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Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes | 0 comments

Monica Bennett writes: “I love colour. It is always what interests me first, what my eye sees first. Texture and pattern combined with colour inspire me and get the creative ideas flowing. My hand felted, wearable art pieces showcase colour, texture and pattern in a pleasing balance of form and function”.

“My wraps may look delicate but they are very wearable. Made mostly from Merino and Corriedale wools felted on to iridescent silk chiffon, they are soft on the skin, lightweight but warm, easily draped around the shoulders on a cool summer evening or wrapped around the neck, tucked under the chin and into a winter coat.”

“I was born and raised in West Vancouver. I received my Bachelor of Applied Arts in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Ryerson University in Toronto in 1988. In 1991, I took my first quilting class and from that moment on, fiber became my creative outlet”.

“Throughout the 1990s, I studied embroidery, hand and machine stitchery, fabric dyeing and surface design with a variety of international teachers. I started teaching quilting in Vancouver in 1995 and continued to teach even after my husband, Trevor, and I moved to Pender Island in 1999. When I started learning to hand felt in 2001, I knew I wouldn’’t be working in fabric arts anymore”.

“Once I saw how my hands could get into the creation of the art – literally – I was really excited”.

“Almost overnight, I stopped working with fabrics and started working with sheep’s wool, goat locks, silks and exotic fibers such as camel down,bison, qiviut, alpaca and llama. The ability to design and create the very fabric itself is an amazing feeling”.

“Everything I make is done by hand. I lay out the unspun fibers then felt them – gently rubbing them with warm, soapy water, then rolling them in bubble wrap over and over, constantly checking and adjusting as the work progresses. My hands tell me when a piece is felting, where it needs more attention and when it is finished.”

Monica’s beautiful, handcrafted work makes a magnificent gift and all represent outstanding value.

Posted in corriedale wool, felting, gifts, local crafts, merino wool, Monica Bennett, oak bay, shawles, shop local, side street studio

Inspired by the love of Nature

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes | 0 comments

Beach Pebbles Studio

Inspired by the love of Nature. Created by artist Sharon Beatch.

The studio was started when we purchased our Island cottage in 2010. It is located a stones’ throw away from Beachcomber Marina in Nanoose Bay on the beautiful West Coast of Vancouver Island.

Our family enjoys time strolling the secret beaches in the area and playing along the shore. It is fun to find the interesting pebbles, sea glass, shells and driftwood and it’s great exercise to walk then carry the treasures back to the cottage.

I have always loved doing crafts and creating things from almost nothing. Setting beach treasures out after we got them home and washed quickly turned into visions of art.

Some pebbles have been tumbled in a rock polisher to bring out their colors, others have been left natural to show off their powerful roughness designed by mother nature. I create simplistic and unique shadow box pictures which to me represent love, life, family, friendship and caring- all the values we hold dear in our hearts.

Some of the ideas were inspired from family and friend events like the birth our grandchild, weddings, boating, camping etc

I hope you enjoy them. You can see more of Sharon's beautiful work at www.sidestreetstudio.com

A World Made By Hand

Beach Pebble Studio Shadow Boxes

Posted in bc art, beach pebble studios, gifts, local crafts, oak bay, shadow boxes, sharon beatch, shop local, side street studio

A Seasoning of Salt Fired Pottery

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes | 0 comments

Cathi Jefferson on Salt-Firing writes:

“Each piece of my pottery is fired to high – temperature stoneware (cone 10 / 2400 degrees F or 1300 degrees Celcius in a 40 cubic foot gas car kiln.Prior to firing, each piece is dipped with a watery slip then most of the interiors are glazed by dipping with a variety of individually made glazes (usually a Shino glaze).

Some pieces have the watery slip or glaze sprayed on the inside and/or outer surfaces. The exterior surfaces have a variety of metal oxides and terra sigillatas (no glazes) that produces a colour range in the hues of nature. The crispness in colours and varying surface textures are produced by the salt-firing.

Late in the gas firing, I roll up “burritoes” made of salt and baking soda and wood shavings and put them in to the kiln by dropping them in to the kiln on a piece of angle iron. Once in the kiln, they volitize sending salt vapour moving with the gas flame among the pieces of pottery.

The resulting outside surfaces vary from side to side due to the direction of the flame with the salt vapour interacting with the pieces as the flame weaves through the kiln.

Each piece is different and sparkles with a vitality that only the salt-firing process can produce”.

You can see more of Cathi’s fabulous work at www.sidestreetstudio.com A World Made By Hand

Posted in cathi jefferson, local crafts, oak bay, pottery, salt fired pottery, shop local, wedding gifts

A Passion for Ocean Themes

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes | 0 comments

One of the great pleasures of owning a studio is that just occasionally you meet an artist who produces some really creative and beautiful work. Darcy Epp is a perfect example. Her Raku is stunning and very well worth viewing.

Darcy began her pottery career in 1993 by taking some night classes with a studio potter. She immediately realized that working with the magic of clay on the potter’s wheel and individual hand sculpting was something that would be immensely fulfilling.

She has taken many workshops in both functional and decorative pieces at North Island College and Metchosin International School of the Arts, as well as specialized workshops and seminars from Gordon Hutchens (Denman Island), Siegele and Haley (Arkansas), Alan Burgess (Courtenay) as well as many others.

Not limiting herself to one medium, she has learned and crosses over between traditional thrown pottery to slab work, Raku and porcelin, often incorporating the theory of one discipline to another. A passion for ocean themes, her attention to the intricate details of orcas, starfish, and rockfish has earned her pottery prominence in some of the most exclusive resort destinations venues.

