Good Mail Day!

Look what finally arrived in the mail!! I love good mail days!

Here's a peek at my page & interview questions. My friends Seth Apter & Penelope Harris are also on this book, but aside from those two, all the other artists are new to me, which will make for an interesting read. Art Journal Kickstarter is full of eyecandy and interesting commentary on each of the artists' creative process and it's sure to inspire anyone who loves art journaling. Want a copy for yourself? You can find it here.

Seeing my art between the cover just never gets old. It's a thrill every time! 

29 Days of Magic

I'm gearing up for another fabulous course with Vivienne, which starts in a matter of days! I am so excited about Montage, which is about working with video and stills to tell your own story. I'm a little nervous because this is a bit outside my comfort zone, but I'm excited to learn new things. The desire to learn new things always trumps the nervousness though, thankfully!

Meanwhile, I've been working on a few more photographs. The one above was taken at Burnaby Village Museum. I loved the look of the prices poking up inside an old cash register. I took this one while I was there for the End of Day Celebration. Once upon a time, I was a volunteer tour guide there while visiting BC on summer vacation. It was fun because I got to dress up in 1920's costumes every day for a month and teach people from around the world about local history.

This shot comes from the Downtown East Side. Vivienne recently held a class at Opus (a local art store) on double exposures and I discovered the lane ways nearby were full of graffiti. You'll remember me saying that my new benchmark for true friendship is that a real friend will say "YES!" when you say "Let's go shoot in a filthy alleyway." Curiosity also trumps trepidation.

May has been such a crazy month. I feel like I've lived 1000 lifetimes in the span of the last 29 days. Seth commented the other day that I must feel changed. Yes, in many ways I do. I'm still processing everything I learned and thinking about the important stuff. Really, it was almost too much goodness to take in at once.  

Yesterday was also a wonderful day. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea Bundon, who is a PHD student at UBC. She launched a blog about disability and sport, called Athletes First some time ago, as part of her research. I've been following along, learning alot from the posts and people's responses and I've commented myself from time to time. Andrea asked me if I would be willing to do an interview with her about the my participation on her blog and what my thoughts were on a number of topics related to disability and spot. I was happy to help.

It turns out she's an incredibly interesting and lovely person and I had a great time having a very thoughtful discussion with her. It's always wonderful when you connect with other kindred spirits! (She's also a prairie girl!) I came away feeling like I'd learned so much and I'm excited to see where her research takes her. Andrea has kindly invited me to do a guest post at some point and I'm really excited about that!

Funnily enough, my day wasn't over after Andrea and I talked for 2 hours. Tiina, who is working the the MS Society's local chapter contacted me last week asking if I would be willing to do an interview. They want to feature me as a member of distinction on the MS Society website. So...there was two more hours of interesting conversation with Tiina who is also lovely. It was wonderful spending time with her.

I feel deeply grateful for everything that has happened in my life in the last 29 days. At times, I feel kind of emotional about it. Like I said, it's been alot to take in and I'm still processing. It will be good to turn inward for the next while and work on Montage. I think the timing is perfect.

In The News

Hello friends! Visiting the Sketchbook Project yesterday was wonderful! If you're local and haven't been, I really recommend going today, which is your last chance before it hits the road again. I'll have a full report tomorrow.

In the meantime, the next few days are going to be a whirl wind of crossing some very big things off my life list so I'm trying to slow myself down internally so I can take it all in. 

Something really cool happened today: I made the local paper! I'm going to be  looking for copies at the library later today, but in the meantime, you can view the article here. I did the interview last week and like any interview, you never know what will come of it. I was stunned to see how much they actually printed-it was far more than I expected. I think I owe the reporter, Sarah Payne a thank you card. I am just grateful to be able to help raise awareness about MS in my own small way and to challenge people to think differently about disability and what it looks like.

Tomorrow afternoon is the official opening of the gallery show. If you're local, I hope you come out, see the show, (which I think is going to be really interesting) and say hello. I'll be there!

More Secrets Revealed!

The countdown is on! In a mere 14 days, Seth Apter, author of The Pulse of Mixed Media will be in Vancouver! WOOHOO!! I am really looking forward to finally meeting him in person. To celebrate, I thought I would share with you some of the "secrets" Seth unearthed about me that weren't published in the book. Seth asks the best questions!

Here we go!

 One thing I have never shared with the art community is…

One time...at art camp… *grins* Seriously, I am an open book and I wear my heart on my sleeve. If there’s something I haven’t shared, it’s probably because no one’s asked yet.

What is your secret dream as an artist?

If I cop to my secret dream, then it kind of puts it out there, doesn’t it? Would it be terribly cliché to say that someday, I would like to walk into a bookstore or a library and see a book with my name on the cover? Before I was ever an artist, I was a writer. When I was a little kid, I attended writers’ conferences and my poetry was published when I was a teen. All of this led me to believe that when I grew up, I’d go into journalism. Funny how things turn out-I took a single art class in high school, which I didn’t enjoy very much (the teacher would come over, grab the paintbrush out of my hand and paint on my canvass-ARGH!!) and here I am some 20 odd years later, creating art every day. Who knew? Now it feels like marrying the two worlds would be the natural thing to do. I know in my heart I have a book or two in me; the question is whether those books are destined to make it to print or not. We shall see. I believe that everything in my life always unfolds exactly as its meant to.

