Let me introduce myself: I'm Janet Davis, an artist and entrepreneur living and working on the North side of Bonavista Bay, on the island of Newfoundland in Eastern Canada. There are many challenges to running a business here in my small rural hometown, and there are many wonderful benefits too. This blog is where I share some of those challenges and triumphs, and share what it's like to live in this part of the world.
The wind whips by, another day anew, The clothes on the line dance well before noon, The cove shines softly, like pearl among blue, The sun warms the windows, the gulls croon their tune.
The shrubs lean east as if pulled by a string, The grass wags gaily, thin blades a small swing, With the vivid stages like flowers in spring, I can’t help but wonder, if I’m dreaming.
Here is a small collection of my favourite photos from Round Harbour. I would like to thank Janet, Duke, and Fred for making this excursion a reality.This peeling wallpaper was just one of the many different patterns present at Round Harbour.
Most of the doors still had old and ornate hardware for both the hinges and the handles.
Janet and I spent today printing Norton’s Cove Cards in the colour blue! It was my first time experiencing regular printmaking here at the studio, and I got some great footage of the process.
Inked printing plates after a day of printing.
Norton’s Cove Studio will be closed tomorrow and Monday as we are going on a small Newfoundland excursion! Business will resume as per usual on Tuesday, September 8.
Janet asked me to cut out some pictures of humpback whales with masks over their blowholes as a creative sign for the new public requirement! As of August 24, non-medical masks are now mandatory in indoor public spaces. Please cover your blowhole!
The adventure in “Art After Death” continues! Janet and I spent yesterday printing the whale skin texture onto various materials. As we expected, the whale skin had a short lifespan, and thus we had to retire the piece a bit earlier than anticipated, due to it losing its shape and depth. Nonetheless, we managed to pull some lovely prints for a special edition, and are excited to share the upcoming finished products.
[Left] We adhered the whale skin to a piece of linoleum for added stability. [Right] Janet applying ink to the whale skin for printing. Janet carefully placing material onto the whale skin for printing. Stay tuned for more updates from Norton’s Cove Studio!
Yesterday, Janet and I spent the morning down at Lumsden beach at the dead whale. The weather was less than ideal and very windy, but the tide was low enough for us to climb onto the rocks to reach it. There was a specific cluster of barnacle scars left on the whale’s skin that Janet thought looked like a swarm of jellyfish. We brought the printmaking supplies, and managed to pull four prints directly from the whale.
Janet attempting a transfer of whale texture to printing matrix.
We thought it would be neat to take the piece of whale skin itself. Armed with a few sharp rocks since we did not have a knife, I did my best to cut around the barnacle scars. We then took everything back to the studio, cleaned the whale skin, and have let it dry overnight. We are excited to use this piece of whale skin over the next few days as a creative medium. Stay tuned to see the finished products from this adventure in art after death.
Operation Rainbow is live! Thank you to everyone involved in making our rainbow herring walkway. We had a wonderful time creating something lovely and important, and it was a pleasure to edit this video.
Check out the latest video from Norton’s Cove Studio!
I am currently working on a few videos for Norton’s Cove Studio, and can’t wait to share them! In the meantime, here is a small preview of Operation Rainbow.
I have frequented the Cape Freels beach often since arriving, and it never fails to amaze me. On my last visit, I collected some gorgeous driftwood, and I have something in mind for it. Stay tuned for more art updates from Norton’s Cove Studio!
The varying sizes, colours, and textures of the local driftwood make it a great creative medium.