2024

Welcome to the new and improved year … 

2024… is my fresh start… putting my best foot forward … as a person, a woman, an artist, a wife, lover, mother, granny, aunt, friend, dog owner, good neighbor, activist, supporter, writer, organizer, teacher, employer, leader …learner… business owner, a patient, and a traveler, … the list goes on, … The point is, I’m many things, to myself and the many people in my life. 

At the start of every new year, like many of you, I take time to reflect.  I look back over the past year(s) and take stock. 

Firstly, I apologize to anyone I may have caused pain to, including myself! I have had an incredibly busy 2023 and this is no excuse to not be there for you.  I try to be kind and mindful of others.  I deeply care for the important people in my life.  I hope you know who you are and if not I’ll endeavour to do better.  

The past few years have been pretty fricking amazing! And incredibly hard at the same time. I’ve learned a lot and hope I can take these life lessons and use them in the future to grow and improve in all aspects of my life. 

Finally, I take time to think about, what’s next? What would I like to achieve in the coming year?  I have made some goals for 2024.  It’s a risk to write them down and then publicly share them.  Here are a few I’m willing to share:

EVERY DAY OF 2024 …. Live well. 

Be Mindful and present

Care for myself mentally and physically

Get Stronger

Make Mosaic Art

Sell Art

Swear more…

OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR 2024

Finish up Fairbank Village’s Planter Project in the Spring

Write my book on FBV Planter Project 

Create the FBV Planter Poster

Create the Adopt a Planter Project

Offer Mosaic workshops

Apply for a Grant

Apply to Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

Apply to Opportunities to show my mosaic creations.

Write a minimum of 1 blog post per month

Apply to an artist’s residency.

Build the planned Mosaic Water Feature in our courtyard.

I expect when I sit down at the beginning of 2025 I’ll be able to say I've achieved many of my goals … 

I’m sure there will be the highlights, lowlights and many struggles, all of which I’m grateful for…

For this is life. 

AND NOW LET US BEGIN

Reflections on Going Home and the "Almost" End of a BIG Project.

Fairbank Village Planter Beautification Project:

Working on a BIG project with all sorts of ups and downs can be more than a little daunting. I am an eternal optimist ;-) (Thanks Dad!) and I have taken on an attitude of …. I’m going to work as hard as I can, problem solve when needed and “hope for the best!”

The good news is there are a lot of planters that are completely finished - Nineteen! … and some of them are beautiful! They are all nice but I do have my favourites! The bad news is, I’m not finished yet (very close … but no cigar) and I’m way over on everything… time, budget, and bandaids! Ha, Ha

Good news - I’ll be back in the Spring to finish up the project! which will only take a few weeks.

In my experience, delays are a normal part of any project. “Shit happens!”, is the expression! You can’t control weather, unforseen accidents, or forest fires in Quebec depositing smoke in your city, 100’s of km away!

Even with everything - this has been a great experience. I’ve learned so much and I’m so thankful to the many people who helped to make this project a reality.

To name a few:

• My amazing and incredibly supportive husband, Paul.

• The Fairbank Village BIA’s, very patient & understanding, Co-ordinator - Hannah Thresher along with the Members of the Board of Directors.

• All of the people who came to work with me as a part of my team!!

• Friend’s, family and volunteers who came and worked with us, including all the workshop attendees who mosaicked the Hearts for the “I ♥️ Fairbank Village” Planters.

• Business owners and employees who provided cold or hot drinks and treats to sustain us on those long days.

• The many pedestrians who stopped to talk to us! We received so much positive feedback. I am so grateful for every single person who took the time to talk to us, your comments made all the hard work worth while!

• A special thank you to all the individuals & businesses that donated materials or greatly reduced their prices!

  More formal acknowledgements and recognition will be forthcoming - we have future plans for planter merchandise along with a community “Meet the Artist” Event.

  Wishing you all the Best for the remainder of 2023 and see you in the Spring of 2024

Jenny May #everythingmosaic

MY BIRTHDAY!

