It’s been a busy week leading up to the ArtWalk. Last Wednesday I decided it really was time for me to attend Circle Craft’s AGM. I gather they never get a quorum! This year they did. I’m so glad I made the effort as I had a chance to share a table with people I never get a chance to talk to – Penny Birnam, Linda Doherty, Fredi Rahn and Thelma Ruck Keene. The latter two represented the gallery committee. Nearby I spotted potter Laura Van der Linde but we didn’t have a chance to chat. We were given a ticket for a glass of wine and nice tasty bits. The new executive director, the lively and optimistic Betty Hasker was introduced. She talked of plans to make major changes to the shop and gallery space and ideas of boosting marketing with every social and electronic medium possible. Paul Yard gave an interesting account of the main financial effort of the co-op, the Christmas Craft Fair at the Convention Centre and plans for and dates of this year’s event. When it was all over Penny asked me to give Thelma a ride home to her apartment off Commercial Drive, on my way home and I was pleased to. Thelma had a Canadian Craft shop years ago and is now the co-op’s reviewer of monthly shows in the gallery. She wrote the review which can be seen on my website’s ‘home’ page and I am so grateful for her skill and perception! And I know that she will not mind my mentioning that she is all the more astonishing for her continued enthusiasm and joy in Crafts and its community as she heads into the second half of her 9th decade.
I tidied up my studio and set out all my work well ahead of ArtWalk partly because another artist wanted to see jugbirds while I had a good selection. We never get the chance to see each other’s work and that’s a problem we’ve been unable to solve. Perhaps an evening tour beforehand? But then there are the artists setting up in a temporary display area for the weekend. Maggie kindly suggested I keep her Seagull choice until after the weekend so that others could see it. Same thing happened with another unexpected visitor on Thursday!
On Friday we set up samples of our work in the upstairs room of the Old Mill Boathouse in Rocky Point Park for the usual Tour Preview.
There were lots of paintings and photographs but not a lot of 3D work. The evening event is a good time for we artists to chat and to see at least one or two pieces by each person. Visitors enjoy drinks, snacks provided by the ever-supportive Fred Soofi and the accompaniment of small local jazz band.
The third photo shows the view north from the venue showing Burrard Inlet and the Boathouse restaurant and the fact that at last the evenings are getting longer!
The ArtWalk itself was most gratifying. I don’t get hordes of visitors at my end of the city but the ones who came are interested in pottery and many are old friends or students from wheel-throwing classes years ago. It’s so good to catch up! Sales of new jugbirds were good and people enjoyed seeing the difference between the earthenware colourful painted work and the quieter and more traditional salt-glazed pieces. I have a list of the next pots I need to make and the names of some people who want to take a ‘Slip-painting on Tiles’ workshop, probably in July. Having visitors come to my Open Studio for these two days is lots of work but is so good for getting feedback and making contacts. I am so lucky to have a studio here in Port Moody. I rather think I shall not trundle boxes of work to another location for a sale any more. My galleries treat me well and really earn their percentage!
