Living and Creating by the Brook

Getting Drunk Walking to Work

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:24:54 +0100

I walk to work every day. Rain or shine, blizzard or black flies, you will find me trekking up the lane to my studio. Every day, every season has it's own particular beauty.

There is a short stretch of time, though where the walk is positively intoxicating. And that time is now.

The honeysuckle and lilac trees are in full bloom, filling my nostrils with their heady scent, and my ears with the droning of bee and hummingbird wings. My eyes are overwhelmed with the multitude of colours. Drunk on the beauty of nature.

I round the corner and head up the lane to my blue studio at the top, senses reeling, uplifted, ready to create beautiful things.

Do you get drunk on your way to work?

Spring Has Sprung at Wabi Brook!

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:11:58 +0100

I love the hustle and bustle of spring. It's such a busy time of year here in northern Ontario, with the plants are coming out of their winter dormancy and sprouting up as fast as they can, gardens going in as early as possible - but not too early or the frost will kill the tender plants. The birds are building nests, hoping to raise their young in time for them to be able to fly south in a few short months.

It's been busy in the studio, too! So much has been happening I hardly know where to begin. Most of it is in my latest newsletter. Not yet a subscriber? You can sign up here.

Lots of jewellery related things happening, but also some art. Here is the most recent portrait commission:

Graphite and pastel on paper

Commissioned by three friends for their flatmate Heather who suddenly lost her beloved partner earlier this year.
Memorial portraits are a lovely and personal way of remembering a special four-legged friend.You can see more examples on my Portrait pages.

I'd better get back to work! I have a big wedding jewellery commission to finish. It's not until July, but deadlines have a way of sneaking up on me!

From Chaos, Beauty

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:06:03 +0100

Out of chaos,

Comes beauty.

As promised in my last post, here are some of the pieces I crafted for the Art Gallery of Sudbury. I will be delivering them in person on Monday.

You can also see the effect all that rampant creativity has on my studio! It's not usually the tidiest at the best of times, but now it's completely out of control. Tidy the studio is at the top of my to-do list when I return home next week!

Great Things Are Happening At the Sudbury Art Gallery!

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:21:10 +0100

I have been invited to be one of the artists featured at the Art Gallery of Sudbury's big Spring Event Fundraiser! My work will be on display at their dinner and concert on April 27th. I am honoured to be part of this big gala event, and have been hard at work in my studio creating new work especially for it. If you are in the Sudbury area, you might want to save the date. It sounds like it will be a fun evening filled with good food and great music by the Eagles cover band "Hotel California". For more information and to buy tickets contact the Art Gallery of Sudbury. You will find updates on their Facebook page.

It's been nearly a year since I was invited to sell my work in the Gallery Boutique and it has been such a wonderful experience. The shop is filled with gorgeous work by a diverse group of artists and artisans, and the staff is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It's well worth a visit when you are in Sudbury.

I have also been busy catching up on custom orders. I recently finished this set of wedding bands for a lovely young couple.

They wanted rings that expressed who they are as individuals and as a couple, and these sterling silver rings are what we came up with. I love that couples are now choosing non-traditional designs and materials for their wedding rings, rather than the traditional gold bands. What sort of un-conventional ring would you choose for your wedding band?

A Very, Very Large Ring

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:40:13 +0100

I've been catching up on custom orders over the last couple of months. This ring was commissioned by fellow artist and Riverside Farmer's Market vendor Bonnie Tickner for her husband.

She wanted a plain band ring with a tiger's eye stone, and not too bright and shiny. So I created this simple ring with a bit of texture and this beautiful stone. We decided it looked better with a darkened finish.

Even though the design was simple, creating this ring presented an interesting challenge. It is a size 18! I have never made a ring that big.

My ring mandrel only goes up to size 12, so I had to do a bit of creative problem solving. After rooting around in my studio and house for a while, I found a little souvenir baseball bat that did the trick. My ring blank length chart didn't go up to size 18 either so I had to dust off some long forgotten math skills to figure out the correct length to cut off the sheet of silver, and also the spot on my makeshift mandrel that would equate to size 18 so I could shape and size it properly.

Sizing a ring is a bit tricky at the best of times, so I was amazed pleased that it fit properly first try! It just needs a final polish, and then off it goes.

