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~ For people who are passionate about respecting the earth, walking in nature, observing wildlife, local diet, making do, repurposing, organic gardening, foraging for wild plants and fungi, natural health, scrumptious healthy cooking, renovations, DIY, crafting, raising children simply and mindfully, taking time for stillness, and living in harmony with the seasons.

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Category Archives: art

“The Spirit Books” by Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord

14 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by Delena Rose in art, book making, books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book making, hand made books, natural books, Spirit Books, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord

The Spirit Books Back in December, while preparing for a book-making date with my friend, Sarah, I came across Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord’s website www.makingbooks.com. Susan is an artist and sometimes works with children in book-making workshops. You can find many patterns for handmade books on her website and she has a number of YouTube videos available with instructions on how to make some of these children’s books. The Spirit Books In her own work, The Spirit Books, Susan uses a wide variety of natural materials as she explores “connections between nature, aesthetics and spiritual transcendence”. It is this use of raw, natural materials that drew me deeply to her work. When I first saw The Spirit Books I felt an immediate sense of wonder and curiosity. I wanted to touch and cradle each book carefully in my own hands, inhale the exotic, earthy scent and allow my heart to open (just like one of the Spirit Books) to the secrets and ancient teachings that lie within.

The Spirit Books bring together my love of the book and my response to the natural world that we see and the invisible one that lies behind it.~Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord

The Spirit Books Each Spirit Book is made with natural materials, handmade papers, coconut shells, etc., and features stitching and beadwork. Each book sits in a cradle of twigs, driftwood or twisted vines.

I feel a deep connection to older powers as I gather twigs, branches, vines and roots…~Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord

The Spirit Books

“Reading” the book is meant to be a contemplative experience that takes the reader out of the everyday world and into a state of gratitude and reverence.~Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord

Susan has published a catalogue featuring this collection and I promptly ordered it for myself. Now that I had found The Spirit Books, I could not live without them. She also has a pdf version of the catalog on her website, so you don’t have to buy the catalogue in order to view and appreciate Susan’s work.

Beautifully photographed, I wanted to share The Spirit Books with you in case you, or someone you know- might also find Susan’s work to be both inspirational and spiritually nourishing. You may even want to try your hand at making a Spirit Book of your own. I know I want to! Many of The Spirit Books are available for purchase with a price range of $650-$1500. See Susan’s website for more details.

The Spirit Books

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Attending the Canadian Heritage Breeds Urban Farm Show (November 2014)

23 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Delena Rose in art, chickens, local events

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Canadian Heritage Breeds, chickens, farm show, heritage, heritage breeds, Red Deer

chicken show

As you may know, Brian, Chayton and I are currently planning for, and preparing to get chickens this coming spring. We set up the coop last fall and are now spending the winter reading up on heritage breeds and sourcing out local breeders.

chicken show

chicken show

Last November, we headed to Red Deer, Alberta to attend the 2014 Annual Canadian Heritage Breeds Urban Farm Show. This is an annual three-day show and we were excited to attend and do a little hands-on research on chickens. The event included a heritage livestock display, a Fancy Pigeon and Racing Homer show, a trade show area, competitions, silent auction, children’s activities, Chicken John’s petting zoo, and a banquet and awards ceremony for those participating.

What is a heritage breed? According to the CHB website:

Giving a concrete definition of the term ‘heritage’ can be a difficult task. The broadest definition of a heritage breed of livestock is: a breed that was developed and used on farms, ranches and homesteads before the advent of modern industrial agriculture. With a few exceptions, they are breeds that thrive in outdoor situations, are able to forage for some of their own food and have a long reproductive lifespan. Our heritage breeds range in age from mere decades to several centuries of history, but common among them all is a unique adaptation to both the farms they come from and the farmers who keep them.

chicken showchicken show We ended up going on Sunday afternoon when things were starting to wind down but we were still able to view most of the chickens. We are just learning about heritage chickens and are amazed at the incredible diversity of the breeds. It was even more exciting seeing the birds ‘in real life’ rather than just in books. They were all so beautiful (some were quite comical) and I can see how collecting and raising heritage breeds can be both fun and addictive!

chicken show

chicken show

I took a lot of pictures and decided not worry about trying to document the names of each breed this time around (there were so many) but rather just enjoyed their beauty in the moment knowing that there would be plenty of time later to learn each of their breeds/names.

chicken showchicken show

Sadly, the pictures are taken through the cages but I hope they are enough to give you a taste of the wide variety of heritage breeds. At the show, the chickens were grouped by their size (small, medium and large) and then further grouped according to their breed.

chicken show

chicken show

We also saw ducks, geese and pigeons.

chicken showchicken show

chicken show

There was also an area at the back with birds for sale.

