucker - I’m currently preparing to write an essay about artist’s books and this book is a gold mine. Niche and packed with vital history. 9.5/10
All the best,
Ember
Great to hear what you have been doing.