My beautiful brother Raymond passed away last week, on Wednesday August 30th, unexpectedly. I remember when my mother emerged from the bush plane in Kafue National Park in Africa holding the little bundle that was my new brother. He has been the kindest, most supportive brother and I love him dearly. I can't imagine life without him. Ray, may you be pain-free and soaring with the quiet joys you gave. I love you, bro. Rest in peace. ♥️
A photo of us Christmas 2014. Ray is on the left; my brother Allan on the right. Sure gonna miss that big wonderful fella. xoxo
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Tuesday, September 05, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
A few Paintings Gif-fied
Some paintings Gif-fied. Working on something for my website. About 5 more of these small portraits are in the wings awaiting time and space.
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Three Close-Up Portraits of Women (finally took final photos & will post anon)
Arabesque, cut into three sections
Monday, August 14, 2017
Lula, a puppy Malchi
Friday, August 11, 2017
Tidal Fury @ The Minerva Reader
This is so lovely! Lisa de Nikolits, a fantastic author, one of my favourites, reviewed, along with Heather Babcock, another terrific writer and favourite, Tidal Fury this week at her site, The Minerva Reader. She included one of the poems and a drawing from Tidal Fury. So honoured. Check it out. Thank you!!!
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| Guernica Editions | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Amazon.UK | Indigo Books | Goodreads |
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| Guernica Editions | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Amazon.UK | Indigo Books | Goodreads |
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Study for a Painting of Steve-Paul Simms
Study 1 for a Painting of Steve-Paul Simms, 2017, ©Brenda Clews, inks, paint, pastel, 8"x10", Strathmore drawing paper, 80lb, acid free.
Been far too long since I sketched - perhaps half or a whole year? So... out of practice. This - a bit rough, the drawing too small for the size of the pastels. Sharing anyway. A study for a possible painting. Steve-Paul Simms.
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Friday, June 30, 2017
June 2017 Final Poetry & Music Salon
Our final salon was luminous - beautiful, loving, giving, sharing.
I am a full range of emotions as this Poetry and Music Salons series comes to an end. The final salon at Palmerston Library Theatre was on June 24, 2017 after a 3 ½ year run. It began at a most wonderful gallery at Queen and Parliament, Urban Gallery, where I had a solo art show in 2014. Calvin Hambrook, the director of the gallery, asked me to bring people into the gallery to make them aware of its presence. So the wonderful Bänoo Zan and Philip Cairns each did a Salon and I learnt how to run an event. I organized, hosted and danced throughout one with Luciano Iacobelli and John Oughton in the Winter of 2014. After my solo art show was over, I missed Calvin and Allen at Urban Gallery, and they also missed me it turned out. Calvin called me in for a meeting in maybe March of that year and asked me if I would like to continue running the Poetry and Music Salons. Thus began a journey through 4 venues - three art galleries (Urban Gallery, the beautiful Charlotte Hale and Associates Fine Art, Photography and Design and the wonderful Mirvish Village - Markham House) and a large 120-seat theatre at my local library, Palmerston Public Library. I have been the woman-of-all trades – booking features, organizing the event, designing the flyer, creating a Facebook event, splattering the event everywhere on social media, hosting the salon, providing refreshments for the break, videoing, photographing, and editing that video which takes 12 hrs to 3-5 days to complete, and discovering what an amazing, giving, loving, hugely talented group we are. I want to celebrate everyone who has come out to share as a feature and as a spotlight on open mic. I am so happy that we have been able to come together for these years to share with and support each other as poets, writers, artists, actors, musicians to be everything that we can be.
I have had some teary times over the ending. These salons are so much work that I do not see continuing them in any real capacity. So there's grieving going on here, in my room, in my heart. Feel very blessed to have been part of the salons for their duration - so much love in our community, so much support for each other. Is what touches me very deeply, is what I hold dearest.
Here are photos of everyone who read or performed. Go to Google Photos to see the album (though, for names, look at the file names, as Google no longer offers an easy way to add captions to photos).
The video of my final Poetry and Music Salon Series:
direct link: June 2017 Final Poetry and Music Salon
In order of appearance:
1. Brandon Pitts 9:52
2. John Oughton 23:34
3. Wolfgang Dios 35:23
4. Kath MacLean 41:16
5. Stedmond Pardy 48:53
6. Tom Gannon Hamilton 55:54
7. August Henry 1:03:30
8. Valentina Assenza 1:07:35
9. Susan Helwig 1:12:31
10. Sharon Goodier 1:14:20
11. Irena Nikolova 1:19:16
12. Jeff Cottrill 1:25:56
13. Stanley Fefferman 1:34:16
14. Anna Gutmanis 1:42:12
15. Clara Blackwood 1:49:17
16. John Evans 1:53:20
17. Mikel BC 1:59:16
18. Charles Taylor 2:05:25
19. Alexandra Innes 2:12:11
20. Jennifer Hosein 2:18:14
Many thanks to John Oughton for the opening theme music and to Tom Gannon Hamilton for the closing theme music.
