Ten Good Things From the Weekend

October 9, 2012

I used to write blog posts rounding up ten good things from the past week or weekend, but I somehow lost the habit of it. Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to remind myself of all the things I have to be grateful for, so I thought I’d share ten good things from the weekend.

1. Having a long conversation with my sister and Bogey over Facetime.

2. Catching up with my friend Hendrik on Friday evening and having a delicious meal together at Sardine Can on Water Street. It was SO GOOD!

3. Enjoying a much needed day off on Friday. I spent most of it wandering the city, enjoying the sunshine.

4. Shopping at the Trout Lake Farmers market on Saturday morning and running into friends.

5. Meeting Mark and Andrea’s new puppy Pepper. He’s a cutie.

6. Walking most of the Stanley Park seawall on Sunday morning with Boris, and enjoying the fresh ocean breezes.

7. Enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal hosted at James and Monique’s place. I contributed a rhubarb meringue cake to the meal.

8. Spending a quiet Saturday evening at home, and starting to make a paper-based Halloween costume for Boris.

9. Making Trinidad-style roti for the second time, and having it turn out brilliantly.

10. Enjoying a full weekend that was all about sharing good food with great friends.

The Mesmerizing Drawing Machine of Sarah Gee

September 21, 2012

My friend Sarah Gee (who I featured in an artist interview back in April) recently released a video sharing the process behind the making of her concentric drawings. It is absolutely riveting to watch as she works.

In the words of Sarah Gee: Making these takes a huge amount of concentration, and a fair amount of determination. The spin is very fast (see the remote control in my left hand: I continually change the rotational speed according to the pressure on the nib), a steady hand is crucial, and layer after layer of colour is applied very deliberately. Considering the simplicity of the primal form, there is a great amount of variety in the finished drawings: some detailed and edgy, some foggy and mysterious.

You can view more of these drawings on her website. Sarah also has a show coming up at Gundrun Tasting Room in Steveston, which you should attend.

How Creativity Works

September 6, 20122 Comments

I was very excited to come across a copy of Jonah Lehrer‘s book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, at the library last week. I haven’t read any of his previous work but I’m familiar with him as a regular contributor to one of my favourite podcasts, Radiolab. The book made for interesting and thoughtful reading material over the long weekend because Lehrer is a very good storyteller and can make even the most complicated of subjects accessible.

It was only after finishing the book that I learned of the controversy surrounding it. Apparently Lehrer fabricated much of what he’s quoted from Bob Dylan in the book, and many of his scientific facts are incorrect. (Read more about it on NY Times website) It’s a situation that boggles my mind because he has in essence fire-bombed his whole career and destroyed all credibility.

Funnily enough, despite the fudging of facts I would still recommend this book. Much of what he explores about creativity reaffirms what I’ve learned over the past few years of working full time as as artist. I do my best work when I get out of the way, conversations with co-workers (or in my case, fellow artists) are essential to inspiration and creativity, and sometimes ideas seem to come out of nowhere but it’s just because they’ve been percolating for awhile, etc.

Creativity is an incredibly arbitrary subject not easily defined, which is why I feel there is still value in reading the book despite the controversy surrounding the author.

Those Who Make

August 29, 2012

I get really inspired when other artists and craftspeople share the process behind their work. The internet is a terrific resource for finding videos along these lines. I recently came across the blog, Those Who Make, and their curated collection of videos and interviews. Their content covers a wide range of materials, disciplines, and subjects, but all grant the viewer an over-the-shoulder view as people make.

Here are two of the videos I found on Those Who Make:

I’ve only watched a small selection so far, but if you’re looking for inspiration this is a good place to go. Set aside about half an hour and watch a few.

A Visit to Seattle

August 8, 2012

My birthday was two weeks ago and to celebrate Boris and I decided to get out of town and visit Seattle. We are lucky to have friends there we can stay with, one of whom was celebrating her birthday on the same day.

I really love Seattle. It’s an interesting city with plenty of the things I enjoy – art galleries, shopping, culture, delicious food, and good people. Our recent visit was the first one in awhile where we had no agenda and could just make things up as we went along. I loved it.

Bosco and me. He’s a tiny lap dog in a large leggy body.

We visited the Woodland Park Zoo on our first day in town. I normally dislike zoos because they can be depressing places filled with unhappy animals but I was inspired by a Radiolab podcast segment mentioning the Woodland Park Zoo. This zoo was one of the first to create more realistic and stimulating environments for the animals.

It was an inspiring experience. I got to watch keepers fly four different types of raptors, penguins swimming at eye-level, a huge Komodo Dragon, lions having sex, hippos in a pool, and feed a cheeky little bird on a stick.

The antique carousel at the Woodland Park Zoo.

I was enjoying being a tourist while we were in Seattle. It was a chance to visit places I hadn’t been before but also revisit a few spots I hadn’t been to for years, like the Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park.

