Lots of Catching Up To Do!

It's been a while since my last post but I plan on starting to make regular updates to my blog from now on!  2011 until now was such a busy time! June 26th I got married to my lovely husband, my "Petting Zoo" show at Swoon was shortly after.  Once it ended I had fun putting the animals out on the lawn and veranda for the perusal of the commuters of Hammonds Plains.  I think the chickens on the railing especially helped to draw in curious passers by who aren't quite sure what Swoon is all about.  

Later in the year I really indulged my love of creating art installations became excited about creating a large Halloween display for the front of Swoon.  This consisted of a 9' tall grim reaper and pet wolf, giant snake with a baby in its tummy, several tombstones, 5 giant bats and a black cat.  It made for a VERY messy house for about 6 weeks.  Better late than never, here a few pics:

These props were all made out of papier mache, painted with acrylic indoor/outdoor paint so they weathered the elements fairly well for the 2 weeks they were out.  October was a busy month at Swoon, with the October show opening at the beginning of the month, "The Other Side" Swoon's first group Halloween show, and a costume ball with the very swingin' Jazzette.

Right after Halloween I set to work on some papier mache Christmas tree ornaments which I used to call "Merry Creatures".  I hadn't made any since my last Christmas in Regina (2007) so it was a pleasure to make these guys again... little papier mache animals with Santa Claus hats.  I made over a hundred and fifty during my 3 years in Regina.  Saturday November 19th was Swoon's first annual "One of a Kind Christmas Tree Ornament Show and Sale".   It's off to a great start, and we think it will grow into a popular annual event!

December brought "Christmas Presence II" which is Swoon's second annual pottery show and sale, timed just right for people who missed out on the area's various craft fairs, and to provide potters a venue where they can just drop off their work and let Brandt work his talent for display.  this year in addition to ceramic ornaments and small ceramic figurines, I have begun making larger figurines, that are more the size of my "Pulp Creatures".  It's been fun to translate some of my favourite papier mache designs into clay.  Here are pics of a few, available at Swoon.  (the bunny is my favourite!)

Right after Christmas it was time to start packing and moving!  What a lot of work!  We moved out of my Halifax home on Westerwald Street, to our country home in Upper Northfield, which is near New Germany.  It is so peaceful and beautiful out here I can't wait to get my studio set up and get back to creating, and to try my hand at gardening and raising a few animals.  I'm hoping having Polish farmers for parents will have rubbed off on me somehow, despite having grown up in the suburbs...