Why not just go two hours out of my way after travelling for two weeks and visit Barbara Lukas and Ottawa, Canada. She lives right in the city, yet in a tree-lined historic district, and took me by car and foot all over. We hit the hightlights and more, even stopping to hear part of an outdoor concert, whizzing past the longest ice skating rink (not in season),  over to Quebec and the thrift shop haunts for stuff and FRENCH fries. 

My art lesson was at the National Gallery where we toured the Canadian Arts Galleries focusing on the Group of Seven towards modern.  Seeing artwork in person validates the scale, techniques, materials and colors which the artists chose for their pieces.  Reproductions are informative but I can’t emphasize too strongly to anyone, “Visit art”.

We went to the Farmers Market and I had bubble tea.

Two Bubble Teas and Barbara's stripes

The caramel Tapioca pearls are fun and come through the special wide straws quickly.  We had to return to this shop as the tapioca were not ready when she opened at 10;00.  Well worth the return for the novelty and visual.

Barbara invited several fiber friends over for dinner. And each brought along some of their work.  The evening was filled with sharing and learning from each other. We covered topics as broad as how to preserve using new media current fiber artists at work, in studios or even as we just did in a salon session talking about creativitiy. Other topics were use of color, materials, inspirations for designs, how exact one medium (quilting) is and forgiving another (rughooking).  What benefits we derive from working slowly with our hands and fibers to create.   I look forward to returning to this group in the next year and continuing our effortless journey.