This Week at Norton’s Cove Studio & Café

March 2, 2022March 3, 2022 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

Two new card/mini-print images ready to proof:
Mixed Tape and Smudge Herring.

I am also working on a piece of art and statement based on the letters written from the people of Bonavista North to Joey Smallwood in during the time that Confederation with Canada was taking place. My work will be focused on a letter from Eunice (nee: Burton) Kelloway of Greenspond, and the struggles that she and many others at that time were experiencing. I am thankful for help with my research from **Linda White** and the **Greenspond Historic Society**‘s followers- thank you! The letters are available for viewing at the **MUN Archives** in the Joey Smallwood Collection. This painting is a very rough work-in-progress that is stressing me out at the moment- it’s very frustrating when the image I have in my head does not look like the image I am making in reality.

I have applied for a restaurant/lounge license from the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation. Right now, we are only allowed to serve alcoholic beverages with food. With the change in license, we’ll be allowed to serve just drinks after 9pm when our Live @ Norton’s Cove events take place. If you’re in the New-Wes-Valley area and have seen public notices about a new liquor license for Norton’s Cove, that’s the reason!

The studio is open 10-6 on Saturdays this month, and any other time by chance or appointment. I have accepted a short term position working at the local museum & gallery, but will be back in the studio evenings and weekends to fill online orders and to print spring orders. Duke will be spending some time at the studio too, while I’m away, making a ton of rope mats! You know he likes a chat- please do stop in and say hello when you see the open sign out!

This Week at Norton’s Cove Studio & Café

February 23, 2022 ~ Janet Davis ~ 2 Comments

We’re now booking professional performers at the Lower Deck for the 2022 season! Interested? Introduce yourself to Janet via email. Send website and video links!

Anyone else’s mouth watering? I can’t wait for the Café to reopen in June! All events and activities, including opening and closing dates can be found in the calendar section of our website.

In the Studio

February 17, 2022 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

I’m taking a little time off this week, just because I can! I’ll be in and out of the studio when I feel like it! In the meantime, here’s my latest finished painting: Smudge Herring No. 73.

In the Studio

February 10, 2022February 10, 2022 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

Smudge Herring No. 73 is on the easel!
The studio is open to visitors Wednesday-Saturday 10-6.

Su-su-studio!

February 4, 2022 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

Yes, I’ve been listening to Phil Collins lately.

And painting. I made this little video to show how I worked on this piece. I finished it late last night, and I’m feeling a little hung-over this morning, but satisfied.

Here’s a look at No. 72 in my Smudge Herring series… It’ll be listed in the online shop once the paint dries! I did add Nos. 70 and 71 this week!

Originally tweeted by Norton’s Cove Studio & Café (@NortonsCove) on February 4, 2022.

How Much is Enough?

October 9, 2021October 9, 2021 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

In just a few weeks, I’ll be heading to St. John’s to sell my artwork at the Craft Council of NL‘s Christmas Craft Fair. I have tons of new prints already in stock, but not a lot of paintings left. So this fall in the studio, I am painting more and more Smudge Herring pieces to bring to the Craft Fair.

Yesterday, I was asked if I should be painting something else. Do all the people who like my Smudge Herring paintings enough to buy one already have one? How many Smudge Herring paintings are too many? Is my Smudge Herring market already glutted? Maybe I should be painting something else, but I don’t want to. Does that make me a hopeless entrepreneur or a good artist? Both? Neither? What do you think?

Smudge Herring paintings in different stages of completion are drying all over the studio!

Throw Back Thursday

October 7, 2021October 6, 2021 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

This little painting started innocently enough.
Today, I am putting the final touches on Nos. 55, 56, and 57, and starting at No. 58.
#JustKeepSwimming

Studio Update

September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

Smudge Herring: Just Keep Swimming is already swimming out the door to adorn new walls! The edition of 25 + 3 Trial Proofs and 1 Bon a Tirér are matted and available in the online shop. The weather has been too grey to take their picture since finishing them up- as soon as I see the sun, there will be new pictures on the website!

Smudge Herring: Just Keep Swimming on the press.

My trusty Studio Assistant, Taylor, and I are in the midst of #printapalooza again- printing cards, mini-prints, and bookmarks in our regular line-up of colours and designs. So far, we’ve finished red, red-blue, and we’re back in black today. We’d love for you to stop by to show you a little printmaking in action!

#printapalooza is what I call a big print run of Norton’s Cove Cards, Mini-Prints, and Bookmarks in each of the standard colours (red, red-yellow, orange, red-blue, blue, blue-green, green, black, and grey) and all the 30-something different designs! We’ll be printing a thousand or so pieces in the next couple of weeks!

Norton’s Cove Studio is open
10am – 6pm Wednesday through Saturday
10am – 3pm Sunday

The online shop is open 24/7 of course,
and you can choose to have your items shipped to you,
or you can ‘pick-up in-store’

Studio Update

August 5, 2021 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

This Trial Proof shows how the ink picks up on all the carved background area.

While today will be filled with some merchandising and a lot of paperwork that I need to catch up on, yesterday held some excitement for me, as I spent some time proofing my brand new linocut plate of smudge herring.

Here is the printing plate with the fish inked up, but not the background. To be able to do that, I cut each fish out of the linoleum, inked them separately, and then placed them back in the clean background, ready to print.

Here is the result of that separate inking process- you’ll notice that the background texture still shows, but the ink is only on the fish.

This one is my favourite so far- green and gold, printing to look very blue/green in this image.

A close up of the fish from that last Trial Proof.

Studio Update

July 15, 2021 ~ Janet Davis ~ Leave a comment

First Experimental Proof is on the drying rack, and I’m getting ready for the next one!

I’m a bit groggy today after a shivery/hot night, a side-effect of my second vaccine- yay! I can’t wait to get back to normal. I saw my first out-of-province visitors yesterday, from Quebec, and it made my day to see that ‘Je Me Souviens’ license plate! It’s pretty exciting to see real life returning.