10 analects about study

my secret santa gift from Babe.
thank you for a great pricelss gift ;-D

kid's eye view

Love: Kid-Oriented Exhibition Labels @ Harbourfront Centre

One thing I really love seeing are the kid-oriented exhibition labels at Harbourfront Centre. Honestly, I consider them grownup-oriented as well. Which would you rather read, this:


or this:


I'd say the former, at least as an entry point. The kid labels are also placed a little lower (so grownups have to stoop to read them, dang it!). Incidentally, if you want to find out more about Mike Bayne's work, which is also worth a shout-out, go here.

Posted by Leah Sandals.


article from Leah Sandals' blog


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This is very exciting!!!
My efforts... though not 100%, are being published by Leah Sandals!!
She comes to the gallery often and has written some amazing articles on art including our gallery as well. I hoped to run into her one of these days when she comes. but so far, I only to read her name off the guestbook.

The Kid's Eye View, initiated in September 2008 for ARCADE exhibition, is still an ongoing project for me. I have learned that it is a lot harder to write from a kid's perspective than writing a term paper. To write about art without using some of the artistic terms I've used all of my academic life is painstaking. Breaking down and simplifying words are best worked with thesaurus; this feels very different though, it is usually the other way around, trying to look for a more 'intellectual' words, instead I need to go back to the simplest, elementary words.

With great support and helps from the my supervisors, I am learning and learning and learning everyday. It is always satisfying to see the exhibitions or artworks get published in papers, magazines or blogs. To see something I have done published, is ten times more satisfying!!!!
YAY!!!
This is one of the many many many benefits of working at Harbourfront Centre. I hope this Kid's Eye View labels will prominently become an essential part of Visual Arts at Harbourfront Centre in near future, but there is still so much to study and learn from.

studying NEVER ends.......

solid gold

solid gold exhibition at Mercer Union
2009.12.17

Christmas Present from CC
it's just what I wished for!
t h a n k y o u *

bouquet

so lovely.
hand arranged by Michelle.
Thank you so much!

ramen spork

image from MoMA Store


I found an amazing utensil today(Dec13,09) at BOUNTY when I was shopping for a gift for Secret Santa this year. I am greatly happy :-D
by the time this post is published, it will be secret santa time! I love scheduling ability of posts!

A SPORK/FOON! for RAMEN!
This is awesome!! truly awesome... BRILLIANT!
I think I am going to buy one for myself, unless my gift was unfortunate (or is it?) and did not get selected so I can keep it. lol. But who can say NO to such a creative invention?


image from here

Ramen Fork was invented by Sugakiya, a Ramen restaurant in Nagoya Japan, aimed to eat the noodle and soup at the same time. This artistic shape was highly admired by The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) and was introduced to their museum gift shop. The museum says that it is making within the top 3 sales. It is 14 dollars for a piece.

Sugakiya started introducing Ramen Fork since 1978. It was good for the environment as well as cost reduction, but many customers preferred the wooden chopsticks. For their 60-year anniversary, Sugakiya decided to completely renew it to a easy-to-use design. They asked Masami Takahashi for the new design and Sugakiya's CEO Shinichi Sugaki gave him only one request which was to create a sophisticated design that MoMA would exhibit it. It took an year for Mr. Takahashi to reach the final design. The difference from the previous design is the number of tynes and where they are placed.

When Sugakiya hold a press conference for the newly designed Ramen Folk, by chance MoMA were in Japan and happened to see it on TV. This is how Mr. Sugaki's dream came true.

article from here


KUDOS to Masami Takahashi!


@ MoMA Store and @ BOUNTY (in Toronto)

wordle

I played around with wordle today.
it's a very creative tool for fun visual wording.


words from my blog....


words that makes me happy....


go a head and wordle crazy!

my obsession - sweets

image link

to warm up in this icy windy waterfront weather,
second cup became my favourite coffee shop this winter.
not only it is within 100 steps from work, it is housed in a really cozy building.
(and got amazing selection of baked goods too.. so tempting everytime I go)
I was able to recognize it right away when I saw it on their website.
YAY! Harbourfront!!!


image link

I had this sweet-aversion for a while and only drank coffee black or just tea
but ever since I got my hands on those sweet creamy soft cheesecake,
my sweet tooth came back....


image link

my chocolate aversion is somewhat changed too, since I tasted that sweet salty
chocolate coated roasted corn at SOMA. omg, it's so so so scrumptious!!!



image link

but chocolate and cheesecake still remains as a treat for me.
I only have it when I really really feel like having them, which is not very often.
but this... hazelnut latte at Second Cup is just too comforting I cannot simply let go, yet.

