THIS WEEK AT SPARK BOX
Carl Wiens’ silkscreen pieces are near completion with just one last layer. Can’t wait to see them all finished! Looking forward to seeing some more people working in the Open Studio including Nicole Armour. If you haven’t seen Nicole’s handmade books you really should take a look, they are beautiful! She also has a very insightful blog about books, movies, music and friendship called The We of Me.
We are excited to start another month and invite new people into our home and studio. On Wednesday we picked up our newest resident coming to us from Israel and staying for two weeks. Nava Astrachan will be working on three etchings during her stay. (image below taken from HERE).
On Thursday Kyle and I got to see all of our work up at the John M. Parrott Art Gallery and share the moment with our friends and family. The evening was a success and we were so happy to see friendly faces out for an evening in Belleville to support us and our work.
The end of this week finds the end of Sarah Burwash’s residency with us. It has been great having Sarah at the studio. I love her work and will be sad to see her go. I mean just look at this map she made of the area … awesome!
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LAST WEEK AT SPARK BOX
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vimeo Direkt
We had to say good-bye to Kirsten McCrea and J.P. King at the end of last week. The two left to begin their new life in Toronto. They are already off to a great start with a presentation at the Come Up To My Room “Let’s Talk” conference. Last Friday J.P. spoke to the C.U.T.M.R. crowd about his Free Paper Press project (see the video above to find out more about this really cool project).
Luckily, before they headed off we got to have one great event at the house with them. Last Wednesday we hosted a collage party inspired by all the great work J.P. was making while at the studio. To our surprise people were excited about created collaborative collages and we had a great turn out. I plan to scan all the collages that were made and create a collage party pdf book.
With all this going on Kyle and I still managed to finish all of our work and set-up for the upcoming exhibition at the John M. Parrott Art Gallery, which opens this Thursday from 6:00 – 7:30 PM.
Sarah Burwash received some amazing press on two great art websites – the Jealous Curator and Art Hound. She was also kind enough to give Spark Box a really sweet shout-out on both, here is a little bit of what she had to say about her stay so far (taken from the Jealous Curator post):
… it is so blissful to be in a big old house surrounded by corn and hay feilds, it is peaceful and relaxing, and also productive and inspiring. The sun has been out often and the fields are dusted with snow. Chrissy and Kyle who run Spark Box are amazing hosts, light hearted and ambitious pair, they make you feel very comfortable and welcomed and go out of there way for you. I have a large studio space to work, and there is a great library of books from art books, to wild flower books, to old life magazines.
Genna Kusch and Carl Wiens both used the open studio to continue to work on personal projects. Carl worked on a new silkscreen piece from his Swimmer Series (my favourite) and Genna continued working on her woodblock insect pieces (as seen above).
**I would like to thank Genna Kusch for the images she supplied of the Collage Party **
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FEBRUARY WORKSHOP
Our upcoming workshop is a great place to start learning about printmaking if you have never tried it before.
WEEKEND MONOTYPE WORKSHOP
Come and experience the painterly printing method of monotype printing. This comprehensive workshop will introduce you to basic printmaking techniques and processes, as well as, the history of monotype. You will be encouraged to experiment and explore colour mixing, chine colle, stencilling and painting in positive and negative space. You will learn to use our printing press and printing inks in order to create several one-of-a-kind prints. SIGN-UP HERE
THIS WEEK AT SPARK BOX
It has been a productive week here at Spark Box. With three residents and Kyle and I using the studio there has been so much work being created. After having a couple months with no residents at all it feels so nice to have an energized studio space.
Kyle and I continued to work on different projects in the studio including etchings, silk screens and watercolour monoprints (one of my new favorite processes!). I finally got a new website put up for my personal work which can be found at chrissypoitras.com.
J.P. King has been making some awesome collage pieces, including some sculptural collages. These pieces inspired our upcoming Collage Party happening this coming Wednesday the 25th (find details by clicking HERE). Kirsten McCrea started working on some great paintings but has also been making these intricate patterned works, which I really want to see as wallpaper.
