On the third day of Christmas ...

carved polar bears by Tom Reid

On the third day of Christmas ...

So ... I love the thought of being on a beach somewhere hot and sunny, but maybe I should really be thinking festive and seasonal (and Canada). I mention this to the True Love, and he gets this crazed look in his eye. Next minute, I hear the front door slamming and the sound of feet clattering down the path.

Now what?
Again, an hour later he returns with a carefully wrapped bundle - lo and behold,

Three perfect polar bears!

I feel so wintry

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Click here to see all twelve days of Christmas as they publish.

On the second day of Christmas ...

painting by Vicki Allesia

On the second day of Christmas ...

... my True Love, tired of my incessant complaints about the greyness, rain and cold, escaped the house this morning (round about 10am, gift shop opening time) then returned about an hour later with a flatpack under his arm.

Oh joy! I thought to myself - self-assembly furniture!

But no - two sunny deckchairs.

The painting is now up on my wall, and I'm sitting in front of it, sipping tea (out of a cup decorated with a cocktail umbrella), with my feet up and covered in self-tan lotion.

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Click here to see all twelve days of Christmas as they publish.

Meet Your Makers: Sunday artist - Cathy Rycroft

This Sunday's maker to meet is artist and race horse trainer (oh yes!) Cathy Rycroft. Visitors to the giftshop instantly recognise her work showing horses at full gallop and other BC wildlife on a variety of unusual media such as polished stone and tree slabs. Cathy captures every hair and each tiny detail in her stunning portraits of animal life. From the single whisker to the glint in the grizzly's eye, you'd swear it was just waiting to pounce (we haven't lost a visitor yet, so you are quite safe).

Why not pay a visit to the Arts Centre this Sunday and find out what inspires Cathy's work and what nourishes her creative soul.

artist-made gifts nourish the soul

Artist demos every Sunday, 1-3pm, until December 16th.

On the first day of Christmas ...

stained glass lamp and window snowflake by Margret Billings

On the first day of Christmas ....

(yes, dear reader - I'm still with the same besotted fool who does all his over-gifting from the Blackberry Christmas Marketplace)

my true love gave to me 

(did I tell you how much I loved all the unique gifts I got last year?

i love love love love love them all)

a lovely glowing lamp for the sitting room.

Stay tuned - artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

Wordless Wednesday: festive greetings

detail from stained glass decoration by Margret Billings

Christmas critter adoption post

christmas 2012, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

This beautiful swan needs a home for the holidays ... and beyond. No pond required. Happy to sit looking decorative on a mantelpiece.
Enquire within.

Fully loaded tree

christmas 2012, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

All you need for a fully loaded tree this season. Our artists have been hard at work miniaturising their skills into bite-sized packages of festive goodness. Drop by the Arts Centre today to pick up some beautiful ornaments for your tree, and maybe something larger for underneath it?
We're open from noon to 4pm, with our artist demo taking place from 1pm till 3pm.