*a small hazelnut latte with extra shot of espresso, half sweet and with skim milk (phew~)*
but when they make it with sugarfree syrup it tastes funky... so it's not truly skinny latte.

I should be watching calories on these sweets I've lately grew to love,
or I am going expand... hahahahaha.....
but in this cold weather,
comfort food is a definite need!

my obsession - historical fiction part1

I don't know what it is but I just can't help watching them over and over.
I've heard some people say that they were born in wrong time,
saying they belong back in whatever era....
well.. this is not really the case with me.
but still, I love looking at all the gorgeous dresses that I will never be able to wear regularly.
For that, I envy you people from the past....
but to go back in time and miss all the technology advantages? I don't think so~



Vanity Fair, 2004.

I wasn't into the story much and the screenplay wasn't as good as the novel.
plus, I think Reese is too bubbly to be Becky Sharp...
probably from watching too much Legally Blonde.... yikes...
Jonathan Rhys Meyer's in this too. He's better being the king. lol



Elizabeth, 1998.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age, 2007.

I loved both of the movies, Blanchett is awesome.
I was so happy to hear that the sequel came out almost ten years later.
This is probably my fave Elizabeth movie.

The Other Boleyn Girl, 2008.

I was kind of disappointed with this one.
Mainly knowing two of my fave actresses are starred in one movie,
I probably expected a lot lot lot more.
Loved the cast, both ladies are so gorgeous.
It was interesting to see the affair in action? lol....
to think this sort of things happened way back then......
kind of makes me wonder.... no matter what and where, people are gonna cheat!
arg!



Marie Antoinette, 2006.

lavish costume play. weird ending.
I love love love love love Coppola's The Virgin Suicides and was very excited to hear Dunst is playing Marie Antoinette. but...........
it viewed more like a music video to me... watching pretty Kirsten in pretty dresses. yay!



The Duchess, 2008.

This was kind of like The Other Boleyn Girl.
I really liked the sceneries more though. gorgeous landscapes!!


Girl with a Pearl Earring, 2003.

Oh so pretty Scralett. I love this painting and she really pulled it off!
amazing!! Colin Firth as Vermeer was kind of surprising at first, didn't really seem the type.
It's one thing to picture an artist from way back based on portraits but to see someone play that role, kind of weird.....
just like Ed Harris as Jackson Pollock and Robert Pattinson as Salvador Dalí (I have yet to see this one).
really? Robert Pattinson? lol.. all I can think of his way-too-much pale cakey makeup from Twilight.


Shakespeare in Love, 1998.

This one and Elizabeth came out around same time and seemed Shakespeare in Love got most of the glory then. It was hooray for Joseph Fiennes though, he was in both movies.
an interesting approach about an interesting man...
I've actually read somewhere that some or all of Shakespeare's plays were gibberish,
since he didn't even go to school to learn to write, thus it is not high literature as is prised today.
Whether it is true or not, I still love his plays, minus Macbeth. I just never really grew fond of that one. scary......

The Tudors, 2007-current. TV series.

I haven't seen this one yet and I am dying to.
I actually downloaded the first season but my laptop got stolen....
so...... DAMN...
maybe I'll just rent the DVD later, become a hermit and watch the entire series.
one more season left!!

little crowns

Despite the freeeeeeezing weather,
I went to see the 'little crowns' exhibition at Narwhal yesterday.
(it was feels like -11˚C bbbbrrr)

Each piece in the exhibition were precious, I really loved all the works.
usually this rarely happens.



I was so happy to see Carly's beautiful paintings again. yay!
they really rock!
I don't think I will ever get tired of staring at these gorgeous jewels.
I was happy to see one of them was already sold when I went there..




The masks by Noel Middleton seemed like a mystical creature that just popped out of a children's fantasy picture book.


