5 things I learned this summer

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />I should make huge apologies for stalling my blogging over the last couple of months, but I have a letter from ... the artist.  I spent most of June, July and August at my summer house without access to the internet except through my phone. Blogging uses data. <br /><br /> If you follow me on Designing Home you know my life is very cyclical.  I have to find time for two careers- interior decorating and art.  I often flip my attention for blocks of time, and traditionally summer is  art time. I allow my decor business to match my summer speed. It doesn't hurt to be unavailable! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="sunflowers, Bonavista Social Club, Upper Amherst Cove, Margaret Ryall" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vnAp9fpF9MqoTdIXSZquBZ21i8ud_tTaQzTHozsEqOalASWPFMnmnlpiY7Cq5O5MuFfSfCralLogD7M3W4OaVgUjGDtFHtIv7gP3ylzR3uvwjD_NgM8BgXg98ytcQGYIehm5-pG_wWDo/s1600/sunflowers.JPG" title="September in Upper Amherst Cove" width="300" /> </div><br /> I'm finding it difficult to accept summer has dwindled into fall.   That doesn't mean I don't make art the rest of the year; I just have to share my time with business. But those summers are important for the rest of the year when you take time to reflect.  I found out that: <br /><br /><h4>Nature fuels creativity</h4><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="iceberg, Duntara, Newfoundland, Margaret Ryall" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmRTRhIliOpApRcQKcnSTJEAcFhkbVI6vYJgy78A9aC9_bGoSvjdVxFaqB1n6HuNfg8k2WnPJW9w64-Chq6AWjgy-5Ntm2V3xGoP7U32lIDr27-QCeBjBQKlRPUzEE5-aSoJSEtAfCpcY/s1600/iceberg+through+window.JPG" title="Iceberg, Duntara, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland" width="300" /></div><br />A long summer, spent on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean with whales breaching and ice bergs slowly drifting, begs you to slow down.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="relaxing Duntara Newfoundland feet first , Margaret Ryall" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSUckcTRES6wzysfNeuIKJe2cm4obtIOAWKOTIadmnvHrg2tood1hokY96us8gRqly29DRaAV9joUN6n2k5Vhwnf1EoP8uN4aCClIjE3ETGkG5sFiZ7estuK-sv2p99fZpnC4aELxkbuA/s1600/toes+to+the+ocean.JPG" title="Relaxing in the bay" width="315" /></div><br />  Contemplation leads to renewal as you allow your mind to follow the rhythms of nature.  When you  relax  this wonderful feeling of "anything is possible" descends. You make new connections, have creative thoughts, and appreciate  your lot in life.  Even the small things, usually ignored, are suddenly worthy of comment. <br /><br /><br /><h4>There's new life in old things</h4><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Lawton house, King's Cove, Newfoundland, Margaret Ryall" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMXz6mnEgDeTynH_KBiJ1GeMFvOJpUiFsiNmn1Y_pgNn4qup23-YwwL2yHxu1jwfga6G6byI3efAVzriiPrUlI_5cmvxFFHEXZiirVArYKQEOmkXn0L850SHgafb5gAGhdM8Jy6g-kc9F/s1600/Lawton+house+King's%2BCove.PNG" title="Lawton House, King's Cove, Newfoundland" width="266" /></div><br /> I love to see old houses on their last legs getting attention, and those that don't eventually fall down.  It is in this debris,  that I found inspiration for new work.