Salt Spring Community

A Taste of the Island at Salt Spring Vineyards

Dave Carlson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:35:14 +0000

Studio #4 – Salt Spring Vineyards

Joanne and Dev McIntyre have been developing their wine palate with travels to Italy and France, joining cellar clubs and wine societies. In 1984 Dev and his wife Joanne began experimenting in a small backyard vineyard on a portion of their 5 acre property. In June 2008, after 24 years in the Fraser Valley, they have now fulfilled a lifelong dream, by taking the plunge and settling on beautiful Salt Spring Island as majority owners of Salt Spring Vineyards.They bring to Salt Spring Vineyards their enthusiastic viticultural and oenological background. They are dedicated to producing excellent coastal wines, while concurrently advocating sustainability for the environment and their community.

The Salt Spring Studio Tour offers a year round opportunity to meet local artists and artisans and experience the creativity that abounds on this wonderful island. Please follow the sheep signs and enjoy.

Delightful Soft Sculpture by Diane Perry

Dave Carlson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:31:48 +0000

Studio #2 – Monster Lab

Diane Perry is a soft sculpture artisan. Using wool and a variety of textiles she brings to life her collection of monsters that have found an enthusiastic audience of all ages.

They make people smile and laugh. Her own sense of humor shines brightly through them.

Canadian Premiere of Howard and Mimi

Suzanne Little — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:10:19 +0000

March 12 and 13 at 8pm and March 14 at 2:30 pm at Artspring – join us for the premiere of this “absolutely charming” comedy by British playwright Caroline Gold.

Gold is a TV and Radio comedy writer who has had numerous BBC commissions. She has worked in most media including Journalism and Performance. Most well known recently as an award winning critically acclaimed new playwright. Her latest play Howard and Mimi in it’s first production won The Fringe Report Award for BEST PLAY 2006.

“thoroughly wonderful and performed with absolute charm” BBC RADIO.

“Gold’s script sparkles with well turned wit” THE SCOTSMAN.

“Caroline Gold’s gorgeous script, with its sparkling dialogue and thoughtful plotting, is a magical theatrical delight” FRINGE REPORT

“Talented playwright Caroline Gold. Each of her plays found acclaim on the Edinburgh Fringe this year and last. Not serious and serious at the same time, her plays probe the spaces between real life and imagined personae” THEATREWORLD MAGAZINE.

“Warm, funny, and purrrrfectly balanced comedy” THE LIST.

Director, Lynda Jensen has been charming Howard and Mimi off the pages into life, in her beautiful ocean side studio. Howard the boisterous and eager hound is doing his best understand and make friends with Mimi, the fabulous feline whose space he is forced to invade! They are the human embodiments of the animals they are!

Luc Blanchet is Howard and Sue Newman is Mimi. This production, by The Academy Presents…….. is a fundraiser for the Salt Spring Arts Academy. All proceeds from the play go to build and maintain a bursary fund for students at the Academy.

Artspring March 12 and 13 at 8pm and March 14 at 2:30 pm. Please come out and support local theatre and by extension subsidized local arts programming for youth!

The Foggies Sail to Salt Spring with Scotch and Sofa

Suzanne Little — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:52:48 +0000

Sunday March 21, 2010 at 7pm. With Scotch and Sofa in hand and not the drinking or sitting kind, but the CD kind, Canada’s top Bluegrass Band, The Foggy Hogtown Boys are set to release their new album “Scotch and Soda” at Fulford Hall.

Recorded live-off-the-floor, this is their 5th album which gives the listener their very best of a 4 day session. This album captures the band’s infectious energy.

Tim Perlich, Music Editor of Now Magazine in Toronto (also known as Hogtown) states “While no one was looking the Foggy Hogtown Boys evolved from a group of excellent musicians playing Bluegrass to a Great Bluegrass Band.” Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards also thought this band was pretty good awarding them Best Overall Band in 2006 and Best Instrumental Band in 2007.

