by Marja-Leena 3:55 pm
I love the more abstract images where one doesn’t know what one is seeing… just enjoying the shapes, textures and tonal variations.
the promised links to other ‘breaks’ (oh my, too many!):
broken,
butter dish
the broken bowl
broken glass
everyday object
reflections in broken glass
by Marja-Leena 12:07 pm
More treasures from the bottom of my ‘textures for collagraphs’ bag…
Coarser and stiffer than jute, is it sisal?
Fascinating how these recent scans of twine have brought forth many comments and questions about the fibres, and sent me on a learning journey. Meanwhile, my head and body feel a bit entwined by some kind of mild flu bug, so have been a little quiet lately.
by Marja-Leena 8:43 pm
thinking about patterns and textures as fragments,
as possibilities for layering with other objects,
…. still a work in progress
by Marja-Leena 12:25 pm
“URGENT 2ND CLASS”: The Art of Nick Bantock and Book Launch for his new book, Urgent 2nd Class (Raincoast Books) – opening tonight Tuesday, September 7th and continuing until Sept. 26th at the Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver, BC
Nick Bantock is a favourite author of mine, with his delightful hands-on collages in the Griffin & Sabine books melded with romance and mystery. This I will not miss, though I’ll pass on the opening, sure to be packed in this charming little gallery by the sea. I recommend it to anyone in the Vancouver area, though it will also tour.
There have been several articles recently about this upcoming show by this successful West Vancouver author. Here’s an excerpt from the North Shore News:
His show at West Vancouver’s Ferry Building Gallery will feature more than 60 pieces including a couple of paintings that were done before he moved to Canada. “It’s going to be a very full show,” he says. “I wanted to do this in a way that was a bit like the old academy where it’s very heavily stacked with lots of different kinds of work. I wanted to create something that people could go into and they could spend an extended period of time in there like an old-fashioned museum – with lots of things to bury yourself in.
The exhibit consists of a wide range of material including originals from the Griffin and Sabine series as well as other work that has never appeared anywhere.
Along with the display of his work the Ferry Building will host a book launch for his latest publication, Urgent Second Class, in which Bantock takes readers on a magical mystery tour through his means and methods. He’s quick to point out it’s not a how-to book – more like suggestions of how people can create their own art.
If you don’t know this unique artist and author, read more about him in the Vancouver Sun, the Straight as well as Nick Bantock’s website.
UPDATE: Sept.10.04 – I went to see this exhibition today and I must say it was very visually stimulating and inspiring. His early drawings reveal his skill as a draughtsman and the early paintings already hint at the mystery and eclecticism of his later collage work. The textures, rich colours including shining gold, and the many partially obscured little images surprise and delight. Many of the works are reproduced in his books, but the originals have to be seen!
by Marja-Leena by Marja-Leena 1:04 pm
As a newcomer to blogging, my recent explorations have been through the immense jungle of blogs on the internet. Chandrasutra’s blog* is one of the interesting finds in this online journey. Particularly fascinating is an item about Miksang photography in the art category, Jan. 13th entry. This is a partial quote:
The inspiration for Miksang images is very different than traditional approaches to photography. You do not, for example, spend time ‘thinking’ about what you will photograph or go off into your day with a ‘plan’ about what you will photograph. You don’t “compose” the photo in anyway. It’s about looking but not looking ‘for’ but looking in. Experiencing, rather than thinking, about the world around you and being alive to all the textures, surfaces, colours. There is an avoidance of that which is narrative or relates to a generated thought. It is actually not simply a form of photography but part of a practice of contemporary Buddhist meditation. Miksang translates as “Good Eye” in Tibetan.
According to Toronto’s Society for Contemplative Photography, Miksang involves “the synchronization of eye and mind. When eye and mind are in the same place the moment by moment vividness of the visual world manifests and is appreciated fully. This manifestation is spontaneous – a flash of perception – the ordinary magic of the phenomenal world. When one connects with pure perception there is no struggle in making a heartfelt and brilliant photographic image that one can share with others […]. These moments of pure perception and appreciation happen all the time but we often ignore and devalue them. However, it is worthwhile to recognize and cultivate these moments because they recollect the inherent openness and goodness of our being.
What a lovely name for this vivid experience that all visual artists at some points have felt, not just in photography. Thanks, Chandrasutra!
*Update Dec.14, 2013: Sadly, this blog is no longer in existence.
by Marja-Leena 5:44 pm
I have been sorting and organizing some of this summer’s photos. I suddenly remember all the many driftwood shots I took at the B&B on Lillooet Lake on our trip in June, of which I’d only shown a few. So I have just had some fun cropping my favourite details of textures from some of the others – enjoy! More next time…
by Marja-Leena 3:42 pm
These interesting textures and colours caught my eye on the ferry to Hornby Island on our recent trip, an addition to these and these ferry pics.
by Marja-Leena 10:54 am
Happy and exhausted from gardening
‘Twas 34C (93F) yesterday
He cleaned the woodpile
Textures intrigued the artist
Wonderful scent of rain in summer
Gentle and warm, first in two weeks
Remembering childhood summers
Standing in the rain in a bathing suit
by Marja-Leena 12:18 pm
I am so glad I made it out yesterday to see Olga Campbell’s exhibition Whispers Across Time before it’s closure tonight.
It is very moving and powerful in theme, a kind of catharsis perhaps for the artist as she explores the loss of family. The work is also very intimate as one looks at images of small photos and details, partly obscured, a suggestion of looking through weathered and worn photo albums and diaries. Most of the sculptural work is small in scale, the many life size or smaller masks of the same face (hers?), the hands, the feet and the small scale figures. The interesting use of textures in all the work enhances the feeling of time and weathering. This is a large body of work in a variety of media within sculpture, paintings and prints (mostly lift and monoprints), evidence of a long journey of exploration and discovery through the act of creation.
The person looking after the gallery told me that the opening, which I was very sorry to miss, was very well attended and the work received with great appreciation. She also pointed out that the guest book was full of comments except for about two pages, something they had never seen in any of their shows in this gallery! Congratulations, Olga, on your success in touching many people with your work!
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loving the textures and contrasts of worn wood and rusty metals....