well hi there - happy new year 2013

well hi there, originally uploaded by Blackberry Artists.

A big hurrah for the new year and all best wishes for 2013 from the artists of the Blackberry Artist's Society.
Our thanks to you for supporting our work and visiting the gift shop, the only artist-run cooperative society shop in the Tri Cities.
Looking forward to seeing you again in 2013 :)

The shop will be open once more on January 3rd. We are also open for the gallery opening on Thursday, January 10th - 6pm to 8pm.

Merry Christmas

maybe we'll have some of the white stuff outside?

Merry Christmas, from us to you.

All good wishes for a peaceful New Year.

And thank you for your support this year.

Please note, the giftshop will be closed until the Arts Centre opens after the seasonal closure, and the blog will be taking a break until early January. Thank you for reading. Happy Christmas :)

On the twelfth day of Christmas ...

painting by Valerie Simons

Here at last!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

A grove of twelve (or possibly more) slender birch trees 

(we only have a deck, so where I will put these I have no idea),

Eleven speedy motor cars,

Ten by ten by tens of stunning and artistically crackled grout,

Nine lonesome wilderness beasts (I dare you not to take one home with you),

Eight bearded jolly men,

Seven flights of fairy stairs (we're planning a home extension to accommodate them),

Six felted fibre tree brooches (perfectly at home with the birch grove),

Five crazy ceramic frogs! (the joint is jumping, I tell ya!)

Four swinging metal leaves (my lobes are beautifully adorned),

Three marauding (gently, of course) polar bears,

Two sun-drenched deck chairs (hello Hawaii),

and a glowing lamp by my fireplace (so cosy this Christmas)!

All best wishes for Christmas.

I hope your true love has been as thoughtful and generous as mine - if not, then the gift shop is open on December 22nd so print this list out as a hint and send him/her packing :)

See all twelve days together here.

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

On the eleventh day of Christmas ...

colourful wooden racing cars by Del Holbrook

On the eleventh day of Christmas ...

My True Love came home this evening, chuckling like a little kid.
"We're going to set up a race track, in the house," he shouted as he came into the hallway.
Oh dear, I thought. He really has gone off his rocker now.
But no - all was revealed as he emptied the contents of his bag out onto the floor. Eleven delightful and sturdy wooden race cars tumbled out, spinning off madly in all directions. The beasts and I scampered around on the wooden floor rounding up vehicles and zooming them back at one another.
Another happy evening :)

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

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

Wordless Wednesday: festive greetings

tree decoration by Pauline Doyle

On the tenth day of Christmas ...

detail from mixed media panel by Karen Bagayawa

On the tenth day of Christmas ...

Oh my! My True Love came home last night bringing the biggest wrapped present I have ever seen him carry up the front steps. I swear it was a ten-by-ten but he says it measures less. He does admit though, that there are probably ten by ten by tens of gorgeous deep red plaster fragments embedded within the linen mesh.
I can't stop gazing at it - the beasts and I curled up on the rug, gazing up at our new treasure all evening. It makes a beautiful and dramatic statement - a perfect piece for the empty wall above the fireplace.

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

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

On the ninth day of Christmas ...

original drawings by Sarah Ronald

On the ninth day of Christmas ...

My True Love had to stay away last night too, so he left me with this menagerie of wilderness beasts to pass the evening with. Once I had finished feeding, watering and tucking them all in for the night it was time to start serving breakfast.
Still, they kept me quite warm curled up round my toes, though I'm not sure when I'll get my bath back, and I don't know what the raccoon did with the trash ...

Artist-made gifts nourish the soul :)

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