St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador

All posts tagged St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador

Visiting the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation

Posted by VickyTH on May 25, 2012
Posted in: architecture, craft, craft council, Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador, D7000, Newfoundland & Labrador, photography, photos, studio space, studio tours. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 comments
Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

The second floor view

It’s the weekend of the Craft Council AGM and that means a Friday of Studio Tours as well as a sneak peek inside the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation. I’ve written about it before (before its name was changed from The Tucker Premises to the QVV Plantation) but it’s nearing the opening date now, the tenants have been selected and it’s all getting very exciting.

I took a few photos and am posting them here for those who are curious as to what the building looks like on the inside.

Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

Jessica Butler, jeweller extraordinaire and one of the tenants.

The space was designed by architect Philip Pratt and is a marvelous blend of old and new. The beams vaulting the ceiling were left outside to weather naturally.

Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

The bottom floor has a kitchenette, office space, and other public spaces.Outside there are picnic tables and benches along the wharf.

Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

Lower floor, looking out into the Quidi Vidi Gut (and Village)

It has an elevator and a staircase both, to take you upstairs to the actual studio spaces.

Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

The grand staircase

The units are small, but efficient and each contains a sink, cupboard, ethernet connection, 220amp service and an openable window. They’re all individually lockable as well.

Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

While they look a little boxy now, once folks get craft equipment and product into them, I expect that they will perk right up and be truly fascinating microcosms of creativity.

Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

Some have partitions between units, allowing two users to open space between them and share working accommodations.

Quidi Vidi Village Plantation - a sneak peak!

It’s a joint venture between the City of St. John’s, the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador, the Anna Templeton Centre and the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is one of the most exciting things to happen on a grand scale for craft in this province and we’re thrilled beyond measure that it has come to fruition.

I can’t wait to drop back again and see it replete in all its creative splendour.

The Ruby Church: a roughening gem

Posted by VickyTH on May 8, 2012
Posted in: architecture, history, Newfoundland & Labrador, nikon D70, photography, photos, Restoration Work. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 comments

Newfoundland is full of unusual people of exceptional tenacity and remarkable problem-solving ability. You need only look at places like Grate’s Cove, where people farmed a land which had no topsoil. They made their own, making compost, hauling seaweed and grazing sheep for the manure created. They also used their primary resource (rocks) to build everything they needed for subsistence.

The Ruby family in the Goulds, just outside of St. John’s, is another example of this dogged determination. When the Anglican Church decided to build a facility to serve the area, they put it a fair distance away, in the eyes of George Ruby.

The Ruby Church

The Ruby Church, St. Matthew’s Church & Cemetery

Not one to be easily daunted, he mustered his family and community and they contribued land, materials and labour to build a new chapel, called St. Matthew’s Church. The cornerstone was laid September 10, 1913, although the church was never actually officially consecrated. Services were often conducted by students from the theological school, Queen’s College, and the officiants were paid in vegetables from the Ruby Farms.

Emptiness

The torn paper on the wall at left reveals (under better light) the words, “That sent”. The interior of the building has been stripped almost bare.

In 1964, a new church was built just down the road and the Ruby Church was used mostly as a burial chapel and it started to decay. There was a big dispute as to who owned what in 1986, when the dicoese wanted to tear down the chapel and the historical society, led by Rubys, strongly objected.

Ruby

It has since become known as the Ruby Church and the cemetery will tell you why.

This year, in 2012, the chapel made Newfoundland Historic Trust’s list of Buildings at Risk. Next year, if it’s still standing, it will be 100 years old.

Deserted

Deserted. On the wall, on the right-hand side, a piece of wall-covering has been torn back. From underneath, Blackletter text is peeking out that reads, “He that receiveth you receiveth me.”

I say, “if it’s still standing” because the sad fact is that the building has decayed significantly since the last time I photographed it, in December of 2008.

Crumbling

Crumbling – Taken May 7, 2012

Leaning

Leaning – taken December, 2008.

You can’t see it in these shots, but the foundation has cracked quite significantly throughout and it has definitely gotten worse since I last looked closely.

Front, where the altar would have been

Front, where the altar would have been

It joins the list of Gothic Revival churches in Newfoundland that need a new purpose and a new stab at life.

May Day Craft Weekend

Posted by VickyTH on May 6, 2012
Posted in: craft, Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador, creativity, family, JohnTH, KatherineTH, Newfoundland & Labrador, photography, photos. Tagged: , , , , , . 5 comments

I was up to my ears in the organization of the Seconds Sale yesterday, so my deputies took the camera and went off on a Dad & Kid Exploration of the MayDay Craft Weekend.

All of these photos were taken by John, so any credit is entirely his. I tweaked them here and there (cropping, convert to black and white, that sort of thing, but they’re his). I’ll let the photos speak to his journey…..

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The face of a kid when told she’s going to be visiting craft demos and studios and the like for the morning.

Incidentally, a few of the studios and shops are open today as well, so if you’re in St. John’s, Newfoundland and would like to see some fantastic craft made by some truly exceptional artisans, grab a brochure and start your rounds! Don’t forget to ask folks to stamp that brochure for you as you go. Four stamps will get you a chance to win a nice basket of professionally-crafted items of all sorts.

Their first stop was Susan Lee Stephen and her jewellery studio. (Open today as well)

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Susan polishing

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Some new pieces using an etching technique. I love these…

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A corner of Susan’s Studio.

