Ottawa Farmers' Market During the Ex

During the Ottawa Exhibition the Ottawa Farmers' Market is relocated into Sylvia Holden park, almost adjacent to the Exhibition grounds. The park is very pretty, meandering here and there. Many vendors will be attending the market during the relocation weeks but I will not.

I'm taking the time to get ready for the Kingston Women's Festival on Sunday the 17th, and the next week will be spent creating stock for the fall season. This will be my last stretch of time before I start back at school the first week of September. With a full course load of 5 classes, a part time job at the school in the ceramic studio and markets on Saturday and Sunday I need to work ahead if I can get the chance!

See you next at the Ottawa Market Sunday August 31st, 2008.

Day After the Weekend Before

Art in the Park in the Glebe is over for another year. This year? HOT. We went from 18C on Wednesday to 21 Thursday to 29 Friday and 31's Saturday and Sunday for the show. There wasn't any time for any of us Northerners to acclimatize to the hot, hazy and humid conditions. Summer is here. And as I discovered when I unpacked the car a few minutes ago, summer stayed with us overnight and we're in for another day, same as before. There was one Art In the Park where the humidex got to 46, (we reached 39 and 41 this weekend) and then it rained, and then it was like a steam bath. So, this weekend could have been worse weather-wise. The severe thunder and lightning never materialized and we had a fantastic spot with shade in the morning, then a bit of sun, then shade again. Very enjoyable.

The show was big.
Here's an overview of all the tent-tops looking down into the park.
You can't see them all in this shot... There were as many booths behind me.














This was my tent and my view looking out.














Every year it grows. Many Ottawans had a glazed over look. A show this size and this interesting is unexpected in this city, especially in a city park. Couple that with hot hazy and humid and many people were just overwhelmed, looking for the tent where they can get a cold drink and take a breather before heading off to see "what else is here", and trying not to miss a row of booths in the meandering booth layout. There were a lot of first-time visitors this year. It's a good sign of a healthy show.

The mix of things is changing. Used to be almost all paintings at one time. Now many types of art are represented. For me this is the show that really grounds me in my life as someone who goes out there and sells their work. It kicks off my season and I saw many people who I may only see once a year and that's always good.

This guy is only at this show. But I see him every year. What you can't get from the pictures is he has a musical soundtrack with him. Some medieval music for the knight and some marching song for the Mountie getup.
He came as a medieval knight on Saturday.
And a Mountie on Sunday.


Since we were beside a food tent, I saw him without the horse for the first time ever. He was bathed in sweat. As we all suspected, his costume is really hot.

If you didn't get there this year there are two more Art's in the Park coming up: In Minto Park across from Jack Purcell in mid July and Strathcona Park in mid August. The Glebe Art in the Park was the first one and is by far the biggest. Come and support the new ones too. Meanwhile see you at the farmers' markets...

First I got ready for my markets and now I'm getting ready for shows...

Since I last wrote I started the Carp Market. As usual I was pressed for time and had to do a massive push to get things done. Here's a shot of a container of friendly plastic characters, fresh from the oven, trimmed and ready for their pins to be glued to their backs and then mounted onto cards and titled. lots of steps to get one jewellery piece ready for the market. This bucket held 90 characters that I made over a week. Here's a shot of what 90 looks like.



I'll show what a few look like close up finished and on their display cards a lady a lady bug
a bird and a mermaid.

Don't you love the luscious full colours of this stuff? I do. Love it. So shiny.



And where do these little lovelies live? Here. This is the craft building on the Carp Agricultural fairgrounds. I took this during setup the day before market started for this season. And here's an interior shot of my Carp Farmers Market booth as I set up for the season.No pins on my boards yet. But I do have my sign, completely made of friendly plastic, up.



Meanwhile Ottawa market is in full swing. The crowds are large and enthusiastic.

Everyone is happy to be out and catching up with each other and how we survived the winter this year. We are all so relieved to finally experience the good weather.

Somehow Mobius Tim and I re-configured our shared booth at the Ottawa Farmers' Market. I say somehow cause we have tried to do this for two years now and with the simple change of two tables, one to the front and one made smaller at the back, the whole space has opened up. And it takes us about 20 minutes less to set up and take down.
We're thrilled.




And this is a shot of the Ottawa River as I drove back from the Sunday market yesterday. The sun was perfect reflecting off the water. It was our first truly summer day.

Nice.

And, oh look! So shiny....



Now to get ready for Art in the Park in the Glebe a week from this Saturday. Lots on the go. Lots. More on this later.

Here's something new I made for the Glebe show... but I've had to bring it out already at the market due to my work being popular right now (thanks everyone)... enjoy!

The Big Bet 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas

... yes those are the keys to a BMW on the line...

Mini Horses!

A mini horse guide-horse for the blind

I just read the newsletter for the Ottawa Farmers' Market and this Sunday there will be mini horses at the market! Oh my goodness!!!! I am such a HUGE mini horse fan!

From 10-2 look for the mini-horses...

Ottawa Farmers' Market 2008 Begins This Sunday

Well it's that time of year already. It seems to take forever for the market season to start and then all of a sudden it's here and YIKES! I am still working on getting my booth stock together. Still hoping to have a new display (nope probably won't) and wondering where the heck my name tag is... got my apron though. It's been hanging by the door since the end of market last October. I invite anyone in the Ottawa area to come on out on what the weatherman says will be windy and rainy Sunday. But who cares? We're back! Bring an umbrella if you need it and say hello. We can all shake our heads and congratulate each other on getting through the Ottawa winter of 07/08. Need a reminder? Here's one:

This was the sidewalk I to the bus stop. See how it was just a little foot path down the middle? To the left was the snowbank, piled up to my waist. Wow. Amazing. This was winter 07/08.

Where Have I Been?

Hello Faithful Reader. You did not deserve for me to disappear from plain sight. Let me explain. Between end of term assignments, final critiques, ceramic studio clean-up, market season start-up and getting ready for two gallery openings on the same day, this being tomorrow, I've had a very full last two weeks in April... oh and I got addicted to the 2004-2006 tv series Huff inbetween. I am currently on episode 6, season 2 of Huff.

So here are a few images of what I accomplished.

A Renaissance eye in graphite

Part of a series based on tension.

Was in local group show for year of the rat prints

Made a few delicious prints

After being indoors since mid-December, Kitty X ventured out and finally got some sun.

Tomorrow I have an opening in the school student gallery with another student, Corianne, an honour that accompanies winning a scholarship for next year. Yes, in the last two weeks I submitted work for scholarships and won! In the morning I work on getting that show up and by coincidence, I am also setting up a solo show of my spaceman paintings in the afternoon at the Prime Corps. space at Bank and Somerset Streets in this fine city of Ottawa. My work will be on display there from May 1st to June 30th. Oh and by coincidence the print exchange for the Year of the Rat show also happens tomorrow at the school. Lots going on and Ottawa Market begins this Sunday with set up for Carp Market Saturday and a start one week from this Saturday... so glad it's not this Saturday. More pictures to come tomorrow.