Also the Olympic Sculpture Park where I came across the spectacular mural by Sandra Cinto, which I mentioned previously.

These wildflowers were everywhere in the sculpture park.

On our last full day in Seattle we mostly relaxed with our friends instead of going exploring. We did a walk through Seward Park and sat on a bit of grass overlooking Lake Washington and enjoyed this lovely view.

Not pictured here, all the delicious food we ate, both at our friend’s place and in restaurants. I like to eat but I don’t care to photograph it.

Inspiration: Encontro das Águas at the Olympic Sculpture Park

August 1, 2012

I had a lovely time hanging out in Seattle last week with Boris and friends. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there without a specific event, so for this visit I made a point of getting out for an arts and culture fix every day. One of our adventures was visiting the Olympic Sculpture Park, which I’d last been to years ago with Hendrik.

My favourite piece was a stunning mural hand-drawn by artist Sandra Cinto, and a crew of volunteers. It doesn’t come across in the photos but the whole thing is actually silver. It’s a beautiful, highly intricate drawing that made me want to run off and cut paper to emulate some of the line work of the waves.

This behind-the-scenes video reveals some of the in-progress drawing of the mural done by Cinto and her volunteers. She also talks in detail about what inspired the piece.

The collaborative aspect of the creation of the mural makes me love the artwork even more. I’m also viewing silver markers in a whole new exciting way.

Make Good Art and Other Great Advice for Artists

May 24, 20121 Comment

Listen to the inspiring words of Neil Gaiman as he candidly shares the highs and lows of the freelance artist. There are so many quotable moments from his speech that I’ve listened to this three or four times the last few days.

It’s a great reminder to follow your own path, and to remember to enjoy the journey.

Bowen Island Getaway

May 23, 2012

Boris and I have been lucky because for the past two weekends we’ve managed to get away from the city. We did a last minute trip to Galiano Island the previous weekend, and stayed on Bowen Island over the long weekend. I really needed the change of scene because it has energized me.

The Bowen trip was fun because we invited a pile of friends to stay with us, which led to much good food and plenty of laughter. The star of the weekend was Bosco the dog (pictured below) because he charmed and entertained everyone.

We had a few good days of almost summer weather, and then the rain came. I don’t think anyone really minded, because it was a good excuse to stay inside, read a book, play games, and cook.

Here’s to a promising summer full of excellent weekend adventures with friends.

A Visit to the 2012 Sketchbook Project Show in Vancouver

May 17, 2012September 21, 20222 Comments

Prepare yourselves because I am about to gush excessively and you may get some on you. (Enthusiasm that is).

I feel invigorated, inspired, and excited after visiting the 2012 Sketchbook Project travelling show. It was here in Vancouver for only two days with limited hours at W2 Media Cafe. I made a point to visit both days and see as many sketchbooks as I could, which worked out to about twenty-five or so of the thousands of sketchbooks people have access to during the tour. It’s the work I saw within that small sampling of books that has me so excited, as well as the concept of such a large-scale collaborative project becoming a lending library full of art.

I really admire the set up of the travelling show. Each visitor is required to sign up for a library card before they can access the collection. Then away you go, selecting sketchbooks based upon theme, location, or random draw. The librarian pulls two books at a time for each patron to pour over, and it can be a mixed bag of amazing to so-so work depending upon the skill of each artist.

I took photos of some of my favourites, which you can see here. It was fascinating to see all the different ways people used the exact same little sketchbook. I am definitely inspired to get to work on the 2013 Sketchbook Project, even though it’s not due until the end of the year.

Valerie Arntzen, Vancouver BC, Canada

Kelly Leigh Miller, Louisville KY, USA

Emily Horton, Tyler TX, USA

Rachel Ramm, Dublin OH, USA

Rolando Del Real, Granda Hills CA, USA

Melia Ramirez & Sandra G, Valle des las Palmas, Mexico

Brenna Darroch, Fairfax VA, USA

Andie Wolf, Toronto ON, Canada

Lucy Howard, Bicester, Oxfordshire, UK

If you’re unfamiliar with the Sketchbook Project, it’s a collaborative art project organized by Arthouse Co-op, a group based in Brooklyn, NY. People from all over the world sign up to receive a plain brown 5″ x 7″ book and what they can do within those pages is completely open. The final works are contributed back to the Brooklyn Art Library where they become part of the collection, which people can access both online and in person.

I’ve mentioned it previously because I took part in the Limited Edition project earlier this year. The 2013 Sketchbook Project is now open, and I highly recommend you take part. It’s been a HUGE source of inspiration for much of the work I’ve been doing so far this year.

More From the Tulip Festival

May 3, 2012

I’d almost forgotten about processing and sharing the rest of my photos from the Tulip Festival I went to a few weekends ago. It’s been mostly overcast and rainy here lately so the eye-blasting colour is a pleasure to look at.