We offer local Arts & Crafts in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Sit and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee or tea and nibble on a home-made cookie or locally made pastry
I’m very happy to announce that Anita McCamley & her delicious baked goodies (La Maison Rouge: https://www.facebook.com/La.Maison.Rouge.MI ) are coming to open Shavasana Gallery & Café for two days this coming weekend: Sunday Nov. 16 from 9am – 1pm and Monday from 8am – 1pm. !😊 La Maison Rouge & Anita have a longstanding & solid reputation as one of the best bakers on Mayne Island (as you will likely know from her years of attendance at the Saturday Market❤️)…and Shavasana is a sweet place to hang out, grab a coffee or tea, and nibble on one (or two!) of Anita’s offerings.*
I think we are all aware of the dearth of places to go and sit and visit in a warm & inviting environment on Mayne Island – especially during this slower Fall/Winter season. Please drop by and say hi to Anita – if all goes well we’d like to offer this to you on a more regular basis🙏😊
Cheers!
George
* photo for illustration purposes only, selection may vary
Shavasana Art Gallery & Café will be open this coming weekend, with a slight change in hours, adding an extra day – Friday Nov. 7 til Monday Nov. 10 (inclusive). Looking forward to seeing you all and very happy to participate in the “Made With Love Fall Studio Tour” being put on by Lorie Brown & Lucie Walker. Come on by and say Hi! Cheers! George
Just letting you all know that Nancy Wells will be running the Gallery Café this coming weekend. After a successful “trial run” last weekend, Nancy is returning with her delicious baked goods, hot fresh coffee, warm smile and inviting personality.
I’m delighted that Mayne Islanders will have another place to go on those Fall/Winter months when I am normally only able to open up once or twice per month. I know how important it is to have warm dry place to go to for a cup of java ☕️and fresh baked goodies🍪🧁. The added bonus, is a room filled with local art, and some sweet tunes on the playlist.🎶
Come on down & say hi to Nancy!😊
Cheers!
George
*photos by Brette Little of Salt Spring Island: brettelittle.ca
Daylight savings is here, lightness has arrived, and our days are getting longer! (and an excessive amount of rain, but what can you do?😆) I think we’ve definitely turned the corner on winter and are on the road to Springtime and all that the blessings that it brings.
My slower season is coming to an end, and I can feel nature and the Gallery Café getting ready to come back to life and bloom throughout the warmer brighter days ahead.🌻🌸
But let’s start with this coming weekend! Shavasana Gallery & Café will be open Sat. Mar. 15, Sun. Mar. 16 and Mon. Mar. 17 – 9am – 4pm (except for Sunday 10:15 – 4)
Typical Monday Afternoon Jam with Stephen Cropper on Vocals and Harmonica, Gail Noonan on Ukulele, Vocals & Bass, Bill Maylone – Vocals & Guitar, David Chase on Djembe, Gary Bradfield on Viola, Liam Bender on Guitar & Vocals, and special guest Ryan Dahle on Bass Acoustic Guitar(and myself, your humble photographer on Guitar & Vocals & Puns)
Barring an invasion from our southern neighbours on Jan. 20, when DT is promising/threatening/”just kidding”/hallucinating that 100 executive orders will be implemented (including the possible invasion of Canada🤔🇨🇦) Shavasana Gallery & Café will be open for business. Who knows? perhaps when the first amphibious landing craft hit the beaches of Miners Bay, and the Marines come charging up the hill shouting “My Country, Right or Wrong!” they’ll be thirsty and tired by the time they reach the Gallery Café and want coffee and a cookie.
Now, of course I’ll be terribly upset by their aggressive behaviour, after they’ve breached my protective wall of Scotch Broom, and will likely greet them on my porch with my arms akimbo, a stern look on my face, and say something like, “Hey, that’s not very nice!”. I’ll be totally conflicted about serving them…but what if they want to buy some local arts or crafts…in American Dollars💵💲💲…for their girlfriends (or boyfriends, assuming they haven’t had time to rescind their DEI programs) back home. What to do my friends? I’ll be in a pickle that’s fer sher.
Perhaps when they arrive, they too will be smitten by the beauty and tranquility of SḴŦAḴ in SENĆOŦEN, and will feel the warmth of community that we share, and will lay down their arms and choose instead to work as Woofers on some of the local hobby farms. I can almost hear one of them ask, “Is it true that you guys have Health Care up here? I twisted my ankle jumping off the landing craft, and it’s kinda swollen.”
All right then! Shavasana Gallery & Café coming soon to an island near you – during these slower months, when I’m only open one weekend per month, I’ve decided to be open 4 days rather than my typical 3 day weekend in the summer, so, Friday Jan 17 through Monday Jan. 20th. Baked Goodies and hot coffee will be available, along with some beautiful examples of local talent gracing the walls and shelves of the Gallery. Hope to see you then!🙏❤️
Yahoo! Looking forward to grabbing a ferry on Thursday to come over to Mayne Island and get ready for my last weekend of biz before I settle in to the annual flurry of Christmas activities here in Vancouver. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been doing this for 11 years which – strangely enough – makes me one of the longest-running owner/operator businesses on Mayne Island! (Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think only the FarmGate store has seniority – and Don McDougall was one of the first islanders I met when I came over on my bike to “look around” in 2013😊) It has been a wonderful journey, and I’d like to share my love & gratitude with all of you who have made this trip so enjoyable, fun, serene, raucous, meditative, healing, synchronistic, serendipitous, interesting & informative etc; (have I missed anything?😆)
So many great art shows (here are but a few photos of artists), so many fabulous jam sessions (again, but a sample), the delicious baked goods of many island bakers, and a constant stream of caffeine☕️👍👍for an endless parade of charming and fascinating folk that have enriched my life immeasurably ❤️
Please drop in and say hi! We’ve got expanded hours of operation this weekend from Friday Dec. 13 to Monday Dec. 16, 9 – 4 most days (except Sunday, 10:15 – 4) Cheers!
