New Year, New Projects - Screenprinting and Art Markets!

Greetings, word art consumers!

In 2022, I gave up on job hunting and finally took the plunge into self-employment by focusing on writing. I wrote art reviews, articles, grant applications, art exhibition submissions, book reviews, and got to meet a bunch of really lovely local artists. I really love the work I got to do, but it takes time to build up a steady income.

In November 2022, I had the opportunity to return to my previous job from 2016-2020 to catch up on bills for a few months. I have been working out of the house full-time and haven’t been able to write as much as I would like, but I have been able to dive into artmaking again! I’m drawing during my downtime and experimenting with screenprinting at home.

Fuck Around, Find Out, Freyja Catton, 2023. Screenprint with white ink on black paper.

This year I’m trying something new - art markets! I got into a couple of local markets here in Edmonton this spring/summer and will be selling handmade prints and postcards, screenprinted patches, original drawings, holographic stickers, copies of The Adventures of Captain Zeal, and bottles from The Apathecary. I’m focusing on the production of 5 designs right now, but I have plans for a few more to be produced throughout the year and may be able to take on screenprinting commissions later on! I’m looking forward to showing off my work again, and I’m hopeful that these small art/alt/punk/queer/pagan markets will be a good venue for these projects. 

White on black paper screenprints by Freyja Catton, 2023. Sounds Gay I’m In, Monochrome Rainbow, Creaky Cryptid, and Be Gay, Do Drugs, Hail Satan will be available for sale at $30 each.

Confirmed Market Dates:

  • February 18, 2023 - Saturday from 7-11 pm
    Cabinet of Curiosities: Special Mega Market
    Aviation Museum, 11410 Kingsway NW Edmonton

  • April 15, 2023 - Saturday from 7-11 pm
    Cabinet of Curiosities: Special Mega Market
    Aviation Museum, 11410 Kingsway NW Edmonton

  • June 16, 2023 - Friday from 7-11 pm
    Cabinet of Curiosities: Special Mega Market
    Aviation Museum, 11410 Kingsway NW Edmonton

  • June 30, 2023 - Friday from 7-11 pm
    Alt After Dark
    Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre, 8426 Gateway Blvd Edmonton

There are a couple more local markets that I’ve applied for as well as a couple of local vendors. And of course, once I have a decent amount of inventory, I’ll be upgrading my online shops so that anyone unable to make the in-person markets will still have an opportunity to support my work. I’m posting pretty regularly on Instagram so that’s probably the best place to go if you’re looking for an update on market prep!

I’m still experimenting and figuring a lot of this stuff out yet, so if you’d like to talk shop or if you’re interested in purchasing or selling my work at your (small) establishment, please reach out to me at wordeaterconsulting(at)gmail(dot)com!

Hope to see you there at the Cabinet of Curiosities! And as always, thanks for supporting your local indie artists!

Freyja T. Catton (he/they)
Wordeater Consulting

How It's Going

After our launch in July, we have been keeping busy! The business is slowly but surely ramping up, and we’re working on networking and building up our clientele. We love the work we’ve been doing so far, and we’re definitely seeing a need for our art writing services in covering the local art scene! We even got some fancy promo holo stickers made from a local sticker company, and we’re eager to start making more swag for our shop!

Square holographic sticker with Wordeater logo and thewordeater.com written in all caps

Early in October, we went on a long-overdue visit to see our family and sweetheart in the States. We unplugged for a whole three weeks and spent our time recharging, reconnecting with loved ones, stayed at a cabin in the woods, got into archery, lost one phone and bricked another, and ate all kinds of great homemade food. We got back in time to catch COVID a second time (after our trip, thankfully) and have been slowly recovering since then, working on art reviews and getting into screenprinting!

We’ve been working with a couple of regular clients to write articles, we’ve written artist statements/bios for a couple of local artists, we’ve helped out with some grant writing, and we’ve written reviews for art exhibitions, music, books, and movies. Reviews have been published in Galleries West, Wordeater News, and in ARLIS/NA publications! We even wrote an article about the value of the MLIS outside of libraries which is available to read in the Journal of New Librarianship!

