In all the busy-ness that I had going on last week I forgot to share news about being featured in Vancouver Is Awesome’s series The Proof.
It’s a great series of interviews where each person shares projects they’re working on, and a glimpse into their lives. I had fun putting mine together – especially when it came to choosing the photos to include with the interview.
You can read the whole thing on Vancouver Is Awesome.
I’m feeling completely exhausted after the very full weekend of hosting people in my home for the Eastside Culture Crawl. I need to recharge my batteries after talking with so many people, and then I will write something to reflect upon this year’s experience.
In the meantime, enjoy these photos of a doe and her fawn, taken on Bowen Island a few weekends ago.
Discover Paper is a wonderful blog I first came across on Twitter, that is dedicated to finding and sharing paper inspiration. I was recently contacted by Donnaville Herrick, who runs the blog, and asked to do an interview by email.
The interview was just published today and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. I’m happy with what I’ve written, and Donnaville wrote many lovely comments about my work.
As a change of pace I thought I’d share a few of the new additions to my personal library, none of which will end up as altered books.
Paper-Craft 2 is a fantastic book full of an amazing variety of projects, designs, illustrations, art installations, fashion and more – all made from paper. It’s inspiring but also a bit intimidating to browse through this book because of the high calibre of the work included. But the collection makes it clear there is no limit to what a creative person can do with paper.
Masters Book Arts is part of Lark Crafts excellent masters series of books. I also have the collage edition in my library. It mainly focuses on handmade books and showcases the wide variety of forms a book can take, and they often don’t look like the traditional form of a book.
The Repurposed Library is written by book artist, Lisa Occhipinti, and it focuses on transforming books into home decor items. There are projects for lamps, chandeliers, vases, bracelets, wreaths, and more – all made from old books. My favorite project is the book bursts, which are deconstructed books transformed into circular wall sculptures.
All of these books were purchased at Oscar’s Art Books in Vancouver. (Support your local independent book store!)
Boris and I took a few days of vacation to enjoy a four day stay at Yellow Point Lodge. It’s a small rustic resort on Vancouver Island, just outside of Ladysmith. It is a beautiful scenic area of BC.
Boris enjoys the view.
A different type of deer than what we see on Bowen Island.
Anne left us a stash of chocolates when she visited Yellow Point the week before, and we had to find it.
Spectacular sunrise.
The pool by the ocean.
A murder of crows flies overhead.
These last three photos were taken using a pinhole camera app, while some of the others were processed using Instagram. These photos make me nostalgic of the ocean, they make me want to get on the best paddle board for beginners and get back on the “horse”.
It was a relaxing vacation, and I’m glad I finally got the chance to visit Yellow Point Lodge. It’s not an easy place to get a booking.
I haven’t written one of these lists in ages, which is a shame because there are many things that have happened this year I consider good. Here’s a list of the ten most recent good things in my life:
1. Taking a very short but much needed getaway to Yellow Point Lodge with Boris. I still need to upload the photos to Flickr, but it was a beautiful place to stay.
2. Walking around the city on Sunday, enjoying adventures and sunshine.
3. Enjoying a decadent Thanksgiving meal with friends. I am lucky because everyone I know is an excellent chef.
4. Making paper flower decorations in preparation for Monique’s wedding.
5. Walking along a very quiet Commercial Drive at night in the rain.
6. New art books to inspire me – thanks to a gift certificate from my sister.
7. Keeping up with healthy habits, like 6am yoga and tracking calories with an app.
8. Slowly moving closer to having our apartment organized and decorated.
9. Finding a good balance between a part-time job, and having time for art.
10. Lucking out and finding a beautiful dress in a store I’ve never shopped in before, to wear to an upcoming wedding.
I’m often pleasantly surprised at the images I can capture with the iPhone camera. It’s not exactly speedy but somehow this week I managed to time my picture taking well enough to catch crows in flight.
The above two shots of a juvenile crow were taken one after the other, and they are beautifully crisp images. I snuck up on this little guy because I know crows get antsy about having their photo taken. I was pretending not to notice it as I got the camera app opened up (which sometimes happens so slowly) and then I turned and took a few photos before it flew away. I am pleased I caught it as it jumped from the wire and opened it’s wings.
The photo below was taken yesterday morning on my way to work, again in the same area of Main Street in Chinatown. A large group of crows was flying back and forth over Pender Street between two trees, and I stopped to take a few photos.
I’m so glad to have a camera with me at all times, thanks to the iPhone.
All three photos were taken with the native iPhone camera app and processed using Instagram.
And it looks like summer is just going to keep on going…
This is from a few weeks back when I dropped in on the most recent Butchers of Gastown event. They were preparing a bazillion different types of seafood and they were in need of eaters.
I’m a really good eater, and I brought a few friends. It was a really enjoyable evening of fun and food.
Read more about the Butchers of Gastown on Foodists.ca
One of my favorite group activities that we did on the Foodtree retreat was a game called Deer and Wolf. Our group did an early morning walk from Foxglove Farm to a nearby lake in the forest and this is where we played. We did this exercise in groups of four, with one person playing the deer and the three others as wolves. The deer was blindfolded and positioned in an open area, and it was the job of the wolves to try and sneak up as silently as possible and steal the deer’s tail (a bandana). If the deer hears a wolf and points in your direction, then you’re out.
I was part of the first group to play the game, with Sam and Jonny as my fellow wolves, and Na’ama as the deer. As we started I felt myself slowing down and concentrating on every sound around me. I immediately fell into the mindset of an animal, though I felt more like a cat than a wolf. Pretending to be an animal was one of my favorite things when I was a kid, so I thought this was a great game.
The purpose of the game is to remind you to listen. The deer has to listen for sounds of the wolves sneaking up and prevent them from getting too close, while the wolves have to be as silent as possible.
As I stalked Na’ama I found myself in a state of clarity and focus that I haven’t felt in a very long time. I was actively listening in a way I don’t normally, and what I mostly heard was silence. For the most part the sounds of my own breathing and heartbeat were the loudest things I could hear. I moved as slowly as possible being very careful about where I placed my feet amongst the dry grass and sticks, and used ambient noises to mask my movements when I could. My biggest struggle was trying not to laugh as I did this because the trickster part of me loves sneaking up on people (ask Boris).
This week I’ve been reminded of this exercise as I look after a friend’s dog who is blind. His name is Charlie and he’s been this way since birth, so for him listening is an important part of how he makes his way through the world. As I spend time with him I’ve found myself once again paying more attention to sounds in an effort to imagine how he “sees”.
Active listening is clearly an art I need to cultivate because too often I find myself distracted and unfocused. How often do I really listen without the constant dialogue in my own head getting in the way? Both situations are a good reminder to slow down, listen, and strive for clarity of focus. Too-busy-life be damned. 🙂