Then they headed down to the Sin City Market (not open today – Saturday event only) and took pictures of the neat things they saw there. Katherine has one of these rocks by the Newfoundland Soft Rock Company and she adores it. Very durable, very cool and quite washable (which matters when you have kids).

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And the Grates Cove Studios folks brought their Xylophone and wooden products…

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Xylophone from Grates Cove

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Wooden implements

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Wooden spinning tops. These are awesome! (Despite the blur, I really like this photo)

John came home with a chickadee print from J Reid Studios which is just exquisite….

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Jared Reid, of J Reid Studios.

Sara Hodder of SECH Design was incredibly photogenic….

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… and makes top-notch clothing, as well!

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Graham Blair, print-maker of growing repute. His work is beautiful and I have a hunch that collecting pieces now will pay off in the future.

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An assortment of Graham Blair’s work. John bought an owl.

And there were many, many others there. These are just the ones that John photographed (and of whom the photographs came out okay). The place was pretty crowded with customers, from what I was told.

Then it was off to the Newfoundland Chocolate Company (open Saturday AND Sunday), where tasting was apparently more the focus than was photography. The May Day decor for this location was their usual chocolate mermaid, with clothing (it was a chilly day) in the pink, white and green commonly attributed to the Republic of Newfoundland (those were the theme colours).

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They also stopped by the Craft Council Shop at Devon House (open Saturday AND Sunday) and visited Wendy Shirran, who was demonstrating mug-making using slab building techniques.

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Then they headed over to the Studio of Alexis Templeton (we’ve been there before), to see what was new.

(open Saturday AND Sunday)

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Salt fish designs

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Glassware by Marcela Rosemberg (I believe – correct me if I’m wrong).

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An assortment of pottery

And finally they went to one of my favourite studios, the printing studio of Running the Goat Books and Broadsides (open Saturday only).

Katherine thoroughly enjoyed working the big press.

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1830s Imperial Iron Handpress. Very heavy.

Novelty

Posted by VickyTH on May 1, 2012
Posted in: creativity, nikon D70, photography, photos. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 comments

I bought a new wide-angle lens today.

I’ve been dithering on it for several months now and, after completing the taxes, finally decided to order it. When I went into the camera store, they actually had one in stock, so I was (completely unexpectedly) able to walk out with it, along with a UV filter to protect it, in-hand.

To the lighthouse

I've almost given up on taking pictures of the Cape Spear lighthouses. It's so difficult to get an original angle and they've been photographed to death. Finding a reflection was a new perspective on this for me, though, so I took a chance.

Spring Beckons

Erica carnea and an archway of logs (butterfly homes) at the Memorial University of Newfoundland's Botanic Gardens.

It’s a Tokina  AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 PRO DX for Nikon and is an absolute joy to use. The way I often shoot is quite premeditated; I generally pick my locations and shots well before I put the camera to my eye. I usually scout out weather, topography, angles, vegetation and all manner of other relevant details, before I head out to take pictures. What this means is that I have in my head a picture that I want to make and I then have to wrangle the gear and angles to turn my vision into a reality. It’s very much how I work with textile art pieces, too.

Lungworth and windflower

Lungworth and windflower, an apt pairing for a breezy day at the Memorial University of Newfoundland's Botanic Gardens.

In any event, I often find that the lens that I need encompasses more area than any of the lenses I have available to me. I shoot a lot of landscapes, architectural features and such and the dramatic sweep of sky or ocean behind a focal object is greatly enhanced by being able to include more of that sweep. I have a rapidly growing mental list of shots that I have said, “Yeah, I’ll have to come back and take that with a wide-angle lens.”

My selection of the Tokina was based on reviews and also on surveying the photos taken by others whose work I see as somewhat similar to my own. It’s a lens that will outlast the current camera I’m using (Nikon D70) and will be useable with future upgrades to my camera body. It’s fast, crisp and a delight to use (although I’m still getting used to exactly how much extra expanse I have at my disposal now).

Larger than Life

Posted by VickyTH on April 26, 2012
Posted in: craft, Newfoundland & Labrador, nikon D70, photo, photography, running, sculpture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

I wanted to take a photo of this statue, of Terry Fox, but struggled for a bit on finding a unique angle. Lots of folks have been to see it in recent weeks, since it was unveiled and getting an original take is a little tricky. In the end, I selected a fairly tame, yet comprehensive angle that lets you clearly read the quotation and see the detail of the statue, but also reveals the symbolic shadows cast.

Larger than Life

Opted for a night exposure at a small aperture, to make star-bursts of the lights and to really capture the detail of the sculpture. The statue is larger than life-sized and the enormous shadows give life to the giant dream that the real man envisioned. Oddly enough, although the photo still looks tilted to my eye, the text is straight and the man is upright. I think the lights and shadows must be playing tricks with perspective, here.

The Terry Fox Memorial at Mile O, where Terry dipped his artificial leg in St. John’s Harbour before starting his almost unbelievable run across Canada. He ended his physical run in Thunder Bay, when his cancer returned in force, but his family has continued the philosophical and fundraising aspect of his journey in his memory.

Millions upon millions of dollars have been raised for cancer research, started by one runner in the rain.

I have hauled myself out of bed to run long distances, but I can’t fathom running marathon after marathon, day in, day out. It’s almost unimaginable even to someone with both legs and a cancer-free body; I cannot comprehend the magnitude of the vision that kept him going.

The statue was created by Luben Boykov and is located on Water Street, at the base of Temperance Street.