atelier Curio studio

Gnôthi Seauton

2012-01-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Gnôthi seauton, latin for " know thyself "...This seems an appropriate way to start my blogging in 2012, a year for which I have chosen ' transformation ' as my theme. One of the many aspects I would like to transform is my blogging habit...Let me reword that, I'd like to make blogging a habit! So this is my plan - I will blog once a week for a grand total of 52 new posts by December 31 2012. Hmmmm, okay I think I ' know myself ' well enough to state that if I post a mere 26 times I'll consider that a resounding success and transformation.

Gnôthi Seauton
Mixed media 3ft x 3ft

The mixed media painting "Gnôthi Seauton" is a bit of a reflection of who I am. My fingerprint, the shadows, the darkness, the light passages - all held together with wire; my life story written between each ridge of my print, sometimes a little smudged but mostly pretty evident.

My fingerprints can often be found in my work, even as a signature when I sign as Curio. As an adoptee from many years ago, there isn't much I know about my genetics. All I have is my DNA and my fingerprints. As a matter of fact, the only two people I know I am connected to by blood in this world are my two children. This is why identity often surfaces as a theme in my work and fingerprints have naturally become evidence of my identity.

As for holding it all together, so often it is only with a thread. The problem with thread is that with time it often becomes weak and is easily broken which is why wire is the binder I chose. It's not fail proof because it can rust and break down, but if you have enough layers it should see you through to the end.

A couple of examples of past works using my fingerprints.

Identidy
(You can read more about this painting in the post for July 16, 2009)

Entre la vie et la mort
(Between birth and death)
Monotype Chine Collé

All blogging aside, I think it worth mentionning, the time not posting will be devoted to ' knowing myself ' a little better and knowing my blogging friends better as well. I'm grateful for each and everyone of you and the inspiration you bring into my life.

Fragments, Resistance, Passion and Shadows

2011-08-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Most of my days are made up of fragments, bits of this and that, intertwining but not quite connecting. The fragments are often in motion, falling away, leaving shadows in their wake - shadows that haunt, shadows that disguise, shadows that cripple - preventing forward movement.

Fragments is this oil painting, a pictorial record of how life appears at times. Red for passion: passion for my family and my home; passion for my two littles kittens, Mim and Pip; passion for nature - fauna and flora; passion for earth and all it's glorious bounty; and passion for creativity, however it chooses to express itself. Still with all that passion, I resist living life to the fullest.

Fragments
20" x 30" oil, slate and paper on canvas

Fragments are oftentimes obstacles, cold and grey like slivers of hard slate dappled with blood, sweat and tears. They fall all around and avoiding them can be hazardous...so you let them fall and you accept the shadows they cast. Fragments, like words, can cut and diminish. Fragments, like incomplete thoughts, keep you suspended. Fragments of life, love and loss...

Still, every now and again you tune in to the passion and once again you rise and greet the day with enthusiasm. That day is at hand!

Exploration Continues

2011-05-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

In the very small community that I call home it is not often that the opportunity comes around to take an art course but in January I got lucky. Amber Lounder, a beautiful artist in her own right, offered painting classes which I quickly enrolled in. (You can see some of her work by following this link to Visual Literacy, her art journal/blog( http://amberlounder.blogspot.com/ ).

I decided to take the opportunity presented by theses classes to use oil paints rather than the acrylic I've been use to. It was an adventure, to say the least. For some reason, I also decided to use spatulas rather than brushes. Below are the paintings I created in the 10 weeks the course ran, as well as a couple I did at my studio and one that I'm still working on.

Snowed In
12 in x 12 in

Sky Ways & Water Ways
6 in x 12 in /each

Ice Cold
12 in x 12 in

Northern Lights Reflecting
6 in x 12 in /each

P'tit Feu Sauvage I
20 in x 24 in

P'tit Feu Sauvage II
Work in progress
20 in x 24 in

Where am I going with this? I wish I knew! Yet another medium to contemplate, yet another choice, yet another way to express myself, or not! I guess the last thing I need is another technique to neglect. The constant exploring, analyzing, experimenting is wearing me down. I can't seem to stop. I seem to be looking for some answer or something. I need somebody to tell me what the answer is so that I can latch on to it and focus, focus, focus!

Through the Mist

2011-04-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

It always seems so slow at first...coming out of a deep freeze. But, little by little, things begin to thaw. I'm not sure that the process is complete but I feel things are beginning to stir; the ice has melted, with perhaps just a few crystals remaining.

There's no doubt about it, life really gets in the way of blogging. And that's what first happened. Then I lost the ability to blog wherever the mood struck when the wireless card went on my laptop. Then I got two kittens. Then it was Christmas time. Then it was winter. Then is was this. Then it was that....A whole barrage of excuses. But maybe it was just that I needed a break.

Rather than analyze this to death, I should be grateful that one day I looked out my front window and noticed the fog was lifting and there was a breathtaking vista in the mist.

It was so breathtaking that I jumped in the car to get a closer look. I ended up at a graveyard across the bay. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

The snow is gone now. The fog has lifted and all that is left is the awe...The kind of awe that leaves you speechless!

Frozen

2010-11-29T05:18:00.000-08:00

My head is in the clouds much of the time these days and sometimes the cloud cover is so thick I see nothing but white...Oh no wait, that's a blank canvas. I'm actually in my studio. I look around at the dozens of unfinished projects, the lists of ideas, the lists of lists of ideas...Okay, I recognize this feeling...I AM OVERWHELMED!

The thing about taking time off is that it becomes increasingly hard to get motivated and to get back to the art of creativity. I hoped that a recent trip to Spain and Italy would really get the juices flowing and I would come back and miraculously(By the way, my goodness there was a lot of religion in both those countries) I would get back to my studio where creativity would flow out of my veins...Not so. As a matter of fact, my creative juices are like a container of frozen concentrate and I'm sad to say adding water does not seem to help! Art was everywhere during my get away, from the ancient to the contemporary, I came face to face with masterpiece after masterpiece. From the architecture to the holy sites to mother nature herself, every piece and every view left me speechless and in awe. I tried to absorb the energy projected by such a concentration of creative energy but as of yet I'm not really feeling it. I'm still in awe, frozen in a type of reverie and I'm not sure that I want to fully thaw.

Chair and Clouds by Tapies
(I love metal sculptures!)

I will never understand how a tree can thrive rooted to a rock!

One of Gaudi's many architectural masterpieces. The light hanging in the foreground was one of numerous styles lining the streets of Barcelona.

