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

Cardboardia Rises Again

(Note: if you are looking for the *amazing* "Made in Cardboardia" from Russia, click HERE.)

This past Saturday I found myself headed to Kingston shortly after dawn with my husband Milé and a van full of cardboard. I had a mission:  to build a creative kingdom for kids, namely Cardboardia at Skeleton Park Arts Festival.

I've done Cardboardia a bunch of times: at Clay & Paper Theatre's Day of Delight, in our Art Barn for a very cool toddler's birthday, and at Skeleton Park last year. You can tell that I've got a cardboard project coming up when I start skulking around back alleys on recycling day.

The key to a successful Cardboardia, for me, is prepping lots of stuff in advance, and having some spectacular volunteers willing to show up early in the morning to help set it all up.

Cecilia and Elaine conjuring the very popular bat cave

Rogier and Rachael building the city

Although I got a bit fancy putting googly eyes on bats and bees, much of my advance painting used simple black outlines. I brought along tons of art supplies, and the whole cardboard village turned into one giant 3D colouring book.

Inside the bat cave

New this year, I also created an art gallery, so kids could sit and make whatever they wanted and hang it up.

This group of boys hung out for hours, building boats which became cars which became trains. They even built themselves a train station and made themselves drivers' licenses.

But the quote of the day goes to some anonymous little boy who asked Milé in all sincerity, "Do you know where the Queen of Cardboardia is?"

Here I am... with a cute little creeper behind me!

Speaking of Milé, he was doing some entertaining of his own as a "short order cook" on stilts.

I was really touched that Cardboardia was immortalized on this year's festival merch (illustration by Kevin Merritt).

Now for the challenge of re-training my brain to stop ogling piles of recycling... it's hard to resist a good pile of cardboard when all you see are the possibilities!

Making Magic

Five years ago, when Milé and I decided to start this crazy adventure that would become Small Pond, we began looking for the perfect place to build our dream. A friend suggested Prince Edward County, and the first time we came here we knew this was the place for us. Yet it wasn't easy finding the perfect spot. Over a period of months, we looked at dozens of properties from one end of the County to the other. We had certain criteria that we were looking for: the house had to have a number of guest bedrooms for our resident artists; there had to be enough land for all sorts of artistic antics; the property had to have outbuildings for studios and storage...and it had to be secluded enough that these antics wouldn't bother anyone. But the most important thing we were looking for was the hardest one to describe to our real estate agent. With each property we visited, Milé and I would ask ourselves, "Could this be a magical wonderland?"

Now I know this might sound silly, but what we were looking for was a special place that would enchant and inspire artists. Aesthetics are important to people like us. We looked at some beautiful houses, quirky farms, and cathedral barns... but nothing was quite right. When we finally found this 160-year old house on Clarke Road, the answer was Yes. Yes, this could be the magical wonderland we were seeking. 

This year we're entering our fifth summer at Small Pond. I recently took a flip through our guest book, reflecting on all the wonderful artists who have passed through our lives over these last four years; and one word kept popping out at me. Magic. When our guests described Small Pond, the word they used was 'magical.' Time and again they wrote messages telling us that what we have here is magic.

Excerpts scanned from the Small Pond guest book

We did it! We found our magical wonderland! And we found it not just for ourselves, but in order to share it with other artists who need that hint of magic to spur them forward in their creative pursuits. Come see for yourself - there's plenty of magic in this wonderland for everybody.

Find your happy place.

Scarecrows in the County

Last weekend we hosted our third annual Scarecrow Festival. We always hold this event on the weekend of Canadian Thanksgiving because it is such a fun activity for people spending time with their families.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and warm, with brilliant fall colours all around us.

When people arrive at the farm they are provided with a cross-shaped wooden frame on which to make their scarecrow. We give them a little bit of instruction, and send them to the barn so they can rummage through mountains of clothes to dress their scarecrows.

Then they head back outside to dress and stuff their creations.

Before long, some wonderful characters start to emerge...

... Such as "Eunice", who apparently "works in HR"...

 And this dentally-challenged chap who, er, likes to get high...

