Claudia Stewart - Artist

So here we are in 2022. My grandson Loki is now officially a toddler and I have renewed energy. 

I enrolled in a short fabric art class. Into day 1 and we are making marks on fabrics with paint. I am behind because I was sidetracked by the nostalgia box. But not for long. Just clear off the table and I am at it again!

I will no longer have artwork at the Icehouse Gallery, but may still participate in the 8x8 silent auction fundraisers. I am planning a show of small works called "The forest and the trees". Not sure of the venue yet. I will keep you posted. I am thinking probably 10"x10" mixed media acrylics on cradled board. Some may be round. 

At any rate,  the actual show will not be until the end of this year or the beginning of the next .

I hope this year brings you great joy.

Well, I will have the surgery for the first eye on the 17th. I  am hoping it all goes well.  I have been told that the results are incredibly positive. So in the meantime I wait. My grandson arrived January 12th, a bit earlier than predicted.  All are well and he is fattening up.  We have had some sunny but cold days and my daughter and baby have been out for short walks in the lobby sun. I got to meet him briefly and he is adorable.  .

Presently I am working on a monologue for our local community theater.  With any luck there will be 9 women   doing prerecorded monologues via social media. I haven't been onstage for years but if it's errrrcorded I think I will be fine  

Once my surgery is done I should be able to make art again.  

I honestly did not get a lot of art done this year. My eyesight has become increasingly blurry and I just found out that it is due to cataracts. 

I have also had other health issues but I am undaunted.  Managed to get one small piece completed. I am hoping it will be part of the forest and trees series. Sadly due to health problems I won't be working at the Gallery anymore.  But my work will still be up there. I am hoping to branch out into fabric collage, which I have done before. So 2021 will bring its own set of challenges.  Ah, speaking of which I will become a Grandma in January! Excitement reigns in my world.  I am curious to meet this new little person. I only have one daughter and they are only planning on one child.

So I am working on a baby mat for the floor . I  hope it's done by Christmas. So to alk of you far and wide, Merry Christmas to you. 

I find that the world is a volcano of violence and hatred right now. We had been struggling with social distance and COVID-19, but it seems that at least in the US, there has been a rip in humanity so profound that it will take all people great and small to be willing to learn how to reach out to heal a wound that has been built right into the structure of North American society. I don't know how to be of help, but I am willing to listen and to be taught how to be an ally. Will this end up being a foray into possibly collaborative art? The thought has entered my mind. I have white privilege but I can listen.  And learn.   

So here we all are, self isolating yet connecting in ways that are so creative and resourceful. It's inspiring and humbling to see comics and musicians and others share their stories and passions with the world. 

I amx starting that forest series with "Serendipity owl ". He measures 10"x10". I posted some of his progress on my Facebook business page. I aspire to creating a video tour of my studio space.  It will require the Herculean effort of tidying up the space though. 

After that I will try my hand at a short video taking a mixed media piece from start to finish. Wish me luck. 

How are you faring in this strange time? 

I am developing a new theme for a show to be proposed this year.  The theme is trees and forests.  Many of our forests in BC are being over logged. The lumber industry is taking old growth forests.  This displaces wildlife . Add to that rather punishing forest fires and you have an apocalyptic scenario.  I believe it doesn't have to be that way.  I think that with wise assessment of what is present and thoughtful planting of trees, that our children and those generations to come, can enjoy wandering the forests and enjoy seeing wildlife.  

My vision is to have a show based on imagery of trees and forests, with a goal to fundraise for planting trees to replace those lost in fire, and by logging indiscriminately. 

I am aiming at a show by the end of this year. Probably 15-20 pieces, up for silent auction bidding.  Possibly online. Stay tuned!

This is the display wall for my show running the month of July.  I went a bit bold with four photos of kelp,  printed on canvas. My favorite is probably the circular one on the stand, called 'Medusa '.
The idea for the show came from memories of my male cousins on the beach, who cut the ends off kelp and showed me how to make a trumpet blast sound across the length of the sand. Later, after my stepbrother passed away of cancer,  my mother and I went to Tofino . We did not speak of death  . Mum took delight in exploring tide pools like a kid,  and I took multiple photos of kelp and seaweed . And now I enjoy the taste of it,  toasted. 

I have been sidetracked from making art recently . I spotted an opportunity to purchase a condo,  so I did. I have been amassing great piles of paper, signing things,  consulting,  etc. and sometimes nodding off reading Strata minutes. So from now until April I will be packing, cleaning,  labeling, and other related activities. My daughter will be laying hardwood floors in the new place after I have painted walls and ripped up carpet. 

The smaller bedroom where I will make art has a tremendous closet the length of one wall. I should be able to store materials there.  I can set up my easel again and probably still have room for a daybed for naps with the cat or in case of guests . 

I will be on the ground floor,  have a small patio (BARBECUE!!!) and can have potted plants,  from which the deer will inevitably nibble. I have been perusing Pinterest for studio space ideas. 

Besides this I have been participating in the Sketchbook Project.  Google it. I am excited about it. 

Oh yes and there's Creative Jam.  I will be taking a mosaic workshop. Whew. Stay tuned.