This Week's Favourite Things! Monday November 16th - Sunday November 22nd 2015

1. "Eighty-One" the current exhibition on at Slate Fine Art Gallery in Regina (through December 6th) of gas-fired stoneware pieces by Jack Sures, to celebrate his 81st birthday.  Jack Sures is a master potter and set up the ceramics department at University of Regina.  He had retired by the time I got there in 2006 - 2008 but was still coming in frequently to work on stuff for sale, and we all got to use his glazes and gas kiln.  Plus he gave me some good tips.  

It was so nice to randomly stumble across pics of him on twitter and see him apparently aging backwards! And the show looks amazing. When I was at the department, Jack would work on his pots for a few hours everyday, and then go off and do something athletic, like swimming or curling I think. I guess that's how you keep making pottery into your 80's!  Here's his bio from the Slate Fine Art Gallery site.

This CBC article has the pics I saw on twitter, of both Jack and his installation, here's a screen grab from the article:

2.  The Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council (NSDCC) Christmas Craft show that was just on this past weekend in downtown Halifax at the Cunard Centre.  So much beautiful stuff, here's this year's list of presenters. My very favourite I think was the handpainted Limoges porcelain by New Brunswick artist Isabelle Lafargue.  Here's a link to her site with a bunch of pics, and a closeup of this teapot with houses, not sure if it was the same one at the show. 

 I also loved La P'tit Poterie by Suzanne Babineau from New Brunwick and added to my mug collection, the artist does awesome cone 6 stoneware and wood fired pieces.

my new stoneware mug by La P'tit Poterie

 Clairvoyant Art Glass was there too, and impressed I wore the pendant I bought 2 years ago so much that the cord broke, and tied a new one on.  Then it was hard to leave without getting one of their new pendants.

My new pendant by Clairvoyant Art Glass

3.  The colourful, cheerful bird prints by Sarah Duggan available at The Dart Gallery - where it's 2D I won't take a pic! but I picked up a really great one with a bunch of blue birds on it.

4.  Handknit chicken vests meant to keep former battery hens warm in this article:  A woman is knitting tiny wool jumpers to keep her chickens warm.

5. This bear sleeping bag by artist Eiko Ishizawa

6.  This article: 10 Easy Social Media Tips for the Struggling Artist. 

7.  This Destroyer album: Thief, plus the song of that title.  I forgot I had this and listened to it a tonne this past week.

8.  Regina Indie rock band Rah Rah's first album "Going Steady" from 2008 which is the only one of theirs I have, but I listened to it lots lately too, it reminds me so much of the time I spent in Regina!

9.  Seen a couple movies on Canadian Netflix lately that I really liked:  The Sapphires (based on the true story of an Australian Aboriginal all girl soul singing group in the 60's), and French cartoon: Asterix and Obelix: the mansion of the gods.