Brunch with SEVEN

The day was full of sunshine as SEVEN members got together one last time before the send off to Denmark. We shared yummy food, finalized some business, and watched Kelly's fabulous poetry of her words and photographs of the Bay of Fundy. Things have come together with a lot of work, sweat, hope, stress, support and a dream to make it all happen. Wishing the group much success, many adventures from Nova Scotia to Denmark, and lots more stories to come.            

Fill the Big Crate Day!

Tomorrow is the big day, we will be packaging up 49 pieces of art work, in all shapes and sizes. We are planning to meet at noon when according to weather forecasts the rain is supposed to stop, which is good since the crate is too large to get into anyone's house anywhere, except that is if you have a big wide barn door and a forklift.

There are of course no photos of this event in this piece, since what I am talking about hasn't happened yet, but it is busily and happily making noise and summer saults in my head.
I cannot decide if this is like:
A - the night before Christmas, when often a lot of time is spent excitedly packaging up this year's treasures or treats to be shared in the morning or....
B - this is like sending  your kids off to summer camp for a while, wondering if there are enough dry socks (styro foam) warm sweaters (bubble wrap) and the little bag with toothpaste and brush and all the necessary grooming utensils (official documents galore stapled on the inside and the outside of the box) perhaps never even to get unpacked and used.
It is not easy, for me at least, to let go of tapestry pieces when I haven't had time to hang out with them for a while - there is an emotional attachment. I guess I like to do a slow travel through all the ideas and visions and how they came to be as I look at them and feel them.
The other vision right now is coming to fruition and we really are going. On my new Ipad which I talk about so often these days I have found Trepkasgade #5 and when I push the right buttons on Google Maps I can go and 'stand in front' of the gallery we are exhibiting in Copenhagen.
I can look at the shapes of the art which is hanging there and I can almost see it through the glare of the windows.
These are my thoughts for this day. The day before gathering the goods up and organizing everything safely and comfortably in the box. When we wave goodbye to the box tomorrow afternoon when we leave Marilyn's house it is scary and fantastic and amazing to think about the fact that next time we encounter it and put our hands on it  ........ it will be in Trepkasgade, in Copenhagen, unloading and preparing to hang our show, which has been underway for so long and from so far away.
And as I got to here I did realize that..... I can probably attach a jpg of our poster for all to see and enjoy!


Sweet dreams and fruitful visions everyone! Cheers, Pia

SEVEN - our profile photo

 Thought I would share with you an image of all of the artists involved in the collective SEVEN. When you read through our posts, you can now put a face to our names... :)

*Middle: Pia Skaarer-Nielsen
*Marilyn Rand (far left, top row)
*Deborah Nicholson (middle, top row)
*Pam Frail (far right, top row)
*Angela Melanson (far right, bottom row)
*Marie Jardine (middle, bottom row)
*Kelly Marie Redcliffe (far left, bottom row)

Thanks for taking the time to read through and comment on our posts - we appreciate your feedback and interest.

Journey of the Everyday...

Hello...my name is Angela Melanson and I am one of the members of the art collective, SEVEN. I am lucky to have grown up in this beautiful part of the world and am very grateful to share my artistic adventures with six other fabulous and creative members of this group. Here's a little bit about me and my work:

Most of my recent work is inspired by my daily jaunts through the magical Acadian Forest which surrounds my home on a mountain top in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. My daily journey with my dog Meeya provides me with much inspiration based on the scents, sounds and my own imagination (which tends to run wild in the midst of Mother Natures' creation). Perhaps it's the song of the forest birds, the tracks left by various animals in the snow, lady slippers and ferns working their way towards the light in late spring - all of which finds its' way in various forms throughout my body of work. I am in love with the simplicity of the everyday and hope to share this with you through my visual stories.

Rabbit 
Acrylic, pastel & pencil on wood panel
5' x 4'
c 2009

Great beginnings and thoughts of world travels!

This is the year of exploration, the year of great expectations, the year of keeping ourselves on our toes from early morn 'till the moon comes up.

In August 2010 six of Seven, (Pam, Marilyn, Marie, Deborah, Angela and Pia) will travel over the ocean to Denmark to explore, exchange and experience ourselves and our work in a completely new setting - a different culture, a different language, different food habits and bicycle paths. 

Kelly will stay back in Nova Scotia holding the fort and preparing herself for sensory overload when we return and the next part of exchange and the talking starts.

We endeavour to keep ourselves and other interested parties up to date with our progess and plans on this blog.
Any and all of the participants: Pam, Kelly, Deborah, Angela, Marilyn, Marie and Pia will be updating this blog when we feel the whim to express and share our excitement of this upcoming adventure.  

We work as a group and separately - and here is an example of what  happened when we all got together with brushes, paint and a nice large canvas for an afternoon in a sun-filled greenhouse  working on our 2009 exhibit Awakenings.