We are constantly receiving new work from our amazing Vancouver Artists that I thought what better place than to share them with you here. We had 3 shipments in today. We received Rachael Ashe’s new altered books with a fairytale theme, Robert Andrews beautiful boxes from Main Island, and The Loving Spoon exquisite personalized antique silver spoons. You can see what I mean with some of the photos below….
We have a selection of new knitting classes offered this Spring. You will be led through amazing projects by Expert knitter and instructor, Pearl Chow, formerly from Birkeland Bros. Wool.
Knitting Lessons: Learn How to Knit
Perfect for the absolute beginner, this class requires no experience. You will make a felted (fulled) bag or a hat (or both, if you do your homework!).
Learn the basics of knit and purl, plus figure 8 cast on, purled I-Cord bind off and Grafting. These techniques means that the items will have no seams!
Felting Lessons: Felted Bowl This class is suited for the ambitious beginner and advanced felters alike, and all skill levels are welcome!
Felting Lessons: Needle Beginner This class is for beginners interested in exploring the techniques of needle felting. We start slow with a simple project to ensure amazing results!
We are pleased to announce our upcoming Artist in the Window! Elaine Simandl will be creating hand-drawn greeting cards in the shop this Saturday, March 17th, from 11am – 4pm. If you are not familiar with her work, she actually draws each card individually and there are only 5 of each drawing available. That makes her cards little artworks unto themselves! There are two series of cards that she will be working on, one that consists of delicate, black ink drawings on off-white paper that are inspired by vintage tattoo design. And the other series is black silhouette drawings where she utilized chalkboard paint for a dark, dramatic look. And the fun bit is that you get a piece of chalk to draw on your card!
Elaine is a Vancouver artist who has been crafting forever. Most of what she makes, she makes for herself and her friends. Her paper and stationary products all have original, free-hand drawings on them.
To see more of Elaine Simandl’s work, please check out her Flickr page here.
Do you have a Birthday or function that you will be needing a greeting card this month? Well here is a special opportunity to get a unique and personalize greeting card hand made by greeting card designer, Caede Pungente. This Saturday, March 10th, between 11-4, Caede will be in the store and available to make your card on-the-spot with imagery made from found and repurposed materials. She will ask you about your loved-one’s likes and hobbies, and in about 30 minutes, you will have something special! Caede collects all sorts of materials for her cards, specifically fabric, ribbons, old calendars, greeting cards, wrapping paper and all sorts of bits. She uses typical tools of the montage sort, scissors and glue, but also more uncommonly, she employs a sewing machine that leves behind long straight stitches or zig zag stitches for a darling touch!
Inspired by watching Caede stitch her cards together? Sign up for her Saturday card making workshop happening on Saturday, March 31. Space is limited, so call the store to book your spot at 604-874-7415.
To read our previous post on Caede Pungente, click here.
I began working with the Art House Co-op a couple of years ago as a way to take a break from my conceptual art practice that didn’t utilize any one particular medium. They started their slew of fun projects by offering up a sketchbook, a theme and a deadline –and I loved it! The object of this project was to fill a small sketchbook with drawings loosely based on a pre-determined theme. My first sketchbook theme was “inside/outside”, and my niece chose “nightmares”, which I thought was rather brave for a 6 year old. We had about 3 months to fill it, and it was a way for me to get lost in the materiality of pencil and pen. Before the deadline, we send the sketchbooks back, and they go on an exhibition tour around North America. They have a whole bunch of online options too, you can have your sketchbook scanned and included on exhibition, and all of the books are barcoded, so you can see who is looking at yours and if they leave any comments on your work. It’s pretty fun. But mostly I participate because, like knitting, I find drawing a fantastic way to initiate stream of consciousness thought that adds to my conceptual art practice in ways that “thinking” cannot. When new projects are announced in my inbox, I get excited because they signal that it is my time to play with art.
As the years have passed, the Art House Co-op has expanded their fantastic programming, they offer up a plethora of paid programming, from the Sketchbook Project to various painting projects. But last week they started whole set of programming that offered free projects to play with. Every week they send out a new project scope, and this week’s is The Map Project. I invite you to participate, and if you like, post your reactions, thoughts and if you send me photos of your work, or of you working, we’ll do a follow-up gallery post for fun!
