In case you've ever wondered "What happened to Sylvia?"

 That's a great question! Sylvia has become my own personal museum and she now houses my Barbie collection along with my cameras, Avon bottles, trucks and other "Favourite Things"

 

 

 

Rain, rain go away - we really want to come out and play!

Hi Folks, sorry I’ve been a little lax keeping you updated on the goings on here at the Cloud. September really did blow right through!

The rain has keep our doors closed a bit more often than usual these day - but not today! It looks like things might actually dry out a bit and we are open and ready to share some of the lovely new creations that have made it into the shop.

We were happy to invite a few new members into the Flying Cloud family this past month.


First we welcomed Brendon Purdy Smith, a young entrepreneur living with an intellectual disability.

Together with his team Brendon strives to make socially responsible and quality products and hopes that creating his line of hand dyed clothing Mr B's Tees will become a self-sustaining part of his lifestyle.

Most recently we’ve welcomed Sarah Phelps to the fold. Sarah's beautifully hand printed note cards and bookmarks make a bit of a statement and they are the perfect addition to our collection of contemporary cards and prints.

Originally hailing from the North-East of England, Sarah now call the East coast of Nova Scotia home. As owner, designer and printer at Sarah Phelps Creative, she is on a mission to make the world a prettier place – one design at a time.

In other new news Flying Cloud Boutique has been accepted into the Acadia Christmas Craft Expo taking place November 16^th - 18^th in Wolfville. This is our first year participating and we are really looking forward to representing all of our artists and artisans at such a reputable show. We feel honoured to be showing along side so many other talented creators and entrepreneurs.  Now we just need to figure out how to create a mini Cloud within a tiny booth. A challenge I happily accept!   


　

　

　

　

　

　

　

Staycation Destination!

We were happy to reopen our door again for the 2012 season on May 19th, a full month ahead of last year!


We had contemplated moving the shop’s location, but seeing as I’m a maker myself and need to be in close proximity of my studio, we decided to instead renovate our garage and finally create that dream studio space I’ve been longing for. No more crowded mudroom for me! Now I have space to work on many projects at once… and the ability to close the door at the end of the day and head home and relax in a project free house! 

This past Sunday I opened up the garage for our first open studio day - going forward every Sunday and Monday my studio is open to the public to come and sit a while as I create... and perhaps bring along your own project to work on should you feel inspired?

The last few months have certainly been full of exciting projects, my own creations have been picked up by several shops throughout the Maritimes including Put Me On in Halifax, Window on the Sea in Lunenburg and Johnny Ruth – Integrity in Style in Saint John’s Newfoundland. In addition to being a bit of a production line these last few months creating new Woodland Wool critters and Flock Together feather accessories, I’ve also created a few new cut-up portraits for folk rocker Christina Martin’s new album, set to hit stores on July 10th.

Over the last few years I have been collaborating with the songstress combining quotes from her album with my graphic images to create an illustrated lyric book which she then provides to her fans as a thank you for their on going support. 

Larger limited editions of these prints are currently available exclusively at the Bread Gallery in Brooklyn as a part of our Flying Cloud group show “Staycation, all I ever wanted” which runs until August 31st.

Staycation features the work of ten of our Flying Cloud artists including paintings by Mary Garoutte & Kelly Mitchelmore, photographs by John McCarthy & Jane Rovers, screen prints by Geordan Moore & Kat Frick Miller, folk art carvings by Jim Tracey, sculptures by Kristie Sheehy and fibre art by Tacha Reed & Blythe Church.

Now that my heavy production load is out of the way, and we‘ve squeezed in our own little staycation exploring rural Nova Scotia, Flying Cloud is now ready to settle into our new summer hours – hopefully making us a destination on your next Nova Scotian staycation!

For the fist six weeks of this season we have only been open on Saturdays and Sundays, but that all changes today – with us now keeping somewhat regular hours throughout the week as well!

You will now find us open most weekdays 10-4, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with all the happenings here in Ellershouse!

