Happy Halloween! Happy Samhain!

Here are two samples of work did for some of my clients over the last few days.

Teaser: Recent Photoshoot with Cora Flora

This is a photo sample from the stopmotion animation experiment I did with Cora Flora & Elissa Baltzer.

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Stopmotion Animation Collaboration with Irina Mikhailova. Assistant Animator Zraëli Karus. Lighting Assistance Sigmund Lam. Animation, Artistic Direction, Body Painting & Photography by The Art of April-Anna.

Teaser: "Autumn" Mynah Marie Shoot

I am working on a stopmotion animation experimental music & art short film with singer/songwriter, Mynah Marie. Day two of the photoshoot, here's a sampler from today's work.

Protesting Oil Stopmotion Animation Series

"Protesting Oil, Please Don't Spoil"

This is the name of a stopmotion animation I released earlier this year with my friend Dean Shivji who modeled for me because he felt simularly about the oil industry pushing to install the pipelines. Dean's day job is within the government. He wears a suite to work; the symbolism was very perfect for the message. 

Two weeks later, I did a second photoshoot with Olga, originally from Russia, she now resides in Montreal, I know her through the Montreal Gong-Fu Research Centre where we both train in martial arts and receive traditional chinese medicine. Olga studies both Xingyiquan & Baguazhang probably around 15 to 20 hours a week. We have spoken many times before about how it upsets us to see the environment continued to be destroyed, and we are really upset about all of the oil spills.

Olga represents the female archetype in this subject. As an archetype, women carry hope, nurting, give life and have much wisdom to share. Right now we still live in a male dominated society, which is very aggressive, and doesn't think about the impact we are having on the bigger picture. 

I can't wrap my head around why people don't see that we are in an environmental emergency worldwide and we really do have to change our ways now. If we wait for the shit to hit the fan anymore then it already has, it'll be too late. 

 We really do need act now, to live pro-actively. To live in harmony with each other, and the earth. This needs to become our priority above all else, preserve what is left of nature world wide, lower our impact as much as possible, help recover the lands and help nature to heal or at least just stop hurting nature. Eveything is connected and we are only hurting ourselves when we hurt the environment.

I haven't had time to finish the editing process, I am starting to think it won't get done until winter sometime. Regarding the first frame of the stopmotion with Olga; Why do we need awareness?  To quote my friend & professional psychic & tarot reader, Raven Scheadow, on this subject: It's time, as the Warriors of the Rainbow. 

It is time to unite, and fight for our Mother, as she lies screaming. Her surface is ravaged for oil and greed. Her children are dying, as animals and plants go extinct at enormous rates. We have a choice, and only one generation left in which to make it. 

 

We the Rainbow People, must turn to the wisdom of our Elders, while the time still remains. We must light the fires again, and give our thanks, and make our stand, before it becomes too late. 

 

Many peoples of many nations have prophesied these times, times of great struggle, and evil, towards most of the population. If we do not return to the Red Road, and light the sacred fires, there will be no eighth fire to light.

A new era is upon us, and it is up to us to decide. This could be a time of great bliss for all mankind, or this could be our end. No more time for laziness and procrastination, we must make our stand. 

This is Dean's belly body painted. The mask is from the people of the Great Bear Rainforest in Haida Gwaii

 

What do you choose?

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Schedule for EarthSong

EARTHSONG

Journées de la Culture - Montreal Culture Crawl Presents:
EARTHSONG: Art Exhibition, & FREE Activities
September 28th, 29th, & 30th, 2012
Noon to Closing at Melange Magique
The Art of April-Anna & Elissa Baltzer

Activities:
FRIDAY
2pm-4pm - Face Painting with Live Music Demo from Cora Flora
5pm Friday - Vernissage
Music Jam: Bring your instruments!
7pm to 9pm
Live music from Singer/Songwriter Mynah Marie
Live music from Singer/Songwriter Lilah Woods

SATURDAY:
Live Demo's All Day
3PM - Live musical performance by CORA FLORA

SUNDAY:
Body Painting Stop-Motion Animation Demonstration

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED (free henna for volunteers) for:
- Promotion
- Set up & Tear down
- Door Greeters 

Teaser! Phoenix Rising Stopmotion Animation Photoshoot

I did a stopmotion animation photoshoot with fire performer & circus artist, PHOENIX back in March of 2012. My year ended up being very busy, between all of my projects, workshops, and of course, getting married, I haven't had time to do much editing since Feb/March. Here's some teaser's.

