art vein vessel

exquisite corpse

2012-01-20T11:52:00.009-05:00

This is my latest piece, done in collaboration with artists Claude-Aimee Villeneuve and Joanne Kielo. We are exhibiting at Galerie Ouest and our vernissage is tonight. The show is called Exquisite Corpse.

In the 1920's, the Surrealists developed a game that involved creating a collage of words or pictures. It was played with several people, each of whom wrote a phrase or drew an image on a sheet of paper, then folded it to conceal what they created and passed it on to the next person, who added their contribution. Only at the end of the game was the whole poem or creation revealed. The name Cadavre Exquis or Exquisite Corpse was taken from the first phrase that was generated by this game: "The exquisite corpse--shall drink--the young wine".

The concept of this show was similar. Three artists team up. Each artist chooses a section of the body and creates a piece independently of the other two collaborators. We then meet to reveal our pieces to one another and to connect our works to create a single piece.

My section of the torso was highly personal and reflects how I was feeling after the death of my father this summer. Scroll down for some detail shots.

gut pieces

2010-10-01T17:33:00.008-04:00

I've been using pig gut in my latest work. Below are some pieces and a few details of each.

latest atcs

2010-08-31T18:08:00.003-04:00

These are a few of my latest artist trading cards traded in Dunvegan, Ontario on Saturday. Made with beeswax and jute strands with oil pastels rubbed in.

ethereal elegance

2010-08-18T18:15:00.004-04:00

I've been experimenting with a new material...

gelatin prints

2010-08-09T13:27:00.010-04:00

I've been gone from my blog far too long. Time to start posting again. I thought I'd start with this...photos of my students' work in a workshop I gave yesterday. We were printing monotypes using gelatin plates and acrylics. We had lots of fun experimenting and came up with some beautiful results as well. Thanks to Sascha, Jeanne, and Arlene for a great day!

And notice the difference between the prints and the ghost prints below (both overprinted)

plaster landscapes

2010-04-11T20:34:00.005-04:00

I love plaster. And especially plaster bandage. I haven't been working with it for awhile but lynne hoppe's recent foray into plaster bandage on muslin inspired me to muck about with something similar...plaster bandage on muslin, rubbed with chalk pastels. These close-ups are a lot more interesting than the finished pieces. They remind me of miniature plaster landscapes.

spring slips in

2010-04-04T16:05:00.005-04:00

purple emergence

humbly unfurling to warmth

shy declaration

kuujjuaq views

2010-02-21T09:47:00.002-05:00

On my way home from Kangirsuk I stopped in Kuujjuaq (the biggest town in Nunavik with a population of about 2,150 and located just below the treeline). I spent the weekend with a friend and we took a few walks in this wonderful blue light...just before sunset around 3:30 p.m.

kangirsuk views

2010-02-20T10:15:00.005-05:00

Some views of Kangirsuk from my trip in January...

arctic sculpture: snow and wind and light

2010-01-31T11:31:00.005-05:00

I've been to Nunavik again. Back to Kangirsuk for 2 weeks. This was my first arctic visit in winter and I was worried that I wouldn't connect to the landscape as strongly now that the rich tundra that I love so much was covered in snow. I was wrong. It's just as spectacular in the winter. The ever-present wind really packs down the snow so it's very hard and then sculpts it into beautiful abstract forms and textures which is enhanced by the amazing light. Here are some images I took while on a very cold walk (with wind chill factor it felt like -40C...that's the same in Farenheit!) on a beautiful sunny day.

seed pods

2009-12-31T15:45:00.000-05:00

Puffy, light, pearlescent, glimmering, speckled, veined, undulous, plump containers...each unique, each wondrous.

wasp nests

2009-12-30T14:14:00.001-05:00

These are exquisite. Wasps nests are a form of paper made from wood pulp mixed with wasp saliva and layered into a nest. Why do I love them so much? All my favourite materials and forms...paper, wood, pulp, bodily fluids :), layers, nests. And in such a fragile form. How can you not be moved by them!

And the textures and layers and composition in these larger ones are truly abstract works of art.

more treasures by mail

2009-12-29T15:17:00.001-05:00

As the new year approaches and I reflect on the past year there is so much to be grateful for. Including the generosity and thoughtfulness of blog friends. Before this year ends I want to thank lynne hoppe for another nature package she sent me back in the fall. We share a love of dead and decaying things! Time to unveil these delicate treasures!

unmistakably lynne!

owl pellet 1...bones, fur, evidence

owl pellet 2...tufted testament

outside part of a fawn's hoof...I'll take your word for it lynne!

bird skull...be still my beating heart

miniature wasp nests (more views in a future post)

portion of a larger wasp nest...with pine needles as extra support!

unidentified seed pods...ideas anyone? (more views in a future post)

thank you lynne
and happy new year

speaking of paper...

2009-12-19T13:40:00.001-05:00

Last night I was watching PBS and came across an incredible documentary on Independent Lens called Between the Folds. It was all about the process of origami and highlighted many aspects of paper-folding. From paper-making paper folders, to theoretical scientists using origami to solve physics and engineering problems, to educators using origami to teach geometry, to fine artists who fold their way to unique creations. I can't say enough about it...fascinating, inspirational, beautiful, elegant, delightful! Here is the trailer.

Although most of the origami world focuses on model-making and the technical aspects, there are some who elevate paper folding to a fine art form. One of my favourite segments was an interview with origami artist Paul Jackson, where he describes how just one fold can lead to many creative options.

He goes on to show his work with organic abstract forms. Although the more representative origami forms done by many of the artists are very impressive, these are closest to my heart! I have included some below. Go to his website to see more.

And here are some wonderful pieces from the artists of Crimp, a group of French paper crumpling artists.

vincent floderer

alexis merat

romain chevrier

Keep your eyes open for this film on PBS (or buy the DVD). It's wonderful! I am still tingling...

partial to paper

2009-12-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

A few ways to manipulate paper...

tearing/ripping

scoring/folding

quilling

slotting/slitting

piercing

embossing/impressing

fluting

weaving

wrapping

wrinkling/crumpling

sewing/puckering

casting

gentle snow at dusk

2009-12-13T15:41:00.005-05:00

white floating traces

and if you listen closely

a waft of snowflake

new york, new york

2009-11-29T15:19:00.020-05:00

A rare chance to meet bloggers Jeane and Jo (pictured above at MOMA) perpetuated a quick trip to New York City accompanied by my friend Carole. We drove down...about 7 hours from Montreal. It was a busy 4 days with a simple itinerary: meet Jo and Jeane (how fortunate I was to meet them in person), visit a lot of art museums (Dia Beacon on the way, MOMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim), soak up the city (sore feet but happy heart), and eat well but economically (is eating a street knish considered eating well?). Mission accomplished on all fronts!

Views from inside the Museum of Modern Art. It felt like a place of worship to me.

The Guggenheim (of course!). The architecture was as impressive as the art.

Looking across the reservoir to the Upper West Side on a rainy Saturday. I'm so glad my first glimpse of Central Park was on a moody, foggy, atmospheric day.

But I also appreciated that same view on a sunny Tuesday!

In an attempt to neutralize urban overload, I thoroughly enjoyed a long solitary walk in Central Park where I nicely regained my bearings.

Our lovely well-located brownstone B & B on the Upper East Side. Central Park was at the end of our street and the Guggenheim and Metropolitan Museum of Art were just a few blocks away.