This is one of the few things forces me to enjoy? Toronto winter.
It's been so cold these days, I just wanna become a hermit... bbbbrrrrrr...
now I can't wait till my Christmas party...! yay!

carly waito

December 10, 2009

Artist Profile: Carly Waito

By Sara Titanic

Meeting the city's artists, one at a time

An artist profile of Carly Waito [http://carlywaito.blogspot.com]

Describe your process of creating a piece? What materials do you work with?

The first few crystal paintings I did were based on reference photos I sourced online. Now that I have a DSLR and a good macro lens, I take my own photos of specimens I collect myself. I use these images as reference for the paintings which are done with water-mixable oil paints on masonite. The water-mixable oils are great for me since I work from home.

Can you talk a little about the upcoming holiday show 'Little Crowns' at Narwhal Art Projects? What are your inspirations for the pieces in the show?

It is a group exhibition [http://www.narwhalartprojects.com/exhibitions/2009/littlecrowns] focusing on the magical aspects of this season and idea of applying mystical qualities to earthly objects. I'm so excited to be included with artists I love, like Naomi Yasui [http://canadianchina.blogspot.com] and Selena Wong [http://www.selenawong.com].

I'm fascinated with the natural world – especially the little parts we feel compelled to pick up and keep. I've always been a collector, and I'm really interested in exploring this common impulse to possess pieces of nature which we find beautiful or curious. These paintings are an extension of this impulse. I'm interested in how we assign complex layers of value to these objects based different factors, like rarity, historical context, scientific significance, subjective notions of beauty, and, for some people, even metaphysical or healing properties.

When are you most productive?

I am not an early riser. My routine lately is to start around noon and work until my eyes get tired. If I can stay focused, I like to put in a solid 10 hours. I have a hard time painting in the evenings after work (at my part-time gallery job), because my eyes are too strained after a day on the computer. I guess with detailed work like this, it's all about the eyes. And, I'm definitely most productive when I have a deadline to motivate me.

What's your current obsession?

Other than mineral specimens... well, I always have a bunch of things exciting me at any given point, which tend to distract me from whatever responsibility I should be focusing on. Right now I'm knitting like crazy, and I'm especially excited about traditional Norwegian mittens. Since we moved into this apartment a year ago, which has a great backyard, I've been getting pretty serious about gardening - but that obsession is pretty much on hold until I turn the dining room into a seedling grow-op in the late winter. I'm also getting into taking pictures, some of which get posted on my blog [http://carlywaito.blogspot.com]. Basically my blog is a way to focus and express all these interests.

Looking at your blog regularly, I see you are fond of vintage illustrations from old text books. Is this something you collect? or do you use it for inspiration in your own work?

Mostly I collect images in digital form (i.e. saving images from ebay listings). I don't often actually buy them, although I would if I could afford to. I have been buying some vintage science books lately - they are often inexpensive compared to the antique prints I peruse on ebay. I'm hoping to find some more at my favorite charity shop in Thunder Bay when I visit my family for Christmas. I'm bringing an extra suitcase in anticipation! On my last visit I picked up a great book about crystals with fantastic off-coloured old photos, and a book from the series The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau which has the most charming illustrations. These images aren't used directly in my work, but they do feed my creative impulses somewhat.

What are some of your favourite spots in the city?

I love being at home, curled up with my knitting and a glass of red wine in the winter or working out in the garden in the summer. I also love to walk around my neighbourhood, (near High Park) with my camera, or biking up to the Junction on the weekend for breakfast at Espresso Mi Vida. Food is the main thing that occasionally draws me out into the world. Now that it's getting cold, all I can think about is dumpling soon tofu from Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu in Korea Town - my ultimate comfort food.

What are some projects you are currently working on?

For the last five years since finishing design school my main focus has been the ceramic design studio (coe&waito [http://coeandwaito.com]) I shared with Alissa Coe. We let go of our studio and the production part of our company recently, which has freed up some time and creative energy for other stuff. This is the first time I've really focused on painting and I am so excited to see how it will develop.

I'll be doing more of these mineral paintings. I've also been doing a lot of reading and visual research, thinking about the possibility of a larger body of work which incorporates the mineral paintings but maybe stretches into other media/ideas.

Any last words?

Thanks and happy holidays!

article from NOW magazine

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I'm so happy for you Carly!!
This is very exciting.
I can't wait to go see her paintings today at Narwhal Art Projects, "little crowns"

2010

The Olympic flame is held up high into the night sky by George Stewart in CFS Alert, Nunavut, Canada, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. Alert is the most northerly populated community in the world. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)
from big picture


The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics torch relay is happening in Toronto on Dec 17-19!!!!
Brian Orser and Kurt Browning will be torchbearers!! WOW...

