Saturday, May 25, 2013

FCP X buggy as all get out

It's been a huge headache of a day - Final Cut Pro X has been crashing constantly, probably hundreds of times by now, as I've tried to finish editing the video. And it won't save a watchable version, either. Stalls at 28%. Because I am virtually finished this project, and don't want to lose my work, I haven't deleted FCP X and re-installed it. Not sure what the problem is, but it's been a futile frustrating day of watching the program repeatedly freeze and re-booting it. Currently I'm trying to export the video file through Compressor to a format YouTube can read and it's telling me 6 hrs and the time keeps going up! Video is messed. No idea what caused the problems when I've been saving drafts and uploading them to YouTube for nearly a week. At least there's HOWL tomorrow. Do come and cheer me up!

Howl, poetry, spoken word and music

Sunday 7:00pm until 10:00pm

Quattro Books at Q Space, 382 College St, Toronto

Media Personality Nik Beat hosts another Howl at Q Space. Featuring singe/rsongwriter Deanna Fae, He and She Clothing store owner and writer Lou Lou, visual artist and poet Brenda Clews(her art exhibit a is at the same location as Howl at Q Space) and poet Jacqueline Valencia! open mic sign up and no cover but pass the hat.
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 brendaclews.com

Mock-up for the video I'm working on...



These aren't published yet. They're not even made yet! I created a sort of mock-up of how they likely look for the video I'm working on - Luciano Iacobelli's actual hand-made chapbooks will be brighter and more beautiful.  I own a stack of LyricalMyrical chapbooks, so I scanned and digitally pasted and played until the wee hours! :-)

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 brendaclews.com

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The video drafts are piling up, nearing completion...



Peeps, oh jeeps, it's coming. Been working on it relentlessly. FCP X (which I now know for sure I don't like - among other issues, it doesn't save prior project versions, boo!) began crashing every few minutes today, and stubborn peep that I am, I kept re-starting it. I wasn't finished! (That's not the thumbnail, but one good ole YouTube offered, sort of cute.) When I do finalize and post, exhausted without sleep for days (daze), you will give it a gander, I hope!

Now I have to change the backdrop for the text sequences, and probably make background a little more pink here. Also the very back of a metal chair is evident in two of the poet clips, which I'll have to remove by pasting some other wall over it. Details!

But the process of video editing is in the details.

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 brendaclews.com

Friday, May 17, 2013

PDF Booklet to Accompany My POEMPAINTINGS Art Show @ Q Space



The Art Party/Poetry Salon at Q Space was lovely, warm, intimate, loving. We did a number of poetry readings, chatted, a truly wonderful evening that was convivial and special in all the ways that are most meaningful to me. Thank to everyone who came! You made it a spectacular evening! (I'll add more photos later.)

https://sites.google.com/site/brendaclewspoetry/Poempaintings-BrendaClews2013.pdf

Attached is a free .pdf download of the paintings in the show, the poems associated with them, and groan, the prices. While I believe, given the quality of the work and their size, the prices are fair, I have not posted them in the information cards on the walls. For those who need to know how I generally calculated the cost, the paintings are priced around $1.50 - $1.75 per square inch (the general rule of thumb with this method for pricing is to charge $5.00/square inch and up).

As an example, Charcoal Poems, which took 5 months to paint, and considerable dredging of my inner life, is 60" x 60" = 3600 square inches. At the lower price of $1.50 per square inch, the cost would be $5,400. I have listed that particular painting at $5,000. Many of the paintings are 24" x 30", or 720"sq. At $1.75 per square inch, these would be $1,260. I have listed most of them for $1,200. I only mention this so that you can have some idea of how these paintings are priced.

I have also provided options for various prints on paper or canvas through FineArt America if you love one or more of my paintings but aren't at a point where you can or wish to purchase the original.



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 brendaclews.com

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Slap dash video clip of Installing the art show @ Q Space on May 15 2013



direct link: Installing art show @ Q Space on May 15 2013

(...this is just a little snippet that I spent far too long on this morning. I have to learn FCP X! Like seriously and quickly.)

Installing paintings @Q Space. Jacques Albert and Nik Beat, two friends who helped me install the show, went beyond the call of duty to help. The 5' sq painting wouldn't fit in the van cab and so they walked it to Q Space! I can't tell you how grateful I am! Thank you guys! You'll see them in the video when they've just arrived with the painting. Lol.

All in all, rather a slap dash clip. The motion stabilizer in FCP X both cropped images and sometimes just blacked out the surroundings - it's interesting, and it does work. A way-too-fancy title - FCP X remains a challenge to learn - and I forgot to ask someone to hold camera to include me in the vid, but the paintings are there, and it's fun, and come to the party tomorrow night if you're in Toronto. Q Space, 382 College St., Toronto. From 8pm onwards.

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 brendaclews.com

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Paintings installed @ Q Space



Installed at Q Space! I rented a van cab and wouldn't you know it, the 5' sq painting wouldn't fit! So Jacques and Nik, bless them, walked the painting to Q Space. It was a beautiful warm sunny day, so that part was ok, just the high wind made it at times like a sail. I love those guys!!!! When they arrived, we hung everything. This little iPhone pic doesn't get the last one on that wall, and you can see the blankets I brought so we could take the cardboard corners off (protectors) and make any adjustments in the hanging wire. All the poetry coffee shop patrons working on their laptops writing their masterpieces moved to the back while we hung the paintings, and re-hung. It's all done, and I took a bit of video so will grab some better pics from that later on. Whew! On, whew. xoxoxo

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 brendaclews.com

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Framing finished!



All the paintings are safely cradled in their frames now, and the 5'sq one re-stretched tight across a stretcher. Working without stopping, it still took us 3 hours to complete this job! I'll post a better pic when they're installed at Q Space tomorrow. ::smiling::

This photo is of the last 4 that I just painted like 3 or so weeks ago! The (water-soluble) oil washes dried and then I finished them in ink. My focus was on the back, and I chose to not use any 'flesh' tones at all. But, also after I painted them, I realized, a series of paintings on the derrière...

Also today I'm thinking the FineArt America images I did maybe look a bit crass because commercial, and it's not meant to be. Why post the gallery at FineArt America? Who knows, ask the birds or flowers or the wind. Just did. Seems a safe enough place to post, and besides, they do sell reproductions of your work and you can even make a little from those sales (ie if you buy a card for $6.50 I make under $2.00, so it's not lucrative at all, just a nice offering for people who love your art). I hope posting a gallery there hasn't offended anyone.

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 brendaclews.com

-oh, writing process- on Metaphor

in my apartment on a dance-the-poetry-within-you day I never know what is going to emerge that day, ever, always a surprise a rough draf...