View from our B & B window. The perfect place for someone like me, who can literally spend hours enjoying the small details of an urban courtyard. More detail views below.

datura

2009-10-25T14:51:00.008-04:00

Taking photos of Jerzy's Datura plants at various stages of bloom. Such a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon...

freda

2009-10-23T22:21:00.004-04:00

One of my passions is literacy. I ran a not-for-profit adult literacy organization from 1997 to 2006. I left that position, choosing to follow a different path, but am still involved doing training and consultation. My literacy colleagues have embraced the "artist" me and often call upon me to bring some art influence to the literacy world. So when the Provincial literacy organization decided to honour the memory of Freda Hudson, an individual who made a significant contribution to literacy, by awarding a pin each year to a remarkable volunteer, they asked me to design a pin. So far 2 pins have been awarded and this year the recipient is more of a "pendant person" than a "pin person" so I made a pendant instead. I do not know the identity of the recipient yet. I will know tomorrow at the presentation ceremony.

Below is my concept for the design:

The design itself is a plant: roots firmly in the ground, and sprouting a "flower". This motif represents growth and implies something organic which continues to evolve. Freda's initials are worked into the roots to honour the foundation that she laid in our literacy community and to emphasize that many of the developments we have gained are "rooted" in her literacy work. The "flower" suggests an open book: a symbol of knowledge, learning, and literacy. The "leaves" are designed to suggest wings, a symbol of the freedom that we gain from having knowledge and skills.

As Freda was indeed a precious individual who shone brightly and reflected her brightness, silver was chosen as the material for her commemorative pin. The piercing technique used (cutting the design into the metal) honours the wearer of the pin as it allows the colour and texture of their own clothing to show through and interact with the pin, thus highlighting their own individuality and connecting them to Freda at the same time.

tundra life

2009-10-22T11:09:00.000-04:00

And this is where it all makes sense to me. Laying on my belly observing things up close. Moulding to the rocks and the moss, flat against the tundra, one with the earth, the beauty so intense that I fill with gratitude.

first snow

2009-10-21T11:57:00.000-04:00

My first morining in Kangirsuk, I awoke to a white world. Above is a shot from my hotel room window. Apparently I was privileged to witness the first snowfall of the season. Beautiful, but melted by the end of the day and no more snow for the rest of my visit.

kangirsuk

2009-10-19T10:30:00.005-04:00

I'm back from Kangirsuk. Above is a photograph of the town (pop. 463) seen from my plane as I approached. Had a very nice time there, although was fogged in for three days which delayed my return home. No roads, so planes are the only way in and out. Got lots of work done, met some lovely people and fed my soul walking on the tundra. It looks so barren from a distance but once you set foot on the tundra, you are transported to a rich, colourful world of rocks, lichens, mosses, and plants. Below are some photos of the town and the landscape (often in the fog). More to come...

nunavik

2009-10-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

As you are reading this I am in Nunavik. I'm here for 6 days doing some consulting work in Kangirsuk. I had the privilege of visiting Nunavik for 6 weeks in 2007 and thought I'd share some of my favourite images from that time until I'm back to share some new ones. The ruggedness of the rocks and the plants really reached into my soul and I've been yearning for them ever since. I'm doing this via the magic of a scheduled post because I doubt that I will have internet access here! By the time you see this post I will be winding up my trip here and gearing up to post my new photos. Stay tuned for next week...

mask

2009-10-07T13:00:00.008-04:00

I generally don't like masks. They scare me a bit. But I like making mask forms from plaster. I love the process. That element of trust and contemplation while under the plaster and the feeling of re-birth as it is peeled off. Once I have a mask I have little desire to embellish it. I like to leave them white...not so scary. But in the attempt to prepare for a mask-making workshop I am giving in October, I decided to do something with one of my white masks. I collaged it with some of the paper I had prepared in Haliburton and added a few extra elements. Here's the result. A little creepy I think...but I have only myself to blame :)

soulful vessels

2009-10-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

Inspired by my plaster "clot" forms which I experimented with in February, I decided to try something bigger. I ended up with these soulful vessels and I am in love with them. I could photograph them for hours!

and a few more reliquaries

2009-10-03T15:00:00.001-04:00

spinal notes (2008), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, silver wire

spinal notes (detail)

waiting... (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, beeswax, glass

waiting... (detail)

resolve (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, ptarmigan feathers, shale fragment

resolve (detail)

more reliquaries...

2009-10-02T15:00:00.000-04:00

despite harm (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, washi, silver, tangerine tree thorn, ink

despite harm (detail)

thwarted (2008), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, beech seed pods, waxed linen cord

thwarted (detail)

seeking tenderness (2008), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, silver, washi

seeking tenderness (detail)

reliquaries new and old

2009-10-01T14:59:00.012-04:00

I participated in a local studio tour this past weekend and made a few new reliquary pieces. I thought I'd show them here over the next few days with some of my older pieces.

shout (2009), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, plaster bandage, ink, thread

shout (detail)

tenuous abundance (2007), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, thread

tenuous abundance (detail)

contained no more (2008), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper

contained no more (detail)

backtracking 8/8: sticks and stones

2009-09-27T08:00:00.005-04:00

And finally, the reason for our trip. The Sticks and Stones exhibition!

Welcome to Ciel Gallery.

Seems as though I'm often the outsider looking in...

Ciel Gallery owner Pamela Pardue Goode and her charming father.

My Jerzy sitting back and observing the evening.

My work and the wonderful work of Susan Springer Anderson. Followed by some of my favourite pieces from the show...

Amber Zavada

Pamela Pardue Goode

Susan Springer Anderson

Ken Knowlton

Jeannette Brossart

Follow this link and go to page 70 to read an article in the April issue of Today's Charlotte Woman. I was pleased to see a photo of one of my pieces and a paragraph describing my influences and my work (taken from my website I guess).

backtracking 7/8: mint museum of craft + design

2009-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

We also squeezed in a visit to the Mint Museum of Craft + Design which I thoroughly enjoyed. Here are some of my favourite pieces. I seemed to be in a glass and metal mood. Must have been the influence of the city. The last two photos are jewellery pieces and the very last one is made entirely of hypodermic needles.

backtracking 6/8: sparkly charlotte

2009-09-25T08:00:00.004-04:00

March 6th. On to Charlotte! A very contemporary city...clean and sparkly. Lots of reflective glass and some great public sculpture (including some pieces I recognized by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro and Swiss scultor Jean Tinguley).

backtracking 5/8: the angel oak

2009-09-24T08:00:00.004-04:00

Before we headed to Charlotte we made a side trip to the Angel Oak Tree, believed to be over 1500 years old. When I was alone with the tree I just placed my hands on its trunk and wept. It made quite an impact on me...

backtracking 4/8: charleston

2009-09-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

And then Charleston! We were smitten. What a lovely, elegant city. My favourite thing about it is all its nooks and crannies.

And its architecture. Those verandas! The grand...

And the modest. Just my style.

Couldn't resist the birds. Pelicans are very exotic for us.

I can only describe it as a visual feast. We stayed a day and a half and then it was time to leave. But we shall return!

backtracking 3/8: folly beach

2009-09-22T08:00:00.002-04:00

From mountains to ocean. March 4th. Made a dash for South Carolina because on a whim we decided to visit Charleston before the show in Charlotte. Our first stop was Folly Beach (recommended by Kathy) where we dipped our feet in salt water. A bit chilly but we definitely felt that we were far from home and on vacation!

backtracking 2/8: blog buddies

2009-09-21T08:00:00.003-04:00

March the 2nd. After delivering my pieces to Ciel Gallery in Charlotte we hit the road again especially to visit (and meet for the first time) two of my blog buddies. We headed towards the Great Smoky Mountains and the next day met up with Kathy Van Kleeck (above) and had a wonderful Southern breakfast with biscuits and grits (my first grits ever and I love them) followed by a visit to some galleries in the artsy city of Asheville. As expected, we really connected but we were absolutely certain of it when we bonded (and drooled) over some amazing art by the artist Leslie Walker Noell (click here as well).

