Ok, I don't really dream in puppets, if you are thinking that I am meaning the sleeping kind of dreaming. I often sit and ponder, I have my comfy rocking chair by my book shelf & faerie garden, facing the direction of the fireplace. It's lovely to sit there with a wee cup of mead, my book, the candles on, and watch the log in the fireplace burn merrily away. I will read my books for a while, then drift off in thought, eventually falling into day dream. This is where I dream in puppets.
I have this recent thirst to create giant puppets; and when I say giant, I mean the kind that are around 10 feet high. I have no experience building puppets, but I have a book from the Bread & Puppets society that has some instructions on the many kinds of giant puppets that one can build. Actually it was quite interesting because this thurst of mine started right before Bread & Puppets came to town. Not to say that I have not always loved puppets but the interest in building them is very recent.
Even though puppets are man-crafted and there is really nothing magickal about them except for the performer who brings them to life; I still find giant puppets to have a majestic presence about them that gives me a sense of magick. I can best describe this feeling being a sense of "anything can happen", there is more here then meets the eye.
I have a love of old traditional music from any culture, but in terms of my own singing, I am fond of singing Irish & Scottish traditionals. So I have been toying with ideas about how I can combine all of my interests & skills in one project. I also have alot of creative writing on the back burner, most of it abstract poetry that I keep thinking could make fun performance material. Often I have thought I would like to organize a performance utilizing my work, something with a touch of theatre and circus. But it is challenging to organize anything that involves more then one person and especially if it requires skill, and more so, especially if you want people to collaborate or volunteer. Most of my collaborators are very very busy and their focus, understandably so, is on paid contracts, which are often full time.
So the giant puppets open up some more doors. I have been thinking about doing a short piece to begin with, and there has been some discussion with my friend/collaborator, Marie Dietlin, about doing a stop motion-photography-film project together involving the puppets, body painting & 3-D art, but we have yet to settle on an idea & story. We want the final product to be around 2 minutes.
BOOK OF BALLADS
So I was sitting in my rocking chair in front of my fire reading one of my new books, the "Book of Ballads", it is a collaboration between some of my favourite authors and artists. Charles Vess spearheaded this book; his idea was to make a small comic book series based off of traditional folk ballads. The authors who have contributed to this book are Charles De Lint, Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Jeff Smith, Emma Bull, Sharyn McCrumb and more. There is a historical introduction by Terri Windling that is extremely interesting, so much so that I could write an entirely seperate blog posting off that introduction alone (and perhaps at some point I will). Oh yes and there is this excellent list of musicians the authors were listening to while creating their part of the collaboration. The artwork that Charles Vess has created for this book is lovely and stimulating for my imagination.
PUPPETS ARE DREAMING?
The Book of Ballads is highly worth reading, especially if you love Irish music, and I do. It also got me thinking further about a pre-exsisting idea I had for the puppets and what direction I wish to head with those puppets. I had already been thinking to do something influenced by old mythology and legends, but it had never crossed my mind to base the puppets off one of my favorite old traditional songs, and this book has the wheels turning in my head that this might be a fun idea, perhaps even for the stop motion film... hhhmmmm....
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Happy Solstice! Merry Christmas! Happy Yuletide! Happy Hanukkah!
.
I have some mixed feelings about Christmas. It started with the shock I experienced at the age of 10 when I realized I had been duped; Santa-Claus isn't real! All those years spent looking out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of good old saint nick flying through the sky with his reindeer! So sad was I when I realized Santa-Claus isn't real!!
One of my reasons for having mixed feelings about this holiday is I feel like it was taught to me out of obligation. It almost seems really fake because the public don't invent their own traditions, they follow, at this point, either a religious or commercial auto-pilot program. The idea of not filling the house with red/green decorations and either a fake or dying pine-tree, is not something most people consider. What with the pressures to "shop till you drop", often spending horrendous amounts of money on trying to express either one's love or one's duty through gifts. There is also the environment to take into consideration; on one hand, cards & wrapping paper is a lot of fun, but it isn't environmentally friendly.
For myself, I have had an interest in studying world religions since I was about 11 years old and it was about at that point that I declared I was not a Christian. I call myself a "non-denominational spiritualist".
I have decided at this point that what I like about Christmas, Solstice, Yule-tide, Hanukkah and any other religious celebrations that happen at this time of the year is what they have in common.
I now enjoy taking the time of giving thanks year round, but I do also pay some extra attention to gratitude during the winter festivities. I enjoy sharing both with strangers and loved ones alike. To give gifts that have meaning, often hand-crafted. If I decorate, I like to choose decorations that I personally identify with, often drawing from nature or old world influences. I love gatherings and I love music (however, the majority of Christmas music sets my teeth on edge).
Historically speaking, Christmas is derived mostly from 4 sources. A Germanic pagan religious celebration called Yule or Yuletide. Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year which celebrated the coming light as the days would grow longer again. A roman holiday called "Sol Invictus". Of course the birth (although some argue it's the conception) of Jesus and Christmastide.
Yuletide Arts & Crafts Fair!
This year I participated in the pagan community's arts & crafts fair at Melange Magick. Take a look at the video journal I created: (also includes brief history of Christmas)
I have some mixed feelings about Christmas. It started with the shock I experienced at the age of 10 when I realized I had been duped; Santa-Claus isn't real! All those years spent looking out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of good old saint nick flying through the sky with his reindeer! So sad was I when I realized Santa-Claus isn't real!!
One of my reasons for having mixed feelings about this holiday is I feel like it was taught to me out of obligation. It almost seems really fake because the public don't invent their own traditions, they follow, at this point, either a religious or commercial auto-pilot program. The idea of not filling the house with red/green decorations and either a fake or dying pine-tree, is not something most people consider. What with the pressures to "shop till you drop", often spending horrendous amounts of money on trying to express either one's love or one's duty through gifts. There is also the environment to take into consideration; on one hand, cards & wrapping paper is a lot of fun, but it isn't environmentally friendly.
For myself, I have had an interest in studying world religions since I was about 11 years old and it was about at that point that I declared I was not a Christian. I call myself a "non-denominational spiritualist".
I have decided at this point that what I like about Christmas, Solstice, Yule-tide, Hanukkah and any other religious celebrations that happen at this time of the year is what they have in common.
I now enjoy taking the time of giving thanks year round, but I do also pay some extra attention to gratitude during the winter festivities. I enjoy sharing both with strangers and loved ones alike. To give gifts that have meaning, often hand-crafted. If I decorate, I like to choose decorations that I personally identify with, often drawing from nature or old world influences. I love gatherings and I love music (however, the majority of Christmas music sets my teeth on edge).
Historically speaking, Christmas is derived mostly from 4 sources. A Germanic pagan religious celebration called Yule or Yuletide. Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year which celebrated the coming light as the days would grow longer again. A roman holiday called "Sol Invictus". Of course the birth (although some argue it's the conception) of Jesus and Christmastide.
Yuletide Arts & Crafts Fair!
This year I participated in the pagan community's arts & crafts fair at Melange Magick. Take a look at the video journal I created: (also includes brief history of Christmas)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Hitch-hiking...
I am a very open minded sort of person and I enjoy connecting with people from all walks of life. Hitch-hiking is something I have a lot of experience with, which I feel is a bit of a taboo subject, which in and of itself, can make it more dangerous then it needs to be.
Old childhood friends, who are now parents, contacted me recently over the concern for the 18 year old brother who had not been heard from for a 24 hour period while hitch-hiking in northern BC on highways that have a reputation for people going missing. Those circumstances were unique and I won't go into those details, the brother did show up safe, but due to some of the folly that nearly cost him dearly, I felt maybe it would be appropriate for me to speak up as an experienced hitch-hiker.
Popular belief has it that hitch hiking is dangerous, and this is true, but it's actually a lot safer then what popular belief would have you believe, especially if you know the do's and don'ts of the road. Popular belief is largely based off of what we see on the news and is being perpetuated by the inexperienced, most people who teach their kids not to hitch-hike have never done it. Therefore it gives a very fear based slant with little information available about when hitch-hiking goes right.
Truth be told, I believe there is alot more positive stories out there that just aren't being spoken about because of the taboo nature of hitch-hiking. It might surprise you to know that it's very few people who actually have problems on the road compared to the amount of people who successfully hitch-hike without an issue.
I started hitch-hiking when I was 23 with the boyfriend I was dating at the time. Up until that point, I had always sworn I would never hitch-hike. But a family emergency came up for my boyfriend, and it became the only choice for getting from Kelowna to Nanaimo, BC. From that point forward, I gradually begin to hitch-hike more and more. Once I left that relationship, I started hitch-hiking small distances alone, mainly around the coast of BC but sometimes up around the Okanagan. Once out here in the east of Canada, I did quite a bit of hitch-hiking between Montreal and Toronto and one trip out to PEI from Montreal.
When I was 27, I did my 1st cross Canada hitch-hiking trip. First from Montreal to the Sunshine Coast, BC, then around BC and eventually back to Montreal. Going to BC it took 8 days and I was travelling with a tall Russian man, a friend of mine who wanted to ensure I would be safe. Coming back to Montreal I did half of the trip with a girlfriend, and the other half alone; this took a total of 3 days.
Why hitch-hike?
The trick is calculated risks. I have no regrets, but I also have entered each of my hitch-hiking experiences with the willingness to have full responsibility for my actions and whatever outcome there may be. The way I see it is everything in life can potentially be dangerous, we face danger on a regular basis, although I am sure we don't always realize it. I have hitch-hiked in the past because it enabled me to do something I did not otherwise have the resources to achieve.
Who picks up?
