Recreating Creativity: Virtual Vernissages, Outdoor Trunk Shows, Online Art Tours! - theHumm October 2020
Recreating Creativity: Virtual Vernissages, Outdoor Trunk Shows, Online Art Tours! - theHumm October 2020
By Miss Cellaneous
Caroline Ji: Blue Hour at Sivarulrasa Gallery
From October 14 to November 20, Sivarulrasa Gallery in Almonte is pleased to present a solo exhibition of paintings by artist Caroline Ji. Caroline Ji: Blue Hour can be viewed in person during regular gallery hours, Wednesdays to Sundays from 11am to 5pm.
“Blue Hour” is a reference to the period before sunrise and after sunset when a serene blue light permeates the sky. “Blue hour is when I’m most inspired and most prone to pause work in the studio and look outside and start thinking about stuff,” Caroline notes. “It’s magical like golden hour, but less glamorous and less in your face. It’s fleeting, too, and that makes me sad, but I am comforted by the knowledge that it will arrive again tomorrow.” The artist refers to many of the paintings in the show as blue hour paintings. During the pandemic she spent much time in her Toronto studio painting in the blue hour before sunrise.
Caroline Ji’s figurative works are evocative and intimate depictions of people she has met, re-lived conversations, and memories. Her paintings of still life and interior scenes are a way for her to record daily life by herself in the studio. Her work exudes solitude — “though I paint my friends a lot, the inspiration comes from moments of solitude” she states. With oil as her chosen medium, she employs a striking colour palette with careful attention to lighting choices. “In a painting, unlike a movie, time happens all at once,” she notes. Her compositions are aimed at creating a simple, cohesive idea from a multitude of complex, fleeting inputs. Some objects and individuals have a recurring presence in her works, including her blue guitar, an instrument she likes to play in the studio. Caroline Ji’s paintings are held in private collections in Canada, the United States, Europe and Hong Kong. Her work has been exhibited in Toronto, Ottawa and the United States.
Caroline Ji will join live via Zoom to talk about her work and inspiration at an Artist Talk & Virtual Vernissage on Wednesday Oct 21 from 7–8pm. You can join from the comfort of your home through a video link that can be accessed on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Please email info@sivarulrasa.com for the link. For more information, please visit sivarulrasa.com . The gallery is located at 34 Mill Street in Almonte.
New Glass Work by Jennifer Kelly
Forest walks always reveal little vignettes. They appear as stories of what happened while the humans were off busily forgetting about living. Mississippi Mills artist Jennifer Kelly has been busy recreating some forest story sculptures in glass, and her new collection will be unveiled virtually and live outside her studio on the weekend of October 24 and 25. There will be an outdoor display of her new Forest Story Boxes, demonstrations, glass gifts and lots more.
Please contact Jenniferkelly@rogers.com to register online or to arrange an in-person visit. All work is kept secret and not posted online until the Trunk Show weekend!
You can find more information about Jennifer at jenniferannekelly.com . And be sure to check out her amazing take-home fused glass kits for all ages and skill levels at glasskits.ca !
Found: Crown & Pumpkin Studio Tour
The Crown and Pumpkin Studio Tour is a go — virtually. Due to you-know-what, artists are excited to present their wares online at crownandpumpkin.com .
The updated website will launch Thanksgiving weekend with new photos of artists’ creations. From the comfort of their home, art lovers can visit their favourite artists and meet others they might not have had time to get to in the past.
Need we mention that, like so many of us, artists are also struggling in “2020: the lost year”? Some have embraced the pandemic and immersed themselves in their art. For others, creativity this year has been a challenge. Either way, all participating artists are pleased to welcome your virtual visit, and Hummingbird Chocolate will be open for visitors during the weekend.
Part of the great experience of previous Crown and Pumpkin tours has been the spectacular autumn scenery and the historic points of interest along the way. While artist studios are not open this year (with the exception of Hummingbird Chocolate), you can still go for a drive along country roads to drink in the atmosphere. The historic Clayton General Store will be open all three days! The 2019 Crown & Pumpkin Tour Map has been left up on the website as a suggested route, and historic points of interest can be found under “Heritage”.
Purchasing arrangements can be made directly with the artists.
Perth Autumn Studio Tour
The 2020 Perth Autumn Studio Tour is going virtual and will begin on October 10.