There is nothing wrong with having your head in the clouds!

A year ago today I opened the doors to what has proven to be a life long dream.

When asked as a child what my plans were for my future I shook my head "no" to ideas of being a nurse, teacher or secretary and proudly proclaimed I was going to be an artist!

Over the winter I decided to learn how to make stained
glass so I could recycle my broken glassware collection.

These pendants are now available in the shop along with
my Woodland Wool critters and the wonderful creations
of 30 other talented Nova Scotian artists and artisans!

Everyone warned me about the difficulties... and I admit that at various times over the years I've fallen down in complete defeat and accepted that supporting myself by working in the arts might be an impossibility.... but then I'd have a big bright vision of some sort of vibrant art community or I'd fall into a job surrounded by other creative folks... so that whenever I felt I was going to have to make due with a life that was a little less creative, well then life would take over and let me know that it didn't have to be so.
 

New in the shop this year, monsters by Sewn by Blythe.
I'm honoured to have Blythe's work in the shop, it was 
Blythe's felted vintage cameras that inspired me
to create my line of recycled wool critters.

I've always been a firm believer in fate, and because of this I play very close attention to my dreams - especially when my grandfather is involved. When I first started playing with the idea of applying for the government funded Self Employment Benefits program I was a bit nervous about the possible risk I would be taking. The night before my very first meeting to begin the application process I dreamt that I was working on a fast paced assembly line which produced food, print and television (combining all my many years spent in production). As I worked away I realized that I was just a cog in a wheel and that I was working my ass off with no satisfaction because I was not the one reaping the rewards of my hard labour - someone else was!

I sat down frustrated and watched the chaos. My grampy sat beside me and asked why I had stopped - this was my job, I had better get back to it. I told him that I just didn't want to do it anymore. "Well", he said, "why don't you do what you want to do then? Why don't you go to the meeting tomorrow and start your own business?"    

The next morning I made the trip into the city, met with an employment officer and told them of my dreams of an artist run creative community centre. I started the application process. After much confusion I later found out that I couldn't be served through Halifax and I had to start the process all over again, this time though Hants County. With an extra 4 months to think over my business plan it evolved. I knew my creative community centre would one day come... but I had to figure out what the first step would be to getting there. Perhaps a retail space!

Over the years I've been fortunate to meet many creative people, whether it was through my time spent working in print and animated production or as a crafter myself, traveling from show to show. I've come across many interesting people who all make very interesting products and I wanted to introduce them, or at least their work, to everyone that I met! Okay... now I was starting to get a bit more of an idea...

Next I began my hunt for the prime retail space. Since I was a resident of Hants County, and being funded through Hants County, my business had to also be in Hants County. The closest most populated nearby town is Windsor, so I began my search there.

It wasn't long before I was once again facing defeat. The cost to rent or lease in Windsor is practically as expensive as Halifax - there was no way I could dish out that kind of cash! I'm no fool, I may love my work and that of my colleagues - but I wasn't foolish enough to take on the financial risk that setting up a shop in Windsor would mean.

As my brain spun trying to figure out how to evolve my dream into something more feasible, Bryan came up with the idea of buying a trailer, gutting it and then having a shop I could set up anywhere. At first I was completely opposed... "oh that's so tacky", I thought. Then we started to look into how much work it would be to gut and renovate an older camper.... we could probably do something for under $5000.... maybe this could be possible?
 
As I laid in bed that night I thought to myself.... "nope, this was all just a silly dream... I'm still nowhere near making it a reality... I might as well go back to the job hunt tomorrow."

As I slept I dreamt I was packing up my studio space in the garage along with the help of my mom and my step father. As we packed artist Kelly Mitchelmore and her husband arrived with a bottle of red to cheers me and my new future. As we chatted I became distracted by a rhythmic beat and went down to the edge of the water to see if I could find the source.