I have been picked up by families, old timers and single people. I realize it helps that I am a girl, many people view me as less threatening then a man so it opens up more options for me. The most common thing I have heard while hitch-hiking are the following comments:
"I couldn't bear the thought that you would get picked up by the wrong person."
"I used to do a lot of hitch-hiking back in the day, but now I am financially well off and want to return the favour."
"I have kids so I look at you as potentially one of my children, the more good people who pick up, the less likely a hitch-hiker will get picked up by a bad person."
"When I was a youngster, there were no buses, and hitch-hiking was normal. I want to return the favour."
"I have never picked up before, but I wanted to make sure you got safely to your destination."
"I am doing a long haul and wanted someone to talk to as it helps keep me awake."
"I have a long way to go and wouldn't mind some company."
How to safely hitch-hike:
1) Pick one person who will monitor your journey and keep in touch with that person as much as possible. Every opportunity you can access a phone (or better yet, bring a cell phone), phone and check in your progress, tell them where you plan to be hitching from, what highway etc, and where you are headed.
2) Try to have a friend to hitch-hike with, as much as possible, avoid hitch-hiking alone.
3) Know the environment, certain places are going to be safer then others. If you are hitching long distance, talk to an experienced hitch-hiker and find out what routes are more hitch-hiker friendly and avoid highways that may have an unusually high rate of missing persons.
4) Never get into a ride without talking to the driver first. Make eye contact. Ask them where they are going, why they have decided to offer you a ride. Anything to stall, so you can try to get a feel for who are dealing with and what their intentions are. Listen to your intuition; if it doesn't feel right, if you are hesitant, don't be afraid to say no. Saying no is ok and a good idea sometimes; just be polite but be firm. Someone who starts to be insistent that you should take the ride is definitely someone you should say no to, because someone who does not have ill intent will not care if you take the ride.
5) Learn to read people. I find that your first reaction/response, is the right one. Really good people you can feel that they are good people when you look in their eyes, you just know. But people who fit into the gray, there are many reasons it may not be clear. There are so many good people on the road that it isn't necessary to take a ride you are not sure about.
Bad people are obvious or will appear "grey", but a bad person will never appear to be a good person. If there is anything sketchy about a person, say no. I have seen alot of people make bad judgement calls that I saw coming, tried to warn the person but they didn't listen, largely because they did not know how to read people. Learn to read people.
6) Pick the right location. Ideally this will be somewhere public, near a gas-station, better yet, right in front of the gas station but this is only possible if the gas-station is really close to the highway as it will be the last stop for many travelers before they hit the road. If this is not possible, then go to the on ramp, just where the on ramp is about to merge with the traffic on the highway there is usually a large area appropriate for pulling over safely (remember safety must always come first for both you and the driver so think like a driver, where would you pull over if you were picking up a hitch-hiker?).
7) Have a large, bright sign painted/drawn that says the name of your next destination; this will make being picked up much much quicker then if you only use your thumb. Keep in mind alot people are not paying attention to hitch-hikers, usually due to their visibility, this will make you more eye catching but will also improve visibility for safety reasons (this will reduce the chances of being hit by a car).
Also wear light/bright colours for the same reasons as above.
8) Try to keep a smile on your face and look like you are having fun, even if it's taking a long time. People won't pick up if you yourself look negative in any way.
9) Don't hitch-hike at night. Good people generally won't pick up at night (unless you decide to be bold and stand in front of the walking traffic going in and out of a Tim Horton's near the highway) because they can't see who they are dealing with, so your chances of getting picked up by the wrong people at night is high. If you are stuck somewhere at dusk or nightfall, go pull an all nighter at a Tim Horton's, as long as you have a tea in your hand, they dont' care how long you are there and often they will turn a blind eye to a traveller (the big back-pack gives it away), even if you are sleeping with your head on the table. Or travel with a tent & sleeping bag and find a discrete place off the side of the highway to sleep.
10) Ideally try to have at least $100 emergency money on you as you never know what you might need.
11) Be grateful with your rides as they are not obliged to pick you up; you want this to be a positive experience and so be careful to leave a lasting positive impression. Be sincere, honest and take an interest in the person who picks you up.
12) Understand you are taking a risk and be mentally prepared to take full responsibility for that risk.
13) Make sure your intentions are clear with yourself, IE "I choose to be safe and reach my destination safely". This will program your psychology which in turn will help you subconsciously make a safe choice. If you are scared, don't go to the road until you are calm and ready to face this challenge. Like is attracted to like and hitch-hiking will show you this. When I have hitch-hiked scared, all the people who stopped were people I ended up needing to say no to. When I have hitch-hiked confident and happy, the people I attract are usually very positive people who it has proven to be safe to take rides with.
14) Set your intentions. Listen to your intuition.
Be wise, Be Safe!!
That's all I can think of for now to share with you about how to hitch-hike safely; I have been very successful as a safe hitch-hiker. If I think of anything else, I will update this post.
If you are planning to hitch-hike but have never done so but have any questions I have not already answered, don't be afraid to leave a comment as I will be happy to answer your questions.
Old childhood friends, who are now parents, contacted me recently over the concern for the 18 year old brother who had not been heard from for a 24 hour period while hitch-hiking in northern BC on highways that have a reputation for people going missing. Those circumstances were unique and I won't go into those details, the brother did show up safe, but due to some of the folly that nearly cost him dearly, I felt maybe it would be appropriate for me to speak up as an experienced hitch-hiker.
Popular belief has it that hitch hiking is dangerous, and this is true, but it's actually a lot safer then what popular belief would have you believe, especially if you know the do's and don'ts of the road. Popular belief is largely based off of what we see on the news and is being perpetuated by the inexperienced, most people who teach their kids not to hitch-hike have never done it. Therefore it gives a very fear based slant with little information available about when hitch-hiking goes right.
Truth be told, I believe there is alot more positive stories out there that just aren't being spoken about because of the taboo nature of hitch-hiking. It might surprise you to know that it's very few people who actually have problems on the road compared to the amount of people who successfully hitch-hike without an issue.
I started hitch-hiking when I was 23 with the boyfriend I was dating at the time. Up until that point, I had always sworn I would never hitch-hike. But a family emergency came up for my boyfriend, and it became the only choice for getting from Kelowna to Nanaimo, BC. From that point forward, I gradually begin to hitch-hike more and more. Once I left that relationship, I started hitch-hiking small distances alone, mainly around the coast of BC but sometimes up around the Okanagan. Once out here in the east of Canada, I did quite a bit of hitch-hiking between Montreal and Toronto and one trip out to PEI from Montreal.
When I was 27, I did my 1st cross Canada hitch-hiking trip. First from Montreal to the Sunshine Coast, BC, then around BC and eventually back to Montreal. Going to BC it took 8 days and I was travelling with a tall Russian man, a friend of mine who wanted to ensure I would be safe. Coming back to Montreal I did half of the trip with a girlfriend, and the other half alone; this took a total of 3 days.
Why hitch-hike?
The trick is calculated risks. I have no regrets, but I also have entered each of my hitch-hiking experiences with the willingness to have full responsibility for my actions and whatever outcome there may be. The way I see it is everything in life can potentially be dangerous, we face danger on a regular basis, although I am sure we don't always realize it. I have hitch-hiked in the past because it enabled me to do something I did not otherwise have the resources to achieve.
Who picks up?
I have been picked up by families, old timers and single people. I realize it helps that I am a girl, many people view me as less threatening then a man so it opens up more options for me. The most common thing I have heard while hitch-hiking are the following comments:
"I couldn't bear the thought that you would get picked up by the wrong person."
"I used to do a lot of hitch-hiking back in the day, but now I am financially well off and want to return the favour."
"I have kids so I look at you as potentially one of my children, the more good people who pick up, the less likely a hitch-hiker will get picked up by a bad person."
"When I was a youngster, there were no buses, and hitch-hiking was normal. I want to return the favour."
"I have never picked up before, but I wanted to make sure you got safely to your destination."
"I am doing a long haul and wanted someone to talk to as it helps keep me awake."
"I have a long way to go and wouldn't mind some company."
How to safely hitch-hike:
1) Pick one person who will monitor your journey and keep in touch with that person as much as possible. Every opportunity you can access a phone (or better yet, bring a cell phone), phone and check in your progress, tell them where you plan to be hitching from, what highway etc, and where you are headed.
2) Try to have a friend to hitch-hike with, as much as possible, avoid hitch-hiking alone.
3) Know the environment, certain places are going to be safer then others. If you are hitching long distance, talk to an experienced hitch-hiker and find out what routes are more hitch-hiker friendly and avoid highways that may have an unusually high rate of missing persons.
4) Never get into a ride without talking to the driver first. Make eye contact. Ask them where they are going, why they have decided to offer you a ride. Anything to stall, so you can try to get a feel for who are dealing with and what their intentions are. Listen to your intuition; if it doesn't feel right, if you are hesitant, don't be afraid to say no. Saying no is ok and a good idea sometimes; just be polite but be firm. Someone who starts to be insistent that you should take the ride is definitely someone you should say no to, because someone who does not have ill intent will not care if you take the ride.
5) Learn to read people. I find that your first reaction/response, is the right one. Really good people you can feel that they are good people when you look in their eyes, you just know. But people who fit into the gray, there are many reasons it may not be clear. There are so many good people on the road that it isn't necessary to take a ride you are not sure about.
Bad people are obvious or will appear "grey", but a bad person will never appear to be a good person. If there is anything sketchy about a person, say no. I have seen alot of people make bad judgement calls that I saw coming, tried to warn the person but they didn't listen, largely because they did not know how to read people. Learn to read people.