As the holiday season approaches, COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN for both our drawing and writing services! If you’ve been contemplating applying for grants or exhibitions, if you’re updating your website’s info, or you have a new artwork coming out that you’d like to promote with a review, now is a great time to reach out and let us know! Or if you’re eager to show appreciation of a loved one with a commissioned drawing of like, Pokemon or something, hit us up!

Use our contact form on our website, message us on our Facebook page, or send us an email at wordeaterconsulting(at)gmail(dot)com!

Wishing you all warm beverages and cozy sweaters,

Freyja T. Catton, MLIS, BFA
Wordeater Consulting

On art shows, launch dates, and writing

Saturday, June 25 was the opening of the Annual Member’s Exhibition and Open House at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre! I’m showing two new drawings there and I’m excited for folks to see! I was able to volunteer for the opening, where I took some pictures, did some figure drawings, reconnected with the art community and, of course, consumed more art! The exhibition will be available until July 9, so get thee there while thy can!

Things have been busy here at Wordeater HQ!

This month I’ve registered Wordeater Consulting as a sole proprietor-owned writing business! I’ve set up pages on Facebook and Google I’m in the process of securing a city business license, new business cards, registering the GST account, sorting out taxes, and figuring out how to set up subscription services. Anderson Career Training Institute has been instrumental for me in figuring out how to do all this and I’m really excited to start out! The hard launch date for Wordeater Consulting is set for July 1, 2022 - end of the week!

I’ve set up writing packages in the shop and am currently looking for clients, especially in the arts and culture and non-profit industries. Please feel free to recommend me to anyone who might be interested in working with me, even if they don’t have the budget yet!

I’m keeping busy writing newsletter updates on SubStack. Most recently I’ve written about scams, Bluetooth, the new Thor Love and Thunder trailer, and a eulogy for my artistic cousin Jennifer. Last week I attended a conference on digital accessibility and archives, and I’m working on my news update on that today, so look forward to that! I’ve been working on my cosplay for the Thor movie and it is coming along nicely, especially now that I’ve been able to borrow a sewing machine! I’m a little quieter on Patreon, but I’m still working on things to share there. I have a couple more reviews for ARLIS/NA publications in the works, and I’m helping the Exhibitions SIG there launch a new publication called Library Exhibitions Review! I’ll be sure to post an update about that, we’ll be looking for reviewers pretty soon here.

Thanks for tuning in!

-Freyja T. Catton

Always Evolving

My full-time job unfortunately was short-lived due to business restructuring. In the meantime I got to learn a lot about administration, how to run marketing from a business perspective, and how small businesses work. It was a great experience with great people, and I’m looking forward to working with them as a consultant for future projects!

After the lay-off I applied to a few more jobs, but quickly I realized that I don’t want to work a regular full-time job anymore. The stability isn’t stable enough, my heart isn’t into other people’s schedules, I’m tired of job hunting, and I’m tired of waiting to make my own goals happen. I’m ready to dive into self-employment as a consultant. Like, really diving in. I think it’s time!!

“Seeking Perfection” by Freyja Catton, 2016. Typewriter on cardstock tab.

I’m very grateful to have been accepted into a self-employment program here in Edmonton, through Anderson Career Training Institute! The instructors and my fellow classmates have all been very helpful in helping me break down the steps in starting a business for the first time and in helping me figure out what exactly I want to offer as a consultant. I’m finding I get energized when I can talk to people about projects and think about big systemic ideas. I’m a highly creative person in tune with the art community as a whole, and I hold a lot of passion for writing and art documentation. I’m hoping to be able to work primarily with clients in the art and publication industries. I know a lot of us struggle to find the right words for things, and that’s one of my favourite challenges! It’s been difficult to figure out who my clients are, but I think my clients are people who think too big for words. Like me!

My website is evolving a bit to reflect this - I updated the site organization, added a shop (finally!!), and updated the consultation page. Of course there’s a lot more steps to come, like licensing and registration, and securing clients and projects, but I’m excited! I think I’m ready.

