The True Meaning of Community
My daughter and her friend Angelica tended to the “house gallery”, assisted by a rotating crew of helpers from the island. And we were all so touched by the incredible sense of community support.
Six different women showed up at our house for morning and afternoon “shifts” on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to help in any way they could. They did everything from greeting visitors and answering questions, to sweeping up, to preparing the hot chocolate and muffins we provided to anyone who stopped by.
And even though we’ve got a small island community, I didn’t actually know any of them personally before. They’d simply seen our request for help on the Community Facebook page and volunteered their time and assistance.
It was such a good feeling and I’m so grateful for the good fortune to live in such a place. The experience was really unlike any other studio tour I’ve been involved in before. Gabriola Island is not only home to a lot of artists, but the community at large has such strong support for its artists – and these 2 factors combine to create a thriving art culture.
With all the other artists around, one of the things I found most exciting was when other artists came to visit my studio. It’s always such an honour and privilege. One of the artists to stop by was Gwen Spinks, whose exhibit I attended last year. And another was Karen Cain, who is a highly regarded artist and instructor. I’m really excited to visit her studio at some point. There were others as well, and each interaction was special and amazing.
Cherishing Those Magic Moments
The weekend was full of magic moments. I collect sand from our Twin Beaches here on Gabriola Island. And when kids came by, I showed them how I mix the sand with gel medium to use in my paintings. I got out my stencils and palette knife and showed them how to apply it, and some people watching announced that they wanted to go home and do it.
They were so inspired and that’s what I love – because art can be so fun and healing. If I can share what I’m doing and people get excited about it, it’s an incredible thing to witness.
Other magic moments include:
My friend and neighbour Paul stopped by with a prayer plant for my new studio.
My friend Moe came by with his partner Ocean, a wood carving artist, and she brought me the most delicious pear. (Which was perfectly timed with my growing hunger.)
Then my neighbour Nadine brought me some beautiful flowers.
And my other neighbour Larry noticed my doorknob was in need of little love – so he came back with his toolbox and fixed it for me. It’s a wonderful feeling to have these supportive and loving neighbours.
There were other moments too… like when strangers were gathered in the studio and someone pulled out a bottle of wine to share. Or someone suddenly started singing. Or chanting. Or all the conversations about spirituality and healing, and people just being open and authentic, sharing some of the most personal aspects of their lives.
This is a truly special place.
We even had Surprise Visitors
Like special guest stars surprising a studio audience, I had a couple of surprise visitors show up. My life coach, Michelle Falcone, whom I wrote about in August, texted me to say that she’d be coming over to the island with some friends. And one of those friends turned out to be my friend Susan Greig! (Susan is an artist as well and she owns and operates Braid St Studios, which I also wrote about earlier.)
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t get over that she was here. And she also ended up purchasing The Moon at Night, and it always deeply flatters me when another artist buys my work. It means the world to me that they are spending their hard-earned money to add my artwork to their personal collection.
Original Artwork Sold (plus Prints for Sale Online)
We sold a lot of other smaller paintings as well, and we have 2 larger paintings on hold while the interested buyers measure their home. We also had little notepads for sale, which turned out to be quite popular. They were a fun keepsake for people to remember the studio with.
If you were unable to attend the tour, you can browse through my collection on Saatchi Art’s online gallery. You can also find many of the paintings in my Little Gems Series there.
Saatchi Art offers multiple options to suit your personal tastes or needs. You can choose to have your print on paper or canvas and choose from 4 sizes to best fit your room. You also have the option to have it framed in white, black, or natural wood.
The “View In A Room” image on Saatchi Art should give you an idea of its size and let you see what it looks like on a wall.