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Composition in Time Margaret Ryall 2014 wood assemblage" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvxh7HTB466qzMnrJ8FhcW3UCwHGOH1ITsROT16xoVsdzOKmjKUnlcEajKfcxO7CfHPF_rbtZz_HX45YfNN1ktTDJ_cToxikU4BKYvW6i4-wIbIWhKFr4pFr-goLJPAW2XRNPJP8p3iN2/s1600/composition+in+time.JPG" title="Composition in Time, Margaret Ryal,l 2014, wood assemblage, 12 x 28 in." width="301" /></div><br /> What began quietly at the end of <a href="http://designinghome.blogspot.ca/2013/12/reclaimed-wood-works.html">last summer </a>has blossomed into a whole new series of  work this year and an exhibition in 2016.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFrr7fJW2lsnojCCNWyd5VGR6auBPzepxGrNnsjMH2LsmEYXFMTg3vTKhaU3Ua_Uv6MP0UYbPGPXzLTCys9K3_s14HxzVLZPHJRdrvZ4CxN7zQ9wDfFOpYAvN8bgiUvZ3DKbdt9PlnjPK/s1600/shed+studio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFrr7fJW2lsnojCCNWyd5VGR6auBPzepxGrNnsjMH2LsmEYXFMTg3vTKhaU3Ua_Uv6MP0UYbPGPXzLTCys9K3_s14HxzVLZPHJRdrvZ4CxN7zQ9wDfFOpYAvN8bgiUvZ3DKbdt9PlnjPK/s1600/shed+studio.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />Yes, I've taken over that holy of holies- the shed - as my studio.  Move over Don, I've arrived. Good thing I learned  how to use all the necessary tools years ago. I can make that band saw sing.<br /><br /><br /><h4>Nature provides the best colour schemes </h4><h4> </h4><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Duntara, Bonavista Bay, Margaret Ryall" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3SiKXhIl1elIJeUhLI5DfXDNuGI6sn8VwUirfwH8pVnUg6eijqBOyO9OZ_DzCDXeL1PlnHJea_mFgmjpVLAve_CEH_Z4zormT-7lTp9yTb9rBK_-am7QSDsYNTtJmbw0XIa7L6vV8pP7/s1600/colours+of+sunset+the+bay.JPG" title="untara, Bonavista Bay, NL" width="295" /></div><br />My  colour sensibilities are heightened every summer because I am so immersed in nature.  I see coastal colours in my colour schemes in both art and decorating. It's as if I am storing up the feelings of summer in the the palette of my surroundings.  <br /><br /><h4>Know when to stop</h4><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="orange yellow rockers porch Duntara Bonavista Bay Margaret Ryall" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmm1O9h0YKczD9unuGOWkngEl4j2f0ZTpeVo6_I6i2yl9CUGU9CJkZt9GbpJEkr50oKoMYaeWnfJu2ZytYTd_F0pvGZa_vqJnaLGziPvn5ecvZhs6hopBoIMe1rj5SosJr_OkELEjB6Uk/s1600/chairs+on+porch.JPG" title="Rockers in Duntara, NL" width="300" /></div><br />Usually for a month each summer we trip around Europe with friends.  This summer we decided to stay put as they went off to China!  Yes, we traded China for a summer "around the bay" in a little harbour with a population of 30+.  I'm so glad I listened to my body.<br /><br /><h4> There are many kinds of artists</h4><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Mahoneys' garden, King's Cove, Newfoundland, Margaret Ryall" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ7stuFfLyOrirU8Z0kKhE8HK4kWp-KT3BAAybS29KT3wQ1vIHXNnG6YHIN80q53tFY7KrLvBAXfcVqx_kA6bAgCSIlIb_4gFtifAtDkwKhOSpgB1oJAoKxfmQk7rrtXupC_LaT0Mh7W1/s1600/Veronica's%2Bgarden%2B1.JPG" title="Mahoneys' Garden, King's Cove, NL" width="300" /> </div><br />Past lives intersect in small communities where you know everyone and everyone knows you.  Our friends, The Mahoneys, who live in the next community,  have a lovely garden.  I featured it in my <a href="http://designinghome.blogspot.ca/2014/07/how-does-your-garden-grow.html">last post</a> as proof that many people do not realize how talented they truly are. <br /><br /><br />What were your summer revelations?

