A new home

My blog now has a new home over at my website.  See you there.

www.katfrickmiller.com

New Toys and Senseless Posts

I got myself a new toy for the studio which now means I can show you silly pages of doodles, like this.

Just practicing my script with watercolour & gouache.  I picked up a book on hand lettering techniques a few months ago.  Now I could spend hours practicing my script.

New Studio & New Website!

I've had the usual kind of South Shore summer.  Lots of visiting with good folk & fun in the sun.  I've also been busy moving my studio to a perfect little space above the Lunenburg Makery.  I'm breaking in the space with an Open Studio & Sale to showcase some of the work I created during my Gros Morne artist residency in June.  I'll also be selling my remaining stock of Lunenburg Collection screen-printed textiles.  I'll be posting more details soon.

In the meantime, check out my long overdue website.  www.katfrickmiller.com

  

Waiting for the parade

Watercolour, ink and pencil.April 13 2013.

I started going through photos from last year's Apple Blossom Festival Parade in Kentville.  As usual, everything I want to draw is hiding behind what I was taking photos of.

Hello there.

It's been a while, so I should start with a few explanations.

1.  Just about a year ago I joined the team at The Lunenburg Makery (see drawing of building above).  I lot of my creative energy and love has gone into my work there which means after a great start to 2012, I instantly started neglecting my blogging duties here.  I've been up to a lot of exciting things over there though.  You should check it out.

2.  In three weeks I'm starting an artist residency in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland.  For one month I'll be residing in the town of Woody Point and soaking in all the wonderful things the natural world has to offer.  I have a lot to do to get ready for this adventure which brings us to number three.

3.  Sketchbook!  Unless I'm traveling somewhere I've not been a great sketchbook keeper.  At the start of April I picked up a new sketchbook and started picking away at it.  This new practice coincided with my new years resolution to rejoin a local life drawing class.  It was tough getting back into practice, but once everything fell back into place it felt simply wonderful.  It is a great reminder to see everything around you as if you were traveling in a new place.

I just received a copy of Julia Rothman's Drawn In: A peek into the inspiring sketchbooks of 44 fine artists, illustrators, graphic designers & cartoonists.  Exploring this book has hammered into me the importance and freedom that comes with keeping a sketchbook.  I picked up a small 7 x 10 inch book which means starting a new page isn't intimidating, not that drawing scares me.  It is failure to draw that scares me.

Images from me, here and here.

Springtime on Vinegar Hill!

Spring is my favorite time of year.  I've said it every year since moving to Lunenburg County.  Here is my lovely little house in all its springtime glory. 

Rhubarb is sprouting, the forsythia is in full bloom and the blue jays are hogging the bird feeder.  I'm jumping the gun but I've already started on a summer piece.  It's a productive way to channel my excitement for the upcoming seasons.

SPRING UP! Halifax Crafters Market

It's that time of year again!  I'm packing up all my goods and heading into the city for the Halifax Crafters Society handmade market.  Check out Halifax Crafters' website for the list of vendors and a sneak peak at some vendors and their fantastic handmade offerings.

I had some time this week to design and print some of these lovely bags to raffle off to help raise funds towards covering the market's costs.  Grab a raffle ticket at the door for your chance to win!

Sunday quilting

What happens when I have a little extra time on my hands.

Thanks to my little crafting sidekick Willow the kitty, and Lucas for taking the photos.

On Saturday March 31st I'll be a part of a day-long gathering of printed matter at the NSCAD Port Campus. Come by and say hi if you're in the neighbourhood!

Crocheting at The Makery

Tomorrow I'll be teaching a drop in workshop at The Makery in Lunenburg. They recently posted this interview with me on their blog. Check it out!

Hope to see you Saturday!

behind the scenes.

Yesterday with the help of my friend, photographer Dennis Evans, I turned my kitchen into a light studio to document all of my most recent screen-printed work.

