Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, October 18-20, 2019

Cobalt Blue Artist-made Sea Glass and Copper Wind Chime
by Coast Chimes

How exciting! Just over a week until the 2019 Sunshine Coast Art Crawl! I'm almost ready, with nearly 250 gorgeous wind chimes and suncatchers. Most of these are available for preview on the website: Coast Chimes

There are a few more special works to assemble, and then the BIG transformation: changing my workshop into gallery space. This involves moving and storing all the tools and glass, cleaning up, hanging fixtures and lights, and arranging the works of art. I allow four days for that.

If you live on the Sunshine Coast, or if you are visiting for the Crawl, be sure to drop by Coast Chimes. I look forward to seeing you! Here are directions: Coast Chimes Location

Frosty White Artist-made Sea Glass Chime by Coast Chimes

Coast Chimes Gallery: Almost Always Open

Coast Chimes Gallery
Gibsons, BC, Canada

Since moving to our new home six years ago, I have been fortunate to have a nice space to use as a gallery. Coast Chimes is open whenever I am home, which is most of the time. A fair number of people drop by, which is great: I love showing off my work, and talking with people about my inspiration and methods. Sometimes they just want a quick look, or they already know Coast Chimes and grab a gift for someone's birthday. Other times, they are visiting for the first time, sometimes from far, far away, and are very curious about all aspects of my work. I enjoy all this a lot. I always have plenty of time to talk with visitors.

I am usually home, because I work long hours to make all these things, to photograph them, to do the website work, to communicate with online customers, to do social media, to pack and ship. Already, I am preparing for the annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, which seems to be approaching very fast! If at all possible for you to visit the Coast for the Art Crawl, you will enjoy it immensely. It is huge, and extremely well organized. But book accommodation early, as I believe it gets sold out. Ferry reservations would be a good idea, too. It is always possible to come across from Vancouver as a foot passenger. The Art Crawl itself is a free event.

If you can't visit in person, everything in the gallery is on my website: Coast Chimes

Now it's time to pack some orders, cut some brass.

Sunshine Coast Art Crawl

A Little Corner of My Gallery: Coast Chimes

 

 

This past weekend was the annual 3 day Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, and if the crowd swooping down on Coast Chimes (one of the 165 venues) was any indication, what a success! So many people from so many different places (the Crawl is becoming really famous and popular even off the Coast). The gorgeous blue skies meant even wider smiles.

Each year I try to do better. This year I had another 800 feet of ferry lights, and those received a lot of compliments and interest. I'll aim for another 1000 feet next year, to really sparkle!

Each year I wish to have every single chime with a bottom section, i.e., complete. Since the top parts are more interesting for me to make than the chimes, over the winter I tend to fall behind on chime sections. Well, I was far short of achieving my goal-- about 50 small chimes short, and 30 large copper chimes short. Too bad, as it is fun to see all the works displayed, and I had to put many out of sight. Next year will be even better!

If you missed Coast Chimes during the Art Crawl, I am part of the Purple Banner group, so Coast Chimes is open all year round. Maybe phone ahead (604-229-5560) just to make sure I am home and not out on a beach combing mission.

Update, Sunshine Coast Art Crawl 2017, Coast Chimes

A busy weekend preparing for the
2017 Sunshine Coast Art Crawl
Oct. 20-22
535 Woodland Avenue
Gibsons BC
Gallery no. 9

A very busy, but rewarding, weekend preparing for the 2017 Sunshine Coast Art Crawl. I finally had some success solving my long time lighting issues. Number 1 was making quite cool perforated  sheet metal shades for the bare light bulbs. Those bare bulbs have annoyed me enormously, and I am very pleased to have resolved that issue. No. 2 is the fairy lights, a few of which you see in the image above. Previously I had used strip LED lighting, but was not at all satisfied with the look. These fairly lights are a lot more interesting. The only issue with them is that they are not quite bright enough to illuminate my glass from behind, but at least they give some idea of what the glass might look like in the sunlight, and they do not throw the colors as badly as the strip LED.

There are just 4 more days to finish preparations, and I have a lengthy list. It is going to all get done, but, as usual, just barely!

Looking enormously forward to the big weekend!