WHAT IS US WITH ALL THE DAMN BEARDS??
It certainly seems to be the hottest rage lately and its not just a hockey beard either. Yesterday on a 5 block walk home I counted the ratio of bearded to un-bearded men I encountered.
Bearded – 35
Clean Shaven – 7
I don’t have a thing about beards. I personally don’t like a beard on a man but to each his own, nes pas? It just strikes me as a rather fur-ocious trend as of late.
I remember when I was a little girl my favorite thing in the world to do was draw. My best friend Kathy Clarke and I used to sit for hours and draw dolls, girls, animals but mostly sweet girls, we even made our own cut out dolls, We drew books of things! I loved to draw. I still do ! To this day I have one of those little booklets that Kathy and I drew together. I’ll use it in my art one day for sure.
When it came to career day in high school I knew exactly which direction I wanted to take. I wanted to be an artist. I had taken those tv tests, you know, the ones where you reproduce a cartoon or two and send it in for evaluation. I think I reproduced a mouse or a turtle or something along those lines. My results were encouraging and I just knew that I was a great artist ready to take on the world. I gathered all the college info from the guidance counsellors. I made sure I had pamphlets from every school that offered art programs and I brought them home to my parents for their approval. I was on cloud nine! Now, I know parents don’t always think before they speak. I know I’ve said a lot of stupid things to my son. So when my father said to me that being an artist was extremely hard and that I would never make any money and that I should look at something more practical I was crushed. In that moment I made a whole slew of things up in my mind like I wasn’t good enough, my Father didn’t think I was good enough, he didn’t love me, he didn’t trust me, the list is probably endless but you get the point. I guess I could have been a pretty good story writer too! I fell down off my cloud and never really got back up again until I was about 40 years old. I mean I kept doing artsy things and was always very creative in making my home beautiful but I let go completely of the idea of being an artist. Now, don’t take that to mean that I blame my father. I absolutely know that he was trying to spare me the “Road of Hard Knocks” and that he loved me and wanted what was best for me. Suffice it to say I took that road and many other rickety paths but I learned a lot along the way and I have an amazing son out of the whole “sidetrack”.
I did the “white picket fence” deal, the divorce deal, the single mom deal. I was always taking care of somebody or something other than myself and my passions. I am not complaining, this is just how it went. But, once my son left home for school I let it rip! I bought canvas, easel, paint and sketch pads, charcoal, and anything any artist could ever need or want! My pent-up mind exploded all over the place. I haven’t looked back since. I saw art in every minute of my life and I am so happy to have found my one true love again.
For the past two years I’ve been participating in a local all-nighter art festival called Nuit Blanche Ottawa+Gatineau. The first Nuit Blanche was created by Jean Blaise in 1984 in Nantes, France. Other countries quickly followed in offering an all-night summer art festival in the heart of their respective cities. And now, in 2012, Ottawa, Canada finally launched theirs. I was part of that inaugural night! I covered a bus in crocheted grannie squares. Over 500 squares were hooked by me and my team, the O-Town Bombers.
I was absolutely floored, flabbergasted, agape, you name it…I was it…when my Father and Step-Mother pulled up to my installation site to help me cover that bus. It was my Father’s birthday and they drove 12 hours to be part of my art. I tell you, I’ve never felt more loved, touched, supported and recognized as I did the minute I saw my dad’s face. I think it might be a moment of validation but more so, it was a moment of absolute love from my Father. Something I’ve craved my entire life and I am so glad I got it before one of us left this world. And my Step Mom….she had a blast climbing on top of that bus and covering the roof for hours. What a pure demonstration of support and understanding! My own 71 year old mother is a huge part of the team as well! I felt love in the most extreme form that day. My Father’s presence, fueled my confidence and pride as an artist. I will never forget this day.