6) Pick the right location. Ideally this will be somewhere public, near a gas-station, better yet, right in front of the gas station but this is only possible if the gas-station is really close to the highway as it will be the last stop for many travelers before they hit the road. If this is not possible, then go to the on ramp, just where the on ramp is about to merge with the traffic on the highway there is usually a large area appropriate for pulling over safely (remember safety must always come first for both you and the driver so think like a driver, where would you pull over if you were picking up a hitch-hiker?).
7) Have a large, bright sign painted/drawn that says the name of your next destination; this will make being picked up much much quicker then if you only use your thumb. Keep in mind alot people are not paying attention to hitch-hikers, usually due to their visibility, this will make you more eye catching but will also improve visibility for safety reasons (this will reduce the chances of being hit by a car).
Also wear light/bright colours for the same reasons as above.
8) Try to keep a smile on your face and look like you are having fun, even if it's taking a long time. People won't pick up if you yourself look negative in any way.
9) Don't hitch-hike at night. Good people generally won't pick up at night (unless you decide to be bold and stand in front of the walking traffic going in and out of a Tim Horton's near the highway) because they can't see who they are dealing with, so your chances of getting picked up by the wrong people at night is high. If you are stuck somewhere at dusk or nightfall, go pull an all nighter at a Tim Horton's, as long as you have a tea in your hand, they dont' care how long you are there and often they will turn a blind eye to a traveller (the big back-pack gives it away), even if you are sleeping with your head on the table. Or travel with a tent & sleeping bag and find a discrete place off the side of the highway to sleep.
10) Ideally try to have at least $100 emergency money on you as you never know what you might need.
11) Be grateful with your rides as they are not obliged to pick you up; you want this to be a positive experience and so be careful to leave a lasting positive impression. Be sincere, honest and take an interest in the person who picks you up.
12) Understand you are taking a risk and be mentally prepared to take full responsibility for that risk.
13) Make sure your intentions are clear with yourself, IE "I choose to be safe and reach my destination safely". This will program your psychology which in turn will help you subconsciously make a safe choice. If you are scared, don't go to the road until you are calm and ready to face this challenge. Like is attracted to like and hitch-hiking will show you this. When I have hitch-hiked scared, all the people who stopped were people I ended up needing to say no to. When I have hitch-hiked confident and happy, the people I attract are usually very positive people who it has proven to be safe to take rides with.
14) Set your intentions. Listen to your intuition.
Be wise, Be Safe!!
That's all I can think of for now to share with you about how to hitch-hike safely; I have been very successful as a safe hitch-hiker. If I think of anything else, I will update this post.
If you are planning to hitch-hike but have never done so but have any questions I have not already answered, don't be afraid to leave a comment as I will be happy to answer your questions.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
New Years Eve - Body Art
Book your private appointment now to get some face or body art done for your New Years Eve celebrations!
$1.50 per minute
Conveniant Location, close to Lucien L'Allier Metro or Guy-Concordia Metro.
Email to discuss details: aprilanna@aprilanna.com
or 514-243-4315
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
New projects...
Howdy folks...
I have been so busy over the past two months, while actually life is like that regardless, but it's been intense enough to not allow me time to keep my blog as updated. One of the projects I just recently finished is for a friend of mine, Gillian Pritchert. Her mother is a talented poet, Milly Leonara, in England who has recently published her first book. Take a look:
I have been so busy over the past two months, while actually life is like that regardless, but it's been intense enough to not allow me time to keep my blog as updated. One of the projects I just recently finished is for a friend of mine, Gillian Pritchert. Her mother is a talented poet, Milly Leonara, in England who has recently published her first book. Take a look:
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Group Art Exhibition & Sale
Friday, Nov 20th & Saturday, Nov 21st I participating in a group art exhibition and sale at Hotel Europa on Drummond, downtown. I will be showing my work and selling merchandise that includes Greet Cards, Posters & my new book. I am very excited! I hope you will come down and say hi!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
long over due update...
Hey so just signing in on a sleepless night to say that yes, it's true, I have been neglecting my blog.... However, I have a good reason! Life got nuts!! Well actually, it's mostly that I have a compulsion to fill up my life with as much as possible... So of course it was a logical choice to spontaneously decide to full fill a life's dream by creating my first book, giving myself a deadline of one month to create.... Good thing it's an art book and not creative writing... Well, actually, I do have quite a lot of creative writing finished... Many books on the future horizon!
Despite being an art book, this book was alot of work and while I know it's logical to normally take at least a year to make a book, I of course, decided to try to challenge myself (not that creating a book isn't challenging regardless of deadlines)... I have been working around the clock, literally, for the past month, sometimes 12 and 16 hour days on this book and I made the deadline by the hair of my chinny chin chin.... There is some poetry in it, and writings about the images, but mostly images...
I can't believe I have actually created my first book! I will see my second proof today; hopefully I don't have more edits to do (fingers crossed).....
PS
Despite all my run on sentences and lots of ..... that I lean towards when writing informally; I do make the effort to use proper english and sentence structure in this book. The book is well written and thanks to my awesome friend Allison Ryan, it's been edited and approved by said editor! Yeah!
Now I shall try to sleep....
Despite being an art book, this book was alot of work and while I know it's logical to normally take at least a year to make a book, I of course, decided to try to challenge myself (not that creating a book isn't challenging regardless of deadlines)... I have been working around the clock, literally, for the past month, sometimes 12 and 16 hour days on this book and I made the deadline by the hair of my chinny chin chin.... There is some poetry in it, and writings about the images, but mostly images...
I can't believe I have actually created my first book! I will see my second proof today; hopefully I don't have more edits to do (fingers crossed).....
PS
Despite all my run on sentences and lots of ..... that I lean towards when writing informally; I do make the effort to use proper english and sentence structure in this book. The book is well written and thanks to my awesome friend Allison Ryan, it's been edited and approved by said editor! Yeah!
Now I shall try to sleep....
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Halloween Make-Up: Oct 30th & 31st
Bookings still available in the afternoon of Oct 30th, and some appointments still available on Oct. 31st.
$1.50 per minute, 10 minute minimum.
Conveniantly located 5 minutes from Lucien L'Allier Metro or 10 minutes from Guy-Concordia Metro.
514-243-4315
$1.50 per minute, 10 minute minimum.
Conveniantly located 5 minutes from Lucien L'Allier Metro or 10 minutes from Guy-Concordia Metro.
514-243-4315
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
News Article about an Italian Eccentric who built secret temples under the country-side...
Eighth wonder of the world? The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric
by HAZEL COURTENEY
Last updated at 09:58 22 November 2007
Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque.
But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region's greatest wonders are concealed.
Hall of the Earth: An amazing room built on the 'supernatural' visions of its creator Here, 100ft down and hidden from public view, lies an astonishing secret - one that has drawn comparisons with the fabled city of Atlantis and has been dubbed 'the Eighth Wonder of the World' by the Italian government.
For weaving their way underneath the hillside are nine ornate temples, on five levels, whose scale and opulence take the breath away.
Constructed like a three-dimensional book, narrating the history of humanity, they are linked by hundreds of metres of richly decorated tunnels and occupy almost 300,000 cubic feet - Big Ben is 15,000 cubic feet.
Few have been granted permission to see these marvels.
Indeed, the Italian government was not even aware of their existence until a few years ago. But the 'Temples of Damanhur' are not the great legacy of some long-lost civilisation, they are the work of a 57-year-old former insurance broker from northern Italy who, inspired by a childhood vision, began digging into the rock.
It all began in the early Sixties when Oberto Airaudi was aged ten. From an early age, he claims to have experienced visions of what he believed to be a past life, in which there were amazing temples.
Around these he dreamed there lived a highly evolved community who enjoyed an idyllic existence in which all the people worked for the common good.
More bizarrely still, Oberto appeared to have had a supernatural ability: the gift of "remote viewing" - the ability to travel in his mind's eye to describe in detail the contents of any building.
"My goal was to recreate the temples from my visions," he says.
Oberto - who prefers to use the name 'Falco' - began by digging a trial hole under his parent's home to more fully understand the principals of excavation.
Scroll down for more...
Breathtaking: The miles of tunnels enable air to circulate
House of secrets: Below this house is the Damanhurian temple which is one of the largest temple complexes in the world
But it was only as he began a successful career as an insurance broker that he began to search for his perfect site.
In 1977, he selected a remote hillside where he felt the hard rock would sustain the structures he had in mind. A house was built on the hillside and Falco moved in with several friends who shared his vision. Using hammers and picks, they began their dig to create the temples of Damanhur - named after the ancient subterranean Egyptian temple meaning City of Light - in August 1978.
As no planning permission had been granted, they decided to share their scheme only with like-minded people. Volunteers, who flocked from around the world, worked in four-hour shifts for the next 16 years with no formal plans other than Falco's sketches and visions, funding their scheme by setting up small businesses to serve the local community.
By 1991, several of the nine chambers were almost complete with stunning murals, mosaics, statues, secret doors and stained glass windows. But time was running out on the secret.
The first time the police came it was over alleged tax evasion and still the temples lay undiscovered. But a year later the police swooped on the community demanding: "Show us these temples or we will dynamite the entire hillside."
Falco and his colleagues duly complied and opened the secret door to reveal what lay beneath. Three policemen and the public prosecutor hesitantly entered, but as they stooped down to enter the first temple - named the Hall of the Earth - their jaws dropped.
Inside was a circular chamber measuring 8m in diameter.
Hall of mirrors: The hall has a classical Greek feel
Egyptian wall paintings: Damanhurian art is greatly influenced by both Egyptian and Celtic sytles
A central sculpted column, depicting a three dimensional man and woman, supported a ceiling of intricately painted glass. The astonished group walked on to find sculpted columns covered with gold leaf, more than 8m high. Stunned by what they had found, the authorities decided to seize the temples on behalf of the government.
