Small Pond Trading Cards, Part 3

Here's the continuation of our "trading card" series celebrating
and looking back at the first six years of Small Pond Arts.

Banner by Leanne Shea Rhem

Installation by Georga Ryan

SEE PART 1

SEE PART 2

SEE PART 4

Wind & Water

This past weekend we kicked off our sixth season at Small Pond Arts with our annual banner-raising party. This year’s banner, Wind & Water, was a collaboration between me and Leanne Shea Rhem, the greatly talented textile artist who created last year’s banner of the pileated woodpecker.

Following her artist residency at Small Pond last spring, Leanne and her partner, artist Zac Kenny, moved to Picton (beware to fellow residents – Prince Edward County truly has an irresistible charm!).

A few weeks ago, Leanne launched the pop-up studio for her company, Gold & Ginger, at The House of Falconer in downtown Picton.

The House of Falconer

Built in 1858, this architectural gem was recently purchased by Alex Fida and will be getting a complete renovation in the years to come. But for now, it is a fascinating trip back in time, peeling wallpaper and all. 

Leanne at work in her studio

It is in this inspiring environment that Leanne and I assembled this year’s banner. We started by laying it out on the floor...

...Then tacked it down by hand...

And Leanne sewed it all together. Prince Edward County is surrounded by water and is rather windy place, and we wanted the banner to have some movement to it to play with the elements. I think it turned out beautifully! 

Up she goes!

In a somewhat bizarre coincidence, I bought this old bike at a contents sale at House of Falconer last May, simply because I liked the look of it. I spray painted it blue and mounted it as an art installation. The bike belonged to Thera Falconer, a former resident and the namesake of House of Falconer.

Following the banner-raising we had a creative potluck; we asked our guests to bring food that incorporated the "six" theme. They did not disappoint!

Six-bean salad, six-fruit platter, six-layer cake, etc... yummy!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the celebration and helped us raise the banner, and special thanks to Leanne for her wonderful work and use of her studio. 

Look up - waaaay up!

Stop by Small Pond this season to check out the banner - especially dramatic if it's a windy day - and if you're in Picton make sure to pop into The House of Falconer at 1 Walton Street and visit Leanne's studio.

UPDATE: Check out the video to see how this beauty moves...

Autumn Crazy

Prince Edward County is a crazy place to live in the summer. Crazy-beautiful. crazy-touristy, crazy-busy. Yet throughout it all, there is an understanding that come Autumn, the leaves will turn brilliant colours and things will slow the hell down. Apparently our lives did not get this memo (although the leaves did change colour).

September saw us hosting Stickfest, another Creative Rural Minds networking event, plus trips to Calgary (my sister's surprise wedding!) and Barrie for Culture Days, where we built a cardboard village with a few hundred strangers. 

October saw us hosting our annual Scarecrow Festival, and I dashed off to Toronto to work on Clay & Paper Theatre's Night of Dread as I do every year (great photos HERE).

Me & Sandra Henderson have been working on
Night of Dread together for 7 years!

Then there was the Picton Zombie Walk, presented in collaboration with the library, which has over the past four years turned into a hilariously family-oriented activity. 

Me and my ghoul-friends post-Zombie Walk

For months, Milé has been working on an epic painting project, To the Sound of Trumpets, commemorating the centenary of the start of WW1. 

The 100 paintings he's created have an incredible range both in content and style. The show opens in Picton November 11, 2014; details HERE, great article from the Toronto Star HERE.

November 15 is right around the corner, bringing with it the Firelight Lantern Festival. We're in the midst of hosting 20 lantern-making workshops all over the County, and planning a very special celebration for our community. A few days after that is over, I'm flying to Cambodia, bringing my project Puppets Without Borders to a group of 100 kids in collaboration with Let Us Create.

I have to admit, it has been a little much, all this muchness. When you're a freelance artist and a generally yes-minded person, it is difficult to say no to anything.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, as it were, it's time to get ready for winter. The firewood is piled high on the front porch. 

Yesterday I took down the silo banner. Normally our old banners get ripped up to be recycled into puppets and things, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this gorgeous woodpecker by Leanne Shea Rhem, so I hung him up in the barn.

A soft rain is falling today, and there are no appointments on my calendar. I'm going to sit by the wood stove and enjoy some peace and quiet. All this work provides much to reflect on. What I've been doing, and what all of these activities add up to. Snatched from the jaws of busy-ness, days like today are to be cherished.

Sumac against naked silo

The Banner Maker

A few months ago Milé and I were contemplating how to celebrate our 5th season at Small Pond Arts. It seemed obvious we should use our annual silo banner in some way, so we decided to create a call for submissions and have a guest artist design and make the banner.

We had a number of interesting submissions, but when we reviewed the application from Toronto textile artist Leanne Shea Rhem it really struck a chord with both of us. We loved the image she proposed (more on that later) but through her artist statement it was clear that she understood what we were trying to accomplish:

"I am very interested in community art projects and art that is freely available to the public. By raising a different banner every year you are able to inspire the surrounding communities of Prince Edward County to engage in artistic expression by displaying public art; I would love to be a part of that."

Leanne arrived and got to work immediately in the art barn. Her approach was very different than those of our previous banners; her design was far more complex, and she used a lightweight synthetic fabric, where in the past we'd always used cotton or a cotton blend. Working from a detailed sketch, the whole thing came together remarkably quickly. It was done in a week, leaving Leanne with the second week of her artist residency to focus on other projects.

We hoisted the banner at our annual banner-raising party (of course). We had a good-sized crowd there to watch it go up, and it was terribly satisfying to hear all those "oohs" and "aaaahs" as the image revealed itself.

Leanne's initial inspiration for the image of the pileated woodpecker was the symbol for a fifth wedding anniversary: wood. She colour-matched the base fabric to the colour of the silo, transforming the silo into a giant tree stump. This species of bird is native to Prince Edward County, and it's always a thrill to see one in action and admire its distinctive markings. We think the banner turned out brilliantly, and we're so lucky to get to look out our windows and see this work of art every day!

Following the banner raising we had a performance by the Silo Choir with a program of bird-themed songs...

Finally, we had a creative potluck dinner. We'd told our guests the theme of the potluck was "Put A Bird On It" - and it was hilarious to see what they came up with... like this potato salad in the shape of a chicken...

...Or this scrumptious cake with an icing sugar bird stenciled on it...

Our beautiful woodpecker banner will be on our silo all summer - drop by and see it for yourself!

Congratulations to Leanne Shea Rhem on creating such an inspiring work of art. If you'd like to find out more about her or see more of her work, check out her website and blog.