I recently had the privilege of taking a cyanotype workshop with artist Julya Hajnockzky at Sparrow Artspace with a group of wonderful, creative women whom I so enjoy spending time with. After learning about this process, I also got to take a peek into artist Stephanie Jager's sketchbook...so much fun!
My time in Cranbrook was incredible, the Cranbrook Art Gallery and workshop space was so beautiful & everyone I met was so nice. It was a real treat to meet up with a couple of Mastrius members (there's nothing like connecting in person) and other artists whom I had previously only met online. Plus, the weather was gorgeous which was especially nice after the cold snap we experienced. I hadn't been to Cranbrook in almost 15 years so it was great to see so many young couples and all the thriving local businesses (delicious food & beverages!). Huge thank you to everyone who came out for the talks or the workshop, especially those who travelled a distance & thank you Sab Curtis for the photos! It was all greatly appreciated.
Myself and my friend, artist Stacey Walyuchow, recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by Samreen Ahmed, a reporter with the Calgary Journal and writer for Article 1 magazine. That article is titled "Humans vs. Robots: Are artists being replaced by AI?" To read, please visit here.
"Article 1 is a human rights magazine that highlights the shared experience of Canadians wanting justice, shining a spotlight on underrepresented sources, amplifying the voices of the oppressed, and cataloguing the strength and resilience of people who have had their human rights denied, trivialized, and disregarded. The name comes from article 1 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states “That all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Article 1 is published by Mount Royal University journalism students in Calgary. Its mission is to tell comprehensive stories about a range of issues, everything from marginalized identities, to basic human rights infractions and the intersections where those meet." "Upon divorce, Victorian women generally had no rights to any property accumulated during marriage, usually leaving them impoverished."
Last month I took part in a fantastic workshop with mixed media artist and friend Stacey Walyuchow. It was so fun to be able to take part in both the workshop and an artist's talk with Stacey and author Wendy McGrath that week. I'm not a collage/mixed media artist and oil pastels are quite foreign to me, plus I don't usually work in such muted colours, but this workshop was so much fun! It was also very nice to see several ladies in the community that I haven't seen in some time. I may go back into the piece once I think about it a bit, but, for now, I love the feeling of it.
"But you have to have something that you don't ask anybody else about. I have been receiving the kindest messages about my exhibit in Cranbrook. Several women have travelled specifically to view it and the introductory portrait workshop sold out very quickly. I am so grateful for this opportunity and am looking forward to visiting it in person in March. Thank you, Anne Anderson, for this lovely photo!
This project has been a bit neglected...though I am still trudging along. I finally ended up with the dreaded Covid so I was behind a week. It felt like a mild cold but I was so tired that I knew it was important to rest. Sometimes we are forced to slow down and it seems that I don't until I get ill. After not having any illnesses the past 5 years I was a little spoiled. But the rest was good and I'm re-evaluating a few things while I continue with 'Ahead of Her Time' and 'A Room of Her Own' - these projects make me very happy. :)
This is the point in a new series that I begin to feel less doubt about the direction I'm taking and the quality of my work. I'm so grateful that I was given the advice to hang my work-in-progess. When I started my first 52 week project, I placed each portrait in my studio closet and dreaded each new one. But, once I hung the work, I began to see something special in it. It was encouraging. The old adage of never giving up is so true. I've also begun adding the original miniature portraits to each piece and seeing them together brings me so much joy.
"Victorian women's rights were extremely limited in this era, losing ownership of their wages, their physical property excluding land property, and all other cash they generated once married."
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