Upcoming Events

Vente de Trottoir: Montreal Sidewalk Sales

The Art of April-Anna will be offering henna & face painting with a mini art exhibition of her fine art painting at the St.Hubert Street Fair as a part of Studio Sundari from July 4th to July 8th, from 12pm-9pm. 


Earth Song:

As a part of Journees de la Culture, from September 28th, 29th & 30th, 2012 at Melange Magique, presenting "EarthSong". Inspired by the Flora & Fauna of Quebec with a fantastical & imaginative twist. Some environmentalist topics will be explored. 3 Day Art Exhibition of the art works of April-Anna & Elissa Baltzer.

Schedule of Events:

Free Children's Face Painting from 2pm-4pm on friday, September 28th.  

Vernissage: 5pm-8:30pm, on friday, September 28th.. Live music & entertainment to be announced.

Live & Liberté: 3pm-5pm, on Saturday, September 29th. Demonstration of body painting & fine art painting on canvas. Live music by singer/songwriter Cora Flora.

Stop-Motion Animation & Body Painting: Live Demonstration of how to make a stop-motion animation. 12pm-5pm, Sunday, September 30th.

Haida Raid 2

Published on Youtube by HaidaWood; this is a stop-motion animation protest video. "The land of Haida Gwaii is threatened by the building of a giant pipeline and the arrival of oil tankers. Two brothers take matters into their own hands to find a solution, and end up getting some supernatural help from Raven."

This Guy's A One-Man Forest-Planting Machine

Reposted from the CBC. 

April 9, 2012

File this under "anything is possible": Jadav "Molai" Payeng lives in the forest in the northern Indian province of Assam. The place where he lives shares his nickname - it's called 'Molai Kathoni', or 'Molai's Woods'. And that's because Payeng planted all the trees there himself.

One day in 1979, a 16-year-old Payeng found a number of snakes that had been washed ashore on a sandbar due to flooding. By the time he came across them, all the animals were dead because of extreme heat and no tree cover. He says he "sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage". When he asked the forest department for help with planting trees, they told him nothing would grow on the sandbar. He decided to prove them wrong.
He left behind his original home and his education and started living on the sandbar itself, dedicating his life to growing first bamboo and then trees. He has lived on the land ever since, fostering the natural environment and even transporting red ants from his village to encourage better soil quality for growing trees. Payeng says he "was stung many times" during transport.
The authorities only discovered what Payeng had accomplished in 2008, when a group of 100 wild elephants went on a marauding spree and wound up in Molai Kathoni, where they destroyed Payeng's home. He rebuilt it, and refused calls to destroy the forest in order to better track the elephants.
Today, there are many species of flora and fauna living in the forest with Payeng, including some endangered species and at least five tigers. One government minister has proposed declaring the area a conservation reserve to protect the forest and its inhabitants.

David Suzuki Is Coming To Montreal

David Suzuki is giving a speak on May 18th, 11am, at the Montreal International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas. Au Colloque international de Montréal sur la décroissance dans les Amériques.

Free tickets are being given away by registration, first come first serve, get your ticket now!

http://montrealdegrowth-eivtefrnd.eventbrite.com/

What we do to the planet & all life on earth, we do to ourselves. Seperation is an illusion.
Ecosystems are not unique to one place, the whole planet is one ecosystem. What we do to the planet, we do to ourselves.

Little Visitors

Ok, maybe they're not really that little, but as racoons go, they are not that big either. I have seen these fellows before.

Taking photos through the glass wasn't that easy. This fellow was yawning; a split second before his tongue was out the full length, it was so funny.

Here you can see that the photo was taken through glass but I love this shot despite seeing the reflection of the floor within the house (the light was not on in the kitchen, but I did have the porch light on).

Showcase

 Recently I was the subject of a multimedia journalism project by Michael J Bramadat-Willcock with Tanja Van Møhsen (model), for Michael's final project in one of his classes at Concordia University.

March for Earth Day in Montreal

"There must be some kind of way out of here," (Quote Jimi Hendrix)
Said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion,
I can't get no relief.
"There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late"

Attending the earth day march today was quite something. I have to say that's probably the biggest or close to one of the biggest marches I have seen in Canada... 
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Seeing the people and overhearing scraps of conversations, heavy brows, a few light hearts but mostly alot of folks looking for hope and willing to speak out about the importance of protecting nature. 
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I saw the Innu women speak, though I couldn't understand what they were saying, I definately felt it. You know what they are saying, even if you cannot understand the words, someone who walks for two weeks from the sub-arctic to come protest, you know they have something important to say.