After lunch we headed further into the mountains to the town of Boone (note the twisty road in the photo) to visit Jessica of Wayfaring Wanderer and her boyfriend Cody. Jessica recommended a walk near her house so we got to stretch our legs a bit and see the area where she takes many of her amazing photographs before meeting them and heading out to a Thai restaurant. We had a lovely evening and a delicious meal. Unfortunately almost all my photographs of us are blurry so I suggest you go to Jessica's post for some better photos!

Meeting my blog buddies was certainly a highlight of the trip. Looking forward to more of that soon...

backtracking 1/8: on the road

2009-09-20T15:57:00.001-04:00

No! This photo does not depict weather conditions in Canada at this time of year! Today it's a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 22C (72F). I'm actually backtracking a bit. I never did blog about our road trip to North Carolina to deliver my art pieces to Ciel Gallery in February/March, so I have designated the next eight days as backtracking road trip days. Every day will document a different experience on the road.

We left on February 28th. On day 2 of the journey we ran into a freak snowstorm. Being Canadians who were still experiencing winter conditions at home, we still had our winter tires on and this was no biggie for us. Not so for most people. Lots of cars in ditches and people panicking. Note Jerzy's big smile...we were listening to a station playing Blue Grass followed by Celtic music as we drove through the storm. A nice memory we won't soon forget. I think a good snowstorm brings out the creativity in people. Take a look at that snowman!

The following day we were stopped on the highway for over an hour due to a serious road accident. I took the opportunity to climb over the barrier and take some photographs while we were waiting. My most favourite activity...

papeterie saint-armand

2009-09-19T13:00:00.001-04:00

I am a fan of Saint Armand paper and have been wanting to visit their mill for quite some time now. Last year at an artist trading card gathering, I was fortunate enough to meet the owners, David Carruthers and Denise Lapointe, who also belong to the group. They are lovely people and invited me to drop by for a tour. I never did manage to make it, but when a friend of mine who had some business there invited me to come along, I took the opportunity to finally visit. What an amazing place! The sign above is the only indication of where they are located. Once inside, it's like entering another world. Here are some photos (especially for you Lynne!).

And that's the end of the tour. Thanks for joining me!

finnegan's

2009-09-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to display some of my art in a booth at Finnegan's Market. Always shy about promoting myself, I spent most of my time behind the booth reading, writing, and exploring my immediate surroundings with my camera....

gathering...

2009-09-17T13:00:00.002-04:00

Some calming images I gathered while in Haliburton...like my favourite sculpture in the Sculpture Forest - "Curled Figures" by Susan Low Beer, pictured above.

Beauty in water

Beauty in details at the Haliburton Highlands Museum

hammering in haliburton

2009-09-16T13:00:00.006-04:00

My second course at Haliburton School of the Arts was a silversmithing course on the main campus (pictured above) given by the patient and respectful Todd Jeffrey Ellis, who is a great silversmith and a wonderful instructor. In my first paper course we were embracing happy accidents - welcoming them! In this course, precision, planning, and technique was everything. We spent the week hammering (sinking, raising, and planishing) to create one bowl. I worked on a second bowl in the evenings, taking advantage of being able to use the studio after hours.

I was very excited about this course because I love hammering metal. At least I thought I did! I had lots of emotional ups and downs: I am one with the metal; I am born to hammer; the metal hates me; I hate the metal; frustration to the point of tears; wait - the metal is starting to listen to me; I love the metal; I start listening to the metal; nope - it isn't listening to me anymore; or is it me not listening?; more frustration; many technical errors; metal moving well; back in love; and the saga continues... But it was so satisfying. And I love my bowls which fit perfectly into cupped hands.

My copper bowl made in class

My silver bowl made in the studio after hours

This video clip (not my forte so forgive the shaky and slightly-too-fast tracking) gives you an idea of our workspace and the constant hammering. Through my earmuffs, I found this quite comforting. All of us working together, yet apart in our little ear protection bubbles...making stuff!

Stages of my copper bowl...from a flat piece of metal to a lovely round vessel. Click on photo to get a better look.

I was a beginner but there were various levels in our class as seen by these bowls of my classmates. Everyone did a great job!

sketchbook covered

2009-09-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

Here are photos of the sketchbook which I covered with washi and fragments of the papers that I had prepared in our class. I added a few details with oil pastels and gel pens and then sealed it with gloss medium. Above is the front cover. Below is the back cover (my favourite) followed by details.

washi washed

2009-09-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

A wash applied to washi; ink added; left to dry accentuating wrinkles; sewn lines applied.

black and white

2009-09-13T13:00:00.001-04:00

I loved this technique. Apply glue to paper and dip into sand. When dry, pull a foam brush with ink over the paper, picking up the texture. When the paper was dry, I ripped it into fragments and created a collage with it. Despite using lots of colour during my paper course at Haliburton, this is where I really feel right with myself...black and white.

surface design on paper

2009-09-12T13:11:00.001-04:00

Haliburton seems a lifetime away at this moment but I have rallied to post on the classes I took while I was there. The first class titled "Paper Sculpture & Collage" was all about surface design on rice and mulberry papers, which we then used to create other work. We used washes, textures, wax stamping techniques, and all kinds of media. My fellow classmates were fantastic and we had an energetic instructor (Suzi Dwor) who attempted to get us out of our heads and into action. There was lots of creativity happening and it was a very stimulating and enjoyable class. Below are some photos of our workspace, our processes, and some fragments of the papers that I produced.

My workspace. It was a challenge for me to work in a messy space. My OCD tendencies had to be put aside. The stimulation of the class was good but it was also nice when a few of us worked late in the evenings when it was quiet and the space was more manageable.

Lots of stuff and lots of stuff going on! Monica and Julia contemplate what to do next.

Our classroom in a quieter moment while everyone was at lunch but me and Janet.

Creativity happening. This was early in the game while our work stations were still relatively neat and before our papers started to take over. Patricia (in foreground) made the most lovely of papers!

My neighbour Amy managed to create such fresh pieces with her washes, while I was a deft hand at the muddy look!

Janet, Amy and Bev at the wax station. We made wax stamps and stamped our paper in a similar manner to the batik process. We soon had to move this station outside as the intense fumes of beeswax bothered many of us.

This was my wax stamp design, which you will see in some of my finished papers.

We borrowed one another's stamps and this was one of my favourites! Very musical.

We also just painted the wax on our papers using a paintbrush and a tjanting tool. Where do you think this image sprung from? Go here for a hint!

We used our papers to collage our sketchbook covers. The outside covers were supposed to represent our spiritual side while the insided covers were meant to illustrate our wild side. These are the inside covers of mine. Perhaps not quite finished and not colours I ordinarily use. The outside covers will appear in another post.

Paper fragment: mulberry paper with wax stamp, acrylic washes and oil pastels.

Paper fragment: washi with acrylic washes and oil pastel over textured surfaces - as washes were applied the paper balled up into a lumpy surface which I like.

Paper fragment: mulberry paper with wax stamp, acrylic wash and oil pastels.

Paper fragment: rice paper with painted wax and acrylic wash.