We really enjoyed attending the show and look forward to attending more shows in the future. We are now in the process of making the final choices and ordering our chicks for the spring. In just a few months, a matter of weeks, really, we will be starting our coop! In the meantime, these pictures are enough to enrich our research and learning about heritage breeds of chickens. I hope you enjoyed them, too.

chicken showchicken show

 

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Introducing Sheila A Kelba-Warawa of Mud Hen Clay Studios (Part One)

17 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in art, buy local, handmade, Pigeon Lake, pottery

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Blue Heron Gallery, buying handmade, hand-built pottery, Kelba-Warawa, Pigeon Lake gallery, Pigeon Lake local art, pottery, pottery fish, pottery mirror, pottery tile, Sheila A Kelba-Warawa

I stopped at the Village at Pigeon Lake today to get groceries and more jars for canning. As I was walking back to my vehicle, I passed right by a shop that I had never seen before. Looking in through the open door, I was immediately drawn in by the color and uniqueness of the merchandise. I had arrived at Blue Heron Artists and Artisans Gallery.

I went in and was pleasantly greeted by a woman who welcomed me and informed me that the most of the pieces feature local artists from around the lake as well as central Alberta. I thought this was wonderful as not only can one buy handmade, but can support local artists at the same time. I was in the right place as I had recently taken the Handmade Pledge online: Pledge Handmade

Although it is usually more expensive, buying handmade is better for the environment, better for people and communities and makes for better gift-giving. Buying handmade often means that you are getting a unique, one-of-a kind item. As my tastes tend toward the unusual, I get a lot of satisfaction in finding interesting things are are both useful and beautiful. With the money I save from ‘making do’, ‘repurposing’ and ‘thrifting’, I can afford handmade when I need it or want it. Like many of you, I also hand-make most of the cards and gifts that I personally give away.

I really enjoyed my time at Blue Heron. They have so much to choose from:

We carry quilts, stained glass, fused glass, 3 different types of pottery, gold, silver and precious stone jewellery, knitted socks, touques and children’s sweaters, soapstone carvings, embroidered bags, weaving, porcelain dolls, rustic furniture, rustic birdhouses and feeders, paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolour as well as numbered prints, photography from around the lake, sewn plush dolls, candles and soaps, fibre art, felted items and casual quilted jackets.

I fell in love with four pieces of pottery: a small square mirror, a tile, a fish dish on three legs and a large funky chicken-woman vase. I bought the first three items but will have to save a little for the chicken-woman. I got chatting with the woman who greeted me earlier and it turned out that this was Sheila A Kelba-Warawa herself, the local artist who made all four of the pieces that I had chosen! When I asked her to describe her work, she told me:

My work has a funky edge. Although I enjoy throwing pots, my passion is hand-building, where I have the freedom to create slightly off the wall animals and animal women.

I love the organic shapes and especially the colors that glaze Sheila’s pieces (lime green, ocean blue, orange copper undersides, purple, pale yellow). Along with pots, candlesticks and tiles, she hand-builds fish and chickens in her own distinct style. Some of the edges are left bare, which makes the piece feel like it is a hundred years old and already full of stories. I was regretting that I did not bring my camera as I could have shown you more of Sheila’s work. Instead, I will visit her studio in Bentley, Alberta in a few weeks and do a more in depth interview and show you a wider range of her work (in Part Two). Until then, if you would like to contact Sheila, you can reach her through Blue Heron or through her personal email at mudhenstu@hotmail.com. You can also take a look at her biography on the Blue Heron website.

I look forward to many more visits to Blue Heron Artists and Artisans and supporting a wonderful local business here on Pigeon Lake while at the same time supporting local artisans from central Alberta. Next time you visit the Village at Pigeon Lake, be sure to stop in at 40 Village Drive and have a look around. Or click on the links provided and view their gallery online. I am sure you will find that perfect handmade item that you haven’t found anywhere else!

In the meantime, I will enjoy my new pieces! On the Blue Heron website, it says that “Sheila’s intention is to bring whimsy and joy to the viewer.” These pieces will surely do just that! The tile will sit on my desk to hold my tea as I work on this blog each day; the mirror will hang just outside the washroom and will be one of the first things that I see in the morning (adding a splash of lime green to an otherwise dull corner), and the whimsical fish dish will hold my handmade gardeners’ soap beside the kitchen sink and will make me smile every time I use it.

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