The image above is taken from a Fire-poi typography site where you can see more of the alphabet on fire and read about graphic designer Nir Tober's elaborate process of combining typography with fire spinning.
The photograph below was taken by Janine when she attended a Walpurgis night bonfire in Sweden this past spring.
Some images from the Jen11 show. More on the way to my flickr. The book can be purchased in our shop.
Despite her tragic on screen fate, many Jens were named after Jennifer Cavalleri, the fiesty, principled, "Radcliffe music wonk" played by Ali McGraw in the iconic 1970s romance, Love Story.
Click here to watch Jennifer and Oliver's (Ryan O'Neal) melodramatic movie goodbye.
The Jen 11 show is officially on and we have a theme song. How many Jennifers out there were named for Donovan's 'Jennifer Juniper'?
Pardon the boxes in the gallery, but the Jen11 show has arrived! I'm not sure how I'll fit it all in, but that's this weekend's challenge. The Jen11 show opens next Thursday, June 4.
Here are a few shots of the gallery before First Thursday began.
The selection of sweets included cupcakes by Lindsay Racher (you can read her story in issue one, entitled "Healing through Baking"). She even made ones with tiny magazine covers! Deidre and her sister created beautiful and delicious chocolate-covered strawberries as well as pigs-in-blankets. And Glen brought us a bowl of gumballs to match the magazine's front cover and recurring graphic theme.
The new show is called "Treehouse" and so we made some simple leafy branches that emerge from the gallery wall. In addition to the artwork, we have products by My Imaginary Boyfriend, Suddenly It's Real, Small Stump, Tracey Cameron and others. {Some of the art prints from the show are available in our online shop.}
The magazine launch was a great success; thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us and also to those who sent their congratulations. {more photos on Flickr}
No softies show is complete without a tribute to Jim Henson and his wonderul, wonderful muppets.
Thank you to everyone who braved the cold and wind and made it out to the s-t-i-t-c-h show last night. Many cute softies were adopted into loving homes. Since all of our artists were so prolific, there is still plenty left to see in this lovely show, so we're extending it through next week.
View the set on Flickr. If you see something that you'd like, please inquire via email.
This gorgeous piece (and photograph) is by Janick of Neawear. This small embroidered piece is available exclusively in the gallery (visit Janick's Etsy shop if you're not in Calgary. She has plenty of beautiful things to choose from.)
Art and craft: sewn, crocheted, knitted, embroidered, adorned
We are a presenting a one-day show called Stitch which features the handiwork of many local and Canadian craftsters. The amount of effort that our participants have dedicated in making their pieces is quite remarkable. I am sure that you'll fall in love with one of the softies, the exquisite embroidery, beautiful linens and illustrative sewn collages. You can take your purchases home with you immediately since this is a one-day show. (Sorry, this show is in the physical gallery only.)
Tracey Cameron
Janick Gravel
Amber Hebert
Karen Klassen
Kendyl Lauzon
Renata Liwska
Leah Santucci
Lori Joy Smith
Rosemary Travale
Danielle Wright
Crochet by Kendyl Lauzon
A secret hideaway high atop trees, the treehouse is a place of adventure, instinct, and imagination. In youth, treetop forts created a sanctuary for survival games. In adulthood, the allure of the treehouse speaks to the desire for a close encounter with nature.
From the adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Swiss Family Robinson to the neighbor's backyard and beyond, the treehouse endures as a powerful and enchanting symbol of the wilderness spirit.
This spring, UPPERCASE will launch Treehouse, an art exhibition celebrating the drama, beauty, freedom, danger, and escape of treetop living. We invite you to live out your treehouse memories or fantasies in artistic form.
Send us a drawing of the treehouse you remember playing in as a child or an image of the one you would love to construct for your very own private island getaway. Photography, painting, collage and other visual mediums of representation are also welcome.
*Some submissions will be featured in our debut issue of UPPERCASE, a magazine for the creative and curious. If you are interested in participating, please email us. Submissions are due electronically by March 1. If your work is selected for inclusion in the gallery show, we will send further instructions.