Sure, there are your shifty types...

...And your basically beautiful big families...

...And all kids just look insanely cute against a background of straw...

...And then there's some families who just love their kids so much that even their scarecrows have to have babies!

All of the proceeds of this year's festival are going to Puppets Without Borders; a project that will be taking me and Susanne Larner back to Ghana in February 2014, bringing puppetry and art supplies to kids in rural villages.

Me and Brie, rocking the donation box

This Thanksgiving we were super-duper thankful for all of our friends and supporters who helped make this year's Scarecrow Festival such a success: Sandra Henderson, Brie Kaduc-Stojsic, Terry Veevers, Nell Casson, Kelly Roblin, Andy Sheath, Georgia Larner, George Emlaw, Picton Metro, Picton Home Hardware, and City Revival. 

See you next Thanksgiving!

Sweet, Sweet Summer

As our fourth summer at the farm draws to a close, here's a look back at what we've been up to over the last few months. It's been the best kind of whirlwind, full of art, guests, gardening and creative work of all sorts!

Find your happy place.

In June Milé completed his latest epic painting project, 33 on 33, which took him from one end of the County to the other, plein air painting this beautiful place. The paintings were exhibited at Blizzmax Gallery.

Meanwhile Krista was plotting her cardboard revolution and brought Cardboardia to Skeleton Park Arts Festival in Kingston.

July brought more residents from near and far.

Australian artist Della Jackson works on some paintings in the Art Barn.

In August, the Bicycle Music Festival rolled into town to perform a pedal-powered concert at the farm. Local musician D'Ari Lisle of Nine Mile wrapped up the concert with singing and playing guitar while pedaling to generate all the electricity needed to power his own amplification. Well done, D'Ari!

After the concert, we did a little 'silo session' recording with Jessica Moore, Abigail Lapell and Dana Sipos:

August also brought us a house full of puppeteers working on our program Shadow Puppetry Plays for Grown-Ups. It's always so great to have this crew here, they are such a fun and talented bunch.

Rick Zimmerman as Professor Murk in The History of Shadows

Guy Doucette and Kat Letwin as Him and Her in Almost

Cast and crew (L to R): Krista Dalby, Craig Morrison, Susanne Larner,
Brie Kaduc-Stojsic, Guy Doucette, Kat Letwin, Rick Zimmerman. 

We had many, many more guests and resident artists, including painters, puppeteers, musicians and playwrights. 

Paul Densmore does some early morning plein-air drawing near the silo.

Our last guests of the season were our dear friends Tamara and David, who enjoyed a mini-vacation camping out in the clearing. David Anderson is a long-time collaborator and co-conspirator, and was a great mentor to me during the four years I worked beside him at Clay & Paper Theatre. By special request, he played some music in our silo as part of our ongoing 'silo sessions.' I just love this song!

What a sweet end to a most memorable summer!

Lighting Up History With Contemporary Art

A few months ago I connected via Twitter with Jennifer Lyons, the head curator at Museums of Prince Edward County. She sent me an article about a historic house in New York City that had invited contemporary artists into the house to create work to be displayed on site. Jennifer and I got together soon afterwards to discuss how we might be able to collaborate on a project at Macaulay House, built in the 1830's, and located just a few minutes away from Small Pond Arts.

At this time I was heavy into planning for the Firelight Lantern Festival, and as the museum’s Doors Open event was happening the week after our festival, I thought it might be interesting to create lanterns in response to the historical objects on site. Made of bamboo, tissue or rice paper, masking tape and glue, these simple materials are extremely flexible, and can be used to rather quickly create sculptural art pieces. Jennifer was game, so I invited three other artists to come on board, Chrissy Poitras, Nell Casson and Hri Neil.

On a cold day in early April we met up at Macaulay House. Jennifer took us on a tour of the house, and there was no shortage of inspiration to be found. We sat down and discussed what approach we would take. We spent the rest of the day in the cozy kitchen, making lanterns. This is what we came up with.

