by Marja-Leena If you are an artist or craftsperson or hobbyist working with art materials, do go read Anna Conti’s article on Artists Health Issues at her truly excellent blog Working Artist’s Journal. Some of the issues deal with the stresses faced by artists trying to pay bills and do their art. Environmental hazards are another big issue that not everyone is familiar with. Anna has compiled a great list of links to investigate this most important subject. Thanks, Anna!
by Marja-Leena 
As I mentioned in the last post, our good friends from Denmark arrived last week for a visit! After a day of sightseeing in Vancouver, including a visit at the Museum of Anthropology, we packed up the car and headed over to Vancouver Island. The ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo is always a pleasant way to begin a holiday with the wonderful mountain, island and ocean views.
As we drove west, we made stops at Cathedral Grove for a walk amongst the magestic old growth giant Douglas firs, and for lunch in the town of Port Alberni.
Our destination? Our favourite cabin retreat on the edge of the Pacific Ocean near Pacific Rim National Park. We had variable weather from a gorgeous sunset the first day, and a sunny morning the day we left. One afternoon and evening it rained very heavily, so we had a bit of everything, and we had a fabulous time with lots of long beach and rainforest walks!
On one wild beach, I even had an unexpected huge wave suddenly wash over my feet up to my knees in spite of a mad getaway run up the sand. I laughed with exhiliration even though I was aware in the back of my mind, and then by my husband’s concern, that I was very lucky I wasn’t pulled in by the undertow! Amazingly my wet feet inside my waterproof boots did not feel cold until much much later when we returned to our cabin.
Connie and Jorgen fell in love with this area and understood why it’s a favourite place of ours which we visit so often (as I wrote about in 2004 and 2005.) We returned home happy and a little tired last night. Very early this morning we exchanged sad goodbyes bolstered by our happy shared memories.
Now I’m catching up slowly, beginning with a trip to the studio this morning to get my thoughts back to my art after a month off. At home I still have Christmas decorations to take down and pack up. The holidays, though wonderful, are now over and life is returning to normal – a good thing.
P.S. – Photos of this great week, all 150 or so beautiful ones, were taken by my husband!
by Marja-Leena 
It is the sixth day of Christmas and tonight is New Year’s Eve. We have been busy getting ready for friends from Victoria coming for this weekend, and friends from Denmark coming next week. What a great way to end the old year and begin the New Year!
Dear Readers, I wish you all a New Year of Happiness, Good Health and Abundant Creativity! Hauskaa Uutta Vuotta! Bonne année! Allen ein frohes Neues Jahr!
(Image: detail from Silent Messengers: Hoodoos IV)
by Marja-Leena 
We had a wonderful Christmas Eve in the Finnish tradition with dinner, carols and Santa’s visit. Our oldest daughter and her partner surprised us by arriving from out of town and joining us after all. We were nine around the table with our daughters, their partners and the two grand-daughters (baby Niamh being #10, being held in someone’s arms in turns, sleeping contentedly).
We want to share our delight with this gift from our five-year old grand-daughter and her family: Lael’s Winter Story 2005. Lael made up the story and did the drawings on the computer, and her daddy took them into Flash to create this wonderful animation.
If you enjoyed this, have a look at Winter Story 2004 and Winter 2003!
Hope you are having a Wonderful Day!
by Marja-Leena 
Warmest wishes to all for a Happy Christmas, Hauskaa Joulua, Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeux Noël, Happy Chanukah, Matunda Ya Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays…. and Peace on Earth! Thank you, dear readers, for your support and friendship throughout the year – you have giving me great pleasure in this blogaventure!
by Marja-Leena 
Today I’m baking stollen with marzipan filling, a German Christmas bread that is one of our very favourites. Because of food sensitivities to wheat and dairy in two daughters and yours truly, I’m also experimenting with a small batch using spelt flour, goat milk and xylitol sugar. So far it seems very slow to rise because the flour is heavy, like coarse whole wheat…so wish me luck! In between watching the dough rise, then baking the many loaves, I’ve been dropping by here to visit some blogs and prepare a post I’ve been wanting to do for a few days.