Amazing to see contemporary architecture blending in with this gothic city but it did!

Part of the massive Sagrada Familia church designed by Gaudi, this sculpture, one of hundreds adorning this massive structure, really seems to reflect cubist tendencies, unlike the section below which reminded me of an elaborate sand castle...Truly amazing!

I'm not quite sure how I picked the above photographs to share out of the 1500+ digital photos I took...I just couldn't stop myself. A lot of my pictures were more like fractals and random bits of architecture and colours or textures on buildings and lots of doors. Presently I am editing a lot of the photographs, classifying them for future access. I'm sure they'll pop-up in my blog from time to time.

Well, December is right around the bend and this is traditionally a month with a lot of entertaining so I don't imagine I will be in the studio all that much. However, things will change in January as my husband has accepted a short term contract for a couple of months and I vow to go to the studio daily...I'm really hoping routine will help me focus and I will complete ongoing projects and create some new pieces that have been trying to get out of my head.

In the meantime, I will return to the blog community even if only to catch up with my favourites and perhaps even find a few more inspirational bloggers to follow.

Fools' Gold

2010-06-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I decided to take time off from my studio, yet every now and then I find myself at Curio Studio working away on some creative venture, mostly crafty things. This is what I was up to earlier this week when suddenly my mind took a turn. By the time I awoke from my creative haze there was Fool's Gold oozing out of my canvas.

Fools' Gold

Acrylic/Mixed Media

20"x24"

I must confess I am not the ideal person to point the finger at environmental miscreants because I am far from being a hardcore environmentalist. Don't get me wrong, I really care deeply about the environment and have adjusted my lifestyle and many behaviours to preserve and benefit the planet. I strongly believe that it is better to do something to reduce the burden on mother earth rather than to do nothing. That being said, I also accept that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. (This is me trying to justify the many luxuries which surround me.) Still, while I might not feel I have the right to lend my voice to the tragedy that is occurring in the gulf waters, there is a latin phrase that often comes to my mind: Spiritus ubi vult spirat (Inspiration does not depend on will, it is a gift)...and so here I am.

Fool's Gold came about when I went to the studio to do a completely different piece and suddenly I found myself going in a direction I had truly been avoiding...Social commentary through art.

It is becoming evident to me that social commentary is often the direction my work takes. And the reason this befuddles me is that I'm not convinced that I can make a real difference. However, recently it has come to my attention that some of the greatest humanitarians attribute their success on the fact that they focus on the ' individual ' instead of the multitudes and that is how they made, and make, a difference. By that same token, if I choose to add my little statement to the thousands of voices outraged at the injustices and the callous disregard for the environment, the message becomes so much louder and clearer.

Now all we need is for the Powers-that-be to open their ears and listen!

Sunset

2010-06-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's just me but I could take endless pictures of the setting sun because every day it is so different. Below are a few of the pictures I've taken while sitting on my front steps. All I can think of when I see this spectacular show is 'Oh my God!'.

This first picture was taken just last evening.

The sunrise is beautiful as well, however it is a

rare moment indeed that you will find me awake for the show...That being said it did happen a couple of times and below are samples of what the morning sky looks like on occassion at 5 am.

I've said it before and I say it again...Nature truly is the greatest artist of all!

Journey to Clarity

2010-04-06T05:28:00.000-07:00

Recently I found my search to discover my own voice has left me anything but speechless. As a matter of fact, I sometimes have the distinct impression that I suffer from "painterly diarhea" and the end result is not too impressive.

In an attempt to find my personal style I bought yet another book, Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed Media Artist by Ann Baldwin, and I must say it is pretty good. I decided to try the exercises one at a time. Hopefully by the end of the book, I will have some sense of who I am when it comes to painting. I had originally ordered the book for one purpose only and that was to get a brief introduction to encaustic painting. Since then I have come to believe that the last thing I need is another way to express myself...Of course, that's not to say that I won't!

And Time Passed

12"x16"

Acrylic & Mixed Media

During this same period I also painted the following pieces which I believe offer a view into how confused I really am about what I want to achieve. These paintings remind me that when I was doing my Bachelor of Visual Arts, my professors use to tell me that sometimes I was brilliant and other times anything but brilliant! I think I can agree with them now. See below for proof:

Drawing Wild Cats

Acrylic Scraffiti

Descent of the Raven

8"x10" Acrylic

Shadow Play I

12 x 12 Acrylic

Do the Math

Acrylic

Confused? Join my club!

What is the point of my rant? I have decided to take time off from producing this year in an attempt to declutter my brain and hopefully come out at the other end with a clearer understanding of who I want to be as an artist and what exactly it is I want to say as well as which medium would allow me to best express myself. In fact, I am considering myself on a sabbatical, a time in which to deepen my understanding. This will involve a lot of research, a lot of experimentation and a lot of quiet reflection.

I hope to post on my blog at least once a month in an attempt to track my progress. I know my research will probably bring me to many of my favourite blogs and will introduce me to new voices as well. My blog will be the perfect place to take note of the experiences and the knowledge I gather on my forays. Join me on my journey to clarity...Just remember, it may take my lifetime!

Threads II - Forest for the Trees

2010-02-11T05:12:00.000-08:00

Renovate, paint, blog, photograph, renovate, print, carve, renovate....you got the gist of it. This total "busy-ness" makes it very hard to focus. Yet focus is becoming more and more important to me. I believe I need it if I'm ever going to really be good at expressing myself through my art, at reaching some pinacle of success. Okay, perhaps I'm overdramatizing a tad...Success is subjective and I guess I have achieved it in many regards.

What I really need is to quiet my mind and I feel a good way to achieve this is, you guessed it, Focus! With this in mind, I am continuing my search for the common threads in my work and lo and behold, there is the tree, a source of inspiration and awe!

Although I have countless art pieces featuring trees I'll share these four, some old, some new, some unfinished and all in a different medium.

La pénombre (The Shadows)

Monotype-Ink on Somerset paper (32" X 55")

Moonlight Through the Apple Tree

Digital Photograph

Shadow Play

Acrylic on unmounted canvas

8" x 48"

Raw clay carving, not yet air dried. Bisquing and glazing to follow. (4" x 10" X 2")

Of course, don't get me wrong I do treat a lot of other subject matter, but when I look around in my home, in my studio, in my yard, trees are very present. And no wonder, where would we be without them!

