The day started with this sunrise, hearts uplifted by it, we turned to work. Every participant had finished a small starter piece and a largish landscape. The last day was used to finish the birds. A couple of chickadees, a robin, a grackle, a seagull.
Beautiful energy in the group, everyone felt easy, free and relaxed ... and everyone will gladly join the exhibit on february 24th and 25th.

Wednesday the felting workshop began. Six women joined, all but one had never felted before. First piece was small, to get the idea of how it works, what the fibres do when washed, soaped and rubbed, how to arrange the colours, spacially and for strength of product.
After the small test piece was set aside to dry, everyone started on their main piece. Several landscapes began to form, a 3D cave, a floer arrangement and a hat.

Two very dear friends, one from Kingston one from Halifax, have joined me here this week, both to take part in the workshop and sharing my space. It is like one long happy sleepover.

Picture of beach is taken at Advocate harbour with view if Isle Haute towards the west.

pathIf you are interested in the process, how to get from inspiartion to the result of a felted landscape. I am still adding to it, but here is the path to the basic background.

A beautifully clear, sunny day. After a long walk towards Partridge Island I stayed inside with wool and threads, just looking at the landscape from my high nest.
The first land that juts out in the picture is "Partridge Island", really a cliff-sided peninsula with volcanic origins.
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The image of what I would felt next, was in my mind's eye when I woke. With coffee in hand, watching the sunrise, I began to plot. I spent most of the day felting, now I get to take a break while it, the nest, dries. 
Over the next few days I will add to the structure, crocheting, embroider, .. perhaps sticks and stones.
Decided this will be the project that I will lead my workshop participants into. It is a good advanced project that is doable in the span of two or three days.
And yes, the red sunrise fulfilled its prophecy: by nightfall it had began to snow.

Evening light on the receding tide. Pebbles glisten, everything is bathed in golden light and I see red everywhere.

Took the morning to drive up to Joggins, the fossil site. A mere half hour away, on the other coast from here. The combination of colours in the landscape excite me no end. The ochre of the dead grasses, the wine of willow shrubs; the dark green of the pine trees interrupted by by young white birches and then the many subtle shades of a grey wintersky.

Joggins Fossil Interpretive Center was closed, of course. I walked to the beach but did not actually look very hard to find a way to walk on the beach. It was cold, drizzly and the tide was fairly high. Better to stay on higher ground and take pictures. I'll come back soon.

Down by Harbour View, Parrsboro

First day.
Such a lovely studio loft for me to live and work in!
"How was the weather?" you ask. It was grey, but since I am high up on the third floor, the variations of grey in the sky were lovely. I sat in various windows, drinking hot drinks, sketching a bit, organizing my belongings. 

And then, after the walk, the wool came out for a start of some impressions of the day.
​Tomorrow I'll work on it again.