Spring Has Not Sprung - Yet!

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:38:34 +0100

The blizzard has moved on, leaving bitter cold and lots of snow in it's wake. The view from my front porch is considerably different this morning, compared to two days ago. From inside it looks to be a beautiful and sunny winter wonderland. Step outside, however, and Jack Frost immediately ~~nips~~ ~~bites~~ freezes solid any exposed flesh. The -39 celsius temperature doesn't stop my hardy, outdoor loving dog Heart from enjoying the sun and snow. She's taking a break from digging tunnels in the drifts, and contemplating playing a little bit of B-ball.

I, on the other hand, am housebound yet again. My studio time will have to wait until later today, when hopefully the lane to my studio is plowed the weather has warmed up. I am very grateful for the life I have, but sometimes long for the days when I could frolic outside with abandon all winter long, no matter what the temperature!

In the meantime I will continue to plug away at moving records over to the wonderful new database I am using, and putting the final tweaks on the shiny new shopping cart. If all goes well it will be unveiled by the end of the month.

Enjoy your Monday, manic or otherwise. Hope it is warmer where you are! I will be tapping away at my keyboard, thankful for my warm house, and dreaming of spring.

Blizzard Anyone?

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:58:48 +0100

Was planning on heading out to my studio today, but after looking out my front window, I decided to stay in and work on the website instead. These little finches just happened to fly into the shot. They are more intrepid than I!
This is the worst storm we've experienced so far this winter. I have a date with my studio assistant, Miss Allie, tomorrow to do a much needed studio cleanup. I wonder if we will still be snowed in?

Finding My Muse

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:14:18 +0100

Muse:

a. A guiding spirit.

b. A source of inspiration.

I have often been asked from where I find the inspiration for my work. If you have seen any of my art or jewellery, I think it is obvious that much of my work is informed and inspired by my deep connection to the earth. I am so blessed to live in a relatively unspoiled rural area, so I am able to experience and be inspired by the land and all that grows and walks on it, the rivers and everything that swims in them, the wide-open sky and the clouds and birds that soar overhead.

"Daisy" Pendant. Sterling Silver, Fused Glass. 2010 Julie A. Brown

I also find my Muse in other places:

My fine art journey often inspires my jewellery-making. This pendant was inspired by the art of Lawren Harris, a member of the Group of Seven:

"Mountain Sketch" Pendant. Sterling Silver, Copper, dyed Agate. 2011 Julie A. Brown

Fabric:

"Satin" Cuff. Sterling Silver. 2010 Julie A. Brown

Music is often my muse, either directly as in this painting inspired by “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Leonard Cohen, one of my all-time favourite songs:

"Dance Me to the End of Love" abstract acrylic painting. 2007 Julie A. Brown

or as more often the case with my jewellery-making, indirectly. I find that listening to music while I am working helps me to stay focused on the task at hand. The right music can inspire me to keep working away when I've soldered the same ring 5 times, or to stick with the jobs I find boring (like polishing!). Things are very hectic in my studio right now as I gear up for the holiday season. I find myself continually listening to The Civil Wars. Their soaring, haunting harmonies speak to my frazzled soul, helping to keep me from flying madly off in all directions. Give them a listen if you haven't heard them before.

My tastes in music are very eclectic, including jazz, classical, blues, classic rock, pop, folk, anything that touches my soul. I have been caught singing and dancing around the studio, which is a bit embarrassing, but when the Muse calls, what is an artist to do but follow?

Where/how do you find your Muse? I'd love to know - just leave a comment below!

This post is part of the Aspiring Metalsmiths Team September Project Blogroll - Finding Your Muse

Each month the Aspiring Metalsmiths team chooses a topic and each write about that topic on their blog. This month we want to know what inspires you, and where do you look for inspiration?

