assorted-color textiles

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Vancouver closed 2023

I'm taking some time to look back on my trip to Vancouver, British Columbia [Interesting fact: there's a Vancouver in Washington State, USA!] Do you have an activity that marked the end of your year 2023 (two-thousand-twenty-three)?

Caroline Normandeau

1/10/20243 min read

I'm taking some time to look back on my trip to Vancouver, British Columbia [Interesting fact: there's a Vancouver in Washington State, USA!] Do you have an activity that marked the end of your year 2023 (two-thousand-twenty-three)?

This trip was my conclusion for 2023. For some reason, as yet unknown to me, I feel called to this place. The Pacific Ocean, the flowers in the middle of winter [under a thin layer of white carpet], the sound of the waves, and the food, among other things.

What's special for the past two (2) years is that each of my trips is completed with at least two (2) visits to the Vancouver Art Gallery. These visits are planned at the last minute, i.e. in the morning. I rarely look at what's on the menu. Why? I like the surprises of what I'm going to see.

In December, it took my breath away [positively]. Do you like museums and art galleries? I discovered these institutions more in my twenties. For me, all my travels are marked by a visit to at least one of them.

The Vancouver Art Gallery was founded in 1931. The institution is housed in a small building that was originally Vancouver's courthouse. Now a National Historic Site of Canada. Interestingly [from my research], the building appeared in the movie Scooby-Doo 2 and in the series Stargate SG-1.

I rediscovered [Canadian artist] Emily Carr in the exhibition A Room of Her Own. I decided not to photograph the works. Next, the exhibition Rooted Here Woven From the Land. Works by artists Angela George, Chief Janice George, Willard "Buddy" Joseph, Debra Sparrow. This last exhibition was my surprise. These four (4) [local] weavers are instruments for the rebirth and transmission of weaving in their communities: the Salish culture (phonetic \sa.liʃ\).

Source: Antidote dictionary. Native language family spoken in southwestern British Columbia and the northwestern United States.

10 years ago [already], I learned to weave, and suddenly I was connected. [I wove a rug 4 yards long by 2 feet wide in the Summer-Winter pattern.]

The works filled the room not only with the excellent work of the weavers, but also with their color, presence and intent. I sat and contemplated the pieces.

In short, you may be wondering "Caro, what's the connection with your knitting?". Quite right. They [the pieces] are inspiring. They allow me to recharge my batteries in my knitting adventure. The colors, textures and stories of these artists inspire me. It's like a new breath of fresh air. I work alone, in my studio [a solopreneur] for everything: publications, training (from the creation to the final product to the video editing), creating my patterns for you, workbooks, and what else? Ah yes, the 2024 project book. Getting out of my workshop and into the world of other people and other works of art propels me on the path ahead. And you, what propels you on your knitting adventure?

Happy knitting!

Caro