Author: Laura Balducci Art

Art Gallery season is a upon us on Cortes Island! It’s my favourite time of year! We are so fortunate to have the Old School Art Gallery supporting local artists all while being run by volunteers and by donation. I’m proud to be a member and to be sharing my second solo art installation that will be opening the gallery season on June 14th. The gallery has six fantastic unique art shows by local talented artists this year. Every Friday is Gallery Nite with either an opening or an artist talk.

Come and experience my 365-day art challenge that takes you through a daily practice I followed for a year, working with a muse and exploring the Tarot Cards by picking one card a day, and using its colours as my palette. I worked on one rectangle a day and 8 rectangles per page – which filled 46 pages in total. My medium was pencil crayons and every day I learned something new. At the time, I had not consider it as process art, I was just inspired by other artists I had seen on social media as they shared their sketch books for the year in Dec 2017, and thought I would give it a try.

Everything Leads You to Something Else! The quote of the year!

I would like to invite you to the opening of Wink! reception on June 14th from 6pm to 9pm along with appetizers and beverages. The gallery is open Saturday and Sunday 2pm to 6pm. On Friday June 21, I’ll be hosting an artist talk and it will also be the Summer Solstice so join me for a celebration from 6pm to 9pm Saturday, from 2pm to 6pm on Sunday. I’ll be hosting the gallery each day and I look forward to sharing my art process and more with all of you!

I am not sure if you recall the 365-day art challenge I set myself at the start of 2018, Wink, but there are some good news on that front!

As a reminder, the idea was to pull a tarot card a day to read and research, and then use it as a general inspiration and the colours on the card as my palette. My medium was pencil crayons and I worked out of a 8 x 11 sketchbook with 46 pages, each divided into 8 rectangles to represent one day of the year. The last element was to find a muse as my inspiration and I found it in my Lucy (my well-used cup cozy!)

I am happy to report that in spite of the stresses of late, I completed my challenge and…. that Wink has been accepted as a solo art installation at the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery on Cortes Island! Yay! The art show will open on June 14th and will run for 2 weeks. I am so excited to share this process of daily art creation with you. I learned so much in the process. I created a renewed level of dedication in my life, explored working with the meaning of  freedom, and I find the results intriguing.

Stay tuned for more information and thank you for all your support during my 365-day art challenge. It was a real challenge to produce a piece a day and I encourage everyone to try to do something for yourself every day as I found it to be a true spirit energizer and we all deserve a little extra energy!

Please check out my new yoga website to learn more about my offerings http://www.balducciyoga.com

Have you ever felt like the Tin Man in a Yoga Class? Did you ever accidentally join an intermediate class when you are a beginner? Do you have specific needs you would like to work on and address? Then a group yoga class may not be for you right now!!!

Private Sessions

If you would like a one-on-one approach to assist you in reaching your goals, contact me for a private session! I offer a free half-hour consultation session where we can get together and create a plan that suits your specific needs and lifestyle.

Please email me to book an appointment at balducciyoga@gmail.com

Late November 2018, I was asked to put my curating skills to work on an upcoming art installation for our local museum, to assist Jane Newman and work alongside her. I accepted without hesitation as I was thrilled and eager to contribute since the subjects of the  exhibit are very close to my heart: “Species at Risk – The Great Blue Heron” and art by the kids of Cortes Island.

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Jane spent months at our school working with each child one-on-one and in groups, working towards creating an art installation to interpret the Great Blue Heron issue on Cortes Island, in collaboration with Friends of Cortes Island. It was an amazing experience that taught me so much; it was also a thrill to attend the opening of “The Great Blue Heron Comes to School”. The children came and engaged with the installation by showing their families and friends their art on the walls. The Cortes Island Museum is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 pm to 4 pm all winter long. I invite my neighbours and friends to visit the exhibition. Please check out the website for more info:

www.cortesmuseum.com

Art by children from kindergarten to Grade 9

Taxidermy Blue Heron by Laurel

I welcome 2019 with open arms, new adventures, and abundant health!!!

What a ride the last 7-8 months have been! You may or may not have noticed but it’s been sometime since I blogged!!! On June 17th, my life changed in the blink of an eye and I had to make some serious decisions on where to put my energy. My partner fell and suffered a serious back injury. I already had many obligations on my plate for the summer and I had no choice but to sideline a few of these things and blogging was one of them. Not only could my partner no longer work but he suddenly needed 24-hour care, so I found myself a one-gal show and the sole provider of our household. After four trips to the emergency – which is not an easy task from Cortes Island as it takes two ferries by ambulance just to get off island – and a month and a half spent in the hospital, he finally had open-back surgery at the end of September and came home on Novembre 1st. With a few setbacks, my man is slowly recovering and is undergoing rehabilitation, learning to walk again, and building strength (this is the short version of the story!) With having to tend the extensive garden we had planted to feed us and make preserves for winter, an art show to curate with 33 local artists, having to work different jobs to pay the bills, continuing my next solo art installation challenge “Wink” and being a full-time caregiver, my time was limited as one still needs to sleep even if just for a few hours!

During this time, I showed my largest painting to date called “Space” at the annual members show which I curated for our local art gallery. I filled the freezer & pantry and I also did my Yoga Teacher training online, which makes me happy to announce my new venture which starts on January 7th with a new blog and website:          http://www.balducciyoga.com

And as the year begins, I’m just getting my feet back on the ground and every day my partner is slowly recovering a bit more, as he is very determined to get his life back which gives me more time to do my thing!!! I missed you all, as I missed blogging and sharing. Stay tuned for more details on my upcoming solo art installation, more spinning wheel adventures, my yoga offerings, gardening news, and whatever else happens. I wish you all much health and happiness in 2019 and thank you for sticking around!!!

xoxo Laura