An Exciting Announcement

 In the five years we have had our shop open on Digby Neck, literally thousands of people have come through the door and many have left with one or more of our pieces. Often, they or their friends contact us later about purchasing items online.

Although there have been no cases of the Covid virus in our area, we were unable to open this summer because of government restrictions and we really missed greeting new guests.

                     Introducing The Seawall Emporium

Our daughter Lisa, has established herself as a world class hand dyer of premium yarns which are sold through her company, Seawall Fibres. We sold thousands of skeins through our shop and since she already had an on-line presence, we decided to piggyback on it.

At the Seawall Emporium, you will find four small shops belonging to artists and craftsmen driven by quality and uniqueness.

At Lisa's store-Seawall Fibres, you will find an extensive and beautiful selection of hand dyed yarn in all weights.

If you are a knitter or know a knitter, you owe it to yourself to check it out!

Then there is Mitchell Brook where Sandra Mitchell offers her selection of premium goods geared to travel and leisure. She often creates what she can't find so you will be sure to find something truly unique such as these beautiful key chains containing gemstones from the Seawall on Digby Neck.

Next, you come to Seawall Art. Vickie Turner is a mixed media abstract artist recognized as a signature member of the Federation of Canadian Artist but she literally creates everything! Since she is also an acclaimed teacher in the field of polymer clay, you will find gorgeous, museum quality jewelry along with fine art, whimsy and, from time to time, the artist's own "secret stash"!

And finally, there's The Lap of Lapidary, where retired geologist Peter Turner turns gemstones into rock jewelry and unique and beautiful stone guitar picks.

So take a step back in time and visit the Seawall Emporium- where there is no need to wear a mask or practice social distancing. Grab a cup of your favourite beverage and visit four unique shops, all from the comfort of your own home.

The Spring of Covid 19

Well, we sure didn't see THAT coming!

Like most of the rest of the world, we have been self isolating. It was a little easier for us because I had my second hip replaced on Feb. 24th and because I had a nasty post op staph infection after #1, I had been told to stay away from people for a while and since I was using a walker, visits to town weren't an issue.

Then we started hearing reports of the effects of the corona virus and it became obvious that this spring would not be "Business as Usual".

On the hip front, things have been going great. Thanks to my loving wife (A.K.A. Nurse Ratchet") I did my rehab faithfully and I hope to be fully cleared to get back to normal activities when I meet with the surgeon by telephone later this week.

That means that I will be able to get back to doing lapidary in my shop!

As per normal here in Nova Scotia, early spring lingers because of the icebergs and cold water temperatures but the weather is slowly improving and Vickie (she with the agate eye) has been able to do a bit of rockhounding. here is her latest find.

This is a great specimen of Bay of Fundy flame agate and I can't wait to cut and polish a face.

But that's not the only thing she has been up to. When you are married to a mixed media artist, you come to realize that, somewhere in your house, there is one of everything! Vickie uses pieces of her art, combined with 50+ years of accumulated "stuff" to create art books and here's her latest.

The little blond in the last pic is the artist herself as a (very) young girl growing up in Norwayand when I look at it I am very jealous of that little boy.

So what happens now?

At some point, life will gradually return to "normal" but what that normal is remains to be seen. The Fundy tides will still come in and go out like clockwork but I suspect many other things will change forever.

Our shop may or may not even open this summer. I doubt we will see many tourists, that's for sure! At the time of this writing, we are still shipping our famous Seawall Fibres hand dyed yarn all over the world and I am selling some jewelry through the Seawall Fibres web site. I will probably put more pieces on the site in the near future.

Digby, and Digby Neck will dearly miss the tourists. For many, the reason will be economic and while that will be a factor here as well, what I will miss most of all is meeting all the wonderfully interesting people from all over the world who pass through our doors- many who have become friends.

If you had hoped or planned to visit us this summer, don't cross us off your list. When you come to Digby Neck- the most interesting part of the most beautiful province in the most beautiful country in the world- you won't be disappointed! And I guarantee that you will leave with memories that will last a lifetime (and possibly a piece from our shop!).

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Let's beat this thing and put it in the rear view mirrors of our lives.
And let's count our blessings.

Something's Missing!

Several weeks ago we sustained a direct, 2 day hit from Hurricane Dorion and apart from losing power for 52 hours (no big deal when you have a propane generator) we suffered no ill effects- not even the loss of a shingle!

