I have 2 paintings in the group show Dirty Pop which takes place tomorrow night at Box Studios. The artist list has some of my favorite names on it, so I know it will be a fun night. You can RSVP on the Facebook event page here.

BOX STUDIOS + FRANKLIN ROOM

by Rheanna Fancypants

by Kristen Ferma

Click here to see the other pieces or place a bid!

See you on Saturday!

How can there only be 2 more weeks left until the end of August? Technically the boy doesn’t go back to school until September 7th, but to me September = fall. Boo! Hiss! Stop the clock for just a little longer please!

In light of how little time I have left this summer, I’m really glad that I decided to take 4 out of the 6 days I had in between markets last week to head down to Washington & visit with friends. It was a lot of travel time (stupid border line ups & stupider ferries booked solid) for only 2 days of relaxation, but I’m glad we did it. Highlights:

Since the clock is still ticking on summer, I’m making a list of the things I really want to do before we’re back to raincoats & rubber boots:

• ride rides at the PNE
• swim in the Stanley Park pool (overlooking the ocean – awesome!)
• take the dogs to the leash free swimming area of Buntzen Lake
• eat yummy food stuffs at Richmond Night Market
• ride my bike along the sea wall to Go Fish – one of the best spots for fish & chips in Vancouver
• have at least one lazy summer day where I do nothing but read, doodle in my sketchbook & drink iced tea (or sangria)

That makes for a couple of very busy weeks & since I still have a boatload of work to do, I’m thinking a lot of iced coffees may be in my future. Which is just fine. I can sleep in October.

I’m back at Harmony Arts Fest this weekend (Friday 4 to 8 pm, Sat & Sun 10 am to 8 pm), which means I’ve been a busy bee trying to re-stock the Cagey table with goodies after a wonderfully busy few days. It is such a beautiful spot along the water in West Vancouver.

I got to listen to great music all day, meet some lovely customers & fellow vendors, do a little shopping of my own plus strategize about how I’m going to become friends with people who own boats. Spending the day by the shore was nice, but I was a little envious of all the folks launching their boats into the water for the day. Got room for one more?

Highlight of the festival so far: overhearing 2 wee ones argue over which one of my paintings was “the awesomest.” Nope, not a bad way to spend a sunny afternoon at all! hehe

Harmony Arts Festival kicks off this Friday, July 30th in West Vancouver & I can’t wait! I’ve been up to my eyeballs in resin for the last couple of weeks, so I’m delighted to see the weather forecast is calling for sunshine & hopefully lots of folks out wandering around. If you’ve never been before, it’s a great festival with a big craft market right along the beach at Ambleside Landing, tons of concerts & bands playing (I think 84 performances in total – wow!), group art shows, artist studio tours, a wine garden, children’s programs, cinema in the park…seriously, tons of stuff to do!

The festival runs from July 30th through August 8th. You can check out the full schedule on the Harmony website here.

Want to find me? I’ll be at the:

Delany’s Coffee House Craft Market
Ambleside Landing
Friday, July 30th to Monday, August 2nd

And then back again next weekend too!

Friday, August 6th to Sunday, August 8th

Fridays 4:00pm – 8:00 pm
Saturdays, Sundays and Monday: 10:00am – 8:00 pm

Ruh roh! Apparently the geese were out celebrating Canada Day a little early!

On my way home from art class yesterday I ran into this gaggle of geese (yes, I did have to Google “What is a flock of geese called?”) blocking the sea wall. This is a perfect example of why I love taking classes at Emily Carr on Granville Island. I get to ride my bike along the sea wall & there is always something interesting to make me smile.

These particular geese didn’t seem too concerned about us pedestrians. Or cyclists. Or people walking their dogs. They were just hanging out & if you got too close or if certain ones got too close to each other, they started hissing. I have a mild fear of birds at the best of times, so being surrounded by geese that seemed none too pleased was quite the achievement for me. If one had actually lunged at me & snapped at my leg? I think I would’ve fainted on the spot!

For my non-Canuck friends, July 1st is Canada Day & I am taking a little holiday. My best friend is moving to California in a few weeks, so we’re hopping on the ferry tomorrow morning & heading out to the island for a couple of days. I’m going to miss her terribly, but I’m really glad we’re getting a chance to spend time together before she leaves. I’ve only lived in Vancouver for 3 years & though I’ve been blessed with meeting some really wonderful people, it takes a lot of time to build close friendships. She is definitely one of those good eggs who I feel totally comfortable with, can tell anything & know I could count on when times are rough. Needless to say, I’m sad.

The upside is – now I have an excuse to escape the rainy Vancouver winters & visit California! First stop: Disneyland.

Happy Canada Day!