5 things I learned this summer

I should make huge apologies for stalling my blogging over the last couple of months, but I have a letter from ... the artist.  I spent most...

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Canadian Designer Spotlight: Brent Comber

<a href="http://www.brentcomber.com/">Brent Comber</a>   is an  innovative  Canadian furniture maker  who uses local woods to produce a variety of designs.  I first became aware of his work through his Alder series.  He dries and fastens alder branches and then carves the piles into cubic shapes. By combining organic materials with geometric lines he produces furniture with a very dynamic aesthetic. I particularly like the idea of using alder - a sustainable wood- that growns like a weed in most places in Canada.  My husband is always battling alder bush growth near our summer house in Newfoundland. Alders grow quickly  into dense stands and left alone they will overtake an area.  <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8M34hy7D2tsRT7RZDNjciseb4IM9zCmmzNjMqcYZoSrGL5UUmrKpTytTy_x0L8ZWYn6QQBzRnfaeQgm9JRywJi3-clH_RGgFnJuY-NxAWfeyjY5FGgHkFA9Ihqb86y1_I1-89e2nAlhbO/s1600/reclaimed-wood-furnirute-brent-comber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8M34hy7D2tsRT7RZDNjciseb4IM9zCmmzNjMqcYZoSrGL5UUmrKpTytTy_x0L8ZWYn6QQBzRnfaeQgm9JRywJi3-clH_RGgFnJuY-NxAWfeyjY5FGgHkFA9Ihqb86y1_I1-89e2nAlhbO/s400/reclaimed-wood-furnirute-brent-comber.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brent Comber  alder stools and bench</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2B8-zdxl-eAf2iXdKi7JQDlZPPohKUj5JL-aVfgNFHcfJNoXTJUkovzcNOov5e4lbP5uQmcOxgxrKn76w7UTIKL5sZRrRWWszKPFC9j34D3BkIGktxNLtCRtnBjynxehEdJOP1HLBORPF/s1600/Brent-Comber-AlderRound-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2B8-zdxl-eAf2iXdKi7JQDlZPPohKUj5JL-aVfgNFHcfJNoXTJUkovzcNOov5e4lbP5uQmcOxgxrKn76w7UTIKL5sZRrRWWszKPFC9j34D3BkIGktxNLtCRtnBjynxehEdJOP1HLBORPF/s400/Brent-Comber-AlderRound-.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round alder stools </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQo8dKTxqgWE_z3pHXUQ97Ve0YlaJWkNGwIEfqQb5x33T-xRG9QcxOEl78Asv0s_mADHpvOkE33MG1uLBYouyUVa1dVoH2j8exRlHyUJAV_haSvTsHUI6RbOd4bhrzlqZ7IN55d2aZP-eI/s1600/Brent-Comber-ART-AlderDisk3-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQo8dKTxqgWE_z3pHXUQ97Ve0YlaJWkNGwIEfqQb5x33T-xRG9QcxOEl78Asv0s_mADHpvOkE33MG1uLBYouyUVa1dVoH2j8exRlHyUJAV_haSvTsHUI6RbOd4bhrzlqZ7IN55d2aZP-eI/s400/Brent-Comber-ART-AlderDisk3-.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">54 inch Alder disk at White Horses Spa</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This  54” Alder Disk  hung in  White Horses Spa at <a href="http://www.doonbeglodge.com/gallery.html">Doonbeg Golf Lodge,</a>  Ireland.  While the same materials used in Comber's furniture pieces are used in the disk, the viewer is  engaged in a different way, looking  directly at the patterns and rhythms  that emerge at eye level. The piece is convex in shape and the light changes depending on time of day and the viewing angle similar to the way the light is filtered in a forest.   <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzVGaAa-_mOzfWtid3svoWYosoBOIgpkfS6MT8_PNF72hT4T2MFFfZQRd6WoGw8i7dRINcJnM0rjimVni_FQDquUE71IWjIn-u_rn7hUaMBwXa0h0BcNyFvI3MD9wevibkycEhGnLtJop/s1600/brent-comber-spaces-baumkuchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzVGaAa-_mOzfWtid3svoWYosoBOIgpkfS6MT8_PNF72hT4T2MFFfZQRd6WoGw8i7dRINcJnM0rjimVni_FQDquUE71IWjIn-u_rn7hUaMBwXa0h0BcNyFvI3MD9wevibkycEhGnLtJop/s400/brent-comber-spaces-baumkuchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baumkuchn Cafe, Tokyo, "log cake"</td></tr></tbody></table>In German, Baumkuchn translates literally as “tree cake” or “log cake”. This European dessert is also popular in Japan, and is the namesake for this cafe in Tokyo.  