D.I.Y. die-hards will love the new One of a Kind Hands-on Workshop Series. Each of the three 1- hour sessions will feature a One of a Kind artisan instructing in their medium of expertise.

Calling all knitting fanatics: On Monday November 30, Shawn will teach students how to use a drop-spindle. Click here to sign up.

I have been following Shawn O’Hagan’s blog for several months now & am always left with a feeling of amazement and a touch of envy. Looking at her photos and reading about how she spends her weekends leaves me fantasizing about moving to a beautiful, quaint place like Corner Brook, NFLD & leaving behind the hustle & bustle of Toronto living. But then reality sets in and since moving isn’t really an option, perhaps a one -hour session with Shawn is just the thing to bring us all out of the dark doldrums of November.

At the One of a Kind Christmas Show & Sale, Shawn will be leading a session where participants will learn how to use a drop spindle.

First Shawn will show students how prepare and card a fibre batt and then using a drop spindle, Shawn will teach students how to spin their own fibre. The drop-spindles are hand-made & are yours to keep, so can really perfect your technique! As another bonus Shawn will also provide the instructions on how to make one of her fabulous scarflettes. So if you have mastered knitting & want to take your crafty skills one step further, this is the class for you!

There are only a few spots left, so sign up now!

- Stephanie

D.I.Y die-hards will love our new One of a Kind Hands-on Workshop series.  Each of the three 1- hour sessions will feature a One of a Kind artisan instructing in their medium of expertise.  Participants can choose from a session in:

• - Soap-making with Karen Kimpel
• - Hand-spinning with Shawn O’Hagan
• - Pochoir: the Art of Stenciling with Sara Torrie

All workshops are $50/session and include a light breakfast, studio materials and a finished project.  Spaces in each class are limited so register early!  Click here for full details.

Our printed gift guide arrived at the office yesterday and everyone has been a-buzz by the fresh face on the cover!  Who is that?  Where did you find her?

Zsofi is a biology student from Budapest, Hungary.  Her uncle has been a personal friend of the One of a Kind for many years, and when he mentioned that his niece was coming to visit Toronto for the summer to practice her English,  we jumped at the chance to help.  She was an incredible assistant in the office, and when it was suggested that she sit in for one of the shots, she was a fantastic sport.  Gorgeous, bright, eager and positive…it was a pleasure featuring her on the front cover!

Believe it or not, ALL of the fabulous femmes featured in the 2009 One of a Kind Christmas Gift Guide are real women.  With real jobs and real families….and true beauty.

Mary

Our first stop was at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, just west of Shaw.  Mark Ashley gave us a warm welcome and compelling overview of MOCCA’s history, along with a tour through their “Pulp Fiction” exhibit.  Organized by Museum London,  the show focused in on Canada’s budding indie art scene in the early 90’s and featured some fascinating illustrations.  I was particularily fond of those by Marc Bell.

Second stop: Paul Petro Gallery to chat with Paul about prints, reproductions, originals and everything in between.  There’s often confusion over terms like artist’s proof’s, variable editions, and open editions so we received clarification on the terms and how they may be of value to art collectors.  (For anyone interested in clarification for this type of terminology, Open Studio has a fantastic section on their website.  Go to  www.openstudio.on.ca and click on “What is a print?”) 

Stephen Bulger was also very insightful regarding the world of prints.  He’s one of the leading experts on photography and board president for AIPAD.  It was interesting listening to him talk about what he looks for when viewing new work.  On top of quality and composition, he also seeks artists with a unique and constant vision, which is key to creating a cohesive portfolio.  He also noted the importance of artists that are lead by passion.  It’s far more exciting viewing the work of those that create for themselves rather than their audience, don’t you think?

Mary