| On the Beach |
[Jun. 30th, 2009|10:03 pm] |
There's no better movie to assemble cards by than On the Beach starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. It's a rather atypical movie about the end of the world after World War III - there's not much action or mutant zombies - but lots of angst and unfulfilled passions. It clocks in at just over 2 hours, which seems long for a 1959 movie. It was good anyway, despite the bittersweet ending.
I'm going to be at the Thorncliffe Greenview farmer's market on Saturday from 10-3 at 5600 Centre Street North. I have never been to this venue before, so I'm excited to see what it's like. I'm not sure if it's indoors and outdoors, but at the very least there's going to be Stampede festivities! I can never say no to free pancakes :-) |
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| No more pencils, no more books! |
[Jun. 23rd, 2009|05:33 pm] |
No matter how old you are, there's nothing like the liberation of the last day of school, especially if it's a perfect summer day. The sun and wind greet you, inviting you to romp in the grass and run far, far away from the school house. I popped by Michaels on my way home and bought a little gift to celebrate before stopping off at our neighbours' to feed their cats.
Despite what has been written about Andrew on RateMyProfessor, he's a darn good teacher and there were no surprises on the test. He was nice enough to give us four of the three possible essay questions and picked easy images. I'm going "doh!" over forgetting that Matisse was a Fauvist - he was the only one we studied so I forgot about that. But I did get the other right and I'm glad I decided not to change one of my answers after all.
Ah, sweet summer, I can finally enjoy thee! Actually I have a lot of work to do. I'm going to be at the opening of the Thorncliff Greenview Flea Market on July 4th, which includes Stampede festivities. I have a lot of new inventory to make! |
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| Modern art, I get it now! |
[Jun. 16th, 2009|10:11 pm] |
The trouble with living in the future is that one can't fully appreciate the past - we're too sophisticated, too informed and too accepting now. It's easy to shrug and say "This art is crap!" but a lot of modern art, at the time it was created, was amazingly new and different. We've had about a hundred years of psychoanalysis, for example, but a hundred years ago it was amazingly revolutionary. As artists broke away from conventional art styles (or, like Salvador Dali, used them to display his bizarre imagery), each step was shocking in ways an audience these days can't appreciate. Jackson Pollack, for example, was hailed for his displays of individuality in a time when Communism seemed a threat. I try to put myself in the place of a viewer from the past, but the excitement and wonder just isn't the same.
Just one more lecture class and then the final. Our essays are handed back on Thursday. We've steamrolled through so many "isms" - Orphism, Expressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Surrealism - that I feel like I'm going to come down with some sort of "ism" myself! |
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| Drawing Day 2009 |
[Jun. 6th, 2009|06:04 pm] |
Well, aren't I a Posty McPosteron today :-) I found out about Drawing Day 2009 yesterday and managed to get it done in time.
June 6, 2009 ::: Oil Pastel ::: 10x11"
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| Paisley Peacock ACEO |
[Jun. 6th, 2009|10:06 am] |
Another Mission 101 thing done! He's also for sale on Etsy. Click for larger.
June 6, 2009 ::: Prismacolor Marker ::: 2.5x3.5"
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| Freaky Friday! |
[May. 29th, 2009|05:18 pm] |
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Back in HUMN 124 we studied an essay by Stephen Jay Gould about the morality of nature. Darwin era thinkers were appalled that insects displayed such barbarism towards other insects. If you can stomach it, here's a bunch more parasitic critters. I managed to make it to the bottom :-D |
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| The Sleeping Prince |
[May. 27th, 2009|09:07 pm] |
I'm as content as this peaceful young buck - I finished my research paper on Franz Marc and it's ready to be handed in. I wish I didn't have to hand it in early; another weekend to write would have been nice. There were all sorts of little errors to fix and I hope I caught them all. A book I had on hold from the public library didn't come in on time, and it probably would have helped things a lot. I'm pretty eager to read it anyway. I really identify with Marc's romantic and passionate nature, even if his visions of a new Europe were shortsighted. It's hard to believe that at the turn of the 20th century that people such as himself were disgusted by cities and longed for a more pastoral time. I think I would have taken 1909 Munich over 2009 Calgary sometimes ;-) |
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| Goal Oriented Gardening? |
[May. 24th, 2009|04:48 pm] |
I have proof that spring is here! We went to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and it was wonderful. I'll be uploading pictures soon - we heard more birds than what we saw, and we did see a pair of deer :-)
I tackled my garden for the first time this year today. There's so much to do, I didn't know where to begin, so I started with my wild rose bushes, which I love and hate. Wild roses are Alberta's provincial flower, but mine are just too determined. One has tried to come up through the sidewalk and split a sandstone rock. The other just takes over where it can. It's hard to keep on top of. In the corner flower bed, everything is duking it out for space. I should have pulled up the parasitic windflower when I first spotted it years ago. On the other hand, it's easier to let Mother Nature try to be the gardener - it's hard to win with such wild flora. Maybe next time I'll tackle the dandelions and then cut down the old wild flax as well. |
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| Five Things I Bought Today |
[May. 22nd, 2009|07:57 pm] |
I really like a local scrapbooking store because their inventory is always changing and they have things that Michaels doesn't have, like exotic paper and intriguing tools. Plus membership entitles me to 10% off - but today I got an extra special 30% off for renewing my membership. At first I thought it was just off one item, but when I found out it was off of everything, I sailed around the store again and picked up...
( Read more... ) |
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| Papercraft Unicorn Birthday Card |
[May. 18th, 2009|07:52 am] |
One of my Mission 101 goals is to practice papercutting more. It's a hard goal to quantify though as not every picture or idea is good for the technique. This one was, and it was my first time using handmade paper. Oooh...it cuts like butter and is much like fabric.