The 120 foot feature wall, texturally stunning and  simplistically beautiful, serves as a cohesive element in the design of this small space.   <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4r3jczgOJJ2EkTmJJpflPPqNfjDdWTOfTGrVDpw7Dlb3JF8KBBW231UUeSLNJrC9uCbZvZSdEc5nFCd4c-7Dgwo-ZxlCroyCO4UCBTrj_ZegIOHswE7h6e6KDPtOLvaQHbmbjEa628Lp/s1600/brent-comber-tea-cup-+stool.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4r3jczgOJJ2EkTmJJpflPPqNfjDdWTOfTGrVDpw7Dlb3JF8KBBW231UUeSLNJrC9uCbZvZSdEc5nFCd4c-7Dgwo-ZxlCroyCO4UCBTrj_ZegIOHswE7h6e6KDPtOLvaQHbmbjEa628Lp/s1600/brent-comber-tea-cup-+stool.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T  Cup stool </td></tr></tbody></table> This simple design speaks of the strength and stability of wood while referencing its passage and growth. <br /><br />And there's so much more...  <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ib3E205cINVxggNrY_5MfWjfn33cUkgp4yeYrSGrhcfz_QLyv0L38_-0ep_v_M_jR5vTWn7nAPoYuz2KEbXtA6FvE83jHbMyAWH-oKiM3BDRACq9eTavzRDUX0rP-p7bCIItD9W_cfzD/s1600/Aperture_walnut_1_e-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ib3E205cINVxggNrY_5MfWjfn33cUkgp4yeYrSGrhcfz_QLyv0L38_-0ep_v_M_jR5vTWn7nAPoYuz2KEbXtA6FvE83jHbMyAWH-oKiM3BDRACq9eTavzRDUX0rP-p7bCIItD9W_cfzD/s400/Aperture_walnut_1_e-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperture table</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sWOkKhbXuLHFO_8ru87TBHXsffQqGHzVsPViPQQsJq1zxkIzXQrpq3grwotFbE7jFWqjOrQTkOLHJUj9MzlG6xYzheNwhigDszfxOlovJpqXdJe-nl7m0D7UImrmNH3AJk5S92s34eGx/s1600/Brent-Comber-horizon-dining-table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sWOkKhbXuLHFO_8ru87TBHXsffQqGHzVsPViPQQsJq1zxkIzXQrpq3grwotFbE7jFWqjOrQTkOLHJUj9MzlG6xYzheNwhigDszfxOlovJpqXdJe-nl7m0D7UImrmNH3AJk5S92s34eGx/s400/Brent-Comber-horizon-dining-table.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horizon Dining Table </td></tr></tbody></table><br />The man behind the design.... <br /><br /><a href="http://cesbelleschoses.blogspot.ca/2010/12/brent-comber.html"></a> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzS7pPDmb7GWJag__VgEgE79ZxEnH1QHtljrTqzr56mQKA0CfjRqXjKqzeSWJ1gBhOuS9_qsStVarkikU30y1qfRm6TBQoJNoMVstKUziVyHP0NwZ76V5pnKemx2j90OFCpdLcEt4t6Gk/s1600/brent-comber-photo-bench-table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzS7pPDmb7GWJag__VgEgE79ZxEnH1QHtljrTqzr56mQKA0CfjRqXjKqzeSWJ1gBhOuS9_qsStVarkikU30y1qfRm6TBQoJNoMVstKUziVyHP0NwZ76V5pnKemx2j90OFCpdLcEt4t6Gk/s320/brent-comber-photo-bench-table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://mocoloco.com/archives/001097.php">source </a></span></div><br /> Check out Brent Comber at <a href="http://www.kostuikgallery.com/?section=Artists&page=Artworks&a=20&artist=Brent%20+Comber">Jennifer Kostuik Gallery. </a><br /><br />This fall  Brent Comber was awarded <a href="http://promoteratheart.com/news-events/brent-comber-awarded-western-livings-furniture-designer-of-the-year/">Western Living's Furniture Designer of the Year.</a>

Canadian Designer Spotlight: Brent Comber

Brent Comber    is an  innovative  Canadian furniture maker  who uses local woods to produce a variety of designs.  I first became aware of...

Read more »