Hello, and welcome to my blog… It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down to write anything! I thought a great way to reboot my blog was to talk about my Birthday philosophy and a little bit of what’s been going on.  The big news is, I’m super busy which makes doing any kind of updates - website, facebook, instagram, tik tok … this blog… challenging. So here is a small update and the promise of a minimum of one blog post per month in the future!

AUGUST 31, 2023 (my Birthday)

When I turned 60 years old, I decided I would celebrate each remaining birthday with an abundance of joy and love.  My philosophy is each birthday is the gift of another year! As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to realize how precious each day is.  

My Birthday landed on a Thursday this year (2023) and I was very busy working on the Fairbank Village Planter Project in Toronto.  I did take time out to celebrate with my team and to reflect on the ups and downs of the past year. 

One of my team very thoughtfully brought a beautiful and delicious fruit cake.  I ordered a large party tray of sushi from Sushi Zuki located just down the street on Eglinton West at Chamberlain Ave and we had a little party.  It was nice to see everyone smiling and laughing together.  It’s been a crazy summer of making and installing mosaics on the planters lining the streets of Fairbank Village.

When I think about this past year and all of the ups and downs - it’s hard to believe everything that’s happened.  A year ago I was working on the planters along Eglinton with the knowledge that I’d be back in the Spring of 2023 to complete the project. I’d love to talk about everything I’ve experienced, done and learned…  and I will! 

…. Just not today

I’m still hard at work with my team and given the time crunch we’re under… I have to get to it!  Today we are working at the Fairbank Village BIA making mosaics. The plan is to go outside and finish some planters, prepping them to be grouted. It’s a gorgeous day … sunny and cool. 

Stay tuned and I’ll have some really great stories to tell about this long and bumpy project in Fairbank Village.

ALL THE BEST,

JENNY MAY

Weathering the Weather on Eglinton Ave West

Working outside on a busy street comes with its challenges. The weather is obviously a big factor and my weather app is constantly being checked. I actually like it when it rains first thing in the morning… it’s easy to make a call! Yup we’re working inside. Yesterday I stayed in all day - we could have worked outside! Ugh… there was a weather warning all day that never materialized!

With each passing day it looks more and more like the work will be moving indoors for the winter season. Thinset and grout don’t like cold wet weather. We are hoping to get a couple more planters done but its very hard to know. I’ll miss the hustle bustle of the busy street. We appreciate the kind words shared by passerbyers and the locals popping by to give words of encouragement. I’ve come to appreciate the personality of this very diverse neighbourhood. Here’s hoping we get a few more warm days that will allow us to complete a few more planters before we shutdown for winter. I’ve added a few pictures of our progress. It’s not the best photography but you get the idea.

October 13, 2022

Putting The Pieces Back Together

The Leslie Grove Gallery’s New Show is Opening on Thursday October 6th - The Ontario Mosaic Artist’s Executives have worked tirelessly to get this show put together. They have done an amazing job. If you are interested in seeing some incredible pieces of unique art, make a point of stopping by over the next month. Don’t wait too long though as many of the pieces sold last year. (For the best selection - shop early) I have one piece that will be on display. I also have a section in the mosaic quilt that is up for auction. It’s a great cause so please consider bidding on it. It will look great hanging up in your home. To learn more and bid - click the link https://go.rallyup.com/slf-auction/Campaign/Details

October 05, 2022

A Messy Mess

So… I’ve committed to writing a weekly blog…

Not sure what that will look like but I have ideas about sharing my everyday experiences as an aspiring mosaic artist. To talk about whatever strikes my fancy. Mostly about what I’m thinking about doing and the process …everything mosaic… Before I can really get into the mosaic art and the work I want to do… I have to get my house in order… literally …

I moved my studio home from B13 August 31st and our house is still in a state of disarray. Most of the mess is confined to our garage and the basement. I’ve been working on cleaning out the spare room and am almost there (except for the closet… which deserves a blog post of it’s own). I’m truly in awe of how much “stuff” I accumulated at the studio! I’m fortunate to have a huge basement that is almost completely dedicated to Jenny May Mosaics. My goal over the coming weeks is to get things cleaned up and organized down there so I have a creative space to work in.

