Ever since I moved into the 1444 Dupont Business Complex in 2007, I have always run some sort of Annual Holiday event in my studio. With the onset of the pandemic, I expanded my offerings to be more than just my jewellery. Every year I have invited a different selection of "art and craft" friends to join me.
This year is no exception. But as I mentioned in my last blog post, it was a lot harder to get Artisans interested in joining me. So for this holiday season, it will be a couple of returning textile artists; Katherine Keates with her Lolili line of wearable art scarves (more about her in a future blog post), and Saskia Wassing (read her Artisan Profile from my 2021 Holiday event here) with a selection of her bird and heart ornaments. Plus a brand new collection of cushions, made from the unfinished knitted items created by my knitting mentor, Vicki Saunders who passed away in June 2020.
This will be the final round Saskia will be able to create from Vicki's knitted and sewn items. Over the past two years, I have managed to give Vicki's large fibre stash to good homes, with donations to MaidHouse (her charity of choice). We will be honouring Vicki's memory once again, with 25% of any cushion sold being donated to MaidHouse.
The third, and new to our trio of textile artists joining us, is Valerie Knapp. I met Valerie way back in the 1990's when we both participated in the now-defunct West End Studio Tour. I was never a guest at Valerie's house, but we participated together for so many years, that we got to know one another along the way.
L-R, Baptisia Pod Study #1, Silene Pod Study #1, Baptisia Pod Study #2
All are mounted on a wooden box structure 3" W x 4" H x 1.5" D
$250.00 each
Valerie studied at Sheridan College School of Craft & Design, in the Textile Studio. Following that, she spent a stimulating year of discovery in Paris, France, returning to Toronto to form "Viverie" and soon after, her own label, Valerie Knapp. She printed and manipulated textiles; created her innovative clothing and furnishings collections, designed textiles for children's wear, exhibited, volunteered and taught. Valerie then pursued studies at the Faculty of Education, University of Toronto, and subsequently became the Head of the Textile Studio at Sheridan College.
Memory Dress with Fancy Ticking - Hand embroidery, thread, antique linen hanky & lace fragments, antique button, postage stamp, vintage fancy ticking, found embroidered silk flowers, thread, silk, Japanese paper, paper. Framed behind glass in shadowbox. 11.25" W x 11.25" H x 1.5" D
$400.00
Today, Valerie actively maintains a studio creating her varied printed and embroidered textile and paper-based works; featuring thread, cloth, paper and found materials. Recently, stitched photos, encaustic and oil painting form part of her practice. Her characteristic functional works, in hand-printed or pieced linen, and up-cycled materials also play important rolls - as does inspiration from her garden and family life.
Various Sewing Kits, this motif and others will be available.
$50.00 - $70.00 each
In Valerie's words:
"Craving serenity and calm, I carve out poetic moments in delicate, precise, layered assemblages, making a kind of peace. My evocative and synergistic approach is known to draw the viewer near."
Up-cycled pieced Cashmere Mittens - reversible, various colour combinations will be available. $65.00/pair
Zippered Bags of various sizes and shapes. All are lined with cotton.
$25.00 - $35.00 each
Instagram: @valerieknappstudio
Website: valerieknapp.com
Here are the details of my Annual Studio Holiday Event:
Daily from Friday, December 9th to Friday, December 23rd
Monday - Friday: Noon - 7:00 pm
Weekends: Noon - 5:00 pm
I encourage you to book your appointment online, through my online booking calendar. Masks are appreciated, but not mandatory. I will be masked but do what you feel comfortable with.
And new for this year, I will be accepting drop-in visitors on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This means you don't have to make an appointment before arriving, but there may be other people in my showroom at the same time.
But, if you are considering coming between Monday - Thursday, online appointments are necessary. The booked appointments help me manage my time better, in the busiest season of my year. So I would be grateful if you booked your online appointment, no matter when you are planning on coming. If you're just out and about on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, no problem to just drop around for your visit.
As I continue to gear up for my Annual show, I will be in touch again with more Artisan updates and show details. If you are unable to attend my Studio Holiday Show in person, you can always order online. I have the Christmas cut-off shipping dates posted on my home page. If there is something specific you want but cannot find on my website, please reach out. I try to have everything available for online ordering, but there are always a few gaps here and there and it's easy to just send me an email and we can sort it out that way.
I look forward to seeing some of you one way or another!
Here are a few more of Valerie's creations.
Needle & Pin Holders - felt pages inside to hold needles and pins, similar or same available $35.00 each
Lavender Sachets - these plus various other motifs, $24.00 each