Tradesies.

This weekend, I was in Oakville taking part in the Sheridan Alumni Show, part of the school's annual open house. It's a long trip to make (especially by transit) but worth it for many reasons.

For one, I always enjoy visiting Oakville. I lived there for over three years, which for me, is long enough to develop a home like feeling of attachment to a place. I always get a little nostalgic kick out of riding the same old buses, passing the same sites and walking the same streets, even eating the same things I used to eat when I lived there. It's also neat to see what's changed while I was away. A new business here, a pretty garden there. So that was nice.

It's also nice visiting Sheridan itself, which I do with less frequency, but for the same reasons. It's only been three years, but wandering the halls after the show, I was surprised by how many little memories came back; classes I kind of forgot about, things that used to be routine.

And it was really nice to see all the work by the current students. This is probably cliche, but I feel like people are getting more and more talented every year. It was also inspiring. It made me wish I was back in school, so I could spend as much time being creative as I used to do. As such, I found myself vowing to make better use of time I do have, and to pursue other ideas I have before I forget how. (That can happen, ya know.)

The best thing of all though, was the people. I didn't see any of the folks who graduated with me, but I did see my teacher. We had a nice little chat and I received some encouraging words from her, which still means a lot. I also saw others from years above and below myself, and met some great new people as well.

One of my favourite things about doing a show like this, especially one with people I feel a kinship with (as alumni of the same school, of course) is doing trades. There's always so much talent at the shows I participate in, but I can't always make purchases. So it's great when someone enjoys my work as well; then we can strike a deal.

The first bargain I made was with Mary MaKenzie. She had just graduated from the ceramics stream of the Craft and Design program, and was making all these crazy peices inspired by the defensive (and sometimes offensive) aspects of some plants. They were really neat; tangley delicate jumbles of thistley, pokey, twiggy bits. They reminded me a bit of the sea, of coral and driftwood, and I overheard a show goer who thought of insects. Mary says they are landscapes of sorts, which I think also made sense.

The piece I traded a leaf necklace for was one of her smaller ones, this lovely little dish with a glass puddle bottom. I love the delicate colour and the detailed pattern. Very pretty.

respond@whatisalandscape.ca

The next bargain I made was to trade an organza gathers necklace for this lovely bird pin. The artist is Kerri Andreas, who has just finished her second year in the textiles stream and is heading into a Harbourfront residency for the summer. In addition to textiles, Kerri fuses glass, and so was able to make this silkscreened pin, which I chose because of the blue and the bird. But it was a tough choice. She also had some great fabric neck pieces, some pretty decorative bunting, wall pieces and more. She was really very sweet and great to talk to. I hope to see her again next year.

lovelies.ca
reasdesigns.etsy.com
loveliesandreas@gmail.com

Finally, I got to make a trade I'd been planning on all day, a pretty ribbon bracelet for this great gummy worm pendant. It was made by Emma Gerard, who was a member of the glass stream around the same time I was attending Sheridan. Her whole table was just delicious, an assortment of flameworked penny candy favourites. I hard a really hard time choosing between a swedish berry pin and this gummi worm pendant. Then I had difficulties choosing colours! But now I've got it, and I can't wait to get it on a chain and wear it. Emma told me she's hoping to go to NASCAD (I think!) to study jewellery. With the talent she already has in glass, I think she could create some really fantastic things.

http://www.emmagerard.com/

With all the time I spent preparing for this show, I didn't get a chance to write about the other show I was at recently, this one for Sheridan's Illustration graduates. There was so much incredible talent, I grabbed several business cards just so I could keep an eye on their work. If I get a chance this week, maybe I'll post again to share that great stuff as well!

Upcoming Show!!

I imagine this is short notice, but as I only just got confirmation myself....
This Saturday May 2nd, I'll be heading back to Sheridan to appear in the Arts Open House and Craft Sale. It should be neat to see the school again; I haven't been there in almost two years. A little intimidating too though, I have to say. Kind of like how I imagine going to a high school reunion would feel.
If you're planning to be in the area, come and see the wares. The show runs from 10 am to 5 pm at Sheridan's Oakville campus on Trafalgar Road. More info can be found at http://artsfestival.sheridaninstitute.ca/.
Hope to see you there!

Note Collection

Here's a little something you might like.

I was scoping out a few of my favourite sites and admiring the awesome collection of notes they feature. Little handwritten notes, computer print offs, photographs....mean notes, love notes, juicy notes, funny notes. There's a lot of personal communication out there that gets lost and ends up being not-so-private.

