Christmas Greetings!

it's in the detail, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

A very merry Christmas to all our readers and customers. Many thanks for your support over the last year - we wish you all the best for 2012.


blog posts will resume at New Year

On the twelfth day of Christmas ...

(can you feel the tension mounting?)

... my true love (yes, i still love him, even though he spends every spare minute shopping at the gift shop) gave to me,

Twelve glassy magnets (not sure if the fridge door is big enough but they'll make awesome stocking stuffers for the kids),

Eleven finely woven mufflers (a matching one for every outfit, whee!),

Ten by three (which makes thirty - go on, count them) expertly applied lines of paint in a very pleasing arrangement plus a light house,

Nine sparkling glass stars (i think they're snowflakes but i hate to disagree openly with my true love at this stage in the festivities),

Eight jolly vintage buttons (i've picked my favourite and the rest are for the christmas dinner napkins),

Seven steamin' stompin' haulin' vroomin' road trucks (guaranteeing a quiet afternoon with the nephews),

Six upstanding and tranquil-looking fence posts (new year's resolution - hike more!),

Five wooden urns (they're vases)!

Four dotty spotty cups (would make great wine beakers),

Three orcas swimming on by (ah, summer holidays),

A cute penguin couple (awwww!),

and that origami peace crane still hanging out peacefully in the fir tree.

Now that's Christmas!

:)

PS: we're open tomorrow, 10am till 2pm for last minute gifting!

On the eleventh day of Christmas ...

handwoven scarves by Beryl Hickinbottom

... my true love gave to me

(the end is in sight)

Eleven finely woven scarves,

Ten by three truly immaculately and artistically rendered lines of paint,

Nine sparkling glass stars,

Eight jolly vintage buttons,

Seven stompin' haulin' road trucks,

Six artistically upstanding fence posts,

Five wooden inlaid urns!

Four spotty dotty drinking vessels,

Three orcas on the go,

A cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas ...

painting by Vicki Allesia

... my true love gave to me (almost there),

An artistic selection of ten lines of paint, times three,

Nine twinkling glass stars,

Eight vintage buttons,

Seven stompin' roadtrucks,

Six upstanding (and beautifully rendered) fenceposts,

Five wooden urns!

Four dotty spotty cups,

Three orcas splashing along,

A cue penguin couple (should go as a pair?)

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

Wordless Wednesday: the last macro moment of the year

Yes - the last macro moment of the year, and a more wordful Wednesday than usual.

Our Christmas Marketplace closes tomorrow at 5pm so don't delay.

The blog is taking a break over the festive season (because she won't be able to reach the keyboard on account of all the turkey she's eaten).

Stay tuned for the New Year, and thanks for visiting :)

On the ninth day of Christmas ...

glass star snowflake by Margret Billings

... my true love gave to me (still shopping)

Nine glass stars a-twinkling,

Eight jolly vintage buttons,

Seven stompin' road trucks,

Six upstanding fence posts,

Five wooden urns (or vases)(for dried flowers only)!

Four dotty spotty cups,

Three orcas swimming,

A cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas ...

buttons by Sarah Ronald

... my true love gave to me (tho' I keep telling him to quit and let me visit the gift shop for a change)

Eight vintage buttons,

Seven stompin' road trucks,

Six upstanding fence posts,

Five wooden urns!

Four dotty, spotty cups,

Three orcas swimming,

A cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas ...

wooden toy trucks by Del Holbrook

... my true love gave to me (yes, we've seen him a lot in the shop lately!)

Seven stomping roadtrucks,

Six upstanding fence posts,

Five wooden urns!

Four dotty, spotty cups,

Three orcas swimming,

A cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas ...

artwork by Valerie Simons

... my true love gave to me,

six upstanding fence posts,

five wooden urns!

Four spotty cups,

Three orcas swimming,

A cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

Santa Claus is coming to town (very soon)

wall plaque by Del Holbrook

Very soon indeed!

Don't panic - if you haven't got that gift or card sorted, we're open until 5pm on December 22nd for all your gift-buying needs (including the gift bags and tags).

