When I'm driving home late at night, I usually listen to the same DJ on the CBC. Odario Williams, with his deep radio voice and soulful statements about the dark, smoky, and soulful music he plays. It always conjures up the image of the Midnight DJ, alone in his radio station, far away from everything, … Continue reading Midnight’s DJ
Casualty of War
Charcoal sticks and a little coloured charcoal rubbed over the page, blended, rubbed again, and blended again, then outlined... the end result is filled with pain and anguish. It reminded me of photographs of wounded soldiers, where it was hard to tell if the moment the camera captured was of them immobilized by their pain, … Continue reading Casualty of War
Playing with Clay – The Seven Box Project
What I learned in school this week... In ceramics we have our first project; to create seven boxes using three basic techniques: pinch pot, slab-building, & coiling, or a combinations of any of them. We don't have a lot of time in class to do this. At least not if I use my usual methods … Continue reading Playing with Clay – The Seven Box Project
Art & Fear – What to do about it in your classroom?
What I learned in school today... First, try to find and read Art & Fear David Bayles & Ted Orland, or watch a few reviews on youtube on the book. My teacher gave us a reading from the book and it was out of chapter 2. Looking through my notes, I took away from the … Continue reading Art & Fear – What to do about it in your classroom?
The Collective Unconscious – I don’t know where I get it from anymore…
What I learned from school today... Yesterday, I talked about my process and how it currently misaligns with my ability to be spontaneous. (see I'm Only Spontaneous when...) We had some homework to do from the drawing exercise I spoke of in the article. Punchy The first step was to draw the figure above; a … Continue reading The Collective Unconscious – I don’t know where I get it from anymore…
I’m Only Spontaneous When I Have Time To Think About It First
What I learned in class today... I have my own process! In my last drawing class, we were tasked with first collecting discarded cardboard boxes that seemed to have faces in them. The project was meant to demonstrate how, we as artists and humans, tend to have the habit of anthropomorphizing all that we see. … Continue reading I’m Only Spontaneous When I Have Time To Think About It First
“Art is like beginning a sentence before knowing the ending.”
What I learned in class today... If you can find it, you must read: Bayles, D., & Orland, T. (1993). Art & Fear: Observations on the perils (and rewards) of artmaking. Santa Cruz, CA: Image Continuum Press. I'm going to steal a few quotes and only loosely paraphrase others, because, frankly, the author say these things … Continue reading “Art is like beginning a sentence before knowing the ending.”
The Art of Making – As Easy A Walking A Tightrope
What I Learned In School Today... If you can find it, read: Philippe Petit, On the High Wire, trans by Paul Auster, New York: New Directions Publishing, 2019 [1972, 1984], 3-19, 55-56 I'm already loving this teacher and this is still the first week. She suggested this reading for us and as soon as I opened … Continue reading The Art of Making – As Easy A Walking A Tightrope
The Three Gentlemen Walkers
The idea for this came from my People of the Land series. As I was painting it, I started to feel that the muse was whispering other influences right into my mind. The colours are more African inspired, and the figures feel like some traditional Cuban or Dominican folk pain tings I've seen in markets … Continue reading The Three Gentlemen Walkers
Montreal Music – Introducing The Cold Snaps
Every time I meet my dear friend, Berel we get into wonderful conversations about philosophy, self-awareness, and our passions for the arts. He captures hearts and minds every time he starts talking ab out his passion for singing, Barbershop style. The hard work, dedication, and love he and his fellow Cold Snaps put into there … Continue reading Montreal Music – Introducing The Cold Snaps
The New Renaissance Mindset 