Here is the scope taken from the Art House Co-op website:
The Map Project challenges participants to create depictions of both physical and invented locations. Map your backyard, your fears, your personal history or your favorite book, then mail us the results. The only requirement is that your map folds down to a size not larger than 4” x 6”. We’ll exhibit every map we receive in our storefront space, transforming a single location into an atlas of our world. Whether you’re inspired by the precise detail of a geological survey or the whimsy of a childhood treasure map, The Map Project is a chance to translate your world into ink, textile, collage or print.
Robi Smith will be our Artist in the Window this Saturday, February 25th, between 1-4*, and after hearing about what she will be doing, we are more than excited! Robi is a print artist and she will be creating a multi-colored linocut print, similar to the owl print we have shown here. These prints are made by hand, not digitally reproduced, and therefore are much more valuable than many of your brightly coloured prints found at other stores. They are time consuming to make; the lino is hand cut into the shape, and then each colour is individually applied to the paper. The making of this owl has been well documented on Robi’s blog, and is a good read! Personally, I am really interested to see the technique that she uses so that she doesn’t over cut, which is what I am always afraid of doing. Robi says she doesn’t know what kind of an animal she will be making, only that it will be a local animal, fish or bird. I love an artist who doesn’t give it all away
Robi is a self-taught artist from Vancouver, Canada, and her work reflects her love of the North Eastern Pacific Ocean and its creatures. Her practice is driven by her concern for pollution, climate change and over-fishing.
To see more of Robi’s work, visit her website here.
Rudi Diesvelt will be the Artist in the Window for a second time! He is remarkable to watch, so if you missed him the last time, make sure you come down and see him in action.
Rudi is a metal and leather artist working in Vancouver. As he says in his video, he is enmeshed in Celtic art, loves the patterns and the craft, and incorporates the motifs into everything he makes. Bird on the Wire carries Rudi’s belts, books, bookmarks, among a plethora of well-crafted articles. He will be in the shop from 11-4, this Saturday, February 18th.
**IMPORTANT UPDATE** Rudi is no longer able to attend, but you can still find his wonderful items in our store, and we’ll be there to entertain you, as usual
Caede Pungente creates the most lovely hand-made greeting cards, and we are pleased to host her as our Artist in the Window this Saturday, February, 11th! Caede studied Interior Design and over the last two years, or so, has turned her keen eye for proportion and colour into Caede’s Cards, a local business supplying custom and one-of-a-kind creations. Some of her favourite techniques include paper folding, sewing and paper ripping. And some of her favourite materials include (paper, of course!), textiles, found objects and re-usable components that are sure to make her greeting cards unique. If you are interested in collage or assemblage art, then drop by the store between 11-4 and check out Caede’s methods!
Caede has a brand new Facebook Page, to join, click here.
Rudi Deisvelt has a studio in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver where he works on various Celtic creations. Rudi is a master of leather and metalwork and his specialties include leather bound books and journals, bookmarks and belts with belt buckles. With a careful hand and superior eye coordination, he engraves each piece with hand tools and creates beautifully textured, jeweled and designed pieces using traditional and modified Celtic imagery. Come by the store tomorrow, Saturday, February the 4th between 11-4 to watch his intricate pieces in the making.
To see more of Rudi’s work, visit his website here.
Bird on a Wire is functioning as a Pop-up Shop for Cocolico chocolatey confections! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the recent phenomenon of “pop-up shops” in Vancouver (and other hot cities), it’s when seasonal and artisan retailers take over spaces for a limited time. We have seen a few in the neighbourhood when retail real estate companies are filling time between leases, and at Bird in a Wire, we have switched the scale and are now offering Wendy Boys, Pastry Chef Extraordinaire, prime retail space within our store for her wonderful chocolate treats, perhaps only until Valentines Day!
Cocolico by Wendy Boys offers hand-made, small batch chocolates and fine desert sauces. Her ingredients are organic and locally sourced, when possible, and she supports other local businesses.
The products you will find at Bird on a Wire include decadent desert sauces, in three varieties: Salted Butter Caramel, Dark Chocolate Caramel and Raspberry Dark Chocolate Sauce –perfect pairing for a transcendental desert experience! Also a brand new line of four tempting chocolate bars will be launched, combinations of dark or milk chocolate featuring locally sourced fruits and nuts, Australian ginger and almonds. Of course, the infamous “brown box” of Vanilla Salt Caramels with Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Crunch will surely drive you mad! And lastly, but not least, the cello box of understated, creamy organic Salted Butter Caramels.
And for your taste-bud pleasure, we have TWO tastings already planned where you can drop by and sample Cocolico treats: tonight, February 2nd, at the Private View between 7-9:30, and Sunday between 2 and 4pm.
