An Art Opening to Remember

Last night our paths finally crossed again. I haven’t seen my friend Anna in almost 7 months and seeing her last night was not only great but it was an adventure. We met at a local pub for drinks and conversation. After a couple of pints and snacks we boarded the number 14 – destination Park dale Gallery. We arrived after a short ride and walk to an alive and happening gallery opening. It was an intimate venue which made the meet and greet portion of the night easy and inevitable. So many happy faces of people circulating in and around sculptures and conversing individuals. I couldn’t help but people watch – so many interesting characters and I say this with a smile – I too am one of those characters!

The collection of work that was being shown was diverse and imaginative. Everything from acrylic to artistic wood-turning to pen and ink and the list goes on. I have a deep love for mixed media and I was happy to see various pieces dispersed throughout the event. Anna’s husband, Petr is an artist and photographer and displayed a few pieces of his work at the show. I had the pleasure of meeting Petr for the first time last summer at Art in the Park and was happy to see more creations of his. His work is unlike anything I have seen and if I were asked to describe it I would say mixed media with a technologic emphasis.

As the night came to an end I was left with feelings of inspiration and feelings of gratefulness;  grateful for having been apart of such a successful night that brought so many people together. I have been going to Gallery Openings for years now and will continue to support local artists wherever I might be.

Photographs are on there way courtesy of Petr.

2010
03/06
CATEGORY
A New Year
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Cold Hands, Warm Heart

Today was brisk but gorgeous and a perfect day for an adventure! And who doesn’t like a good adventure? Meredith and I made the trek down to Elgin Street this afternoon to check out what Winterlude activities were taking place.

Confederation park is home to dozens of beautifully crafted ice sculptures of all shapes and sizes as well as creatures made from recycled materials – so neat! We made the rounds and as we did I carefully maneuvered in and around the large groups of people trying to get the perfect shot. It was chilly on the hands but worth every cold minute.

I was blown away by the variety and the beauty of the pieces displayed throughout the park. The planning, time, and concentration that went into these sculptures was amazing. Not to mention the love because you gotta think you must love what you do to make these magnificent pieces of art come to life as they do.

Oh, I cannot leave out the very bizarre yet interesting encounter Meredith and I had with the woman dressed up like what.. we weren’t totally sure.

It began with this character and what we believe to be a mammoth of some sort doing what looked like a ritualistic dance and ended with her locking eyes with us, kicking her leg (which was on stilts I might add) up in the air in our direction, letting out a yelp or sound of that nature and then proceeding towards us. Confused and slightly afraid I grabbed Meredith’s arm and we ducked into the crowd away from what..we weren’t sure. Maybe you had to be there, either way the slightly odd encounter and day overall was just what we needed.

Touched up in Photoshop CS3.

can you spot the penny imprint?

2010
02/08
CATEGORY
A New Year
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A Plethora of Possibilities

Every morning I wake up and the first thing I do is happily turn on my computer.  I won’t get into how frustrating it can be to open the ten or so tabs just to check my email accounts, social network accounts, blackboard for school and the countless websites that are of interest…but I will say it is frustrating. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to access all of this in one window? One stop shopping in a manner of speaking.

Lately, I have been struggling to find my place in this world of internet excess. I have many interests and the number grows daily. I have people I want to stay in contact with and a yearning to meet new people. Not to mention learning everything there is to learn and discovering new ways of doing things. These key components merely scratch the surface of who I am and the day only holds 24 hours.

What I am trying to say is how do we maintain a level of sanity and create a positive internet experience and web presence that is conducive to who we fundamentally are?

I welcome your thoughts and leave you with this photo which illustrates the beauty of possibly and the burden of  chaos.

Touched up in Photoshop CS3.

beautiful chaos

2010
02/03
CATEGORY
A New Year
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Joshua Davis

I saw Joshua Davis speak at FITC (flash in the can) in Toronto last year. To speak frankly – He fucking blew me away! Illustrator, writer, designer, painter, programmer you name it he can do it. During his hour Joshua spoke with confidence and without filters. His presentation entitled Space took myself and a room full of people on a journey through his process for that years work; what does “space” mean? outer space? defining our own space? running out of space? the relationship between the Space between the objects? were just a few of the questions he had asked himself as he progressed through his work. The time flew by. I could have spent the rest of the day listening to him speak about his work, process and many creative elements he connects together to make his one of a kind pieces.

Something I learned about Joshua within the first few moments of the presentation is that he was not your typical run of the mill developer. Covered in tattoos, speaking a mile a minute (a product of the numerous red bulls he had consumed that day) and painfully genuine. Joshua is the type of person who is not afraid to work hard, push the limits of what is possible and live his passion. If someone were to say that’s not possible or it can’t be done I am certain Joshua would not accept that and rather take it as a challenge. If limitations exist within a piece of software some would fold or move on to another project – Joshua would create a program that would aid him in creating what he intended to create.