"By the time they had seen all of the chambers, we were told to continue with the artwork, but to cease further building, as we had not been granted planning permission," says Esperide Ananas, who has written a new book called Damanhur, Temples Of Humankind.
Retrospective permission was eventually granted and today the 'Damanhurians' even have their own university, schools, organic supermarkets, vineyards, farms, bakeries and award-winning eco homes.
They do not worship a spiritual leader, though their temples have become the focus for group meditation. 'They are to remind people that we are all capable of much more than we realise and that hidden treasures can be found within
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Bread & Puppets!! Tonight!! Montreal!
I am so tickled pink with excitement!! Tonight "Bread & Puppets" are playing only two blocks from my house!! Free show tonight (Oct. 17, 2009) at Concordia University's D.B. Clark Theatre, in the Hall Building at 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. at 8 p.m.
I love Bread & Puppets, they are historic, utilizing old world arts, giant puppets, and other theatrical & circus skills, they come with a message. During the 1960's they were a group of artists from many disciplines who banded together to stand up for our rights, to bring awareness and promote change. Through out the sixties they were at many major protests and other activist efforts.
"The name Bread & Puppet derives from the theater's practice of sharing its own fresh bread, served for free with a strong garlic aioli, with the audience of each performance as a means of creating community, and from its central principle that art should be as basic to life as bread. Some have heard echoes of the Roman phrase "bread and circuses" or the labor slogan "Bread and Roses" in the theater's name as well, though these are not often mentioned in Bread & Puppet's own explanations of its name." (Quoted from Wikipedia)
History
"The Theater was founded in 1962–1963 in New York City. It was active during the Vietnam War in anti-war protests, primarily in New York. It is often remembered as a central part of the political spectacle of the time, as its enormous puppets (often ten to fifteen feet tall) were a fixture of many demonstrations. In 1970 the Theater moved to Vermont, first to Goddard College in Plainfield, and then to a farm in Glover where it still resides. The farm is home to a cow, several pigs, puppeteers and chickens, as well as indoor and outdoor performance spaces, a printshop, store and large museum showcasing over four decades of the company's work. The Bread & Puppet Theater has received National Endowment for the Arts grants and numerous awards from the Puppeteers of America and other organizations."
"Our Domestic Resurrection Circus - Mid 1980s"
"Until 1998 the Bread & Puppet hosted its annual Pageant and Circus (in full, Our Domestic Resurrection Circus), in and around a natural amphitheater on its Glover grounds. In the 1990s the festival became very large, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands of people who camped on nearby farmers' land over the summer weekend of the pageant. The event became unmanageably large and less and less concerned with the theater's performance. In 1998 a man was accidentally killed in a fight while camping overnight for the festival, and director Peter Schumann subsequently cancelled the festival.[2] Since then the theater has instead offered smaller weekend performances all summer long, and traveled around New York and New England, with occasional tours around the U.S. and abroad. In New York City, Bread & Puppet annually performs at Theater for the New City during the holiday season." (Quoted from Wikipedia)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
"From Above"... "there's a murder of crows..."
Music feeds my soul, but so also does silence but I have been in the working buzz so I thought I would share a little of what I am listening to these days.
I love the music of Jess Hill. I originally was listening to "Tarran the Tailor" on myspace, but then needed new music and found Jess Hill. I really love this song and the video is extremely interesting.
I love the music of Jess Hill. I originally was listening to "Tarran the Tailor" on myspace, but then needed new music and found Jess Hill. I really love this song and the video is extremely interesting.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
New Book! ...Updated Oct. 17th...
This is my 1st book and it will be a small run of books printed off as orders are placed (either by the person or a store), or if I have an exhibition or show.
Do you want to order a book?
Early bird special: $25 if you pay for your order before November 1st, that's $10 off and it will be numbered & hand signed.
Early Release for the book is Nov 1st, 2009
(tentative; will let you know when I get the confirmation from the printer, right now the printers are processing my posters, postcards & cards,so I have to wait until that is finished before I can hand the book in).
Official Release is Nov. 20th, 2009
You will be the 1st to know when the books are printed and in my hands!
About the book:
52 page saddle stitch book, full colour and glossy; approx. 9"x12".
This will be an over-view of my work from the past 13 years, including both my fine arts and the transition into the body arts. There will be small stories about each artwork, or related poem or thought. There will also be an interview included, along with information about my collaborators such as the photographers.
Friday, October 2, 2009
A very unusual flight...
This is awesome.... I wish this guy would be the flight attendant when I go to Hong Kong! Why aren't all attendants as awesome as this guy?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Old Photo Projects....
In October 2005, I did a photo collaboration with photographer James St.Laurent and a local clothing designer, Sandra of Gypsy Circus. I never received a copy of the photos from that shoot until recently.
I love editing photos, partly because I love having perfect results, but also because it's good practice for me and helps me to build my portfolio for photo-editing/image manipulation. I have created another "Before" & "After Editing" photo for you to see what has been changed.
In body art, the person is my interactive canvas.
When I do the style of body painting that I did on Sandra, it's more of a dream of archtypical mythological charactors blended with the present and super-imposed onto the person who gives the painting life & movement. It is a form of story telling, even though it is sometimes extremely conceptual and sometimes vague with abstract results.
I love editing photos, partly because I love having perfect results, but also because it's good practice for me and helps me to build my portfolio for photo-editing/image manipulation. I have created another "Before" & "After Editing" photo for you to see what has been changed.
In body art, the person is my interactive canvas.
When I do the style of body painting that I did on Sandra, it's more of a dream of archtypical mythological charactors blended with the present and super-imposed onto the person who gives the painting life & movement. It is a form of story telling, even though it is sometimes extremely conceptual and sometimes vague with abstract results.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Utter Madness of students....
We live rather close to Concordia University, so every year when the welcome back celebrations begin, it is complete utter madness for two weeks; very overwhelming...
McGill University just had their "frosh" about a month ago, total drunken debauchery; it is quite impossible to navigate the cycling path that goes right through the McGill campus. Normally this part of the cycling path is very pretty, except for when you are trying to get out of the way of students who seem totally oblivious to the fact that there are high speed bikes coming their way. I had so many near accidents even when I was going slow.
Concordia students aren't quite as wild but still they completely congest the streets around the campus and they were just as happy and hyper as the McGill students. It also doesn't help that there is major construction going on right around the heart of Concordia's downtown campus, it's really overwhelming to navigate through the throng of excited students.
Normally during the welcome back celebrations I try to hide out and avoid the student congested streets until things calm down, but this year I was really excited to have two contracts for the Concordia Student Union; one for face/body painting on Sept. 16th, and the other was to decorate & tear down said decorations, at Reggies, Concordia's student pub. I will add some photos later on from the decorating contract.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Chitty chatty distant thoughts...
All photography by April-Anna Bremers
Summertime on my porch....
NEW ARTWORKS
In the beginning of August I decided to make this painting for a friend of mine who moved down to Arizona to be with her now husband; they have had a beautiful baby girl since being there. I considered doing a drawing by hand of the photograph but did not have time since I was trying to send the painting down with friends of mine who were flying to Arizona for conferences. So instead I used the photo-transfer techniques I learned with Melanie Mathews in her class at the Westmount Visual Arts Centre last spring. This is the results of the final painting.
Final Painting...
Earlier stage of the painting...
September and the Autumn is coming..... oh humm....
I have been rather busy lately, yes also with art but that has not been my focus for this summer and this past few weeks; I have become absolutely driven with trying to get into the state of health and physical condition/training I desire to be in. My thyroid went under-active when I was 12 and I gained alot of weight from this, that combined with some other factors as well as personal challenges in my family life, lead me into a way of being & living that was not really ideal. Ten years ago I was a size 18, 4 years ago I was a size 16 and now I am, as of the past month, a size 12 but I am starting to realize I must actually be quite petite, because while I am much much healthier, I still have more weight to loose and more muscles to tone. I am guesstimating that maybe I am a size 9? I am not sure since as an adult I have never been my body's natural healthy weight.
I have, as I have mentioned in other postings here on my blog, practicing a form of internal martial arts called Bagua Zhang for the past two years. But I have certainly had my good weeks and down weeks; but this past year, particularly this past three months I am making leaps and bounds compared to where I was at ten years ago. Now, as of this past week, I have officially begin the very slow process of learning traditional chinese medicine. I dont' want to pressure myself, as I choose to go with the flow, but if I can make it through the process, I would like to eventually become a practitioner of traditional chinese medicine. Not because I have any intention of changing careers, believe me, I will always be a career artist, but I wish to volunteer to help people in need as well as to just volunteer at the Gong-Fu centre to help my teacher because, well, just as a thank-you to life for all my blessings. I am so grateful for this life that I lead and the love and support I am surrounded by.
Summertime on my porch....
NEW ARTWORKS
In the beginning of August I decided to make this painting for a friend of mine who moved down to Arizona to be with her now husband; they have had a beautiful baby girl since being there. I considered doing a drawing by hand of the photograph but did not have time since I was trying to send the painting down with friends of mine who were flying to Arizona for conferences. So instead I used the photo-transfer techniques I learned with Melanie Mathews in her class at the Westmount Visual Arts Centre last spring. This is the results of the final painting.
Final Painting...
Earlier stage of the painting...
September and the Autumn is coming..... oh humm....
I have been rather busy lately, yes also with art but that has not been my focus for this summer and this past few weeks; I have become absolutely driven with trying to get into the state of health and physical condition/training I desire to be in. My thyroid went under-active when I was 12 and I gained alot of weight from this, that combined with some other factors as well as personal challenges in my family life, lead me into a way of being & living that was not really ideal. Ten years ago I was a size 18, 4 years ago I was a size 16 and now I am, as of the past month, a size 12 but I am starting to realize I must actually be quite petite, because while I am much much healthier, I still have more weight to loose and more muscles to tone. I am guesstimating that maybe I am a size 9? I am not sure since as an adult I have never been my body's natural healthy weight.
