Ancient Ukraine

There is a show at the ROM about Ancient Ukrainian culture. That would be fascinating to me and I hope to be able to go there. Living smack between the Ukrainian and Polish quarters here in Toronto, I have learned a lot about eastern Europeen cultures. There is even a small Ukrainian museum near my home. And I have collected many objects myself from that culture (in thrift shops, garage sales...) ... so here is very my own little Ukrainian show!!!

Found in someone's garbages:
2 wonderful and very old children books (photos above: who in their right mind would throw this out???)

Found at Value Village:
a turned wood toy of the classic tale of Masha and the bear (Masha is a little girl kidnaped by a bear. She beggs him to take some cakes to her parents. She then hides in the basket and shouts all the way to the bear"I can see you, make sure you go to my parent's house bear" when he arrives at the parents house, Masha jumps out and the bear is killed and Masha is free at last!)
I love this toy!

3 Ukrainian vases, from Value Village.

Strange and wonderful

Thursday night. I had a strange day, starting with getting my driving license early in the morning. I expected bureaucracy. Instead I got friendly-and-efficient. Then I got a mocha in a fancy-to-do coffee shop full of boring-looking people near my work. I felt so good about getting my driving license back. I felt free and my future opening up. I dreamed about going up North to paint, hike, canoe, connecting with Gaia, Mother Earth. Now, allow me to explain. I had this experience over a year ago. I had gone to Wasaga beach with friends, and once there felt a huge weight I didn't know I had on my shoulders lift up and then felt this immense peace and happiness. I want to find it again. Another experience I am looking for again was the one in Algonquin Park years ago. I had paddled around our large lake and climbed on the slope of a shore covered with trees. I stepped into the forest and found myself surrounded with very strange looking trees, one in particular that was lying on the forest floor on it's side with all it's structure intact except for it's needles that were missing. It looked so alien that I had a moment of real fear feeling that I had stepped into a strange, ominous world... And THAT was wonderful.
(above: "A landscape - No a World" watercolours, pigments, artist pencils - 2006)

AGO

...went there early, met my friend Eduard at the green sculpture. I was amazed at the incredible line-up a kilometre long all around the block, and just as amazing was how fast the line moved! I was sure it would be packed, crazy crowded but not at all!!! - some kind'a magic trick they got there hey? It was a big swirl of amazing master pieces all more magnificent than the other. Eduard was the route guide, I was the Art guide! A perfect match! Then I slowly became aquainted with a massive migraine. That took a lot of the joy out of it. We blazed through the top part which would be for me the most interesting part. (so many works by Carmichael and McDonald arhhh!, and Inuit art...) Must go back! Luckily I work just beside it... But will have to pay next time! I was supposed to join a train-the-trainer session at my fencing club afterward (yes, uses sword! may be dangerous, don't feed!), but the migraine is not going away, don't think I can make it. Feel like a warm bed right now, with my cat Happy lounging on my legs... or somethin'

The week-end

Oh How I long for you week-end! I have many plans for you, some more fun than others! The AGO is free this week-end, and I am going there with friends, and less fun is perhaps going to get my driving licence. I'd love to get that one out of the way! I'll probably come out of the AGO all inspired and will just pick up at the art store maybe some foam boards for that support base I was looking for. Live and find out..... I will tell all!

Sketches

Before I started my new job, I had a lot of time for a while to think on paper about the next project. And when I saw the movie "My Winnipeg" I was so inspired by the idea of the underground river.... and the 3 layered pools. So it splish-splashed in my head and became "the 3 underground rivers" project. I feel deep running symbolism in many directions there: that's the attraction. Everyone will pick their own story. Here are a few initial sketches (very small, in my note-book). I've done a preparatory small painting in watercolours but may not finish it. It will depend wether or not I find a support for my big paper soon or not.

My new easel!

When I told her that I needed an easel for my new painting, my mom, who is very generous and adorable, jumped on it and offered to buy it for me or at least half. It took me 1 month to pick one, but I finally brought it home last Tuesday and assembled it, and it stands proudly in my small home. Now I have to figure how I am going to set-up my large piece of paper on it (need a support obviously) don't have. I'll figure something out. It might be then my last large watercolour for a while as I am going to experiment with oil painting next.

Tradition

It's now a tradition: as soon as I can, I will bring a small batch of small Art-works to sell at 121 Roncesvale who sells my work every Christmas. It's a very small thing to do and not really for profit but I like traditions, I like Catherine Huizenga who is so friendly and I like her store filled with tastefully arranged treasures of time past, lost and rediscovered, and I love Roncesvale ave, lined with still a lot of Polish bakeries, meat shops, artzy cafes and restaurants and my kind of crowds.

This year I have out-done myself with the packaging. For fun mostly, like a kid playing grown-up. I have bought shiny cellophane bags, and decorated some labels. It looks soooooo ...finished! I know, it's stupid. I will add a photo soon... lots of photos as a matter of facts!

First...

A bit about me: I have studied Art at Luminy School of Art near Marseille, France where I grew up, and Graphic Design at Georges Brown College in Toronto, Canada where I now live. I come from a family of artists, very talented artists, and I care to make my ancestors proud. My greatest influences are Russian children books of the 60's, Haida Art, Inuit Art, Paul Klee's Art and many more.

Well, hold on... yes, I want to have a blog of my very own with all my best stuff on it, my Art, but other things too: my love-at-first-sight-things and a few rants. So let's get started, let's get organized! (ok! now THAT might take a little while!!!) I am not terribly organized by nature, but I want this to be useful to someone, somehow, so I'm going to make myself be organized! ...Laugh all you want!