"It's that simple" Art workshop a success

This weekend I had the pleasure of helping six great ladies create something from nothing here at the Broody Rooster. Five of the gals had signed up together - sisters and girlfriends who wanted to try something new and leave with a finished piece of art. Well, I am happy to say that they kept pace, worked hard, got through the "uglies" and left with some wonderful pieces. I commented that it was a great idea to do the workshop together because now they can paint together (over a glass of wine perhaps) and help remind one another about what they learned. Congratulations ladies, you are super successful with your work.

That is it for workshops for a month or two (but I am happy to entertain groups that may want to do something in April or May). But, there is lots of room for the workshops this summer in June and July. I have these posted mid week as three day workshops, but if someone wants to do just two days - we can adjust the price accordingly too. And, if weekdays in the summer don't work for you, I can entertain a weekend so long as I can get at least 4 people together.

C'mon, take a plunge and try something new - you will never look at art the same again - and you will add a new talent to your repertoire at the same time (never mind the painting that you leave with - that YOU did).

Pet First Aid Course

Today, Kerri Lynne Wilson delivered a Pet First Aid course to participants at the Broody Rooster. These fun-filled, informative Courses are the longest standing in Canada. Pet lovers earn a Certificate while they learn and practice dealing with cat & dog emergencies including:
· Bleeding, broken bones and other wounds
· Choking, CPR and Artificial Respiration
· Learn to recognize early signs of illness
· Learn ways to help prevent illness and injury

They also receive an extensive, 2011 edition manual and a “quick guide” for first aid kit
and get a Certificate provided upon successful completion.

If you want to know more about upcoming workshops or want to organize one with instructor Kerri-Lynne Wilson (trained by WALKS ‘N’ WAGS PET FIRST AID ) call her at (250) 619-0352 Or e-mail reveille(at)shaw(dot)ca

More information is available at: http://www.walksnwags.com/

The Broody Rooster can be rented for workshops and events - $10 per hour or $100 for the day. for more information see http://www.broodyrooster.com/

New workshops posted

Well, time to begin thinking about staying indoors and painting! One of my favorite art memories this past year has been in teaching acrylic art workshops. So, I decided to add a bunch more to the calendar starting in December and running once a month into April. So, take a peek at these and share them with friends. There may be one more three day workshop down at Twincreeks in Duncan in February on painting horses - keep posted for more details on that one. It will be worth the journey!

Time to get ready for the Cedar Yellowpoint Christmas Tour!

The Christmas tour is getting close - mark your calendar for November 17-20th for the Cedar Yellowpoint Christmas Tour. If you have not been on the tour before, it is well worth the trip to come out and see the 27 or so artisans who let you into their studio space to watch them work but better yet, to buy their wares! What better way to support local purchasing this Christmas than to do this?

This will be my second year of the tour and the Broody Rooster Guesthouse and Gallery is soon transforming into a Gallery again, after hosting visitors during the summer as a Guesthouse. I am inviting some other local artists to place their items in the Gallery too - but expect to find paintings, cards, santa sacks, stockings, horse calendars, prints, glass art, iron work, canning and more!

Hope to see you there - and tell your friends.

Drop in nights

I am trying to develop opportunities at the Broody Rooster that assist folks to come together and inspire creativity. One of the things that would have helped me when I began to paint again was an opportunity to meet fellow artists and to swap ideas and tips. Sometimes I would pay $300 or so for a workshop that I took very little away from – and I’d leave with a sense of disappointment because what I needed was often something quite informal.

So, I decided to put on the calendar for the Broody Rooster some Free drop ins for fellow artists to come together, bring an appy and paint for a few hours. It puts it on the calendar and encourages us to create. The first one was held in January and I met Amy Moore, a local artist with an education background from the University. Last week we had four of us creating – using water color, acrylics. Even though I am so busy right now, I am finding that the Thursday nights are just the thing I need to slow down and create.

If you are keen to come out, just let me know – every second Thursday til the end of March. Bring an appy, your paints and your creativity.

Art classes and workshops

For those who have added "being more creative" to their New Years resolutions, you may want to take advantage of some of the upcoming classes, workshops and drop ins at the Broody Rooster Gallery. A full list of the offerings can be downloaded here.

When developing the schedule, I tried to think of what I really need as an emerging artist. I am self taught, a journey that always leaves a sense of doubt about one's art. Having my work on a wall somewhere where people, other than my friends and family, could comment - was an important part of my growth. Meeting other artists to watch them paint, talk informally about techniques and expose myself to new ideas would also have been very helpful. And, being in a space that inspired creativity would have helped me too.

I thought of these things in the 2011 calendar - so you will see classes where students have the opportunity to display their art publicly. You will see drop in classes every second Thursday where people can come for free (with an appy and beverage) to create in whatever visual medium they would like. Folks can paint, draw, observe, chat, connect or just be inspired. Starts January 13th at 7 pm at the Broody Rooster, come and check it out.

Classes and workshops are taught by me and other artists. If you have a creative talent that you want to add to the list, send me some ideas and we will keep adding to the calendar as the season progresses.