Videoed and edited by Brenda Clews
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I am a full range of emotions as this Poetry and Music Salons series comes to an end. The final salon at Palmerston Library Theatre was on June 24, 2017 after a 3 ½ year run. It began at a most wonderful gallery at Queen and Parliament, Urban Gallery, where I had a solo art show in 2014. Calvin Hambrook, the director of the gallery, asked me to bring people into the gallery to make them aware of its presence. So the wonderful Bänoo Zan and Philip Cairns each did a Salon and I learnt how to run an event. I organized, hosted and danced throughout one with Luciano Iacobelli and John Oughton in the Winter of 2014. After my solo art show was over, I missed Calvin and Allen at Urban Gallery, and they also missed me it turned out. Calvin called me in for a meeting in maybe March of that year and asked me if I would like to continue running the Poetry and Music Salons. Thus began a journey through 4 venues - three art galleries (Urban Gallery, the beautiful Charlotte Hale and Associates Fine Art, Photography and Design and the wonderful Mirvish Village - Markham House) and a large 120-seat theatre at my local library, Palmerston Public Library. I have been the woman-of-all trades – booking features, organizing the event, designing the flyer, creating a Facebook event, splattering the event everywhere on social media, hosting the salon, providing refreshments for the break, videoing, photographing, and editing that video which takes 12 hrs to 3-5 days to complete, and discovering what an amazing, giving, loving, hugely talented group we are. I want to celebrate everyone who has come out to share as a feature and as a spotlight on open mic. I am so happy that we have been able to come together for these years to share with and support each other as poets, writers, artists, actors, musicians to be everything that we can be.
I have had some teary times over the ending. These salons are so much work that I do not see continuing them in any real capacity. So there's grieving going on here, in my room, in my heart. Feel very blessed to have been part of the salons for their duration - so much love in our community, so much support for each other. Is what touches me very deeply, is what I hold dearest.
Here are photos of everyone who read or performed. Go to Google Photos to see the album (though, for names, look at the file names, as Google no longer offers an easy way to add captions to photos).
The video of my final Poetry and Music Salon Series:
direct link: June 2017 Final Poetry and Music Salon
In order of appearance:
1. Brandon Pitts 9:52
2. John Oughton 23:34
3. Wolfgang Dios 35:23
4. Kath MacLean 41:16
5. Stedmond Pardy 48:53
6. Tom Gannon Hamilton 55:54
7. August Henry 1:03:30
8. Valentina Assenza 1:07:35
9. Susan Helwig 1:12:31
10. Sharon Goodier 1:14:20
11. Irena Nikolova 1:19:16
12. Jeff Cottrill 1:25:56
13. Stanley Fefferman 1:34:16
14. Anna Gutmanis 1:42:12
15. Clara Blackwood 1:49:17
16. John Evans 1:53:20
17. Mikel BC 1:59:16
18. Charles Taylor 2:05:25
19. Alexandra Innes 2:12:11
20. Jennifer Hosein 2:18:14
Many thanks to John Oughton for the opening theme music and to Tom Gannon Hamilton for the closing theme music.
Videoed and edited by Brenda Clews
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Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Them Or Us, a little painting
Them Or Us, 2017 ©Brenda Clews, 9"x12", 22.9x30.5cm (actual size, this image is cropped on each side), Strathmore 140lb cold press, acid free watercolour paper.
An older drawing done with a bamboo dip pen - impossible to work with, they blot and won't draw, and you can only do crude drawings, nothing finely, which is why I like them - finished with some watercolour washes while watching a South Korean zombie flick on Netflix, Train to Busan, that was quite good. I like South Korean films because there is a hilarity, always (in this case the zombies, and they must have had so much fun making those scenes!), and also, the man or men who are the main characters are emotional and it spills out of that understated Oriental manner - and it is so refreshing. The ending always lifts a little so it's not completely tragic. I'll watch a South Korean flick anytime.
There isn't any relation between the film and the watercolour drawing, which is an entirely different story, or so it seems. At 3am, I'm calling it 'Them and Us," and I may delete in the morning, you know how things you do in the middle of the night are.
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