The Divining World-Part II

2010-01-24T04:07:00.000-08:00

The cards I created below may well hold the key to your Destiny. Have a peek...

The Destiny Package

Inside you find 11 Destiny Numbers

Instructions are handprinted on the envelope itself.

(For the sake of clarity in this photograph I played around with colour and contrast.)

On each card is a Destiny Number and 6 attributes.

Sample cards

Outer Envelope

This Destiny Set was a first for me and will serve as a template for future sets. A couple of changes I intend to make are to go a little lighter on the backgrounds and to use a transfer method for the written information. The latter will cut down on the amount of time needed to produce a complete package, yet each will remain unique because of different backgrounds.

(For more on this project, check out the post

dated December 12, 2009)

Threads

2010-01-19T03:52:00.000-08:00

As a multidiscipline visual artist, I find there is a certain cohesion lacking in my environment. I am literally all over the place. Still it remains clear to me that I cannot specialize in just one area of expression. Having accepted that, finding my unique voice seems all the more difficult.

In an attempt to bring order (that ever elusive state) into my creative endeavours, I have been trying to compartmentalize my projects, while still looking for common threads between the different forms of expression. The ultimate end to this exercise would allow an observer to recognize the works in my studio as mine alone. At present, the collection of my works gives the impression that I have a multiple split personality.

Some years ago I started writing journal which I titled Know Thyself. In it I wrote (and write) my personal beliefs about life in general, from the mundane to the exhilirating, from the surface to the deepest recess of my mind. It is far from complete. My best hope is that I will "know myself" in this lifetime.

I am applying this same process to my art, that is, I am going to examine the pieces I have created and will create to see what the common threads are, from colours to subjects to the choice of medium...Surely my voice is in there somewhere.

One place to start is with the subjects that seem to attract me most and today the focus is music and shadows, the colours are reds and blacks and the shapes are square.

Passion in Musical Shadows

Each is 4"x4" acrylic on canvas

I've had strange experiences with most aspects of life, music being one of those aspects.

I remember a Christmas long ago when a piano was delivered to my childhood home.

I will never know why, and I will never forget, only the children in the house were to play it even though none of us would ever play well.

That piano now takes up a corner of my livingroom like a sliver of my memories.

Out with the old...

2010-01-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying that it is really difficult to post when you haven't done it for awhile. I just felt like I needed to clear out a few things and create a more orderly work place. And that's what I have been doing...Out with the clutter; Out with the old! And hopefully the "In with the new" will soon follow.

Before I discard or store away the old, I want to keep a record of certain aspects of my work. In keeping with this concept, every now and again I shall post some of my old work prior to removing it from my studio.

In 2007, I had a solo exposition at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton, New Brunswick. It was called Cognition and dealt with the subjects of awareness and duality. Two of the pieces in that show are shown here. They have been hanging at Curio Studio since that time.

New Forest & Old Forest

2 separate acrylic paintings on stretched canvas 24" x 52" (each piece)

In Old Forest our eyes cannot see the forest for the trees, while in New Forest our eyes cannot see the trees for the lumber. As a reflection of my own hypocrisy in condeming the pulp industry both are framed in wood, a stark reminder that when you point a finger at something, three fingers point back at you.

Seven Deadly Sins

Overpass scene painted on seven canvases each measuring 12" x 48".

Written in Latin, one can read the 7 deadly sins as designated by christian religion:

INVIDA - AVARITIA -LUXURIA - IRA - ACEDIA - SUPERBIA - GULA

(ENVY -AVARICE -LUST - WRATH - SLOTH - PRIDE - GLUTTONY)

The use of the overpass seemed the perfect segway to each panel and demonstrated how we go about our daily routines without really noticing what is happening around us.

This piece also had a counter piece which dealt with virtue. In researching the virtues as they corresponded to the vices I found none truly spoke to me. That being said, one thing did seem to be an antidote for all the vices one could think of and that is RESPECT.

Also consisting of 7 panels (12" x 24"), each panel held one letter painted in a graffiti style, a commentary that it is often graffiti that is used to point out the "disrespectful" behaviour of others. I am happy to say that RESPECT is hanging on a wall in an elementary school in the southern part of New Brunswick.

Of course, there were many more pieces, some which I've already posted here and others that I would just rather forget. My thinking has changed a lot since 2007 and I would not approach the topics in the same way. I now believe that focusing on the negative only gives it more strength. I sure hope that is not what I've done!

The most important thing is that a new day has dawned and I am hoping that a daily routine of coming to the studio will help me achieve my goal of giving voice to my creative self.

So far so good!

The Divining World

2009-12-12T03:15:00.000-08:00

I've always been very interested in such things as astrology, tarot, fortune telling and all forms of divination. Although I'm not a firm believer in predicting the future, I have always had a certain respect for the tools one might use to predict the events of their lives or to query the spirits about some problem they are facing. As such, I have a pretty good selection of books and paraphanelia relating to the subject of divination. I have used them in the past as I sought answers to some issue or situation I was seeking clarification for and very often answers came to me.

I use these methods still today and the reason is quite simple.

I believe all answers are available to us and, when the time is right, the answers are there to grasp if we open our minds. Whether through dreams or divination, through the reading of signs or even through some game or system we develop ourselves (ie. 'If I get three green lights in a row, then the answer is GO'), we are often looking for help in deciding which road to take or which career to follow and even with the more mundane daily questions we come up with.

There is a wide array of tools one can use in a quest for answers but I have been developing my own. Of course, I do not presume to have the knowledge to create some new form of divining only instruments that I find aesthetically appealing.

That being said...My latest project will be a series of cards in the spirit of my Alpha Omega project, only much, much smaller. Presently I am working on a numerology set (pictured here) which measures just 1.5 inches by 3 inches.

I don't know if I will manage to complete it during this very busy family time of the year, but I do know it is just the first in a series because I consulted the spirits and they said so!

Goodbye, my Perfect Muse!

2009-12-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

December 1 2009 -Today, my muse, Tabu, joined the spirit world. He was 15 years old, 12 of which he spent with our family. The first three years of his life were not the best based on the condition he was in when we picked him up in a house where he had been abandoned. We did not want a cat at that time. We had recently said goodbye to Minou, our 16 year old tabby. But my resolve dissipated during the four hour drive to our house with Tabu sitting on my lap as I drove . I had always wanted a cat that would sit on my lap...and that is where you could find Tabu every evening for the past 12 years.

