Growly Goodness

We were back at Collage Collage yesterday (see my description of a workshop there here), enjoying another arty crafty tot drop-in with Erin.  Much to Boo's delight, in line with her ongoing obsession, the workshop was  all about bears, taking inspiration from another top quality book from Simply Read Books: A Growling Place  by Thomas Aquinas Maguire.  It's a flight of fantasy book, reminiscent of Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things Are'.  The artwork has a graphic, stylized quality and the panoramic landscape format reminds me of comic strips.  The girl in the story journeys with her teddy bear to the 'growling place', peopled with real bears, but she dresses them up in costumes and they are no longer intimidating.  With its magical bear storyline this book also reminds me of Last Night by Hyewon Yum and Wonderbear by Tao Nyeu. 

 I learnt from the Simply Read website that Maguire is primarily an industrial designer, hence perhaps the graphic, sculptural quality to his work.  He also looks like a schoolboy, but then I am middle aged!

I noticed on that last visit that the E15th St parade that Collage Collage is on, seems to have more thatn its fair share of arty crafty wonders.  Today I put my head into Spool of Thread  - another shop/workshop space, this time for adult seamstresses.  They stock some delicious little-un's sewing patterns from Oliver and S and some for the grown ups from Anna Maria Horner.  The range of fabrics is mouth-watering - Boo and I fell upon Heather Ross's 'owl and pussycat' fabric (she recites this poem with Dadda Boo) and I really want to come up with a project to make her something from that.  I left empty handed (this time) but with a desire to return with a specific project in mind. 

I also clocked The Art Way, another art workshop space for adults and kids, as well as Ruby Dog's Art House (always closed when we visit on Tuesdays alas) which looks v. alluring for a collage and print lover like myself.

There are also a couple of gallery spaces and laid back cafes along the parade, making it the most boho-creative little enclave I have come across for a while.  I would always choose to live on the north shore of Vancouver for the (literally 'awesome') natural world on our doorstep, but I sometimes feel its a bit culturally bland, so its great to know places where I can go to get an artycrafty fix before returning to the mountain air.