My focus for the next few months is getting this consultation business set up and established for the summer, as well as building up more posts for Wordeater News. By fall I’m hoping to be more financially established and able to start applying for exhibitions again. I have a couple of projects I’d like to work on creatively and I’m looking forward to working on the next Captain Zeal book. Lots of things on the go — just the way I like it.

Thanks for consuming,

-Freyja T. Catton, MLIS, BFA

Consuming The Wordeater

Greetings, Consumers!

I’m happy to announce I have secured a new day job!! Now that I’m not working in a manual labour survival job, I’ll have a lot more time and energy to dedicate to my art and writing projects. To that end, I have put together a posting schedule for my various media outlets in the hopes that it will encourage me to keep creating!

Wordeater News!
I’ll be posting articles, interviews, and reviews every other week in Wordeater News! These will be up on SubStack every other Friday! SubStack is a cool new-to-me service where you can subscribe to newsletters from your favourite creators, and the newsletters get sent straight to your email inbox. It’s a lot more efficient than expecting people to check my website a bunch. Eventually there may be a paid option (I imagine I’ll post double then), but for now it is FREE!

Patreon!
I’ll be posting new drawings, tour and tutorial videos, works in progress, etc. every other week on Patreon! Unfortunately it does require a monthly subscription but I’ve set up several price tiers (5, 10, 20, 50, or 1000/mo) with the hopes of fitting anyone’s budget. I’ll probably revisit the subscription setup later as I get more comfortable with the platform. I like the idea of mailing ya’ll some Wordeater Swag as a thank you, but I’m not quite sure how to set that up yet.

Social Medias!
I’ll be posting twice a week on my Instagram and Tumblr pages! Last year when I was the featured artist at Bleeding Heart Art Space, I found I really enjoyed posting based on the day of the week! I’m going to be bringing that more officially to my platforms. On #MyFaceMonday I share a selfie and talk about things I’m thinking about that might show up or have shown up in my practice. On Tuesdays I share installments of #FreyjaConsumesArt, where I show some of my favourite art by other people and talk about what I like about it. I use this series partly as a way to promote other artists and partly to help others learn how to talk about art. On #NewWorkWednesdays I show off some recent or work-in-progress art projects.

In February I will also be relocating from Calgary back to my Edmonton address. I’m looking forward to getting back into the Edmonton art scene!

Lots happening - join me on Instagram tomorrow for New Work Wednesday!
-Freyja

Defeating Capitalism

Well I have thoroughly been disappointed by the job hunt over the last fourteen months. I finished school and have applied to 145 different jobs with four interviews and no offers. Universal Basic Income has yet to be implemented so I am currently working a short-term 40 hour a week survival job. But I am eager to get back to creating again. I want to write, draw, cosplay, research, work on my book ideas, officiate queer marriages, and sponsor other artists! I have been having trouble focusing on any one thing recently so guess what? If you want to support a nonbinary hard of hearing ADHD artist or to contribute to my espresso addiction, well I am working on a few different ways to enable you to do that!

I am launching a Patreon account with monthly memberships and perks, as well as a regular subscription newsletter on SubStack! I’m going to see if I can cross-platform a bit, so if one channel is better than another then you won’t need to miss out, and I won’t have to overload myself with projects (ha, kidding, that’s just a Tuesday).

I have also launched a Ko-Fi account, which is an easy way to provide one-time donations to creators such as myself!

Still plotting that Etsy account but dealing with physical shipping requires a totally different game plan, so holding off on that for now. In the meantime if you have your eye on something in my art collection (I still post somewhat regularly on Instagram), or if you have a commission idea you need support with, feel free to reach out and let me know!

In solidarity of the post-capitalist system,

-Frey

Hands On History at the Galt Museum

The Galt Museum in Lethbridge is hosting a series of interactive events titled Hands On History. Local artists come in and host workshops for kids, and this year I’m taking part on Saturday!

To coincide with the Galt’s new exhibition, TV in History, we will be making posters! We’ll have supplies for collage, painting, drawing, etc. ready for you to play with!

The program is for all ages (especially for kids). It runs at 10 am-2 pm Saturday, Oct. 16. Attendees will have to pre-register but fees are under 10 bucks, and supplies are provided with the fee.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

-Freyja.

Introducing Wordeater Consulting

Hi folks!

