I have been meaning to write this post for quite a while now... with all the work of selling our house and moving to White Rock time has gone so fast! While living in the Comox Valley I was lucky enough to meet some truly inspiring artists and I wanted to share some of my favourites that I will truly miss!

1) Jennifer Weber  www.jenniferweber.ca
     Jennifer's gorgeous acrylic paintings make me smile. I met her on the Comox Valley studio tour and had the good fortune to get to know her and share artistic ideas over many cups of tea! Her Peice 'Lilies' is one of my Favourites!
The print is hanging in my bedroom!

2) Lucy Schappy  www.lucyschappy.com
When we first moved to the valley it was Lucy's work that first caught my eye. Her unique style is well.. awesome.. and so is she!  I love many of her peices but' 'April Showers' is one of my favourites (and not just because of the name)!  

3) Gail Neuls.  www.gailneuls.com
Gail's unique abstact style is one I love! She paints landscapes that are different ( i love different!) and remind me of many place i have been. Her peice Osooyos area is one of my favourites... it reminds me and driving thru the Okanagan like we do every summer!

4) Melissa March www.amudesigns.com
Her realistic oil paintings are incredibly life like! how does she do it? I have been lucky enough to get to know Melissa at art shows in the Valley and will miss her great company!
One of my favourites is 'Chilean Dream'. I have this print in my kitchen and love seeing it everyday!

One of the other gorgeously creative people I got to know is Naomi TeWinkle. Her whimsical paintings can only make you smile! I cant wait to stay in her super cool B&B in Mulberry land! www.mulberryland.com .

Another creativley Cool chickita I got to know is Ms Simone Thompson. This girl has many talents including gorgeous photography, handmade cards and memory books and graphic design. She was also patient enough to teach me some of the ins and outs of photoshop and illustrator!  www.creativesimone.com

I sure will miss the Comox valley and all of its artistically inspiring people! Dont worry.. ill be back to visit!

Thursday, January 7, 2010 Art + cafes = success! When I started out on my venture as an artist in 2007 the first place I ever hung my work was Blighty's Bistro on Oak Bay ave in Victoria. I was thrilled to see my work on the walls.. but never did I think I would sell 15 original peices in 6 months! From there I hung my work for a 2 month show at Mo:le resturant on Pandora st in Victoria. I sold 12 original paintings! wow! At first I did not think that cafes and resturants would be a great place to sell art but quickly learned I was wrong! And why wouldnt people buy art from these places? unlike galleries and art shows, people get to sit with the art for a long period time (most people spend at least an hour going for dinner)... and really ponder over the peice .. where will I put it?... how will I pay for it?.... can i convince my husband to buy it for me for me birthday? ect... Its a great deal.. the artist gets exposure and the Cafe gets great art on thier walls for free! Its a win win! Since then I have done several resturant/cafe shows with great success! At the moment I have my work hanging in Serious Coffee Cook st Village in Victoria and am looking forward to hanging my work in Pedros Cafe on granville island in February 2010!

 Wow! what a beautiful show! The 2009 One of a Kind show took place at the Vancouver Convention center under the sails at Canada Place Oct 8-11. The new venue brought forth new challenges in setting up.. but once that hard part was over the fun began! Met tons of great people, made great connections and found some new fans! yeah!... I felt special to be amungst over 200 amazing north american artisans. Being part of the visual arts district allowed me to rub elbows with some very talented artist from Vancouver, Toronto, Oregon and Montana! The experience was one that helped me learn about being an artist and a bussiness women and made me realize how lucky I am to have such a fun job!.. back home now and working on upcoming christmas events which can be found at http://www.yapespaints.com. Cant wait for next years One of a Kind show!! Check the pics of my booth below!