Paper fragment: Washi with oil and chalk pastels over a bamboo mat and then a light silver wash.

shaving shadows

2009-08-09T15:00:00.000-04:00

Our bathroom is in the process of being renovated and we don't have a mirror in there right now so Jerzy keeps his shaving things in a plastic container on the kitchen table and shaves with a small mirror propped on the shelf over our kitchen sink. When I pass that container at certain times of the day I am halted by the wonderful reflections caused by the sun passing through the window, through those shaving items, and through the plastic container. There is a scientific term for this but it's not coming to me right now. Voila! Art and inspiration!

inspiration

2009-08-06T23:41:00.002-04:00

Every morning in my little koshlong lake apartment, variations of this pattern would appear, courtesy of the sun dancing through my curtains onto my blue wall. When I opened my eyes in the morning, there it was. It changed as the sun moved and as the curtain moved with the breeze. I can't think of a better way to wake up.

And this is the pattern that caught my eye every time I plunked myself down on the toilet. Very vertebral. Natural pattern of the wood in the panels on my bathroom wall.

More sun painting. Making its way through the screen on my kitchen window, passing onto the counter, and catching the blind pulls as it travels.

koshlong lake

2009-08-05T15:17:00.003-04:00

I have been most fortunate to spend 2 weeks in Haliburton, Ontario attending courses at Haliburton School of The Arts...a 50th birthday present from Jerzy. It was a wonderful experience. I'll be posting some photos from my courses over the next few days but today I thought I'd share some photos from Koshlong Lake. I stayed there in a lovely little apartment on top of a former marina, now a workshop where Lise Ainsley - my "landlady" - makes canvas boat covers and does upholstering work. It was a wonderful little retreat for me while I was there. I inhabited the top floor of the brown building in the above photo. Small and cozy...perfect for one person.

Here is my little deck. A great spot for my morning cup of tea. And my evening cup of tea.

And here is my view of Koshlong Lake from that little deck.

Almost every morning started like this...misty and mysterious and unbelievably calm and peaceful.

These floating docks were in different positions each morning depending on the wind and the weather. I liked this configuration.

The mist usually burned off by 7:30 a.m.

Went for a paddle and felt right at home in the canoe and in the rugged, rocky landscape of the Canadian Shield. Back to my roots...

See what I mean. Outcrops of Precambrian granite, lakes, and pines really speak to my soul. As they once did to the members of the Group of Seven.

And swamps and marshy areas are another favourite destination of mine. Especially if I'm in a canoe. There is no better way to explore a swamp!

What treasures you find in a swamp! Here is an intact skeleton and shell of a snapping turtle. With my fascination for bones, I was so tempted to scavenge it but somehow it didn't seem right to disturb it from it's peaceful resting place so I just took a photo.

the draw

2009-07-01T23:01:00.006-04:00

Happy Canada Day! As I write this I am hearing fireworks in the distance...or is it thunder? We've had a bit of a rainy day here.

As promised, I have done my Nevr-Dull draw and the lucky winner (picked out of the hat by Jerzy's neutral hand) is Ronna!

I couldn't be more pleased that Ronna is the winner...for several reasons. She is the person who encouraged me to do a blog, so winning my one-year anniversary draw is very fitting. The draw took place around the topic of artist trading cards and she is the person who organizes our ATC meetings and publishes ATC Quarterly. In fact she traded for - and now owns - one of the artist trading cards that were featured in my last post (the Buster Keaton one). And, last Fall, I attended a home art show and sale of her ceramic work and won her draw, so this is truly fate at work. Congratulations Ronna!

As promised I will take my wad of Canadian Tire money (the wad you see below totals exactly $17.20) and go buy a nice shiny can of Nevr-Dull for you...and I expect to see some Nevr-Dull ATCs somewhere down the line!

Thanks to all who kindly left comments for me. I will do my best to keep the posts coming and look forward to future comments!

one year

2009-06-18T00:35:00.007-04:00

Today is my one year blog anniversary. ***small fistfuls of glittery confetti joyfully thrown into the air*** Granted, I haven't had much (if any) of a blog presence for awhile. But here I am. Again. I thought since my very first post started with a photo of some of my artist trading cards, I would again honour my latest batch, which was traded a few weeks ago.

The technique I used is probably quite well-known amongst mixed-media junkies:

Find a magazine image that appeals to you.
Using shelf paper or sticky labels or glue, block off the parts that you wish to remain intact.
Once the labels are adhered or the glue is dry, rub the rest of the image, including text, with a wad of Nevr-Dull® Magic Wadding Polish until you achieve the effect you desire.
Peel off the shelf paper or sticky labels (if you are using glue just leave it as is) to reveal your masterpiece.

Nevr-Dull is a metal polish that gives your page a painterly, ethereal quality as it smooshes around the ink on your magazine page
The best place to find it is in the automotive washing and cleaning section of your local hardware store...in my case - Canadian Tire - my favourite store!
If you are sensitive to chemicals and strong smells, avoid this activity altogether or make sure you have good ventilation - the stuff is strong!

I enjoyed using this technique on my cards because I love that ethereal effect and it's satisfying to have an image that says more than it did when you first spied it in the magazine. To do this you can remove an image entirely, fade out an image so it appears as a ghostly presence, obliterate text or leave a faint trace of it, play with colour as you move it around with your Nevr-Dull wadding, or purposely (or accidently) rip the paper for another interesting effect. You never know what your final effect will be until it's finished. There are always surprises.

I sometimes make the mistake of thinking that the artist trading cards I make are just "fun" and have nothing to do with my "real work". But everything creative feeds everything creative. And as I'm describing my Nevr-Dull technique to you I realize that I am doing exactly what I do when I make other "real work": focusing on form and composition, subtracting elements to create a feeling or a narrative, manipulating my materials to achieve various effects that strengthen the work.

So in honour of my first blog anniversary and in honour of trying new techniques, I will enter the names of all those who leave comments on this post in a draw. THE PRIZE: a can of Nevr-Dull® Magic Wadding Polish! Woohoo! This can will be purchased at Canadian Tire using the "wad" of Canadian Tire money (a Canadian institution) that I have been collecting for years and have never cashed in. In keeping with this Canadian connection, the draw will take place on Canada Day...July 1st. So roll those comments in for your very own can of magic wadding polish!

And speaking of artist trading cards, my parents were visiting at the end of May to help me celebrate my 50th (gasp) birthday and while they were here my Mom created her first-ever artist trading cards and accompanied me to her first-ever trade, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I also helped her get started on her own blog so take a peek at her artist trading cards and her birthday surprise for me, both documented on her blog, upbeat meanderings.

sticks and stones

2009-02-23T16:30:00.002-05:00

I am pleased to report that three of my pieces have been accepted for a show at Ciel Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina! The show is called Sticks and Stones, featuring art created from natural elements, and runs from March 6th to May 1st. Apart from being included in the show, the exciting thing is that Jerzy and I are taking this opportunity to do a road trip, so I can attend the opening on March 6th. I've never been to North Carolina, so I'm really looking forward to the whole experience. It's about a two-day drive from here to there, and once we are there and I've delivered my pieces, we plan to explore the State a bit. So lots of driving! Below are my pieces...I consider them a triptych.

synapse 1

synapse 1 (detail)

synapse 2

synapse 2 (detail)

synapse 3

synapse 3 (detail)

the wives

2009-02-19T11:33:00.004-05:00

When I saw my friend Laurie Boisvert's latest piece, "the wives", I was awestruck. She has created a series of silver lockets to represent each of Henry VIII's wives. I find this work to be very evocative and a good balance between well-conceived and visceral. You won't see these lockets on her website - these photos were taken by one of the galleries that show her work - but you will find many more fascinating pieces on her shiny objects site. She has given her permission for me to share them with you here. Enjoy...