See what we have to say by visiting the blogs below:

Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Crow Steals Fire - http://crowstealsfire.blogspot.com/
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Stacy - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Cabbing Rough - http://cabbingrough.blogspot.com
Brightstar109 - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
City Rustic Jewelry - http://cityrustic-art.blogspot.com/
Becky Campion - http://www.ladysmythmetals.com/blog.html
Julie - http:/wabibrookstudio.com/blog.php

Experiencing Life: Highlights of the Week

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:13:00 +0100

So often I seem to run through my days, focused totally on the task on hand and what needs to be done next. I do try to take time to rest, often reading a book, or playing scrabble on my phone while sitting in my garden. But even though I take little breaks, I rarely feel rested and rejuvinated. I am exhausted by the end of the day, and often by lunch time.

Then I happened upon a post by Havi Brooks of The Fluent Self which gave me a real "Aha!" moment. Over on her Facebook (aka the "Frolicsome Bar") page, she shares things she experienced that day. People comment and share things they experienced. This made me realize that I had become disconnected from what I was seeing and feeling, and I wasn't experiencing life, I was just running through it. So, I started taking time to actually notice things. It has made a huge difference in my life. I feel calmer, happier, and healthier. More productive, too! So thanks, Havi, for helping me to get off the treadmill and get my life back!

Some of the things I experienced this week:

The Queen of Everything getting her catnip fix.

The morning sun shining on the frosty grass.

These beautiful little beetles on an old board lying beside my studio. There were over 50 of them. I wonder what they are? They are the same size as ladybugs, but have different markings.

This lone hollyhock growing in patch of long grass on my way to the studio. I just realized that it is still blooming after the frosts we've had, and that it has been sending up one blossom at a time all season.

That odd creepy feeling you get when you know you are being watched.

Also experienced:

The cozy, contented clucking that a hen makes just after laying an egg.
An invasion of beautiful, ruby red dragonflies, and the tingly feeling in my soul when one landed on my head.
My gloriously messy studio
The sound of leaves falling
The smell of laundry dried on the line on a clear, crisp day.

What did you experience this week? I would love to know - just leave a comment!

What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:43:44 +0100

I don't know where the summer went! I feel like I have been hitting the ground running every day for so long, running madly off in all directions, that I hardly know if I am coming or going. So I very much enjoyed my first real holiday in a very long time. (I only had one business commitment during the week, that is a first for me!)

We based ourselves in Guelph, then made day trips out and about southwestern Ontario. First up was a trip to Stratford to see Jesus Christ Superstar. After an eventful start (we first went to the wrong theatre, and had to travel back across town, find parking and the right theatre, which we did just in the nick of time), we thoroughly enjoyed the play. The cast and production was amazing. Very worthwhile seeing. After the play we wandered through the town, window shopping and visiting a few galleries. Our meandering took us down to the river where we had a picnic and watched the trademark swans.
I could feel the cares and stress fading away. I can't remember the last time my love and I had a picnic!

Afterward we walked along the river through the Shakespeare Gardens where we stumbled upon this young couple fishing.

Not your typical fishermen, but they were enjoying themselves and brought a smile to my face.

The next day I had a business meeting with Corin, the owner of Pretty Chic Boutique. We've been trying to connect for months, so thankfully this meeting went off without a hitch. I am happy to announce that Pretty Chic Boutique in Guelph is the latest stockist of my jewellery! After that happy bit of business was concluded, I went back into vacation mode, we drove up through Fergus, Elora and St. Jacobs and discovered two wonderful little shops in Elora.
Macadi Jewellery is a beautiful shop just off the main street, filled with jewellery handcrafted on site by Mandy and Melissa. The work is elegant and organic, and they also create beautiful one-of-a-kind custom pieces. I very much enjoyed "talking shop" with these two personable young women.

Just a few doors down we found Styll. Filled with the most beautiful handcrafted work imaginable, we feasted our eyes onthe beautiful canoe paddles, walking sticks, furniture and on and on. We could have stayed there for hours (and maxed out the credit card!). There is something for everyone in this gorgeous store.

We finished up the day by stopping at a broom-making shop in St. Jacobs. They make the sturdiest brooms we've been able to find anywhere, all done in the traditional way in a tiny old shop on the main street. St. Jacobs is known for it's huge Farmers' Market.

Afterward we enjoyed a visit with family, which we cut short because of a tornado watch. The looming clouds and high winds had us hitting the road back to Guelph before the worst of it hit. Thankfully we just had a majestic thunderstorm with a wonderful lightening show! A great way to end the day.