Bird on a Wire

Gina Miller, Dream, mixed media on wood, 8" x 8"

When planning our first newsletter, it seemed obvious to include one or two artist profiles. People like to know about our artists, and we like to talk about them! However, it did pose a huge dilema: which artists and how do we choose? Clearly we love all of our artists, and we didn’t want to accidentally give preferential treatment, so as a result, we have developed a way to “objectively” choose. We hope you will find it as fun and surprising as we do!

Welcome to Bird on the Wire’s “Latest and Greatest” column in which three artists will be highlighted. The “Latest” category will feature the most recent artist addition. We accept artists on an ongoing basis, so this is a great way to remind you that there is always something new in the shop for you to discover. And there will be two artists for the category “Greatest”, one whose work provides the highest sales in the previous month, and one whose items sell the highest volume. This month, we celebrate Jon Shaw, Gina Miller and Jennifer Conway!

Bird on the Wire’s “Latest” is painter, Jon Shaw. His paintings are characterized by expressive markings that are indicative of his passionate process. In a flurry of enthusiasm, Jon has a need to complete his paintings in one sitting and attributes this fact to a short attention span. Regardless of its cause, the result is highly charged and energetic. He uses a variety of media on his canvas, typically including ink and oil, and sometimes adding acrylic paint. Jon’s enthusiasm is infectious and extends well beyond the edges of his canvas making him a big hit as one of our Artist in the Window participants in October and we are hoping to have him back in the new year.

Jon Shaw, Crows 14, ink, oil and acrylic on canvas, 16" x 16"

Gina Miller is one of Bird on the Wire’s “Greatest”. Her mixed media painting bursts with dreamy colour while her imagery evokes memories from a time gone past. Gina uses her own personal experiences and memories to tap into the collective consciousness of “heartbreak and joy” and the “complicated emotions” that reside in our most profound relationships. Using motifs from children’s drawings and 1970′s fabric and wallpaper, Gina’s work triggers the uncanny for her generation, and intrique for the generations that follow. Technology is also embraced within her work. Gina uses her scanner, à la Wonderland, to shrink and enlarge the motifs and prints them out directly on her canvas, merging the past with the present literally and figuratively.

The second title of “Greatest” goes to mixed media artist, Jennifer Conway from the Raven’s Rest Studio. Working with vintage images, Jennifer makes a plethora of small works, including jewellery, greeting cards, keychains and magnets. People LOVE to buy Jennifer’s items because they are a tiny piece of lovely to cherish. Her bold colours and texts lend the vintage images a contemporary feel. Jenny’s works with a variety of materials, including paint, vintage images, buttons, fabric and papered, most of which is found and recycled. Her latest material of choice is beeswax. The effect of layering beeswax with other materials is an incredible softness that is almost dreamy.

To read more articles from this newsletter, click “Dec11Newsletter” on our tag cloud.

Jennifer Conway Necklace Pendants