I have, as I have mentioned in other postings here on my blog, practicing a form of internal martial arts called Bagua Zhang for the past two years. But I have certainly had my good weeks and down weeks; but this past year, particularly this past three months I am making leaps and bounds compared to where I was at ten years ago. Now, as of this past week, I have officially begin the very slow process of learning traditional chinese medicine. I dont' want to pressure myself, as I choose to go with the flow, but if I can make it through the process, I would like to eventually become a practitioner of traditional chinese medicine. Not because I have any intention of changing careers, believe me, I will always be a career artist, but I wish to volunteer to help people in need as well as to just volunteer at the Gong-Fu centre to help my teacher because, well, just as a thank-you to life for all my blessings. I am so grateful for this life that I lead and the love and support I am surrounded by.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
I found this amusing and thought provoking...
Neighbours
Norman McLaren, 1952, 8 min
In this Oscar®-winning short film, Norman McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion ...
In this Oscar®-winning short film, Norman McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion to animate live actors. The story is a parable about two people who come to blows over the possession of a flower. Film without words.
Norman McLaren, 1952, 8 min
In this Oscar®-winning short film, Norman McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion ...
In this Oscar®-winning short film, Norman McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion to animate live actors. The story is a parable about two people who come to blows over the possession of a flower. Film without words.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Little birdie...
This is the little birdie that my cat decided to sit on after it had flown into the window and sat there totally stunned. The photo was taken after it had been sat on (my cat did not seem to be able to see the bird, it was very strange).
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Before and After Editing....
I am just going through some Halloween photos from a contract I had last Halloween (otherwise known as Samhain in the Celtic calender) and I decided to start editing those images. I am using GIMP which is simular to Photoshop.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The mighty amazing porch of natural adventures...
I am glad my life is interesting; I would be so bored if strange things did not continue to happen to me.
When I got up this morning, (well morning is relative) I opened my back porch door at the exact same moment I hear this "thud" and see a little bird fall down from having accidentally flown into the window. I immediately close the door so my cats don't go onto the porch and discover the stunned little guy who was sitting rather frozen on the wood where he landed.
I am cooking and my boyfriend arrives home for lunch. I tell him that there is a bird sitting stunned on our porch and not to let the cats out. He goes outside, does not see the bird (I admit, it does blend in rather well with the wood) and immediately let's our large male out. I suddenly realize what is happening (our kitchen faces the porch) and go running out there to stop the cat.
Well my boyfriend tries to stop the cat also. The cat gets confused as to which direction he is being herded and instead goes towards the bird. I wasn't sure if he could see the bird though because he seemed to only be paying attention to me and my boyfriend. We are still trying to catch him, he is getting closer and closer to the bird. Suddenly he flops onto the wood and proceeds to lay down on the bird!!
My cat laid on the bird! He sat on the bird! He did not know the bird was there! I quickly and gently lifted my cat, who wined at me, and move him onto the other side of the plants where he just sunk down into the porch, not even noticing the bird! This went on for over half an hour and meanwhile the bird just continued to sit there in shock, but I could tell he was aware because he kept blinking and was watching us. At one point the bird tried sleeping. Eventually the bird flew up into the tree and watched us for a while before flying off into the sky where ever it was he was headed.
My cat used to be almost a hunter; ie, he is known for enjoying hassling the birds and making them fly but I have never seen him try to catch or a kill a bird, but I have seen him hunt dogs. He has brought me living gifts before.
I will post a photograph of the bird later on.
When I got up this morning, (well morning is relative) I opened my back porch door at the exact same moment I hear this "thud" and see a little bird fall down from having accidentally flown into the window. I immediately close the door so my cats don't go onto the porch and discover the stunned little guy who was sitting rather frozen on the wood where he landed.
I am cooking and my boyfriend arrives home for lunch. I tell him that there is a bird sitting stunned on our porch and not to let the cats out. He goes outside, does not see the bird (I admit, it does blend in rather well with the wood) and immediately let's our large male out. I suddenly realize what is happening (our kitchen faces the porch) and go running out there to stop the cat.
Well my boyfriend tries to stop the cat also. The cat gets confused as to which direction he is being herded and instead goes towards the bird. I wasn't sure if he could see the bird though because he seemed to only be paying attention to me and my boyfriend. We are still trying to catch him, he is getting closer and closer to the bird. Suddenly he flops onto the wood and proceeds to lay down on the bird!!
My cat laid on the bird! He sat on the bird! He did not know the bird was there! I quickly and gently lifted my cat, who wined at me, and move him onto the other side of the plants where he just sunk down into the porch, not even noticing the bird! This went on for over half an hour and meanwhile the bird just continued to sit there in shock, but I could tell he was aware because he kept blinking and was watching us. At one point the bird tried sleeping. Eventually the bird flew up into the tree and watched us for a while before flying off into the sky where ever it was he was headed.
My cat used to be almost a hunter; ie, he is known for enjoying hassling the birds and making them fly but I have never seen him try to catch or a kill a bird, but I have seen him hunt dogs. He has brought me living gifts before.
I will post a photograph of the bird later on.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Dream a little dream...
I love dreaming. Dreams come in many forms. They come in day dreams. Waking dreams. They come in passing thoughts. Fleeting images, stimulated by sometimes totally unconnected events. They come when we sleep, sometimes to be remembered, sometimes not. Dreams feed us. They feed our spirit, our soul. Dreams can lead to great folly, or to great deeds. Dreams move us, one way or another. When we block our dreams, we become stagnant, unmoving, or moving very slowly collecting dust.
I just finished reading a book by Neil Gaiman, called Stardust. Yes, it is the same as the movie, however, it must be said that while the movie is very good, it is extremely different from the book. This comes as no surprise I am sure. I imagine the movie likened to an alternative reality, another possible way that the story could have happened, but in the end, I still prefer the book (although I saw the movie first and surely I will watch it again with great joy).
Having quite a feisty passion for old folk lore, mythologies, legends and modern spins working with the old into the new; I can say that this book certainly stirs up my dreams. This book has fed me, such as food does for our bodies, it has reminded me of my own inner light and the light that is within all that is part of this world.
I think what inspires me most about this book, is not in the story itself, but in Neil's gratitude, which also reminds me of a little paper book I found in my couch cushions while finishing up reading the book. But first I must share Neil's gratitude.
"Acknowledgements."
Neil writes, to us, the readers: "First and foremost, my thanks to Charles Vess. He is the nearest thing we have today to the great Victorian fairy painters, and without his art as an inspiration, none of these words would exist. Every time I finished a chapter, I phoned him up and read it to him, and he listened patiently and he chuckled in all the right places."
I know who Charles Vess is and truly his art is inspiring. But really what touched me so much about this statement is the idea of inspiring someone so much that that person should share each leg of the journey as it occurs in the creative process. The creative process can be such a vulnerable and private process. Such an honor is that. It leaves me with a feeling of awe that a great story teller should draw his inspirations, finding his dreams stimulated from the many images produced by the artist.
After reading this book, which I have not been able to put down for days, I am already feeling the build up of energy, the inspirations, my inner muse, waking up, and dreaming, preparing to use this new fuel to help push along my own creations. I always find the creations of others as well as the gratitude expressed from one person to another, helps push me to push myself to try my best to produce my best and see where I can go next within my own creations. I love the experience, the journey that it takes to hone my own skills. My goal is to wake up inspirations in others, such as Neil Gaiman has woken in me on account of what Charles Vess woke in Neil.
Interesting, isn't it? The process that is...
Where would we all be without each other?
I have such gratitude that you exist.
Whom do I speak?
Why you! The reader!
Because as I said, where would we all be without each other?
I have such gratitude for the process, the journey, and I can't wait to see what happens next in this adventure we call life.
Magic Words
"In the earliest time,
when both people and animals lived on the earth,
a person could become an animal if he wanted to
and an animal could become a human being.
Sometimes they were people
and sometimes animals
and there was no difference.
All spoke the same language.
That was the time when words were like magic.
The human mind had mysterious powers.
A word spoken by chance
might have strange consequences.
It would suddenly come alive
and what people wanted to happen could happen--
all you had to do was to say it.
Nobody can explain this:
That's the way it was."
- - after Nalugiaq
Edward Field, 'Songs and Stories of the Netsilik Eskimos
Quoted from Green Man Press
I just finished reading a book by Neil Gaiman, called Stardust. Yes, it is the same as the movie, however, it must be said that while the movie is very good, it is extremely different from the book. This comes as no surprise I am sure. I imagine the movie likened to an alternative reality, another possible way that the story could have happened, but in the end, I still prefer the book (although I saw the movie first and surely I will watch it again with great joy).
Having quite a feisty passion for old folk lore, mythologies, legends and modern spins working with the old into the new; I can say that this book certainly stirs up my dreams. This book has fed me, such as food does for our bodies, it has reminded me of my own inner light and the light that is within all that is part of this world.
I think what inspires me most about this book, is not in the story itself, but in Neil's gratitude, which also reminds me of a little paper book I found in my couch cushions while finishing up reading the book. But first I must share Neil's gratitude.
"Acknowledgements."
Neil writes, to us, the readers: "First and foremost, my thanks to Charles Vess. He is the nearest thing we have today to the great Victorian fairy painters, and without his art as an inspiration, none of these words would exist. Every time I finished a chapter, I phoned him up and read it to him, and he listened patiently and he chuckled in all the right places."
