It’s my favorite colour, so of course I’m convinced there can never be too much red.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Category: Photos
iPhoneography
2011 has unexpectedly found me with an iPhone in hand. I’d been looking at lower-end point and shoot cameras so that I could once again have something on me at all times, but it ended up making more sense to get an all-in-one device. The deal was sealed once I found out I could get the iPhone for almost half price using my Fido dollars.
Boris in the sun along Robson Street.
Folded book pages to prep for a workshop.
The wooden bird Nicole gave me yesterday.
These were all taken using an app called Instagram. I’m using it as a visual diary and so far it has me motivated to take photos more often. If you use the app please come and find me. I’d love to share the experience with more artists.
A Year End Review in Twelve Photos
I decided to go through my 2010 flickr archive and select one photo from each month of the year, while avoiding selecting any artwork. This is what I came away with. It’s mostly nature themed, except for the coffee cup that says “fart”.
Goodbye 2010. Hello 2011. I plan to be EVEN MORE creative, productive, and dedicated in the year to come.
Signs of Fall
From the considerable archive of photographs I have on Flickr.
Finding Inspiration At RubyDog’s Art House
RubyDog’s Art House is my favorite place to buy supplies and find inspiration for the collage work I create. I’ve been going there for the last couple of years and I always find something unique and inspiring to take home. The shop is owned by Leanne Bishop and it’s always fun to chat with her while I browse through the store.
This is Ruby the dog, who can often be found napping peacefully in the corner, and is the namesake of the shop. He’s taking a nap after a healthy eating session from the new dog feeder, he is so spoiled with all this love.
There are plenty of interesting little things to look at all through the store.
I’ve used these some of these tiny bottles in one of my altered books (that now belongs to someone else).
I have some of these clarinet pieces in my possession and that have not yet made their way into a collage. Leanne has a HUGE collection of letterpress pieces for collaging or collecting.
There’s really no end to the variety of things you can find at RubyDog’s Art House, from vintage ephemera to billiard balls. Please check out the shop and help support a wonderful local business.
RubyDog’s Art House
623 Kingsway
(Kingsway near Fraser Street)
Vancouver BC V5T 3K5
Spool of Thread
Last weekend I dropped by the new Vancouver “Art Strip” which is an area on the Kingsway between 15th and Fraser. It is quickly becoming creativity central with stores such as Collage Collage, RubyDog’s Art House, as well as a few galleries located there. Spool of Thread is the latest addition to the area, with a drop-in sewing lounge and many classes on offer.
The space is newly renovated with high ceilings that give the store an airy feel. There are lots of beautiful and colourful things to look at including the front counter which is covered in vintage yardsticks. At this point I should mention I don’t actually sew but I do love threads and textiles.
The store was having a soft launch last weekend with their official opening day this Saturday, June 5th.
Did I mention the gorgeous fabrics Spool of Thread has for sale? These are pretty wow. Some of them would be dreamy as a summer dress or as curtains in my new place.
Thanks to Spool of Thread owners Lili and Henry for being so welcoming to their shop and allowing me to take photos. I’m sure the store is a welcome addition to the Vancouver craft scene.
Once I Thought I’d Like to be a Blossom growing on a Tree…
The title is the first line from a song called, “Gee I’m glad I’m no one else but me”. I’ve had it in my head since the fifth grade when I was in the school production of Anne of Green Gables the musical. Blossoms always remind me of this song.
A Psychological Version of This Double Cure
The tulips used in this self portrait a week and a half ago were on their last legs yesterday. As I tidied up and prepared to toss them away I stopped to take the above shots of their lingering, dried out beauty.
This week from Free Will Astrology:
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): An American residing in Berlin had leukemia as well as AIDS. Doctors did a bone marrow transplant to cure the leukemia, obtaining stem cells from a healthy donor. The operation was a success — the leukemia disappeared. As an added and surprising bonus, the HIV also left the patient’s body. He has been free of both diseases for two years. I predict a psychological version of this double cure for you in the coming weeks, Leo. The healing you receive for one type of suffering will unexpectedly heal another kind, too.
Spring the great cat in you
From Free Will Astrology
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here’s an update on the world’s tigers: Fewer than 5,000 are living in their natural habitats, while the U.S. alone has more than that number in zoos. Let’s use that fact as a starting point for your meditations, Leo. How much of your animal essence is in captivity, and how much is running free? Is your inner lion able to wander at will through places where it feels at home, or is it trapped in a confined space it would never stay in if allowed to choose? Keep coming back to these questions during 2009. It will be an excellent time to spring the great cat in you from conditions that make it pace in neurotic circles.
Oh, yes please! Especially to that last part. I love Free Will Astrology.
Little Birds in the Snow
Before I had a bird of my own I had no interest at all in winged creatures. I may have even thought they were boring. Then my sister brought home a breeding pair of lovebirds, and soon I had a cheeky little bird of my own, one I’d raised from an egg. Many years and one lovebird later, I am fascinated by birds of all kinds and am capable of watching them for hours on end (dorky, but true).
My apartment is a great spot for watching small birds like sparrows, chickadees, and dark-eyed Junco, and I’m amazed how these tiny things can survive just fine in cold weather. I think they look warmer out there than I do in my many layers… I’m a bit worried about them not finding enough food with all this snow so I decided to purchase seed for them and put it along my window sills. They are very entertaining as they help themselves to food and bob up and down to keep an eye on me through the window.
The Field Guide: Birds of British Columbia group on flickr for plenty more bird photos.