We learned a lot from this little cat...The most important thing is that quiet time is good. When my husband and I would get too loud, which I dare say we often do, he would let us know in no uncertain way that this was not acceptable. And while we 'd be running around doing this and doing that, Tabu would be seeking out the sunniest spot in the house and there he would bask in the warm rays. He gave us so much but he also required a lot of love and attention, both of which we happily gave him. Now I can't imagine no longer seeing his pretty little face.

He will be missed!

Goodbye, my good little boy!

Goodbye, my perfect Muse!

(Below is a repost of February 4th 2009)

Tabu-My Muse

Tabu - aka My Muse

As a multidisciplinary visual artist, I tend to be all over the map when it comes to creative projects. I realize this makes it difficult to perfect any one process and yet I can't seem to help myself. More over, I strongly feel that artistic creativity does not limit itself to art. Everyday I consciously choose to live my own creation. I do this in keeping with the philosophy that each one of us is an artist and each one of us is a work of art in progress.

That being said, whether I'm painting a canvas in my studio or a wall in my house, whether I'm mixing paint or making a recipe, whether I'm photographing my muse, Tabu, or petting him, I am creating. I can never separate the person from the artist. Maybe that's not a bad thing, but I must confess, sometimes my mind is screaming for focus. It just feels like so many ideas, so many projects and so little time!

I look at my cat sometimes and see he has but one focus, his own comfort. Sometimes, I look at him as he sleeps and I envy him. Other times I think "Wake up, Tabu...You're sleeping your life away! You're missing all the good stuff." As for Tabu, he's not thinking at all. He just IS!

One of my Tabu projects-an old fashioned block puzzle.

Tabu pictured on a wine label for a wine we make.

Translated it reads Sleeping Cat.

Even a muse must earn his keep!

Sleep well, Beautiful Tabu!

Alpha Omega - Part II

2009-11-12T04:06:00.000-08:00

"From around the age of six, I had the habit of sketching from life. I became an artist, and from fifty on began producing works that won some reputation, but nothing I did before the age of seventy was worthy of attention. At seventy-three, I began to grasp the structures of birds and beasts, insects and fish, and of the way plants grow. If I go on trying, I will surely understand them still better by the time I am eighty-six, so that by ninety I will have penetrated to their essential nature. At one hundred, I may well have a positively divine understanding of them, while at one hundred and thirty, forty, or more I will have reached the stage where every dot and every stroke I paint will be alive. May Heaven, that grants long life, give me the chance to prove that this is no lie."

Katsushika Hokusai, painter and print maker from the 1760-1849.

Outer side of the canvas envelope (roughly 40 in x 16 in)

Inside Pocket

Inside pocket with Alpha Omega cards inserted

Spread of Alpha Omega

Life is what happens between the Alpha and the Omega.

Robin's Return

2009-11-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

A beautiful robin perched on a mountain ash just outside my kitchen window was busily gorging himself on the ripe berries. The mountain ash are barren now as winter is fast approaching. Flocks of robins, the likes of which we've never seen, are fueling up for their journey to warmer climates. I snapped this picture through the window and thought nothing more of it as I headed to my studio.

Once there, I looked at a print that was waiting for me. It was a large print with a barren landscape and barren trees. It reminded me of the mountain ash which held the perfect robin. Sweet Inspiration!

But wait, it doesn't end there! As I painted in my little robin, a memory was triggered. Robin's Return, the only song my mother ever asked my father to play on our piano.

When I look at the sheet music, I just can't imagine how he managed to play this for he did not possess the long, elegant fingers of a pianist. His hands were small, his fingers short and stubby...I would watch in amazement as he played effortlessly and my mother smiled. This was in the early 1960s. I inherited the piano and all the sheet music, but sadly none of their musical abilities.

It only stands to reason that the three page music piece inspired me to create Robin's Return - a Tryptich.

Although we are presently enjoying a little warm weather, I know it won't be long 'til the robins take flight and leave me waiting for their springtime return.

Alpha Omega

2009-11-01T04:22:00.000-08:00

I thought it would take me a lot longer than it did to get through the second phase of my project especially as I had no preconceived notion to begin with, only a monotype which I had stored away for the last five years. I always felt it was incomplete, however my professor at the time was very much the purist...you never enhance a print! In fact, because of his words I was extremely hesitant to touch , let alone recycle, my old print. Now that I've done it, consider me hooked.

As a total control freak, just letting things happen is not so easy but I think I'm getting the hang of it. My project, which eventually evolved into Alpha Omega, began with thoughts of the how small a connected world is. I thought of the continents, the people, the common threads and the different languages. And that is where the project took on a life of it's own. Using signs and symbols, each of the eight pages looks to promote a sense of well being.

The writings and symbols include Greek, Hebrew, Sikh, Hindu, Chinese, Alchemy, and Runes. The mediums I used include pen and ink, conte crayons and acrylic paint.

The next phase is an envelope for which I have already tea-stained a piece of canvas. Not quite sure of how it will end up...Stay tuned!

Letting Creation Develop

2009-10-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

Can art find expression amid the chaos of construction? I sure hope so!

A few posts back I wrote about recycling my student prints. These are works that are just laying around the studio, many of which just don't seem complete in the fullest sense of the word.

My first recycling projects were story box books. My latest is a monotype print that I am hoping will find a voice after being silenced for five years. The print was about 32 x 24 inches and the subject was about the beginning of Christianity. It invovled numerous ink passes to build up the background; some laser copy transfers of maps from a bible; chine collé using beautiful japanese paper; and impressions of skeletal hands and bones which I cut out in balsa wood, inked, positioned on the print and ran through the press.

When I came upon it in my studio I was actually looking for another print, but as soon as I spotted this one I was compelled to go with the flow. As a matter of fact that is exactly what I am hoping to achieve...going with the creative flow and just letting the piece, which seems to be in book format, develop itself. No preconceived notions; no ultimate goal. Just creating and recognizing when the piece is done!

So far, I have divided the large print into eight equal pieces;

glued them back to back to create four pages;

thus, I now have eight equal size backgrounds. What will develop will develop as it should!

The creative process has begun!

Chair with a view

2009-10-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

Until yesterday the time I've spent at the studio lately has been focused on renovations, a continuation of what we have been doing to our house. One thing that has become clear to me is: "Be Careful What You Wish For!..I always said I wanted to be a 'painter', so guess what I have been doing...Painting walls, window frames, doors, etc., etc. of course!