Their 5 piece band is made up of exceptional musicians with Chris Coole on Guitar and vocals, John McNaughton on Bass and Vocals, Chris Quinn on Banjo, John Showman on Violin and Andrew Collins on Mandolin and vocals. You may recognize John Showman’s name from Fiddle Camp on SSI or The Creaking Tree Quartet where he plays with Andrew Collins.

The Foggy Hogtown Boys name is a tongue in cheek tribute to the Foggy Mountan Boys. The Foggies describe themselves as having a lot of respect for traditional Bluegrass while accepting the fact that they bring a contemporary sound to this tradition, as they are essentially city boys playing mountain music.

Chris Quinn is a walking encyclopedia of the history of Bluegrass in both United States and Canada. He recalls the York County Boys as the first established Canadian Bluegrass Band in 1956. Quinn describes himself as first getting into Bluegrass music at age 6 with a Flatt and Scuggs album Live at Carnagie Hall borrowed from his Dad and played on his little suitcase record player.

Greg Quill of the Toronto Star describes the band: “Toronto’s luminously gifted string band set a new benchmark… both a sense of fun and an intellectual sharpness that befits their status as one of the hardest working bands in the North Amercian roots music area.” They are a fun band to watch play as they dance and dart one by one up to the single mic with instrument in hand, mixing layers of sounds and harmonizing vocals.

Fridas Villa will be presenting them at Fulford Hall where there will be both concert style seating and a place to dance for those who like to kick up their heels. Advanced tickets can be bought in the South end from Knotty Threads or Morningside Organic Bakery and Bookstore and in Ganges from Acoustic Planet and Salt Spring Books. Advance tickets $15.00, Door $18.00 and children under 12 are $5.00 at the door. Advance tickets can also be purchased online at www.fridasvilla.com Spend the last night of March Break celebrating the music of this fine band. Show starts at 7pm to accommodate families. Fiddleworks will be raising funds for their work in the North and their summer camp on Salt Spring by operating the concession. www.foggyhogtownboys.com

Unique Woodwork from Copper Wood Gallery

Dave Carlson — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:41:28 +0000

Studio# 34 – Copper Wood Gallery

“I have been in love with the forest my entire life. In 1996, upon meeting renowned sculptor Paul Hart, and the Hart family, my inner artist was awakened to the mysteries and magic of creating with wood.
I have spent the past decade developing my craft and merging the qualities of rustic furniture with fine woodworking. Dedicated to using sustainable local forest and beach woods, I use traditional joinery methods with a nontraditional approach to furniture design.” – Luke

Creative Clay Classes for March Break

Suzanne Little — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:57:46 +0000

March Break is upon us! If you are looking for something fun for the kids to do which will give them life time skills and introduce them to the art and fine craft world Clay Classes would be a good choice.

Recently back from a vacation in the Jungle, visual artist and art therapist Tracy Harrison is offering a cornucopia of clay classes from her Creative Fire Studio. Inspired by the animals she saw in the Jungle she will be teaching children 7 years and older how to make Monkey Mugs, Toucan Pitchers and Hot Diggity Dogs! For those keen on drifting into the fantasy world she will teach you how to make clay fairies, wizards, amulet, mandalas and angels, even leaping leprechauns!.

Tracy teaches the classes through demonstration and hands on assistance which helps each student make a successful piece at their own skill level. More advanced students are encouraged to develop aesthetic and design skills, while newbies to clay can learn the basics and how to avoid blows up and cracking. As most Potters will tell you clay is a challenging material to work with and although there are many wonderful successes and unexpected surprises there are some frustrations, disappointments and tricky challenges to face sometimes too.

As an art therapist, Tracy is well equipped to help your child move gently through any frustration or emotional upset that may occur and as an artist she can help problem solve, offer technical recommendations and suggest successful ways to approach a piece of clay work. Tracy shares that for “the most part clay making offers children an opportunity to get messy, create wonderful and wild things that delight all their senses, boost their self esteem, confidence and social skills. Sometimes a piece breaks or collapses or comes out of the firing cracked, however with support most children can weather these challenges well and rise to a successful final piece. The struggles can help children develop solid problem solving skills, strong reslience, and the ability to transform a disappointment into a celebration.” For those who have difficulty accepting mistakes she has a workshop where children make a “mistake cupcake” with a spot for a candle. The idea is that when they make a mistake they can celebrate what they learned from the mistake by lighting the candle! This helps children identify what they can learn from their mistakes and realize it is all part of the learning process. Tracy stated “It’s a great way to shake up the perfectionists!”.