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver with pomegranate seeds encased (Catherine of Aragon)

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver with hinged links (Anne Boleyn)

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver locket with needle point inside/silk thread (Jane Seymour)

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver with kuembo interior: 22 karat gold leaf fused onto sterling silver (Anne of Cleves)

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver locket and rose bush clipping (Catherine Howard)

wall art, open frame-mounted sterling silver and paper (Catherine Parr)

sanguine yearning

2009-02-12T06:12:00.006-05:00

Red Alert - Week 1 opens today. The vernissage (opening) will be the evening of Valentine's Day. I've called my piece sanguine yearning. Sanguine refers to blood but also to optimism and confidence. I will refrain from saying what the piece means to me. My hope is that it will evoke personal associations and emotional responses from those who view it.

clotting

2009-02-10T14:26:00.009-05:00

Motivated by Red Alert, an upcoming red-themed exhibition in which I am one of the participants, I've been mucking about with plaster bandage and sanguine ink. I started to experiment and ended up creating what I have come to consider as small clots, but they are essentially nests or vessels (of course!). Below are some glimpses of my materials and process. The show opens in a few days and I will post some photographs of my finished piece when it is done. I'm always finished at the eleventh hour...

comfort in affinity

2009-01-16T08:53:00.012-05:00

Yesterday I went to Galerie René Blouin to see a tribute exhibition of Betty Goodwin's work. It seemed a fitting place to go and pay homage because René Blouin was a great friend of Betty Goodwin's and represents her work (as well as the work of another of my favourite artists, Kiki Smith).

There were prints, assemblage, sculpture, drawings, and paintings. The smallest work in the show caught my eye. While I am quite familiar with much of Betty Goodwin's work, I hadn't encountered this piece before. It was a small plexiglass box with the skeleton of a small bird attached by wire to a metal plate and a handful of long black hair coiled like a nest beneath it. The bird's skeleton was mostly exposed with some evidence of dried flesh. It was exquisite. Typical of Betty Goodwin's work, it was stark yet tenderly vulnerable.

I was drawn to the tiny pearlescent feet of the bird and was immediately taken back a few months ago to a bird that flew into our window and did not survive. At that time, I was moved by the fragile beauty of this dead bird and I photographed it. Revisiting these photos, triggered by and connected to the piece I viewed yesterday, and experienced in the state of melancholy that I have been inhabiting lately, gives me great comfort. I share some of those photos with you now and perhaps the emotion which accompanies them.

betty goodwin 1923 - 2008

2009-01-11T16:45:00.007-05:00

Betty Goodwin, Passing Through (Nerves Series), 1994

I've not been on top of the news these days and I have only just learned that Betty Goodwin died on December 1st at the age of 85. Betty Goodwin's work resonates with me in a way that no other work does. I relate to her imagery, I connect with her use of materials, and I respond to her work in a deeply visceral manner. There is recognition on so many levels. It is the intimacy, the fragility, the subtlety, the vulnerability expressed in her work which moves me. Her passing saddens me but there is comfort in knowing that her work will continue to influence the work of others. Including mine.

Betty Goodwin, Black Arms, 1985

Here is an excerpt from a Maclean's article from 1998 which makes an excellent start in describing her work: Betty Goodwin draws on the skin of things. She makes art with flattened shrouds of disembodied clothes, old vests pressed into paper like dried flowers. She stitches scars onto a black tarpaulin that hangs folded, with ropes dangling, like a stage curtain. She works dark bruises into paper and Mylar. And in her body of work, the body is always making itself felt, as a vessel of memory, the flesh smudged by love or torture. She draws swimmers who may or may not be drowning. Bodies that could be floating or falling. Bones, nerves, phantom limbs illuminated by pain. But behind the dull ache and discreet terror, there is a resilient beauty. And an openness. Her work resonates with echoes of the work being done and undone - the shuddering rhythm of countless erasures, and the presence of penciled figures left unerased from early drafts, like pictographs from past lives.

Betty Goodwin, Figure/Ladder Series, IV, 1996

crooked stem

2008-12-26T07:41:00.003-05:00

crooked winter stem

observed from different angles

squiggly snow drawing

merry christmas!

2008-12-25T07:47:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas dear bloggers! My gift to you is my great-grandmother Bauman's shortbread recipe. It's never Christmas without them! Here it is: 1/2 cup brown sugar + 3/4 cup butter + 2 cups flour. Roll out cookie dough and cut into shapes and then bake 15 minutes at 300F. May everyone have a peaceful and joyful day!

snow dog

2008-12-21T23:16:00.007-05:00

One of the best things about snow is watching Luka play in it. She's part Husky and absolutely loves the snow. She loves to roll in it, burrow her nose in it, run in it, frolic about in it, eat it, or just sit in it, sniffing the air. She's a joy to watch!

nice ice

2008-12-14T23:41:00.003-05:00

Winter is here. This makes me happy. Lots of snow and lots of ice...

winter walkabout

2008-12-07T23:06:00.004-05:00

I've been away awhile. Planned to come back with a bit of a bang. But perhaps a gentle stroll in my garden during a light dusting of snow will be a nicer way to ease back into things. Good to be back...

porch inspiration

2008-09-19T08:32:00.002-04:00

geranium leaves

floating on sunlight's surface

porch waterlilies

collage bound

2008-09-17T07:21:00.000-04:00

I've been cleaning up my studio in preparation for a studio tour I'm participating in at the end of september and I've come across a few pieces and scraps of things I did awhile back. When I found this collage, I immediately thought of robyn at art propelled and her current collage journey. I took a look at my piece through new eyes.

I remember exactly when I did it. I was the executive director of an adult literacy organization and I was attending a conference given by the institute in management and community development at concordia university in montreal. They offered a plethora of workshops and I probably should have signed up for a workshop on fundraising or leadership or capacity building or some other management topic but, of course, I signed up for a workshop titled: tapping into the creative process.

I remember that I really enjoyed the workshop because we were given a lot of time to just sit and work away. No pressure. We were encouraged to choose our images intuitively.

These are the images I chose. I didn't think too much. Just clipped out the ones that spoke to me on a gut level. After I had chosen my images, I took a look and saw that a theme had emerged. I added the word "bound" at that point. I purposely chose a word that had two meanings: bound-restrained-obligated and bound-going forth-towards a destination.

It was quite obvious to me at the time what the collage meant. I was feeling very stressed in my job. Close to burn-out. More and more administration and less and less hands-on activities with students and volunteer tutors. Lack of control. Burdened.

But what has surprised me as I look at this collage with fresh eyes, is the other side of the "bound" coin. That I was bound towards a direction. Within a year of making this collage, I left that organization and soon after, followed my heart into art. One wonders if doing that collage nourished some seeds that had been planted. Hmmm.....

tool tuesday: tracing wheel

2008-09-16T11:32:00.002-04:00

I am not a sewer. At all. I learned how to attach a button when I was a Brownie and retain that skill to this day, but that's about it for my functional sewing skills. But I am fascinated by sewing tools and I do own a tracing wheel. My tracing wheel has serrated teeth on a wheel attached to a blue plastic handle. It makes slotted perforations as it is pushed across a piece of paper or fabric. Its primary use is to transfer marks from paper to paper or paper to fabric, often using tracing paper as a guide. This is not a tool I use often, but I do love its shape, its preciseness, and its cog-like qualities. I use it to make even perforations in Japanese paper to mark where I will sew the paper. I usually make needle marks freehand because I like the uneveness, but every now and then I will require marks that are perfectly even and my tracing wheel allows me to do that. I also use it to make texture marks on metal tape for collages. And I'm sure, as time goes by, I will use it for other purposes as well. If you have your own tracing wheel, what do you use it for?