Have you ever received artwork from others and reworked it to make it your own?

The only time I’ve ever reworked another person’s piece of art was as part of a collaborative project. Linda Woods (Author of Visual Chronicles and Journal Revolution) sent me a couple of her art postcards. The idea was to take them and alter them however I chose and send them back to her. One was a mixed media collage of a pear (which she uses as a symbolic representation of herself) and the other was a photograph, shot through the rain-soaked window of a NYC taxi. It was an interesting exercise and I enjoyed working on something that was just for fun. I believe she has the altered postcards posted on her website.

 What is one current trend that you wish would go away?

Printed packing tapes, tissue tapes and Washi tapes. (Washi tapes are Japanese printed masking tapes) It’s terrible. This stuff like artistic crack-I can’t stop buying it. The colours and patterns are endless. I blame Teesha Moore for turning me onto it. She posted photos of her collection on her blog and that was the beginning of the end for me. I’m hopelessly addicted. *laughs*

 In your opinion, is creativity built-in or learned? Or both?

Wow! That’s a really good question! Personally, I think all human beings have the innate capacity to be creative. It’s paramount to our survival as species and how that creative energy manifests is unique to each individual. I think the learning comes in when we seek to strengthen a particular aspect of our personal creativity by gaining knowledge from mentors or seeking out a formal education. People often claim they aren’t creative, but I think it’s just a lack of vision on their part. They may be very gifted in a way that’s not traditionally seen as being creative-the sciences come to mind. It’s seen as a very right brained thing and yet scientists are called on to find workable solutions for very complicated and often very technical problems that require an incredible amount of creative thinking to solve. If you've ever watched the movie Apollo 13, you’ll understand exactly what I mean.

 How has the Internet changed your artistic practice?

The Internet is what led me to embracing my creative self. It’s been the conduit for connecting with other artists and opened up amazing opportunities to contribute to the artistic community. I’ve been able to work on numerous projects, with an incredible array of very talented artists, which I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. I keep up-to-date on current trends, techniques and projects via the blogs I read daily and I do a good 50% of my art supply shopping online through independent online stores and marketplaces like Etsy.

 Do you enjoy working more intuitively or by carefully thinking through your process?

Most of the time I have a rough vision of what the project is going to be and then, as I begin working, the art just makes itself, which is the best way I can explain it. Sometimes it’s very close to how I pictured it in my mind’s eye and sometimes it’s gone off in a totally different direction and the finished piece turns out better than what I had anticipated. When I get out of my own way and just let the art happen, I feel that I produce my best work.

 Do you create art to work through inner issues or is studio time more of a distraction to keep from facing your problems?

Art has saved me so many times. In January 2004, as I was grieving the loss my beloved Gramps, I was invited for the very first time to do artwork for publication. The timing could not have been better. I spent hours working on pieces for the book with the stereo cranked up and I would be absolutely sobbing while I worked. I’d begin working right after breakfast and from there, I’d completely lose track of time. Time felt oddly suspended when I was in the creative groove. Working towards a publisher’s deadline gave me a sense of purpose at that difficult, sad time and helped me work through my grief.

In late 2007, when I was going through the process of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (a life altering, incurable neurological disease) I once again turned to art for comfort. It was a real struggle for me because I lost all the feeling in my hands at that time and could barely manage even the simplest of tasks. It was both frightening and frustrating. Ultimately, the loss of feeling in my hands became permanent. It took almost a year to adapt to the extreme numbness, but I really feel that by pushing myself to keep creating, I was able to retain dexterity in my hands.

I don’t know how much time other artists spend in their studios, but I am in my studio every single day. It’s the first place I go when I get up and it’s the last place I am before I go to bed. I think for me, creating art is absolutely essential to my well-being. It allows me to feel like there is a small measure of normalcy, in a life that’s been turned upside down by MS and on the most difficult days, it provides a way for me to express feelings and emotions that there are simply no words for.

 What do you think your preferred art medium says about your personality?

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” 

The other thing I wanted to share with you is that Seth  is the cover guy on the latest issue of Somerset Studio! He's also featured in an Artist Profile and there is a review of  The Pulse of Mixed Media in there as well! It's so great to see someone who works so hard and gives so much to the mixed media community have this type of recognition. He is most deserving.

 On May 3rd, Seth will be having a book signing and launch party as Le Marche St. George in Vancouver at 7 p.m. You can not only meet Seth, but also a number of contributing artists from the book, including Patricia Larsen, Leslie Avon Miller and ME! There will also be an art exhibit, Con Leche with works by the Larsen Family (Patricia, Janaki & Klee) and Seth Apter. 

Mark your calendars and come join us-it's going to be a great time!