Paper ::: 5.5x8.5" ::: May 16, 2009
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| Turkish Tea Glass |
[May. 10th, 2009|08:14 pm] |
I don't always post as much photography here as I should, but enjoy one of the six Turkish tea glasses my dear husband bought for me :-) As always, click for larger.
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| Don't giggle when I say Poetess Ono-No |
[May. 9th, 2009|07:51 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | acad | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  busy | ] |
I was really surprised by how much of my second class was made up of Japanese art. One thing that people forget is that art doesn't occur in a vacuum. When the first Japanese prints were exhibited at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851, it ushered in the era of modernity and Western artists began to borrow Eastern elements depicting time and space. Similarly, Japanese artists gave perspective a shot as well as shadows and value. It was such a fascinating class - the differences are obvious, but sometimes one doesn't know until someone tells you!
Just going over a bunch of journal articles on Franz Marc that I printed out. Thank goodness the ACAD library can be accessed from home :-) I really feel that he's an under-appreciated artist and unlike other artists of his time, he has few massive tomes devoted to him. I'm researching Fate of the Animals because it is the one that I can find the most references for. It's just not that he painted horses, but I'm touched by how he used colour to render them as well. There's an intense spirituality to his paintings as well, and as I'm discovering while researching, he had visions of an apocalypse. I was shocked to find out that he volunteered for service in WWI - where he was killed - literally greeting catastrophe head on. |
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| Me, My Mess, and My Model Horses! |
[May. 6th, 2009|09:43 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | video | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  good | ] |
I'm having almost too much fun making movies now. Here's one from a few weeks ago as I aim to clean up my downstairs work area. I'm hoping that organized will equal productivity, especially as I have a contest deadline coming up. Eek!
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| Back to school! |
[May. 5th, 2009|05:46 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | acad | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  happy | ] |
I was a woeful ball of nerves today until I actually got to class. I was walking around in pointless circles trying to remember if I had forgotten anything, and then even catching the train caused some anxiety. As Calgary Transit is a relatively poor system of public transportation, I just couldn't trust that it would get me there in time. I work just down the road from the art college, but on Tuesday mornings I'm on the opposite side of the city.
I think I'm going to like this class! There is only one assignment, a research paper, and there were lots of good topics to choose from, but I think I'll take "Option 2" and pick a painting to write about. I could pick a Eugene Delacroix or a Franz Marc - they render horses so lovingly :-)
One of the reasons I'm so enthusiastic about this class is that I think it will answer a personal question for me - "How the heck did we get here?" Modernity spans 1851-1933, or perhaps even 1945. Although there really hasn't been a time when humans have not been under stress, this period was particularly stressful due to industrialization, war, political changes and changes to the social fabric. It's going to be a fascinating journey! |
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| Five Craft Room Ideas |
[May. 1st, 2009|06:04 am] |
I have been neglecting my Friday Fives! As I spend every spare minute tidying up the basement work area, I hope that orginization will equal productivity. As I toss, recycle and sort, I'm looking for new ways to organize things, especially the itty bitty pieces.
Better Homes & Gardens has tons of slideshows of craft rooms, but they also have annoying ads that pop up every second slide. It's almost worth it for the ingenious ideas - here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Their quiz also confirms I'm a piler, not a filer.
Speaking of itty bitty storage, I need to start liking Altoids as Design*Sponge's Altoid Tin message board seems like a perfect solution.
Now, I have a lot of paper and I thought about buying a new paper tower, but this solution is much more thrifty. I actually have a set of grid cubes like this, and zip tied them together in the past to make a display.
LJ has it's own ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) yourcraftroom, although it looks like it could use a boost!
And lastly, when everything is spic and span, I'll post some pictures to the Craft Room Flickr Pool. |
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| This makes me angry |
[Apr. 30th, 2009|05:17 pm] |
Unfortunately for feral horses in Alberta and British Columbia, someone is out to get them, and have been since at least the 1970s. Every year there are a few stories of horses found dead and this latest shooting where a stallion, yearling and pregnant mare were shot, is just absolutely sickening. Fortunately for the horses, they do have a voice with the Wild Horses of Alberta Society. Maybe next year I can donate something if they have an auction again. |
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| Are You a Dreamer or a Doer? |
[Apr. 20th, 2009|10:01 pm] |
| You Are a Dreamer |  You are primarily concerned with possibilities. You tend to be a fanciful person.
All of the world's opportunities sometimes overwhelm you.
You are obsessed with ideas and tend to be a big thinker. Theories interest you greatly.
You crave intellectual stimulation. You are drawn to a philosophical way of life. |
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| Happy Easter! Happy Spring! |
[Apr. 12th, 2009|11:57 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | aceos | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | happy | ] |
I went walking this morning after Easter services and it seems spring is most definitely here. There's a little green in the irises, the birds are working double time it seems, and the last of the snow is gone. Winter, I banish thee!
I don't have any Easter art, which I should, but I'll share this whimsical entry for the ArtFire ACEO Guild's monthly contest - "April showers bring May flowers". I think I achieved the childish and whimsical look I wanted.
2.5x3.5" ::: Marker ::: April 12, 2009
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| Foiled by Fowls (x-posted) |
[Apr. 11th, 2009|10:34 pm] |
Today my camera and I went for a walk up to the creek in hopes of finding some photogenic specimens. The creek's banks are relatively unsafe, so I positioned myself on the bridge. The bridge was the site of a shoulda coulda woulda moment a few years ago. It was duck stamp perfect - a male and female duck floating between snowy banks, with just enough grass sticking through to mark the coming of spring. Argh!
I was just about to move on when I saw a drake riding the swift current from the north, and then I realized his mate was just underneath the bridge. ( Cut for photos ) |
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