 

I don't understand how they can continue to destroy the environment for what? It's insane if you really think about it. So we can have gadgets to throw away in a few years? So they can sell us something? So they can have gold and other precious minerals? Can we not just work with what we have, even if it ends up being a simpler life? Is that really so bad? To me it looks like they won't stop, they will just keep going to there is nothing left. What happens if there is nothing left? Do you really want to live in that kind of world? It's all because of this illusion, this game, called "money" and the "bottom line". Well the bottom line is that we are signing our death warrant if we don't change our collective ways now. 

 

 They showed pictures on the big screen of the region that will be affected by Plan Nord. I cried alot as I listened to the Innu women speak. I seem to be spending alot of time lately processing the horror I feel at watching our elite destroy our local & global ecosystem.
I gazed out over the crowd, as the incredible never ending march of thousands upon thousands of people walked on past me. I think alot of people attending the march, a whole 250,000 people, would agree that Our long term survival requires us to learn to live in harmony with nature, now. 
I wonder what our next step should be?

I marvel that the Innu Nation sent a delegation walking on foot to get here, these women walked for 2 weeks from the sub-arctic of Quebec to come speak to us in person.

We're running out of time...

These incredible awesome women from the Innu Nation walked all the way from their homes in Northern Quebec to come here to tell us in person, to please say NO to Plan North! It's not just their homes they are destroying, they are systematically destroying the earth and our future as a species... What sad and foolish future that would be, I pray that no further destruction to both our local and global environment happen. I pray for healing for the earth, for the two legged, the four legged, the winged ones and all of nature.
More information about the Innu Nation's Walk to Montreal, See Article Here: http://canadians.org/blog/?p=14637

Earth Day: Better Late Then Never

Wildlife of Lac Saint Pierre - Body Painting Test with Leatizia in preperations for the Competition in Trois-Rivierre

You know when I was 11 years old I tried to start a club which I nicknamed "ICOP" which was short for, "I see our planet crying, don't you?" in reference to both environmental and humanitarian issues. I wanted to be one of those children who manages to be a mover & a shaker in order to prevent the environmental nightmare we have on our hands today.

Stop-motion Body Painting Animation excerpt from Part 2 of "Protesting Oil: Please Don't Spoil" with Olga.

I could see with my young eyes and young experiences, what was happening and where this was headed if we didn't change course. All without the internet, and this was not influenced by the adults around me.

Now I am 33, and I am horrified with what is going on. But I have honestly experienced first hand many "little miracles", manifestation of intentions, visualization, of prayer, so it is these subtle magiques that gives me hope for our future.

Stop-motion Body Painting Animation excerpt from Part 2 of "Protesting Oil: Please Don't Spoil" with Olga

Humanity is like a child not understanding what mamma is saying when she says don't put your hand on the stove because it will burn, or don't touch the fire's flame, it will burn; but every child does put their hand on the stove or touch the flame at least once before they register what hot & burn means. It is that first hand experience that gives the words meaning & wisdom.

Stop-motion Body Painting Animation excerpt from Part 2 of "Protesting Oil: Please Don't Spoil" with Olga

Right now humanity, your hands are burning, do you notice? Are you ready to wake up? To be the change you want to see in the world? There is definitely no time like the present and it really is better late then never.

If you care about the environment, and believe that more needs to be done to help the environment recover & regenerate, you may want to consider joining the protest today in Montreal. The march starts at 2pm but there is live entertainment from over 100 artists starting at 11am at Place des festivals du Quartier des spectacles, à Montréal.
More information here: http://action.davidsuzuki.org/22-april 
More information in French: http://fr.canoe.ca/infos/environnement/archives/2012/04/20120421-173423.html

Stop-motion Body Painting Animation excerpt from Part 1 of "Protesting Oil: Please Don't Spoil" with Dean

Mother Nature

I have been absolutely "run off my feet" with my current art projects, at the moment I have been averaging one to two stopmotion animation photoshoots a week plus other activities. I am pretty tired but feel really satisfied. It's a happy kind of tired. Anyways, this is the reason for my abrupt blogging silence. Here's a teaser: "Mother Nature" is model, Tanja Van Møhsen.

Advika Clothing at the One of a Kind Show!

 So Advika Clothing is currently at the One of a Kind Show! A two year waiting list is a long time to get into a show, congratulations Jamie Brock & crew! If you are in Toronto this weekend, go check out the organic handmade creations of the talented and hard working Advika Clothing!

 Click here to see details about the One of a Kind Show!

Advika Clothing on the lovely model, Eva Lajoie

Teaser - Part 2: "Protesting Oil: Please Don't Spoil"

Photo sample from the upcoming Part 2 of the "Protesting Oil, Please Don't Spoil" body painting stop-motion animation protest.