Next painting for Isaac’s Way art auction …
On January 25, 2016, the 25th Art Auction and Sale at Isaac’s Way Restaurant in Fredericton, New Brunswick will come to an end. Only a few more days to own some reasonably-priced art and help kids-in-need. As of January 4, 2016 this 25th auction has sold 22 paintings and raised $7,600 for art lessons for kids. For a look at the paintings still available, visit http://isaacsway.ca/art/. To have a look at my submission to the 25th Art Auction, see my post for September 18, 2015 https://janetims.com/2015/09/18/art-auction-new-painting/
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My next submission, for the Isaac’s Way 26th Art Auction and Sale, is a landscape. The piece features a view of the Saint John River, from the Nerepis Marsh at Grand Bay-Westfield towards the Westfield Ferry. It is entitled ‘across the bay’ (24” wide by 20” high, acrylic on canvas, unframed with gallery edges). This auction will run from January 27, 2016 to late May, 2016. The proceeds from the auction will go to sponsor kids-in-need. I am donating 50% of the proceeds from my painting to the charity.
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‘across the bay’ Jane Tims
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Copyright Jane Tims 2016
warming winter
After Christmas, especially on cold evenings, I stay warm by making lap quilts. These little quilts warm you when you make them, and when you use them!
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the patchwork of the lap quilt I am making
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These evenings, I am working on a quilt for my guest room. The theme of the room is purple violets, so this quilt will use fabrics printed with various purple flowers.
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some of the patches I am using
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My quilting methods are not academy worthy. I don’t follow any pattern and my stitches are a bit long and haphazard. Thanks to an aunt who gave me a store of left-over fabrics last year, I have lots of pretty fabric and quilt-backed material to use as a batt for my quilt. I begin by measuring out the quilted fabric. My guest room lap quilt will be about a meter by a meter.
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I use ready-quilted fabric for the quilt batt … the fabric doesn’t have to match the quilt patches because it will be covered in the end
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I cut rectangular blocks of fabric in random sizes and baste them to the backing. Then I apply other fabric patches by top-stitching. Gradually, the quilt takes shape.
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patches go on in a random pattern, wherever they seem to fit
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For this quilt I have a plan to incorporate a drawstring tie, so the finished quilt can be rolled up and tied to use as a neck roll. For the ties I will use salvaged bits of the dresses I used for fabric patches.
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I like salvaging parts of the clothes I used to make the patches … pockets, ties, drawstrings and hems may make it into the finished quilt.
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Once one side of the quilt is done, I will work on the other side. I do the backing with wide strips of fabric, stitching through all layers of fabric so the whole quilt is sewn securely together. I’ll bind the quilt in more wide strips.
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My quilt will be done in five or six evenings. I will be showing you the final result! You can see one of my quilts from last January at https://janetims.com/2015/01/23/stitching-a-small-quilt/
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Copyright 2016 Jane Tims
It’s snowing!
… on our tree! Lots of snowflakes added. Next come the snowmen!
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Through the years we have collected so many ornaments. One year I decorated seven trees! Now we only have one tree and most years I decorate with snowflakes, snowmen and snow-covered houses. A few birds and other items sneak in as well!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2015
Lighting the tree
A week after bringing the tree inside, we have lights!
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I am taking my time with Christmas. I enjoyed the look of the undecorated green tree. Now I will spend at least one evening with lights alone for decorations. No hurry. No hurry at all!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2015
loving hockey
I think that I will never be as proud of a magazine publication as I am of my two poems and two drawings in a hockey magazine!
Between the Lines – A Journal of Hockey Literature is a publication of the University of Saskatchewan, now in its third volume. The editors are Dwayne Brenna and Sara-Jane Gloutnez.
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Between the Lines: A Journal of Hockey Literature
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So, why am I so proud of this accomplishment? Is it because I am a lover of hockey? Just the opposite. I never pay it any attention! I have been known to ask if the Blue Jays won the Stanley Cup last year! However, one of my brothers is a devoted hockey fan. His love for the sport when he was young has always impressed me … I think people need should be passionate about their interests!
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Hockey is a great theme for poetry. The game itself is naturally rhythmic (the movement of the skater, the varying pace of the game). The names of players and announcers, the terms for various plays, the enthusiasm of the fans … interesting words to work with! And metaphors abound.
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I like to learn new things, to discover new themes for my writing and art. I also consider the game of hockey to be quintessentially Canadian. I can’t name a single hockey player after Mickey Mantle, but I love having my poems and art in a hockey magazine.
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Between the Lines is a well-presented publication that includes stories about hockey and hockey players in both poetry and prose. The writing inside captures the scratch of blades on ice, the excitement of the announcer’s voice, the clouds of breath above the outside hockey rink, and the scurry of kids to move the net from the way of subdivision traffic.
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loving hockey
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at eight, my brother
was tall for his age
narrow-boned, jointed
as a skater bug
on the big farm pond
but compact, center
of gravity low
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he learned to skate
on a strip of ice
by the driveway
practiced on the pond
a family myth
that he was pale
and our dad saw no value
in rising early
for ice time
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my brother’s rink
a screen, rabbit-eared
Hockey Night in Canada
a pad of blue-lined
paper, hockey stick
a yellow pencil, skate
marks neat columns
of statistics, goals
and assists, Howe hat tricks
Mahovlich, Rocket
Richard, numbers
from the breathless
crescendo, Foster Hewitt –
‘He shoots, he scores.’