George
(ps. I’m getting closer to publishing my sequel to “All Roads at Any Time” but am not quite there yet, copies of “All Roads” would make great stocking stuffers and will be available at Shavasana this weekend😊
Here we are – the last few weeks of Fall, as we head into winter. It’s chilly, wet, and overcast – a perfect time to come to Shavasana Gallery & Café for a little warmth, art, tunes & hot coffee! I’m coming over from the big bad metropolis for the much needed, soothing balm of the lovely people & chill vibe of Mayne Island.🏝️🙏
As now seems to be my slower season routine, I’m coming over – at least one weekend per month – to open up, turn on the heat & the music, scare away the spiders, and put on a couple of pots of Mayne Island’s finest coffee (if I do say so myself😄) A little Saltspring dark & Ethical “Lush” medium for the java inclined and a great selection of tea, for those able to eschew the over-caffeinated pull of “the bean.”
We still have a great exhibit of art on the walls – with over 8 island artists maintaining their presence at Shavasana Gallery with over 30 works of art on display.
The Mayne Island Arts Council is having its bi-annual “Made on Mayne” event this coming Remembrance day long-weekend, which will add on an extra day of operations for the Gallery Café – Friday through Monday, 9 – 4 (except Sunday 10:15 – 4)
Made on Mayne is a great event and celebrates all things “Made on Mayne” (surprise!😆) with a particular focus on arts, crafts, and food & beverages. The Gallery has been participating in this event for the past 10 years since it was an annual gig known as the Fall Arts Crawl…it was fun then and has just expanded and gotten better with over 50 studios, galleries & roadside stands now participating…check it out:
The holiday is over, time to put Bathgate back to work😆 Just a quick note to let you all know that I’ll be opening Shavasana this coming weekend for three days (as usual) Saturday, Sunday & Monday.
It’s early October, and I’m back in Vancouver, taking care of the Vancouver side of my life. This dual existence has its joys…and difficulties. Shavasana Gallery & Café has reached a stage in it’s life where its become a viable small business, and is greatly appreciated by those who walk through its doors…and I appreciate their positive energy and support. As I’ve said in previous posts, I love Mayne Island and the lovely friends and community which I have there. Something about running a little Gallery Café on a small island just seems to fit so well with my nature – I get a contact high from a bustling room full of good conversation, laughter and happy people.
But not all has been benign this year – even in our little corner of bliss it’s hard to ignore the troubles besetting the world and the impact that it has had on the well-being of everyone. Instability and uncertainty came knocking at Shavasana’s door last year when a disagreement between our landlords resulted in one half of the ownership of the 10 acre parcel we are on, decide to try and sell their “Undivided/Half-Interest” this year for an outrageous sum. Their antics – while unsettling – have provided ample material for a chapter in the sequel to my book “All Roads at Any Time” https://clayandbone.com/book-all-roads-at-any-time/ . Great material for a tragi-comic farce. Here are some photos from my “Good, Bad & Ugly” summer season:
Lovely card made by friends Margaret and Andrea; Friend Fil’s cat asking to have her picture taken next to my new book; Esnie & Joseph & the Smith Grandchildren; Brenda Dean’s big sign; Elwood the Wonder Dog; Springtime Clematis bloom; the ever-changing sky; Nelson the neighbour’s paying a visit; Broken floor tiles – a result of January’s broken-pipe flooding; Vicki & Pam’s 75th B’Day celebration; Cleaning up Tom Collinson & family’s grave; Monday Jam sessions; Wayne Thomas carvings with donated bouquet; Herbie (my best friend from Grade 1) and wife Lauri; big-hearted & wise neighbour Billie
A beautiful bouquet from Esnie & Joseph; my beautiful partner Cathy in a lavender field on Saltspring; positive Covid test in July which had me self-isolating at Shavasana for a week; Chicken soup from Famous Empty Sky & assorted fruit from friends while I was isolating; Island Trail construction on our property; Liam’s handwritten note’s for a jam song; the Church yard where we were having an AA meeting; High School friend Eric fixing my signage; Bob-the-seller landlord chatting with Joseph the bare-foot car-dwelling wanderer; Lemar – gone too soon😢; Bright, Cello-playing neighbour Justine; “The Van” leaving Mayne for repairs; my German friend of 50 years, Christiana and Thomas, visiting Mayne; Margaret & Andrea’s Tree Frog🐸(in this case, a hand frog😆) paying a visit; Hand-Crafted art gift/mementos by Mary Jack; Jam with Liam Bender, Gary Bradfield, Stephen Cropper, Mary Jack & others; Hrothgar Jackson & Jim Heshedahl on the porch; more porch jamming; Neighbour Jan Gumbmann and his daughter Mika’s cups; Checking out the Lighthouse (new home of the SGIAC) with Stephen & Joyce; typical ferry scene; Billie & George & Percy the Pig; 3 Gifted books by Jeremy Borsos, Joseph Loh & John O’Brien; Jody Waldie’s “Raven”
So, the “Good, the Bad & the Ugly”…I love the variety of life experience that Mayne & Shavasana Gallery offers. I’m grateful for all of it, even the bad and the ugly allows us to have a greater understanding and compassion for what lies out there – giving depth & breadth to this blessed gift of life.
As mentioned in recent posts on social media, I’ve entered my slower Fall/Winter season which means that my openings will be a little unscheduled and will be announced via group emails , website updates and Social Media blitz’s. I think I’ll likely be open on the 3rd week of October…but it might be the 4th!🤔
Art Gallery & Café 