I know who Charles Vess is and truly his art is inspiring. But really what touched me so much about this statement is the idea of inspiring someone so much that that person should share each leg of the journey as it occurs in the creative process. The creative process can be such a vulnerable and private process. Such an honor is that. It leaves me with a feeling of awe that a great story teller should draw his inspirations, finding his dreams stimulated from the many images produced by the artist.
After reading this book, which I have not been able to put down for days, I am already feeling the build up of energy, the inspirations, my inner muse, waking up, and dreaming, preparing to use this new fuel to help push along my own creations. I always find the creations of others as well as the gratitude expressed from one person to another, helps push me to push myself to try my best to produce my best and see where I can go next within my own creations. I love the experience, the journey that it takes to hone my own skills. My goal is to wake up inspirations in others, such as Neil Gaiman has woken in me on account of what Charles Vess woke in Neil.
Interesting, isn't it? The process that is...
Where would we all be without each other?
I have such gratitude that you exist.
Whom do I speak?
Why you! The reader!
Because as I said, where would we all be without each other?
I have such gratitude for the process, the journey, and I can't wait to see what happens next in this adventure we call life.
Magic Words
"In the earliest time,
when both people and animals lived on the earth,
a person could become an animal if he wanted to
and an animal could become a human being.
Sometimes they were people
and sometimes animals
and there was no difference.
All spoke the same language.
That was the time when words were like magic.
The human mind had mysterious powers.
A word spoken by chance
might have strange consequences.
It would suddenly come alive
and what people wanted to happen could happen--
all you had to do was to say it.
Nobody can explain this:
That's the way it was."
- - after Nalugiaq
Edward Field, 'Songs and Stories of the Netsilik Eskimos
Quoted from Green Man Press
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Totally hilarious....
Ok. So recently, I have come to recognize exactly how geeky I am. I guess I should have known since I am dating a computer programmer and that sort of says it all. What tipped me off is how every so often, in the middle of the night, I get totally hooked to the DVDs my boyfriend brings home such as Doctor Who. At first, I was really anti-doctor but then, it sucked me in, like the vortex it is. This could be said about a few shows. I have always been a fantasy buff, with a leaning towards sci-fi, but usually more in the novel format (I adore reading) and often movies. Of course, I am totally obsessed with an on again off again ongoing research that I do of old faerie lore and world mythologies; very inspiring for my own creations.
What I am leading up to is "The Guild". I totally love this bizarre and quirky internet mini-show. I also relate to it. I went through an obsessive gaming phase as a teenager and into my early twenties. This is proven by the fact that I once failed a university course due to this obsession. I guess maybe it was a bit of an adiction. Failing the university course was a really good reality check. But something valuable I learned from going through that gaming phase is that I realized at a certain point that everything I learned in game, if I were to apply it to life, I would probably find life alot more interesting and alot more engaging. So I swore off gaming because I did not seem to be able to find the middle ground with it all. What I learned from gaming was perseverance, stamina and how to successfully face my challenges in life.
Today, while I can appreciate it, I have no interest in participating in gaming because I just have way too many career related and other activities that absorb all the time I have. I love how productive I am with my time, now that I don't play video games. However, my boyfriend is still a gamer and one night I caught him watching "The Guild" and quickly found myself adoring it. It's totally freaking funny and reminds me of a few people I know.
What I am leading up to is "The Guild". I totally love this bizarre and quirky internet mini-show. I also relate to it. I went through an obsessive gaming phase as a teenager and into my early twenties. This is proven by the fact that I once failed a university course due to this obsession. I guess maybe it was a bit of an adiction. Failing the university course was a really good reality check. But something valuable I learned from going through that gaming phase is that I realized at a certain point that everything I learned in game, if I were to apply it to life, I would probably find life alot more interesting and alot more engaging. So I swore off gaming because I did not seem to be able to find the middle ground with it all. What I learned from gaming was perseverance, stamina and how to successfully face my challenges in life.
Today, while I can appreciate it, I have no interest in participating in gaming because I just have way too many career related and other activities that absorb all the time I have. I love how productive I am with my time, now that I don't play video games. However, my boyfriend is still a gamer and one night I caught him watching "The Guild" and quickly found myself adoring it. It's totally freaking funny and reminds me of a few people I know.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Having a voice to speak with....
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
Having a voice to speak with, I choose often to first sit in silence and watch, to learn and to try to observe how I can best assist in creating positivity. Ideally, when I speak, I don't want to waste my energy, so when I speak, I speak with the intention of being aware of the needs of my listener, I try to speak when I will be received, when I will be heard.
I don't know if I will be heard, but right now I choose to speak. I hope that in speaking, I will contribute to a domino affect of positive and healing change.
A few months ago during a midnight research session, I became aware of an upcoming documentary that aired tonight. I was privileged to have a promo-ticket to see the premier of The Cove. I believe everyone should see this film. It's so tragic but very important that we be aware of what is happening and to do all we can to create change for the better.
This film really struck a chord for me, maybe it's because of the graphic nature of the film footage, but truly, I could not stop crying through out most of the film. I was so upset when I left the theatre, that I accidentally twisted my ankle in a hole in the sidewalk I did not see. I knew these things were happening but to see the footage, it's very devastating. It's horrifying to think that this isn't just happening in Japan, it's happening everywhere pretty much to all species, including ourselves.
We all know this song and dance; why do we just keep falling into the same cycle of harmful actions as a human race?
Having a voice to speak with, I choose often to first sit in silence and watch, to learn and to try to observe how I can best assist in creating positivity. Ideally, when I speak, I don't want to waste my energy, so when I speak, I speak with the intention of being aware of the needs of my listener, I try to speak when I will be received, when I will be heard.
I don't know if I will be heard, but right now I choose to speak. I hope that in speaking, I will contribute to a domino affect of positive and healing change.
A few months ago during a midnight research session, I became aware of an upcoming documentary that aired tonight. I was privileged to have a promo-ticket to see the premier of The Cove. I believe everyone should see this film. It's so tragic but very important that we be aware of what is happening and to do all we can to create change for the better.
This film really struck a chord for me, maybe it's because of the graphic nature of the film footage, but truly, I could not stop crying through out most of the film. I was so upset when I left the theatre, that I accidentally twisted my ankle in a hole in the sidewalk I did not see. I knew these things were happening but to see the footage, it's very devastating. It's horrifying to think that this isn't just happening in Japan, it's happening everywhere pretty much to all species, including ourselves.
We all know this song and dance; why do we just keep falling into the same cycle of harmful actions as a human race?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Before and After....
I have been doing more and more photo editing and graphic design for myself and friends. I use GIMP instead of photoshop; I used to use photoshop but then due to my boyfriends ethics and my sense of privacy, I decided to go onto a linux system on my computer along with all free software.
It was at first difficult to adjust from photo shop to GIMP, and the only thing that GIMP doesn't do is CMYK, but that easily rectified by going to see a friend with a legal copy of photo shop.
What I like about GIMP is that it's co-created software by computer programmers who believe that software should be free and easily accessible for everyone. Free software is a constant evolution created by volunteer programmers on their spare time outside of their day jobs.
The photograph you see is a sample of my most current editing work in GIMP. The clothing is designed by Advika Clothing on 100% organic fabric.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Artist's Life
By Kern, Kite, Bandit & Lisa 12-06-07 drowtales.com
Artist's Life:
Monday Night, 5am
"We have to start going to sleep earlier."
"mmhhmmm"
Tuesday Night, 6am
"We really have to start going to sleep earlier."
"mmmmhhm"
Wednesday Night, 7am
"We REALLY, really have to start going to sleep earlier."
"mmhmmm *snore*"
I borrowed this comic strip from another website called Drowtales: Moonless Age, it's a fantasy comic that has recently peeked my interest. At the end of each chapter they have cutsie humorous parodies. Hence where "Artists's Life" came from.
When I saw this comic and what it is depicting, I was just laughing and shaking my head because this was such a typical day for me. Oh the artist life!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Latest & newest creations: a peak in my studio....
I took a class this spring from a wonderful teacher & artist by the name of Melanie Mathews, where I was excited to learn more techniques taking me further in the realm of mixed mediums.
"A dynamic and contemporary approach to acrylic painting in which mediums, gels, image transfer, and glazing are used to enrich your painting style. This is a contemporary take on the versatility of the acrylic medium, emphasizing personal imagery and a process of discovery" - quoted from Melanie Mathews
This particular painting is a custom creation for close friends of mine. I am also offering custom paintings like this on etsy. Using the above techniques, I create an original painting collage for that utilizes one of several photos submitted to me.
I started with two photos of the couple, one was of them camping and the other was from their wedding day. I then created a photocopy and transfered that onto the canvas (see photo). I then took two photos of their kittens and practiced drawing the kittens until I had results I was happy with. I layered the original art on top of the transfered photographs, painted with acrylic colours & metalics, then layered in gels and other mediums. The final coat is transparent butterflies.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
"No job is too small to do beautifully"
(quoted from Brian Froud's "The Faeries Oracle")
" He sings as he works.... He would be the first to tell you that superb craftsmanship, however magical, is hard work - joyful and energizing hard work, but always challenging... work is done as well as possible, even where it will never be seen by anyone else....persevere through difficulties, learning still more of our craft as we work...."
