Artist Portrait « Collage Your World

Tapestries of Time: Refrigerator Door Art

While reviewing photos of our old house this month, my heart warmed at the sight of our old kitchen refrigerator door covered with paper paraphernalia. Perhaps you have a similar ritual of posting things to your refrigerator door. In meditating its collage-like surface which offered brief glimpses of my life, I felt it resembled a […]

Dreams of Paper Houses

Sandra Mirabelli (Ottawa Public Art Program Coordinator), Kristina Frangione (Assistant) pose alongside the C4 Cabinet, CCCC Project, Hintonburg Community Centre, 2009 (Photo: Lorraine Victor)

As a child I loved miniature doll houses. A friend of mine had a beautiful three-story one filled with exquisite tiny objects. I could only dream of having one […]

The Presence of Angels: Pursuing My Studies in the Visual Arts

Michelle Casey, "Rise", Collage, 8 x 10 inches, April 2014

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” (John Holmes)

Do you believe in angels? I believe in the presence of human angels in our lives. Every now and again one steps in and forever changes […]

Lessons of the Heart

Michelle Casey, "Roots & Wings", Mixed Media Collage (marker, magazine fragments on Fabriano paper), 9 x 12 inches, April 2014

Last summer I found myself drawn to the symbol of the heart. While sifting through fragments, I was captivated by a drawing of an anatomical heart in Gray’s Anatomy; I decided that I’d […]

Tales from the Observer: Make the Mall Your Living Studio!

Spirograph by Lupsiberg

For a decade now I’ve been frequenting a number of shopping malls in our city. While I enjoy the solitude of working in my studio, I often feel the urge to get out and be amongst people. It might seem strange, but I’ve found I get more writing and reading […]

Art: Like a Prayer

“Praying for a Harvest Moon”, 2010 (pictured here) was my first attempt at making a visual prayer. It invoked my fervent desire to attain my creative goals as I approached the mid-point of my life.

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental […]

Kehinde Wiley: The Need for an Economy of Grace

Kehinde Wiley, Juliette Recamier, 2012, Oil on linen, 72 inches x 96 inches quotes Jacques-Louis David's painting (see below)

On the heels of Black history month, I’d like to share some reflections about art history and introduce you to painter Kehinde Wiley.

While studying art history at university, one of the most eye-opening […]

Awakening the Secret Garden within

My two-hours' worth of colouring in progress in Johanna Basford's "Secret Garden"

… I told the interviewer, I believed stories are found things, like fossils in the ground, he said that he didn’t believe me. I replied that this was fine, as long as he believed that I believe it. And I do. […]

CYW: February 2014 Bits & Bytes

Due to my big move and settling into the new place (still), I noted I hadn’t made any time for one of my favourite pastimes: reading! In December I began noticing a whole slew of books I’d like to read and bought a few to start. Thought I’d share some reflections about them with you…

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Part II: The Fabric & Patterns of Everyday Life

November/December 2013 issue, Selvege. A favourite fabric-related magazine of mine… see link at end of this article

Developing a Secret Code…

In Part I of this blog article, you learned of my fascination for fabric pattern prints and textures found in fashion magazines and my childhood home. While I noted, I used […]