Looking back and ahead

Our dingy at sunset

New Years Day at the cabin...caught crab and baked bread.

Birches on our property

The pictures above are around our family cabin on Gabriola Island where we spent Xmas and New Year.

2010 was a fabulous year.  Highlights for me were:

-another retirement...I left the Crawl www.eastsideculturecrawl.com after being the executive director for 11 years.  I now have more time for travel and making art.  

-One project I started two years ago was the Hangar Show www.thehangarshow.com which I co-ordinated for two artists, Arnt Arntzen (my husband) creator of aviation inspired furniture www.arntarntzen.com  and Virginia Ivanicki, painter of planes www.ivanicki.com.  Check them out.  It took place just before the Crawl.  Between the Hangar Show, the Crawl and his galleries all of his furniture is gone. Was a lot of work but in the end it was very successful.  I got some press and corporate sponsorship for the show.

-I ended up doing five shows this year....MiXeR a group show with five other women where I showed photos and assemblage, Santa Fe, encaustic photography at the Brittania Gallery, Asia photographic collages at  The Cultch, Retro Show, assemblage work at W2 and then the Crawl, new assemblage work at AMP Studio.  Lots of work sold and great new client list.  Check out past post "Crawl Successful" for pics of latest body of work "Framework".  

-I also got my first commission from a friend of mine who wants her grandfather's saxaphone put in an assemblage.

I am also working on another one which I hope comes through up in Williams Lake from a show I had a couple 

years ago.

-travel, travel, travel.....left Vancouver during the Olympics, after Arnt had an opening at Mountain Galleries in Whistler, www.mountaingalleries.com which was very successful and a fun time.  We went to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos for 5 weeks.  Highlights were Angkor Wat, the floating city in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and best city ever...Luang Prabang, Laos.  

In the spring we went to Bremnes, Norway (200 miles north of the arctic circle) for a family wedding and also visited Oslo and Bergen, Norway.  From there we went to Copenhagen and Amsterdam.  Highlights were sailing in the Oslo fjord, looking at boats and having lunch while biking on the canals in Copenhagen and Amsterdam.

Lots of art was seen in all the countries.  Amsterdam was exceptionally special as we were visiting friends who were introducing us to artists and artist spaces as we are moving there in 2012 for six months.  We also went to New York for the family Three Generations playing the fundraiser for Children's Hospital on Long Island.  Lots of family time and going to art galleries.  My last trip was to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I drove with a gal pal that I have known for over 35 years and visited two other gal pals I have known for over 35 years.  Highlights were the Pueblo in Taos, wading in the Rio Grande, candle light vigil to the top of the hill in SF and going to some of the many art galleries.  For food it is all about the Tex Mex.

-The second annual Strathcona Surf Contest happened again in July in Tofino and the trophy went to a boogie boarder, Dolly.  Met some new surfers and had a great campsite.  Did a little hiking but mostly hung on the beach.

-Ended the year at our cabin on Gabriola Island....visiting family and friends, Arnt lofted his boat that he is building this year for the cabin, did a bit of work around the cabin but mostly read, ,made art, played games and cooked!!  

NOW...it is the new year....plans are:

-doing some large sculptural pieces for the Crawl

-working on plans for the move to Amsterdam

-having people over for dinner

-back to New York for the fundraiser for the Childrens' Hospital

-3rd annual Strathcona Surf Contest in Tofino

-sailing up to the Broughton Archipelago which is outside Port Hardy for 6 weeks sailing stopping on the way to see one of our nephews get married.
-going back to Gabriola to do some work on the boat ramp this fall and then ending the year visiting the cabin for xmas and new year again.
HOW IS THAT FOR A FULL CIRCLE!  ALL THE BEST TO ALL OF YOU FOR 2011!