Well, last week they forecast a little "blow" that turned turned out to be somewhat larger with wind gusts topping out at 120+ KPH! This time we had some damage to an area of siding at the back but the real loss was our beautiful shop sign that for several years has served as a beacon for tourists and locals alike as they travel The Neck.

As you can see, our sign got blown right off its clips and is now sitting about 30 feet out in the marsh. It's not the end of the world as we had already cut the wood for a new one we were going to make over the winter. I had secured the "closed" sign by a bungee cord but the hooks holding it were also pulled right out of the post so it is now jerryrigged as well.

But not to worry. As they say in that movie, "We can rebuild him- even better!"

And in the meantime, although our sign might be gone, we're still here and open most days (although we will be in Halifax this weekend) so if you are looking for yarn or that perfect gift, call us at 902 482-2188 and we'll make arrangements to meet you at some point.

Cheers,

Why You Should Visit Digby Neck

Most people don't have a lot of time to spend visiting other places so I'm going to make the case for you using some of that valuable time to visit Digby Neck Nova Scotia.

First, it's the only way you are going to get the chance to visit The Artist's Mark and meet me!

All kidding aside, many people who visit the shop say they are amazed at the quality of our goods and the fact that everything is hand made by professional local artisans.

But beyond that, we have an on site professional lapidary shop (and professional lapidary!), art studio and jewelry bench. Families love to see how the various machines work and learn about the local geology and everybody leaves with a beautiful free piece of Digby Neck in the form of a tumbled rock that is over 300 million years old!

However, we aren't the only artists in the area. Digby Neck is dotted with galleries and studios, not to mention the home for the best whale watching around. And driving The Neck is far from a boring experience! Check out this aerial view of the beach and cliffs across the street from our shop. The little house at the end of the beach is ours and here's what it looks like up close. And thanks to Troy and Carmin Cale for sending me these photos!

There are misty coves around every corner and the sunsets will take your breath away.

So make plans to visit this truly unique part of Canada's playground. You'll leave with a lifetime of memories for the whole family!

Fall Comes To The Neck

Well, another tourist season is drawing to a close and the scene of activity now shifts.

Yesterday, the last stones were groove cut and all the saws, tumblers and wheels have now been drained,cleaned and put to bed. The VT Rock Lab is in hibernation mode.

The oil cooled 10 inch saw is in Dartmouth where, hopefully, my talented grandboys will be replacing the neanderthal 1/3 HP motor with a new 3/4 HP beauty and mounting it to a nice laminated countertop piece courtesy of East Coast Countertops. Who knows, knowing them it might come back equipped with bluetooth!

So now is the time when I take inventory of what I need to make over the winter and get to work at my bench in Vickie's studio.

The first priority is to finish some ear ring and ear ring/ pendant sets as I sold quite a few of these over the summer. I get to use this beautiful space as long as I keep my mouth shut and don't disturb the REAL artist.

Here she is working under the close supervision of one of the two studio cats (the true rulers of the domain!). And here are a few of the pieces she is working on.

So while it is cold and rainy outside, we are all set for a fun, creative winter inside.

The shop is still open and we still have a good inventory of Seawall Fibres yarn so if you are in the area, come on by!You might want to call first to make sure we are here.

A Very Satisfied Customer

I have found that there are several real advantages to having the combination of rock lab, jewellery studio and shop in the same location. It allows me to wear several hats each day and work on things when there are no customers and get valuable direct feedback on our work when there are.

It also puts me in contact with hundreds of very interesting people each year. This year alone, I have had a couple of fellow Florida Gators fans come in and admire my Tim Tebow “shrine” and I have also met some really nice people who, for some reason, cheer for other football and basketball teams in the SEC. But I let them buy stuff anyway.

I meet such interesting people- fellow geologists, land surveyors and a lot of young people far away from home and out to explore the planet.

But my favourites are the really nice people with whom you feel as comfortable as you would with a long time friend.

Such a couple are Harry and Shirley, from Syracuse New York. They were here on vacation in early August and we got to know a bit about them. Harry is a retiree who is an excellent professional photographer/ videographer. Shirley had enjoyed knitting but not in the last little while.

Shirley loved our yarn and left with some along with a pattern and renewed enthusiasm for knitting. But before she left, she posed a question.

