Molli Creates

Slow Food...

2011-08-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

A series of paintings for a friend created over the last year...

Wildflowers...

2011-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

More gratitude! And part of my plans for my Grade 5/6 botany Main Lesson.

Gratitude

2011-02-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

When we were growing up, my mom always insited that we send thank you cards or letters after receiving gifts (so birthdays and Christmas for certain). Now that I am older, I still feel this is a very important thing but have encountered a slight difficulty! I feel like sendng my gratitude in the form of some artwork. But when faced with the prospect of sending handpainted or drawn gratitude to all those who I wish to thank, I encounter the issue of time...

The result this year, one painting:

I don't know that it really is enough. However, this is what I can manage at the moment. And, dearly beloveds, know that it comes with heartfelt appreciation for all you have given me and all you do for me!

Love rushes in...

2011-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Painted with some dear friends in mind.

I can't believe I never mentioned the pie!!!

2010-09-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here are the menus I created for Aphrodite's Pie Shop in Vancouver a while back.

It was a joy to create delicious boards for delicious pies!

(sorry for the poorer quality of the above photo - it was taken with my phone and after a good many months had passed)

Well Oil Be!

2010-06-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

Having only attemted two oil paintings so far, there is clearly much for me to still learn about this technique. However I am not altogether unhappy with the results of these two pieces.

The first piece was created at a workshop of artists in Whistler when I had the opportunity to learn from Rod Charlesworth. Here I "distinguished" myself as a watercolour girl in an oil landscape:My second piece was commisioned/encouraged/supported by my colleagues and was created to be an item in the silent auction at our school's annual fundraiser. It has a different feel to it than the first. Titled: Birch (seen here unframed)

Chalking in class

2010-04-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

A mouse I didn't mind having in the classroom for a little while... The Theft of Iduna's Apples - illustrated Norse Myths for the class:

The Red Columbine

2009-11-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

Another birthday card from last year...I just love columbines and wanted to share this.

This year I get to do more flowers and also Rune stones for Birthday Cards!

Chalking Big!

2009-11-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

Well, pastel on paper actually. This piece is for our school and is almost 3 x 4 feet. As it is not a chalkboard but is on paper, I had no surface big enough to work on it aside from my window. So there it hung for a good 2 weeks while I worked on it.

This is our creative approach to celebrating the donations received in our Annual Giving Campaign. It represents the 4 seasons. In addition to adding some specially created leaves, snowflakes, flowers and fruits to indicate the achievement of smaller goals (based on when the donations are received), the "empty" rainbow will be filled in as we work towards the goal of a down payment for a Early Childhood Programs Building.

Chalk on the Fringe...

2009-08-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

"Jimmy" is about to take off with the Vancouver Fringe Festival...

Chalking it over...

2009-06-28T01:37:00.000-07:00

Due to a less than satisfactory coca-cola "glaze" I used on a recent chalkboarding gig (long story, not so happy ending), I chose to redo the board entirely.

So, before:

and after...

I am much happier now...seeing as I go into this local cafe regularly and was constantly reminded of the "glaring error". Perhaps the difference is hard to see, but I will give you a hint - it isn't the writing, but the black chalkboard itself which is now more even.

Chalk it up!

2009-06-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Literally! I alternately stood and knelt on a barstool-high booth to chalk up this drink menu which hangs on the wall of a local restaurant. 6 hours later...
Sorry, about the colour on this first close up.

Chalking Sense...

2009-02-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

How could I pass up the opportunity to do menus for the incredible, organic Aphrodite's Cafe and Pie Shop on West 4th in Vancouver? The smells alone while I was in there were inspiring!

My Funny Valentines

2009-02-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

Little Valentine's creations I made for my beloved colleagues...

The birthday season...

2009-01-16T21:23:00.001-08:00

December & January is my busiest birthday season with the class...it is usually this time of year I begin to regret whatever birthday celebration procedure I resolved to do at the beginning of the year.