My Father and Step Mom return to Ottawa each year for Nuit Blanche and this year I’m going to work extra hard to bring them through the city to enjoy the sights and sounds.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better though, my Father has gone a step further in supporting my dreams. He’s built me my own giant easel out of 200 year old birch wood felled in myhome town, Matheson, Ontario. I mean, I just may bowl over from so much love and support ! And I can hardly wait to get that easel into my studio!
A Father’s love is a mighty powerful incentive in life and my Dad has shown me that no matter how old you are, you’ll always feel like a princess when your Dad’s around. I love ya Pops and thank you so much for everything you have ever done for me.
This is my Step Mom Patti posing with the easel my Father built for me.
LECTURE BY ALEXANDER REFORD
THE INTERNATIONAL GARDEN FESTIVAL
Beyond the Edge: Artists’ Gardens, a new project of the Canadensis Botanical Garden Society,
Ottawa, presents a lecture by Alexander Reford, Director of Les Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens,
Grand-Metis, Quebec.
Alexander Reford will delight gardeners, landscape architects, and artists with his presentation on The
International Garden Festival, the leading contemporary garden festival in North America held at Les
Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens. Each year, the festival exhibits over 25 conceptual gardens created by
architects, landscape architects, and designers in a natural environment on the banks of the St. Lawrence
River. Since its inception in 2000, more than 140 gardens have been exhibited.
DATE: Thursday May 1, 2014
The lecture will be given twice:
6:00 – 7:15 pm (doors open at 5:30 pm)
8:00 – 9:15 pm (doors open at 7:40 pm)
COST: CBGS Members: $12. Non-members: $15.
PAYMENT: Tickets for the lecture time of your choice – 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. – can be made through PayPal, or
purchased at the door. Advance purchase is recommended due to limited seating. Bring your Paypal receipt
to gain entry. Click here to Pay online
LOCATION: The renovated Cereal Barn (Bldg #76), Central Experimental Farm, off Prince of Wales Drive.
PARKING: Located off Prince of Wales Drive, south of the Arboretum. $3.00 pay and display.
Click here to View site map
Proceeds will go to Beyond the Edge: Artists’ Gardens (Ottawa), June 27- September 27, 2014,
an inaugural project of the future Canadensis: The Garden of Canada/Le Jardin du Canada. Information
on Beyond the Edge: Artists’ Gardens, including location and participating artists, will be announced at this
lecture.
Complementary coffee is generously provided by BRIDGEHEAD
Pink Punch, 2013 by Michaela Macleod and Nicholas
Croft
Photo credit: Marie-Claude Hamel
Because I don’t blog much when I’m not in the studio either!
That is a piece I started 2 weeks ago. Then I took in a cat. A cat that needs to know he has a forever person and a forever home. A cat that is slowly destroying my home but is slowly winning my heart as well. He’s a brat but he’s a lost little boy and I have to forgive him for now.
I’m finally living alone again and the freedom is indescribable. I’m not as stressed and I can eat, drink, read and dance in any room in the house, dressed or nekid, and I play music all weekend. I got rid of cable tv and home phone and I feel deliciously detached. I did keep my internet…a girl has to have some vices.
Back to the painting. I had a big plastic storage box full of crafters acrylics. I’d been collecting them for years from various dollar stores. About 10% of them had dried up. A lot of them were in a gummy stage so I scraped out what I could and rolled the paint into shapes and used them in another painting. I’m not sure I like the effect yet but I can work that out.
I then cleaned out my canvasses. I had one that was left behind by the previous studio owner but it had a rip in it. Instead of throwing it out I cut out two holes in different shapes, kitty corner to each other. Then I squeezed all of that old paint from the top of the canvas and let it drip down the surface. It made some wonderful puddles on the floor. Now I have to figure out how to lift it all in one piece because I want to place them behind the holes in the canvas.
I think if I spray the lot with water it may make this puddle softer so that I can lift it. If not then I will have to begin the dripping process all over again. I’ll put a piece of canvas below my easel to catch the puddles this time. We shall see. Maybe I should do puddles of just black and white. We shall see. I have to get my butt to the studio at least once this week.
