The coffee cup that says fart. This cracks me up.
RubyDog’s Art House is my favorite place to buy supplies and find inspiration for the collage work I create. I’ve been going there for the last couple of years and I always find something unique and inspiring to take home. The shop is owned by Leanne Bishop and it’s always fun to chat with her while I browse through the store.
This is Ruby the dog, who can often be found napping peacefully in the corner, and is the namesake of the shop. He’s taking a nap after a healthy eating session from the new dog feeder, he is so spoiled with all this love.
There are plenty of interesting little things to look at all through the store.
I’ve used these some of these tiny bottles in one of my altered books (that now belongs to someone else).
I have some of these clarinet pieces in my possession and that have not yet made their way into a collage. Leanne has a HUGE collection of letterpress pieces for collaging or collecting.
There’s really no end to the variety of things you can find at RubyDog’s Art House, from vintage ephemera to billiard balls. Please check out the shop and help support a wonderful local business.
RubyDog’s Art House
623 Kingsway
(Kingsway near Fraser Street)
Vancouver BC V5T 3K5
It probably says a lot about me that I’d never heard of Bob Rennie the “condo king” before visiting the new gallery showing his art collection. Along with his reputation as a top name in Vancouver real estate, he’s also a passionate collector of contemporary art and is the owner of the third largest private art collection in Canada. The newly renovated Wing Sang building, located on Pender Street in Chinatown, houses the aforementioned gallery owned by Rennie. I visited the other week to view it’s second ever show.
(An example of Richard Jackson’s work. Not from the show).
The current exhibition is a retrospective of the collected works of Richard Jackson. He’s a contemporary artist working with painting and sculpture, and is very much influenced by his background as an engineer. He’s all about the concept of what he creates rather than the content and uses multiple canvases and thick layers of paint to create wildly colourful abstract installations across the walls. Many of his pieces involve a huge amount of paint and were created on site in the gallery. I was really impressed with the show not just for the quality of the work but because of how well the show was put together. It’s rare to see an art show in Vancouver as tightly curated and as polished at this one was.
Even if contemporary art is not your thing, the architecture alone is worth a visit. The Wing Sang building is one of the oldest in Chinatown and they’ve done an extraordinary job of restoring it while maintaining some of the original details. My favorite spot was the rooftop garden with its excellent view of the city. The space is half covered in aged metal beams as a patio, and half in a lush lawn with two permanently installed sculptures from the collection. There were also red poppies blooming in planters placed around the edges of the roof and a blue sky overhead to complete the picture of a lovely oasis hidden from the city. I could’ve stayed up there for hours enjoying the sun.
To go on a guided tour of the Rennie Collection you need to reserve a space on their website. The tours are free and take place three times a day on Tuesday and Thursdays with a maximum of fifteen people at a time. I highly recommend you do it.
Last weekend I dropped by the new Vancouver “Art Strip” which is an area on the Kingsway between 15th and Fraser. It is quickly becoming creativity central with stores such as Collage Collage, RubyDog’s Art House, as well as a few galleries located there. Spool of Thread is the latest addition to the area, with a drop-in sewing lounge and many classes on offer.
The space is newly renovated with high ceilings that give the store an airy feel. There are lots of beautiful and colourful things to look at including the front counter which is covered in vintage yardsticks. At this point I should mention I don’t actually sew but I do love threads and textiles.
The store was having a soft launch last weekend with their official opening day this Saturday, June 5th.
Did I mention the gorgeous fabrics Spool of Thread has for sale? These are pretty wow. Some of them would be dreamy as a summer dress or as curtains in my new place.
Thanks to Spool of Thread owners Lili and Henry for being so welcoming to their shop and allowing me to take photos. I’m sure the store is a welcome addition to the Vancouver craft scene.
I’ll be out of town this weekend, which I’m really excited about but it means missing out on a whole bunch of interesting things going on in town.
Make It! The Handmade Revolution: A shopping extravaganza of handmade items by local designers and artisans. Boris and I went to this last year and saw many beautiful things for sale. It runs all weekend long at the Croatian Cultural Centre on Commercial Drive.
Got Craft?: this is Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair that only happens twice a year. I’ve managed to miss it every time. It’s happening on Sunday from 10 to 5pm at the Royal Canadian Legion, also on Commercial Drive.
Art Walk: This is part of Artists in Our Midst, the studio and gallery tour that focuses on artists living in the west side of Vancouver. The Art Walk takes place Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6 pm and includes 31 venues with 52 artists.
Free Comic Day: Yes, that’s right. May 1st is FREE COMIC DAY where you can get comics from your favorite store for FREE. I like the word FREE.
Emily Carr 2010 Grad Show: A huge showcase of the work of over 300 graduate and undergraduate students in visual arts, media arts and design. The opening reception is May 1st from 7 to 11pm, and the show runs until May 16th.
I think there may be EVEN more events going on this weekend, but I suspect that’s enough to keep everyone busy. Let me know if you get any comics.
The title is the first line from a song called, “Gee I’m glad I’m no one else but me”. I’ve had it in my head since the fifth grade when I was in the school production of Anne of Green Gables the musical. Blossoms always remind me of this song.
I’ve been participating in ‘roid week and this is what I’ve shot so far:
It’s nice to have a simple little project to work on and shoot for while I’m focusing on the less creative side of my art.
Before I had a bird of my own I had no interest at all in winged creatures. I may have even thought they were boring. Then my sister brought home a breeding pair of lovebirds, and soon I had a cheeky little bird of my own, one I’d raised from an egg. Many years and one lovebird later, I am fascinated by birds of all kinds and am capable of watching them for hours on end (dorky, but true).
My apartment is a great spot for watching small birds like sparrows, chickadees, and dark-eyed Junco, and I’m amazed how these tiny things can survive just fine in cold weather. I think they look warmer out there than I do in my many layers… I’m a bit worried about them not finding enough food with all this snow so I decided to purchase seed for them and put it along my window sills. They are very entertaining as they help themselves to food and bob up and down to keep an eye on me through the window.
The Field Guide: Birds of British Columbia group on flickr for plenty more bird photos.
From Free Will Astrology:
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “It’s better to be clumsy than clever,” says an ancient Chinese book called *Poets’ Jade Splinters,* “better plain than affected, better crude than weak, better eccentric than vulgar.” That’s a good prescription for you to use in the way you live your life in the coming days, Leo. Here’s another observation from the same text that should also be helpful: “Inspiration enters at the border between hard work and laziness.” That suggests you’ve got to work hard and discipline yourself in order to earn the right to inspiration, but often the inspiration flows in when you’re goofing off or giving yourself some slack.