One reason for her trip to Nova Scotia was to visit the home of her great grandfather, a ship captain who sailed out of Yarmouth in the 1800’s (she even has his ship’s log from 1878!). On her trip, she had found a stone that had really spoken to her and asked if we could use it to make her a piece of jewellery. The rock was sandstone, which, normally would hold no fascination for me since it wouldn’t take a polish but it did have some interesting colour and patterning and Vickie really liked it’s abstract shape. It represented a challenge to her and so off she went.

Fortunately, our passion is making interesting pieces and we often combine stone with other materials such as leather, copper and polymer clay and this stone was perfect for that. So Vickie came up with an abstract design to compliment the stone, one which incorporated copper from a very old piece of plate we had and we went to work. I did the cutting and drilling while Vickie provided the “artist’s eye” and did the beautiful finishing.

Recently, we shipped it off and Shirley absolutely loved it. Thanks to her photographer husband, we have this beautiful picture of her wearing it. (Harry, I wish you could take all my shots!)

In this close up view, you can see how well the components go together and work to compliment this precious keepsake.

Shirley, we are so happy that you trusted us with this treasure and hope that you enjoy it for many years to come.

New Items In The Shop

Well, after wreaking havoc here for a few weeks, daughter Lisa is now winging her way back to the Bahamas but not before infecting her mother with a new passion- making bowls from clothes line cord! She is experimenting with different shapes and sizes and we came back from Halifax yesterday with about 5 miles of the stuff!
Here's a pic of some of the newest items.

This picture features three of the bowls along with two small paintings Vickie recently finished.
Also in the picture are the following:
Daughter Sandra's newest Mitchell Brook creations-a "Resatchel"- the perfect tote for you and the environment. Totally made from beautiful recycled fabric, it folds small enough to take anywhere but is large enough to hold all your stuff. She is also making the personalized leather coffee cup holder seen in the lower right hand corner. They are really something to see!
Also in the photo is a sterling silver ring I made using a piece of mookaite, a jasper from Australia, and a sampling of Vickie's latest knitting patterns.
The shop has also been totally restocked with Lisa's latest hand dyed yarn so if your travels take you to "The Neck" come by and say hi and pick up your free tumbled rock.
And if you have a few minutes, I'll show you what a professional lapidary shop looks like.

Our Online Shop is Open!

Well, it's taken a while but we're finally ready to go!

For several years, people unable to visit us here have asked if there was a way they could buy some of the product we have featured on this blog. Now there is!

Several years ago, our daughter Lisa, inspired by the amazing local rock, started a venture- Seawall Fibres- to sell her hand dyed yarn. This has become so successful (we ship thousands of skeins of yarn around the world each year) that she made the decision to sell directly via her own dedicated web site. To see the site, go to www.seawallfibres.com
This decision has made it possible for us to offer our rock jewelry and guitar picks directly to you. We're starting with the guitar picks and over the next several weeks, we will be adding select pieces of  rock jewelry- rings, pendants and ear rings.

So take a minute to visit her site and see our beautiful selection of hand made rock guitar picks. And when you see the beautiful yarn, you might even decide to take up knitting!

What IS The Artists' Mark?

Since this is a rather odd name for a shop, I am often asked the question in the title. First, I'll clear up a few misconceptions. My name isn't Mark (it's Peter). Also, although the shop is only about 200 square feet, there is a lot to see.
The shop gets its name from the fact that pretty much everything we sell is hand made. Thus it shows the mark of the artist- tool marks, brush strokes, variations in shape and colour- all the things that make a piece unique and something that is disappearing rapidly in our modern buy cheap and throw away society.
There are actually three components to our venture.
First, there is the art studio. The following pic is a panorama shot of this area.

This was originally Vickie's painting studio but she "generously" offered to share the jewelry bench area with me. (Actually, I moved my stuff in when she was out shopping one day). So here's a pic of our jewelry bench, complete with one of two studio cats.

The second component is the rock lab where I do my lapidary work. Here's a panorama.

And here's a close up of my 50+ year old Mercury grinder/polisher and my Rock Rascal trim saw.

On the other side is my Lot-O-Tumbler (vibrating), 10 inch Mercury saw, drill press, slant lap and trim saw/ grinder.

When you visit, if you are interested in seeing these areas, just ask and if we aren't busy we'd be happy to show them to you.