Deck the halls at the Broody Rooster

Well, the past four days have been a whirl wind - the Cedar Yellowpoint Artisan Tour was a great success for the Broody Rooster Gallery. This was my first year on the tour and the first day was also my first day of business for the Gallery. I was very excited and nervous at the same time - and four days later - I am tired, but very satisfied with the outcome.

I was told it would be busy, but had no idea just how busy it would be. By 11:30 am on Thursday, I had to quit counting. Folks kept rolling in the doors. It appears that my guess on what would be appealing to folks was on for the most part - everything from stockings to the horse calendars went well and I was able to sell five paintings.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Broody Rooster's first days in business - my friends, colleagues, neighbors, family and students. It was a pleasure to chat with folks, share items and ideas and of course, to sell some of the inventory that has been building in my sewing room and art studio for the past year.

I will be open on the weekends til Christmas from 11 am to 4 pm - so if you missed the tour but want to head on by for items - come on by. The workshop calendar is almost ready - more will be added as we gather ideas from others - keep posted and I will share these on the Broody Rooster site as I design it in the upcoming week.

Now, for some sleep, apple pie and time with John...

Broody Rooster Guesthouse and Gallery

Well, we have been busy here since the start of October. The Broody Rooster Guesthouse and Gallery is on its way to an opening November 10, 2010.

Most of the work has been centered on creating the right ambiance for a gallery, while at the same time allowing me to convert it in the spring to a guesthouse for the summer season. This has taken a bit of thinking - but it is coming along. Like most small businesses, it will take some trial and error to get things all working for customers.

I am trying to get it all ready for the start of the Cedar Yellowpoint Artisans Tour November 18-21st. Now that painting is done in there, I am transitioning to getting lots of product ready for the season - art cards, paintings, canning, santa sacks, stockings, and shopping bags. I have no idea how busy I will be or what people are keen to buy, but I want to have an assortment available for folks to be able to leave with awareness of the cottage and gifts. I have also decided to do gift certificates for commissioned paintings and photo sessions - all beautifully packaged so that they are ready to give.

The new brochures for the Cedar Yellowpoint Artisans tour are out and their website has been updated - plan on coming out November 18-21st from 10 am to 5 pm to explore the various artisans in the area. A good place to buy your Christmas presents, or just be become familiar with what is in your own backyard while enjoying the journey out in this area.

Gift certificates for those who have everything horsey already!

If you are like my husband, he finds it incredibly difficult to shop for me at Christmas time. I am probably like a lot of other horse freaks who spend far too much time at the local tack stores buying whatever is not already in the barn (or a duplicate - just in case).

If you are trying to shop for someone like me, consider giving them a gift certificate for a commissioned piece of artwork or a personalized photo session. I have done up some gift certificates for the season and have them all wrapped up beautifully for you to give as a gift.

The commissioned art gift certificate is for an 18 x 24 original acrylic on canvas. If you want a larger canvas, I can accommodate that as well. The photo session is for a 2 hour on site photo session and comes with a CD of at least 20 high resolution images for you to keep, use, print etc. as you would like. The certificates are available for $200 from the Broody Rooster Guesthouse and Gallery or email/call and I can send one out your way.

Getting ready for Christmas

I am pretty excited about the holiday season this year. I know, it is early to talk about the "C" word, but I have been busy getting ready for a new step in my art career.

We have a beautiful little cabin on our property which we have rented out over the years. This year, our long term friend and tenant is moving out and we have decided to convert the cabin into a gallery and guesthouse. The business model will utilize the space in the fall winter and spring as my gallery and studio. I will program the space to inspire all things creative. There will be art classes, workshops, and other gatherings - keep your eyes posted for things to do in the space. The summer months, when I am on holidays - we are going to rent the cabin out as a guesthouse by the week for folks who want to experience this great place.

We took a long time coming up with a name but this summer - it all came to be. The cabin will now be known as the "Broody Rooster Gallery and Guesthouse". What is a broody rooster you ask? And why did I select the name? When we arrived at this place in 2003, we inherited some "residents", one of whom is an old Gray rooster that I call the old man. He is a blue silky who is blind in one eye and I keep him sheltered in a little barn and pen so the others don't pick on him. He must be at least 8 years old now, but you'd never know it. This spring, I had a hen in with him and a few chicks. To my surprise, when the hen started laying eggs, he became broody and started sitting on the eggs. I kid you not! I had to google this to see if there was such a thing as a later life gender transition in chickens but found nothing. I figured this was a sign of something, and loved the way it rolled off my tongue so it became the Broody Rooster. To me, I am a bit of a broody rooster - I love all things homey but am also have a bit of a cocky, bold male energy about me. This Gallery is about "strutting my stuff" so to speak and so - the name has stuck.

I will be designing a new web page soon and getting marketing under my belt, but for now - the effort is on transforming the cabin from a residence to a funky gallery, getting all my products ready for sale and preparing to be on the Cedar Yellowpoint Artisans Christmas Tour. If you have never been on this tour - you need to come out and see all the different vendors in the area. It is a great example of cultural tourism and business clustering in the area and I am super excited to be involved.

Come by on November 18-19, 20 and 21st. Plan to spend your Christmas budget and stock up for everyone on your list. Spread the word, bring a friend and enjoy. I will have paintings, art cards, canning, Santa sacks, purses, stockings and other goodies for sale.