Considering the current state of the world, the members of this collective of local artists are adapting to these changing times and bringing the tour right into your living room. It will be a change from driving the country roads lit in their fall colours and having a delicious lunch at the Brooke Valley School, but your ability to browse and support local artists is easier than ever.
Franc Van Oort, Susie Osler, Dunn Sohn, Brent Kirkham, Anne Chambers, Rita Redner, Zoë Lianga, Catherine Orfald and Willa Murray are the members of this artist-run tour. You can reach them via perthstudiotour.com and their personal websites as well as through social media.
This year the online-only tour will run from October 10 to 18, when many artists will be available by appointment for you to pick up online purchases. COVID-19 safety measures will be practised, and each artist will inform you of their policies when appointments are made.
While you are always welcome to browse each artist’s website before the launch date of October 10, the artists will be reserving pieces to release during the October 10–18 online studio tour.
Red Trillium Studio Tour
As of press time, organizers of the annual Red Trillium Studio Tour in West Carleton are still planning an in-person event on the weekend of October 24 and 25. Their website at redtrilliumst.com expresses: “Heartfelt gratitude to everyone that comes to visit us on our Tours, you are truly appreciated. We will be following all the necessary COVID restrictions for everyone’s safety. In this current climate we realize more than ever how grateful we are to be part of a vibrant arts community in West Carleton”.
You can also continue to support their artists by visiting them online or through social media or email. Contact information for all artists is available on the tour’s website.
This year’s tour will feature art in a wide variety of media including pottery, stained glass art, eco women’s clothing, watercolours, acrylics, wood turning, wire-wrapped gemstones, handmade glass jewellery, glass art, stained glass, fabric sculpture, painting and fine art textiles.
Dear Readers, - theHumm October 2020
By Sarah Kerr
Hi Humm Readers! Did you know that Kris and Rob Riendeau, owners of theHumm, have been behind the scenes championing, promoting and empowering artists in the Ottawa Valley for over two decades? And that Kris’s superstar mom, Sally Hansen, has done nearly 250 incredible in-depth interviews with local artists to share their work on theHumm’s cover each month? Not only that, theHumm has shared almost every event from Burnstown to Westport on their calendar, and is constantly promoting local makers, co......
Ginny Fobert — Don’t Quit; Prove Him Wrong! - theHumm October 2020
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
A disparaging remark by a fellow exhibitor spurred Ginny Fobert to expand her artistic horizons. In 2013, at only the second showing of her beautifully composed photographic prints, another exhibitor — a painter — confronted her angrily and asserted, “This hurts my eyes. I can’t look at it! You don’t belong here — photography isn’t art.” Proving him wrong has been an exciting and rewarding journey.
A glance at the back of her Trading Card (on the back of this page) sho......
Spider Web-inar: Hallowe’en Shorts Humm Team Productions’ Zoom Fundraiser for Community Theatres - theHumm October 2020
Here’s the scoop, folks. Our area is home to a dizzying array of community theatre organizations, and you can hardly throw a diva fit without hitting a wildly talented actor, costume-maker or stage manager around here. But alas — their talents are in danger of atrophying, and they may be on the verge of driving family members insane with incessant monologuing and singing in the shower. At the same time, those aforementioned organizations are struggling to pay rent and bills as month after month goes by ......
Recreating Creativity: Virtual Vernissages, Outdoor Trunk Shows, Online Art Tours! - theHumm October 2020
By Miss Cellaneous
Caroline Ji: Blue Hour at Sivarulrasa Gallery
From October 14 to November 20, Sivarulrasa Gallery in Almonte is pleased to present a solo exhibition of paintings by artist Caroline Ji. Caroline Ji: Blue Hour can be viewed in person during regular gallery hours, Wednesdays to Sundays from 11am to 5pm.
“Blue Hour” is a reference to the period before sunrise and after sunset when a serene blue light permeates the sky. “Blue hour is when I’m most inspired and ......
Putting Some FUN in Fundraising! Studio Theatre Perth Presents Nosferatu with an Original Score - theHumm October 2020
Studio Theatre Perth is one of the town’s treasures, but it’s been a tough year for this community theatre. Pandemic shutdown and restricted openings are taking a huge bite out of the group’s financial resources.
“Our lease comes up for renewal in April, and unless we can raise enough funds before that, we won’t be in a position to renew,” explains Kat Watring-Ellis, chair of the promotions committee.
That would mean the volunteer group would have to walk away from their little gem of a ......
