
Today, I am putting the final touches on Nos. 55, 56, and 57, and starting at No. 58.
#JustKeepSwimming
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.
I’ve been taking part in the annual NLOWE Conference which is taking place online this year over a couple of weeks instead of in-person over a few days. The Newfoundland & Labrador Organization for Women Entrepreneurs works diligently to help women of this province succeed in business, and I’m very thankful for their programs and workshops that have been helping me for quite a long time!
Interacting with so many women makes me think of the women who have inspired my career: My mother who fought for what was right for us kids, and made me believe it was okay to stand up for myself; My nan Gill who made everything by hand and died too soon for me to ask so many questions; My Great Nan Gill who lived almost forever, and knit mittens for all of her generations of children and grandchildren- I still have the last pair she made for me before her death at 104 years of age in 1988. The idea of the importance of making things by hand was always in my life, and my mother fostered the spark of interest I had from a fairly early age in a big way, enabling me to try whatever I wanted. I am very thankful for that encouragement in my childhood, and indeed, the encouragement that has continued for all the years since.
When Janet Davis, an artist and entrepreneur, bought the Job Kean property in Brookfield, Bonavista Bay, in 1995, she bought more than a neglected house and general store that sat vacant for 20 years… see the full story from last year’s MUN Gazette: Art form
Today marks 16 years since the day I first opened Norton’s Cove Studio for business. A tiny figure compared to the 128th anniversary of the construction of the historic general store that houses my studio & shop, but significant to me never-the-less!
To thank you, my faithful customers, friends, neighbours, and family who have supported me through the years, I have a few treats for you here at the studio today:
Online customers get a different deal:
Go ahead, make the most of both deals!
To all of you, whether you are a repeat customer with an entire Janet Davis art collection, you stopped in once on a travel trip and bought #justacard, or you love to eat at my restaurant, THANK YOU. Every purchase counts towards a successful business that is employing several people and I think is doing good things in our tiny community here outport Newfoundland. I hope this little business keeps growing!
This untitled piece was a part of my first solo exhibit back in 1998, teastory.
Each piece in the series is the size shape and image of a tea bag. The teacup fragments were collected from the floor of my Morris Street apartment’s tiny kitchen. Too precious to be thrown away, I tucked them away for an unknown purpose, until I imagined this piece.
It’s all about holding precious bits and fragments of the past, but going on with something new, beautiful, and cherished.