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Making vintage cards (with antique stories)
My artwork, whatever the medium, is inspired by memories, history, and family (and often my sense of humour). I see connections and follow threads, pulling on some when it strikes me. The art is what happens when I begin to tie those threads together.
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So What the Heck is all this Edith Business?
About a thousand years ago, when I was much smaller and somewhat younger (and if I was sitting still long enough) I occasionally played with a box of “paper dolls” given to me by my mum; she had played with them, and they had been given to her by her mother, Edith, who played with them – she made them. They were always in an old glove box (and some still are). The appeal was strong to me, even back then. I loved the fashions…
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For Love of House and Home
I slept on the floor for 6 months while ripping things apart and only graduated to a bed when I contracted Covid. Too sick to do much else, I sat on a pail in the backyard and refinished an old iron twin bed. I put my mattress on that, made the bed like a grown-up and felt very accomplished. I was finding some joy in getting somewhere, and beginning to love my house sometimes. There were still months to come filled with tears of frustration,…
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Finally did something – just for me
The art somehow survived three moves, a few years of storage where many other things suffered rodent damage, then narrowly escaped drowning here in the great dishwasher flood of 2024. It's big for my tiny home - I was going to give up and sell it or give it away before I wrecked it. However, I finally decided GODDAMMIT, we've made it this far, we'll stick this one out together (that was perilously close to one of Stuart Smalley's affirmations, sorry).
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Oops I Did It Again
My patience for video-making has increased…(see my other whiny video post here) although I am sure most people take less than 4 hours to edit theirs. Also, their camera mount probably did not disappear all by itself (that’s right), forcing me to make this thing (now affectionately called the McGyver Cam) that was difficult to position. …Anyway, I now have two videos I am not completely ashamed of. (Sorry Mum, ended that with a prepostion.) Here’s the first one – an unfinished Ode to 91…
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For Sale: One Uterus
"Warranty: Expired. This uterus has performed very well in the past, nurturing two female children almost to term in separate pregnancies. Do not be deterred by “almost to term” as a full 9 month term is too goddamned long anyway, and both infants were healthy and of good weight. One had a pointy head at birth, but that was the fault of another accessory which is not for sale at this time, as it is still used occasionally."
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“I’d love to hear how they want to solve my painting”
I came across this video a few days ago; I loved it, the casting, the acting, and the writing - it's funny. Although "Museum-Worthy" is aimed at commercial makers/producers, it speaks to many of us in the creative arts. For any of my artist or creative friends in the industry, you'll get it.
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To Record or Not to Record…
I don't like making videos (that's videos of me drawing). Yes, I mentioned that before. I usually put together animations of some kind, if I’ve had the presence of mind to take enough photos while I’m working. I get so far into the zone while drawing that hours will pass before I think of recording at all, so the process has a lot of gaps.
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sounds of memory
The other day I was on one of many trips to the lower level of the building where I work. That floor is hard and smooth and showroom-shiny, unlike the quiet carpeted floors above where my office is. A woman was walking down a hall behind me and I could not help focusing on the sound her shoes were making – she had on fairly high heels, fairly dressy (yes, I call them lady shoes) – and she was at that “I have to get…
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Lytton, B.C. Fire 2015 (or, June is a very bad month)
The smoke today (I’m in Arnprior, sore throat from fires north of us in Quebec) prompted a very timely memory. I was driving on the Trans Canada along the Fraser River on this day in June 2015 with Suzo Hickey, working our way back to Vancouver from Prince Rupert (among other places). We started seeing smoke along the highway from miles away, the sky becoming an eerie gold, and the water bronzed by reflecting that sky. The light reminded me of what it looks like…
