Art Spin Adventures

Imagine... a warm summer evening, riding bikes with friends, visiting galleries and outdoor music venues.

Panorama #1 at St. Anne's Church

Panorama #2 at St. Anne's Church

I find the Art Spin experience completely adventurous and magical! We're guided down side streets and alleys, unaware of when our next turn will be. Everyone is in high spirits and like-minded, open to a world of new art in the city. 200+ cyclists glide at a casual pace, chatting with good friends and making new ones. We create choruses of ringing bells. The busy roads transform into calm bike paths as cars are kindly asked to wait while our long stream of bikes pass by.

Googly-eyes at Daniel Faria Gallery

All of our senses are captivated by the unexpected... Smelling the aroma of chocolate while passing the Cadbury's factory. Tasting cool, refreshing freezies while watching a video installation. Hearing the gentle clicking spin of all the wheels while the traveling band played on. Touching the carpet of grass we sit on to watch an open-air performance. Seeing new techniques and craftsmanship in every piece of art.

Bluemouth Inc. playing in the grass

It's like being part of an exclusive secret--but anyone is welcome to join:) Maybe I'll see YOU at the next Art Spin?!

The Amazing Tubular Wall! *Starring Bella the Bunny*

Finally, the wall is complete!

You've watched it's progress... from cardboard tubes, to two-toned cylinders, to a composition of stacked circles. My primary goal was to create a functional product that also showcased my artwork. Now here it is... a piece of furniture and a sculpture.

The wall is composed of cylindrical compartments--three inner tubes house my artwork, and the others are meant to be filled like a shelf. As I looked for props, I found the wall quite versatile as it easily accommodated books, scarves, candle holders, and incense.

I discovered new creative possibilities by using additional circular containers to hold smaller items like pencils and business cards. Then looking at the interesting negative spaces, emerged even more room to place things!

And look, it even fits a bunny! I just happened to be babysitting Bella when I did this photoshoot. She's been perfectly content for hours now, sitting in her new-found happy spot :)

I'm interested to know your ideas! How would you use this tubular wall in your home?

The Radically Radiant Transformation

I love before and after pictures!

I get this feeling of satisfaction in seeing a positive improvement from what was to what is. It can appear in many forms... a home renovation, a refurbished piece of furniture, or a new mural in the neighbourhood.

As a graphic designer, most of my projects start at the very beginning with an idea, before there is even a "before picture". The client and I discuss what they want to accomplish with their business, ideas are brainstormed and then concepts emerge. Usually it works out well but sometimes communication lines are not that clear-cut. Options can become endless... imagine creating a picture from words that are written to describe what somebody else is thinking!

But recently I tried something new.

Erica Ross, founder of Dance Our Way Home, needed a new logo for her Radical Radiance Training, for women ready to embody their brightest self. Check out this video for more information.

She presented me with her own drawing that just needed to be translated into a vector format. Erica knows her business better than anyone and was able to give me the exact visual she was imagining. We skipped the conceptual stage and I focused on improving the elements she felt were most necessary. The colours were brightened, the curves made curvier, and the shapes accentuated within. Voila!

Erica was a pleasure to work with and best yet... she said, "It's beyond my expectations!"