With winter fast approaching, I was sure my cement chair was going to have to wait 'til spring then low and behold, sun was in the forecast for two days so I got to it. It took 12 - 60 lb bags of cement, chicken wire, some copper pipes and a broken plastic adirondack chair.

I can't wait for it to be cured so that I can check out the view from a seated position! This evening, this is what that view looked like.

Blazing Sunshine

2009-09-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

Sunshine doesn't always come softly, often it blazes, like the sunflowers below. This is the time of year when sunflowers tower over the gardens, offering their bountiful seeds to birds of all feathers. Sadly, this year my seeds hide in there envelope with no glimmer of germination because I was too busy to plant them...but rest assured their day will come. Perhaps it will be next year, perhaps the year after.

The sunflowers shown below, and which I chose to reproduce on canvas and on recycled children's blocks, were left in their seed packets for a couple of years before they finally had their day in the sun. Here are some of the pictures I took and the paintings they inspired last winter as the cold winds blew outside my studio.

24"x30" (60 cm x 76 cm)

18"x20" (46 cm x 51 cm)

12"x24" (30 cm x 60 cm)

Below are laser copy photo transfers on some wooden recycled children's blocks that I sanded. I'm not sure I'm quite finished with them yet. They have a grainy texture that makes them seem old and they may lend themselves beautifully to some words or additonal embellishment. In the meantime, every now and again, I enjoy just mixing them up and putting them back together.

7"x7" (18cm x 18 cm)

I am not alone

2009-08-30T05:02:00.000-07:00

As I work around the yard it becomes abundantly clear that I am but a cog in a very big wheel. The variety of cogs is not only impressive but magnificent and never in this lifetime will I get to see them all except perhaps through pictures. That is why I thought I'd share these pics of a few of the wild creatures I see on a daily basis. (If I'd just remember to always have my camera with me, I'd have a lot more to share!)

The magnicient ring-necked pheasant

The peckish laying hens

(Okay, not so wild...my neighbour believes in free-range)

My neighbour's Meat Kings

(Don't think about it!)

The Amazing Hummingbird Moth

The Grey Petaltail Dragonfly

Architecture brought to you by your friendly neighborhood spider.

Every one of us has a job to do.

Looking at me looking at it!

Leopard Frog Jump!

Sally, the salamander!

There's seeds in them there pinecones!

I just want to have a sleep...I won't eat the bark. Honest!

I love them all, those creatures big and small!

An Octopus on Rollerskates

2009-08-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways."

H. Jackson Brown Jr., author

Not only do I sometimes feel like that octopus, I'm sure I often look like one as well. Problem is, I can't skate very well at all!

That being said, I thought I'd share some images that might shed some light on where my eight legs and arms are spread.

The flower gardens:

The fruit & vegetable gardens:

The yard:

The house exterior:

Before Reno

After Reno (A few things left to do)

A little added luxury

The house interior:

First Reno

Last Reno

Ensuite when we bought the house

Ensuite after reno

(There are a lot more renovations,an entire house full, but I think the pics above give you the jist of how big a reno this is!)

Of course, there is my top priority, family & friends; and I guess what has clearly become my last priority, the studio; and, lest I forget, the blog. Oh, and of course there's the off & on day job, the commuting to the city (45 minutes one way); the daily chores, including gathering everything from chanterelles to fiddleheads to blueberries; making jams and preserves; etc.;etc...Ever heard of an octopus with 12 or maybe 16 arms?

My husband often says "There are two reasons things don't get done: you don't want to do it or you don't know how!" After writing this post I conclude that there is a third reason: TOO MANY THINGS TO DO!

This Disordered Life Challenge

2009-07-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

I love a challenge so when This Disordered Life aka notmassproduced posted a creation challenge how could I refuse?

All Roads Lead To...

digital collage using photos & prints

And this is what I started with...

...A master piece in it's own right!

Be sure to check out This Disordered Life for links to other artist who have taken up the challenge and see what they have created.

Love Story 1937 - 1980

2009-07-24T04:56:00.000-07:00

Since I am using this blog as a place to record some of my work, I thought it might be nice to include this book I made as a project for my lithography course. Although, the images are okay they are not as good as they should be even though I did my etching plates twice. I only found out the following school year that there was a problem with the printer on which I made the films I used to etch my plates.

The subject of my book came from a stack of love letters my father wrote to my mother in the years 1937 to 1939, for theirs was a long-distance romance. Combined with pictures from my mother's photo albums, I created Roméo à Cyp as a tribute to their lives together. This August 23rd would have been their 70th Wedding Anniversary. Sadly, August 5th marks 30 years since my father, Roméo, passed away, and October 6th will mark 29 years since my mother, Cyprienne, passed.

This book was for them.

I made six copies, of which I kept three.

The title page, created by combining the cover my mother had created for the letters and the marks left by glue and paper on the back of one of her pictures.

A print created of one of the letters.

Various pictures of my father with a note he had written on the back of one. Basically he said the X on the gable indicated where his bedroom was.

My mother at her childhood home in Baie-St-Paul, Quebec.

A Valentine from 1938 which my father translated from English to French, the only language my mother would ever speak.

A small letter written inside in which he asks Cyprienne to write to him often as it will help make the days away from her so much easier.

A letter from my paternal grandfather to my maternal grandparents in which he assures them that my mother will be well financially and will lack for nothing.

The Bride - My mother and her family justaposed over two family trees she had created in her photo albums.

The Happy Couple

August 23, 1939

Since my parents passing, I have read most of the letters my father wrote as he courted my mother. I could only imagine her replies for he had not kept the letters she wrote. It is a very strange thing indeed to see your father in the role of courter and his letters certainly earned him the name he was given at birth, and which is synonomous with romance, Roméo.

Analyze This...

2009-07-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

In the Deepening Creativity collage process it is practically impossible not to analyze every image you come across that grabs your attention even for a second. Although I admit I am short on magazine supplies, I realize that the books and magazines I am using using in this endeavour are within my grasp because their contents mean something to me...If they didn't, I would not keep them.

On day 18,298, I am still looking for peace and enlightenment. I really have to wonder if that search is ever complete. This is not one of my favourite collages but it does contain elements that have meaning for me.

Actually the sun rays have a dual meaning these days because I really wish the sun would burst through the clouds in New Brunswick and heat us up a bit, but I digress!

The spiritual thread continued on day 18,299, as my eye was drawn to pictures with churches in them, some with as many as 6 churches of various denominations huddled together, all with their own sheep flocking to the inner sanctums. Been there, done that!