On the fifth day of Christmas ...

wooden urns and vases by Joe Martin

... my true love gave to me,

five wooden urns!

Four spotty cups, 

three orcas swimming,

a cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

Quirky and (almost) unmailable gifts

the bigger picture: christmas marketplace 2011, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

I'm not saying that our larger pieces of art are totally unshippable, but it's certainly easier to hand them over in person.

Our Christmas Marketplace in the 3D gallery at Port Moody Arts Centre is a perfect opportunity each year to view the larger works of art our artists would love you to see (and then take home to love and cherish). Our tiny gift shop with its limited wall space and hanging room is not capable of handling any more than a couple of pieces of framed art per artist, so very often you don't see the truly magnificent large-scale gems which represent their skills.

Please come in and visit the 3D gallery for a special viewing of the canvases, wooden intarsia and amazing animal portraits on wood we have for you. And remember - our artists are very happy to accept commissions through the gift shop year round, so why not come in to get a few ideas for yourself once the gift-buying season is over?

On the fourth day of Christmas ...

spotty tea service by Dan Severance

... my true love gave to me,

four spotty cups,

three swimming orcas,

a cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

On the third day of Christmas ...

by artist, Cathy Rycroft

... my true love gave to me,

three orcas swimming, 

a cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

Wordless Wednesday: (you guessed it) macro moment

detail from work by Joan Marr

On the second day of Christmas ...

penguins carved by Tom Reid

... my true love gave to me,

a cute penguin couple,

and an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

On the first day of Christmas ...

peace crane tree ornament by Yolanda Cheung

... my true love gave to me,

an origami peace crane in a fir tree.

Oh, the weather outside ain't so frightful

the bigger picture: christmas marketplace 2011, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

So, a walk through Port Moody would be delightful today.
Why not call in at the gift shop (opens noon till 4pm on Sundays) and thaw those fingers with a little Christmas shopping from our amazing artists?

Fragility

the bigger picture: christmas marketplace 2011, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

Closer to Christmas is the time to think about gifts for your close-at-hand nearest and dearest.
Think - ceramics, architectural accents and heavier items which are difficult to ship. All of these works will make a statement, both in the home and in the heart of the person receiving the gift.
Most of our artists have business cards which can be tucked into that special gift. Just ask while your purchase is being wrapped; it'll be a lovely reminder to your gift recipient that their present has been chosen and made with care and attention.

the bigger picture: christmas marketplace 2011

the bigger picture: christmas marketplace 2011, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

artist dan severance's vase from Tuesday's post in full, glorious detail

Christmas Marketplace means more space in the Blackberry Gift Shop, which means our artists can bring in their larger pieces of work. This is the best time of year to find that perfect focal decoration as a stunning centrepiece in your home.
Modern houses these days often require bold modern statements to complete a room. Why not make that bold statement twice; once for your abode, and another in supporting local artisans?
We'd love to see you at the arts centre :)

Wordless Wednesday: macro moment (yes, another one)

detail from work by Amanda Maxwell

Blackberry Gift Shop on The Express

... and here we are (around minute 4)!

A big thank you to Shaw TV, and to the artists who took part in our moment of fame :)

The big picture

detail from big, heavyweight vase by Dan Severance
(sculptural heavyweight woodturning from Joe Martin in background)

Now that the last cost-effective mailing dates for Christmas 2011 are vanishing under a haze of packing tape and gift ribbons, we at the Blackberry Gift Shop think you should be concentrating by now on your nearest nearest and dearest. You know, the family members and friends who you can deliver your carefully chosen gift to directly, paw-to-paw so to speak. There are no worries about fitting the magical 2cm slot of doom at the post office. Parcel weights are a mere memory. Let it rip with heavyweight handcrafted goodness from our marketplace!

Check out the slideshow below - specific items and ideas will be previewed over the next couple of weeks (though it might be wise to snap up that cherished gift before someone else gets it first).

Fame at last!

Vicki Allesia waits for her moment in the spotlight

On Tuesday, the Blackberry Artist's Society played host to Bianca and Rob from Shaw TV's The Express. Bianca interviewed Vicki Allesia and Karen Bagayawa about their work, then filmed the work in the 3D gallery (with some willing customers who happened to be around!) The segment airs on Tuesday, December 6th at 3pm, 6pm and 10pm.

