Rocks

Lovely new planning notebooks for the next three big projects.

Encaustic painting waiting for holes. Still in process. Patricia Chauncey 2012

Oregon Coast beach rock covered in tiny barnacle leavings washed off by the grinding tide.
Another view of my rock.

Making rocks of my own.

Rock on!

Playing with larger burnt surfaces on papier mache. Ordinary newsprint with no further embellishment other than my secret coating and compulsive burning.

The rocks from the Oregon Coast provide unlimited inspiration.

Colour

Barry celebrates in full colour! Holi 2012. Pictures stolen shamelessly by me.

A beautiful full moon lit my walk home from dinner last night. Bright and clear. Shimmering and exaggerating every surface.

Have been playing in full colour. Planning a community natural dye workshop in Wells. Was approached about doing it a few days ago. A whole forest providing my dye supplies. Still have a couple months to prepare.

Digging into my beautiful India Flint book on natural dyes and responsible methods. And every other natural dye book I can find. Suggestions are always welcomed.

Colour has even been occupying my dreams. I dreamt my darling friend Barry was covered in colour. He is in India having real adventures. The celebration of Holi is happening right now.
He sent this delightful image.

Greens

My jacket and a marbled paper box.


Further developing copper patination for printing


Knit, dyed and felted wool, cotton and silk scarf 2009


image from paint palette sample sheet


Feathers Mark gathered from his peacocks. Gave me a huge vase full. Indulging my Bovary thing!

I have been waiting for green. It is dark, cold and rainy in Vancouver this week. The eye has to search for green in the grey, grey weather.

The greens and blues excite my eye.

And I should be organizing my office and taxes.

Curl Up Inside

Under side of paper wasp nest

Cells paper wasps nest

Turtle shell

Shell



Tiny Pyrography picture Patricia Chauncey 2011

Inspiration globes and rattle

Hive layers

Favourite plate from Fangfoss, U.K.

Encaustic painting detail in process - Patricia Chauncey 2011

Encaustic painting detail - in process Patricia Chauncey 2011

Lantern Patricia Chauncey 2011

Volcanic Rock from Oregon Coast

Saltspring Barnacles

Bark with Woodpecker holes

Sample felt work - Patricia Chauncey 2011

Sections of felt work - Patricia Chauncey 2011

Kathryn came for supper last night and gifted me parts of two paper wasp nests.
There is a little of the hive covering left and four layers of cells. She found them when out for an urban hike.

I am awed. I get gifts of unusual natural objects from friends and customers. Obscure bits of nature that never fail to inspire. Cocoons, insect nests, bones, skins and beautiful stones. Each crawls into the work and come out somewhere unexpected to me.

Mark gave me a collection of thirty peacock feathers from the Wells Hotel. Gleaming with fifty colours and reflective surface. Variable depending on the light. Soft and sensual to touch. Reacting to movement of air and temperature. The remnant of a beautiful calling bird.

They exist in jars, bowls and baskets all over my house and throughout the studio. Collections. Visual and physical reminders of this complex and layered world. Studies on surface, light reflection, form, colour and texture. Absorbed through nostril, skin, ears and eyes. Completely important to my process.

Hunter and gatherer. Collector. Visual explorer. Closet Darwinian.

Cherished Remnants

Chinese doll costume with bird embroidery approx. 100 years old


Tapestry remnant from the flea market in Paris- ancient


Russian shawl - a gift from Maryanne McAllister, Fort Nelson from her life in Russia.

Chinese doll costume-back view. Gold embroidery.


Worn boudoir doll from Montreal- approx 1920's resting on a felted shawl I made and dyed.

Focus!

Wells house in the cold!

My focus is now on getting the gallery up and running for the May long weekend.

The house is mostly set up but is not decorated yet. I could live there immediately if I spent a lot of time with my eyes closed. It has everything I need for a little comfort. That is the important part after all! But I want it a little yummy. I will be in there 6 months a year from now on. And I want the house to be an inspiring place and haven for my family and friends.

Truth is I am just thrilled about having running water, a toilet, a dry roof and good neighbours.
The rest is icing. I feel very fortunate.

So...I am digging through images of studios and shops I like and rethinking ideas for my own use. Now designing the gallery and looking for ways to make it appealing and comfortable.
Have been looking for showcases and shelves that would be nice to look at and live with.
Taking pictures and scouring antique shops, industrial storage places, and re-use stores.
Having everything custom built is an option. I have Kevin, my carpenter, who has time right now. Even some hacked Ikea pieces might work. In the meantime I found some great overhead light fixtures. Old ones that came from a factory. They might be out of scale with the ceiling height in the gallery area. But now I have some idea of what might work.

The building itself is painted tangerine and cobalt blue with touches of purple. It scares me to death but it can be seen for miles. It is also on a number of posters that already exist as advertisement for the area. And lots of people seem to like it. The whole town is painted bright colours! I will have to change it eventually to something slightly more subtle.

In the meantime I am working on my art, card designs, signage, advertisements and invitations.
Insurance problems might finally be solved. I am also interviewing B.C. artists and have three or four lined up for the summer. First little show is now being pulled together.

Today Wells is 34 0 below. Windchill makes it 50 o below. Colder than cold!

There is so much work and just enough time. 4 months and counting down!

Good Dog

My cousin Cassandra's dog letting us all know how he feels about Christmas! And he is twelve years old which is kinda my age in dog years...