Reaching out for strength within

As an artist, you have to be proactive about getting your work out there in the world. Since I belong to a quilt guild, I can count on being able to enter my work in the triennial show we put on. And as a member of a group of fibre artists in my community, I find it’s a struggle to find a suitable venue for our annual group show. But in June, I learned about an unusual call for proposals for art to be hung at a new health and community services centre being planned for the neighbourhood.

When it opens in 2019, the Oakwood-Vaughan Health Clinic will offer “a range of services with a focus on community members who face barriers to health care such as people living in poverty, isolated seniors, non-insured, people with complex mental health issues, those requiring interpretation and living with unstable employment.”

Artists in the surrounding community were encouraged to submit proposals for artwork that will be displayed in the programming space, clinic offices and foyer of the new centre. Themes could focus on community, health and youth, as well as the cultural history of the area. “We hope to promote the creativity that allows all to express and trust themselves. We want artists to show a spirit of inquiry and exploration through their art pieces.”

Of course I was thrilled when my proposal was one of the 25 accepted. They called us all together for a “meet and greet” session on July 31. The organizers explained timelines and next steps and also issued $150 honorariums to each of the selected artists.

I had done a great deal of pondering and planning up to this point, but now that I had the green light, it was time to move on to the construction phase!

Trying out the fabric oak leaves

My concept for this piece is to evoke the new health centre’s intent to reach out to the community.

Here’s my artist statement:

“The arm is not one colour. It is not white, black, beige or brown, but in keeping with the multi-cultural diversity of the Oakwood Vaughan community, and indeed Toronto as a whole, it represents all skin colours. Our skin colour is immaterial. We are all part of this community … we help each other.

From my own collection of pressed leaves, I selected five different species of oak leaves and used their shapes to create fabric ones that “sprout” out of each finger and thumb. This represents healthy growth and renewal, while also supporting the importance of diversity.

Reaching out for strength within. 33″ w x 20″ h

The tree trunk, from which the arm is protruding, portrays the strength, not only of the mighty oak tree, but of our community, when we work in unison.”

Delivering the artwork

I delivered my completed piece in October, and on November 15, a “sneak peek” event was held to view all the submissions. What an impressive range of artwork has been gathered from community artists!

On October 22, a jury will announce their decision on the top three artworks that will receive significant cash prizes. But I feel that it is rewarding enough to be able to create what I hope is an uplifting piece of art that will be discovered by both staff and visitors at this valuable new centre.

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Why the Piping Plover is the ultimate emblem for World Shorebirds Day

Unless you are a self-avowed curmudgen, you can’t help but admire these birds, and because I happen to have a free pass to one of their breeding grounds (Sauble Beach on Lake Huron), it was love at first sight for me.

Source: Why the Piping Plover is the ultimate emblem for World Shorebirds Day

Loving something, and then adapting it into a piece of textile art is another thing! But it’s a challenge that I welcome.

I used my own photographs of the plovers at the beach for guidance, and found fabrics that would convey the elements of the plovers’ habitat (lake, shoreline, beach grasses). The background is pieced, and the bird is machine appliqéd on top. You can see that I used a piece of driftwood as the hanging device.

I donated this piece to the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory‘s silent auction fundraiser that year (2007).

If you’d like more information about the Piping Plovers at Sauble Beach, visit this website: http://ploverlovers.com/.

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Earth Day, Earth Month, Earth Year

It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth, and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.

~ Rachel Carson

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Getting back into it

It’s been awhile since I last posted. Life’s been extra busy, it seems. I’ve been working away at the wall hanging that I created at Dwayne Wanner’s 3-part workshop, and I don’t want to blog about it until I get a good photo of the finished product! It’s quite a departure from my “usual” style (if there is such a thing) but you’ll have to be patient.

Hiking near Skinners Bluff on the Bruce Trail on the long weekend in May.

I have been enjoying the change of seasons, to some extent. I did some camping with my sons, hiking with my sister, joined some nature walks with the Toronto Field Naturalists and have been up to the family cottage a couple of times this spring.

Right now it is beastly hot and humid.

I’ve  recently added this blog to Bloglovin, so feel free to add me to your favourites there!

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Rescue

Responding to a craving for some fall colours and fresh air, I decided to get away to the country for the weekend, up to my folks’ cottage. The sky was full of drama on the drive up – all sorts of cloud formations – and the leaves were exploding into their brilliant oranges, yellows and reds, especially through the Hockley Valley area.