Sarah Burwash has been painting up a storm in the outside studio. It’s so fun sharing studio space with her and chatting about the stories behind each one of her paintings. We have also been listening to a lot of Radiolab … always filled with endless discoveries.
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PAST RESIDENT – SARAH AMMONS
As per usual I am trying to stay on top of the blog. I am realizing that I may not be as good at multitasking as I would like to have myself think. With the upcoming exhibition at the John M. Parrott Art Gallery I have been trying to go back and forth between the studio and Spark Box admin, which is proving to be difficult.
Anyway, onto the post about residency award winner Sarah Ammons, who was awarded time to work on a series of etchings a few years back. At the time Sarah was in the middle of her BFA at Queen’s University. We love encouraging artists in their undergrad to participate in the residency program as it is an ideal way to meet artists and build new connections.
We were quite excited about having Sarah work in etching since prior to her stay we hadn’t had many printmakers participate in the residency program. Sarah’s etchings were manly based on portraits and in her words were a “reflection on her outlook towards life”. During her stay she completed a number of medium sized works and had the opportunity to learn our non-toxic process.
ETCHING WORKSHOP WITH MOIRA SECONDARY
In anticipation of starting up workshops again I have decided to reflect on our most recent workshop at the new studio with a group of high school students from Belleville. Over the past few years we’ve worked hard to build a good relationship with the different schools around the area. We see art as a truly beneficial experience for any young person. Art provides youth with a place to express themselves in an open and nurturing space and we love giving a young person a chance to participate in an environment where they can freely be who they want to be.
This past fall we had the pleasure of hosting a two day etching workshop with a group of art students from Moira Secondary. Their teacher Rosanne Duke (a big supporter of the studio) she asked if her class could learn intaglio printmaking with us through the process of etching. We have done this workshop with Loyalist in the past and it has been a huge success so we jumped on the chance to share this very old process with her students.
This was the first big workshop we have held in our new space, making it a bit nerve-racking. With over 20 students we weren’t too sure how the space would hold-up, but to our surprise it turned out very well. We first went to their classroom to give each student their pre-grounded plates and the step-by-step instruction on how to carve their image. Then the entire class came to Picton to print their plates on our press. Each student had the chance to make an edition of four prints in two different colours. During the first half of the studio day students were timidly working with the inks and using the press but by the second half they were experimenting with different application processes and producing some really inspiring pieces.
If you are interested in learning about etching be sure to sign-up for our January Etching Workshop >> find out more here <<
JANUARY WORKSHOP // ETCHING WEEKEND
This introductory course requires no previous experience with printmaking. Students will begin the lesson with fresh copper plates and learn how to transform them into a small edition of prints. This workshop will teach students a non-toxic form of etching and will include hard ground techniques, aquatinting and soft ground techniques. By the end of the course students will have an understanding of the basic principles of printmaking including the above etching processes along with working with printing inks and using a traditional etching press.
Weekend workshop
January 21 & 22
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
$200.00 non-member
$185.00 member
*materials included
PREFIX MAGAZINE
Picked up a copy of Prefix magazine last night at Chapters and found Spark Box in the Opportunities section. I knew that we might be mentioned but didn’t know it actually happened so that was a nice surprise. Prefix Photo is an engaging magazine, based out of Toronto. It is dedicated to contemporary photography and related arts. Characterized by innovative design and outstanding production values, Prefix Photo consists primarily of portfolio and essay sections, providing a complement of intelligent texts and breath-taking visuals. These features are accompanied by newsbriefs which provide information and opportunities for professional photographers, including new technological developments. Each issue of Prefix Photo presents the work of Canadian photographers, both emerging and established, alongside that of their international counterparts.
