by Marja-Leena

Isabel Bayrakdarian in Armenia

Last Thursday evening we decided to do a rare thing and watch TV, specifically CBC’s Opening Night which featured A Long Journey Home.

This is a beautifully filmed and spiritually moving documentary that follows Armenian-Canadian operatic soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian on her emotional first visit to her ancestral homeland. Her journey takes her from Yerevan, the modern capital, along an ancient silk road to churches and ruins tucked away in Armenia’s remote mountain regions. As the first country to embrace Christianity Armenia has the oldest Christian churches in the world.

Isabel Bayrakdarian is becoming an expert on the music of Armenia’s iconic composer, Gomidas or Komitas (1869-1935) who collected and preserved thousands of ancient Armenian folk songs before the genocide of 1915. In addition to the folk music, Komitas arranged a great deal of sacred music. So it was that she sang many of his compositions in several churches and ruins, sometimes accompanied by a girls’ choir or an adult one, or by a marvelous duduk quartet.

I particularly loved the ancient church she visited which was carved completely out of the rock of a mountainside (possibly Geghard Monastery?). I connected with her immense awe over this “living ancient” rock and when she sang in here with her glorious voice, the wonderful acoustics made me shiver.

Sometimes her singing made me remember the haunting music of the Romanys who travelled the Silk Road as so powerfully and movingly presented in the film Latcho Drom.

And all through A Long Journey Home, we kept recalling the film Ararat by Atom Egoyan that we watched over a year ago and in which, in fact, she sang some of the background music.

This CBC-TV production is available as a DVD for those who might be interested – I highly recommend it! Do read this recent interview and article in Globe and Mail’s Engineering News of all places! Can you find out why? (I’m not sure how long this link will remain active.)

Addendum Feb.15,2006: I just came across these excellent photos of sacred sites in Armenia

January 22, 2006 in Culture, Films, History, Music 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Finnish ice flowers

In today’s meanderings amongst some favourite Finnish bloggers, my eyes popped at the sight of some absolutely gorgeous photos of frost flowers on ikkunaiines’** windows. The pictures speak for themselves without language. There are lots more on her photoblog. All her photographs are truly beautiful, so do have a look.

There are some obvious advantages to a colder climate as you can see if you compare these to the much more subdued frost patterns here in Vancouver, captured on Dec. 5th, 2004 and Nov. 14th, 2005. I remember many beautiful ones on my bedroom window in my childhood home in Winnipeg, a place which can be colder than Finland!

Artist Merja, author of taidettako? has a beautiful photo of her frost flowers! And, children’s book author Anna Amnell, aka ‘blogisisko’** has just joined in with hers. I love the juxtaposition with the orchids. Go look!

Jan. 22nd: More flowers blooming in Finland where they are having a very cold snap – here is Kapa’s window. He is an artist-photographer in Jyväskylä, Finland with an impressive exhibition history, including one he’s in right now in his hometown.

** expired links which have been removed

January 19, 2006 in Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Photography 5 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Silent Messengers

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detail – Silent Messengers: Hoodoos III

The photos of the first ten printworks from the Silent Messengers series have now been completely uploaded here, including the updates of Silent Messengers: Hoodoos I to III. To view these and other works just visit “PrintWorks” over near the top of the left bar and click on the series you’d like to view. I hope you enjoy them.

UPDATE 2012: The whole series may also be seen in the new GALLERY

January 18, 2006 in Printworks, Silent Messengers Comments Off on Silent Messengers

by Marja-Leena

weird habits meme

This meme has been going around many Finnish blogs and now I’ve been tagged by SIKURI (written by a Finnish-American blogger and writer, formerly sananlaskija). I’ll do mine in English to open the field since so many Finns that I read have already taken up the challenge.

I’m to list five weird habits of mine and to challenge other bloggers to do the same.

1. I am an artist and a printmaker (what’s that?), who also uses the computer in image making (is that art?).
2. I am a blogger (what’s that?) and addicted to it.
3. I love my computer (they’ve always been Macs) – how geeky.
4. I can’t read, write, or do arithmetic if there’s talk around me.
5. I can’t cook in a messy kitchen. (My family can tell you about my complaints about their bread crumbs and dirty dishes left on the counter.)

Anyone out there want to take up the challenge – c’mon!? Send me a comment when you join in.

Jan.18th: Artist Elise Tomlinson has just posted her 5 weirdest habits!

Jan.19th: And here is new art-blogger Daniel North joining in! Welcome, I’m pleased to meet you! I really like what you say about the international connection, “as more of an interactive art project, plus …the fact that it has crossed the Atlantic”.