As I looked across the water I felt a familiar warm fuzziness pass over my leg and looked down to see Mister Fluff... only Mister still had his glorious long plume of a tail intact. I watched Mister as he manoeuvred his way from tree to tree across the pond until he met up with the source of the beat... a young native, seated beside a fire, patting out the rhythm on his drum.

As I watched I once again felt that familiar fuzz pass across my ankle, only this time it was Mister as he is now, post critter attack, with his short little nub of a tail. As I looked back and forth confused over my twin cats I realized I had been joined by a much older native chief. He explained to me that I was experiencing a fold in time and that young man on the other side of the river was he himself as a young man.

He went on to explain that what we were witnessing was the very first time he took on the position of beating out the rhythm that kept the river running, something that he had done every spring since and something that had been done every spring beforehand for all of time. If this rhythm was not started again each spring then the earth would stop functioning properly and all hell would break loose.

Suddenly my mother informed me it was time to leave and I loaded myself into a van full to the brim with all my possessions. I waved my goodbyes and headed towards my future. As we passed through the North End of Halifax I saw my best friend from high school, Tanja, and her younger sister. We stopped at a light and the two came over to the van, Tanja asked where I was going and I answered honestly - "I have no idea?"

She then went on to ask  "well aren't you starting your own business? Don't you want to follow your dreams?"

Yes - yes I do!

Now I began to panic! She was right, I needed to follow my dreams, I needed to go back home! I opened the door, got out and started running for home, I ran and ran until I woke myself up.

I promptly went downstairs, opened up my computer and went to Kijiji and typed in camper. The first image that came up was a 1955 Flying Cloud Airstream and she had been completely gutted and was just waiting to be rebuilt. My eye then caught the date in the bottom corner... it was January 11th.... what would have been my Grampy's birthday. Tears started running down my face because I knew that once again I was being sent a sign, I was on that right path - keep following that dream!

I admit that my current business plan has evolved a great deal from when I first opened my doors last spring. Initially I planned to take advantage of the fact that Flying Cloud is a mobile shop and I intended to travel the province from event to event. A lovely and romantic idea indeed, and had I been independently wealthy then perhaps I could have made it happen... but the reality is that once you crunch the numbers traveling has a multitude of risks involved. It took me a while to admit that traveling wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, but as soon as I did the true nature of my business started to unfold.

Here we are a year and a half later, Sylvia is now transformed into a beautiful little Nova Scotian art and artisan boutique, I have a new big and bright studio space where I'm surrounded by all my treasures and supplies and I am just weeks away from hosting our first workshops and starting our weekly open studio day where anyone is welcome to come and create and dream their own little dream :)

Join us July 14th at noon for our first workshop hosted here on the pond together with the HCAC! Ottawa artist Andrea Warren joins us for an afternoon painting picnic! A sandwich lunch will be provided by the HCAC along with a goodie bag of Golden Paint products to take home.

Email us at info@flyingcloudboutique.com to book your seat!

 

The snow has finally arrived in Nova Scotia!

I got up & out early this morning to finish dressing
the bows - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Soon enough we will have our ice rink back!



Snow Angel?



Mister Fluff now has the best kitty fort in town!

In the Spotlight: Jaki Durocher



Back Shift - a portrait of Jaki's father

I first met Jaki Durocher a few years ago through the Hants County Arts Council; I quickly recognized that Jaki was an active member of the local arts community and knew she would be a great ally and advisor when it came to starting my own arts based business.

As one of the founding members of the Hants County Arts Council and Director of the Utata Arts Centre, Jaki has played an important part in nurturing the local arts community here in Hants County.

Known mostly for her portraiture and landscape paintings, Jaki is a bit of a Jack of all trades.

Her work, which has been sold nationally and internationally, reflects her love of the things important to her: nature, the Nova Scotian landscape and as a proud grandmother of 10, her family.

In this day and age when life is getting faster, busier and more complex, it is the simpler things in life that keep us grounded and lend perspective on what really matters. My work is about connections. These associations impel a spiritual effigy.         Jaki Durocher

This past year saw Jaki opening Windsor’s first Art School, Inspire! Here Jaki and her husband Philippe teach a variety of workshops ranging from painting and drawing to cement and clay sculpture.