Don't look for me in this image, for I am not there. I guess I am more nomadic by nature and hence I will continue roaming around looking for answers to endless questions.

Connections

2009-07-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

This repost is part of the "Buried Treasures" project initiated by Seth at The Altered Page. I am relatively new at blogging and therefore did not have a lot to choose from. That being said this post seemed appropriate because I was musing on the wonders of blogging.

These past few days I have been reading the blog entries of many visual artists. It amazes me that we are from all over the globe, have completely different backgrounds, live completely different lives and yet our thoughts are so often similar. For instance, in a recent entry in Beyond Words, insanity was the topic of choice. Days earlier I found myself writing about sanity and insanity and how thinly veiled the latter was. Another topic was asemic writing, something I've done without realizing it had a name. In Identity I began writing a story about how our unique identity can be found in our fingerprints and our DNA. I was weaving this story through the ridges of my fingerprint but it eventually became asemic writing. It is a truly meditative process.

In the same vein, a few days ago I was reading Art Propelled where the weather was noted as an impedement to creating. The author is from South Africa where heat is the problem. Here in Canada winter has taken it's grip and -30 degree temperatures are paralyzing my creative mind. Opposites I know, but weather is weather.

I guess the point I'd like to make is that in some odd way the similarities really make me feel connected to something larger than I can imagine and I am finding that to be so beneficial. The most notable of the benefits for me is that being exposed to so much creativity is very stimulating. The images grab my attention, but it is the musings that captivate. I feel like I've come upon this great resource that is propelling me to create once again.

Which came first...the image or the words?

2009-07-14T08:49:00.001-07:00

Father, it has been 19 days since my last confession...Ooops, I meant to say: Reader, it has been 19 days since my last blog entry.

Please forgive my confusion, but doing these collages has felt a lot like sharing my trespasses with the great beyond. And although as a creative outlet it has been wonderful, revisiting and thinking about the images I have been creating has me thinking I'm on the couch trying to figure out what makes me tic!

Goodness knows I am always analyzing and no aspect of my life gets by without continual review. I have a very large collection of books but with very limited subject matter; if I'm not reading about gardens or art, you can bet I'm reading the latest self-help tome. It's like I'm always trying to fix something. And frankly, the collage tutorial has the same kind of feel for me as reading Wisdom of the Elders. The Four Agreements, The Seat of the Soul, etc.(which is probably what attracted me to it). I was hoping it would provide the formula needed for me to grow and set me free to create instinctively.

Has this happened? Not so much...because I just can't stop THINKING! But that is not to say that I have not benefited from the free 5 part tutorial given by Shelley Kramer . As a matter of fact, I will keep on doing this activity on my own because I think perhaps with time I will learn that I don't have to control everything in my life...I could just let my inner creator create. Take the image below - a bunch of random pics. No preconceived plan, no great message...

...but wait! All those stairs, the long narrow hall, the great wall. Stonehenge, the leaning tower, David and a Cherub, all gathered together...What could it mean?

Content or Content

2009-06-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Content, as in what is contained, or content, as in a state of being, that is the question. I hadn't yet received Lesson 2 when I got the urge to spontaneously create my 4th collage so it doesn't necessarily project what the lesson requested because the words out of the mouth are not so much things I reject...They're just words I found that had some meaning to me. I will work on the rejection image later because it makes so much sense to do it.

That being said, the word heart came up often in Lesson 2 and oddly enough, I did use a torn heart in my collage. This means a lot of different things to me. Julia Cameron, writer of The Artist's Way and numerous other books, wrote: "Making a piece of art may feel like telling a family secret." I would develop that even further and say that making a piece of art is revealing secrets both to the artist and to the observer...And that is more than a little scary!

Shelley Krammer, author of the e-line course I am following, compares our unconscious mind to the basement of our homes. Coincedently, my husband and I are currently finishing our basement so that it no longer is the place where you store things you don't want to look at. And here I am, trying to bring forth my unconscious creative being so that I can see what gifts and strengths lie hidden beneath the surface. Life is so full of similar parallels...It truly amazes me!

The Shadow

2009-06-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Lesson 1 - I'm thinking this is a lot like being in Grade School, the only difference is that rather than just play I'm looking for something that seems to be buried pretty deep...Well deeper than what is coming forth so far!

Two of the images I used in this collage were actually spotted yesterday, the face from a photography book and the person carved out of a tree trunk (actually already used to create a print). The tree (I LOVE trees!) was spotted today as were the little notes. The process of putting the collages together and the "serendipitous search" (I may be exagerating a bit...I still can't stop planning) makes me think a lot about what the images mean to me.

The size of the shadowy figure makes me think something is lurking there, in the shadows, preventing the light from coming through. This is why I threw in a little sunshine of my own. Hopefully it will cast it's rays all the way to New Brunswick and shine brightly for a little while!

Mimicking Life for Display

2009-06-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Day two of the free e-course Deepening Creativity and I'm not quite sure that I'm letting my authentic self come through yet. I still feel like I'm trying to control the outcome of these collage exercises. However, that being said, this image is not one I would normally create. The colours, the disjointed subjects that I was led to, the lack of cohesiveness...Still, when I look at it , the elements seem to reflect a lot of my thinking...looking, connecting the dots, sharks, cryptic cards, all viewed by the observer through a viewmaster.

One of the hardest parts of this is exercise is ripping images out of some old photography books I have (even though they are doubles and are about a lost art). Then again, I even have trouble tearing pictures out of magazines.

Although I did say it was Day 2 , I must admit both yesterday's image and today's were created before I even got the first lesson. Tomorrow will be real homework!

My Authentic Self

2009-06-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy lately doing the mundane but oftentimes necessary work needed to garner some wages. Add to that spring time activities, i.e. gardening, cleaning and refreshing the interior spaces, and clearly my neverending search for my authentic self has been put on the back burner yet again.

Enter Robyn, author of one of my favourite blogs Art Propelled, and her latest inspiring posts. I don't know where she finds the time to research/find the numerous creative spaces that she so selflessly shares on her blog but I sure am grateful she does. Her latest posts are about a free on-line mini course, Deepening Creativity-Reclaiming your authenticity with creativity, given by Shelley Klammer,Intuitive Artist. As I read about Robyn's foray into the 10-minute collage exercises I immediately felt this could be of some benefit to me. And so, here is my first attempt.

I am a true control freak so this will be a challenge, one that I hope will help me abandon the need to always plan outcomes. Nothing just happens with me...I have even managed to put Order in Chaos.

