Monthly Archives: April 2012

Kim S Warne, Canadian Sculptor

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Kim S Warne, an accomplished soapstone carver and sculptor, was featured this week as the “Artist-of-the-week” for Fleming College’s Haliburton School of the Arts. The article chronicles his development as a sculptor, illustrating how he overcame the long-held belief that he was not artistic. Very interesting reading:

The story of Kim’s artistic development is an inspiration to anyone who has a desire to be creative but, has been led to believe they have not artistic talent. In addition to being inspiring through this example Kim’s work is an inspiration to others  to grow and develop their craftsmanship.

Kim is very well-known in the artistic community of the Haliburton Highlands. He is a member of the Arts Council~Haliburton Highlands, displays his work as part of the annual Haliburton County Studio Tour and a variety of other venues both online and in galleries. Kim is proud of the fact that he was accepted into the International Guild of Craftsmen in 2006. You can now purchase his work online at www.MadeInHaliburton.ca .

Canadian Painter, Laurie O’Reilly, Extends Her Narrative Work

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Canadian painter, Laurie O’Reilly, is currently working hard to create the pieces that will be shown in her next Exhibition at the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden, Ontario, Canada. The work is supported by an Ontario Arts Council Grant and the proposed Exhibition dates are September and October of 2013. The working title for the show is “Extending the Narrative”.

Laurie states that she is a “visual storyteller” and “a visual anthropologist”. As such all of Laurie’s work contains narrative and she is now working to entwine previously created narrative images into new pieces that extend this narrative further in time. Her pieces have an emotional impact and this show should prove to be a powerful show as she works to “balance the sweet and the harsh” in this extension of her character’s stories.

Laurie began her association with the Haliburton Highlands in 2003 when she started taking courses at the Haliburton School of the Arts. When her husband decided to retire Laurie found the perfect spot to live, paint and be closer to the Arts Community and School of the Arts in the Haliburton Highlands. She is an active member of the Art Hive Collective, a member of the Arts Council~Haliburton Highlands. and sells her work on www.MadeInHaliburton.ca.

Just 3 Days Left Before The Draw For Canadian Artist, Terry Adair’s, Wood Sculpture

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The draw for the wood sculpture by Canadian Artist, Terry Adair, will occur at 8 p. m. on Monday April 30th. So, if you haven’t already signed up for the www.MadeInHaliburton.ca newsletter or like MadeInHaliburton on Facebook please do so before then to have a chance to win this fabulous sculpture titled “The Haunting”.

Earth and Fire Pottery

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Debbie and Grahame Wales moved to the Haliburton Highlands in 1976. They built a log home and studio overlooking LIttle Boshkung Lake. In their early years in the Highlands pottery was a hobby for them. In 1990 they constructed a large outdoor reduction-fired kiln and their delightful hobby became a full time business adventure. Grahame worked on the pottery business whenever the demands of being a stay-at-home dad would allow. Debbie continued working in the education system and contributing to the business on weekend and in the summer until she joined the business full-time in 2003.  It became very apparent that their quaint little log studio and workshop needed more space. And so an addition was added to expand the work area and create a lovely new gallery.

The Wales make great studio partners in part because they have differing interests in terms of the types of pottery they do. Grahame loves to work at the wheel and produce functional pottery. He is very adept at throwing large quantities of clay while regaling any studio visitors with humorous anecdotes. He has become known locally as “the Hairy Potter”. Debbie, on the other hand, has branched out to create thrown and altered work, square and functional pieces and one-of-a-kind sculpted wall hangings that depict the beauty of the Haliburton Highlands. Their daughter Jenn as recently begun to follow in their footsteps and produce her own unique clay designs in the form of jewellery and mosaic wall plaques.

Earth and Fire Pottery has been a part of the Haliburton Highlands Studio Tour since 1992, just a few years after its inception. They have seen the tour develop and grow and have played an active part in its development. This year is the 25th anniversary of the Studio Tour and a special celebration is planned. Everyone is invited to the Opening of the Exhibition titled “Transitions”, which is an exhibition of the art of current and past Haliburton Highlands Studio Tour Artists. The opening reception takes place on Saturday May 5th from 2-4 pm. Come out and celebrate the work of these fine artists. For a further schedule of the activities that will occur during the show please visit the Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre Website. 

Debbie, in conjunction with Rickie Woods,  won the Bill Lambe Arts Alive Minden award for her passionate dedication to the arts. .

 

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Hard to Buy For Woman

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Have the women in your life browse through www.MadeInHaliburton.ca and mark their favourite items using the wish list function. Then have them share their list with you! Goods range in price from $10 to $4500 so there is something for every budget. MadeInHaliburton contains many one-of-a-kind items that are just right for that difficult to buy for mom.  If you don’t want mom to see the possibilities first, there is also a list of suggestions on the website that you can access through the Gifts tab on the navigation menu.

If you really want to give her something special this year why not pick this stone carving of a mother and child created by Kim Warne of Soundings studio. It is a perfect image representing the entwining of mother and child.

Or if you are looking for something practical but, pretty a package of 5 felted soaps by Susan MacDonald. The felting creates a combination of soap and a facecloth all in one. The special soap contains  Patchouli which has a multitude of benefits including being good for sensitive skin and acting as an anti-wrinkle cream.