Rockin’ on Russell Street An interview with Patrick Maloney, Owner of Bowie’s in Smiths Falls - theHumm October 2020
theHumm is reaching out to members of our Ottawa Valley community to ask how they are finding ways to use their gifts and skills in these challenging times. Patrick Malone is the owner of Bowie’s — an amazing live music venue in Smiths Falls. We contacted Patrick to find out how a musician approaches running a music venue, and how those venues are stayin’ alive through COVID.
theHumm: Before we get into the COVID stuff, can you tell me about your goals in open......
Rural Root Presents Bad Auditions… On Camera - theHumm October 2020
Hot on the heels of their successful Zoom production of Couples, Rural Root Theatre is bringing another virtual play to your computer screen!
In Bad Auditions… On Camera by Ian McWethy and Carrie McCrossen, a casting director has one day to find an actor to fill the role of a lawyer in a crime procedural. But what seems like a simple task proves impossible when the pool of actors includes stage thespians who cannot tone it down for the screen, performers completely unable to keep themselves in frame, and an actor who seems to believe this is a toothpaste commercial.
From Anne Shirley to Shirley Deugo-Fulton Two Kindred Spirits Who Invite Us to Be Thankful in October - theHumm October 2020
By Sarah Kerr
I’m so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers. I wish I wrote that. But no, some of you literary buffs may know those are the words of Lucy Maude Montgomery and her famous redhead from PEI, Anne of Green Gables. I had the pleasure of re-reading this 1908 classic to my 5-year-old this summer and I have to say, I was enraptured by the beauty of Anne’s simple world, and her vocabulary! Her zest for life and enthusiasm over the wonder of the natural world leaves us so much scope......
Meet Local Climate Leader Sue Brandum - theHumm October 2020
Sue Brandum is a local climate leader who has been instrumental in creating the Climate Network Lanark (full name Climate Action Network of Lanark County, Smiths Falls and Region). In this month’s column, she talks about her background, how she came to be so involved at a local level, and how she and many others are working to improve the future prospects of all of us.
Can you describe your background and how you came to be involved in environmental activism at the community level?
Sue ......
Front Yard Homesteading - theHumm October 2020
By David Hinks
Driving or walking around town, I am struck by the number of households that have chosen to rip up the front lawn and replace it with all manner of vegetables, shrubs and flowers. I like to think of these innovative individuals as a new kind of homesteader, breaking sod to give life to a sterile space that formerly required high inputs of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and water.
I suspect that there are many motives for ripping up the lawn and planting — I know that for some ......
Resources for School-Aged Kids - theHumm October 2020
By Christine Row
Living through a pandemic has forced parents and children to juggle a modified school year. Even though most children are back to school, hours in the classroom have been adjusted and the threat of future closures looms large. In order to educate and entertain kids through this strange time, local libraries have many free resources to help.
In every local library, parents will find a collection of leveled junior readers. Children can work through the levels at home or try read-along CDs as an alt......
Downtown Smiths Falls — Revitalized! - theHumm October 2020
By John Pigeau
When we think of autumn in Ontario, our thoughts normally turn to the beautiful and often awe-inspiring colours of forest foliage — the golds and reds and scorched orange and browns that mark the changing of the seasons. We think of children in their adorable and sometimes spooky Hallowe’en costumes, too. And we’re always reminded, whether we like it or not, of the cooler weather — and the cooler weather to come.
I submit to you that many of us, almost reflexively when......
End of an Era - theHumm October 2020
By Glenda Jones
It was inevitable. After 27 years of faithful service, my beloved clothesline pole succumbed to woodpeckers and rot, and slowly fell to its demise last Monday, sporting a full line of clean white clothes that floated into the ponds. I knew it was going when the line got slack a couple of weeks ago, and I gingerly gave the old tree a poke. It resonated like hollow wood, and swayed.
When we moved in here I didn’t have a clothesline, and strung ropes hither and yon between the trees. This......
October at the Mississippi Mills Youth Centre - theHumm October 2020
By Sara Fortin
The Mississippi Mills Youth Centre has a variety of free, COVID-safe youth and community focused programs that change monthly. We focus on offering fun, educational and healthy living activities that foster a positive relationship between youth and their community. Below are some of the highlights of our programming for the month of October.
From October 5 to November 9, on Mondays from 3–4pm we are hosting in-person Forever Young! Ukulele programming. Youth and seniors are welcome to regis......