Raku is an ancient type of Japanese firing dating back to the 16th century. Beautiful iridescent blues, violets, copper and crackle glazes are produced on either wheel thrown or sculptural pottery. The pottery is fired to 1800° and then “reduced” in a chamber which catches fire immediately. The fire uses up all the oxygen in both glaze and chamber, thus producing one of a kind results.

Darcy lives in Black Creek on lovely Vancouver Island. B.C. and you can find more of her beautiful work at Side Street Studio, Victoria, B.C.

A World Made By Hand

Posted in bald eagle, Canadian Gifts, darcy epp, local crafts, maple leaf, oak bay, pottery, raku, salmon, shop local, side street studio, starfish, wedding gifts, wildlife

Unleashing Your Inner Expression!

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes | 0 comments

Allan de Haan grew up in Smithers and Campbell River with an early interest in art; always drawing monsters of one sort or another!

The biggest thing as he got older was that he needed artistic expression and took classes in figure drawing and stained glass, always looking for some medium that would allow his inner expression to be unleashed. After many different attempts at making extra money he met an artist named Patrick Logan who lived in Campbell River. His expression of art was something that he truly fell in love with.

He remembers saying to Patrick that if I was ever to paint that he would choose to block his colors as he did. Stained glass was his art of choice and every color is blocked by lead. It was during this period that he learned about himself as one of his big interests became philosophy and the study of his own human nature.

“Know thyself” comes to his mind and coupled with an ever widening regard of the great outdoors he became an outdoors enthusiast always looking to reach further out into the land and yet trying to always further reach into himself.

Whilst living in Victoria B.C. Allan and his daughter created banners for the Campbell River banner project and finally he found himself and started to paint. All the steps of a lifetime finally became realized in a melting pot of understanding that he had finally found his calling. He had found ways to limitlessly express himself in a way that was all unto himself.

“What I know is that if you put your mind to something that you love, something will come back to you ten fold in return and that the energy you put forth into something you love is an energy that feels as if there was no effort in creating it.”

You can find more of Allan’s beautiful West Coast Art at

Posted in allan de haan west coast art

Stuart Clarke West Coast Wildlife Photographer

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes | 0 comments

Stuart Clarke Wildlife Photographer writes;

After graduating from Trent University with a degree in Biology in 1994, I made my way to the West Coast and Victoria to pursue my dream.

After a number of years in the Outdoor Industry I have finally found my true calling as a wildlife photographer. As a life long birder it wasn’t a stretch to trade the binoculars for a camera. As a wildlife photographer you often get 2 comments “you must be really patient” and “you must have a really good camera”.

The first one I always find so interesting, because for me, sitting in the woods observing and recording bird behaviour in one the most beautiful places on the planet is something I used to do on my days off and the excitement of capturing a rare or difficult species more then offsets the patience needed. The second, kind of goes without saying, to photograph small fast moving birds in dark forests requires top quality gear just to make it possible, but, it most certainly doesn’t make it easy or guarantee you’ll get the shot.

It is this challenge that keeps me inspired and has led to my specialty of capturing birds in-flight. Two of my favourite images, one of a male Barred Owl as it has left its perch looking for a mouse and the other is a Bald Eagle as it came in for a fish. The owl shot came from a lot of hard work, perseverance and wet rainy days in the rainforest, watching and observing this owl as he fed his mate and their offspring. After I captured this image, I zoomed in on the LCD screen on the back of the camera, when I saw that it was sharp it was like getting a hole in one and well worth all of the soggy mornings.

The eagle photo on the other hand was all about being in the right place at the right time. While having lunch with my girlfriend at the Oak Bay Marina I saw all of the gulls take flight, a sure sign that an eagle is patrolling the area. I grabbed my camera and ran down to the water just in time to capture this bird as it came in for a fish. This incredible pose as it came directly at me is a once in a lifetime capture. These images and many more are part of my ever expanding Card Collection. I currently have over 100 species of birds and wildlife plus a large collection of nature and park images from all over Vancouver Island.

My cards are unique in that the backs have information on the species and where it can be found in North America. The images on the cards are actual photographs and are suitable for framing. All of the images in my card collection can also be purchased as Prints – (framed or unframed) as well as giclee canvas prints (stretched or rolled).

You can find all of Stuart’s superb cards, prints, mugs etc at www.sidestreetstudio.com

A World Made By Hand

Posted in a world made by hand, bears, hummingbirds, orcas, stuart clarke, west coast photography, wildlife eagles

Charles Van Sandwyk’s Beautiful Books and Cards

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Sue Hayes | 0 comments

Charles Van Sandwyk’s Beautiful Books and Cards

Charles Noel van Sandwyk was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1966.

charles van sandwyk

In 1977 he emigrated with his family to Vancouver, Canada. By the early 1980s he was selling his drawings and watercolours in a style reminiscent of the old prints and paintings which hung in the family home.

Van Sandwyk studied graphic design at the Capilano College art programme in North Vancouver. Upon completion in 1986, the wanderlust of younger years sent him travelling to the South Pacific.

He discovered the Fiji Islands, and fell in love with a remote island and its inhabitants. He began to divide his time equally between Vancouver and Fiji, leasing land from the neighbouring family and building for himself a simple home of grass thatch, in the traditional island style.

Van Sandwyk settled into a pleasurable routine of winter seasons in Fiji filled with painting and writing, the results of which were brought back to Canada each summer and prepared for exhibition and publication each autumn. His watercolours, etchings and books are now collected across North America and in Europe.

The National Library of Canada has maintained archives on his work since 1986. Charles Van Sandwyk continues to divide his time between Vancouver and his beloved Fiji.