Behind the Art: The World Tree Series

Many artists have themes that work their way through their art as the years progress.  One such theme for me is the four seasons.  In the spring of 2011 as I waited for my second son to be born Spring in the World Tree came to me.  A robin's nest with bright blue eggs surrounded by a flowering tree.  At the time of course it was a drawing that waited in my sketch book while I birthed and bonded with a new baby.

When the time came to make a piece (probably a year or so later if we are being honest) I began work on Spring.  And when it was completed I thought it would be great to create a series of four, one for each season and each one featuring a different bird.  The World Tree, Tree of Life or Yggdrasil in Norse mythology is a fairly common image in popular culture.  What I wanted to explore in these pieces was capturing the essence of each season, along with the essence of a universal tree as it passes through a yearly cycle.

Spring: birth, stirrings of sap, awakening, colour's return...

Summer: Abundance of green, buzzing energy, wild and unruly lushness...

Autumn: Abundance of harvest, bright red apples, leaves turning and falling, fading warmth...

Winter: Grey silence, cold, a whiteness contrasted by the evergreen's promise of Spring....

And the cycle begins again.
Please click through the title of the post to comment or view past posts.  All pieces are currently for sale please contact me via my website for inquiries.

JJ

2016 Vancouver Area Quilt Shop Hop

As often as we can my friend Heidi and I try to take a day and have an adventure together.  This adventure is one that is unique to our interests together and most certainly does not involve "boy things" since the four boys we have birthed between us and the two men that partner us have little to no interest in joining in on our jaunts.
We have flown to Toronto (that was a special 48 hour version), visited the flea market and I believe there may have been a few movies attended long ago.  Last month we decided to shop hop to six quilt & fabric shops in the Lower Mainland.  Here is a little review on each.  (I was planning to take photos in each shop to share but the last two shops suffered from my growing fatigue.  Turns out I'm good for about four shops and then my eyes start to glaze over a bit...)

The Cloth Shop - Granville Island, Vancouver

Our first stop at 10 am (to avoid the crazy amount of people at Granville Island on Saturdays) was this tastefully laid out shop.  They have a great selection of fabrics, notions and books.  This one was Heidi's favourite for the friendly staff, location, fabrics and notions.

Spool of Thread - 15th Avenue, Vancouver

We have both been to Spool of Thread many times.  They have a large area for sewing classes, modern fabrics and lots of clothing patterns.  They curate their fabric very carefully to fit the modern, hipster vibe but are welcoming of sewers at all skill levels.

Fabrics Etc. - Kingsway, Vancouver

As of this posting date Fabrics Etc was the newest shop we visited.  They opened about a year ago and have a large selection of clothing fabrics, traditional quilt fabrics and a large notion section.  The store is laid out in more of a outlet style with plenty of room to browse.

Stitch and Bobbin - Old Dollarton Road - North Vancouver

This shop has a lot to offer.  Classes, Bernina Sewing Machines, a great fabric selection, Aurifil threads, and they do retreats as well.  This shop was my favourite as their fabrics appeal to my palate and the staff are helpful.  I also like that it is in a quieter location with no need to circle looking for parking.

The Needle and I - 6th Street, Burnaby

Offering a more traditional selection of fabrics, some good thread options like Italian thread Genziana, and Pfaff and Husqvarna sewing machines this shop also offers tons of classes.  The owner is lovely and helpful and had some interesting little quilters charms and gifts for quilt lovers you may know.

Quilted Treasures - Austin Avenue, Coquiltlam

Our last stop but not the least by far.  This shop offers lots of kits, traditional fabrics and long arm quilting for hire.  The owner is friendly and gave us several demonstrations of some of the products she has on hand including some applique adhesive paper.

This shop hop does not include all the fabric shops around but was doable in about 4 hours with lunch and tea breaks sprinkled in.  Click through on the title of the post to comment or tell me if you visit any of the shops.  And happy fabric hunting.

JJ