I have completed my Master of Library and Information Studies degree (convocation is tomorrow!) and I have been looking for my big break into information management for the past few months with no bites yet.

In the meantime, I have been writing and getting into the whole indie publishing thing. I still want to keep making art, but there’s more demand for writing right now. I wrote an essay for Tammy Salszl’s art exhibition Emerald Queendom at Harcourt House, and I’ve published a few articles through Crime Watch Canada and another through the student library and information studies journal Pathfinder. It turns out I am really enjoying these writing projects, and I want to do more!

Now that I have a better idea of what my skills are, I’m now offering my services in writing, research, and editing services, as well as in creative services of archival description, text-based promotional images, and commissioned art.
Details are available in the new Wordeater Consulting page on this site, and I’m looking forward to hearing about your projects!

I don’t know what kind of demand there will be for these services, so I’m testing the waters and playing it by ear. If you have a creative project or information project you need help with, let me know!

In collaboration,

Freyja T. Catton, MLIS, BFA (he/him or they/them)

Pre-Orders of Adventures of Captain Zeal Open

Hi everyone! I am happy to announce pre-orders are now open for the second printing of The Adventures of Captain Zeal! Please contact me to place your order by March 15, 2021.

Captain Zeal is the bravest pirate hedgehog to ever sail the seven seas! He and his friends, Lok, Od, and Tor sail on their ship, the Freya, and have exciting adventures like fighting the notorious Captain Snekspeare, finding treasure, and befriending the fearsome Kraken through a mutual love of gold and chicken.

This children's book is for children of all ages and species!

When you contact me I will need your address, and to know if you would like your copy to be addressed to anyone in particular!

$20 CAD each for Canada and US shipping.
$30 CAD each for International shipping.

Payment can be sent by e-transfer or PayPal to: freyjacatton(at)gmail(dot)com

Please note that because this is a pre-order and will be sent out by regular mail, I cannot guarantee a time frame of arrival. I estimate late March/early April.
As an alternative, the book continues to be available on Amazon, The Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble!

Thank you for your support!! I couldn't do this without you!

-F.T. Catton

ebook back cover.jpg

Redbubble and Society 6 shops now open

I have finished school in December and now have my MLIS! Convocation will be in June (remotely? in person? I have no idea) and in the meantime I’m looking for work in the gallery/library/archive/museum sectors. It’s a particularly rough time to look for work— I empathize with everyone else out there who is struggling with this. With this in mind, I’m trying to develop my ideas/services for freelance work. Stay tuned!

I have started new shops at both Redbubble and Society 6. I’ll try and switch things out occasionally to keep the shops interesting, but currently I have some old favourites available from my bottles/jars series (Redbubble shop pictured below). If you need more art, stickers, or notebooks in your life, check those out! I know both vendors offer high quality prints and I am more than happy to let them handle the printing/distribution for me!

I’m planning on opening both an Etsy shop and a related shop here on my website in the next couple of months as well. I’ll sell some original drawings/prints in the hopes of giving some old work a new home, and if I can get it coordinated, I’d like to sell some postcards (I love a good postcard!), notecards, and maybe even some pins and patches.

Sales for The Adventures of Captain Zeal went well and I was able to sell 100 copies in private sales! The printer is discontinuing the binding technique I selected, so I will have to reupload the file for a second edition. I’ll offer pre-orders again shortly after. I know there were a few people who weren’t able to make the November deadline- and I hope others will want copies for themselves!

Thank you for your support of my work! All these projects require support in a myriad of ways and I couldn’t do any of this without you!

Wishing you all good health and lots of patience in the upcoming year - it seems we may be hibernating for a while longer, but we’re all surviving and building the foundations for bigger and better things.

May we shape our lives into the lives we want to lead!

-Freyja

Redbubble shop

Redbubble shop

Internship, Interrupted

This fall I joined the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLISna), and I got the wonderful opportunity to write a guest article about my “Internship, Interrupted” at the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives! The emerging art librarian branch (ARLISNAP) posted the article, and it just went live: check it out!
http://arlisnap.arlisna.org/2020/11/internship-interrupted/

Freyja Catton, Ottawa, 2020

Call for Print Pre-Orders of The Adventures of Captain Zeal

>>CALL FOR PRINT PRE-ORDERS! <<

The Adventures of Captain Zeal

Order by NOVEMBER 21, 2020 to receive a print copy directly from the author!