It was a bit of a daunting task, as my house lacks a single white wall big enough to hold any of my pieces. With a couple of heavy duty garbage bags, we blocked out the windows and hung up an oversized roll of drawing paper (leftovers from my drawing classes at NSCAD) as a backdrop and we were in business.

crafty times on the shore

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting a small crafty gathering at my house on the shore. It was fun to share my studio space a do a little skill sharing at the same time.




I introduced a few crafters to rag rug crocheting! It's my favorite project of the moment. Rag rugs for all! I'll post pictures soon...

and little Oliver did his best to distract us all from our work so that his mum could get a little knitting done.

it happened!

That is all.

Old Emma's House

Here is a peak at another watercolour study I've been working on.
The window of my studio upstairs looks out onto our yard. I believe it is this vantage point that has inspired this new series of studies, looking out over our house watching the seasons play out. Though I'm not quite done with winter yet I also can't wait for the coming spring. It might be my favorite time of year on the South Shore.

Weekend Afternoons.

I love having a bit of down time on weekends to poke around the house and fuss with my beloved house plants. I have a nasty habit of taking cuttings of our favorite plants so that I can litter my friends' houses with house plants too. In the process of course I find our kitchen, and every free window sill overflowing with coleus, geraniums and so on.


I took these cuttings sometime last year. I've grown rather attached to the christmas cactus. I'm not sure we'll be able to part ways.


I received this amaryllis bulb for Christmas. It feels as though it is sprouting a few inches day. I can't wait to see it flower.

F is for Frick

I think I need to get into embroidery in a big way. Nothing says classy like a monogram hanky. This is from the Frick side of the family.

Grey days of February.

While giving the studio a thorough tidy I came across a stash of old hankies I've been carrying around for years. They were given to me years ago by my mother and if I'm remembering correctly some of them were once my grandmother's. The delicate stitches on the thin white cotton captures my attention every time I pull them out. I started a few studies in watercolour attempting to mimic the fine embroidered patterns.


I'm still new to the world of watercolours and have much to learn. My grandmother prided herself on using watercolours as a medium, saying that pastels were 'just too easy, if you make a mistake all you have to do is erase it!' After binning a few pieces already I'm thinking it might be time to switch to pastels.

a new year

I started 2012 sadly taking down my show Tales from the valley, through the forest to the shore. at the Black Duck Gallery. Well, to be honest I left it up for an extra week, so it wasn't quite my 'start' to 2012. It was a treat to have my work out of my crowded little studio and displayed in such a beautiful space you can't really blame me for wanting to leave it up longer.

Here are a few shots from the show.


Apple Blossom Festival
Queen Annapolisa on Patrol
Screen-print on cotton/linen, 40 x 40"




Discover Keji
Shenanigans in the Woods
Screen-print on cotton/linen, 40 x 40"




Christmas trees start here.
Limited Edition Print
1 of 15
Screen-print on cotton/linen, 12 x 16"


Welcome to Lunenburg County
Limited Edition Print
1 of 12
Screen-print on cotton/linen, 12 x 16"

Missing is Blueberry Social the first piece in the tablecloth series I created. Hoping to have better documentation of that piece soon.
My thanks go to the lovely folks at the gallery for being so lovely. The Christmas trees and Lunenburg County prints are still available at the Black Duck.

Upcoming shows.

I'm getting ready for a busy couple of weeks! First up is Halifax Crafters Yule Tide Cheer Winter Market at the Olympic Centre in Halifax. I'm super excited to have a fun crafty weekend with all my crafty friends and to show off all this fun new stuff I've been working on! Check out the Halifax Crafters blog for updates and sneak peaks at new things our crafters are getting ready!

The following weekend is the opening of my show at the Black Duck Gallery here in Lunenburg County! 'Tales from the valley, through the forest to the shore' is a collection of new printed works inspired by my life and travels through Nova Scotia. The show runs from December 10th - 31st, with the opening reception on December 11th from 2 - 4 pm. Hope to see you there!

Lunenburg Fire Engine

A New plushie design on the print table. I got so excited about seeing it printed for the first time that I took a photo before the ink dried!

This is the old Lunenburg fire engine that I worked next door to during my time in the Lunenburg Residency. It's a beautiful machine.