Fall Weekends (and Fulton’s Pancakes!) at Cedar Hill Tree Farm - theHumm October 2020
Cedar Hill Christmas Tree Farm will be open for weekends this fall! On Saturdays and Sundays from September 26 to November 1, they will be open from 10am to 3pm, and Fulton’s will be serving outdoor Pancakes on the Porch!
This is a great opportunity to come stroll around the beautiful farm and enjoy glorious fall colours. Bring your Christmas list and start your Christmas shopping early! You can pick up Fulton’s products and many other local gourmet food items, enjoy Fulton’s maple taffy on snow,......
Youth Centres Coalition Launches Food and Nutrition Security Project - theHumm October 2020
The Youth Centres Coalition of Lanark County is proud to announce the launch of the Food and Nutrition Security Project. This initiative will be facilitated by the Coalition, which includes Carleton Place Youth Centre, Lanark Highlands Youth Centre, Youth Action Kommittee and Mississippi Mills Youth Centre. This project has been made possible by United Way Ontario East through the Emergency Community Support Fund from the Government of Canada.
This project will help meet the unique nutritional needs of youth across Lanark County and strengthen access to hygiene products, personal prot......
Hike for Hospice 2020 Will Look a Little Different - theHumm October 2020
This year marks the eighth time that Home Hospice North Lanark is participating in the annual Hike for Hospice, part of a national initiative organized by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. 100% of all funds raised will stay in the community in which the Hike is hosted, thanks to the generous support of GSK and Amgen.
But this is a different year, and it requires some creative thinking to figure out ways to raise funds and invite our community to be involved with the organization i......
Keeping Men Connected During COVID - theHumm October 2020
Every Monday evening at 7pm the Hackberry Men’s Shed has been holding, and will continue to hold, e-meetings via Zoom.
Zoom meetings are by invitation, and so far notice of these meetings has gone only to current members. But if there are men in the communities of Carleton Place and Mississippi Mills who would like to find out about Men’s Sheds and meet (virtually) some of the guys, they should send an email to treasurer@hackberrymensshed.org and include their name and email and ask to be invited to the meeting. T......
The Brickbox A Young Adult Novel by WL (Bud) Gorman - theHumm October 2020
Jude Zander is a shy, inexperienced small-town girl who has disguised herself as a boy and is on the run from an abusive father. She desperately wants to find her mother who left her without warning.
Jude has never been in a city before. Soon after she arrives she is confronted by hookers, bikers and street punks... and she avoids the police because of an incident with her father. Her only contact in the city is an aunt who wants nothing to do with her. Alone and without survival skills, Jude......
An Uncharacteristically Short Note from Weetabix - theHumm October 2020
By Sebastian Weetabix
Travelling on his stomach has been made difficult by Covid-19. For obvious reasons it is hard to write about food and food establishments in these uncertain times. The muse is restless and demands attention; the Editor is tolerant and so untethered but not unhinged Weetabix returns to these pages.
A recent visit to Almonte was made by car and in stealth mode –beautiful day, nice scenery and lots of happy people out enjoying the obvious amenities. What could be wrong with any of that? Well, one hopes not much. But there in plain sight is the ‘elephant in the room’. We are, unfortunately, ......
Oct 19 - Nov 30 The Second Wife's Story -- Matheson Housewarming Party
Nov 5 - 8 Sex Please, We're Sixty
Nov 9 Perth WriterFest plus workshop on Short-Story Writing
Nov 9 - 10 MAG Art is Magic Show
Nov 9 - 10 Sex Please, We're Sixty
Nov 9 Snowflake Bazaar & Cookie Table
Nov 13 Christmas Urn Workshop
Nov 15 "The Sky's the Limit" MMLT Gala
Nov 16 - 17 Itty Bitty Art & Artisan Show
- Shane Belanger — Having a Whale of a Time
- Cabaret Extravaganza! Celebrating 5o Years of The Hub | Rebound
- The Beatles Come to St. Andrew’s United
- The Wizard is… Odd!? A Hilarious and Odd-ly Relatable Original Musical
- The Sky’s the Limit at MMLT’s Fundraising Gala
- Come to the Merrickville Makers Market!
- 10th Anniversary Show at Sivarulrasa Gallery!
- Library After Dark A Night of Music with Jeremy Lyall
- Showing the Local Love for the Holidays!
- I’m Not Imelda Marcos