The focal point of our venture is the retail shop and as I said earlier, we've packed a lot into a small space!. Here are some shots.

Front window with rock slices and free tumbled rock box

Yarn and jewelry

Rock guitar picks, jewelry and art

Lots of hand-dyed yarn, knitted goods and jewelry

Polarized sunglasses, beach bags, jewelry

Buoys, art, jewelry and polymer clay beads

So that's The Artists' Mark- a great place to show the kids how rock gets shiny, art and jewelry get made and where everybody takes home a free piece of "The Neck"!

Oh, and a great place to buy a truly unique piece of jewelry and the most gorgeous hand dyed yarn in the world!

We can't wait to show you in person.

 

This Magical Place Called "The Neck"

I am writing this post mostly for those who intend to visit the area but even if you don't, this may be of interest to you.

Digby Neck is a small strip of land sandwiched between the Bay of Fundy and St. Mary's Bay in western Nova Scotia. It is actually a chain of three distinct land masses that were once all connected but over hundreds of millions of years have become separated by cataclysmic geological events. It is these events that have produced the conditions that make The Neck so special.
Scenic coves and headlands dot both shorelines and the cracks in the basalt have been filled by colourful silicates such as agate, jasper, quartz, amethyst and carnelian.

When you drive up The Neck on highway #217 (one road in and out) you are retracing the steps of ox carts that initially carved out the route. In fact, everywhere you look, you see The Neck through the eyes of history. Wharves that are now crumbling once hosted large commercial sailing ships. Sleepy fishing villages were once thriving hubs of activity before the depletion of the fish stocks and the remnants of old fishing weirs stand as ghostly sentinels to the past glory.

Our house built in 1849

The scenery is spectacular whether you are on land or on the water watching whales breach right beside your boat. And the people are friendly and delighted to let you in on our secret paradise, whether it is for a day or, as some have chosen, a lifetime.

If you come, I hope you stop by my shop in Rossway and I can share my insights on the amazing geology and geography. I might even cut a rock while you are here.

Houses on Brier Island

In the meantime, I want to introduce you to three amazing resources that will make your visit much more interesting and enjoyable.

We now have a dedicated web site for The Neck. It's found at www.digbyneckandislands.ca  and has been created by Jon White, one of the many who have fallen under the spell of the place and now call it home. Check out his air B&B called The Mermaid House in Little River! This web site will answer pretty much any question you might have on the area and lists many attractions and resources (including my shop!).

If you want to get a feel for what makes The Neck special, do a google search on The Last Weir and take the time to watch a short film produced by Tim Wilson. It will give you a very personal and close up insight into who we are and how our lives have changed through time.

And if you want even more historical perspective, check out www.heritagehub.ca  where you can access a wealth of historical information including old maps, pictures and even interviews of people who have spent their entire (and sometimes long) lives here.

Visit these three resources and you will absolutely have to pay us a visit!

Eagle perched on the old wharf across the road

Back at the Jewelry Bench

Well, we are in the midst of a typical Nova Scotia winter- a bit of snow, a bit of rain, a bit of freezing rain, winds north of 100 KPH and temperatures going up and down like a toilet seat. The perfect time to be in the studio. Vickie is working on a big project for Seawall Fibres and since "where she goes, the cats go" I have plenty of company. here's a shot of the interested spectators:

I decided to finish a couple of very nice "bloodstones"I had kicking around. Bloodstones get their name from bright red patches (usually hematite) that provide a striking contrast to the rest of the stone. The first one is a little "donut" that I hung from a slim, premium black leather cord with a silver clasp. It has a brecciated (or broken) matrix so it's quite unique.

I decided to enhance the second piece by adding Czechoslovakian faceted fire polished glass beads and copper spacers and clasps along with a premium leather cord. In person, it actually glows.

Next we have two pieces that are rare and unique. They are made from mollusk shells that have been riddled by holes created by tube worms to produce intricate and dramatic patterning.

They have been hand set with copper wire and hung from premium leather cords and are something you ain't gonna see every day!

Finally, here's a really nice piece of polished amethyst set on a reddish copper metal plate to enhance the colour and then hung from a blue premium leather cord.

In upcoming sessions I'll be doing several pieces combining stone and leather so stay tuned and if you are in the area, drop by. The sign may be down (tucked away out of the wind) but all the inventory of yarn etc. is still here.

Cheers!