At The Five Media Launch

The media kickoff to the Images Studio Tour turned out to be a resounding success. My friend Anna who is also the owner of the North Simcoe News picked me up around 3:15 and off we went. The event was being held At The Five and was hopping when we walked in at 3:45. Anna, being with the media, was entitled to a Images Tour Cocktail which ended up being a Green Apple Martini with Carmel.........me?.... well artists had to buy their own drinks. Story of my life.................


So after some mandatory speeches, the food arrived and and everyone naturally gravitated there. This year the tour has joined forces with our local farmers and we are proudly raising the banner for supporting local food and local art. Most of the food the chef from At The Five served was local..........everything from butternut squash soup, vegetarian pizza, cheeses and salmon. It was all delicious and hats off to Kathy Hunt for organizing such a wonderful event.

By the time I got home I was hoping someone in the family had stopped off for a pizza as I was stuffed and forgot to take something out for dinner. Luckily I had made a large salad earlier in the day and threw together a few grilled cheese sandwiches. No one looked all that excited about the meal I had prepared (thrown together) but it was eat it or make your own. Everything got eaten.............

Food.....yummm

Artists Marlene Bulas & Gary Brierly

My friend Anna & the Mayor Harry Hughes

Images Tour Kickoff

Spent a bit of time in the studio this a.m. but the house needs to be cleaned in a bad way so after throwing in some laundry I washed the floor and started in on the bathrooms. I know I'm going to have to make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies this afternoon as I promised my daughter I would yesterday and forgot and felt like a "bad" mother but I honestly don't feel like wearing my June Cleaver hat today.

On the art front..........our kickoff for the Images Tour 2009 will be held Monday September 28th At The Five Restaurant in Barrie from 4pm to 6pm

Check out the Images website and click Media Info for all the details.

Hope you have a great weekend

A Bit of This and A Bit of That

Not much to say so I haven't posted much this last week. I'm just spending what time I can in the studio and falling into the routine of back to school for the girls. My friend Kelly who I consult regularly on nutritional/fitness matters has been informing me a lot lately on the health properties of Vitamin D and I've also been reading a great book called "Superfoods" Most of the info I do already know but findings behind why they are considered superfoods are interesting. I've always felt your health is your responsibility. Doctors don't know all the answers and sometimes it feels as if they barely know the questions. Education yourself and be informed. Just my small rant for the day.............

New Work for Images Studio Tour

The Rising

Mixed Media on Canvas

6"x6"

Me, Sierah & A Stunned Flicker

Yesterday late afternoon I was in my studio working when all of a sudden a bird hit the window. I didn't actually see it but the impact was quite loud so I knew it had to be a bigger bird. The same thing happened last week to a sparrow but by the time I got outside to take a look my cat had grabbed his dinner which always makes me feel sad but so goes human nature. Anyway, I left was I was doing and ran outside to find this guy looking pretty out of it. I wondered if he was alive for just a moment and then saw his chest and realized he was breathing. My oldest daugher came outside also and we sat on either side of him just in case Simba was prowling around looking for another free meal.

It was just about the coolest experience to be that close to such an amazing bird. I felt a little bit in awe of him and stunned myself that I could get this close. I was desperately hoping that his wing wasn't broken because then I'd have no idea what needed to be done and would probably start crying because....well, just because I'm emotional like that but lo and behold after 10 long mins. he turned his head and looked directly at me, turned his head and looked at my daughter, shook himself off, took a couple of steps and flew away.

Even though it was just a small moment in time it continued to stay with me for the reminder of the night. There was something about the light at that time of day, something about that brief moment that Sierah and I shared being guardians to this helpless bird, something about being kind and something about doing right...............

At Night At The McMichael Art Gallery

Autumn's Last Dance

Mixed Media on Canvas

6"x6"

Last night was such a treat as John and I were two of hundred or so invited to dinner and the premiere of the McMichael Art Gallery's "Challenging Traditions" show. It was a stunning exhibit of contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast. I so would have brought my camera but figured no one else would be quite that tacky as to take photos so I decided to leave it at home........but now I do wish I could have taken a couple shots.

This exhibit focused on First Nation's artists who were taking traditional artistic forms and infusing them with modern cultural influences. Beautiful silver bracelets engraved with flying ravens, large carved and embossed masks (some were quite disturbing and I found myself thinking that I wouldn't want to wake up in the night for some water, turn on the light and have it looking at me.....but that's just me), painted totem polls, bentwood boxes and more.........over 70 pieces in total. It was absolutely thrilling to walk amongst all this thoughy provoking art and to know that all but one of the artists were still living and creating.

Speaking of creating, work is going well for the Images Tour which is incidently right around the corner. I will be at stop M if anyone wants to come out and say hello. There is a complete map in the brochure on the site if your interested. I am so fortunate this year to be hosted by the amazing Hartley Woodside, potter extraordinaire. I will be guested at his gallery along with Gary Dover who is an award winning bird carver. It's a great weekend for a drive and the autumn colours are at their peak.

