Vacation

Jason and I are taking our long-awaited road trip to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. We are leaving on Saturday and returning in 2 weeks (or so). The cats (Buckley on the left) and Pandora (on the right) will be left in the care of the neighbour and visiting friends. It looks like the cats are ready to take a vacation as well, and don't seemed the least bit disturbed by our departure.

Maybe I'll post while I'm away, if I can get to the public library or someother computer place.
Happy Holidays!

PS, I ended the mitten documentation at 789. That's all the mittens and gloves that I used in the Winterlude tent installation. I'd still like to get through the ones that were hung inside the Pavilion, but that will have to be left to some other time. I'd also estimate that all I've gotten through about half of the mittens and gloves that I have in total! More work to be done!

Mittens III

Yesterday was a perfect mitten documentation day. I finally got a system for tagging, documenting and photographing. I got through about 100 yesterday. Today, I was planning to do a whole bag or two, but got stopped by the rain. I only got 50 done. I've been doing all this outside because:
-its nice to work outside in the summer
-better lighting for photography
-more room to spread out
-makes the neighbors wonder what I'm up to. (Someone has to do something interesting around here!)

Today was a bit frustrating, but there's always tomorow. Also, my phone line hasn't been working, the internet when down (horror) briefly. I was planning on cleaning up my studio room (its been a mess for about a month!), but first I need to find some boxes. Instead of cleaning up, I'm just hopping to be able to pack up and move into that dreamy studio.

John Ceprano

I went to see John Ceprano's river art work yesterday and had a nice chat with him along the Ottawa river. He works there everyday making new sculptures, fixing ones that have fallen from the high water this year, chatting with people. He's been making these river sculptures for 18 years. Its a really beautiful sight (and site), if you get a chance to go see it. If you take the river Parkway west, you can't miss it. Its on the north side of road (of course) along the river. Enjoy!

Mittens II

Here's what I've been working with in the past few days: The Mitten Database. I've been working the back yard tagging and photographing the lost mittens. I've been tagging the mittens and as I take the pictures, I write down the image # to correspond with the assigned tag #. Then I download the images to the computer, and change the image # to the mitten # and voila! Eventually, it will all get thrown into the database and you'll be able to see the mitten info (colour, lost date, location, etc...) with its image. Maybe there's an easier way to do this, but this seems to be working.

Chair

Jason spotted this great chair yesterday on his way home from work. The two of us hauled it off the street under the cover of darkeness and now we have a new piece of furniture. It had rained yesterday so it got washed and I had it out in the sun today to dry. Its strange taupy-brown colour in leather. I can't imagine someone selecting this as their favorite colour for a chair. Its also a bit worn, I like to think 'distressed' on the arms and the seat, but nothing that a little patch job can't fix. Last week we got rid of our couch (a 'find' as well) because it gave me a sore back. I think it was quite old and no longer had any support. Now we have a nice chair to share. It pays to live in a nice neighbourhood where people willy-nilly (I love that word) get rid of furniture. We might even make garbage night a regular 'date' night :)

Tags

Here are 500 tags I've made for the documentation of my Lost Mitten Project. I've written numbers on old knit t-shirt in permanent marker. I bought 1000 safety pins last week at the dollar store. Tomorow, I'm going to 'do the laundry' and begin washing them all.

No word on the studio yet, but I've been thinking about it all weekend. I have so many plans for a new space. Its seems so dreamy. I might even want to keep it tidy :)

Mittens

Yesterday I began organizing my Lost Mitten Project. Since I got an Ontario Arts Council Grant for my Lost Mitten Project, I figured I actually have to get to work!!!! Yesterday I spent some time organizing the bags of mittens I have in my garage. I'm trying to sort the bags by the approximate date of loss of mitten (as opposed to the collection date, when I picked up the mittens from the transit system lost and found). I think the approximate date of loss is more important.

Also yesterday, I stared making tags for the mittens. I got up to 800, although I have already tagged up to 300. I probably have about 2000 lost mittens and gloves. I want to tag them and them wash them. Some of them are kind of dirty. Next week, I am planning to start the tagging process and photodocumentation and data entry. This is going to be so much fun! Its also fun to work with these silly mittens in the summer. It kind of absurd to think of wearing a mitten on a day like today!

I saw a lovely studio today. I'm ready for the big move to More Space!

Football

This is Ruffy, the mascot for the Ottawa Renegades football team. Jason and I are going to go to a game tonight. It seems to be a big thing here in Ottawa. I don't know anything about football. I'm going more to watch the crazy fans, and of course, the Ruffy the Mascot. My friend Yvette got me interested in sports mascots. They are so funny. Why does a sports team even need a mascot? There must be a long history involved with that. A few years ago, I even had a job interview for a company that makes mascots. I didn't get the job.

I don't understand the whole professional sports phenomema anyway. It all about business, really. And entertainment. People spend so much money on being a fan of a sports team. It really amazes me. Sports is the new religion. Something people can believe in. Something that gives their life meaning. Ah, but its all really just a brilliant marketing scheme and business plan, so its all meaningless.