The task seems so monumental I don’t know where to start…. BUT you have to start somewhere so this is my plan.

1. Invite a few good friends to come over and help me! Asking for help is something I’m terrible at! The reality is with help I’ll get things done quicker. DONE … a few close friends are coming over Friday.

2. PURGE - PURGE - PURGE!!! I tend to hang on to things because you never know when I might need them for a project. I have to be brutal and get rid of stuff that has been around long enough for me to know it won’t ever get used.

3. Make my trips count - Don’t go down or come up empty handed! Ha ha… I’ve been doing this since the end of August but really started to stick to it last week and amazingly it’s working.

4. Take progress pictures - I did this when I moved down to B13 and it took several months before I had things even close to where I wanted them. The retail / gallery space was just about perfect by the time I decided to move everything home … lol. Just reminding myself - it takes time to get things done … the photos help show the changes as I go and in turn helps me know things are moving in the right direction - albeit slowly.

As I’m sure you can tell by this post - the home studio and gallery is a work in progress and will evolve over the coming months. I’ll keep things updated here on my blog and also on facebook and instagram. Stay tuned for #creativespace #studio #everythingmosaic

October 10, 2019

About Last Weekend(s)

So it’s Thursday evening and I want to share what I experienced over the past two weekends. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness…. it was a truly wonderful experience on so many levels.

Back in early 2019, I applied to be a guest artist in the Bancroft & Area Autumn Studio Tour and was thrilled to be accepted. Having never been part of a studio tour I was provided with advice from organizers and set out to prepare for the show. Time has a way of marching on and before I knew it September arrived. I packed up my car on Friday September 20th and headed north. I was really, really, nervous… and had a few moments leading up to my departure thinking of reasons why I should pull a no show! Four and a half hours in the car and my trusty google maps got me safely to my destination….

I walked into Nancy & Doug McKinnon’s beautiful home and was amazed at the place… perfectly situated on a lake and very homey and welcoming. Nancy is an abstract landscape painter and her work is gorgeous - her studio is on the lower level of her home with a walk out to the lake. Her work is bold and colourful - there were several pieces that I really felt drawn to …and I will have an original in my home at some point. Anyway, I spent the next few hours setting up the pieces I brought and secretly worried that I would be a flop! UGH - it’s hard to put yourself out there! Once everything was arranged I left Nancy’s - she gave me a big hug and I was soooo thankful for her at that moment she’ll never know! I got back in my car and programmed the google maps to my next destination - about 30 to 40 minutes away. I stayed with Michelle Bruce a talented jewellery designer and her friend Karen Gray a potter. These two are amazing women and their work is gorgeous… I did make a few purchases - I couldn’t resist. It felt very strange being completely out of my comfort zone, I literally didn’t know a soul. .. and they didn’t know me! Thank heavens for their kindness and generosity. I have to say everything went really well and we have become fast friends.

So here I am… I have two weekends as a guest artist in the Bancroft & Area Autumn Studio Tour where I got to showcase my work and connect with attendees and other artists from all across Ontario. Being a guest at Nancy McKinnon’s Rockwood Art Studio which is located on Baptiste Lake was a great location for a few reasons. One, the majestic views and beautiful surroundings provided the perfect setting for a creative and inspiring experience. Two, Nancy is a well known and respected artist in the area and has a large following. We had hundreds of visitors over the 2 weekends and it was surprising to me because it felt so quiet… no traffic to speak of … so where did everybody come from?? When I asked people I learned we had visitors from all over Ontario… and lots of locals too.

I experienced so many positive moments it’s hard to know where to start….. The thing I really loved was talking to visitors about my passion. Mosaic art… I was asked countless questions and I did my best to answer everyone of them. Over the many conversations I had - I met so many wonderful creative souls! Some fellow artists, others curious or interested in how I came to mosaic and what keeps me motivated and inspired. I heard lots and lots of great stories! I realized that many people participate in the tour to draw inspiration from the various artists they visit. To me…. this is a fabulous thing… me… Jenny May being an inspiration!! How cool is that!

