The Blue Brick

Lunar Eclipse 2010

December 21, 2010

First blog post in a while! I’d like to say I’ve been taking a break since the show and PATH are now done, but I’ve actually been madly crafting everyone’s Christmas gifts. I can’t blog about any of my finished objects because I don’t want to ruin any surprises! At least I’ve got plenty of blogging material for the New Year ;o)

We did take time out last night to shoot the Lunar Eclipse. This one was special – the timing of the eclipse coincided with our winter solstice – the longest night of the year. While it made no difference in the actual appearance of the moon it’s been almost 400 years since this happened, so I thought that was pretty neat. We shot from about 1:30 til about 4:30. We’re totally exhausted at work today of course, but it’s worth it!

It’s hard to tell but there are some stars visible in this one. This is just before the moon went fully red.

This was taken zoomed in as far as I could go – on a really cheap 100-300mm lens that I got a few years back from the used section at Henry’s. We don’t use this lens often, but it really came in handy last night!

I love this shot; this was a series of timed exposures from a stationary tripod that I later combined into one image. Not only can we see the progression of the eclipse itself, but also the movement of the moon across the night sky.

This was another timed series of exposures, taken while the moon was fully red. I love how other-worldly it looks; reminded me of Mars.

Being tuckered out won’t stop us from freezing our toes off again tonight – it’s the annual Festival of lights in Kensington Market – to celebrate the longest night of the year. We’ll be out there shooting, more pics to come tomorrow!
RBC PATH

December 13, 2010

This is my first ever post about my actual job; believe it or not I’ve got one, I don’t just get by on crafting ;o)

I’m the art director for a design firm in downtown Toronto called AKA Communication Associates. We’re a small, hardworking team of very talented and multi-disciplinary designers. One of the things I do for AKA is photography, and about a year and a half ago we were assigned a project by Cadillac Fairview; redesigning a large section of PATH, Toronto’s underground walkway.

We decided to provide more than just photography for this, and working in tandem with KPF Architects we redesigned the entire space. The past few months we’ve worked closely with CF, B&H and PCL to create the space. For me, it’s pure magic to see my photoshop renders come to life. This past weekend the graphic installation was finally complete and I wanted to share photos!

The North Hall – before

And the North Hall today! I contributed the photography and the panoramic strip on the right, as well as the design of the diagonal shapes on the left – meant to be evocative of design elements in the building above – the RBC Centre. To this KPF added the running strip on the top, and the curves in the surface of the wall. I think the results are very cool.

The West Hall before

The West Hall after – showing more of my photography on the undulating wall that KPF designed to absorb those obtrusive columns that were there before.

The North East corner before

The North East corner after, these are all photos I’ve taken of the RBC Centre.

The write up and logo

The credits =0D

Another view of the West Hall leading up to the entrance of the Ritz Carlton Residences.

Another view of the North Hall diagonal slots.

The absolutely stunning new tower that it sits beneath – RBC Centre.

A selection of some of my favourite photos from the space – there are 30 in total. All the shots together tell a story of beautiful downtown Toronto.

This project has been one of the best things I’ve ever been part of. I really put my heart into it and I’m thrilled to see it complete!

**Update**

The remaining parts of PATH, logos and glass are finally complete and I wanted to update the post to show off the entire installation:

The RBC Logo wall. I laid out the size, colour and position of the glass as well as the cuts in the wall behind.

The RBC node, our agency designed the promotional material that will play on that monitor.

The view from the north hall as you walk east towards the node.