But there you have it - me, challenging myself again and again. (People keep warning me about this recurring pattern in my life.)

The actual art involved is rarely the problem, I enjoy doing it so much. Below are two of the most recent cards:

Nasturtium

California Indian Pink

What am I chalking about?

2008-12-21T02:28:00.000-08:00

My latest chalkboard work is for a restaurant I have never even seen and the menu features a wine that I have never tasted... But still, it is fun work. Although after the second board, all I can think about is waffles...

Knitting for Nona continues...

2008-12-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what a Mary Jane baby wears?

Chalk about an education!

2008-11-28T00:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the most obvious things elude us...

It took someone else to realize that I could do a chalkboard menu for our school's fundraising cafe at the Whistler Bizarre Bazaar. Short notice/little time produced the following results:

Our school, having recently changed our name, has no signs yet with our new name on it, so I also took this opportunity to chalk one up "real quick-like"...

I wish I had experience as a graphic artist, as I would love to help develop a new logo for our school. Obviously the blue and purple text need to be adjusted, I just have no time before tomorrow.

Chalking nineteen to the dozen...

2008-11-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a crazy last few weeks, but last night I completed 12 chalkboards, 13 surfaces for a local business.

The work involved some touch-ups, new text and some new artwork.

Below are few close-ups of some of the boards.

Just before receiving these boards, I had another call from another local restaurant looking for a chalkboard artist. I sadly had to turn the gig down as I knew I would have my hands full with this one and with my real job.

How can you resist?!

2008-11-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

What is it about baby socks that make them so irresistible?

You sock too much...

2008-10-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

As I pulled out my knitting in the movie theatre last night, I wondered whether sock knitting can become an addiction...

Recently I have almost begun to crave the act whenever my hands are still and I am not teaching. I am not certain of the cause, whether it is the joy of seeing new creations or the idea of the Knitting for Nona fundraiser or the need to release the tension of my life through the repetetive action of knitting.

Anyway, in my spare moments over the last 3 weeks, I have made almost 7 pairs:

A little shady - in a good way

2008-10-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

This year I have decided to draw my students' birthday cards using the shaded (slant drawing) technique.This is partly to inspire them as they begin to learn this technique, and partly because I just enjoy doing it.

The first two examples are below - the lesser known borage flower and the sunflower:

Knitting for Nona

2008-10-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Back in Spring, the mother of one of my friends passed away. Nona had been a generous and proficient sock knitter for far longer than the brief 4 years that I had the pleasure of knowing her. She gave away the socks to whoever needed them.

Nona's generosity lives on in her family. My friend recently passed on Nona's leftover sock wool to me so that I could knit it up into children's socks to be sold at our school's Christmas Fair. The proceeds will go to the school which is attended by one of Nona's grandchildren, another one having graduated 2 years ago.

So begins my Christmas project: "Knitting for Nona".

So far, 2 1/2 pairs in 3 days:

Wooly bits...

2008-10-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

It isn't all about chalk and paint - in fact many creations are 3-dimensional and involve copious amounts of wool.

Below are ma and grandma, looking after their cow, Bessie.

And then there's Spot, the dog in sheep's clothing:

"Spot", "Ma", "Grandma" and "Bessie" were all made for our new Kindergarten at the school.

Chalk of the town?

2008-09-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

This Monk's Grill sign needed a touch up when I first met it, my guess is St. Patrick's day had not treated it well. So, I added a few new things (Sangria portion, sleeman label and Iceburg drink) and smoothed out the rough patches across the rest of the board. Below is a Sangria closeup:

snail goes dancing

2008-09-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Late at night, when most sane people are sleeping...Molli creates and snails go dancing.

Something to Chalk About...

2008-08-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

First, some school blackboards:

One could say this is where everything started - when I started at the Waldorf School (either when I started teaching or even further back, when I first began attending...).

Then came the first chalkboard menu for the wonderful Alpine Cafe:

And more will soon follow!