open mic night

last night i took the stage at Cha Island Tea's Open Mic Night. i was smack dab in the middle of the show with a whole bunch of musicians around me. the entertainment was plenty and rockin'. my segment went very well and so did the others. months ago, Cha Island was the place where i had my art up and i managed to sell three pieces! what a great way to end the month!!!   

this non-descript book i found is a poetry book by Welsh poet and writer W.H. Davies. this copy of Nature Poems and Others is a fourth impression printed in 1922. the 62 pages are filled with lovely prose on nature and life. Davies was a part of the Georgian poetry movement and lived most of his life as a tramp or hobo. he was related to the famous British actor Sir Henry Irving. his most notable work is The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp. Davies also lived in the United States and made a brief appearance in Canada, which cost him his leg from the knee down. 

the world is round

in my travels i also found this book by Gertrude Stein. it's the first Camelot printing, 1972 and if you can believe the spine hasn't even been cracked. which made taking photos of the illustrations hard. i wonder if someone bought it with the intention to read it, never got around to it and realised they had the book when doing some cleaning and decided to give it away. a shame really. books always have stories of their own. another reason why i bought this book was because of who illustrated it, Clement Hurd. he illustrated many children's books. Goodnight Moon and the Runaway Bunny are the two he is most famously known for.

just a sample of Clement Hurd's lovely illustrations that round out this tale about a girl named Rose.

Robert Burns

Last week i decided to go to one of my favourite secondhand bookstores, The Bookseller and browse the poetry section. I found these little gems. A three volume set of Robert Burns by Morris, all leather bound and in great condition. Lots of poems and songs to read. At the back of volume three there is a Glossary of Scotticisms. Which seems to me to be like a glossary of terms, of Scottish words from A-Z. Just in case you need brushing up on.

guess who's coming to dinner...

my owl design on a plate. here is the first of my designs that will grace a plate. i am sure my other designs will serve up well. - jw

© copyright photos and artwork by Jacqueline Williams. publishing prohibited unless with the author's permission.

three tulips

here is the lovely little tulip bud vase i have painted. simple but sweet. -jw

little blue bird

most recently i started painting on ceramics. i have painted my artwork on vases, tiles and plates. the little blue bird trinket box is the latest and ever so cute! painting on canvas and painting on ceramics are two different things. i had to reverse some of my thinking on how to approach drawing and painting with ceramics. with a canvas i feel i have more control. ceramics less so... drawing, painting, the number of coats of paint and once it hits the kiln equals accepting what is handed to you when you pick it up. all of this continues to be a learning experience for me and something i am enjoying quite a bit. -jw

© copyright artwork and photo by Jacqueline Williams

my poetry reading went very well and i enjoyed reading at Greenwoods' new location. very cosy and intimate. the weather has warmed up. my art is no longer up at Cha Island Tea Co. it was up for four months, i think that's a pretty good length of time. i will venture along the Ave and see where else i may hang my art. i am also working on some new designs/paintings for this years artwalk. i have been painting ceramics too! many projects are on the go. no wonder it feels like spring is here! - jw

when the weather is like this...

i tend to spend it in the kitchen, baking and cooking many things. so today i will be focused on my poetry. i have a poetry reading this Sunday and i need to select the ones i will be sharing. - jw

my creativity flows down many avenues

hi everyone! you may have noticed i started posting about the many cookbooks i collect. considering that this blog is more for my poetry and art, it got me thinking. so i started a new blog to share my luv of cookbooks, recipes, kitchen gadgets etc. called The Half Cut Cook

still in the tweaking stages and forging ahead this new blog is a very natural choice for me... i luv to create in the kitchen. i will not be abandoning this blog. i do still create outside of the kitchen. if you would like to follow or swing by please do so. it would be very much appreciated and who knows eventually i may post a cooking video or two! all the best in 2012 to you all!

cheers

JW

please note

due to some technical difficulties i had to do some re-tooling on my blog. essentially i had to re-add myself as an author. so if you note any problems please let me know. thank you!