Anita Konkka, a Finnish author of many books, posted a meme that she picked up, “What is in front of you?” It’s now circulating many other Finnish blogs. I don’t often do memes but this one seemed to draw me in. Here’s a translation:
DIRECTIONS: 1. Post a photo of, or describe, a picture, painting or scene that is in front of your eyes (behind your monitor), that you automatically and naturally gaze at everyday when pausing in your writing while trying to think of a word, or simply when you get lost in your daydreams. 2. Invite your friends to do the same and link.
GOAL: This may be utopian, but in spirit let’s start a web chain gallery.
So today, when for a little while the day seemed brighter (we are back to warm rainy westcoast weather!) I took a few photos. Here is my view on my right, next to my computer (you can see a sliver of the monitor). I sit facing a corner with small shelves of attractive objects made by my youngest when a child, and on the left wall is one of my prints. But my eyes always go to the window, looking out onto the backyard with its tall trees, the changing sky, and many birds and squirrels. This month, our bare magnolia tree out there is lit with clear minilights, another focus for my wandering and dreaming gaze in the night darkness beyond the window. (And it’s good for the eyes to let them look into the distance often as a break from staring at the monitor!)
What do YOU gaze on? Have a look at some other views at Mayday 34°35’S 150°36’E*, Blogisisko*
and ikkunaiines*.
Finally, on a Christmas theme again, check out some neat links in my post of one year ago. (Oh sorry, a couple of them have expired, sigh!)
UPDATE Dec.21st: I should have mentioned that the meme began at Kirogurun kurakori*. See comments below for more links.
Only yesterday I started reading Threading Thoughts written by a fabric artist in the UK and she’s now picked up the meme too, with a lovely description of what she sees beyond her monitor. Hooray, it’s going around the world!
* expired links removed
by Marja-Leena Today I had the very interesting and satisfying experience of jurying a group exhibition professionally for the first time. CityScape Community Art Space, an attractive gallery run by the North Vancouver Community Arts Council, puts out calls for several themed exhibitions every year. I was invited to jury the upcoming “And When You’re Gone”:
This multimedia exhibition is an invitation for artists to research the mapping of their family history, heritage and identity. It will explore the way one’s past shapes one’s present. It will take a closer look at how photographs, letters and family heirlooms become historical artifacts and pieces of the artist’s identity.
Director Linda Feil and I, along with the able assistance of Biliana Velkova, went through about 25 submissions which consisted of slides, photos or printed digital images, even some examples of original works. The artists’ statements were read as we viewed the works so we could get some understanding of the artists’ thoughts. It was noteworthy how many cultures were represented, the variety of media used, and the range in quality and expertise in the work. The theme is a fascinating one and some of the work was inspiring us to try it ourselves sometime! I think we were able to select a wide variety of artworks, both two-dimensional and three dimensional.
It should be a very exciting show, coming up January 27th to February 19th, 2006. CityScape Community Art Space is located at 335 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver, BC. I’m planning to be there and hope to take photos and tell you more!
If any emerging artists out there are reading this, I’d like to emphasize how important it is to do a very high quality presentation of your work when submitting to a gallery. The slides, photos or prints have to be sharp, with some details included when necessary. Be clear about what is the height and what is the width. A gallery selecting numerous pieces for a large group show has only so much wall space for pieces 4 foot wide by 2 feet wide, versus 4 feet high by 2 feet wide for example. Is your work really about the theme? Is the envelope containing the submission materials large enough for the materials so that they are not folded? When jurors are looking through a large number of submissions, they may lose patience handling poorly presented materials – first impressions do count!
by Marja-Leena 
So far December here in southwestern British Columbia has been almost rain free. This week we’ve had clear crisp sunny days and frosty nights with a brilliant full moon making the frost crystals sparkle like tinsel. It looks almost like hoar frost on some low plants and shrubs, like icing, but crisper, delineating the delicate edges of thin bare branches and turning dessicated fine leaves and seed heads into lace. If we can’t have snow, this comes close! Yesterday morning we even had a gorgeous sunrise which I managed to capture here. (Aside: Why do sunrise and sunset pictures seem so kitschy, like velvet paintings, I wonder?) Anyway it set the mood for the day as I tackled the items on my list.