"labor of love.... be willing to tackle difficult challenges... surpass previous achievements... patience... willingness... again and again until it i seven better then the best one can do... Yes, in balance to all of this, the "Master Maker" reminds us that we also need to learn our own limits... balance..." - Quoted from "The Faeries Oracle"
Right now I am trying to redevelop my rusty drawing skills, get them un-rusted then shine and polish until my skills are growing, honing, finer and finer, more and more precise... Alas it is a bit of a task that requires quite alot of patience. I am grateful that I have grown patient with age. I used to practice pencil drawing in realism regularly from the time I was 10 until I was about 17; I got very good for a while but I found I would get increasingly stressed out and frustrated with the challenge of trying to get it perfect. So I took a break from pencil drawing and have been exercising other aspects of my artistic skills (as you can see from my portfolio).
Now I am trying to come back full circle and bring all my skills together, expressed in what is for me, new experimentation in multi-media. I am having alot of fun.
Last night and today I have been practicing drawing my cat as well as my friend's kittens. I am alone in my studio at the moment and didn't have anyone to get feedback from to help point out to me what I struggle to see.... I can see it's a bit warped but I have a hard time breaking it down in my mind how to correct my drawings sometimes. So I put the image into the computer and layered the drawing with the reference photo; and wow that sure helps me to see how to correct things. I then print that out and by eye, I try drawing and erasing in the corrections.
Here is where I am currently at (I am not showing all the stages right now).
" He sings as he works.... He would be the first to tell you that superb craftsmanship, however magical, is hard work - joyful and energizing hard work, but always challenging... work is done as well as possible, even where it will never be seen by anyone else....persevere through difficulties, learning still more of our craft as we work...."
"labor of love.... be willing to tackle difficult challenges... surpass previous achievements... patience... willingness... again and again until it i seven better then the best one can do... Yes, in balance to all of this, the "Master Maker" reminds us that we also need to learn our own limits... balance..." - Quoted from "The Faeries Oracle"
Right now I am trying to redevelop my rusty drawing skills, get them un-rusted then shine and polish until my skills are growing, honing, finer and finer, more and more precise... Alas it is a bit of a task that requires quite alot of patience. I am grateful that I have grown patient with age. I used to practice pencil drawing in realism regularly from the time I was 10 until I was about 17; I got very good for a while but I found I would get increasingly stressed out and frustrated with the challenge of trying to get it perfect. So I took a break from pencil drawing and have been exercising other aspects of my artistic skills (as you can see from my portfolio).
Now I am trying to come back full circle and bring all my skills together, expressed in what is for me, new experimentation in multi-media. I am having alot of fun.
Last night and today I have been practicing drawing my cat as well as my friend's kittens. I am alone in my studio at the moment and didn't have anyone to get feedback from to help point out to me what I struggle to see.... I can see it's a bit warped but I have a hard time breaking it down in my mind how to correct my drawings sometimes. So I put the image into the computer and layered the drawing with the reference photo; and wow that sure helps me to see how to correct things. I then print that out and by eye, I try drawing and erasing in the corrections.
Here is where I am currently at (I am not showing all the stages right now).
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I went out of the city this past weekend....
I went out to the cabin in the forest with some close friends. It's easier to share in images then words these types of experiences.
In words, well we left the Montreal late and met our friends at the pond in the forest, in the "quebec outback". They spent one night with us, we were silly, had a great supper, got tipsy, played with kittens, went swimming, hiked in the forest. Then one set of friends went back to the city while we awaited our next guests to join us. There is a second video to come.
I create these video journals for my friends, family and all other curious people. I love taking photos and find it fun to make "ghetto" video recordings on my digital camera.
In words, well we left the Montreal late and met our friends at the pond in the forest, in the "quebec outback". They spent one night with us, we were silly, had a great supper, got tipsy, played with kittens, went swimming, hiked in the forest. Then one set of friends went back to the city while we awaited our next guests to join us. There is a second video to come.
I create these video journals for my friends, family and all other curious people. I love taking photos and find it fun to make "ghetto" video recordings on my digital camera.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Ahh...
So I have been working on my personal growth for a long time; I guess we all are. But for me, I technically have an under-active thyroid, IBS, asthma, some joint issues (tendinitis etc) and some other challenges. When I moved out of home at the age of 19, I was extremely overweight, depressed and at a loss as to how to create the life I wanted; I was also questioning what exactly I wanted.
Truly these are not unusual circumstances. However, the turning point started for me when I realized at a certain point that my inner world is my outer world; I cannot make change in my life if I cannot make change from within. For me this journey has taken on many forms and there are many stories I could share with you in this regards, all of which cast a "slightly different slant of light". It is my hope that my stories and experiences might be helpful to you or at least interesting.
What I want to focus on right now is the gratitude I have for how my health has changed. Of course I have had to work very hard for this; but right now I am seeing some growth that really seemed like such a dream. I am 4 sizes smaller then I was 10 years ago. I have been trying for years to teach myself discipline and motivation. My goal is to exercise every two days, and stretch every day.
I have also been receiving traditional Chinese medicine and practicing (on again off again) a style of martial arts called "Bagua Zhang" at the Montreal Gong-Fu Research Centre for 2 years. I have been exploring other alternatives for 7 years.
It's so amazing to feel so good and feel so healthy, I have never been this healthy and happy as an adult before. Even 3 months ago my health wasn't as good as it is right now; every day I just get healthier and stronger. I know most people when they turn 30 (I just did last december) that they panic about suddenly being "old", but me, I am excited with how young I am! I am looking forward to all my birthdays to come as I feel that I am like a fine wine, I will just get better with age. So far this has been exceptionally true.
I know they say it takes three weeks to create new habits, but I don't think that is true since many times I have hit three weeks and then proceeded to "fall off the band wagon". Habits! Routine! Who would ever think I could become a routine person, but here it is! I will give you a progress report in a few months; now it's a matter of sustaining these habits over an entire year.
THAI YOGA MASSAGE
I am super ecstatic as well about this Thai Yoga Massage practitioner I just had my first session with yesturday by the name of Asya, I highly recommend her. I have tried 4 different practitioners in the past year and with one exception (Stephanie Golden also rocks!), this is the second practitioner that I am truly satisfied and impressed with. I met Asya only a week and a half ago; she is highly skilled at what she is doing with such a lovely presence, and is quick to share a smile. Asya works alot with the elderly with helping them create mobility and improving their day to day health through regular Thai Yoga Massage.
What I like about Thai Yoga Massage is that it is combining pressure point therapy with massage and yoga stretches; except that you don't do anything, the patient just needs to relax and focus on deep breathing. The practitioner stretches you very gentle but further then you could do on your own; I felt so incredible. I highly recommend this form of therapy to anyone; I feel everyone can benefit, but particularly those who are either recovering from something that has laid you up for a long time, or perhaps like me you just want an extra boost to your regular efforts, perhaps you have digestive issues, back problems, there are so many things this form of therapy will assist you with.
Ok that's my health rant for today!!
Truly these are not unusual circumstances. However, the turning point started for me when I realized at a certain point that my inner world is my outer world; I cannot make change in my life if I cannot make change from within. For me this journey has taken on many forms and there are many stories I could share with you in this regards, all of which cast a "slightly different slant of light". It is my hope that my stories and experiences might be helpful to you or at least interesting.
What I want to focus on right now is the gratitude I have for how my health has changed. Of course I have had to work very hard for this; but right now I am seeing some growth that really seemed like such a dream. I am 4 sizes smaller then I was 10 years ago. I have been trying for years to teach myself discipline and motivation. My goal is to exercise every two days, and stretch every day.
I have also been receiving traditional Chinese medicine and practicing (on again off again) a style of martial arts called "Bagua Zhang" at the Montreal Gong-Fu Research Centre for 2 years. I have been exploring other alternatives for 7 years.
It's so amazing to feel so good and feel so healthy, I have never been this healthy and happy as an adult before. Even 3 months ago my health wasn't as good as it is right now; every day I just get healthier and stronger. I know most people when they turn 30 (I just did last december) that they panic about suddenly being "old", but me, I am excited with how young I am! I am looking forward to all my birthdays to come as I feel that I am like a fine wine, I will just get better with age. So far this has been exceptionally true.
I know they say it takes three weeks to create new habits, but I don't think that is true since many times I have hit three weeks and then proceeded to "fall off the band wagon". Habits! Routine! Who would ever think I could become a routine person, but here it is! I will give you a progress report in a few months; now it's a matter of sustaining these habits over an entire year.
THAI YOGA MASSAGE
I am super ecstatic as well about this Thai Yoga Massage practitioner I just had my first session with yesturday by the name of Asya, I highly recommend her. I have tried 4 different practitioners in the past year and with one exception (Stephanie Golden also rocks!), this is the second practitioner that I am truly satisfied and impressed with. I met Asya only a week and a half ago; she is highly skilled at what she is doing with such a lovely presence, and is quick to share a smile. Asya works alot with the elderly with helping them create mobility and improving their day to day health through regular Thai Yoga Massage.
What I like about Thai Yoga Massage is that it is combining pressure point therapy with massage and yoga stretches; except that you don't do anything, the patient just needs to relax and focus on deep breathing. The practitioner stretches you very gentle but further then you could do on your own; I felt so incredible. I highly recommend this form of therapy to anyone; I feel everyone can benefit, but particularly those who are either recovering from something that has laid you up for a long time, or perhaps like me you just want an extra boost to your regular efforts, perhaps you have digestive issues, back problems, there are so many things this form of therapy will assist you with.
Ok that's my health rant for today!!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Now I can tell everyone about the birds and the bumbleBEES....
We have a bumblebee nest in the corner of the house underneath the roof, in a hole that I don't remember noticing before, right above the door to our porch. I don't mind, since I have gone "hog wild" over my porch gardening (my goal is to become a porch-farmer).
I am sad that there is a shortage of bees in the world so I am super excited that we are blessed to have bees living above us. They are so cute.
