It has taken me all day to get to this update. With a steady stream of visitors to ArtLab Studios and Gallery, it felt a little like we have had a revolving door installed. My studio space is located next to the main entrance, it is difficult to ignore people coming and going, besides we want to be welcoming to all. With Covid measures in place, we have the added responsibility to ask visitors for proof of vaccination since the Studio is a non-essential service. Those who come and go regularly have their names on a list and they just get checked off quickly. But any out of town or first-time visitors get “the request to prove their vaccination status”.

It’s great to see so much activity in town as this is considered the quiet time of year. We are past the peak of autumn colours and with Halloween, everyone appears pretty busy with decorating their front doors and packaging treats. There is a definite buzz in the air!!!

The sky was moody this morning when I was making my way to the studio. About an hour later the light had changed a little and I stepped outside for another photo. By early afternoon we had bright sunshine and the few trees with colourful leaves still on the branches were glowing!

I changed the work in my studio space around on Thursday and Krista Wells looked after posting a notice on Facebook to remind people to stop by if they had not done so already. That might be one of the reasons for increased traffic… Here is how I have transformed the space:

I get a lot of comments on the bright and cheerful colourways I used in the pieces on display. They still make me happy! And I am so glad they get positive responses all around. The second image shows the progress I am making with the shipping tag project. I have finished a good number of them as they are easy to pick up and put down between visitors.

All week I have tried to get to the scallop shells I shared last weekend. I created the folios for insertion last Sunday and the book I had purchased a couple of years ago promised to have such easy to follow instructions. They appeared to be wonderful illustrations for the one stitch I had wanted to try out for years. When I prepared the individual parts before assembly I questioned the accuracy and once I tried to connect the parts I realized that something wasn’t turning out the way it should. My Coptic stitch didn’t look anything like the example in the “little book of BOOK MAKING”. I tried and tried again and finally resorted to a quick search on the internet. I found the best instructions here, and after trying to get to the binding part all day I finished the little book I had envisioned after dinner… at home. ;-D

I am pleased with my first attempt at a purse-sized note or sketchbook. Don’t look too carefully at my stitching… it needs a little work but I think I might be on to something. I finally have a use for the dozen or so intact scallop shells I have gathered at the beach since last winter. I used commercial paper with a smooth tooth originally designated for calligraphy.

That’s my update for this week. Two weeks of my residency are completed with two weeks remaining. I am thoroughly enjoying my time. Despite the many interactions and my somewhat poor ability to focus on a specific project, I have made strides in rediscovering my creative mojo.

Thanks for dropping by today. May the rest of your weekend be filled with your own creative endeavours. Happy Halloween to all! May your candy jar be overflowing to help satisfy your sweet tooth, Anna

30 Oct This entry was published on October 30, 2021 at 6:04 pm. It’s filed under Art, Artist Residency, Bay of Fundy photography, Contemplative art practice, Creativity Update, Journaling, Landscape photography, Motivational, Refocusing Creativity, Sharing Resources, Special Project, staying in touch, Tutorial and tagged art, ArtLab - Parrsboro, ArtLab Studios and Galleries in Parrsboro-NS, blogging, book binding, coptic stitch, creativity, Inspiration, Journaling, just for fun, Photography, small book with scallop shell covers, using found nature objects, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.