The installation for Chinatown Remixed is taking over my life again. Funny thing is, I sign up for it every year. I’m kinda kooky that way. It’s going to be wonderful and generous and outrageous this year. So, if you’re in Ottawa from May 17th to June 17th, 2014, hop on over to Chinatown for some very groovy art.
Here’s what’s hot tonight people….Orange Gallery has relocated to 290 City Centre Avenue in Ottawa, the nation’s capital happenin city!!
I go to Orange every time one of my two favorite artists are showing, Dan Martelock and Andrea Stokes. Twice I haven’t been able to make it but now that the gallery is closer to home, I’m sure I won’t ever miss a show again.
See are my farty arty, artsy fartsy friends out tonight. I’m looking forward to a new era of amazing art at ORANGE
In my last blog I whined, complained, moaned about no inspiration or motivation. I forced my butt to the studio Tuesday night after a very stressful day at work. I pittered and pattered about my studio, just kind of forced myself to stay in the conversation of art. I was cleaning my brushes in the common area where we clean brushes. I looked at to tiny paintings on the wall of this common area and wondered who had painted them and how long they had been there. Then my eye moved a few feet to the left and I saw this…a hook on the wall of the bathroom stall.
It was like an open invitation, a dare, a challenge and my mind quickly accepted!
I’m feeling quite uninspired these past two weeks. I’ve only managed to drag my ass into the studio twice a week and I’m feeling quite drained. Let’s brainstorm shall we? Tell me what you do to be inspired. What are your rituals to induce those creative juices to flow? Where do you draw energy from? Who or what inspires you?
I’ve accepted so many invitations to different art shows and gatherings etc. but can’t seem to muster up the energy or excitement to attend. I know I’m missing a lot of great vernisage but I just can’t seem to drag my ass out of the house. I think this might be the winter blahs and lord knows we’ve had a very hard cold winter..its still threatening to hang on for dear life. Or…….
I know I’m kind of waiting for my life to start anew again this month but that is just it, I’m waiting. Waiting is not at all inspirationall. So I wait and want, want and wait. I also pray that this lethargy ends when I get my space and place to myself again in the middle of the month.
No matter what the cause or reason for my inaction…even if I find out why…it won’t make a difference. What will make a difference is making a choice. I can be committed to bitching about it or I can be committed to doing something about it. The last choice is doing absolutely nothing about it but no bitching allowed. HMMMMMM. what shall I do?
I’m really praying hard for spring. The birds outside my bedroom window were very loud this morning. I’m hoping they know something I don’t know.
Everyone has a bucket list right? All those crazy things you want to do, see, people you want to do, see. I have a bucket list of art galleries and museums that I simply must see before I leave this planet. These are not in order of preference or importance. They are all important and all a must see for me. What does your list look like?
1. The Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao
2. The Guggenheim in NYC, USA http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york
3. The Louvre (of course), Paris, France http://www.louvre.fr/en
4. The Tate Modern and Britain , London, UK http://www.tate.org.uk/
5. The Getty, LA, USA https://www.getty.edu/museum/
6. The Van Gogh, Amsterdam, Netherlands http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?lang=nl
7. The Klughaus, NYC, USA http://www.klughaus.net/artists.html
8. The ARTIC, Art Institute of Chicago, USA http://www.artic.edu/
9. The Vatican Museums http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
10. SAAM/Rencwick, Washington, DC, USA http://americanart.si.edu/
Do you think there’s a cost to using the exact words you know in your heart best describes your latest piece or do you leave that up to imagination of the beholder? This latest piece I’ve completed is called Mutha Fucka…but I don’t know if I’ll keep the name for fear of offending too many people. Then again…I am really tired of not expressing myself and this painting absolutely portrays what happens when one censors themselves. I could always just go with Mutha F*&^a but that really isn’t as effective is it? Gimme two cents yall.
Justy Dennis 