Happy 2014

Today ends this very interesting year.
I have produced quite a bit of very interesting work, I traveled and met wonderful people, have seen many fascinating documentaries, read terrific books and ate good food.
There is a lot to be grateful for.

Ottawa again is a very cold place so we scarf, and layer and wear coyotes on our heads.










Some beautiful, joyful, grateful being joined our lives this year;
Quite recently in fact.

This is Lola, a stranded young Main Coon, whom I rescued with a help of a young man in our neighbourgood. Almost four weeks with us and there is a hint of a little body now, below previously just skin and bones.

And there is sooo much good nature there in this little body.
Precious.

Happy New 2014 Year Everyone!

Vintage finds of the season.

Christmas - another reason to be creative

It is the 21st of December, and the Christmas will definitely happen this year and it will surely be a WHITE one.
I am enjoying again my last year's acquisition, a glass nativity, placed atop a vintage doily.

I also look at other Nativity scenes that people make that are just soooo wonderful.






This "conceptual" Nativity scene has been sent by my friend Monika:

des.: Emilie Voirin

And here is the Nativity that can melt any heart:
Wooden peg dolls clad in felt, walnut shell for a Baby Jesus crib!!! 

http://www.themagiconions.com

This music goes well with the spirit of contemplation.
It is sung by divine Monserrat Figueras, R.I.P. who uncovered and restored an ancient voice of the times of Middle Ages and Baroque.

Previously I had written about her HERE


With this video I would like to wish Marry Christmas to all my friends, colleagues, clients, neighbours, fans (!), family members and accidental visitors on this page.
Sorry for this vid disappearing for a while but here is another source:

Mareta, mareta, no'm faces plorar 

Lullaby (Catalan)

Mareta, mareta, no'm faces plorar, 
compra'm la nineta avui qu'es el meu sant. 
Que tinga la nina hermosos els ulls, 
la cara molt fina i els cabells molt rull. 

Marieta, Marieta jo es cantaré 
una cançoneta que ta adormiré. 
Dorm-te, neneta, dorm si tens son. 
Dorm-te, neneta, dorm si tens son. 

Mommy, Dear Mommy, Don't Make Me Cry 

Lullaby (English)

Mommy, dear Mommy, don't make me cry, 
Today is my saint's day, so buy me a doll. 
Let the doll have beautiful eyes, 
A pretty face and very curly hair. 

Mary, little Mary, I will sing you 
A ditty and I'll lull you to sleep. 
Sleep, little one, sleep, if you're sleepy. 
Sleep, little one, sleep, if you're sleepy.

Lucas Cranach the Elder, still leading...

The most frequently read post of this blog is the one on Melancholy and the paintings of Lucas Cranach. I admire his painting and that of his influence. 

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Portrait Study of a Young Man, c.1530. Paper, 26.2 x 19.9 cm.
Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum. Detail. (Foto: Heydenreich, cda)

Lucas Cranach the Elder, The Apostle Peter, c.1515. Panel, 26.5 x 17.5 cm.

I couldn't resist and would like to dedicate those two close-ups from his paintings to my fellow Cranach fans.
Lucas has clearly made a transition from Medieval to Renaissance.

The eye of the Apostle Peter s how so much more three-dimensionality and the crafted reflections of the room in a shape of the cross bring so much more narrative to the painting.
Those are a part of a Cranach have been found on a wonderful site http://www.art-in-duesseldorf.de/

One envies the rich European culture scene....

Andy Warhol & Digital Art

You probably already know that I love Andy Warhol. It is not a love at first site, but it is a love at old age - low, hot flame, no smoke and smolder for years....

I must share this find, this is Andy working in 1985 on a Commodore Amiga, taking a digital snapshot of his model and creating a digital portrait. (below)

Reminiscing: our first PC didn't arrive probably for another 3-4 years, it had a drive with a swapping size of about 80 MB, upgraded to 120! Wow, soon a scanner followed, a miraculously slow but sure early flatbed Microtek.
Boy, I love remembering the excitement digital technology brought to the creative - art and graphic community.
The Aldus PhotoStyler was just such a GREAT thing.
PhotoStyler was developed by the Taiwanese Ulead Corp and then bought by Aldous Corp.
This and soon marketed PageMaker became the pillars of digital publishing. Soon afterwards Adobe took over.

Unforgettable Aldus logo

Aldus Magnutius gave us printed Italic type, established modern semicolon and a comma.
I remember wearing the Aldous engraved metal pin in the lapel of my gray jacket (yup, we all wore jackets with rolled sleeves then...)

It was the Aldus logo, with an exquisite image of the 15th century Venetian printer, publisher and typographer - Aldus Magnutius.
I couldn't get over loosing this object.
Adobe did a beautiful, really community building things. Like calling the graphic working space ART and actively working towards proud, distinct, excited graphic art community.
I am so happy to have been a part of that.

The loss of impetus and minimal activity in the area of graphic design and print nowadays is very sad.
The new media are great and exciting by their sheer speed and proliferation, but still - there is nothing more tantalizing than the sight of beautifully designed and type set printed page.

Here is the vid that led to the out-pour of my fond memories:

Winter weather report

For those of my Possums (yes, I adore Dame Edna) in various parts of the world, just a quick weather report.
Here's how Ottawa looks in winter. At least my neighbourhood, more or less...

When we still had wet snow...

When we still had fogs...













Now it is all white, everyone knows how it looks, but at least there is lots of sunlight.

My kitchen window cut frosted films act as "pink shades", the world looks always more...

J.R.Villemaire - worth admiring

For many years I had pleasure of generating fine art photographic print work for this local photographer - Jules R. Villemaire.

Various series of work, different view points and technical output but always the same - dispassionate, keen observer, looking for this moment in light and time that describes the now and then.

Jules R. Villemaire,
digital photographic archival print on photo paper,
scratch-resistant lamination,
mounted on Sintra (ARTzink Studio)

I rarely show or comment on the work of my clients, but Jules is very special.
He is now a senior figure in the photographic arts milieu, often closely connected with the Franco-phone circles, which possibly accounts for his work not being widely known.
Jules is one of the people who walks very lightly on this Earth, not carelessly but on a contrary: gently, attentively and creating little damage around.

I have written previously on Jules work http://artzink-studio.blogspot.ca/2013/02/jules-r-villemaires-fine-art.html

More info (regrettably again, only in French) can be found on Jules website:
jrvillemaire.com
I should let you know that you MUST take a look of this project: ...deconnivence
Women seen sensuously and delicately, respectfully and seriously beautifully!
Wow, did I say that?!?!



These two relatively small works above are shown while still at my Studio.
At the present time they are installed at the Voix Visuelle on Beachwood St, as part of the group show, a fundraiser for the art centre.

The exposition opens on the 18th of December and I will definitely post a detailed invite.

Design Event

This is a worthwhile event: The Big Design Market, held at the Royal Exhibition Building. Incredible venue for over 200 incredible designers.
I wish I could have spent the entire day (or weekend!) there.

brought by: Janis Nicolay of Pinecone Camp, via Poppytalk
The Royal Exhibition Building is a pretty magical place.
Completed in 1880, it's now a World Heritage Site.

Of course, regrettably, this event is not in Ottawa but in Melbourne, Australia....
In this part of the globe, we prefer to play out our frugality stunt - à la wartime England.
Some of my colleagues, renown designers, artists, photographers in Ottawa work in stores, as security guards or moved with their 80 years old mom. Those lucky ones with major disability enjoy welfare support so lean that it excludes one from any creativity. (except perhaps writing on paper, with a pencil)

The good thing is, that our banks report another run of fantastic earnings!