CRAFT MONTH AT SPARK BOX
It has been a busy month here with all the holiday sales over the past two weeks. Nell and I were making new items inspired by the galaxy for this holiday season, including cards, bags, pins, housewares and toys. Now that the sales are over it is time to reflect on all the great people we met while running around from sale to sale. The first sale was the OCAD Book Arts Fair in Toronto. It was a great Saturday and we met a number of really nice people. Our booth was right beside Jeffrey Macklin owner of Jackson Creek Press in Peterborough. Jeffrey’s printed work is so much fun and all made with by hand with a genuine old-school letterpress.
We did some great trades at this sale with Alex Froese and Tiny Press and met some really awesome crafters like the two ladies behind Good Plant.
On the Sunday we participated in the Fat Goose sale in Kingston. This is another fantastic event and always a good night. It is so nice to spend time with some of our favorite Kingston artisans like Vincent Perez of Everlovin Press (featured in Square2), Julian Berry of Ironclad Graphics and Brandy Olley of Salvage Designs. It was also a great place to meet new people like Jeff Woodrow of Joy T-Shirt. Joy T-Shirt is a really interesting idea, Jeff creates graphic t-shirts that are inspired by a real people. The shirt has a drawing of a real person printed on it and the idea is that when you wear your shirt you are encouraged to think about that person and how your everyday actions can affect others and the world we live in.
Last weekend we were part of the Busy Hands sale in Picton. Like Fat Goose it’s always a great time to re-connect with local crafters and say “hi” to people we haven’t seen in awhile. I got a chance to meet a few new people at this sale as well like Kathyrn Orok and Mags Kandis. It has been a fun two weeks but I am excited to spend a weekend at home and in the studio. If you missed the sales and are curious about what we have been up to please feel free to stop by and visit us.
PAST RESIDENT: TESSA ANDROUTSOPOULOS
This time last year we had printmaker Tessa Androutsopoulos staying with us. Tessa traveled to us from Finland. She studied printmaking at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, Scotland and in her application she sent images of her degree show entitled “World Destroyer”. This exhibition explored imaginary of cityscapes through wall painting and traditional printmaking. This was one of the most vibrant applications we had received and I was very excited to see what she would create while at Spark Box.
The work she completed while at the studio lived up to our expectations. Tessa was with us for two months and during that time she made a screen print series inspired by the circus, as well as a number of large and small linoblock prints. She had made so much during her stay and had met so many people we thought it would be fun to host an exhibition of her work. The exhibition was great and the party was so much fun. Tessa’s work filled the front room of the old studio and people young and old enjoyed her humorous images and lighthearted display.
RESIDENCY AWARD
Beginning your career as an emerging artist can be tough, which is why Spark Box Studio is offering FREE RESIDENCIES to fine art students and emerging artists. This residency opportunity is a unique way for young and emerging artists to cultivate new ideas, access a rich library of arts resources, learn about career-building opportunities, and develop an understanding of the art world from a business perspective.
Six emerging artists will receive a one-week (7 days) residency at our Open Studio in Prince Edward County. The selected applicants will be given a private studio space and given access to the Spark Box Studio equipment and resources, as well, winners will be provided with living accommodations for their weeklong stay. They will also have access to career guidance from owners Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping, along with, local community members.
The winter residency award runs from January 9, 2012 to March 31, 2011. Please be advised that the award is for 7 consecutive days.
Applying for the Residency Award gives artists the opportunity to practice an essential business skill in the art world: the application process.
APPLY NOW (DEADLINE NOVEMBER 1, 2011) CLICK HERE>>
WORKSHOPS
We just posted our upcoming workshops for October, November and December. There will be one workshop a month and our October workshop is relief printing. This introductory workshop will provide students of all experience levels with the knowledge to cut and print their own relief print. This three day workshop will take students step-by-step through the process of transferring an image, carving a blank linoleum block and printing a three colour reduction print.
3 day workshop
October 27, 28 and 29th
11:00 – 1:00 PM OR 6:00 – 8:00 PM
$150.00 non-member or $140.00 member
PAST RESIDENT-MONICA LACEY
P.E.I. photographer, potter and printmaker Monica Lacey worked at our studio during the month of July. Monica’s work primarily focuses on the beauty of the broken, overlooked, or discarded (maybe a residency in rural Ontario was a perfect choice 
).
