Victoire Love Birds and the Secret Language of Flowers

When Regine and Katie of Victoire Boutique reached out to me to design a window display for their Ottawa flagship shop, I was over the moon honoured and psyched for the project!  The timing worked out for a February window, so the boutique-boss ladies were thinking love for the theme.  Wanting to be inclusive of different forms of love - sapphic love, monogamous love, self-love, lost love, courage my love - I chose to anthropomorphize birds and throw in some secret messages from a language of flowers dictionary.  You'll have to head down to the window at 1282 Wellington St W to see these pretty things in full, but for now, here are the meanings behind the Victoire's love birds window:

1. Bell Flower - Gratitude  2. Cosmos - Joyful love  3. Calla Lily - Beauty & modesty
4. Geraniums - True BFFs  5. Cockscomb - Affection  6. Jonquil - Desire  7. Protea - Courage  8. Anemone - Forsaken  9. Bougainvillea - Passion  10. Narcissus - Self love  11. Camella - Flame to my heart  12. Gladiolus - Pierce my heart  13. Ranunculus - Radiant charms  14. Cactus flower - Ardent love  15. Pineapple flower - Perfection  16. Lilac - New love  17. Poppy - Pleasure 18.Tulip - Declaration  19. Violets - Queer femme love  20. Zinnia - Missing you 21. Fern - Sincerity

werkwerkwerkwerk-workshops!

I've said it many times before: inspiring others to try collage is one of my very top favourite things. I'm so grateful to Sarah at the Westboro Brainery for reaching out and giving me the chance to host my first workshop so I could see how fun it was.  And, and, and, also so grateful for everyone who's come out to cut and paste with me.

If you've been following my work and want to get in on the fun, I have two more workshops coming up in December!  One will be at the Hashtag Gallery, where I'll be showing my work for the first time in Toronto (!!!), and the next will be back at the awesome Possible Worlds shop in Ottawa.  Follow the links below to register in the city that suits you.  The Ottawa workshop is already nearly half sold out due to the waiting list from last time, so if you missed your chance before, it's time to get on it!  

TORONTO: Hashtag Gallery - Saturday Dec 3, 3:00-5:30 PM
OTTAWA: Possible Worlds Shop - Monday Dec 12, 6:30-9:00 PM

So looking forward to this!

Give Your Gifts - a Small Worlds Raffle

This Sunday I'll be celebrating the closing of my SMALL WORLDS solo show at the Manx, and I thought I'd use the night to give a little, and then give some more.

Last winter when a typhoon hit my home island of Mindoro in the Philippines, I was touched by friends and colleagues who let me know that they'd made donations for aid to the Red Cross. Now, the disaster brought on by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti is weighing heavy on my consciousness, and I realize that I have an opportunity to give much more than I could have expected to on my own.

As I've learned, monetary donations are the most effective way to help in disaster situations. To that end, I'll be selling raffle tickets for two original collages and collecting donations for Haitian relief efforts during the closing night of my show.  All of the money raised will be donated to a Haitian-based organization called Ayiti Resurrect.  Beyond raising money to directly assist communities to restore food security (incredibly urgent as the hurricane has ravaged farms and crops) and rebuild damaged homes, Ayiti is also identifying effective, grassroots, Haitian led organizations and will be distributing funds to each of those efforts. You can learn more about Ayiti's Hurricane Matthew campaign, and donate if you're able.

Raffle tickets will be 1 for $2, or 4 for $5 (remember to bring your small change!), and I'll be picking out a winner for each piece on Monday morning.  The finissage takes place at the Manx on Sunday October 16th, beginning at 9pm.  If you'd like a facebook reminder, the event details can be found here.  

Looking forward!

Love is love

What a joy to photograph E&R's wedding ceremony!  It was my first time in a temple, my first Jewish ceremony, and my first LGBTQ wedding.  Between shots I was pretty taken by the beauty of the ancient traditions being brought to life, and in how loved and supported the grooms were by their friends and family.  R's older brother and his wife deserve special credit for planning and carrying out the day (and asking me to come photograph it ;), and for making the grooms feel so clearly accepted, safe, and celebrated.  This wedding was so much about what it means to be a family, and I'm so grateful I was asked to capture the beauty of it all.

All the best to these two grooms - mazel tov!

Megaphono music festival

Dreamiest times taking in local bands at last week's Megaphono independent music festival. So much soul and potential in little Ottawa.

Pictured: Danielle Allard & Sebastian Romanutti charming the audience at Pressed, Amanda Lowe with backup magic from Dank Cosmonaut; Montreal singer-songwriter Michael Feuerstack; Jillian Kerr and her big powerful voice at The Record Centre; the enchanting Claude Munson; Valois' energetic soundcheck at the Zibi sales centre; and photos of the magical musical tour of the old Domtar papermill with Isaac Valentin and Her Harbour.