This weekend, jewelry designer Carol Watamaniuk is hosting a one-day sale of her newest pieces in an event called Not for the Faint of Heart. Before that happens, however, she's throwing a PTO party. “What kind of a party?” you might ask.
This weekend, jewelry designer Carol Watamaniuk is hosting a one-day sale of her newest pieces in an event called Not for the Faint of Heart. Before that happens, however, she's throwing a PTO party.
“What kind of a party?” you might ask. She decided to use the acronym as it had more of a sense of mystery and allure to it than outright calling it a Please Try On Party.
“PTO does sound much cooler,” she laughed.
For a year now, the former city councillor has been creating her own designs, based on unique and captivating trinkets or other objects that she bought from antique shops, flea markets or bazaars.
“Every piece is very different. I could never mass-produce anything. These are little works of art.”
“A lot of people will get a stone hanging on a chain and it's a necklace. I have always been of the ‘too much is not enough' philosophy. My jewelry usually has a lot of different objects or coins or beads. I've found some very interesting things in my travels.”
Every finished piece has a story that she promises to tell, if asked.
The sale takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at VASA Gallery in the Hemingway Centre, 25 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue. The PTO Party happens on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the same spot. Please RSVP by calling 780-460-1576 or via email at [email protected].
Self-Portal at Kaleido Fest
Three local artists enjoyed Edmonton's recent Kaleido Fest in a rather unique way. Sharon Moore-Foster, Leona Olausen, and Wanda Resek were participants in the 12' x 12' Installation Challenge, a competition that saw the team create an installation artwork called Self-Portal on the Friday evening and put on display right on site on Saturday.
Moore-Foster explained that it was an open call to all artists.
“Some of my friends said, ‘What is this? You never, ever do the installations. You keep thinking you're going to. You're always talking about portals. You're always wanting to do something large.'”
“It's a stage of my life too. We're going through the ephemeral qualities of letting go of the past and moving to the future. It seemed like it was the perfect thing to do: to go, to play, to do the best you can do and have some fun in the community, work with other artists who are out there. It was a joyful, joyful event.”
She enlisted the help of fellow artists Olausen and Resek to create a formidable trio and their finished project won the People's Choice Award at the fest. All in all, it was a satisfying experience, even fun.
“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “People would come and say, ‘Gee! I do reiki. I come in [the exhibit] and I feel the energy.' The whole idea of experiencing that little retreat, reenergizing, stopping for a minute and savouring life and then moving and taking that wonderful energy back into the community, that was the goal! And apparently, other people felt that.”
“It was one of those things that every artist should experience.”
She's even considering doing it again next year.
Local videographer Ken Foster created a short two-and-a-half minute video tour of the piece and called it ‘the ANCIENT PORTAL … where a soul can go.' That can still be viewed by visiting www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWHo72HPsF8.
The fall fest takes place along 118 Avenue centred around 93 Street. For more information, visit www.kaleidofest.ca.