First off, I was back with Kats, retaking photos of one of my Silent Messengers. With a few more tricks learned from practice we were able to avoid many of the reflections plaguing the documentation of the work. (Thank you again, Kats, for taking the time in your busy schedule to do this!) At home, I did the necessary adjustments in PhotoShop and then posted it. Over the next while I’ll put up the others, including replacing the first three with better ones.
The focus of the afternoon and early evening was on chores with a nice finale of much pleasure. I met my husband after work to do a bit of shopping (some gifts and a replacement string of lights, the new LEDs), have dinner at a Greek place, then meet his sister on a short stop here on her way south for Christmas. She wanted to meet our now-one-month-old grand-daughter so we went for a nice visit with the young family, joined also by her son now living in Vancouver.
So, gifts have been bought, letters and cards have been mailed. Decorating is still underway and baking must begin. This weekend we will be watching the Carol Ships.
Have a happy weekend!
by Marja-Leena 
What a busy time of year! I feel like my several “roles” in life are all in competition. Here are the most demanding ones right now:
THE ARTIST spent a surprisingly pleasant hour and a half last Friday morning with a photographer in the AudioVisual Services at Capilano College, taking digital photos of my Silent Messenger series of prints. Regular readers may recall my writing about my difficulties with the reflections on the shiny transparent layer. I was told about Kathleen Klein, aka Kats’ abilities and booked an appointment. Kats met the challenge extremely well with her professional knowledge and equIpment – a huge thank you, Kats! I may need to have one or two retaken but most are only needing the normal minor corrections. As time permits I’ll do that and will post them here, to go into the archives under “Silent Messengers.” Sorry it’s taking so long.
THE PARTY GAL (hah, me?!) has been to SO’s company Christmas dinner, a rather posh affair in a posh hotel downtown. Dressing up, being introduced to numerous people and trying to remember names, and trying to have conversations in a noisy room of over 200 people are a major challenge for me. I think a lot of people were surprised to finally meet “the wife”! A much smaller, more casual and cosier potluck party was held a couple of days ago by Wayne to welcome Kim to the printmaking community – much more our style! And there’s another potluck lunch on Wednesday, an annual ritual for the Institutees!
THE CORRESPONDENT with the help of SO has finished almost all the letters and Christmas cards. We’re enjoying the cards and letters coming in every day now!
THE HOMEMAKER and DECORATOR has started to do some Christmas decorating with some outdoor lights on the shrubs by the house, with the indoors to follow this week. SO finished painting some of the rooms downstairs, so there will be the cleaning and returning of things into some order for guests coming over the holidays. I even looked at some beds today to possibly replace our old, rather saggy one that had been relegated for guests.
THE SHOPPER crossed off several items on the list today, with a sigh of exhaustion. She still needs something for the grand-daughters and SO, who have everything.
THE COOK and BAKER needs to finalize the food and baking ingredients list, shop and start baking! Youngest daughter finished classes today and will help with baking and decorating!
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A CHRISTMAS MEMORY: One year when my children were small and I was an at-home mom, I sewed almost all my Christmas gifts, including a winter coat for one of our girls, and a jacket for my husband! That gave me a great sense of pleasure and a connection to the old ways of my childhood! I wish I had time to do that these days. Ah well, maybe I’ll manage to make a couple of bibs for the latest family addition.
by Marja-Leena 
Late yesterday afternoon I was very pleased to give our very good friends Elaine and Allan, who came over from Victoria, a private tour of my exhibition at the Studio Art Gallery at Capilano College. They have always been very interested and supportive of my work and I thank them very much for that.This was followed by a pleasant evening at our home, catching up with each other’s news over dinner, wine and a new dessert I made for the occasion.
That reminds me, if you are in the Vancouver area, and haven’t yet seen my show, do come in before it comes down on Wednesday, December 7th at 4:00 pm. If you’d like to meet me and discuss my work with you, please contact me and I’ll be there. I don’t promise dinner and dessert though!