During her stay she worked with solar plates, a printing process we hadn’t used at the studio before. Solar plate printing can be used to create intaglio prints or relief prints using photographic negatives. To find out more about this process click here >>
Monica’s working habits meant that the studio first needed to be prepped. Found treasures, personal photographs, great music and inspiring messages filled the space and quickly transformed it into a beautiful environment for working. Her studio space perfectly reflected her lovely personality and it became a great place for me (Chrissy) to get out of the July heat to share in thoughts about art, life and the power of a great beach!
Monica made several prints during her stay with us, each done from photographs she had taken prior to arriving. These images were of abandoned places, animals and amazing bits of nature. This imagery worked beautifully with the solar etchings. She even left us a small print in which she combined a bit of scrap paper from a note book we had found under the floor in our upstairs. Along with all the work she produced, Monica found time to enjoy the local scenery and reflected on her stay with us through her blog >>
UPCOMING EVENTS
NICOLAI SARAFOV LECTURE AND WORKSHOP
Free afternoon artist lecture starting at 2:00 PM Sunday August 7th
Get to know artist Nicolai Sarafov at this afternoon lecture at Blizzmax Gallery. Nicolai Sarafov studied for five years at the College of Fine Arts in Sofia, followed by six years at the Munich Academy. His etchings are figurative, narrative, filled with a literary references and rich with critical humour. Sarafov has been teaching for 25 + years, he has published a number of catalogues, books and magazines and has exhibited internationally.
There is still one spot open in the week-long workshop running from August 8 -12 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM each evening.
SMOKEVILLE SESSIONS
Smokeville Sessions, a new performance series that will move between different County venues, is holding its first evening starting at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, August 9 at the Tall Poppy Café, 298 Main St., Wellington. Featured are four literary performers, half from the County and half from “away,” a mix that will continue in future Smokeville Sessions as other kinds of performance are featured. In the inaugural evening, County residents Andrew McLuhan and David Harcourt will join Toronto writer/performers Charles C. Smith and John Oughton, with “community” as the common theme.
GUEST LECTURE AND WORKSHOP
We are very excited to soon be sharing our studio space with professor of print and innovative artist Nicolai Sarafov. Sarafov will be traveling from Germany to visit friends at Blizzmax Gallery this August. During his stay in P.E.C. he will be hosting a week long etching workshop, as well as an artist lecture.
About the Instructor:
Nicolai Sarafov studied for five years at the College of Fine Arts in Sofia, followed by six years at the Munich Academy. His etchings are figurative, narrative, filled with a literary references and rich with critical humour. Sarafov has been teaching for 25 + years, he has published a number of catalogues, books and magazines and has exhibited internationally.
About the Workshop:
The etching workshop with Nicolai will be a week long workshop starting Monday 8th and ending Friday 12th. The workshop will walk you through the various techniques of the etching process, including hardground etching and aquatint. You will learn about working with copper plates to create images and using an etching press to transfer your work to paper. The workshop is open to all levels, including experienced printmakers.
$250 (includes material fee) Monday, August 8 – Friday, August 12 6:00 – 9:00 PM
About the Lecture:
Here Sarafov will speak about his work, his founding of the “Institute for Bagonalistik” and his publications.
Sunday, August 7 Starts as 2:00 PM FREE *limited seating*
Please contact chrissy@sparkboxstudio.com to book for the workshop or the lecture.
RESIDENT: REBECCA ROTHFUS
I have always been drawn to white on white or black on black art work, so when artist Rebecca Rothfus came to our studio this past June and said she was going to work on a series of embossments I was thrilled. Rebecca work is of modern day landscapes. She is intrigued by the structural beauty of cell towers and industrial plants and enjoys the visual contrast between these structures and their surroundings. Using photographic references Rebecca made four collograph prints which she later used for her embossments.