I've designed some romantic and optimistic posters for our upcoming show, Love Letters. These prints are available now in the online shop in time for Valentine's Day and upcoming engagements and weddings. The black, light grey and small hit of red would make a sophisticated and graphic addition to a bedroom or living room.
This upcoming show is a celebration of things stitched / sewn / knitted / crocheted / embroidered. Works on paper, fabric, appliqué, softies, art, accessories -- a variety of styles and materials are welcome. We are looking for local and Canadian illustrators, artists and crafters who make extraordinary things. The show is planned for a one-day event on the First Thursday of March. Please send us some sample images or links to your website if you are interested in participating. (More details available here.)
Just a reminder that Carolyn Fisher's The Snow Show is still on display. If you're an aspiring children's book writer or illustrator, you should definitely spend some time looking through Carolyn's process sketches on display in UPPERCASE.
Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen," originally published in 1845, (Edmund Dulac illustrations above) offers a decidedly darker perspective on the science of snow than the celebratory, chef-inspired one depicted in Carolyn Fisher's contemporary work. If you haven't read Anderson's classic fairytale, I highly recommend it for all ages. Although beware the 'terrible snowflakes.'
And don't miss out on "The Snow Show" folks! The gallery is decked out in enchanting paper snowflakes and Carolyn has been generous enough to allow us to display her sketches, storyboards, draft notes and various other pieces of creative process vital to making an illustrated children's book. It's an ideal outing for all ages, creative types and people who just want to escape the real cold weather for a little make-believe.
*We have a select number of Carolyn's signed books still available for purchase. You can call the gallery if you would like one set aside to give to a special little someone. I am delighted to be giving the book to my 5 year old nephew Nicolas who loves science and snow and I know will will be amazed by Carolyn's outstanding blend of information and imagination.
Give the gift of books - they never go out of style!
Don't forget to come to UPPERCASE to see The Snow Show! (Yes, it's a cheesy animated gif — it just had to be done!)
Thank you to everyone who attended the First Thursday launch of The Snow Show and came for Carolyn's reading yesterday afternoon. It was great to see so many people.
I'm sure you all share my excitement for Carolyn's latest news: The Snow Show is favourably reviewed in The New York Times Sunday Book Review.
"The concept is funny, but the real fun is in the execution. {...} It’s one of the most gloriously exuberant, inventive displays of computer-created art that I have seen in a picture book," writes illustrator/reviewer and Caldecott-recipient Paul O. Zelinsky.
We are temporarily sold out of her book, but more are on their way and should arrive by Wednesday if not sooner. You can purchase a signed copy in our shop (just email us a note if you want it signed to a particular person).
It was a flurry of activity and now Carolyn Fisher's The Snow Show is up! This exhibition's focus is on Carolyn's process for writing and illustrating this book. Her process sketches, thumbnails, storyboards and editor's notes are all available for you to peruse. It really gives one an appreciation for the amount of time (four years!) and effort a book project can involve.
Pick up Thursday's FFWD for an article on Carolyn and listen to CBC 1010 AM tomorrow at 3pm for an interview. (And there's a podcast review here.)
The opening is First Thursday from 5-9pm. If you're unable to make it, you may purchase a signed book in the online shop.
Cover by Christy Batta
The UPPERCASE Circle is free for subscribers of the print magazine. Find out more.
UPPERCASE is a quarterly print magazine inspired by craft, design and illustration. A playful exploration of creativity, an affinity for vintage ephemera, and a love of handmade are some elements common in each issue. The magazine boasts high-quality paper and printing, a unique design aesthetic and incredible attention to detail.
Janine Vangool
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UPPERCASE publishing inc
Suite 201 b
908 17th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2T 0A3
403-283-5318
The studio is not open to the public—please get in touch to make an appointment. If you'd like to purchase our magazine and books locally, please see the stockist page.
