9″ x 4″, watercolour, pen & ink

I purchased 4 mugs from the CBC Design Department sale a few years ago, while I was still working at the CBC.  The sale was the result of the closure of the entire CBC Design Department.

I think the mugs may be Fire-King mugs made by American company Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation (Anchor Hocking).  According to one source, these particular designs were produced up to 1979.  But, I can’t confirm.

5″ x 8″, pen & ink, watercolour and guache

A sketch of a box of my usual brand of ginger candy.  The funny ginger guy character seems to be exhibiting cannibalistic behaviour — he’s eating  one of his own kind!

This was originally painting using a mix of my usual watercolours with some cheap Marie’s paint.  The use of Marie’s turned out to be a disaster (pigments were large and grainy when thinned).  So, I used gouache for the background instead.

]]> http://olyf.com/sketches/ginger-candy/feed/ http://olyf.com/sketches/ink-bottle/ http://olyf.com/sketches/ink-bottle/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:45:46 +0000 Josie http://olyf.com/?p=558

5″ x 3″, pencil, pen & ink, watercolour

A bottle of 100% Indian Ink, which I used for this sketch with a pen and nib.

5″ x 3″, pencil, pen & ink, watercolour

A packet of sugar from a well-known Toronto bakery and cafe on Queen Street West.

5″x6″, pencil, watercolour, pen & ink

Gary and I went to Ottawa this past summer to visit my parents in their new home and to visit my brother and sister in-law.  While we were there we went to the Museum of Civilization to see the Japan: Tradition . Innovation show.  I picked up a pair of Japanese socks, or Tabi, from the gift shop as a souvenir.

]]> http://olyf.com/sketches/japanese-socks/feed/ http://olyf.com/sketches/bettola-box/ http://olyf.com/sketches/bettola-box/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:01:57 +0000 Josie http://olyf.com/?p=536

5″ x 6 “, pencil, watercolour, pen & ink

This sketch is of box I was given for my leftover Italian dinner.  I believe La Bettola may mean “hole-in-the-wall” in Italian.

8″ x 5″, pencil & watercolour

One of the many “paint by number” trees that I saw in New York City.  So named by myself because their peeling, blotchy, coloured bark reminds me of the paint by number kits that my father used to buy for me to work on.

8″ x 5″, watercolour, pen & ink

Gary and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary this past May with a trip to New York City.  We stayed at the hip Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking district, which straddles The High Line Park.

We had a fantastic corner hotel room at the Standard Hotel with views of the Hudson River and the High Line Park.  The tub/shower area was glass-walled with views into the next room; no privacy there.  Luckily that wasn’t a problem for us.

This is a sketch of the tray of toiletries that the Standard Hotel had on offer: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, bubble bath, cotton balls & cotton swaps, and honey body lotion – all organic.  I didn’t take any of it home with me; my bags were full of clothing purchases.

8″ x 5″, pencil, watercolour, pen & ink

Clothing tags from three tops and one dress purchased on a summer Saturday afternoon out.

8″ x 5″, pencil, watercolour and pen & ink

These sculptures were rescued from my parents house when Gary and I helped them pack for their big move out of town.  I had made them back as a student in my Mould Making and Foundry class at OCA.  The green sculpture on the left was the plaster cast for making the mould for the bronze cast on the right.

The first part of the process was to sculpt in clay.  From that the plaster cast was made, which was then used to create the cast which the molten bronze was poured in to and allowed to cool before cracking open with a large mallet.  Both sculptures measure about 11″ in height.  The bronze one must weigh about 8 pounds.