My mom and I =o) I’m sporting my kick-ass new knitted shawl!
Ceramics that need a home :)

December 10, 2010

I’d like to post some of the pottery I have available right now, to make some shelf space for when I start throwing again in the New Year. These pieces have never made it to my Etsy site because I don’t like to ship pottery – a) it’s costly and b) it’s fragile stuff. I’ve therefore decided to post it here in the hopes that my Toronto friends will see something they love and buy it for themselves or some one else they love as a Christmas gift. So long as the pottery gets some love, I’m happy =o)

If you live in Toronto I’m happy to meet somewhere to drop off the pottery. If you live elsewhere in Canada, or in the US, and you absolutely adore something and wish to have it shipped, please email me your mailing address and I will get a shipping quote for you. There is no commitment to request a quote, and I promise to bundle it up veeeery carefully =o)

Yarn Bell with Plate

Bell Diameter – 6 1/2″ x 7 1/2″ high, Price $65

Yarn Bell with Plate

Bell Diameter – 6 ” x 6 1/2″ high, Price $65

Serving Plate with Handles

Diameter – 9″, Price $90

Pitcher, Blue and Black Glaze

Size: 4 3/4″ diameter x 6 1/2″ high, Price: $90

Small 4-colour bowl

<Sold>

Olive Plate (includes olive spoon with edge rest)

Size: 5 3/4″ wide x 1 3/4″ high x 11″ long, Price: $90

Wooly Muggeths – ‘The Jester’

Size: 3 1/2″ diameter x 4 1/4″ high, Price: $95/pair

Large Blue/Black bowl

Size: 9 1/2″ diameter x 3 1/2″ high, Price: $90

Large slip textured vase with ‘mini me’

Size, Large Vase: 6″ diameter x 7 1/2″ high, Price: $100

Size, Small Vase: : 3″ diameter x 4 3/4″ high, Price: $40

Large Orange/Purple pitcher

Size: 4″ diameter x 6 1/2″ high, Price: $90

2 Jade green mugs

<Sold>

Large white-on-white slip textured bowl

Size: 10″ diameter x 3 1/4″ high, Price: $90

Large Chartreuse slip textured bowl

Size: 10 1/4″ diameter x 4 1/2″ high, Price: $90

Large chartreuse and teal slip textured vase

Size: 6 1/2″ diameter x 6″ high, Price: $90
Yarn Bells

December 7, 2010

New yarn bells out of the kiln today! Two of them are in rustic blues, browns and greens and one of them was a custom order for a lovely lady that sent me pictures of the fabric in her sunroom and asked me to match it for her.

This was my first time trying to match colours using underglaze – I think more blues and greens could have been used but the resulting bell is still very pretty. I’ve also learned a few things about the behaviour of oxides during firing – a similar bell in purples came out patchy while the yellow in this one is nice and strong.

Pre-fire – looks pretty much like post fire. A nice, predictable result.

Another view showing the plate.

This is the purple one I was talking about – you can see there is a double coat of strong purple on it.

And here it is after glaze firing – looks pretty inconsistent. The girls at the Purl still liked it but I had that enemy of all potters – the preconception of what it would look like out of the kiln. I will be experimenting in the new year with other purples, it’s the Purple Purl after all ;o)

These bells are also fresh out of the kiln – and are done in earthier tones.

Another view showing the plate.

These bells (not these particular ones but other lovely bells) are available at The Purple Purl on Queen West here in Toronto.

Don’t live in Toronto? I do have an Etsy Store where I don’t typically stock pottery because of the challenges of shipping. If you would love one of these yarn bells however, please email me your mailing address and I will get a shipping quote for you. There is no purchase commitment to request a shipping quote. If you approve the quote then I will bundle it up very carefully and send it your way =o)

Some more of my beauties

I call this one ‘the Bishop’

I also make yarn bowls =o)
Inspira – Kiluea Necklace

December 6, 2010

Today I wanted to share pics of the birthday gift I made for my friend Kris – For my birthday gift this year, and also to celebrate 20 years of friendship we went to Hawaii, and thanks to her being willing to drive out (at 3 in the morning, in bad weather, on a G2 license ;o)) we got to see Mt Kiluea, in all her glory, before the break of dawn.