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today my brother
is a fit man
an accountant, skates
on the boardroom table
on the frozen pond
a water strider
on the meniscus
attends games
at the coliseum
can still do a pivot
from standing
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poem published as ‘loving hockey’ in Between the Lines, Volume 3, 2015/2016
drawing published in Between the Lines, Volume 1, 2014
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
A tree for the corner!
It’s inside! Our Christmas tree for 2015.
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our tree for 2015, a balsam fir
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We are lucky here in New Brunswick – we can buy locally-grown Christmas trees. We buy our tree at a lot where they cultivate their own trees, so usually the tree has been cut only a few days before, and will last well past Christmas. I usually take our tree down on January 6th.
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When my son was young, we often cut our tree at a Christmas tree farm with my brother’s family. I can still see the paths the kids made as they ran in the rows, trying to find the perfect tree.
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I am happy to know that many trees sold in communities across America come from New Brunswick. We have seen the loads of trees on the highways for weeks.
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OK, I am officially in the Christmas spirit! Now the lights for the tree. And then our box of ornaments. Results to follow!
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Copyright Jane Tims 2015
writing a novel – professional editing
‘a writers’ retreat’
Jane Tims, November 29, 2012
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Remember my first novel? – ‘Saving the Landing Church’ aka ‘Open to the Skies’. The book is the story of how a woman tries to preserve an abandoned church with unexpected consequences for herself and for the community. The setting of the novel is a writers’ retreat in rural New Brunswick.
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I began the book three years ago and worked on it, on and off, for a year. Since then, I have been working on two more novels in the series: ‘Crossing at a Walk’ and ‘Shore to Shore’.
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In the last year, I sent ‘Open to the Skies’ to three publishers. Eventually I heard back from each one: ‘interesting but does not meet our publishing needs’. Disappointing but expected. However I intend to accomplish my goal of getting my novel published!
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I decided to take another step and ask a professional editor to look at my novel and offer comments. I hired Lee Thompson of ‘Lee Thompson Editing +’ ( http://leethompsonediting.com/ ) to read my book and comment. I knew Lee from his role as Executive Director with the New Brunswick Writers’ Federation and took him up on one of the editing specials he occasionally offers. Lee read my novel and provided me with chapter-by-chapter notes about dialogue, plot pace and voice. He helped me most by pointing out areas where he felt characters were not contributing enough to the story.
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The following is my commentary on Lee’s editing services:
One of the hardest aspects of writing is overcoming subjectivity. Hiring Lee to read and assess my novel helped to overcome this problem since Lee is not only a skilled editor, but is able to provide his comments in a way that encourages a writer’s objectivity. Lee provided a chapter-by-chapter analysis of my novel, including his assessment of what worked, what didn’t and suggestions for improvements. First, I knew by his synopsis that he had read the novel thoroughly and understood what I was trying to achieve. His comments on dialogue, plot pace and voice were specific and not only improved this book but helped me to look at my writing in a new way. Most important, his insightful thoughts on gaps in the story led me to discover story areas and directions that had previously eluded me but waited just below the surface to be discovered. Thanks to Lee I am now in the last stages of a final draft and almost ready to submit the novel to some of the publishers he suggested. I have realized that obtaining the services of a professional editor is one of the most important steps a writer can take – Lee’s confidence and skill made this part of the process painless and productive!
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I am realising that writing a novel is a story of its own, consisting of many parts, each with its own consequences:
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- First ideas about story and plot – a place to begin
- First Draft – the novel takes shape
- Second Draft – revision
- Third Draft and so on – more revision
- Beta Reader – someone to cast a reader’s eye on the draft and provide feedback
- Professional Editor – someone to cast an editor’s eye on the draft and provide feedback
- Publisher – someone to read and reject the novel
- Publisher – someone to read and accept the novel for publication
- Readers – someone to read the words and discover the story
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
Here’s looking at you!
Just finished a new series of paintings for my son’s store Meta GameZ at 98 Regent Street in Fredericton. The store specializes in Magic the Gathering and other games for those who love fantasy worlds. Dragons are a favorite theme, so here are five dragon eyes, looking at you. Hope you can stop in at the store and have a look at the originals! All are 10″ by 10″, acrylic, gallery edges.
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November 30, 2015 ‘yellow dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘blue dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘purple dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘red dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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November 30, 2015 ‘green dragon eye’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
taking the goodness into winter
I love carrots. Give me a bunch of local carrots and a bag of onions and there is always something for supper.
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Keeping the goodness of our local produce into the winter months is a challenge. But this past weekend, I found dilled carrots still for sale at Cameron’s roadside stand just outside of Gagetown, New Brunswick. We also bought apples and a frozen apple pie.
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Mom used to make these and they make a crunchy addition to a meal. Just carrots, vinegar, dill seed, garlic and salt.
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
nichepoetryandprose 