This is what happens when I go to sporting events, I think too much!! Maybe I'll bring a pen to take notes...

Clowns

Today I went to the National Gallery exhibition of PARADE. I'm not a big fan of clowns (too much Moliere, Pass Partout and mimes in French school and that weird clown at the skating arena for a birthday party), so I went in pretty skeptical. The curation and presentation of the exhibition was beautiful, but I get ansty looking at old art. This is a nice, safe, show and great for the tourists and visitors. But where's the Edge? Where's the controversy?

The Picasso curtain is big and beautiful and probably the real reason for creating the show in the first place, but I found the last giant room with only 3 Picasso paintings a bit much. It was like they ran out of work.
And that 'living room' effect to watch the Picasso ballet on TV? PLeeeeeaaaaassse...

Wouldn't it be cool if the National Gallery made an exhibition that featured young contemporary Canadian artists? I'm sure that this clown exhibition cost a lot of money to put on...so wouldn't it be nice if the Gallery combed the country for edgy, informative, brilliant Canadian art (yes, it does exist!) and put that on for a summer show? Maybe that way, Canadian artists could take a make more of an impact on the international art scene. Hmmm, the Canadian government supporting its artists? What a novel idea!

Just my thoughts for the day...If only I could change the world...

Wire Tree

Another find at the st Vincent De Paul here in Ottawa. Only 0.59 cents. A lovley little wind-swept tree made of copper wire. It looks like someone made it by hand, took the trouble the mount it on a little plaque of wood and then got bored of it and donated it. It caught my eye because I'm interested in that sculptural phenomenon of making something 3-dimensional out of something that is not (ie: wire).

Beaver

Isn't this the coolest work you ever saw? Ok, I'm trying to eat the tree like the beaver, but he or she is Amazing to be able to cut such a huge tree with their TEETH!!!! I don't think I've ever come across a tree in-mid chew before. The beaver will be back to finish the job....and to think this little animal practically founded this country with its fur....
The camping trip was great. A few too many motor boats on the lake, though, and jet-skis, grrrrrr. I think it was louder at Murphey's Point than in the Glebe (community where I live). A good weekend of relaxing and being outside. Much needed.

Camping

Jason and I are going camping this weekend at Murphey's Point. We rented a canoe to get to our canoe-in site. I'm looking forward to a swim in the lake, roasted marshmallows, and a great sleep in the tent. There's nothing like a good camping weekend. The weather is forcast to be a little cooler this for the next few days (24 degrees, instead of the 30+ it has been lately), but that just makes it all the more cozier!

Sightings

I clipped these from the back of Toronto's Now Magazine. Haven't you ever wished you were 'sighted'? How fresh and cheerful this love is? Being struck by a glance, a smile, something about the brief connection...Will these romantic fools ever find their 'love at first sight' again? Its such a dreamy, blissful hope, putting an ad in a entertainment newspaper, hoping that that special person will contact them. There is Hope for Love.

Swing

Dinner

I was inspired by these beautiful fresh peas I bought at the Byward Market. on Sunday. I made the best dinner last night. It was blanched peas with butter, broiled salmon with dill and lemon on a bed of spinach (sauteed in onions and garlic and butter), served with sundried tomato coucous and a few grape tomatoes. So delicious. And it only too about 15 miuntes to make. Sometimes eating art is good too.

Long Time, No Post

I have been away in Toronto last week and had a reprieve from the computer and work. Its great to go back to have fun in a city I know so well. I spotted a few interesting things while I was there. This picture was taken on Blue Jays Way (I think) pretty close to Front st. Its a little arrow sign and one side says RISE and the other side says ABOVE. I saw another sign like this one in Kensington market on Balwin St just west of Spadine. Its spins around in the wind. Such a sublte addition to the city sky line. Spotting public art is a little taste of something delightful. Kind of like dessert.

Cool Tubes

This is a picture I took at the Experimental Farm on a bike ride in the spring. I think these are poles for scaffolding or something. Anyway, I like the texture of the image...and the industriousness that these pole are made for. They look heavy and useful.

Funny Packaging

I bought this funny hook at the St Vincent De Paul a few weeks ago for .59 cents. I think its funny that this the packaging is geared to adults and the desire for their children to be neat. It will clearly solve all problems of messy-ness in a child's room. It's key features are: " decorative and functional", " Fun for all ages" and "Hanging instructions on back". So handy.

Hydro Lines

Hydro lines off the 401 near Toronto. They go on forever. Such an interesting and useful structure...and sculptural too. Powerful, neccessary, infrastructure to our lifestyle. What else can I say?

Sculpture at Bata Show Museum

This is the interesting sculpture in the window at the Bata Shoe Museum on Bloor St. It lookes like its made of skipping rope. I like how 3-dimensioanl it is, just buy using lines.