I have to tell this story: the boat ride was very very rough. There was a small craft advisory and 20 foot waves and we left the harbour at 3 am. The boat would ride up a crest and, quite literally, freefall into the trough with a sickening thud. It was pitch black and we couldn’t even see to be frightened of the waves. We were on this heart thumping ride, hanging on for dear life for about 45 minutes before I could make out little glowing red rivers in the cliff-face. By this time I was chock full of adrenaline and my legs were shaking uncontrollably from the ride but we were fascinated nonetheless with whatever detail we could make out.

When the boat finally approached it’s destination we saw it. 12 000 metric tons of flowing lava. Over a quarter mile of it, gushing from the cliff face. We both cried, we couldn’t help it. We were looking at the mechanism by which the earth is reforming herself. We were looking at a process against which we were specks of dust lost in immensity. I remember shooting for all I was worth, ripping film, hanging on to the boat with every available limb except my shooting hand, trying to protect the camera from the salt water, feeling the hot steam of the ocean when it hit the lava.

The boat would ride a wave, and I would be able to shoot, then the wave would move on, the boat would crash into the trough, the wave would hit the cliff letting off a huge head of steam and I would have to wait for another wave to lift us to be able to shoot again. Changing lenses on the fly, changing cards, focusing by hand in otherwise complete darkness, on a violently moving surface. The most adverse conditions I have ever shot in, I’m amazed anything at all came out.

What Kris and I experienced together that day was epic. I make this little necklace to commemorate it. I know Kris is not big on ‘bling’ so a delicate little cluster, on black hematite chain, containing real tumbled lava from Kiluea herself, along with Hawaiian sea coral, and Swarovski fire opals was the way to go. I gave it to her for her birthday yesterday and it looks lovely on her =o)
Inspira – the Iceberg Twins

December 3, 2010

Today I wanted to share a pair of bracelets I just completed for a friend. The request was for two matching charm bracelets in my ‘Iceberg” theme – to be given to a pair of ladies as Christmas gifts. Though the girls are not sisters, these two bracelets are; they were created in tandem and I hope the girls love them =o)

These pieces include several shades of swarovski; turquoise, ocean blue and light teal, along with frosted white and clear white. Also in the mix are silver plated findings and spacer beads. The smaller green stones are polished agate and the larger ones are aquamarine – definitely my favourite detail. Each bracelet contains 72 charms.

These are the matching earring sets, I tied them to a couple of my business cards.
Etsy at last!

November 30, 2010

I have begun getting my Etsy site back on track, the site will grow to contain samples of (hopefully) everything I do; jewellery, ceramics, photography and knitted goods. I’ve started out featuring just a few things – the leaf jewellery so popular at the show and two of my mom’s beautiful designs. Check back to see what’s new – I am hoping to add more every day. If there is something you’ve been looking for, or saw on the blog, that is not on my Etsy page feel free to email me at hello@thebluebrick.ca and let me know – I love requests!
Inspira – the show

November 25, 2010

I want to thank everyone who came out to support me last night – the show turned out just perfectly and I couldn’t have asked for more. Everyone I spoke to was having a great time, the displays all turned out beautifully, my best friends were all so helpful and supportive and best of all we were able to make a nice donation to a special needs school here in Toronto afterwards. This was my mom’s first time showing her work, it takes courage, and I’m proud of her.

Items that did not sell last night will be moved to an Etsy store to live for the next while, so if you missed it, fear not! There will be a link available soon.

Once more, thank you all for coming out, I can’t express how much I appreciate the support =o)

This photo is a bit out of focus, but here I am with my three best girlfriends ♥ This is the only photo in the world that has all of us in it! It may be blurry, but it’s a pretty amazing photo to have nonetheless. I have known two of these girls for most of my life.

And here’s mom! Alas, Amanda got cut out of the shot somehow, but you can see a few inches of sexy leg and pale pumps on the left ;o)

The main display table

Some of the pottery
Inspira – Autumn Leaves II

November 17, 2010

I’ve been working a lot with this idea of preserving the leaves from the absolutely stunning autumn we just had – and I won’t lie to you, there are so many piles of FAIL around the house from earlier versions that today I threw away almost 80 pieces, either leaked or discoloured or broken, or covered in crazy glue (which I should never, ever, EVER be permitted to use under any circumstances. That I haven’t yet glued my eyelids together is a miracle.) After weeks and weeks of babysitting them, polishing them and dreaming about them I’ve finally honed it down, and I wanted to share some photos of the latest batch.