But in the last few days, the bees have been behaving in a most peculiar way. I saw a huge bumblebee fall down out of the nest and land on the porch and wobble and wiggle around with another little bee riding her. I was so confused. I wasn't sure if she wanted this other bee on her back since she seemed quite agitated, and then I thought, "the bee is biting her back???"
Then I saw it again today when I got up. I was so confused, I went and looked up on google, "bumblebee riding bumblebee" but couldn't find anything. I go back outside, sitting there, relaxing, listening to the birds, watching my cats and drinking my coffee. Sure enough the largest bumblebee falls out of the nest again, with another bee on her back. This time the bees settled down on top of the mop but this time she didn't seem so agitated and suddenly the little bee on her back started doing that most unmistakable gesture unique to males of all species. I was stunned, so I googled it and sure enough, I did in fact witness bees mating!! I guess there is a first time for everything...
I am sad that there is a shortage of bees in the world so I am super excited that we are blessed to have bees living above us. They are so cute.
But in the last few days, the bees have been behaving in a most peculiar way. I saw a huge bumblebee fall down out of the nest and land on the porch and wobble and wiggle around with another little bee riding her. I was so confused. I wasn't sure if she wanted this other bee on her back since she seemed quite agitated, and then I thought, "the bee is biting her back???"
Then I saw it again today when I got up. I was so confused, I went and looked up on google, "bumblebee riding bumblebee" but couldn't find anything. I go back outside, sitting there, relaxing, listening to the birds, watching my cats and drinking my coffee. Sure enough the largest bumblebee falls out of the nest again, with another bee on her back. This time the bees settled down on top of the mop but this time she didn't seem so agitated and suddenly the little bee on her back started doing that most unmistakable gesture unique to males of all species. I was stunned, so I googled it and sure enough, I did in fact witness bees mating!! I guess there is a first time for everything...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
New Creations
So I have been hard at work in my studio, as usual.... These are my latest creations as well as photos from recent face painting contracts... enjoy!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Happy Canada Day..... errr, and moving day?
While today is Canada Day, the Jazz Festival is happening, "Kool & the Gang" are here; and I am writing on my blog at home missing it, out of choice, I was going to go with friends but then realized I felt anti-social and wasn't in the mood to deal with the crazy crowds of 200,000 plus people....
So trust Quebec to have a moving holiday known as "Moving Day"; a phenomona I had never encountered until I arrived in Montreal.
Montreal had this delightful idea to make all rentals on a lease system of one year that begins on July 1st of every year.... Thankfully there are a few landlords who have started breaking this tradition but still the majority participate in "moving day".
History
"The tradition began as a humanitarian measure of the French colonial government of New France, who forbade seigneurs, the semi-feudal landlords of the seigneuries, from evicting their tenant farmers before the winter snows had melted.[citation needed] In law, this date was set as May 1. Later, this evolved into a requirement that urban leases begin on May 1 and end on April 30. May 1 thus became "Moving Day", the day during which renters who wished to vacate their current premises physically changed domiciles."
"In 1973, during the Quiet Revolution, the government decided that it would be better to move Moving Day to the summer, so that students would not have to move during the school year. The law changed Moving Day to July 1 as of 1974, but no longer set a fixed term for leases. However, tradition has held sway, and the vast majority of leases are still a year long and begin around July 1. In 2004, approximately 120,000 households moved on or around July 1, corresponding to 4% of the population."
Impact
"Moving Day is a boon and a headache for commercial moving companies, and people often must reserve their services at least three months in advance."
"In Montreal, where as of 2002 only 36% of residents own their home, difficulty of moving is further complicated because, by convention, most Montreal landlords do not provide their tenants with a refrigerator or stove, meaning that tenants are forced to bring theirs with them."
"Also, exterior staircases leading up to second, third, or even fourth-storey apartments are common in many neighbourhoods, in part because historically this reduced the size of buildings and therefore decreased the owner's property taxes. These staircases are often narrow, curved, and metal – not ideal for nonprofessionals carrying major appliances."
So trust Quebec to have a moving holiday known as "Moving Day"; a phenomona I had never encountered until I arrived in Montreal.
Montreal had this delightful idea to make all rentals on a lease system of one year that begins on July 1st of every year.... Thankfully there are a few landlords who have started breaking this tradition but still the majority participate in "moving day".
History
"The tradition began as a humanitarian measure of the French colonial government of New France, who forbade seigneurs, the semi-feudal landlords of the seigneuries, from evicting their tenant farmers before the winter snows had melted.[citation needed] In law, this date was set as May 1. Later, this evolved into a requirement that urban leases begin on May 1 and end on April 30. May 1 thus became "Moving Day", the day during which renters who wished to vacate their current premises physically changed domiciles."
"In 1973, during the Quiet Revolution, the government decided that it would be better to move Moving Day to the summer, so that students would not have to move during the school year. The law changed Moving Day to July 1 as of 1974, but no longer set a fixed term for leases. However, tradition has held sway, and the vast majority of leases are still a year long and begin around July 1. In 2004, approximately 120,000 households moved on or around July 1, corresponding to 4% of the population."
Impact
"Moving Day is a boon and a headache for commercial moving companies, and people often must reserve their services at least three months in advance."
"In Montreal, where as of 2002 only 36% of residents own their home, difficulty of moving is further complicated because, by convention, most Montreal landlords do not provide their tenants with a refrigerator or stove, meaning that tenants are forced to bring theirs with them."
"Also, exterior staircases leading up to second, third, or even fourth-storey apartments are common in many neighbourhoods, in part because historically this reduced the size of buildings and therefore decreased the owner's property taxes. These staircases are often narrow, curved, and metal – not ideal for nonprofessionals carrying major appliances."
Monday, June 29, 2009
Explorations in art land....
So I just recently finished a very awesome, fun and interesting class at the Westmount Visual Arts Centre. . Back in January I was starting to get the winter dulldroms, and decided I needed to do something constructive. Since I had been experiencing some technical set backs in re-creating the vision inside my mind onto the canvas, I decided that taking a class might be a good idea.
I started researching art teachers in Montreal and had come across the website of an artist by the name of Melanie Mathews. I was very excited with what I was reading on her website about workshops but unfortunately I had a hard time getting in touch with her (cyber demons ate my email).
One event lead to another; the winter progressed the way winters do and just as the spring was starting here in Montreal, I decided it was a good idea to go to Calgary to participate in a group art cabaret at the city art gallery. After I got back from my trip, I decided at the last minute to see what classes still had space at the Visual Arts Centre.
I had narrowed my list down to two classes; one that specialized in the night-time scenery. The other was a class by Melanie Mathews.The night scenery class was canceled, so that left only one choice. I was very hesitant at first about taking Melanie's class only because I am not a morning person and the class was to begin at an ungodly hour; 9am!! Ouch! Who ever heard of starting a class at 9am? (ok, yes yes I am being slightly sarcastic)
Well, needless to say I had a few mornings of sleep-retardation, but asides from that, the class was completely worth it. I didn't realize before hand that the class was really just taking further an experimentation I had already begun on my own; working with textures and mixed mediums in art.
One of my favorite aspects of this class is that I have discovered how to make skins & transfers! Not to mention the exciting opportunity of trying out the many mediums that Melanie made available to us.
Melanie turned out to be a highly talented, intelligent, witty and informed teacher. She offered great observations and nudged us in the right directions in our classroom explorations. One of the aspects that made the class so interesting is that the students came from many walks of life, all ages, both professional and non-professional artists (and almost entirely all women, we had one token male). I have not taken an art class since high school, and those teachers combined with teenage angst, had left a bad taste in my mouth. So I really didn't expect to discover how much I really loved being surrounded by other artists busy at work on their creations. It's a really nice feeling and is very motivating with my own works.
I have attached photos of the 3 out of 4 paintings I finished in class (the 4th one I took home and started doing more work on it). I have all three of these paintings for sale on my etsy shop.
I started researching art teachers in Montreal and had come across the website of an artist by the name of Melanie Mathews. I was very excited with what I was reading on her website about workshops but unfortunately I had a hard time getting in touch with her (cyber demons ate my email).
One event lead to another; the winter progressed the way winters do and just as the spring was starting here in Montreal, I decided it was a good idea to go to Calgary to participate in a group art cabaret at the city art gallery. After I got back from my trip, I decided at the last minute to see what classes still had space at the Visual Arts Centre.
I had narrowed my list down to two classes; one that specialized in the night-time scenery. The other was a class by Melanie Mathews.The night scenery class was canceled, so that left only one choice. I was very hesitant at first about taking Melanie's class only because I am not a morning person and the class was to begin at an ungodly hour; 9am!! Ouch! Who ever heard of starting a class at 9am? (ok, yes yes I am being slightly sarcastic)
Well, needless to say I had a few mornings of sleep-retardation, but asides from that, the class was completely worth it. I didn't realize before hand that the class was really just taking further an experimentation I had already begun on my own; working with textures and mixed mediums in art.
One of my favorite aspects of this class is that I have discovered how to make skins & transfers! Not to mention the exciting opportunity of trying out the many mediums that Melanie made available to us.
Melanie turned out to be a highly talented, intelligent, witty and informed teacher. She offered great observations and nudged us in the right directions in our classroom explorations. One of the aspects that made the class so interesting is that the students came from many walks of life, all ages, both professional and non-professional artists (and almost entirely all women, we had one token male). I have not taken an art class since high school, and those teachers combined with teenage angst, had left a bad taste in my mouth. So I really didn't expect to discover how much I really loved being surrounded by other artists busy at work on their creations. It's a really nice feeling and is very motivating with my own works.
I have attached photos of the 3 out of 4 paintings I finished in class (the 4th one I took home and started doing more work on it). I have all three of these paintings for sale on my etsy shop.
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