By the way...tool submissions needed for future "tool tuesday" posts! Honour your favourite tool!

unwrapping

2008-09-13T16:04:00.002-04:00

After viewing kate's post at this disordered life with tantalizing photos of her own process of unwrapping a lovely gift from lynne, I could remain patient no more! I gazed once more upon the beautifully wrapped shrouds and then carefully unwrapped each little bundle. Here is what I found...

turtle bone, blue ridge, VA

small, smooth, gentle s-shape with a slight twist

concretions, northern coast, olympic peninsula

petite masses, perfect spheres, nubbly to the touch

vertebra, WA

surprisingly light, slightly rough, interesting shapes best explored with eyes closed

beach glass, north beach west, port townsend, WA

humble gems, glowing, smooth, gentle clacking, soothing colours

mussel shell, sequim, WA

barnacles, beach fluff, calcium buds, crusted vessels, bruised pearlescent beauty

miscellaneous beach treasures, port townsend, WA

shell, worn ceramics, pebbles, cryptic patterns, muted colours

mouse bones, petroglyph cliffs south of klamath falls, OR

tinier than you would expect, detailed, delicate, elegant

lampwork bone, made by lynne

silky smooth edges, hard, subtle striations, crafted with care

Thank you, lynne.

fuchsias

2008-09-12T09:02:00.000-04:00

quivering pinkness

umbilical resonance

dangling dancers dance

gratitude 3

2008-09-10T23:52:00.000-04:00

I've been overwhelmed with a lot of things lately so have been keeping a low blogging profile for the past few days. My life seems to be about abundance lately. Abundance of commitments and abundance of generosity. And the generosity continues...

I recently received yet another gift. Judy, the person who previously gifted me with the lovely barnacle pictured above, has sent me some more precious items through her sister-in-law (and my friend) Carole. This time she sent me a piece of beach glass which is hollowed out (a bit like a nest!) and a cougar's tooth! Judy lives on beautiful Salt Spring Island in British Columbia and is a regular beachcomber. What inspires people to pass along these objects? And to others whom they barely know? Boggles my mind! Thank you so much for thinking of me, Judy. Karma will reward you!

A further gift arrived in the form of a Brillante Award from Terry Rafferty. It is so cool to get an award out of the blue from somebody not on your radar. Makes you wonder how many people are actually out there reading your blog! How gratifying! And the gift here, apart from the award, is that now Terry is on my radar. I have visited her blog and was blown away by her painting called Things You Can Stack. Although I am in my element doing non-representational art, I have such admiration for artists who can paint with such realism and such sensitivity. Thank you Terry for this honour. I know that according to the rules I must pass this on to 7 other bloggers but since most of the bloggers to whom I would give this award have recently already received awards themselves, I will ask people to check out the bloggers on my sidebar. They are the cream of the crop!

And then, as if I hadn't received enough attention, I was "tagged" by Lynne to list 6 "unspectacular quirks" about myself. How fun! This is a new blogging experience for me and I will do my best to participate.

Here are the rules:

Link back to the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

OK...unspectacular quirks. Here goes:

I am perceptually challenged. I can't saw or file a straight line if my life depended on it, it takes two tries to choose the correct size of container for leftovers, and I have to go through a cognitive process before I can distinguish my left hand from my right.
I have an almost "idiot savant" ability to recognize the voices of narrators on documentaries.
I find washing dishes extremely therapeutic and relaxing, and needless to say, I don't own a dishwasher.
I'm not in time with the real world and neither are my habits. I stay in my pyjamas as long as I can, have my shower around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, and take my dog out for a walk late at night around 12:00 or 1:00 when it is peaceful and quiet.
I am addicted to Coronation Street! (blush)
I am a "goody two-shoes" and always follow the rules (unless, on occasion, I feel they are unfair). Not sending on the Brillante Award is a huge breakthrough for me!

And in another breakthrough, I will tag only three people! I'll stick close to home on this one. I will tag: Marlana, Joanna, Ronna. You're it! Participate only if you please!

And now as it's just before midnight, it's time to take Luka for a walk!

gratitude 2

2008-09-06T11:34:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I spoke of the gifts from afar I received a few weeks ago. Today I will recount the amazing experience of opening lynne's parcel.

The box was a pleasure to behold. Pictures of butterflies, birds, castles, Pissaro paintings, ancient sculpture, and jewellery pieces decorated the box, making it very intriguing.

When I carefully opened the box with my trusty x-acto knife, this is what I saw first. A list of the precious contents of the box. The title was made with those same familiar letters that I see on lynne's banner whenever I visit her blog (every day!). The paper had been painted with something that made it subtly sparkly. Magic...just like lynne! On the back was a lovely message that warmed my heart. What happened next made me gasp in awe...

This was more than a goodie package. This was something wondrous. Something sacred. Me, the "nest person", was gazing at a nest of swaddled objects somehow protected by feather and cedar sprig talismans. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I was mesmerized.

I removed them one by one marvelling at the beauty and mystery of them. They were wrapped in muslin dyed in walnut ink and each had a number written on a fragment of masking tape. To me they were shrouds containing priceless relics from another time. How did lynne know that I am fascinated by all things wrapped? And these were wrapped in such an artful way. There was an aroma of cedar and (perhaps?) incense. An experience for the senses.

I have had these precious bundles for 2 weeks now and have still not unwrapped them. At the time that I opened the parcel, I could not bear to open them. I could not even consider it. They were art objects in themselves and were too heartbreakingly beautiful to unwrap. And it seemed to me that they were not meant to be unwrapped...yet. I decided that I would unwrap them when I was ready, using my gut as my guide. I am almost ready...

This gift was given in such a meaningful way. For that, I thank you, lynne. You have an old soul. Tree woman, nymph of the woods, generous being, roots in the earth, spirit soaring. Thank you.

gratitude 1

2008-09-05T10:06:00.004-04:00

I have been waiting awhile to do this post. Life has been hectic and now that I've tied up loose ends, I can do what I've wanted to do for several weeks and that is to publicly say THANKS! Two weeks ago I dedicated my friday haiku to lynne and kathy and now I will tell you why!

Here is what happened: Exactly a month ago, I admired some beach glass and other treasures on kathy's blog ...I believe I said that I coveted it :)...and soon after this, I received an email. It cryptically stated that kathy and lynne felt I was in need of a goodie package and ended with a request for my address. I was stunned, excited, and curious! I awaited my goodie package, my heart brimming with affection for these two kooky and generous individuals who only recently got to know me through my blog. About a week later, I received several emails telling me that a parcel was on its way. The excitement mounted! The gratitude swelled! About a week after that, a package arrived. From california! It was from lynne. The next day another package arrived. From washington! It was from kathy. I was excited to be receiving one goodie parcel and now, it seemed, I had two. My cup runneth over!

I received lynne's parcel first, but I will relate that story in tomorrow's post for reasons that will become evident then. Today I will "open" the parcel from kathy and share its delightful contents and sentiments with you.

Her objects came in a beautifully covered tin box. It is covered with collaged copper slug tape. Meant to be applied to plant pot rims to repel slugs and snails! I must get some of this stuff. I love the textures and the colours. I could swear that I see some verdigris forming! The box is a precious gift in itself, and I appreciate the effort that kathy took in art-i-fying it!

