I’m learning to knit and I’m hooked (hardy har har). The garter stitch is sorted and I’m refining my purling ability. I knit a couple wee baby hats a while ago, and now that autumn is officially here, I have knit my first neck cowl. My busy hands will be helping to pare down my Christmas list. Oh how I do enjoy handmade and inexpensive gift-giving!

I’ve finally finished a commission for which Robyn has been patiently waiting. She commissioned a buttercup like this one last year and decided it looked lonely on her wall, so it needed a buddy. Here’s the buddy! It’s also called Buttercup, since it’s now part of a diptych. Here’s how they look together (except the colours look all wacky because one pic was taken inside last year and the other outside yesterday. I swear they are actually the same colours)…

I’ve had a pixie haircut for a couple years and dreaded the thought of growing it out. Well, I’m giving it a go. The reason I dread growing it out is the same every time. Because right now I look unfortunately similar to this guy:

About a year ago, I received an email from a local artist I had never met. She predicated the email with her concern that I would see her as some wingnut. The email explained that she had stumbled on my website and been moved by my flower series paintings, to the point that she imagined a children’s book and line of merchandise. While I can understand her trepidation about sending such an email, I was touched that someone had gone out on a limb to encourage me. Without knowing me, she mentioned children’s books (a significant personal goal) and Maurice Sendak (one of my favourite artists). I replied with thanks and hoped that her vision would someday be fulfilled.

Last week, as I was reading through my old emails as part of the daunting and long-overdue process of getting my life and home back together, I re-read her email. Only minutes later, I received her invite to attend the opening of her latest show. At the opening, I introduced myself and Liane was warm and supportive. I look forward to seeing her again soon! It’s always refreshing to be around practising artists that are making, instead of talking about, art.

Her work is very interesting and she examines some complex ideas around Canada, First Nations symbols, being a white woman, and the Red Riding Hood story. Her name is Liane Varnam. Her exhibition is on in North Vancouver at the Seymour Art Gallery now until October 4th. The work looks surprisingly painterly online and in person, but is done with ink and pastel on paper.

I’ve been working through a book called The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.

It was a gift from a talented friend of Josh’s. The idea is that it will rekindle my creativity after a year of smothering it with school. Part of the program is to do something each week to fill the well of creativity. So, recently I went to the VAG to see the current exhibit of Andreas Gursky’s work.

Wow. It’s only on until the 20th, but I recommend checking it out. I was really struck by the idea that any part of the world (people, roads, trees, islands, rocks, factories) forms a sort of pattern. We amuse ourselves, but, from a distance, people out for a day at the beach don’t look much different than rocks on the beach. Gursky’s distant random compositions are very thought provoking. The element of pattern interests me in particular, which I especially noticed looking at some of the photos I took during the August road/camping trip Joshy and I took to Big Sur.

Lots of well-filling to be had! Yippee for hol-ee-days and gal-ur-ees!

When looking at artwork, I spend a fair amount of wondering how the work was made. The Vancouver Art Gallery currently has a show of Dutch Masters, and the photo realistic still lives featured blow my mind. Take, for example, the still lives by Jan Davidszoon de Heem.

I study paintings like this as closely as possible, but simply cannot figure out how they are possible. Whether this type of photorealism has a place in modern painting is another topic. But these paintings are so accurate!

I found a fascinating book at the library by David Hockney, called Secret Knowledge (for an article regarding this book, click here). In his book, Hockney explores some very persuasive evidence that many of the Old Masters, including some of the Dutch, may have used camera lucida or camera obscura to plot the key areas, tones and/or shapes of the objects or people to be painted. I agree with Hockney that, if these artists did use these tools, the artwork produced is in no way diminished. A human hand still needed to draw, compose, collage, and mix and apply paint. The artists seem more human to me and I can comprehend how such work was possible. Although I do not have the skill to reproduce their work, even with a mirror or lens, I don’t feel so paralysed by their talent.

I am officially a certified teacher!

I am officially a certified teacher! Won’t be teaching my own class of students for quite some time. I’ll be a teacher-on-call, and that’s quite alright with me. Now I can get back to making some artwork, finishing off some commissions, and cultivating some recently planted creative seeds.

Spent a couple weeks driving down the coast to Big Sur, CA with Joshy. Lots of beautiful things to get me thinkin’. Here are some of my sketches from the trip…

The blog is back!