Sun & Art

Detail shot of "Steam Boats" in acrylic

Could not have asked for a better weather or two days for the Orleans Art Studio Tour {sunny and hot}, we kept our studio showing outside and it was perfect {we had the inside set up, for just in case it was to be a rain day}.  Everything was all set under a large car port with views of gardens all around it and there was this wonderful breeze going through, keeping things, well "Lagom"...  A Swedish word for not to hot and not too cold, just Lagom!!!   And we had a great steady flow of people coming to view the art and stop for a chat, it was great fun.

"Steam Boats" acrylic 5" x 36"

 In the front section you can see the work of Virginia Dupuis, behind that {in the middle} is my work, and to the right {out of the picture} is the work of Maureen Rooney Mitchell's work and this is also her house.  You can see her summer studio space behind my work.

And here is a better shot of Maureen's summer studio space and Maureen her self setting up for the tour.  Here we had all our cards, books and small paintings on display.

I also had two easels up with some of my ink and water colour work on display, and I worked on small pieces as demos, and when it was quiet I had something to do {I'm not good at just sitting and waiting, I always have to do something so why not sketch or paint}...

 This I thought was so cute, a small butterfly landed on one of my paintings and it sat there for a long time, enjoying the clean laundry hanging up : )

The tour was great success, we got a great crowds coming through from far and wide, tons of fantastic comments and feed back, great exposure for us and for the community...  and not to forget all my friends who took the time to come out, loved seeing you all!!!.  Thank you so much Maureen for sharing your fantastic space with us and for all your hard work with getting your home ready for this tour.  And I want to thank Edward Barr and his staff at Wall Space and all our great sponsors for your support and generosity, all to make this tour a possibility and success...  And I cant forget all the fellow OAST artists, for you who made it to our studio, it was great seeing you and I wish I have had the chance to see all your spaces too. 

Now with the tour over, its time for me to finally get things done here around the house, packing and lots of it, clean and sort through all my stuff in my work space...  Not to forget the rest of the house, we have a lot of things to do before we get the key to our new house, now less than a month away....  Cant wait, it will be so nice to finally have this move over with.  And maybe, just maybe I can get a bit of painting or sketching done in between here and there, we see.

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My Art on Display and Festivals

We are very lucky here Ottawa, to finally have a true Scandinavian home design store "Truly Swedish Design". And I have been very fortunate to have the pleasure to connect with Annika Ek who's the owner of this store, and she has given me a great opportunity to display my work in her store.  Its located right in the middle of the great Westboro area of Ottawa {west end}, this area is full of tea shops, restaurants and unique shops and boutiques.  The area also has wonderful older and historic buildings and homes with pretty little gardens and parks where you can sit and sip coffee and enjoy the area {or like in my case, sketch}.  Needless to say, one of my very favourite areas of Ottawa and if you ever come to Ottawa, this is one of the many areas of our city you should visit.



My art at Truly Swedish Design Store

I just love Scandinavian design, and I love both traditional and modern styles, but the modern designs have for some reason always been more me.  I like clean and simple lines, unique designs and natural textures and materials {I also like mixing modern with the old}.  And Annika has brought in so many amazing pieces from Scandinavia, beautiful iron work, natural linen table runners and towels, trays, rugs, bags and furniture. 

Two of my paintings

The store is new and this summer Annika will be holding the grand opening to her store {link}
and I offered to design the invitation and she was very happy with it and this is the end result of it.
The grand opening is held during the Westfest {June 8-10, 2012}, its when the main street is closed off to traffic and the street becomes packed with vendors, music, entertainment, food stands and of course lots of people having fun {and hopefully great weather}. 

Its exciting and I have to say, I'm so glad I found this store...   Not only for great things with in it, and for the wonderful opportunity given me to be able to display my work there {Tusen tack}, but also for a great friendship that has grown from this...  And its always fun to be able to speak in my own mother tongue and lord knows I need that {have become a bit rusty with it}.

I will be busy this June, there is the grand opening of Truly Swedish Design, Westfest and then I'm taking part in the annual east end Orleans Arts Studio Tours {my first year to take part} and then of course get ready for the great move {lots of packing} to our new house.  

Here's to June!!!

Mari

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