While making sure to keep my eyes on the road, I am always on the lookout for birds. At one point, I pulled over to the shoulder and grabbed my binoculars and camera when I saw a gathering of large birds circling overhead. They turned out to be Turkey Vultures, likely on their fall migration towards Florida or Texas. 

Turkey Vultures circling overhead

And later that day, I saw another bunch of them roosting in a tree at Sauble Beach.

Turkey Vulture roosting in a tree at Sauble Beach

Anyhow, I did not rescue a vulture, but rather a water bird that was not designed to move about on land.

Here’s the story. It was a beautiful day for a walk along the shoreline of Lake Huron, even warm enough for shorts and bare feet! So I did just that, and came upon a bird that was sitting a short distance from the water’s edge – facing the water.

The bird was weak, and couldn’t get up.

My first instinct was to leave it alone, so I gave it a wide berth, snapped some photos, and continued on my walk. On my way back, of course it was still there, and seemed as though it was in distress, and couldn’t get up on its legs.

When I returned to the cottage, I got out my bird field guides and, reviewing the photos I had taken, easily identified it as a Red-necked Grebe. Then I proceeded to scour the phone book (Yellow Pages) hoping to find a wildlife rehabilitation centre. I tried the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, heck, even the OPP, and got nowhere. I was getting frustrated, and I wanted to accomplish something before the sun went down. I decided to start at the front of the Yellow Pages and go through page by page to see whether there was anything useful. And there, under the category of “Parks and Nature Trails” was a listing for the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory.

I have known about the BPBO for several years now, since my brother volunteered on their board, and I’ve supported the valuable work they do at the banding station in Cabot Head. So I called the number and from there was able to get in touch with the current administrator, Don Douma.

As soon as I described the situation to Don, he said “Well Grebes can’t walk on land, so I suggest you try to pick the bird up and place it in the water.” Wow, that sounded like a fairly simple solution! I got my work gloves out the car, and an old towel, and went back to the beach. I instinctively knew that, even though the bird seemed weak, he might try to jab at me with his substantial beak, so I distracted him with the towel (he went for it right away) and then put my hands firmly around his body and walked with him into the lake. I set him down gently in the water, and immediately he started paddling slowly off, away from shore. Whew!

Red-necked Grebe – a close-up

I have no idea how this bird ended up stranded on the shore, but it was a big relief to be able to return him to the water before nightfall. If you’re interested in learning more about Red-necked Grebes, there are some interesting facts here.

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The restorative power of nature

What a divine 2-week holiday I have just had at the family cottage up on the Bruce Peninsula. My first week was spent on my own, and I was prepared to spend time indoors sewing if the weather turned bad, but it never did, so I got very little accomplished in that regard. I am OK with that!

Monarch butterfly on a thistle.

The glorious sunshine, access to the lake and the enchanting forested property provided all the encouragement I needed to just “be”.

In Toronto, I rarely see the horizon, or what I like to call “the big sky”. From the cottage, though, it’s a short walk to the beach that spans 7 miles along Lake Huron.

Microcosm – a tiny butterfly gathers nectar from a tiny clover flower.

Interestingly, I recently came across a relevant quote by John Lubbock  on the birthday card that I found for my sister Bonni: “To lie under a tree, listening to the murmur of the water, and watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

I managed to drift through the days just observing the natural world around me – such  a welcome contrast from life in Toronto! Of course I also did some gardening, photography and reading.

My sons took the train from Ottawa to Toronto, met up with my parents and drove them up to join me for week two.

Nick’s pie – featuring fresh Niagara cherries from Keady Market

It’s always such a treat to have my boys do the cooking, and even though the carnivores out-numbered the vegetarians, we managed just fine with a veggie-focused diet for the week. What delicious fare: ratatouille, burritos, shish-kebabs and of course the requisite pie.

The swimming in Lake Huron was superb, and the boys and I also did some hiking on the Bruce Trail.

I’ll be back at work tomorrow, but well refreshed and ready to tackle whatever is waiting for me!

The word restorative comes to mind. It really puts things in perspective when you can remove yourself from the “plugged in” world for a little while and just float through the days without a schedule (somewhere to be; something to do). I highly recommend it!

The big sky over Lake Huron

On the Bruce Trail, with no schedule

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