Inside the box was a list of contents and some amazing treasures. I will highlight each group of treasures in the order that they appear on the list. Be prepared for some very cool stuff.

These are the corals. So tiny and delicate. They look bigger in this close-up but the longest is only 2.5 cm. long. I don't know much about corals but these are fascinating. Like tiny spines or bone articulations. Despite kathy's best attempts to protect them with packing during transport, they broke apart a bit, but I love them just the way they are!

And the objects that started it all! The beach glass! Aren't these pieces lovely. So many colours and shapes. Smooth with rounded edges. Each one with a warm (or cool) glow and a story. You just want to put them into your pocket and handle them.

Smooth beach pebbles with subtle texture and lines. I adore them!

These are agates. I love their transluscency. When you hold them up to the light you can see the most beautiful lines and shapes and tones within the stones.

And what a treat! One of kathy's PMC pieces! I think I recognize this particular one from this post! Second row from the bottom, third to the left! On her contents list, kathy said it was white glass fired with PMC. I guess the firing changes the white glass to this lovely honey colour. I love the contrast of the smooth glass with the textured metal. Lovely.

I hope I am right on this, but by process of elimination, these are porcelain shards. Correct me if I am wrong kathy! I loved kathy's story about hurling broken ceramics into bellingham bay years ago and wondering if some of the fragments she finds on beaches are the very ones she gifted to the sea earlier. For her poetic version of this story go to the comments in this post. I choose to believe that these shards are parts of the very pieces she threw into the sea years ago!

And here is the collection gathered together. I love these treasures and I love them even more through sharing them with you. Photographing them to share has allowed me to get to know them much better. Interacting with them, touching them, observing them, sorting them. All this has bonded me to them so I thank you, dear readers, for that. And kathy, for your huge warm generous heart, I thank you! I never imagined that blogging would connect me to so many special spirits, and ones who would reach out beyond this virtual world we inhabit, and touch my heart with a gesture like this.

Since it is friday, I will end with a haiku.

gratitude expressed
opening the dormant heart
yet another gift

away

2008-09-04T09:20:00.000-04:00

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I was away over a week ago. I promised that I would write about it here. The main reason for the trip was to attend the interment ceremony of my aunt Jan who died in June. We had the interment ceremony on her birthday, August 24th. It was certainly a sad occasion but I think we gave her a lovely send-off. I hadn't been in touch with my aunt for many, many years. My Mom always kept me up-to-date on what was going on with she and my uncle. I always had great affection for her because she never talked down to me as a kid. She was a straight-talker and as my Dad would say, "a good egg".

Jan was an artist. When I entered her studio, I felt a pang of regret that I had not been in touch with her. It was clear that we would have had a great deal to talk about. A great deal in common. She worked with watercolours, oils, acrylics, and, when her emphysema became quite severe and she couldn't handle the fumes of paint, she did computer art. She was passionate about her art and had quite a library of books on art. My Uncle Bob generously told me that I could choose any books that I wanted from her collection of over a hundred titles. It was an honour to do so. Most of her books were about watercolour and oil technique, but she had quite an eclectic collection. Below are the books that I chose. They will hold a special place in my studio library and will be well used. Some of these books had small scraps of paper, marking certain pages that were probably of interest to her. I will keep these scraps in the pages where they were placed, in honour of Jan.

Instead of returning directly home after the ceremony, Jerzy and I decided to stop for a few days in Prince Edward County, an area noted for its sand dunes, wineries, and artists studios. We stayed two nights and basically just lay on the beach, had some nice meals, popped into an art gallery, and went for some nice walks in the woods and fields. A brief but enjoyable get-away...

Some images from our walk in the woods

Some images from our walk in the fields

montreal world film festival

2008-09-03T08:31:00.000-04:00

The Montreal World Film Festival! Now over. I did a marathon on Monday, the last day of the festival, and attended five films in a row! And believe it or not, I remember each one vividly! Montreal has a bit of a rivalry with Toronto and the same holds true for our film festivals. The Toronto Film Festival is one of the most well-known worldwide and attracts all the attention. The reason I love ours is that it does not have the glitz and glamour and parties and celebrities and "hollywood" influence that the Toronto Film Festival has. It's just about films and everyday people who love films. Many of the films are obscure and rough around the edges. But there are diamonds in those roughs! And the adventure of searching for those diamonds is part of the appeal for me.

It's not just the films I love about the festival. It's the whole process. I love the way the glossy, crinkly, pages of the schedule feel and sound as I peruse the film offerings. I love the way my yellow highlighter slides across those glossy pages as I highlight the films that interest me and the way my red hi-tecpoint ink pen smoothly outlines a rough box around the ones I will definitely see - a ritual I've had for years. I love scouring the film blurbs looking for clues that hint at which films might be great. I love the process of deciding which films to see, often based on avoiding rush-hour traffic and securing parking on a tiny stretch of street that has the only free parking in the area during certain times. I love the energy of the other film-goers scrambling around to get to their films and listening in to the quiet corner conversations discussing what they've just seen. I love that each time you screen a film, you never know what to expect.

This year I was away for a good part of the festival but I did manage to squeeze in 13 films, which is about standard for me.

The Home of Dark Butterflies (Finland): A boy deals with a secret in his past while at a boy's home on an isolated island. Wonderfully dark and moody. Beautifully shot.

All Will Be Well (Poland): A boy tries to save his ailing mother by jogging to a shrine of the Madonna, with his alcoholic coach in tow. Touching tale with lots of humour.

What If Death Do Us Part? (Germany): People confronted by death in various forms. Several stories merging into one with humour and humanity. Love those.

Katyn (Poland): By the great Polish Director Andrzej Wajda. An account of Stalin's murder of 15,000 reserve officers in 1940, most of them Polish intelligentsia. Very meaningful to us as Jerzy's uncle was among those murdered.

All Inclusive (Chile-Mexico): A family drama at a holiday resort. Funny and touching.

Cowards (Spain): An account of a boy who is being bullied. Heart-wrenching at times.

Be Calm and Count to Seven (Iran): A roughly told tale of life in a fishing village where smuggling people and goods is the way of life.

The Song of Sparrows (Iran): Possibly my favourite of this year's festival. A poetic and humanistic slice-of-life story.

Mermaid (Russia): A dark comedy about a girl who has the power to make her wishes come true. Delightfully quirky.

Rain (Argentina): Two people meet in an unexpected way and their stories unfold. Nicely told.
Son of a Lion (Australia-Pakistan): A young boy, living on the Pakistan-Afghan border, struggles to get an education despite his father's wish that he remain in the family business of arms-making.
The Stranger in Me (Germany): Excellent portrait of a woman dealing with post-partum depression.
Parking (Taiwan): A man tries to find the person who has double-parked and blocked his car, meeting interesting characters along the way. Scattered story but entertaining.

tool tuesday: wood carving tool

2008-09-02T09:53:00.008-04:00

Jo Horswill has generously submitted another of her tools for "tool tuesday." Last time we met her beloved file. This time it's a Japanese wood carving tool which carves many a wonderous thing! If you haven't checked out the soulful work of Jo Horswill go now! Here's what she had to say about her wood carving tool:

This is a Japanese wood carving tool. Not the most expensive tool in the shop, but it certainly works very well. I use it to carve into cherry wood blocks, maple wood blocks and lino for printing. Carving wooden printing blocks, gives me such a warm and peaceful feeling. I always hope these feelings reflect in my prints. This little tool carves through wood like butter. I even love the little shavings it creates along the way, and often save these for 'other projects'. I love it when you come across a hand tool that works almost like a natural extension of your own hand...