Chaos Acrylic on canvas (2006)

Order Acrylic on canvas (2006)

Chaos & Order start out the same, one layer at a time. Yet at some point, as each layer is applied, things start to get out of control. It is only by extracting each layer, one step at a time, that order is restored. And in the end, even in Chaos there is Order.

I'm hoping the daily collages are going to help me find my authentic self. Maybe that is a pretty tall order, but I'm up for the creativity and I know I'm in here somewhere!

Spring Springing...

2009-05-19T03:48:00.000-07:00

I feel like it's taken forever but spring has finally arrived. Apparently it was here March 20th , it just didn't look like it at the time!

Spring usually means I'm outdoors prepping flower and vegetable gardens, clearing away the dead vegetation, stirring the compost and planting trees (42 of them this year). I woke up yesterday to find that 18 of the small sapplings I had planted were all carefully dug up to get at the eggshells and bone meal I had put around the roots.

As we have a pretty short growing season, I usually start my vegetable seeds indoors. It's a lot of work but oh the rewards! There is nothing as thrilling as seeing the little sprouts breaking through reaching for the light.

Another sign of spring is our annual fiddlehead picking outing, aka the Ostrich Fern. There are no words to describe how incredible it feels to be out there, communing with nature and just seeing the resilience of each species of vegetation from the tiniest seedlings, to moss covered trunks to the tallest trees. Once there, I just never want to leave. Of course that might have something to do with the fact that all those fiddleheads have to be cleaned and blanched and packed up and frozen. The rewards of this tedious work will be most enjoyed next winter, when thoughts of spring are once again a vague memory.

Still the biggest sign of spring is the lack of time to spend in my studio. Perhaps if the house renovations were done it would be different. I'm hoping to find this out next year once the renovation of both house and studio is complete.

In the meantime, I'll continue to use my blog to ramble on and record past works, even though my head is bursting with new ideas and a desire to create that won't be held down much longer.

City in Darkness

2009-04-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

City in Darkness

Mixed media
Inspired while on a trip to Toronto, this painting combines various mediums applied on a stretched canvas. The buildings were painted in acrylic which I then detailed with oil pastels and conté crayons. The angel on the left upper corner(many people can't seem to spot her) is decoupaged using a picture I had of a stone angel and touched up with the same mediums.

This was and is one of my favorite paintings. It was bought soon after it was created and I was fortunate to find a picture of it on a CD I had made as I lost many of my images when my computer was stolen two years ago.

Toronto, Ontario is in central Canada and went through some tough times a few years back but it managed to bounce back, hence the angel watching over the city.

Centrifuge

2009-04-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Centrifuge

Acrylic on canvas

One of the things about being an artist without a regular routine is that so many things take over your time...family, friends, gardening, spring chores. For my husband and me, this year it is the renovation of the interior of our house. Last year it was the outside, ie. roof, siding & windows. We are fortunate that we have enough skills to tackle most of these jobs ourselves. Our main floor is mostly complete with just a few finishing touches. Next is the lower level which is being gutted and redesigned completly. And my studio will also be getting new windows and siding.

Sometimes you feel like you are in the middle of a huge wave that is carrying you wherever it wants. The best approach seems to be to go with the flow even if it sometimes gets a little intense.

Intensity
Acrylic on canvas

That being said, I think about blogging daily, but only get as far as checking out a few of my favorites. Topping my list is Beyond Words and Art Propelled. Just those two blogs are enough to give me energy and the hope that one day I'll get back to it myself. So Karin and Robyn, if you read this, Thank You both for being there! Your efforts bring joy to so many.

Anyway, gotta get back to it. I am actually writing this in the middle of a construction zone and I'm starting to think I should put on a hard hat.

Worm - A Story about the Environment

2009-04-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

The precarious state of the earth soon became evident to the worm as it tried repeatedly to tunnel through an unrecognized dark mass which had been buried just below the surface.

Unable to break through, it turned its attention upwards.

Soon it found itself in the hot, glaring sun. As it felt the drying effects of the sun's rays it struggled to reach a small puddle that gleamed in the bright light.

The worm had to overcome what must have seemed like an insurmountable number of obstacles.

There were twigs and stones and many objects the worm had never seen before. There was a large rock and the trunk of a tree that was recently felled. There was even an anthill which the worm was determined to avoid.

It never occurred to the worm to give up the journey.

And when at last the destination was reached, the worm, slightering with the satisfaction of a job well done, soon suffered no more as the black oil which had dripped onto the driveway envelopped it and sealed its fate.

The End

I chose the royalty-free music for this video at: PacDv Free Sound Effects ( http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html )

This is the latest storybox book. I began with a trinket box that I picked up for 25 cents at a second hand shop. I painted it burnt sienna, then added crackle finish and a raw umber contrast. The storybox books are helping me recycle lithographs and photo etchings I did while a student in a four year visual arts program. These prints, of which there are many, are going to supply my backgrounds for many projects to come. All my work generally has some form of social or environmental statement, be it in the subject or in recycling the materials used to create.

Endless chaos of the cluttered mind

2009-03-17T03:22:00.000-07:00

The past few years have been really all-around crazy for me in every sense of the word. At times I feel that my head is akin to that drawer so many of us have that is just jam-packed with all types of junk imaginable, tossed in there because you just don't know where to put it.

If at least there was room in there for thoughts to ferment long enough to reach maturation, then to be released leaving space for the next thought or idea to develop...Alas, creative ideas just get thrown in with worries, useless thoughts, memories (both good and bad), plans and projects, lists of things I want to do, I could do, I should do...Every day the drawer gets harder and harder to close.

Ever the optimist, I keep trying to put order. The first thing I need to do is to take stalk of what is in there and focus on one area at a time:

3 Hearts

An assortment of Carniverous plants:

Five Heads:

This is just at first glance...Clearly, the time has come for some serious spring cleaning!

Curio Studio is where my creative side can really come out to play. It is where the interesting, the unusual and the creative come together. Nothing has to conform and nothing is judged. Sadly, it has been enduring a serious drought as the mundane has pushed it to the back of the drawer. The struggle for a drawer of it's own is evident...Hence this blog, hence yesterday's post and today's inventory of what you can find there. (Some, to my dismay, covered in cobwebs!)

