 This church is special for a couple of reasons...one is that it is the oldest church in our community. The second, and more important to me, is that our family was baptised together there fifteen years ago. There was the most wonderful minister there at the time, his name was Wally and he was the best storyteller. This building is filled with the most wonderful memories for me.
I am so grateful to AyrSpace Gallery in Ontario, Bluerock Gallery in Black Diamond, Daffodil Gallery in Edmonton, Effusion Gallery in Invermere, Inglewood Fine Arts in Calgary and Just Imajan Gallery in Cochrane for their support of my work. In a very short time already this year so many paintings have found new homes and I feel abundantly blessed.
I'm often pleasantly surprised to see which paintings have flown and I often wish I could find out why a particular piece was selected, especially in the case of the Totem Animals. Is it the animal itself, the story behind it, the colour palette or patterns that draw someone? This or a combination of all? Almost half of them have already found their new owners and I hope that they can be as much of a blessing to them as they have been to me.  Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment 
Initially I was planning on painting a beautiful white wild rose which I didn't know existed until I received a photo from a friend (thank you!) but, because I live on a creek that is lined with these roses and they are our provincial flower, I chose the pink rose instead. Of all roses, these are my favorite, a little rough around the edges but delicate, too. Though I have not been known to be a fan of the colour pink, I love how these flowers change from a magenta to a soft pink as they bloom.
When my eldest daughter was very young we lived on an acreage she and I used to collect the rose hips to create a vitamin C rich tea. Apparently they can also be used to make a delicious jelly. First Nations' people were known to use the plants medicinally as a tonic or diuretic and the thorns as fishing lures. 
These are a few of the projects I've worked on with the kids at the library in the past and so I after our meeting at St. Augustine School of the Arts, we decided on a variation of these along with a few others. What I love so much about working with kids is that they are totally open to learning new things without being concerned about judgement either from self or others. Some of them don't even need direction, just the tools and a sample and they're off. If you would have told me six years ago that I would love teaching children, I'd have disagreed, but I do. And the greatest gift for me is to see their pride in their work, no matter whether it looks at all similar to the sample, they just feel pleasure in creation and are amazed at what they can accomplish. It warms the cockles of my heart.
 I love turtlenecks! When I was young I received the most beautiful hand knit wool fisherman's turtleneck from Ireland, and in the 1970's my turtlenecks were polyester (not very comfortable but I though I looked fabulous!) and in the 1980's cotton mock-turtlenecks. These days I tend to wear looser, softer sweaters but I still love those turtlenecks.
It was such a busy weekend at the library. Both art workshops with Alicia were full and after the full author visit the previous evening, I was exhausted but happy. It's always an interesting for me to see each participant working on the exact same project but coming out with a completely different image in the end. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did this weekend.
 What an amazing evening at the Airdrie Public Library. For our first author visit this year I was so pleased that Thundering Nations International agreed to share a First Nations' dancer performance with us. Not only was it stunningly beautiful, but also very informative as the director Jacquie Wabasca spoke about each dance and its importance to her culture and also of the importance of the symbols and designs used on their regalia. And I even got to dance when she called for audience participation...very fun and funny.
Then, Judge Reilly shared his experiences in the legal system with a particular focus on the needs of our Aboriginal communities. He called for healing rather than punishment, and education rather than longer sentences. Because I grew up in a northern Aboriginal community this touched me deeply. I'm already looking forward to our next author, award-winning mystery writer Gail Bowen who will be joining us for wine and cheese and another live performance on May 13.   Though the northern black current is the prettiest little flower, it is also known as skunk currant because the scent is rather disagreeable. Its fruit, black speckled with resin dots, is bitter but it is an excellent addition to the making of jams and jellies because of its high pectin content (used in thickening).
Currants come in a variety of colours - black, red, pink (sweeter though less nutritional) - and are high in vitamin C, anti-oxidants (similar to cranberries and chokecherries), iron and are believed to have potential benefits against cancer, aging, inflammation and neurological diseases.  ”Enjoy a free evening out filled with conversation, laughter (sometimes tears), and refreshments with the 2015 Author Series hosted by the Airdrie Public Library and proudly sponsored by BMO Kingsway."
Our first visit in the Airdrie Public Library 2015 Author Series this year is a wine & cheese event which will feature traditional First Nations' dancing (featuring Delree Dumont & friends) in full regalia along with a reading by Judge John Reilly. We do recommend RSVP due to refreshments and it can be completed online. |
|