ADDENDUM: I’m thinking now how great it is that I’ve gotten comments on this from artists and writers, and two artists have taken up the challenge and posted on their blogs, and wouldn’t it be a great interactive project (as Daniel called it) if more artist bloggers joined in? I started out taking this quite lightly, perhaps a bit flippantly, by referring to my being an artist, printmaker, blogger and computer nut as weird habits – that is from the perspective of people who are not into these activities and don’t understand or appreciate those who do. But here on the internet I have met so many people who are all of these and we understand each other, so I’m not weird at all! Nevertheless I do have some weird habits I’m sure, even if I don’t realize that! Anyways, I’ll stop rambling on, and call out to more artists and writers and of course any bloggers to write about your weird habits. If you are reading this and live outside North America and Finland (where it began), please join in and make this a truly international interactive project.

Jan 21st: Read Printfreak’s list!

Jan.25th: And another great one from Anna of Self-Winding!

January 17, 2006 in Being an Artist, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Neat stuff 10 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

arts & culture in Canada

As some readers may know, Canadians have been subjected to another election campaign and will be going to the polls on Monday, January 23rd. An issue that has not been discussed by any party is arts and culture. CBC has just published an article ‘Arts groups challenge leaders to put culture on the election agenda’. Here’s an interesting quote:

‘Heather Redfern, executive director of the Vancouver-based umbrella group Alliance for Arts and Culture says that compared to other countries, Canada has failed miserably at supporting its artists. “England’s national arts council funds in the amount of $24.36 per capita. Ireland is at $17.91 and Norway is at $10.97.” Currently, the Canada Council receives $4.73 per Canadian. The promised increase would double that amount.’

If you are a Canadian voter and especially if you are working in the arts, do read the article and the summary of where the parties stand on arts and culture issues.

LATER: I just came across Arts News Canada, an interesting site that appears to have more information on these issues. I have bookmarked it to explore in depth beyond the election period. And the Alliance site also has VoteArts2006.

January 17, 2006 in Being an Artist, Current Events Comments Off on arts & culture in Canada

by Marja-Leena

live each season

kelpLongBeach.jpg

This blog is nearing its second anniversary and I’m forgetting some of what I’ve written, so almost every day of late, I am looking back at entries of a year ago that day. It’s like I sometimes would do with those little five year diaries with tiny locks on them in my preteens that I would try to faithfully write into, but eventually give up on when there were more blank pages than full. I think these blog entries make for more interesting reading than those few words by a quiet shy schoolgirl leading a quiet uneventful life.

Still feeling in the doldrums, I’m surprised, yet not, that last year on this date I wrote about January blues and melancholy. I know it’s a combination of the letdown after holidays, the dreadful weather (after a nice weekend for a change we’re back to incessant heavy rains) and fighting off a bit of a cold. I happened across this quote which seems to match the mood:

Live each season as it passes, breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each. – Henry David Thoreau

January 17, 2006 in Being an Artist, Blogging 6 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Connecting with D’Amico #5

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Silent Messengers: Connecting with D’Amico #5

archival inkjet on paper and clear mylar layer
53.3 x 41.5 cm.

Read about this collaboration with Karen D’Amico.

January 15, 2006 in Printworks, Silent Messengers 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

doldrums

CathedralGrove.jpg

Photo taken in Cathedral Grove on our recent trip.

Do you ever experience a let-down feeling after a long period of excitement which may include a trip? For a couple of days I was really feeling in the doldrums, not wanting to do anything but read blogs and newspapers and eat. Thinking back, I have been incredibly busy since September, doing a lot of new work for my exhibition which opened in November. On opening day another grandchild was born and really added to the excitement. After the show came down in December, I did not have much time to experience the usual and normal letdown afterwards as I entered into the pre-Christmas activities and preparation. Then of course came the holidays with all the excitement with family, friends and house guests, the last with whom we took the trip I wrote about. Whew! Is it any wonder I was tired!? This was a much delayed reaction, I realized, so I think I deserved a couple of days of laziness!

This morning I had several hours alone at home and the sun was actually and unexpectedly shining. (We’ve had 26 consecutive days of precipitation. The record is 28 days of rain in Vancouver, set in 1953!) I really got motivated to take down all the Christmas decorations, pack them away, take the tree outside and sweep up all the needles and dust. Suddenly my granddaughters and other family arrived for a visit and play and dinner. ‘Twas a busy day and I feel much better!! May the muse come next!

January 14, 2006 in Being an Artist 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Connecting with D’Amico #4

SMd'Amico4.jpg

Silent Messengers: Connecting with D’Amico #4

archival inkjet on paper and clear mylar layer
53.3 x 41.5 cm.

Read about this collaboration with Karen D’Amico.

January 13, 2006 in Printworks, Silent Messengers 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

artists’ health

If you are an artist or craftsperson or hobbyist working with art materials, do go read Anna Conti’s article on Artists Health Issues at her truly excellent blog Working Artist’s Journal. Some of the issues deal with the stresses faced by artists trying to pay bills and do their art. Environmental hazards are another big issue that not everyone is familiar with. Anna has compiled a great list of links to investigate this most important subject. Thanks, Anna!

January 12, 2006 in Being an Artist 2 Comments »