Hi everyone! Unfortunately our bank account is very tight and we are unable to bulk-order the books in advance. So instead we are going to issue a call for pre-orders for NOVEMBER 21, 2020.

If you would like to order the print copy of The Adventures of Captain Zeal directly from me, please send us an email to freyjacatton (at) gmail (dot) com with your name and address!

We will be sending your book through regular mail to save us both $. If you want us to send it with tracking info, we will need you to include the new shipping amount in your payment.

Each book will be $15 CAD for Canadian/US shipping or $25 for international shipping. Pricing for multiple copies will be adjusted to reflect the new shipping amount.

Payment can be sent to my PayPal at freyjacatton (at) gmail (dot) com.

To make this round of pre-orders, orders MUST be placed by November 21, 2020.

We can't guarantee a time frame of arrival, but we will send them out as soon as they arrive here!

If time is an issue and you're planning on using this as a Christmas present, we recommend going through Amazon instead. We'll still get paid! <3

Thanks everyone!
F.T. Catton
Wordeater Publishing

Pre-orders of Ebook available

Hey all! Just letting you know that pre-orders of the e-book version of The Adventures of Captain Zeal are now available on Amazon and on Indigo/Chapters! Release date is set for Nov. 1, 2020!

Indigo/Chapters: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-adventures-of-captain-zeal/9781777404901-item.html?ikwid=the+adventures+of+captain+zeal&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=f2887896ec851f3171f5382e0ef17daf

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Captain-Zeal-F-T-Catton-ebook/dp/B08LHHYXDK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=captain+zeal&qid=1603492849&sr=8-1

Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Adventures-Captain-Zeal-F-T-Catton-ebook/dp/B08LHHYXDK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+adventures+of+captain+zeal&qid=1603492735&sr=8-1

We are just waiting for the print proof to arrive, and then we can release the print copy, too!

The book is about the adventures of pirate Captain Zeal, the bravest hedgehog to ever sail the Seven Seas! It is listed as a children's picture book, but we think your cat, dog, hedgehog, and favourite humans will like it, too!

F.T. Catton
Wordeater Publishing

Freyja Catton - Adventures of Captain Zeal cover

Coming Soon: The Adventures of Captain Zeal

The fun never stops around here— the Cattons have relocated to Calgary and I’m in my final semester of school!
I’ve cancelled my RedBubble account and will make a new online shop soon: stay tuned.

I’m also working on final edits before publishing my first picture book The Adventures of Captain Zeal! I’m hoping to have it ready in time for Christmahannukwanzikule sales. Meanwhile here is a preview of the cover page!

01 - cover page.jpg

Hibernation Update

Boy, it's been a crazy few months for everyone, hasn't it? Seems like a lot of people are trying new things, like sewing, drawing, or weaving! Art has been crucial to keeping us collectively sane— I hope you have been able to find time to rest and to create something!

In February I went to Ottawa for a 3-month internship at the National Gallery of Canada! I got to explore Ottawa and meet some amazing people and see lots of art!! I lived on the west side of town in an AirBnB place with a family and their dog, Kiki. There was a park behind the house that you could walk through to escape the city. And at work I got my own desk that faced the window and a wicked cool lightning statue! I learned how to make catalogue entries for exhibition records (here is an example!), edited and created Wikipedia pages, researched digital archive software, helped out with housekeeping and reference questions, and even got to visit other places too! We went to the Library and Archives Preservation Centre in Gatineau and I went to Artexte in Montreal! As it turns out, I specialize in contemporary art documentation. I’m not sure what to do with that specialty yet, but I had a blast developing it!

I had an amazing time in Ottawa, and except for missing my partner and kitties, I was really happy!
Unfortunately the time in Ottawa was cut short due to COVID-19. I had known it was going to be over before I knew it, but it was over before I expected. Luckily, I was able to finish the internship remotely, so I was able to work from home in Edmonton for a while before returning to my regular day job. I look forward to returning to Ottawa to visit the Gallery and my newfound friends again someday soon!