How about this set of 5 cards by Barbara Koch of baby birds awaiting the return of their mother with food. This image truly represents the maternal role in our lives. These are just a few examples of the many wonderful gift ideas available at www.MadeInHaliburton.ca.

 

Laura Trach, A Canadian Artist, Joins MadeInHaliburton.ca

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Laura Trach a well-known fibre artist who resides in the Haliburton Highlands has joined the other Canadian Artists who are contributors to www.MadeInHaliburton.ca. Laura is a graduate of Fanshawe College’s Fashion Design Program and subsequently changed the direction of her career when she studied the Surface Textile Design Program at Fleming College. She currently teaches in the Fibre Arts Program at Fleming College in the Haliburton Highlands, Ontario, Canada.

Her work was recently featured in a show at the Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre in the village of Haliburton titled “Seasons”. It was inspiring to see the intricate detail of the leaves of all the different trees, depicted in different season. The leaves of each tree were shaped to match the real-life leaves of the tree replicas.

The show included samples of her clothing design work as well as framed images for the wall. Here are some examples.

 

 

 

Chris Whiteley and blues singer Diana Braithwaite appear at the Dominion Hotel, Minden, On

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Get ready Haliburton County because on May 5th the Dominion Hotel in Minden will be rocking to ‘The Red Hot Blues’ of talented multi- instrumentalist Chris Whiteley and exciting blues singer Diana Braithwaite.

Whiteley has accompanied the likes of John Hammond, Chuck Berry and John Lee Hooker. He also toured with Leon Redbone, playing cornet and harmonica, and appeared with him on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in New York.

Chris has twice played the prestigious Chicago Blues Festival, and he often performs as part of the award winning CBC Radio show The Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean.

Diana Braithwaite’s solo career came about in her teenage years when she opened for John Lee Hooker at the Brunswick House in Toronto. Later on Albert Collins invited her on the road as a warm-up act. She then followed up with collaborations with such luminaries as Jeff Healey, Robert Cray, Tracy Chapman and Buddy Guy.

Between them Whiteley and Braithwaite are nine time Maple Blues award winners, including best songwriting. For the Minden gig Diana and Chris will be combining original material with a sprinkling of classics in sets that have been rocking audiences from New York to the British Isles. They’ll definitely perform songs from their latest album DeltaPhonic which reached number one on B.B. King’s Bluesville program on XM-Sirius Satellite Radio.

Chris plays guitar, slide guitar, harmonica and trumpet as well as singing with a wry sense of humour  that perfectly complements Diana’s sultry and intimate delivery. Joining Chris and Diana will be Chris’ son, Jesse Whiteley on CX-3 organ.  As a member of the Toronto All Star Big Band, Jesse has backed up such notables as Clark Terry, Oliver Jones and Doc Severinson.

The ‘Red Hot Blues’ gig with Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite is the third in the very successful ‘Canadian Blues Legends’ series from the collaboration of promoter George Farrell and Dominion proprietor Shawn Chamberlin.

Tickets for the May 5th ‘Red Hot Blues’ event are on sale for $10 if you purchase in advance, or $15 at the door. Advanced tickets can be secured by phone or picked up at the Dominion Hotel, 113 Bobcaygeon Rd, Minden, tel: 705-286-6954 or toll free 877-888-6954.

Buy Tickets for the Forest Festival at www.MadeInHaliburton.ca

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Tickets for the Forest Festival can now be purchased at www.MadeInHaliburton.ca . If you have never taken in the Forest Festival it is a very magical event that is well worth taking the time to attend. Imagine experiencing the music of excellent, well-known performers in the middle of the forest with the backdrop of a lake. During the evening performances, at the amphitheatre location, you can watch the sun set during the concert. It is amazing to watch the twilight settle on the forest and lake while taking in the music. As the evening progresses the star-filled sky surrounds you as you relax and listen. The location of the amphitheatre in the middle of the forest means that there is absolutely no light pollution and thus, the stars are more visible than in other locations. On a clear night you can see the whole of the Milky Way.

This year’s performances include John McDermott, The Jim Cuddy Trio, Amanda Martinez, Russell deCarle and the Bebop Cowboys, Hilario Duran and Jane Bunnett, Suzie Vinnick and Excerpts from the Highlands Opera Studio. There is something for everyone in this vast array of expert musicians.

Dave Gunning Concert a Success

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Last night those in attendance at the Fish Hatchery were treated to a fabulous concert by singer/sonwriter Dave Gunning. This is an interesting and unique place for a concert. The acoustics are quite good.  The audience loved his songs, stories and performance. There were lots of his own original songs, mixed with ones he had co-written or perfpormed with other well-known performers such as Ron Hynes (coming here on May 13!), John Allen Cameron, J P Cormier (coming here in October) and even stompin’ Tom. Dave has performed or written with all of them and many more.

There was no doubt in the minds of anyone in attendance last night as to why Dave Gunning has won so many awards. The audience was entertaned by stories from his recent trip to Kandahar Afganistan,  where he entertained the troops, and tails about historic performances with Stompin Tom Connors.

Comments from the audience as he left were ”best I’ve ever seen”, “terrific show”.etc etc. The CD sales were very high giving some indication of just how much people enjoyed the music. So, if you have a chance to take in one of his shows you won’t be disappointed.