I could go on and on… but I’ll write more on the tour once I’ve had more time to reflect on my experiences. One very important lesson I learned is don’t let your fear rule you… it’s okay to be afraid, but remember when you step outside of your comfort zone, this is when you actually grow and learn about yourself. I’m very proud of myself… I learned a lot! There are some things I’ll do differently and other things I’ll get better at… like social media! Hopefully, I’ll be fortunate enough to be invited back for the 2020 tour!

Also feel free to take a look at the article I was featured on below!

http://www.bancroftthisweek.com/?p=10057

Thanks for reading my blog… Stay tuned for next week’s … I’ll be talking about what’s next for Jenny May and #everything mosaic. Checkout the workshop I’m running October 26 & 27th, 2019 at The Hive London (the last weekend of October) I’ll be covering all the basics of making your very own mosaic masterpiece.

“Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.” – Jim Carrey

October 03, 2019

ROAD TRIP - A New Adventure

I’m a guest artist at the Bancroft & Area Autumn Studio Tour and it’s happening this and next weekend.

Who doesn’t love a road trip!!! I’m hitting the road this morning and heading North to Bancroft where I’m a guest artist at Nancy McKinnon’s Studio located on Baptiste Lake. She’s a vibrant landscape painter who is “very” talented. I can’t wait to see her work up close. Check out her website. https://rockwoodartstudio.com.

I’m excited and nervous about this adventure but I know I have to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share my passion for mosaic art with visitors to the tour over the next two weekends. I can’t imagine anything better than being in a beautiful setting, talking with art enthusiasts about my passion!

The word is that the Autumn colours are starting to pop … a short 4 to 5 hour road trip and I’m stretching my eyes over the landscape and drinking in the beauty of the place. I’m sure I’ll come away with loads of inspiration… and hopefully I’ll sell some of my mosaic creations! If you can’t make it in person… check out the beautiful website highlighting the tour participants https://bancroftstudiotour.org/

September 20, 2019

FLASHBACK FRIDAY #FBF

Happy Friday the 13th!

An unpublished post found in my drafts … very interesting as this was written on the Eve of me opening up my studio in the heart of London’s Old East Village at B13 The Baker’s Dozen…

“I wish I could say this past year has been an amazing one - full of new Jenny May creations .... but it hasn't been that kind of year.  The universe had other things in mind and between my new job my new grand baby and my health I haven't had the time or energy to do anything except exist.  It's amazing what a health scare can do to propel you into action!!!  I learned a long long time ago that nothing will happen if you don't "actually" do it.  Thinking about it, researching, talking, listening... all super important things to do - making a plan.... but ultimately the only way it gets done is by just acting on whatever needs doing. “ - JMM April 28, 2018

And now I begin a new chapter … taking my mosaic art practice to new heights and it begins with a new location and direction and of course “a plan” … stay tuned for Jenny May Mosaic’s exciting news.
#everythingmosaic - check it out on my gram. @jennymaymosaic

September 13, 2019

BIG NEWS IN THE ART WORLD

YES IT’S TRUE - I made this announcement with tongue in cheek !! BUT it is BIG NEWS for me!!!

I ‘m writing today about the evolution of a creative and art loving woman who is ready to step out of the shadows and show some of her work!! “ME”…..

Stay tuned for the details but here’s what I know so far. I will be the featured artist at B13 - 613 Dundas St, London, ON Canada! in July 2019 and will be holding an Opening on B13’s First Friday Night Market - An Art Gala Extravaganza on July 5, 2019. I CAN say there will be an amazing young Jazz Musician performing AND I will have my award winning “Bejewelled Pear”on display along with a few new additions. I’ve also invited a few of my talented artist friend’s to show their work …to be announced!! And of course the amazing B13 Resident Artists and Artisan’s will be showing their work. So get all glammed up and come out and smooze. What could be better? MARK it down on your calendar…. and see you there. Jenny xoxox