Awaiting a Title

Another photo of this drawing taken outside while spraying it with a fine art fixative. While not quite the full-spectrum-total-sunlight that I prefer, it was snapped in wan sunlight that appeared momentarily in a grey, overcast day. The colour and detail are better than the night shot I posted a few days ago.

Awaiting a Title, 2015, 13" x 24", mixed media, Canson montval 140lb cold press archival watercolor paper. I thought to call this Climate Change, but that was early in the drawing. After, I began to see many different things in it and am not sure what to call it anymore.

It needs an image or a line from a surreal poem or fantasy literature, or maybe its own poem from which a title can be drawn.

It's just a little experiment and will likely be a Christmas gift this year if the person I am thinking of likes it.
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Video of my last Poetry & Music Salon is en route

It's very blue, but that's because the effects that worked in the other locations were too grungy-looking in this one and pushing the colouring into the reds created an anemic green vignette with yellows that I couldn't abide. I began at 11am and a few versions later it is finally rendering, 17 hours later. Note: I did manage to get 5 hours of sleep. This is the last one I am doing - the videos have been a place to experiment and to learn and a teaching tool for the poets and musicians who come to my monthly salons. No-one likes stark realistic video and so the overlays, colourings, flickers, borders that still have to leave my beautiful participants this side of recognisable. Dealing with low light has been very challenging. How to make my camera-person's work, Tripod is his name, his style is very static, somewhat visually interesting has been challenging. Choosing my features, composing the flyer, creating the event page, doing all the promo, hosting the wonderful hours while also taking 200+ photos *and* video (which gives me a ton of work after the salon and can take days to do) is a bit silly and I forthwith announce that the video which may be up tonight or tomorrow will be my last full poetry and music salon video. Only photos from now on!
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sketch of a woman

Quick sketch of a woman, 2015, 14" x 12", willow and white charcoal on Strathmore drawing paper.

I actually did this October 12th, but only got it photographed today in wan sunlight, really a cloudy, overcast sky. Putting this in a frame on my wall, so no more attempts at photographing it.
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re-finding the lifeline

I thought to call this small piece, Climate Change, but that was early in the drawing. After, I began to see many different things in it and am not sure what to call it anymore. It needs a line or an image from a Surreal poem or Fantasy story for a title. 13" x 24", mixed media, Canson montval 140lb cold press archival watercolor paper.

Doing a piece like this is fairly easy, and the kind of art I tend to stay away from. With a return to the way I did drawings and paintings before the rude interruption of Conceptualism when I did a Fine Art degree so many years ago, I find a progression of something I might have done in more rudimentary form as a teen. It's like I wiped out 30 years of domineering voices and styles and somehow returned to find my lifeline (to use a term from palmistry) and to continue it on.

Only by returning to the distant past could I continue on.

I don't think I would ever put this piece in a show - it is more of a free exploration, and not for anything.

The photo is taken at night and not with my favourite-for-shooting-art Canon because that beloved camera insisted on using the flash. I used my Sony, and, surprisingly, with quite a bit of Photoshop Elements tweaking, the colors look pretty good. Nowadays I always shoot in RAW, or uncompressed format, and maybe that's why I was able to get a more accurate rendering.
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Donate goods to a Syrian refugee drive at Markham House (where we are holding a Poetry & Music Salon tomorrow)

Markham House, where our Poetry and Music Salon will be late afternoon tomorrow, Saturday Nov 28th, from 4-6pm, (featuring Jeannine Pitas and Amoeba Starfish, Jeff Howard and Phil Ogison Aegidiussen, with open mic), is hosting a Syrian refugee donation drive. If you have any food, new or gently used toys, clothing or other household items to donate, bring them along when you come to the Salon, or drop off at your convenience. Westbank's owner, Ian Gillespie, as you may know, has offered a 12-unit apartment building in Vancouver for Syrian refugees awaiting settlement (http://goo.gl/ed4ck4). Whatever we can do, for whoever needs it, whenever we can, is good.
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November Poetry and Music Salon -tomorrow!

A Poetry and Music Salon at Markham House. They will be treasured hours.

When: Saturday November 28
Time: 4-6pm
Where: Markham House, 610 Markham Street (across from Honest Ed's)
Hosted by: Brenda Clews

Our November Poetry and Music Salon features Jeannine Pitas and Amoeba Starfish, who are Jeff Howard and Phil Ogison Aegidiussen. How wonderful they are! It will be a superb late afternoon/early evening at the bright and friendly Markham House in Mirvish Village. Upstairs, there is a small art gallery; on the ground floor, a large wooden model of Westbank's proposal for Mirvish Village and a suggestion form you can fill out, well worth a visit. They'll make a large pot of coffee, and we can enjoy a warm, convivial, supportive time together. After, the Victory Café for a coffee, drink or dinner.

JEANNINE MARIE PITAS is a writer, teacher and literary translator who lived in Toronto from 2008 to 2015 and is determined to visit as often as she can afford. "She is the author of two chapbooks published by Lyricalmyrical Press, and her first full-length collection, "Things Seen and Unseen," is forthcoming from Quattro Books in 2016. She is an active Spanish-English translator of Latin American poets, and for five years she co-facilitated the Loose Pages, an ongoing creative writing workshop at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. She is currently Assistant Professor of Global Literature at University of Dubuque in Iowa, where she is actively working to make sure that Donald Trump does not become the next US president.

AMOEBA STARFISH’s bio is bio-degradable. Phil and Jeff met in 1988, began collaborating on various experimental, sometimes controversial, multimedia projects thinly veiled as "bands," They created Amoeba Starfish in 2009 to simply return to the ideals of "play." Quantum Jazz is about being sincere and having fun without fear, limitation and expectation.

AND there will be about 8 open mic spots of 5 min each! So bring a poem, story or song to share. We will pass-the-hat for the Features.

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Our soirées are a late afternoon gathering of poets and musicians at an art gallery in Toronto. Brenda Clews hosts this beautiful event, which occurs on the last Saturday of the month from 4pm - 6pm (most months). We have a music and a poetry feature and about 8-10 5min open mic spots interspersed throughout the hours. All forms of writing are welcome, as well as music. The Soirée is free, but we do pass-the-hat for the features. Our salons are always warm, convivial, supportive and very talented afternoons and I would love you to come out and enjoy a marvellous couple of hours and perhaps share a poem, short story or song of your own. Please put the recurring date on your calendar. poetry and music soirées

Facebook Group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/poetryandmusicsoiree

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Drawing #1.1

An early stage of something new. A good size, 20" x 24", willow charcoal that's been set with a brush-on fixative on Canson 140lb watercolour paper. Photo taken with studio lights. When I draw at night in a darkened room... even I don't know until the next day who or what will emerge.
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