Since the Ottawa trip, I've been a bit low on energy (thanks, mono) so I've been slowing down and taking it easy. I've been absorbing more art (especially by Indigenous and Black folks), drawing, working (thank you Kelmany for the masks!!), and taking a couple of classes for school. I have making progress on my children's picture book, too. I think it's at the print draft stage and is very close to publishing stage!

A more personal project was embarking on our legal name changes! My partner and I combined our last names, so my legal name is now Freyja Catton!

While I was in Ottawa, I got to have my name added to the National Gallery of Canada’s artist catalogue! It lists all of my names, so should make it easier for future researchers to research me (ha! ha!).

You can find my entry here:
https://app.pch.gc.ca/application/aac-aic/artiste_detailler_bas-artist_detail_bas.app?rID=58172&fID=2&lang=en&qlang=en&pID=178&ps=50&sort=AM_ASC

and finally, I will leave you all with a drawing from early on in the pandemic, which I believe is still true: the time is ripe for change and systemic overhaul.

Hibernation, 2020 Freyja Catton Ink on paper

Hibernation, 2020
Freyja Catton
Ink on paper

1984 Cranes and Art NOW at Lethbridge

Art NOW
On October 30, 2019, I will be giving an artist talk at the University of Lethbridge for the Art NOW series!

After Baldessari: Exploring the Connections Between Language and Art
Noon, October 30, 2019 at the University Recital Hall.
Free admission, and everyone is welcome to attend!

Freyja Patton is a visual artist whose work explores the connections between language and art. For Patton, writing and drawing are synonymous, and art is simply another way to synthesize information and learn about the world around us. Patton will provide an overview of Their Work Thus Far and will discuss the influences of other text-based artists such as Baldessari and bpNichol, communication theory, language development, various language phenomenon, existentialism, and mark-making in their work. For the less theory-inclined, there will also be plenty of puns.

1984 Cranes
On November 2, 2019, I will be attending the opening reception at Casa for the second exhibition of my 1984 Cranes project!
This second exhibition will feature 984 cranes hanging from the ceiling, as well as a new second part of the project- an attempt to fold 1,000 cranes left on the floor. I was unable to complete folding them in time. Strike two for wish granting.
The reception starts at 7 pm. If you’re able to make it, please stop by and say hello, I’d love to see you!

CASA announcement - 1984 Cranes.jpg

Liminality with Jenelle Szucs

Happy to announce that from November 2 - November 30, 2019, my good friend Jenelle Szucs and I will be showcasing some brand new and original drawings at the Londonderry Library at Edmonton Public Library! Hope you’re able to check it out— I’m excited to see Jenelle’s liminal drawings and I had fun breaking out the india ink and brush linework again!

Artist Statement

When a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, it must first digest itself. 

It spins a silky cocoon, which hardens into a chrysalis, and its insides dissolve into goo. The caterpillar's body must rebuild itself before it can emerge as a butterfly. While in its cocoon, the caterpillar exists in a liminal state.

"Liminal" means to stand at a threshold, where order dissolves into doubt. This state of disorientation is related to rituals and metamorphosis, such as coming of age rituals, the trickster figure in mythology, or the effect of psychological therapy. The concept can also apply to physical space, as when one looks through a dark doorway, or to mental space, as when one goes through a process of self-realization.

Like the caterpillar, when one emerges from a liminal space, they are transformed.

This series of ink drawings work together to explore that state of disorientation and the uncertainty of liminality. Ink appears in various shades and textures, revealing undefined and transitional space or feeling. Space feels foreboding, and text offers an ambiguous but playful understanding of existence. The drawings together respond to liminality in different ways- some with humour, some with fear.

Liminality- Szucs and Patton 2019

Gods and Monsters and Cranes, oh my!

Hiya folks! It’s been quiet on the art front here these last few months, but not to worry, I’ve been brewing some art for you to consume! And now that it’s contract official, I have some updates to share!