A collograph print is created by using a hard surface (wood or cardboard) to build up your imagery. This results in a relief surface with a range of different textures and levels. Many printmakers use string, fabrics, objects found in nature and textured paper to create their imagery. Generally these are then inked and transferred to paper through the printing press. Rebecca used cardboard to build up the different layers of her print, adding and removing pieces to create the levels. Then, instead of inking the plate she put it through the press clean to create the embossment. The wet paper moulded around the different levels of cardboard leading to a beautiful, all white print, with her image recessing in from the background.
MAKING ART IN THE NEW DIGS
Six days after we moved into the new location we hosted our first resident, Krystal Read, hailing all the way from Dallas, Texas. I must say we were pretty nervous about having a resident only five days after we moved but lucky for us she was great and everything came together just fine. Krystal worked with etching and silkscreen while at the studio. She produced four progressive etchings with silkscreen components and several great sketches (like the one you see above). Krystal’s work is filled with layers of imagery from her past, found images and pop culture.
In her own words “many remnants of history, like old photos, are discarded or quietly tucked away without much reference. It is the rediscovery of these historical remnants that fascinates me. After stumbling upon a collection of old photographs at an antique store, I was drawn by the mystery of the photos. These ghost-like images that are discarded and almost lost to history implore elaboration and interpretation. Through various mediums (drawing, etching, performance, photo-animation) I explore how history can evolve into fantasy or decompose into remnants.
By etching a memory onto a metal plate, I explore the attempt to hold on to history. The medium allows me to explore the many facets of a memory by creating various states in which I scrape away parts of the image and fabricate other details. The plate retains each consecutive mark and, as a result, becomes a recording of historic events. Photo-animation also allows me to record the life of a memory by photographing the slow erasure of an image or the added drawing of a self-imagined context. This deliberate elaboration and removal of details generates questions about the elusive story of the image while exploring themes of memory, time and truth.”
REFLECTING ON PAST RESIDENTS: JAMIE Q
A few months ago we had Jamie Q, a Canadian artist, participate in our Residency Award. Jamie works in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, bookmaking and printing. I loved her work as soon as I opened the link to her website. It was bright, punchy, fun and full of underlying meaning. Not only was her work amazing but her MFA research focused on the politics and aesthetics of the do-it-yourself ethic, as well as the social potential of art objects and DIY distribution strategies … could she sound more interesting? She proposed to create a silk screened zine while staying with us and she did just that. In a week Jamie made 60, 14 paged, 8 colour screen printed books. For those who don’t know much about silk screen this is a lot of work and a great accomplishment. ***by the way you can purchase a copy for yourself on her website just click here***
Jamie always seems to be up to something. If you are living in San Francisco you can see her work at the Take Root exhibition at the Luggage Store Annex. If you are in London Ontario she will be participating in a Zine Workshop at the London Library April 28th.
THE LITTLEST PRINT EXCHANGE
Sometimes, when you don’t have time to create a whole body of work, it is fun to participate in a collaborative project. That is why this past summer I applied to be part of the Littlest Print Exchange. The Littlest Print Exchange is an annual juried trade of tiny art prints. Fifty artists are each invited to submit an edition of 50 prints and in turn receive a complete portfolio of 50 prints from all 50 contributing artists.
To my luck I was picked to be one of the 50 printmakers involved. So in early October I got to work making my 50 3″ x 3″ etchings to send off to Illinois. Why did Christopher Clark start the Littlest Print Exchange? He says that ”in truth, the Littlest Print Exchange is a chance to defy the notion that bigger is better, to prove that good things really do come in small packages, and to build connections between artists working around the globe.”
Being the owner of a print studio I encourage any opportunity to see the work of other printmakers and to connect with them. Because of this I was really excited and happy when I say the little package sitting in our mail box from Chris. I am also happy to announce that all of you can see these great prints as well. We will have the Mini Print Show up at Spark Box Studio until the end of the month.