Teapot and Teacups by Nella Casson

Artist statement - Nell Casson

We began our tour of Macaulay House through the door of the servants’ kitchen; a warm fire was brightly burning and the vessels and objects were lined neatly on the shelves. We continued into the main house, where the fine objects similar to those owned by the Macaulay family were displayed in the grand rooms. I was instantly aware of the difference between the two classes that had lived in the house. Although their lives were obviously different I looked around for objects that both classes would have handled and used. The ceramics and fine china in the cabinet in the main dining room are preserved perfectly. The patterns on the teacups and teapots are so ornate and precious - some even in gold, I was instantly dawn to the pattern and the design of these objects. While working on my lanterns I began to think of these fragile objects as a kind of bridge between the classes. These teacups would be handled by both the lady of the manor and her staff. This teapot would be presented to guests and cared for by the kitchen help. It amazes me that these artifacts have survived. Their fragility is reflected in the fragile nature of the lanterns I have created.

Inspiring inkwell 

Artist statement - Krista Dalby

I was drawn to focus on objects in Reverend Macaulay’s study because this room is a private one, devoted to personal work and reflection. Being a writer, I was easily charmed by the quill in the inkwell; I’ve often thought that you would have to be very serious about writing to use such tools. I chose to create a Bible because it was an object which would have figured prominently in the reverend’s life. I thought it would work well as a lantern, being lit from within, as I imagine his belief in God might have done for him. As my final object of inspiration I chose the clock on the mantle. Wandering through the house you are struck by the sense of time, the lives that have lived in these rooms and handled these antiquities. As the clock was so ornate I couldn’t hope to emulate its details, opting instead to add the Latin phrase Tempus Fugit, “time flies,” a poignant inscription often found on clocks.

Bible, Inkwell and Clock by Krista Dalby

Detail of clock by Krista Dalby, "Tempus Fugit"

Chrissy Poitras with boots

Artist Statement - Chrissy Poitras

We entered through the back door into the winter kitchen. A fire was built and a pop-up studio was created. Memories of class trips and Christmas visits with my family came back to me while we walked through the house and peeked in all the rooms. There were so many objects to appreciate and spaces to inspire, but I was quickly attracted to the two-tone leather children's boots, with the tiny little buttons, sitting on the trunk at the foot of the bed. These boots inspired me to focus on fashion, including the top hat that could have belonged to Mr. Macaulay and the bonnet, perhaps similar to one owned by his wife or daughter. As we sat by the fire, drinking coffee, chatting and building our lanterns I started to realize that these accessories also spoke about family. This association seemed fitting as it related back to my nostalgic feelings upon entering the house. Once the structures of my lanterns were completed I brought them home to my studio on County Rd. 5 where I hand-painted and printed monoprints onto Japanese rice paper for the covering of the lanterns. I appreciated being able to interact with a space that was part of my past in a way that truly connects to my present.

Chrissy Poitras with boots, bonnet and top hat lanterns

Detail of top hat by Chrissy Poitras

Hri Neil outside Macaulay House

Artist Statement - Hri Neil

My piece, Tree House, is a meditation on the relationship between the grandeur of the Macaulay House in juxtaposition to the majesty and isolation of the natural world where it was situated. Set and setting, it's hard for us to imagine the sense of isolation the early settlers would have felt as they engaged the wilds of Canada, struggling to establish an outpost of civilization in what was primarily raw forest at the time. Winds rattling the windows and the shadows of trees dancing in moonlight. Tradition and the vestiges of God and culture holding fast with only a thin skin of wood and brick as a bulwark against the quiet mystery of nature. A home amongst the trees.

Tree House by Hri Neil (click to play video)

Having the opportunity to work in this beautiful historic home was really wonderful, and as artists we appreciated this unique challenge of merging the historical and the contemporary. Our lanterns should be on display for at least the next month, so if you're in the area, stop by Macaulay House and check them out!

Breakfast at Macaulay's by Milé Murtanovski

We weren't the only artists to hone in on this beautiful spot; Milé painted a door depicting both the exterior of the house as well as a scene in the dining room. The door was auctioned off yesterday, with the proceeds supporting the Museums of Prince Edward County.