That's what this carving tool feels like when I use it.

Thanks so much Jo! Bloggers...keep sending in those tools! We have an open spot for next week's "tool tuesday!"

poetry everywhere

2008-08-31T22:42:00.005-04:00

Saw two really great films from Iran today at the film festival. I love Iranian films! Every year I make a point of seeing an Iranian film and I am never disappointed. The first one, Be Calm and Count to Seven, was a film shot on video which gave it a documentary feel. Quoting the schedule blurb: a lyrical portrait of a remote Persian fishing village where smuggling of consumer products - and people - has changed the traditional way of life. The second film, The Song of Sparrows, by the great Iranian film director Majid Majidi (who directed The Children of Heaven), was a particular favourite of Jerzy's and mine. I loved it for its poetic images, glimpses into everyday life, and humanistic message. But what does my image above have to do with the film festival? Well, nothing really... On the way home from the film festival, we stopped at the company that Jerzy works for so he could check on the plants! While he lovingly watered the bananas (which have made their way to the office cafeteria because they outgrew our ceiling at home), I poked around outside with my camera and was attracted by the tree shadows. Et voila! A photo montage!

vellum and celluloid

2008-08-30T16:27:00.010-04:00

I'm a bit overwhelmed. There have been a lot of things going on - mostly good - and there are so many of those things that I want to share with you, but I'm absolutely running and haven't had the time. I have just returned from my monthly ATC meeting in Dunvegan and had a delightful time there. I am sharing more of my vellum works as these are the cards I traded today. I made most of these in the car while returning from our trip (which I will tell you about on another post). I had a great little set-up: small plastic container with vellum pieces soaking in water; lapboard with large plastic container lid as a work surface; kit with scissors and my stylus tucked nearby. I just worked away as the highway unfolded. I did get a little nauseated as time went by so had to stop at one point. How we suffer for our art!

I am now heading into Montreal to the World Film Festival. I absolutely live for this festival every year and as I was away, I missed the beginning of it so now I'm playing catch-up. Over the last few days I've seen 4 feature films (Finland, Poland x2, Germany) and 2 shorts (Belgium, Canada) and now I'm heading out with a friend who wants to practice her Spanish so we will probably see some South American films. I bought two "carnets" of 10 tickets each so will be doing some film marathons on Sunday and Monday, the last two days of the festival. Will tell you more later! Gotta go!

i love your blog

2008-08-28T08:29:00.008-04:00

Isn't this music to a bloggers ears! Shayla Perreault Newcomb honoured me with this award and I am so very delighted. Shayla, I love YOUR blog! Thanks so much for this acknowledgement. I am touched! Now I will pass it on to other award-worthy bloggers! Here are the rules:

Please put the logo on your blog.
Link the person from whom you received your award.
Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Put the links of those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message on their blogs to tell them!

There are so many blogs that I love and visit regularly. This list of nominated blogs includes some great blogs that maybe you haven't discovered yet. I nominate:

jeane at art it...because of her hilarity and the documented progress of her amazing artwork
uschi at papierwelt...because of her gentle approach to art and life
thinker online...because of his thought-provoking quotes on art and philosophy
kathy at waking up...because of the inspiring way she delves into self and art
arnold at the butterfly effect...because of his sensitive and compelling black and white photography
jo at J°...because of the beauty and spareness of her images and text
diana at please sir...for her evocative studies of art and science

wing details

2008-08-27T14:52:00.007-04:00

In today's show and tell post on "the pulse", I shared my wings again because they are such treasured objects. Here are some details...

tool tuesday: spray bottle

2008-08-26T07:00:00.003-04:00

Another opportunity to highlight an interesting artist who loves her tools! Check out Jeane's blog, art it, where you will be treated to a video tour of her studio and see this particular tool hanging about. Thrilled that you are participating in "tool tuesday" Jeane! Here's what she had to say about her trusty spray bottle:

About ten years ago I was making a video of an artist in residence at a local art center here. She was painting a mural and she had a spray bottle attached to her belt. She used it constantly. I thought, hmmmmm. I think I'll try that. I use acrylics and the spray bottle seemed a good idea. I had this old Shaklee bottle under a sink so I filled it with water and have never looked back. I actually didn't realize how much I counted on this little bottle until my art partner, Lisa Johnson and I were teach an art class last year. We had a huge supply table filled with everything you could think of. As I started to demonstrate, I realized I didn't have my spray bottle. It felt like someone had cut off one of my arms! This is my "absolute can't do without" tool. I spray my paints, I spray my work surface, I spray my fingers, I spray my brushes, I spray my paper towels (my second can't do without tool). It's my fav.

more red

2008-08-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

And here's another scheduled post. You may have seen some of these on a green post I did In July. Time passes...

scheduled red

2008-08-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

As I am away for a few days, I thought it would be a good time to try out the blogging feature of a scheduled post. It took me awhile to figure out how to do it. I kept saving it as a draft, thinking if the date was set ahead, it would automatically post it on that date. The trick seems to be to press the "publish" button (after setting the date ahead) rather than the "save" button and then it is saved as a scheduled post. So I am posting a photo of another porch inspiration and keeping my fingers crossed that this works.

the pulse

2008-08-23T08:26:00.000-04:00

If you normally visit my blog and notice that not much is happening over the next few days, it's because I'm away for a bit. So now that you have a few extra minutes of time on your hands, go on over to the altered page where seth apter has put together "the pulse", an amazing collection of artist responses on a variety of topics. It's fascinating stuff. And very inspirational. I urge you...go there now!

generosity

2008-08-22T21:52:00.007-04:00

It's haiku friday and friday is almost over! But I still officially have a few hours of friday left so I am squeezing in a late post. And dedicating my haiku to lynne and kathy who have touched me deeply with lovely pieces of themselves that they sent in the mail. I will elaborate on this in further posts when I can give it the time and thought that it deserves...

generosity

opens possibility

in realms unthought of...

Thank you.

fig family

2008-08-21T08:12:00.005-04:00

A few from among the hundreds of fig leaves of the 20 fig plants that Jerzy has nurtured for 15 years and counting...all from the same seedling. The family hangs out in our driveway in the summer months and in our basement over the winter. We even get a few edible figs!

green shoot

2008-08-20T08:52:00.003-04:00

inspiration from my porch...

tool tuesday: spatula

2008-08-19T09:03:00.001-04:00

Another "tool tuesday", another tool. This time from an art school buddy of mine, Lesley. An educator and mixed media artist, Lesley makes conceptual art using non-traditional materials. And sometimes using non-traditional tools! Here's what she had to say about one of those:

Lately my favourite tool is an angled spatula, typically intended for cake decoration. I have no problem re-inventing the function of tools as a means of experimentation, often with really pleasing results. To that end, I’ve been ‘icing’ Styrofoam cakes with various wall compounds to appear as if iced like a traditional cake. This is the initial construction step of my latest sculptural works. The fact that I’m using building materials blurs the lines between cake decorating and renovation and the traditional roles of male and female therein. The spatula has the right amount of control and spontaneity to muck about in order to achieve a look that isn’t too contrived. The fact that I’m a cake decorator as well helps me push the techniques beyond buttercream. I find that using a familiar tool as a jumping off point to play around with some not-so familiar materials is a comfortable point of entry for creative exploration.

Thanks Lesley! Bloggers...I am in need of a tool to feature next tuesday. Send me a blurb on your most valued tool and it will be honoured in these pages!