For a list of workshops, dates, times and cost see www.creativefirestudio.org or contact tracy (at) creativefirestudio.org or through her studio 250-538-0144

Functional Porcelain by Julie MacKinnon

Dave Carlson — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:50:05 +0000

Studio # 18 – Julie MacKinnon Ceramics

Julie MacKinnon’s studies in Architecture and Design have strongly influenced her award-winning work in clay. She is inspired by the geometric interpretations and the utilitarian materials of the Modernist Movements. Julie strives to engineer “mechanically organic” vessels; linear, structural design softened by the process of the day.
Julie’s innovative work is high – fired porcelain. Her pieces are hand – thrown and altered to create a unique posture and personality for each pot. She also incorporates slab in much of her work.

“The more advanced our cultural technology becomes, the more we benefit from simplicity. Our homes have become a sanctuary for entertaining, creativity, enjoyment………..of time well spent. Hand – made objects represent tangible beauty and intimacy in our busy lives; reminding us to contemplate and observe.” – Julie MacKinnon.

One of a Kind Metal Sculpture by Carl Sean McMahon

Dave Carlson — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:47:59 +0000

Studio #22 CSM Gallery and Studio.

CSM Gallery & Studio displays metal sculptures created from the byproducts of Western consumption. The sculptures utilize a variety of reclaimed components that have been chopped, shaped, polished, and welded to provide a sophisticated, highly detailed and intricate art form literally created from scrap metal.

Lets grow more food this year!

Suzanne Little — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:28:42 +0000

Saturday, March 6, 1-5pm, Mahon Hall

“Let’s grow more food this year!” An open space action think-tank

Submitted by Shoshana Ray

Would you like to invest in your community’s health while reducing
your food’s environmental impact? Want Salt Spring to be more
self-reliant and resilient? Have or need ideas, land, help, tools, or
others to grow with?

Sponsored by Island Natural Growers, Transition Salt Spring, and The
Seed Sanctuary, this event is for collectively answering the question
“How can we grow more food this year?” Join others at Mahon Hall from
1 to 5pm on Saturday, March 6th to share our creative solutions,
resources, and opportunities so we can network, brainstorm, and plan
to make Salt Spring more food self-reliant. Creating a secure local
food system requires utilizing the ideas, experience, energy and
resources of our entire community!

In Open Space gatherings like this one, people share ideas in a
circle, then break into many small dialogues based on the topics put forth. The aim is to envision and create concrete and immediatefood-growing projects with the potential to increase the food supply and create new opportunities for people who would like to grow more food. Topics may include community gardens, cooperative gardens, community processing/distribution, community supported agriculture, land/tool/labour sharing, local investment, and anything else we can
dream up!

This event is free. Registration begins at 12:45. Tea and coffee provided, please bring a mug and a snack to share.

Children’s activities – parents are requested to give one hour. Volunteers are needed for: set up, facilitating children’s activities, and clean-up. If you have a laptop and are willing to use it to take notes, please bring it. Contact letsgrowsaltspring ( at) gmail.com; Shoshanah Ray 250-537-4748

To find or share growing space, visit http://www.saltspring.sharingbackyards.com

Amazing Sculpture from Odyssey Studio

Dave Carlson — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:09:44 +0000

Studio #2 - Odyssey Studio.

Byungjoo and Janis are immersed in contemporary ceramic sculpture as well as hand-made functional objects as an interactive exchange. Their studio, “Odyssey” , represents both inner and outer journeys that have led to continuous challenges of imagination and craftsmanship.
To visit is to enter a joyful, whimsical yet precise world where one of a kind art objects will ignite the fairy tales visitors didn’t know they had buried in their own imaginations. A small but joyful gallery next to he studio beckons you into their waking dreams; a space where reality meets allegory through a diversity of techniques.