The Freedom of Santa

I really had no idea what I was doing today. Between not sleeping and deciding to wear the suit only this morning I had nothing planned but just went with it. It felt great and putting on the costume was like a licence to do what ever I wanted and knew I would get away with it. I could be loud, dance like an ass, and be MC which is a position I fear. Putting on the suit made anything possible and how everyone reacted fed the feeling. I really enjoyed myself and it was an amazing escape. Thankyou all for your encouragement and the comments I have read throughout the blogs. This group really allows you to push yourself beyond your comfort level and become more than you expected.

From the man inside the suit, thanks.

Ah the Art Show

Ok lets get the check marks out of the way first.

• Scott and I made signs to lead families to the location of the Art Show from which ever main entrance they came from. I would suggest they were larger and brighter next time as some ey-06 people had difficulty seeing them.
• I took turns greeting families at the doors and handing out pamphlets and mingling with the guests often escorting them to where their child's art was located.

Now that that is done I would like to share a memorable part of the Art Show that did not occur during the event. Because of how I structured my art lessons, I was not able to choose all of my pieces until the Monday afternoon after practicum. This meant I needed to contact families on the same day by phone so they would have as much heads up as I could give them. I called each student's family and was a little nervous. This nervousness quickly passed as I heard the happy and proud responses from every parent I talked to. I did chose the art pieces on which were the best in my opinion but this did not mean that each piece came from an excellent well rounded student. What I am trying to get at is a few of the parents have often heard from the school but never on a positive note. To hear their voices go from dread as I introduced myself, to surprise as I explained why I was calling, to excitement when they said they would definitely be attending was such a pick-me-up. Sunshine Calls work and they make you feel as good as it does the parents. This positive communication is so important and many of the parents that showed up to the Art Show thanked me for the call.

Memories of the Dreaded Recorder

Music in an educational setting turned sour for me in grade school with the introduction of the recorder. The memory still haunts me and is probably the reason I have never touched an instrument again until this course. Our class was doing a school wide recital of "Tony Chestnut Knows I Love You" on the recorder. My playing was so poor, you can imagine the sour notes played two beats behind everyone else, that I was asked to hold the large flip chart cards of the body parts the audience was supposed to be pointing at. This killed my musical ego and I have told myself that I am musically inept the rest of my life. What a shame because music is awesome. It is instant expression, and really puts a smile to my face. I have been fighting my demons and venturing into the world of music again. I got some lessons on the steel drum while on a cruise vacation this summer, Dan has been instructing me on his amazing electric drum kit and he does not even yell at my when I pick up his guitar and puck away at the strings. I even went out and bought the horrid recorder and gave it and myself a second chance.

I found an awesome recorder website at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A506387

where I have been teaching myself.

Amanda won't let me practice when she is home and Cyrus my dog is not as encouraging as Jodi's is, but I laugh myself insane as I practice again and again. As teachers do not ever stop a student from trying no matter how bad he or she is. Thanks.

500 Years of Women in Art

As suggested I am attaching the link to the video I showed in class of the many portraits of women in Western Art. It is fascinating to see the evolution of style over the five centuries. I recognized many of the portraits but did not recognize many of the names of the artist.

The link is http://miraulam.multiply.com/video/item/38

Many people asked me how I found this and I did not find it. It was sent to me. I find that if you let people know that you are interested in a topic they will send you things. By getting involved in the arts community you create relationships with other people who are passionate about the arts and your own interest grows within the community. Get involved, it is a beautiful aesthetic world out there.

Long time no posting

I must say that blogging is not as easy to keep up with as I had expected. There has been alot of arts related activities going on in my life but it has not been so easy getting posts onto the blog. So today is blog writing day which probably goes against the esence of the beast but hey, it reflects my personality of working in fits and starts. So let the posts begin.

The new stuff I am trying

I find my mind is always wandering and the urge to try something new wins over the part of me that wants to actually get good at something. I find myself now interested in Aerosol Art, aka Graffiti. Speedee Printers, which is becoming my second home, just got a new display of Aerosol supplies that include thirty or fourty different hues and colours, as well as fifteen different spray nozzles that allow for a multitude of spray thicknesses and shapes. Until I get rich I will have to keep my creativity to my sketch book or "blackbook". If you ever find yourself enjoying the graffiti under bridges or on the sides of rail cars google or youtube blackbook or graffiti.
This last one is in response to a call for submissions from the Two Rivers Art Gallery on the theme of "Pulse". This is the framework of what I would like to enter. I am very frustrated by the socially imposed split between art and science when both are an integral part of each other. What I wanted to create was an bridge between cultures and values with this piece. The letters in the drawing are PQRST which are the names of the points of a heart beat (pulse) on a ekg readout. Overlaying the letters is the image of the read out.

An Ode to Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is the best medium ever. It is bright, thick, and forgiving. It dries quickly and you can simply paint over it. I have some paintings that are five or six layers thick as I continually change or tweek images. Acrylic, I believe is the paint of imagination as it allows the greatest amount of freedom.

This is a painting of two barns on my parents property. The one on the left is very old and on the verge of falling into a pile of rubble. It is also the Birdhouse that I wrote the following peom about.

birdhouse
a row of weathered fence posts
lichen encrusted, moss topped
uneven, tired
a line of rusty barbed wire
u-nails leaving red brown streaks
half hidden amongst the sturdy weeds
yellow yarrow, pale purple tufts thistles
cascading bells of lupine
tall grasses, emerald banners in the low wind

an old dilapidated dutch barn
wards off advancements
beaten by decades, valley rainfalls
washed out planks, whistling gaps
windows warped as if melting into the frames
cracked and shattered pieces lay
strune beside wayward rocks
hinges moan and flake
as resistant doors are dragged open
discarded rural lifestyle
layers of fluffy dust has settled
blanketing remnants of machinery
bits of blue salt block
only cat paw prints disturbing the evenness
searching out mice and voles
cobwebs coated
thickened to chains holding the barn together
pen fences hold only memories
scent of cool soft earth
rotting timbers groan
wooden ladder grimy and worn
rhythmic hand
over hand up to the loft
crumbling irrigation hoses lie coiled through wisps of hay
twine limp and fragile weaves
through the heavy perfume of silage
swirling storms have plucked shingles leaving the roof
a ramshackle checkerboard
residing on top of the cupola, a living weathervane
a great blue heron with its wiry legs
and long crooked neck
watches from its perch
the meandering creeks