What a beautiful day it is here in Victoria! The sun is shining between puffs of cloud. Birds are vocalizing constantly from the twilight before dawn until well after dusk. This morning I saw two enormous woodpeckers working their way over an old snag in the woods. The cherry tree in our garden is snowing petals with every breath of wind.
Goodbye 2017! It was a really rough year. We had a death in the family. My stepfather Ian Herron passed away from complications of his second bout with cancer in 5 years. He is greatly missed and grieved by many, especially my mom Jean Herron. Then just a couple of weeks after Ian’s passing my sister’s first baby was born, Myles Stengl, a beautiful little boy. Myles is a delight and a challenge and loved very much! Needless to say the family has been through a lot adjusting to major loss and major change happening all at once. We are still in the process…
I went out of town for about ten days. When I left Victoria it was still cold, muddy, grey, and the plants were only just thinking about growing. It still felt like winter. Well, as much as it can feel like winter here on the balmy coast! Now that I’m home again it feels like spring has arrived overnight.
After a few years of hiatus I am now on the path of a re-emerging artist. My work is now being shown at the Coast Collective Gallery, an artist-run space in Colwood, in the Westshore region of Victoria, BC, Canada.
Today children have access to cameras and photography more than they ever have before historically. Cell phone cameras, pocket sized digital cameras, and other types of image recording are readily available for kids to play with, and many of today’s children are photographed thousands upon thousands of times as they grow up.
My cockatiel Oliver loves to sing along when I play music. Here I am rehearsing with my friend. She is playing accordion and I’m playing mandolin. The piece we are playing is Amelie’s Waltz by Yann Tiersen. Oliver really likes this song! Enjoy.
Downtown Victoria on a Wednesday afternoon:
Tall thin man in a full steampunk suit, tails, tophat and goggles, juggling.
Beautiful young Japanese waitresses arguing in Japanese about Interac receipts.
A dingy thrift store below ground at the bottom of a sketchy stairwell, called Vintage Buck.
A stone lionface fountain spitting a steady stream of water in a brick courtyard.
A powerful white pitbull or mastiff cross dog on a leash, regarding me with soft intelligent eyes.
A steady rock beat from a drum kit fills the busy street, coming out the window of a second floor loft apartment where a guy is givin’ ‘er on his drums, live and vibrant.
A huge construction pit crawling with workers in hardhats and flourescent coloured vests, two stories deep, riddled with heavy equipment, dump trucks, cement forms, metal pipe, and at the very bottom the ancient bedrock underneath the city, exposed and scraped at by human ants.
Fresh graffiti on the side of Woodfire bakery, windows plastered in high class graphic design posters for local concerts.
Me, gaping at it all in amazement, able to see so many details because I’m only able to walk at a snail’s pace.
Hello world, welcome to the new website for Caroline Stengl’s Creativity Studio!
With the new year comes new and exciting growth and recovery for me. With the launch of this new and beautiful website I am revitalizing my art studio practice after a long hiatus due to illness.
" Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once (s)he grows up. "Pablo Picasso
I used to make linocut print greeting cards every winter for Christmas, Solstice, Hannukah etc. Last year I didn’t do it because it is SO MUCH WORK. But I thought it would be fun to share what the process looks like.
To see the video in HD quality go to https://vimeo.com/143664018 or play the YouTube version right here in this post.
In this video I talk about how music, art and creativity have helped me to heal while going through treatment for a serious illness. I also talk about my involvement with a non-profit arts organization that uses the arts for healing.
This tiny amphibian was just crawling along the trail in Cowichan River Provincial Park. I just about stepped on him! Such a neat little critter.