If you don't get Shaw cable then check out their YouTube channel - the video should land there around 5pm on Tuesday.

Artists will be signing autographs .... ;)

Wordless Wednesday: macro moment

detail from work by Valerie Gilbert

Christmas 101: quirky postable gifts

Yes, we have quirky gifts which will also ship easily :)

Not everyone is able to just hand the wrapped gift person-to-person, so at Blackberry Gift Shop we like to make things easy for you. 

Why not send some cute buttons, a few ceramic fabric fasteners or maybe a glass jewel magnet to your not-nearest and dearest this festive season?

Wordless Wednesday: macro moment

detail from work by Caroline Flak

Christmas 101: shipping gifts

Some fortunate souls have their nearest and dearest close to hand, thus avoiding lengthy queuing at the postal outlets or lose/lose fights with sticky tape or parcel string.

For the rest of us, might I suggest some of the smaller and easily packaged gifts you will fund (in abundance) in the gift shop.

We have jewellery. 

We have tiny ceramic tasting pots.

We have exquisite felted flowers.

We have luxurious handwoven and handknitted scarves for flat packing.

We have miniature tree ornaments (yes, even for miniature trees!).

... and don't forget our beautiful cards, gift bags and gift tags.

A one-stop gift shop for the globally scattered.

Wordless Wednesday: macro moment

detail from work by Beryl Hickinbottom

Featured Artist at City Hall: Cathy Rycroft

This month artist Cathy Rycroft has a great display of her animal portraits in the cases on the staircase landing at City Hall (just pop up the stairs opposite the city hall reception desk). 

If you haven't seen her work before (shame on you!) you will be in for a marvellous treat. Cathy captures such vivid expressions on the faces of her subject. As well as painting on traditional surfaces, Cathy is also well known for using cut and polished slabs of stone as her canvas. For explanation, check out the display shelves! but be quick - the pieces are selling fast.

Dreich

dreich (adjective) - cheerless

Why not come on down to our warm and cosy sitting room at the Port Moody Arts Centre to cheer yourself up on these dreary November days?

Remembrance

photograph by Sarah Ronald

gift bags by Angela Holbrook

painting by Elizabeth Wallace

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

      Between the crosses, row on row,

   That mark our place; and in the sky

   The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

   The torch; be yours to hold it high.

   If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

         In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

Wordless Wednesday: Fruits of the Forest

woodturning by Joe Martin

Our Christmas Marketplace is now open - the best place in the Tri Cities for gift shopping :)

eye, eye! Draw prize alert

Another of our fabulous artists has donated a piece of their work as a draw prize during the Christmas Marketplace.

Driftwood sculptor, Pat de Couto, has very generously made this lovely fellow available to you (yes, you). All you need to do is visit the gallery and fill in one of our customer experience forms with your details, signing up to our mailing list, and this natty chap could be hanging on your wall come the new year :)

No-vember

No sun--no moon!
No morn--no noon!
No dawn--no dusk--no proper time of day--
No sky--no earthly view--
No distance looking blue--

No road--no street--
No "t'other side the way"--
No end to any Row--
No indications where the Crescents go--

No top to any steeple--
No recognitions of familiar people--
No courtesies for showing 'em--
No knowing 'em!

No mail--no post--
No news from any foreign coast--
No park--no ring--no afternoon gentility--
No company--no nobility--

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member--
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

November by Thomas Hood

... to this! Christmas Marketplace opens this evening :)

Please consider this as your invitation to the 2011 Blackberry Artist's Society Christmas Marketplace Opening Reception, to be held in the Port Moody Arts Centre this evening starting at 6pm. Free entry, refreshments provided, shop till you drop ...

Have you seen what you want to buy yet? It's here ... but not for long ;)

(it's coming into focus now)

Have you seen what you want to buy yet?
Christmas Marketplace opens tomorrow evening - 6pm to 8pm in the Port Moody Arts Centre, Thursday 3rd November.
Will you get your hands on the goodies before someone else does?