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SQUARE2 ISSUE THREE
The third issue of the Square2 Magazine is now for sale at Spark Box Studio and Books and Company! This issue looks at artists who work in a traditional fashion, creating art grounded in history, using materials, methods and subject matter passed down through generations.
We had the opportunity to launch this issue with an intimate concert at the Bloomfield Town Hall with Julian Brown and Blake Howard.
We are now working on the fourth issue which is already looking to be packed full of great and inspiring artists!
To see a preview click here: http://issuu.com/square2magazine/docs/sq2issue3_portion
RESIDENT: KATIE BOND PRETTI
In my fourth year at Queen’s I began to concentrate on abstract painting. My professor Jan Winton actively encouraged this and was always showing me different artists for inspiration. When artist Kim Dorland came Queen’s to give a guest lecture Jan made sure that I booked a meeting with him. I took her advice and signed up for a private studio visit. Kim was very nice to speak with, giving me positive feedback and good advice for moving forward. During our chat he told me about some Toronto artists working in abstract painting. One of these artists was a young girl named Katie Pretti.
That same day I went online and searched the artists Kim had mentioned and was pleasantly surprised to find such great work being made just 2.5 hours away from me. I particularly liked the work by this Katie Pretti. I added her website to my favorites and often checked back to see what she was up to.
Then I graduated, moved back to Prince Edward County and started Spark Box Studio. After a few months of running the studio we launched our Emerging Artist Residency Award. One day I opened my email and saw a very familiar name. Katie Pretti. I was shocked. Why was Katie Pretti writing me?
It turned out she heard about the residency and was interested in applying for the award. Of course there was no hesitation, I offered her a space right away. I was so excited to have a young artist that I looked up to coming to my little studio.
Katie came to Spark Box in mid-April. She worked on a serious of plexi-glass engravings as well as a few etchings. We talked about school, getting our masters and showing work in commercial galleries. Katie has done quite well for herself in Toronto. She has been showing with LE Gallery for several years and just recently installed an exhibition with them called “The Vanitas”. This show is comprised of a series of 10 large-scale painting that explore the themes of death, emptiness, disenchantment, and the brevity of life.
It was a great experience having Katie at the studio.
ONLINE FIND: JEN COLLINS
I just found a very lovely illustrator/printmaker the other night Jen Collins. I found out from her online bio that she is from Scotland and like most artists she has a day job and works on her art in the evenings and on weekends …
Collins works mostly with Gocco prints. For those who are unfamiliar with Gocco prints they are done with a self-contained color printing system. It is similar to silkscreen printing and was invented by Noboru Hayama in 1977. Gocco was very popular in Japan in the 80s and is now used by many printmakers that cannot afford traditional silkscreen equipment (which can be very expensive). They are also very small so you can easily use them to print in your home.
I love Collins’ drawing style, it reminds me a lot of Andy Warhol’s early works of cakes and shoes! I also love how fun and playful her illustrations are. If you want to see more of her work you should check out her Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hellojenuine.
CREATIVE KIDS CAMP
Soon after Spark Box opened its doors we began receiving inquiries about hosting a children’s art camp during the summer. However, the thought of a bunch of paint-covered kids running around our small studio space was enough to keep us up at night. When we expressed our dilemma, our supportive community stepped forward to provide us with a camp location! Mia Lane, and her daughter Becky Lane, offered to host the camp on an amazing wooded property by Fish Lake. During the week of August 16 – 20, 8 kids from all over the world came to print, paint, draw and sculpt in the woods.
Not only did we have a great location, we also got great help. Becky Lane, a local designer, helped Chrissy Poitras plan, organize and run the camp. While the kids had fun creating their art, they were also taught and inspired by the art history each of their projects was drawn from. The campers learnt about the impressionists while painting en plein air, the earth art movement in the 1960s by creating sculptures out of natural materials, and the history of street art when making their own graphic text pieces, to name a few.
By the end of the camp the kids had created an impressive array of remarkable art works, installed their own exhibition in the woods, titled and priced their work, and made personalized invitation for their family and friends. They had a great turn out and some even sold some work!
