Wasn't that a party?

We had a great time at the Key City Theatre Gallery opening of A Kootenay Summer.  Eileen Gidman, Laura Leeder, Jim Lawrence and I were there on Thursday, April 18, along with some very welcome guests.

The gallery is a wonderful space, spacious and filled with light.

There were flowers everywhere, from the walls to the counters and back again.

It was tremendous to see so many familiar faces, including dear friends  Alice Saltiel-Marshall and her husband Bill (hiding behind the camera for this photo), who drove from Claresholm for the event.

This little sweetie is Maevie, my grand-niece, who spent a great deal of time checking out the artwork - her mom is starting her early!

The show is a summery mix of photography, textile art, watercolours and mixed media, primarily fruits and flowers of the season - if you're in Cranbrook before May 10, please stop in and enjoy the show.

A Kootenay Summer...

...at Key City Theatre Gallery opens this Thursday, April 18, 2013.

With four artists and four mediums, running through to May 10,  it's bound to be a vivid look at 'summer in the Koots'.

Laura Leeder is presenting her lovely watercolours, rich in colour and strong in design:

Blue Orchid  Watercolour  © Laura Leeder

Jim Lawrence presents razzle-dazzle extraordinaire photography:

Lupine      Photography  © Jim Lawrence

Eileen Gidman's textiles are bold in design and execution:

Tomato Harvest  Textile  © Eileen Gidman

And I've got a series of florals that literally jump off their supports:

Garden Patterns  Mixed Media on cradled panel  3' x 2'  © Win Dinn

We'd love to have you join us at the opening reception from 4 to 5 pm...wear your Speedo or bikini if you're so inclined!

Chaos, Madness & Mayhem

Sometimes the studio is just like that - and the rest of the house follows suit.  This time it is pre-show discombobulation that's got a touch of bedlam all over everything.

There are bowls of appetizer dough on the kitchen countertops...

and appies headed for the oven...

with John's onions waiting to be chopped for more appetizers on the table  (isn't that colour gorgeous?).

 In the studio there are piles of projects on the workshop tables...

 in all directions,

and the easel is stacked with yet more projects.

 The movable tabourets hold more mounds,

and the shelves are near to bursting as well.

It seems the only place for the eye to rest is a set of closed (when that happens) cupboard doors.

I'm glad I'm getting out of town today - it will be restful to be hanging the show at Key City Theatre Gallery in Cranbrook.  And with luck (and some help from the muse and kitchen fairies), the house will surely come to rights while I'm gone - and you can stop that sniggering right now!

And just in case you missed the previous invitation, please join us at the opening reception Thursday, April 18 (4-6 pm) - we'd love to see you there, because

we're thinking summer!

I'm all finished...

This month has been one of finishing things, and that's always a good feeling.

From classes:

Wynndel Art Centre Mixed Media Workshop

to altered books,

A Case for Gardening  Altered Book  © Win Dinn

to paintings for an upcoming show,

Garden Patterns III  Mixed Media on cradled wood panel  © Win Dinn

and paintings just because they were in the works,

Harlequin Party  Mixed Media on Mat Board  9 x 6  © Win Dinn

it has been what feels like a productive month.  I've not only got a (relatively) clean slate, I feel pretty much ready for the upcoming show at Key City Theatre.

I do hope you'll join us at the Key City Theatre in Cranbrook on Thursday, April 18 between 4 and 6 pm.  We're serving wine and appetizers, there are four artists in attendance, and all new artworks to make your heart smile.