I thought I would snap a photo of the print I purchased online at www.joshuadavis.com .

Also check out Joshua Davis on Vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/videos/search:joshua%20davis as well as more exciting info about the man himself at  http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/joshuadavis/.


2010
01/29
CATEGORY
A New Year
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Sometimes All You Need Is A Walk.

I woke up yesterday to the sun streaming in my window. There were many things to be done and pictures to be taken!

When my morning routine was complete and my camera securely around my neck I set out into the bright and welcoming world – cold, yes but I was on a mission.  Walking down Bronson with the rush of traffic to my left and the cool wind in my face I remembered I was coming up to an ever changing wall of graffiti. The corner of Bronson and Slater, I have passed it many times and most of those times without a camera but today was different. In the past I have photographed graffiti in Toronto but not in Ottawa. I spent some time shooting the wall in the most creative ways that came to me at that moment and was happy with what I had achieved.

After dodging the excited dogs out for an afternoon run I made my way back out to the street and continued on my way. Heading in the direction of the Market I shot a few photos as I walked but wasn’t particularly happy with them and quickly deleted them. I made it up to Parliament but not soon enough to shoot some photos of the protesters – next time.

At this point I was cold but refreshed. The walk allowed me to get lost in something I love and momentarily forget the stresses and work I knew was awaiting my return.

Touched up in Photoshop CS3 here are a few of my shots from yesterday.

2010
01/25
CATEGORY
A New Year
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Tearing Pieces

Last night I was feeling particularly creative. I knew I wanted to create a mixed media piece but what specifically I wasn’t sure. Instead of getting all caught up in the details I rolled the carpet up, dug out my oils, grabbed my extensive collection of magazine clippings and newspapers, a blank canvas and begun. As Snow Patrol and Matt Hires played in the  background I began to rip, arrange and glue images and words that spoke to me. Not allowing myself to over think it I worked quickly and without inhibition. It didn’t take long until I was covered – grin – this only fueled me to go on. The images and bold statements were now connected.

One of the many reasons why I love working in collage and mixed media is the act of bringing together pieces from various pieces of work and creating something completely unique.



2010
01/21
CATEGORY
A New Year
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A New Year With Endless Possibilities..

A new year has begun a new chapter started. Everything lays before me as cliche as it sounds it is true!

A successful third semester completed, a hectic holiday season over and now I am currently working on completing my final semester in the Interactive Multimedia Developer course at Algonquin College.

This year I want to bring more of my ideas to life. I have projects I want to create and people I want to meet. There is much to do and to be honest I find myself at a stand still or have for most of this month. I need to stop thinking and start doing – even if it seems like I could be doing more or something isn’t done perfectly and so on and so on..I must push through and just DO something, anything.

Sink. or. Swim.

I am diving in!

In each of my posts to follow I will be including a photo that I have taken or I am in.

In keeping with this here is a shot of me last semester setting up for a shoot in the green screen studio. 

2010
01/21
CATEGORY
A New Year
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The Interesting World of Technology

There has been talk about Microsoft coming out with Courier, a tablet similar to apples but packs a different punch.  This tablet is more of a booklet consisting of dual screens designed for multitouch; writing, drawing and flicking with a stylus or your fingers if you prefer. There is also a camera built in for capturing images and incorporating them into layouts of projects.

This product opens new possibilities for me as an individual and as a designer. I usually have a lot on the go and this product would help maintain the high level of organization that I strive for both inside and outside of the workplace. I stumbled across the short but sweet YouTube video showcasing this product and immediately fell in love. The flawless transitions, the effortlessness navigation and beautiful esthetics tying everything together made the experience exciting and memorable.

In a world full of journals, notebooks, blackberries and post its, it’s comforting to know that designers and developers are working together to create an all encompassing user experience that brings many elements together.

If you are interested in a sneak peak of Microsoft’s new tablet, Courier check it out:

2009
10/13
CATEGORY
Reflections on Technology
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My First Post

I am a passionate and driven individual with an interest to make my mark on the world.  I would consider myself a visual person who loves to understand how things work. Although, I am new to this world of technology I am quickly finding my place within it.

For years I have created my own art work through many forms of collage, mixed media and more recently photography and new media.

If asked to chose between design and programming I would have to say first and foremost I am a designer with an interest for basic programming. I have spent many, many hours playing around with and learning the components of Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash and After Effects. To be honest I don’t love them equally but on an interest level I maintain a drive to stay up to date with my knowledge of each.

Before embarking on my journey in Interactive Multimedia I studied Social Work. I have always been a hands on creative person and my current choice of study suits me much more. With this being said I don’t intend to forget where I have come from and the knowledge I have attained. I plan to incorporate what I have learned from studying Social Work and my knowledge of the internet, communication, interaction and design to communicate challenging and complex issues to the masses in a simplistic, visual and creative way.

2009
09/22
CATEGORY
About Me
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