Happy Birthday Canada!

A couple of weeks ago I was at a Catholic School in Toronto, Our Lady Of Victory, where a very industrious teacher took on a project that would celebrate Canada's 150 Birthday, involve the entire school and include me! Her idea was to make a mosaic Canadian flag that everyone in the school would contribute to.

I arrived first thing in the morning and set up in the school's atrium. The project, a large Canadian flag, was ready and waiting for each class to come through, listen to a quick condensed version of my 'The Magic of Mosaics' presentation then add their small paper cross (one per student) to the project.

It was meant to go like clock work and thanks to that very industrious and uber organized teacher it did!

Doing the quick condensed version of my presentation ...

The flag before ...

The flag during ...

The day finished with a reading of Six Owls and A Party, for the primary students, with the aid of a big screen:)

Six Owls and A Party goes to Brampton!

I spent the last 2 days at Hewson PS, in Brampton, with seven of their JK/SK classes sharing my book, and Magic of Mosaics Workshop.

It's always a good thing spending time at a school that encourages literacy like this one clearly does! Their Library! WOW! Spoke volumes. 

I couldn't stop saying, "WOW! What a nice Library". 

In a perfect world every school would have a library like this one.

I really couldn't stop saying, "WOW!".

Six Owls and A Party goes to Aurora!

I spent today at Devins Drive Public School, in Aurora, doing my Magic of Mosaics Presentation with four different classes (ranging from grades 1-6:) 

My Portrait of Kate is always a big hit:)

Six Owls and A Party goes to Toronto!

Yesterday I spent the day, with 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders at Transfiguration of Our Lord CS in Toronto, sharing my Magic of Mosaics workshop + author reading.

They (1st, 2nd and 3rd graders) make you feel like a Superstar:)

"You're the best artist ever"

"Do you sell your stuff for a million bucks?"

"Is your mosaics in museums?"

Working on a new version!

Travailler sur une nouvelle version de Six hiboux et une fête:)

2017 Reading for the Love to It conference

I had a table at the Reading for the Love of It conference, at The Toronto Sheraton Centre, Thursday and Friday. I was promoting/selling my mosaic workshop + author/artist visit to teachers and librarians from all over Ontario and Canada. They are a very  enthusiastic and passionate bunch! 

"definitely the friendliest trade show going" - a fellow exhibitor.

And when there was a lull in the traffic flow I worked on ideas for my next book:)

Latest work; Frog Prince, finished!

FROG PRINCE

Finished.

The process.

Six Owls and A Party goes to Cambridge!

Yesterday I was at Ryerson Public School in Cambridge with my Magic of Mosaics Presentation. 

I'm always amazed with their levels of creativity:)

This artist quietly worked away with such tiny little pieces! 

It's that time of year again...

Interested in have me visit your school or library with my Magic of Mosaics presentation? Let me know!

Local Library Visit

Today I did an Author Reading at my first library ~ The McLaughlin Public Library in Oshawa.
Sharing the magic of mosaics:)

Author Visits♡

In February I had a table at The Reading for the Love of It Conference. After which I contacted (emailed) many of the Teachers and Librarians that I met with the hope of setting up Author Visits showcasing my Magic of Mosaics presentation, at their schools. I really had no idea if any of them would be interested in what I had to offer...
Since then I've visited 13 schools in the GTA and the feedback from the teachers and kids has been wonderful! Apparently I have something to offer:)
At the end of the summer I'll be sending out a new wave of emails which will hopefully lead to more invites and more visits, which means more sharing of the Magic of Mosaics.

This very big thank you card came to me thru snail mail. It made my day.

Six Owls and A Party goes to Brampton

Read to some big crowds today!
Thank you Saint Mary Elementary School for inviting me to share Six Owls and A Party + my mosaic workshop with your very enthusiastic audiences ranging from JK/SK to grade 4.

'Works in progress' by the JK/SKs

Six Owls and A Party goes to Guelph

I read Six Owls and A Party to a big crowd today - 4 JK/SK classes + 3 grade one classes.
My Author Visit took me to Guelph, Ontario where I shared my passion and (maybe) nurtured some future (mosaic) Artists:)

My Author Visits continue...

I shared my passion with three very attentive groups today. My Author Visit and Mosaic Workshop was with Junior and Senior Kindergarten classes in Whitby, Ontario. They were wonderful and such amazing sponges - soaking up every detail!!!

Highlight of the day: While packing up my stuff a little boy came over to me, looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Thank you Karen Johnston, have a great weekend".

Thank you Ormiston PS, for making my work day not feel like a work day:)

Yeah! Another Author Visit + mosaic workshop

For this Author Visit I shared my passion for mosaics with three grade 1 classes and two grade 2 classes in Mississauga, Ontario. I read Six Owls and A Party, chatted about mosaics and sold some books. It was a good day made even better when the Librarian purchased a copy for the school's library:)

They were all ears while I explained my mosaic process.

They like to touch and they can:)

Princess Kate

Mosaic Portrait, Princess Kate, March 2016. 

My Process, in 10 easy steps

1. Find a Muse.

2. Draw an outline

3. Paint a plan.

4. Cut lots of glass tiles. 

5. Over think where to stick glass tiles down. 

6. Cut more glass tiles.

7. Cut some fingers.  

8. Stick more glass tiles down.

9. Add bandaids on the shopping list.

10. Finish, smile, start thinking about the next one:)

@ The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

Exciting News!
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, in Oshawa, is selling hard and soft copies of Six Owls and A Party plus my owl note cards, bookmarks and pendants. Their Shop, full of Canadian made creations, is on the main floor and to the left when you enter (in case you were thinking of going:)

An Author Visit

I spent a lot of January on the road (so to speak:) with Six Owls and A Party. I've been going into Junior/Senior Kindergarten classes doing 'an author visit'. My visits include a reading of Six Owls and A Party, a short discussion about mosaics, followed by a mosaic project where the kids make their own mosaic owl.
The feed back from the teachers has been wonderful and the feedback from the kids has been better then wonderful (not sure if there's a word for that?).
It's been a while since I've spent any amount of time with such young kids (some are still 3!) - I'd forgotten how unfiltered, uneffected and cute they can be.
"You're really, really, really nice"
"WOW!!!, did you make that?"
"I love you"
"you look just like my grandmother"
"Author, can you help me"
"BYE Carol!"
Then there's one of my favourites - at the end of one of my visits the teacher asked if anyone had any questions before I left. A little girl put up her hand and asked, "what colour is your car?"
I smiled and answered her.

BTW, it's black:)

A Mosaic Marathon

Poppy Field II, the project that keeps getting pushed aside:(
It was started in June of 2012 (yikes!) and has become a Mosaic Marathon with no finish in sight...
One day it will be finished! She said full of optimism:)

The Owl Project, Part 2

I'm happy to say that last week I finished The Yellow Owl (the last panel) which means that the biggest part of my Owl Project is done. Yeah! Each panel is 1.5'x4' and made with glass beads, chained chrystal rhinestones and hand cut Vitreous glass tiles.
I'm now onto Part 2 of this project; getting them photographed. Because there is so much detail mosaics are very difficult to photograph.

Here's a look back on the making of these panels.
The first photo (this small unfinished mosaic) sparked the idea that started The Owl Project.

And this is the sketch that got it all started.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of The Owl Project ...