Gods and Monsters
The Gods and Monsters group show curated by the Otherworldly Arts Collective of Minneapolis, MN has gotten so large that the show has become a juried affair. Great news for them! I’m also pleased to announce that I was invited to participate again this year! Similar to last year, I will be contributing a couple of smaller pieces to the show, which will be available for purchase. The show runs from October 5 to October 26, with opening night on October 5 from 4-10 pm.
The hosting venue is Artspace Jackson Flats, 901 18 1/2 Ave NE in Minneapolis, MN 55418. They are open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Should be a lovely spooky time!

1984 Cranes
I have a second exhibition for the 1984 Cranes project this fall, this time in Lethbridge, AB! The exhibition runs at Casa Gallery from Nov. 2 - Dec. 21, 2019. I’m pretty stoked to show it again — especially to the Lethbridge art community! The art opening will be on Nov. 2 in the evening, and I will be in attendance so check out the work if you can and come say hi!

Art NOW
Correlating to the show in the same week, I have been invited to give an artist talk at my alma mater, the University of Lethbridge! The Art NOW is a lecture series hosted by the University of Lethbridge that hosts artists, curators, art historians, writers, etc., to discuss contemporary art. The series was formative to me as a student (also a good nap space) and I’m totally floored to be invited to partake in the tradition from the stage.
My talk will be at noon on October 30, 2019.

Meanwhile, in Edmonton…
In my general research, I’m really getting into intersectional feminism, archival practices, and mythology, so those may make an appearance in developing projects. I’m also trying to learn a couple languages for fun (mostly French and German). I have a few collaborative projects in mind with some creative-minded friends that I will announce once I have time to move them forward! I’ve been working on some drawing projects involving found phrases and patterns, which can be found on my Instagram, @the_wordeater. Still really into existentialism and puns because le pain is delicious. Omnomnom.

-Freyja.

2018: The year of the missing Olympics

Greetings! It’s been a long and busy year for me! I’m working full-time and pursuing a part-time online degree for a Master’s in Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. I’m in my second year now – should be done at the end of 2020. In the meantime, I’m doing my best to keep working on art!

The last time I wrote was last winter, when I had the honour of showcasing 1984 Cranes at Harcourt House. During the closing day, I hosted a paper crane workshop. It went well, and we had a great turn out! I’d love to host a similar workshop someday. I found I could only show 5 or so people at a time how to make cranes, but those people I helped went on to show others how to make the cranes! It made for a great sense of community in the workshop. People seemed really intrigued by the cranes and responded to different aspects of the show – often with their own stories of experiences with origami, cranes, and Japan. A lot of people wanted to see what 1,984 cranes would look like, which may be a future extension for the project, I haven’t decided. I think I’m all folded out for now, though. I might pick it up again in 2019 and just not hang the next 1,000.

After that massive project, I’ve been branching out by working on smaller projects and taking part in group shows. This summer I joined an art collective based in Minneapolis called A Conspiracy of Strange Girls. They’re all wacky and creepy and lovely folks and I highly recommend checking them out.
In October, I was able to take part in an annual exhibition in Minneapolis, The Otherworldly Arts Collective’s Gods and Monsters show. This was my first show in the US!
I also completed Inktober this year with a series of bottle/jar drawings inspired by prompts. Those are available for viewing on my Instagram page. In December I was invited to participate in Harcourt House’s annual fundraiser, Art-O-Rama. It was great schmoozing with fellow artists, and it was a real honour to see my work in the same room as local greats like Lyndal Osbourne, Allen Ball, and Sarah Norquay!

The other big news is that in August, I decided to change my name to Freyja. I am working on rebranding my website, social medias, and networks to reflect this change. Feel free to contact me if you’re curious to know more about this decision or process.

Aside from rebranding, I bet you’re wondering about other projects in the works! I have a screenprint project I’ve been meaning to make happen for a couple years now, and a picture book that is gradually getting closer to completion. I’m toying with ideas on how to make things that I can sell more easily, such as patches, pins, greeting cards, and postcards- stay tuned for a possible Etsy shop in the near future! I will also have a couple of exhibition announcements in 2019—stay tuned for those, too!

Thanks for checking in! All the best for 2019!

-Freyja Patton