It’s Sunday and I am back at my studio space at ArtLab on Main Street in Parrsboro. It is a typical fall morning here, leaves are falling aided by the wind gusts that also drive the dark clouds across the blue sky at a healthy clip. I just heard the church bells pealing calling parishioners for Sunday service. It’s a sound-rich time… is there even such a word? There is for now, as it perfectly describes my current experience.

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In the classroom a small group of women is exploring the basics of weaving in an introductory workshop. It is day 2 and Tom Poirier is doing a fabulous job breaking down the crucial elements of what often is an overwhelming concept for anyone familiarizing themselves with this exciting fine craft.

I am happy to be indoors but overlooking the inner harbour with a low tide level has me yearn for a walk on the beach instead. I brought along some beach treasures for an experiment once I have published this update. I will post next time if this experiment turns out. Fingers crossed it meets up with the images in my mind’s eye.

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What have I been up to over the past ten days while in residency? If you expect much in productivity and new work, don’t get your hopes up too high. My objective when I applied for the month here at ArtLab was to introduce myself as a textile artist new to the area. I knew from the start that this would also translate into many interruptions with people coming and going, gallery visitors, regular drop-ins for a chat and tourists passing through to check us out. Besides that, it provides me with the opportunity to get to know the four founding ArtLab resident artists better. I am glad I did not set my expectations too high when it comes to creating new work.

Having said that… I packed books for inspiration, my knitting for those days friends drop by for a visit and just want to hang out creatively. I also unearthed these:

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… and with my traveling water-colour palette I set out to add some colour to the off-white surface.

It was a more or less quick creative task and once dried they were moved back to the shipping label container. I have set a goal for myself to create one small original shipping label art piece a day during the residency. I use specialty paper scraps to collage a fantastical figure to the base, then I add stitch. A friend presented me with fine perle cotton in three colours, so I am limiting myself to those colours only which keeps the little miniature art pieces cohesive. Here is a glimpse at some work in progress:

I hear your questions: “What are you going to do with those?” “Are they for sale?” and “What can you do with these?” Truth be told, I have not given the distant future of the shipping tags much thought. Perhaps I will scan and print them, then laminate them to market them as book marks… it is one thought. It would make them affordable for gift giving. If I market each as an original piece of art that would drive the price point higher… I will see where these ideas lead me. If something comes to mind don’t hesitate to leave suggestions in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

My mini-studio space keeps evolving. The tryp-tych has drawn in many visitors. I decided to actually print out my bio and attach it to the window. I love how light floods my space and the view over the inner harbour is second to none. My worktable is positioned in such a way that I can gaze out and observe the constantly changing landscape with clouds drifting overhead.

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Thanks for dropping by to check out my progress. It’s time to get busy with the scallop shells while taking full advantage of the good natural light. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! Anna

24 Oct This entry was published on October 24, 2021 at 9:12 am. It’s filed under Art, Artlet update, Contemplative art practice, Contemplative Photography, Creativity Update, Design, In the News, Journaling, Landscape photography, Motivational, Networking, staying in touch, Studio / Workshop / Creative Space Challenge and tagged artist in residency, ArtLab Studios and Galleries in Parrsboro-NS, blogging, creativity, daily art practice, Design, Inspiration, Journaling, sharing experiences as an artist in residency. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.