Thanksgiving

This is part of the beautiful and bountiful display before the Communion Table of Glen Cairn United Church yesterday. The upper edge of the cornucopia I made for the church can just be seen in the centre of the display. Thanks must go to Faye Adams for her creativity in setting up this artistic display.

A large, empty cardboard box was placed at the entrance to the sanctuary. People placed gifts for the Kanata Food Bank in this before they entered. At the end of the service this box was, like a cornucopia, filled to the brim and overflowing. Thanks indeed.

The Senior Choir's anthem was a song of Thanksgiving, "Kwimba Asante". This was a rousing anthem of praise in an echo and response style where the bases sang the Swahili words and the tenors, altos and sopranos sang the English translation. Additional words of thanks in Japanese, Russian and Spanish were then sung by the altos and sopranos which the tenors and bases translated into, "We thank you," "We thank you." Drum accompanyment added to the pleasure of this rythmic song of joy.

(Photo courtesy of Robert Tate.)

Preparing for the West Carleton Art Society's Exhibition and Sale.

On a rainy Fall day when the leaves were at their best, I met with Lis Allison of the West Carleton Arts Society at the Nepean Sportsplex to pick up "grids" for this weeeks Exhibition and Sale at the Carp Agricultural Hall.






It did not take long to load over 50 of the grids in the back of Lis's pick-up. What took a little longer was gaining access to the loading area as huge transport trucks had the advantage and priority over a small truck.





We took and the grids to Carp and off loaded them. We returned for another 50 or so. After loading these the way out was blocked by more trucks. The loading area we used was under the three windows shown behind the backed-up truck.





Later I set up my basket display in the hall. Sales are tonight, tomorrow and Sunday.







Other artists also were in process of setting up too. I hope to have a successful weekend.

Market Basket

I added another Market Basket to my Etsy shop today. It will also accompany me to the Carp Fairgrounds on the Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian) and to the Glebe on Halloween weekend. There I will be taking part in exhibitions and shows.






The Carp show is hosted by the West Carleton Arts Society and features the work of artists and artisans from the western suburbs and the countryside to the west of Ottawa. On Saturday the 10th the Exhibition coincides with the Carp Farmers Market and opens from 8 00 am to 4 oo pm.




The Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild 60th Anniversary Exhibition and Show will feature a variety of spinners, weavers and makers of hand-made textile goods. Its title. "More than just cloth" does not really do justice to the quality and range of items for sale their. High end goodies!

Completed Cornucopia

As an added bonus I completed two Christmas Star cards in readiness for the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild Show and Exhibition on the Halloween weekend. Each Guild member is expected to supply three of such art cards. (The third card was a disaster as I attempted to design a spital with beads.)




The cornucopia is finished and is ready to be filled with Thanksgiving items and placed on the communion table at Glen Cairn United Church on the 11th.








Its shape is unique.








The white band on the interior is made from white willow, willow stripped of its bark in the spring. The finishing border is of a style I work on rarely, but it seems quite effective.

Cornucopia continued

I was able to spend two-and-a-half more hours on the cornucopia. That was insufficient to finish it. Still, it is progressing.

I have added another set of stakes to a total of sixty-four. Tomorrow I plan to weave five more rows of three rod waling and then finish the basket with a border. It should be completed by noon tomorrow.

CORNUCOPIA: beginning stages

I was asked a few weeks ago to design and make a "Cornucopia" for the Thanksgiving Service" at my local church, Glen Cairn United Church. Canadian Thanksgiving is the weekend of October 11th, 12th and 13th. Today, I decided to start on this project





As you can see, a morning's work has the cornucopia well under way. I started by fastening two pieces of cane together in an "X" shape using a plastic tie. The tie is practically invisible now. I then used the finest of the canes I have to begin the tail end of the cornucopia. This was woven around the four cane lengths of the "X". The fine cane is natural coloured (undyed.) I slowly began to flare out that cane. When it reached an appropriate diameter in width, I switched to a larger size cane to weave with. This was dyed brown.


I continued to flare the weaving and soon was able to add four more stakes. As the bell of the cornucopia grew wider, I added eight more stakes, and then sixteen.

Currently I have embellished the cornucopia with two bands of flat cane. I have some fine white-willow soaking and hope to add several bands of this to the cornucopia later today or tomorrow. I hope this will be effective as well as beautiful. The next blog will show the finished product, I hope.

I will not see the display on the 12th since I will be taking part in the West Carleton Arts Society's "Expression of Art 2009" Exhibition and Sale in Carp, Ontario that weekend. I will try to remember to ask Anne to take the camera to chuch that day and take photos of the display.