The Olympic Flame will be in Toronto from December 17 to 19. During the three days, approximately 1,000 Torchbearers will carry the Torch for 48 kilometres through city streets. The Torch will enter into Toronto at Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue at 1:52 p.m. on December 17. Torchbearers will run through Toronto neighbourhoods from 2 to 7 p.m. on the afternoon of Dec 17, from 6 am to 8:45 a.m. on Dec 18 and on December 19 from 10:19 a.m. to 10:37 a.m.
article link


Maybe I'll stop by at Nathan Phillps Square to see all the FIRE!!!!!!
YAY! I'm getting excited!!!!


map of the relay route

solid gold

SOLID GOLD
Annual Member's Show & Sale!

SOLID GOLD

December 17, 2009 - December 17, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday 17 December 2009, 8PM

Mercer Union again delivers its big gift to small collectors in this year's SOLID GOLD rendition of the annual member's show & sale. Nothing but SOLID GOLD quality works, all priced at $149.99. Watch the gold rush when the sale begins.

Bar opens 6 PM. Sale begins 8 PM. The earlier you join the line, the better your chances of getting the exact nugget you've been waiting to sink your teeth into!

WE WANT YOUR GOLD!
Artists: bring us your art and we'll split the dividends from the sale of the work. Feeling generous and love what we do? Give us 100% of the proceeds from the sale and we'll a) love you for ever and b) give you a tax donation for the amount. Partial donations are also accepted. To participate, fill out the PDF form, indicating your current membership status or sign up for a new one! Work must be dropped off no later than Tuesday 15 December.

GOLD 4 CASH!
Line up to get your own little nugget for just $149.99. Cash, visa and cheque accepted for payments. We will wrap the work for you and you can take it away same day!

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Jon Abrams, Jackson Abrams, Christine Baigent, Kyle Beal, Yuula Benivolski, Xenia Benivolski, Katie Bethune-Leamen, Adam David Brown, Tammi Campbell, Josh Cleminson, Tanya Cunnington, Jay Dart, Taku Dazai, Kenneth Doren, Mark Dudiak, Alex Durlak, Chris Faulkner, Rebecca Fin Simonetti, Brette Gabel, Eric Glavin, David Hanes, Kathleen Hearn, Lee Henderson, Robert Hengeveld, Barbara Hobot, Jen Hutton, Marcia Huyer, Kelly Jazvac, Laurie Kallis, Rita Kamacho, Shari Kasman, Jean-Paul Kelly, Nancy Kembry, Julia Kennedy, Matt King, Helena Kvarnström, Kriistina Lahde, Ginette Legaré, Marianne Lovink, Corwyn Lund, Sarah Massecar, Beth McEachen, John McLaughlin, Jennifer McMackon, Janet Morton, Crystal Mowry, Suzanne Nacha, Natalie Olanick, Roula Partheniou, Tanya Read, Rhond Riche, Emily Rosamund, Jamie Ross, Jade Rude, Kathryn Ruppert-Dazai, Liam Sanagan, Liana Schmidt, Jennifer Rose Sciarrino, Chris Shepherd, Lisa Smolkin, Miles Stemp, Derek Sullivan, Aislinn Thomas, Christy Thompson, Flavio Trevisan, Joy Walker, Jennifer Wardle, Jonny Wheeldon, Donna Willard, Margaux Williamson, Laurel Woodcock.



@ Mercer Union

w i n t e r

@Niagara Falls, Feb. 2009.

Winter is finally here.
Did I miss it? Probably not...
Do I like it? Probably not...
But it's here...

About a month left till my b-day!
yay!!

As long as it's not slushy out, like today, I welcome snow!
I love the sound my boots make when I walk on heavy clean packed snow.
how do I write that in English????

Mirror Puzzle, 2002
Instead of a printed picture, the Mirror Puzzle, displays an image of
whatever happens to be reflected at the moment.
And while every piece has the same surface, each is uniquely shaped
(unlike conventional puzzles) so that the puzzle becomes
an exercise in matching forms rather than pattern.

Tobias Wong

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The end pieces look awfully small, but I love it. dibs!