I've been collecting notes like that myself since mid 2004. I was living in the west end of Oakville and I happened upon two or three notes, one after another, just laying on the sidewalk. I love wondering about the people who write these notes, imagining the circumstances that surround each note's creation. I found quite a few little gems during my college years and after; as such, my collection is quite extensive. Sad thing is, it's all glued into a scrap book in my room, sitting of the shelf, viewed by no one.

I was inspired tonight to put some of them up online where they could be viewed and enjoyed by many (or at least a few). So check out the link and enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eleanormagpie/sets/72157613035406896/

I've been thinking a lot lately about folks I miss. I've met and become close with a lot of people over the course of my life time so far...high school friends, college friends, people I've worked with, roommates. Any number of little things will make me think of these people and miss them. Some, I visit with. Some pop in and see me. I'll receive a telephone call or a letter or see some pictures on facebook and instantly be reminded of how much I enjoy this particular person and be filled with like and love for them.

Many of the people I no longer see often live around the city; I met many of them while at school. Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little lonely or nostalgic for these people and certain things they brought into my life, it's tempting to pull up and move back down South. But that saying about the grass being greener certainly applies here. There are many people I have in my life right now I'd miss a great deal should I move. My parents, grandparents, best friends, little children, even people at work who I still barely know are a pleasant addition in my life that I would miss should I know longer see them. Besides, the more I think about it, the more I realize my loved ones are all over the map. Toronto, Oakville, Sudbury, Orton, Ottawa, Halifax, Singapore.... I've gotten to a point in my life where I'm close to more people that will stay in one place any more. My friends all have lives of their own to lead and no matter where I go, there's simply no way I could be with them all.

In some senses, it's almost a relief. Realizing there's no way I can chase after my friends takes a bit of the pressure off. I can't really worry if I'd be happier living somewhere else with the knowledge that everywhere I could go would take away as much as it would offer. But it's not hopeless either. I've recieved so much good love over the last little while. A phone call from Kitchener, a letter from Halifax. A Toronto friend popped into my work to say hello. My aunt from China brought her baby home for Xmas. Another pair of Toronto friends, heading North, happened to stop into Huntsville tonight for a bite to eat. And in the hour or so they were here, I was lucky enough to run into them.

I guess what I'm saying is that if people mean enough to you (and you mean enough to people) things may change, but you'll still remain a part of each other's lives. It may be a big part or a little one, frequently or rather seldom, planned or even by ridiculous chance, it's still lovely and it's still something. Like the friend I saw tonight said, it must have been meant to happen.

Thoughts on a Walk Home

I've always been intrigued by footpaths. I enjoy exploring town made trails, getting behind things and around things and coming out again in unexpected places. But what really fascinates me are the paths people make themselves.

Walking the trails in Oakville, Seguin always laughed at the way I was so tempted by the little footpaths that would branch off the main route here and there. Seeing where they led was always rewarding; sometimes to a backyard, other times a hidden fort, sometimes to secret party places with discarded furniture, beer bottles and fire pits. Sometimes they were just an even quicker route elsewhere. Other times they led to a pretty, hidden clearing, a spot that would feel secret and special to each person who had discovered it.

What's really neat to me though, is how paths like this are made. It's the same idea as what I learned in school about the silk road. As it was explained to me, it was a trade route that came about naturally over time, as opposed to something that had been planned and built. As traders made their way from point A to point B and back again, they started learning which routes were quickest and easiest. Over time, they became the established 'ways to go' that everyone knew to take.

That, for me, is the coolest thing about foot paths, back trails, and short cuts. They grow out of the necessity of a number of people who all want a quicker, easier or more pleasant way to get to the same place. And as these different people discover the same routes and use them time and time again, the earth hardens under their feet, the brush and undergrowth stop sprouting there, and paths are born.

Here's what got me thinking about this today. I seldom meet another person when I walk these paths. I know they must get use because they don't get overgrown, but I didn't realize until this morning just how often one of my shortcuts is frequented.

Coming home from a walk to the store, I cut through a vacant lot that takes me from the main road onto the end of my street. As it had snowed the night before, I clambered over the bank expecting to see the faint indentation of my trail buried under a covering of white. Instead, I saw it nicely packed down with the footprints of a number of people who had already passed through that morning. It was neat reminder of how these paths are really a community creation, and without all these people who had come before, they wouldn't exist at all.

Pretty neat, huh?