Good bye Bordeaux

I just loved walking along with Garonne River and tried to make it a daily occurence. This is called the Water Mirror and young and old frequent this enormous wading pool to cool off on what has been a hot couple of days. It is bigger than a football field and totally flat with 10" slits within the cement. Every five minutes or so the water mists up and once it dies down your left with a few inches of water in which to cool off in.

Yesterday we ate pizza

So today we opted for a salad. We walked quite aways from the central hub we had become accustomed to and I think we got lost but John won't admit it. We didn't look at a map or have a plan we just started walking which in many ways is the best way to see Bordeaux. Along the way I passed my new fav place which is Paul. A bakery which is quite popular here something like our Tim Hortons but where everything tastes 1,000 times better........especially the fresh chocolate eclairs.

We eventually stopped to try and figure out where we were and to grab some lunch. Because we were more on the outskirts of Bordeaux the language barrier became quite prevalent. Neither our waiter nor anyone else in the cafe spoke English. The menu was written on a chalk board beside our table and we and our waiter tried to bridge the gap. He pointed at a lot of things and then said "duck". Duck is big in France. I don't like duck. The older couple with the tiny dog who hid under their table got into the act as well and soon it became an interesting game of charades. The woman began pulling at her neck saying "gizzard" which didn't sound all that appetizing to me so I made a note not to order that. Eventually we chose a salad which was beautiful. It did come with beef that looked pretty raw to me. John ate that. There were walnuts, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and small pieces of baguette with warm camembert cheese on top sprinked with rosemary.

On the way back John suddenly pulled me into this store and low and behold the most art supplies I have ever seen in one place. Like dying to going to heaven for me.

Before I sign off I must say something about the women in Bordeaux........probably all of France. They really know something about style. Even when their dressing down it is still 100 times more pulled together than me on my best day.

Matisse/Marquet Correspondences

This exhibit was the only one in which we were charged upon entry. The other museums were all free of charge. I don't know if that is due to the fact that we were tourists or if it's free foreveryone. Regardless I was anxious to take my time and soak it all in. Now Matisse has never been one of my favs but I do admire Marquet's work. I wished so badly I could read French as their correspondence with each other would have been interesting to follow. I didn't know beforehand that they were close friends and that Marquet had painted Matisse's wife. Matisse's letters also included his signature sketches of himself in the sidebar.

Matisse's work

Matisse Self Portrait

Trees in Billancourt

Albert Marquet

We ended up spending the better part of the morning just strolling through the exhibit. Pictures were allowed but "no flash" as I soon found out when I accidently forgot to turn it off. Sorry....


On our way to the Museum of Contemporary Art we stopped at a cafe and had a wonderful pizza and of a course a beer........no Kronenbourg so a Leffe would have to do.

We headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art by way of the Garonne River. Warning: pics of me ahead.

So we arrive and I am so excited because I absolutely adore contemporary art and can't wait to spend the rest of the day taking it all in. John was such a good sport.

Major Disappointment ahead......

First off, the building was beyond anything I had ever seen before. Anyone who loves architecture would weep. The stonework, the archways and the stairs were breathtaking. The building, as far as I was concerned, was the art.

Because of the language barrier I wasn't really sure if paintings were housed within these stone walls or whether they ever would be. There were two small video installations upstairs, one by Christopher Hutins and the other artist I don't remember. As we were wandering around we came upon this quaint rooftop cafe and decided to sit awhile and order a cappucino........this place was dream like.

Here are a few of the installations that were shown at the Museum.........no paintings. Art is and will always be subjective.........I am the first person to say it because it is so, but this wasn't my cup of tea. Perhaps if I knew the language and could read the cards beside the work, I would have a better understanding of what the artist was offering but................wasn't going to happen.











Next post: More food, more wine, more chocolate .........wandering around Bordeaux.

Musee des Beaux-Arts

Day 2 - John has decided we must move to Bordeaux. I listen nodding my head intently with a understanding but quizzical look on my face. After he was done I listed three obstacles standing in our way

1. We could never afford to live here

2. We have no job prospects

3. We do not speak French

He blows off this reasoning seeing obstacles as simple details. I love his optimism and decide to let him run with it.

This morning after a record breaking 12 hour sleep we awoke to find out we had missed breakfast. John ran downstairs and grabbed us a coffee (really strong) and a couple of pastries....you know a nice healthy French breakfast. After that I eat a chocolate covered caramel I find in my purse which I had forgotten about. I thought I devoured them all yesterday.

With map in hand we set out to not only explore the city but to visit the Musee des Beaux-Arts. The grounds of the museum were jaw droppingly gorgeous. Unbelievably well tended to with this sculpture prominently featured which I saw as a mix of the present and the past.

The Musee des Beaux-Arts houses 15th to 20th century works by Titian, Rubens, Delaxroix, Vernonese and others. There was also a Mattise/Marquet exhibit featured at their sister building which was only a few blocks away. More on that in my next post. I also found a textile piece as well as etchings . Here's a few pics...

This was our favourite painting which was entitled "The Building of Bordeaux" by Pierre Lacour. It had to be at least 8' x 10' and the attention to detail was stunning. You could sit for hours just taking it all in as there was so much going on in every section of the work. It was mesermizing.

Next post the Matisse/Marquet exhibit..............