Jaki is always experimenting and growing as an artist, never afraid to accept a challenge! Here at Flying Cloud we are proud to showcase a selection of her art prints as well as her beautiful nature inspired ceramic bowls.

Currently we are showcasing Jaki’s Wave and Whales ceramic bowl series in our online shop; perhaps the perfect complement to a hearty Nova Scotian fish chowder!

For more information on Jaki and the workshops available at Inspire Art School please visit www.jakidurocheer.com or if you'd like to experience Jaki's work first hand come and visit us here at the shop!

In the Spotlight: Mary Garoutte of Swallow & Twig

When I first decided I wanted to open my own shop selling Nova Scotian handmade products I came up with a wish list of artists I wanted to approach – at the top of my list of must have products was a line of hand-painted  jewellery by Mary Garoutte.

I had first discovered Mary’s whimsical line Swallow and Twig while Christmas shopping last year. Her miniature paintings on recycled silver spoons were right up my free-cycle loving alley! With delicate images inspired by nature and Victorian life, Mary creates wearable art that any fashionable lady would be proud to wear.




Mary is an artist-painter-turned-jeweler, who graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. It was while studying there, that hard work, challenge, and creative media were instilled into her.

Mary’s post-graduation years have been spent painting through freelance and commission work, and it was only in recent years that she decided to incorporate her painting background and skills into hand-painted jewelry. Mary says this new direction into jewelry has stretched and challenged her in ways that have improved her overall painting practice as a whole, and she enjoys the wearable art component to her hand-painted jewelry, as she believes fine art should be a part of the everyday.

Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

Many influences have shaped the aesthetic of Mary’s work, which range from vintage printed and illustrated imagery in children's books, such as Beatrix Potter, tales from the Brothers Grimm and nursery rhymes. She also loves the bold and powerful forms of early to mid 20th Century design.

Art Nouveau and Art Deco are to her the most impressionable design forms from that time period, and are probably the most evident in her jewelry designs. She is also inspired by the light-hearted and playful art forms of kitsch and folk art, and she loves to contrast with more dark and sinister influences such as the wonderful illustrations of Edward Gorey.

While investigating the background of miniature work, Mary became very fond of art and graphics from the Victorian era, as miniature work played a great role in art-making, souvenirs and other minutia from that time period. Another popular past-time for the Victorians was the art of Shadow-boxing. Christopher Cornell 's work is a lovely example of this and a source of inspiration. Like him, Mary shares a love of birds, a predominate subject in her work.

Currently we have a selection of Mary’s earrings, rings and belt buckles in stock in the shop. If you are trying to come up with a little special something for you loved one this season, then I invite you to check out our online shop and get your hands on your own miniature masterpiece!

Grand Opening and First Summer Party!

On July 23^rd we had our Grand Opening and our first of hopefully many summer parties here at Flying Cloud Boutique!

Artists Jaki Durocher of Inspire Arts School, along with other Hants County Arts Council members Carlos Da Rosa and Dora Davis, worked some magic with their paint brushes creating a beautiful mural of the Blomidon cliffs on our garage doors (on what turned out to be the hottest day yet this season - bless their hearts for sticking it out) 

Local artist (and I mean local – she lives just down the road!) Patricia Dillon was set-up in the shade with an assortment of supplies teaching our visitors how to create their own beaded mosaics. As a surprise she presented me with a beaded portrait of Sylvia! Just amazing – I love it!

No good party is without music, and Christina Martin with her usual charm and wit delighted us with some new stories and tunes, creating an entertaining atmosphere for all in attendance.

One of Flying Cloud's own, photographer John McCarthy, got a few great shots of Christina serenading us - one of which you can see on his website

We had many local visitors and Nova Scotian artists stop by throughout the day helping us to celebrate the coming together of so many talented people.  It was a festive event overall and I look forward to planning an even bigger and better anniversary party next summer!