Swan Dive Redux

Swan Dive began yesterday! YAY! This is my second time taking this class. I'm grateful for the opportunity to do it all over again because there's still so much to learn. I'm going to work on making friends with Photoshop and learn to use some other post-processing programs. There's still time to join in, if you hurry!

The photos I was working with yesterday are from my trip to the Salmon Graveyard, last November. (You can click on them to see them larger.)

 A couple months ago, Vivienne asked if I would be willing to do an interview about the work I did Swan Dive and it's posted in our virtual classroom today. What I liked about doing the interview was that it gave me the chance to really think about what I learned over the last year and how I have integrated that learning into my artistic practice. It was a good way to take stock of where I am after 14 months of continual classes and helped me see the progress I've made. (Which has been significant-I only started shooting with a DSLR 10 months ago!) 

A few years ago, when Artful Blogging first came out, I would leaf through a copy, see all the gorgeous photographic blog banners and eyecandy and think "Beautiful, but my blog will never have photographs like that." Little did I know that just a few years later, the opportunity to learn how to create what I consider visual poetry would present itself. It just goes to show that we never know what we're capable of-once upon a time, I was not a photographer.

The Magic Of Wading In

(Touch, a self portrait taken this week.)

This morning I am really pleased to share that I am the featured artist on Vivienne McMaster's Muse interview series. To read about my magical experience in her Wading In class, you may click here.

Feel free to comment there..or here...or both! *wink*

What's Up?

Hello again! I haven't updated "the list" in awhile, so here's what's going on lately:

Creating: I'm working on a number of projects at the moment, one of which is the second edition of Manual Dexterity Zine for the annual zine exchange. Here's the very beginnings of that project:

Pages for my zine, in progress.

Yes, I am sewing them ROD style because who doesn't love sewing paper? Obsessed? Yesiree!


I particularly like this one. Simple but the clean lines gives it punch.




Reading: Right now I'm 3/4's of the way through Psychovertical by Andy Kirkpatrick. Yet another mountaineering book. (Another obsession!) Next in line is Dancing on Ice: A Stirring Adventure, Risk and Reckless Folly. How's that for a title? According to the write up this is what it's about:





"In 1930 the dashing Gino Watkins led a group of fourteen intrepid and largely inexperienced young men (including the author's father) to pioneer the first commercial air route between Europe and America. Alongside high adventure, triumph and tragedy, Scott paints a stunning portrait of two lost worlds: the Inuit hunters of the polar regions and the Brideshead generation of English men addicted to adventure.





One member of the expedition was stranded alone on the ice cap for five months, for much of the time in total darkness. Blizzards raged continuously and temperatures dropped to -41°C. For six weeks he was utterly trapped in an ice cave, unable to get out as his companions mounted a desperate, last-ditch rescue attempt."





I tend to read alot of mountaineering, polar exploration and iditarod books. Anything about ice and snow adventure engages me.



Watching: Hmm..let's see...Breaking Bad, Glee, Ice Pilots NWT and HOUSE just wrapped up. Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers are still on. I am also watching So You Think You Can Dance and a brand new mini series that started last week called Persons Unknown. It kind of reminds me a bit of The Lost Room. (Which I loved.) I think they are shot in a similar manner.





Listening: The last couple of days I've been going through my mixed CD collection (which is extensive) and ripping tracks I want to keep and culling the herd. I added a whopping 270 new tracks to my iTunes library. *boggles* My friend Penn offered to take all my cast-offs off my hands, which is great because I'd always rather re-home something rather than turf it if I can. (Being a Tree Huggin' Granola and all.)



Dreaming: I'm in the process of planning a trip we'll be taking later this year to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. I am really excited about it and I think it's going to be a really good time. Can't wait!



Doing: I've been changing out the art on my inspiration board. The one above my desk is completely empty and I changed out the art on one wall completely. I also reorganized my bookshelves so they have less clutter. Less clutter in the studio means less clutter for the mind, I think!





Anticipating: Going out for lunch with friends and hanging out with my artsy peeps on the weekend. Simple pleasures are the best.



In other news, I was asked to do an interview for Shared Voices which is the MS Society's Lower Mainland Chapter newsletter. The interview was about my Olympic and Paralympic Torchbearer experience.
Here's a peek:



I've been busy the last few days tending to Indy, who developed an eye infection on Monday. Poor little guy was pawing madly at his eye. I got him in right away to see our lovely vet (he's the nicest man and sadly, he's about to retire) and after being so good about sitting still for an eye exam that looked horribly uncomfortable to me, he got some medicine. I have to put ointment on his eye three times a day and while it's not his favourite thing, he's good about letting me work on him. It's starting to look like the medicine is working, which is a relief because it breaks my heart to see him suffer. He should be healed up by Sunday, hopefully.



So...that's what's going on in my little corner of the world.

Who's That Girl?

For the most part, I am kind of shy talking about myself, (I'd rather talk about art!) but recently I agreed to do an interview with Dawn Supina. If you want to learn a little more about yours truely, she's just posted it to her blog and you can find it here.

Thanks Dawn for coaxing me out of my comfort zone!