The necklace above contains a ginkgo leaf, and will be a Christmas gift for my beautiful pottery instructor who’s been a HUGE help this past term and really helped me take my throwing to the next level. She likes to use ginko leaves in her work and I think this will be a great surprise for her (assuming she doesn’t read my blog…).

These little beauties were an experiment in more vintage forms. I love it – I’ll definitely be making more of these!

Another vintage form – these will not be in the show but I love them enough that I’ll certainly be trying more forms like this one.

These guys (and more like them) are all intended to be used in the show. I’ve got plans for necklaces, earrings and bracelets as soon as the resin is fully cured. Each piece will come with a mounted 5×7 metallic print of one of the shots from this years Autumn photo shoot in the Terra Cotta conservation area.

Here’s one of the first pieces to be completed – a set of dangly earrings made from maple leaves and finished with leaf charms.

This one is also for the show – woven strands of waxed cord come out to form a bracelet, accented with silver beads.

These pieces will be in the show, and if they are popular then I’ll keep producing them and feature them on my Etsy page. If you think you might be interested, let me know and as soon as they’re available I’ll be sure and let you know =o)
The show is a week tomorrow.

November 16, 2010

So here I am, almost done production. I’m trying to get my head in order. The show is 90% complete, and I can honestly say that it represents some of the best work I’ve ever done.

A lot of the techniques I used in the show were new to me, or invented by me. There’s been a lot of trial and error, a lot of 3 am revelations and a lot of fail. A *lot* of fail. There have been setbacks; I lost a few weeks of pottery production due to a broken finger, a few bowls and plates to a bad glaze batch and at least one large gorgeous plate to a malicious mold that made it’s way into the clay. I had many failures before I could perfect my technique for preserving autumn leaves in resin – this one is totally new and totally my own and I unabashedly confess that I am extremely proud of it.

I’ve lost sleep, developed a back problem, missed weeks of Karate and gone broke in my pursuit of this creative collection. Tito has born the brunt of it like a champ – I know my mental absence, bouts of irrational emotions, sleeplessness and stress have been hard on him but he’s been there; driving me around, picking up supplies, staying up late with me and brainstorming solutions when I was at my wits end. My parents also have championed this cause – being endless sources of positivity, financial bailouts and loving support. I can’t begin to express how grateful I am.

There have been unexpected gifts too, the biggest and best one of which was my mom deciding to take an interest in making jewellery. I’ve loved all the time we’ve gotten to spend together, walking around, getting supplies, creating, learning, growing. I’m so proud to say that her blood pressure is way down, and so are her sugar levels. I honestly believe that her new interests have contributed to her renewed health. She is learning new things, having great ideas and designing beautiful things. I’m so proud of her, and so inspired.

People have been so supportive. I have been humbled and amazed and filled with gratitude at the number of folks who have supported my efforts, promised to attend the show, spread the word to their friends and talked me up. Everyone is so amazing, I’ve got the best family and friends.

The show is next week Wednesday. To those who are on the fence, give it a shot and I promise you’ll have an amazing night. Quite aside from the art, the show includes performances by a *very* talented R&B singer, food from a truly excellent Italian restaurant and your very presence will be supporting a wonderful local school for children with learning disabilities.

The show is centred around this concept of Inspira; I am so inspired, always, in my photography. The majesty of an iceberg, the delicate beauty of an emerald hummingbird, the tumbling power of lava, the perfect coating of ice on the trees, the transitory and poignant beauty of a sinking city. I have tried, with clumsy and sincere hands, to allow these things to transcend their photos, to express themselves in jewels, glaze, in alchemy, and become something that others can admire, and wear and keep forever. I hope I have succeeded.