You may be wondering who is keeping Curio at the back of the drawer...I know exactly who she is. Her name is Sonia, Curio's alter ego...No wait a minute, Curio is Sonia's alter ego...No wait, they're so different they can't possibly be occupying the same head-space! One thing I do know, Sonia is getting stronger and now she wants a blog of her own. We'll see who gets the upper hand!

A Few Glimpses of Curio Studio

2009-03-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

Thought I might get back into blogging and the creative process by taking a few shots of my studio. It is nestled among 40 foot spruce trees and features a screened in porch and all the amenities I could possibly need to create in a comfortable, warm environment. It is located about 200 feet from my home (although when 6 foot snowdrifts separate house and studio, it might as well be miles away! Lucky for me it is crusty snow time and I can just scoot over the drifts.) I digress...

In 2007, my studio was broken into and it has taken me quite some time to feel creative in that environment again, but it is coming about. Although they did little damage, they stole one of my most treasured tools - my computer. Don't get me wrong, a computer is just a possession that can easily be replaced but what the computer contained was a good deal of my creative memory and the images I created are gone forever. And of course, it just takes awhile to get over somebody invading your personal space. I think I am there now.

There are a lot of odd bits at Atelier Curio Studio, ie. a latex mold of ears;

A medical tray with dental instruments and various odd bits and pieces used mostly in clay work;

a couple of kilns and kiln supplies;

glaze tests & characters waiting to be bisqued;

various odds and ends;

and copper and tin plates used to make prints.

Of course, there are a lot of other materials and work surfaces, but not everything is suitable to be photographed...even some of the shots I did take should'nt be shown, however I think I'm in an evaluation process. That being said, I'm just going with the flow - sometimes meandering, sometimes rushing!

Angels

2009-02-01T06:22:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I came upon an angel and it has managed to find it's way into a variety of my art pieces. Although it remains consistently and conspicuously the same, the atmosphere in which it finds itself is ever-changing. The feeling of security of her steadfast presence does not escape me as, regardless of her environment, she reaches upwards for something better.

Etched in glass, she stands out against an earthy background, subtle yet present.

Most of the times Angel has appeared she was in a lithograph. She is photo-etched on a metal plate which can be used many times. Probably the time she appeared that has meant the most to me is in the image below. As she points towards the heavens, she draws your attention to a segment of a love letter my father wrote to my mother during their courtship over 70 years ago.

You can see more three more prints in my previous postings.

Time to go to my studio. Although it is -7 degrees celcius and there is 3 feet of snow on the ground, the sun is shining and I'm looking forward to finishing one of the paintings in my sunflower series. I think I'll call it my Departure Series because it is so far away from what I've been doing.

There Was a Time

2009-01-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

The third and last in a very limited series of shadowbox story books. There Was a Time

is more fantasy than logic. The story is left to the observer who can imagine a scenario where flies have feathers and flowers burst out of seeds already in bloom.

The cover art for this particular book is designed using an etching and photo transfer I did while doing my visual arts degree. I often use bits and pieces of my student art projects in some of my work, a different interpretation for recycled art. If you'd like to view the 2nd book in the series, follow the link to my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22235679@N08/

True Art

2009-01-21T05:20:00.000-08:00

'Nough said!

Incarcerated

2009-01-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I did a series of three pastel and charcoal images representing incarceration, i.e. bars, chains and barbwire. I was really focused on the visual aspect and didn't put more thought into it until two years ago when I was preparing for a solo exhibit which I labelled Cognition. Reflecting on the images I realized that I too was incarcerated by bars and chains and barbwire, and yet I thought I was free. I recreated the three images exactly only this time I applied a little reality check.

When I look around me at all the ' stuff ' I've accumulated, at all the unnecessary waste and at all the ' Gotta haves ' I still want, I know it will take a mighty saw to cut through the bars I've created over the years. I don't even know if I want to break free because, truth be known, I like my ' stuff '!

And of course those bars, they come with a pretty impressive chain made up of an impressive number of links. Link by link, the banks, the credit cards, the loans, and even all the different point programs various corporations like to hook us with, are ensuring that chain grows longer and stronger. I could really use a heavy duty chain cutter!

That being said, when it comes right down to it, even if I had the right saw and the ideal chain cutter, as long as my thoughts keep me imprisoned I will never truly be free. I really believe that our thoughts are the most powerful tool we have with which we can change our lives. They can either keep us enclosed like barbwire or set us free. I'm sad to say that to date I haven't managed to remove all the barbs that prevent me from reaching my higher self. Still, I guess the most important thing is to remove them one at a time and eventually my mind will be a peaceful place where only creativity exists.

New Year, New Determination.

2009-01-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

Last year I started my blog, this year I am determined to add to it on a weekly basis (I'd like to say daily, but I know myself well enough!). The art work and projects I will be posting will be from various periods in my creative development, which of course in a never-ending process. Because I fundamentaly believe that art is in every aspect of our lives, my post will seem rather eclectic, but in fact that is the very essence of who I am.

My latest creative endeavour wove it's way into the land of storytelling. I thoroughly enjoyed the creating a series of StoryBook Boxes with various bits of bric-a-brac that I found lying about.

Tarnish is the story of a queen who was so enamoured with the character in a book that she summoned him to appear before her. You can see additional photos and read more about it on my flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22235679@N08/

In the end is the beginning...Well, maybe not.

2008-11-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

In the process of creating this image a few things started coming into focus...by opening my mind's eye I could envision strange occurrences in the most banal objects; I was attracted to some pretty macabre images, such as skeletal remains; I had an underlying concern for the environment; and perhaps I had a hidden fatalistic view of where the world was heading.

"Cause & conséquence - eau" was the first in a series of four lithographs about the effects of pollution, the last of which was a culmination of the previous 3. These images were developped using Photoshop and were created when I was enrolled in the Bachelor of Visual Arts program at Université de Moncton. In 2005, "et à la fin" was chosen as the finalist for New Brunswick in the BMO First Art competition.

Other images I have created using various mediums

2008-11-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

La pénombre - monotype

A few angels from a lithograph series

2008-11-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

2008-11-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

Therapeutic Walk-monotype

2008-11-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Femme contrebasse-monotype

2008-11-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Champignons - Block print

Between Birth and Death -chine collée

2008-11-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Terre Nébuleuse-Lithograph

2008-11-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

Cold - Acrylic painting

-
Security - ceramic

Silence-ceramic

2008-11-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

Détresse- mixed media

2008-11-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

Humanité-ceramic sculpture

2008-11-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

Three Sages - Ceramic

2008-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Sage and the Kimono Dragon