What a fast-paced spring this has been so far! April and May have blurred into one larger (though short-feeling) mega-month. Most of April had me busy getting everything ready and organized for Art Studio Tour. It was an exciting time. From designing the poster for the first Drawing Thanks Presents concert (shoutout to the incredible Buckman Coe) to crafting colouring sheets for visiting kids (posting online soon so you can print at home), and even crafting free portrait postcards for folks to share in the community—it was a time of abundant designing and making.
Below, you’ll see the free postcard I designed for visitors to my studio on Art Studio Tour which landed on Mother’s Day weekend. It was fun to put this collection of portraits together as I wanted each person drawn to share a unique story and connection to the person they are adjacent to. Though I haven’t come up with the way I am going to illustrate these relationships more clearly, it is a nice little opportunity for some storytelling when I hand out the postcards.
It was a lovely pleasure to take a break from the long, coffee-fueled Illustrator, Photoshop and hand-sketching sessions to join the Earth Day Celebrations at Memorial Peace Park on April 22nd. It held a fantastic turnout with so many bountiful opportunities to connect with gregarious community. Shoutout to Leanne Koehn who brought such focussed and inspired leadership to a tremendous organizational effort. I had such a great time going to every tent in the park—making sure I didn’t miss a thing with a strategic clockwise lap. Two visits I remember quite fondly are the Maple Ridge Museum tent and the Art Studio Tour one as well. Both of which were encouraging and supporting so much wonderful creativity with activities for all to share in. I have plenty more stories to tell when it comes to them!
Speaking of which, here are a few shots from Art Studio Tour this year! It was a wonderful turnout with nearly 200 guests visiting my studio! It was a pleasure to have support from the City of Maple Ridge as well as friends, Michael Collins and Trevor Schmidt, to film all the goings on. Russ Brummer and the Colleen Brown joined me to promote the Maple Ridge Artist In Residence Program. It was a cherished opportunity to spend the days with such positively influential company.
Special thanks to the City of Maple Ridge for the incredible photos!
Soon, I will be sharing some exciting interview footage as well as highlights from the Drawing Thanks Presents: Buckman Coe show. I truly revelled in the effortless cohesion and creative mutualism shared between Art Studio Tour, Side Door, and Drawing Thanks. There is so much more storytelling begging to happen that resulted from this special weekend. Stay tuned for some exciting video coverage and an in-depth recap of the first Drawing Thanks Presents concert!
These illustrations, photos and accompanying blog post were created with love and gratitude on the unceeded territories of the Katzie First Nation and Kwantlen First Nation.