Groundhogs: Gentlemen Rodents of Science and Nature

It's Groundhog Day!
Yay!

These wonders of nature peek up out of their holes to look around and oh! see their shadow drat, six more weeks of winter, or oh! No shadow! Yippee! Early spring!

Apparently the localish land-beavers are predicting six more weeks of winter or is it an early spring? Gentlemen Scientists and Weatherpersons are saying we'll be lucky to only have 6 more weeks of winter. Who to believe?

Groundhogs say six more weeks of winter, experts say six weeks if we're lucky

Weather Journal: On Day of Ice, Only Groundhog Sees Spring

Groundhogs forecast an early spring - in the middle of a blizzard

Currently we are in the middle of a big winter snowstorm colourfully called Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse or Blizzardzilla.




Here's Caesar coping with the severe lack of visibility out his favorite window due to the snowpocalypse.


And over here we can see the snowpocalypse dangerously at my doorstep!!! Look it's even on the doorknob! AHHHHHHHHH!





The Guardian newspaper in the UK amassed a data fact sheet concering how often groundhogs were correct in their prognostications vs how many times they were wrong.
That these rodents are predicting the weather at all seems to me an automatic pass and I am fine with "hoping they are right" if I like what they say or "hoping they are wrong" if they don't. But, alas, this is not enough for some who crave more facts than I, so we have now a statistical chart of groundhog successes and failures in the meterological realm

Here is the article: Groundhog day 2011: how well can groundhogs predict the weather?

and while it provides a spreadsheet there is a more detailed version here:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AonYZs4MzlZbdFNPRENhUGdDbkx4TkotSkx6TGZoQkE&hl=en&gid=0

The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-belliedhoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America and common in the northeastern and central United States. Groundhogs are found as far north as Alaska, with their habitat extending southeast to Alabama

(from wikipedia)

Year of the Rabbit - Proof Studio Gallery, Toronto

Proof Studio Gallery is holding its
annual Chinese New Year Print Exhibition starting today with the vernissage set for tomorrow evening, Feb 3rd, from 6-9pm.

Their blog is filled with rabbit themed prints from all over the world. This is my fourth year participating in this print event. The best part is the print exchange held in March. I've got a good collection of prints from printmakers all over the world. I look forward to this year's bounty of bunnies!

The print I submitted is titled

The Dance of 2011. It measures 9" x 9" and is a linocut handprinted on blue handmade chinese mulberry paper with embedded gold flakes.

The design was inspired by Chinese chopmarks, or signature blocks. This was carved from the new rubber "linoblock" material I've wanted to try for awhile.

I found the rubber material very easy to carve but did not like the printing results, though I did get it to work. It tends to give too much when I press onto the back of my paper draped over the inked block to print my image. I do think the material would be fantastic for small stamps but this larger piece (image was about 8" x 8") was just too uneven and "soft" for my liking. Back to the usual battlegrade linoleum for me.

You can see ALL the rabbit submissions at
http://www.yearoftherabbitprintexhibition.blogspot.com/

or if you're in Toronto go see them in person:

Proof Studio Gallery Print Exhibition: Year of the Rabbit 2011
PROOF Studio Gallery
Studio 104, Case Goods Warehouse, Bldg. 74,
55 Mill Street, Distillery District
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Open Wed-Sun 12-5

Opening reception: February 3, 6-9PM - Chinese New Year!
Exhibition runs from February 2 - 13, 2011

OSA Alumni Show 2011 - Shenckman Art Centre, Orleans

To the left is a great photograph taken by Charelle Evelyn , a community reporter, who attended the opening of the show January 13th, 2011.

As artists we appreciate getting the attention of journalists near and far so thank you Charelle for dropping by.

I love this image which illustrated her well written article about the exhibit published in the Orleans EMC. The photograph shows my ceramic piece called The Storyteller or let me tell you how I lost the fin... Geraldine Petit-Gras, also a ceramic artist and my fellow 2009 OSA grad friend in the background, is busy considering something to do with art, the universe and everything while my amphibian waxes poetic to you the viewer.

The show is a good mix of styles and mediums. The gallery at the Shenckman Centre is really beautiful; very airy and inviting. I like showing there.

I have three ceramic works on display at this years Ottawa School of Art Alumni show.



The Storyteller or let me tell you how I lost the fin... 2009

stoneware, underglazes and glazes, cone 6

front view - my colour image, reminscent of the one published in the EMC.







clasped arms in back, one of two head fins gone... how - when- where - why ?














Broken Zipper 2009
stoneware, cobalt carbonate wash, cone 6









Broken Zipper
side view

I like it when I make things that look like they will tip over










Wise Owls and Crazy Loons Bathe in These Waters 2009
stoneware, glass, underglaze cone 6

This is a birdbath depicting the Ottawa River and Parliament Hill on one side of the river and the Gatineau on the other. This piece is actually a glorified Chia pet as it won't be truly complete until I add some oat or grass seeds to the surface of the Gatineau and grow some greenery. I'll need to add some water seal stuff to make it water tight too. My hope is some little birdy will one day perch atop the red Parliament building, eat some of Gatineau Park and drink from the cool river waters.


BTW that's my mom waving to the camera in the background of my second bird bath image. She was happy to be surrounded by art and artists and to be near the snack table - plenty of compelling reasons to drop by an art show on opening day.

Welcome 2011

I didn't do much to welcome in the new year. I stayed at home and found myself watching the George Stroumboupoulos Tonight New Year's Eve Special on the CBC while flipping back and forth to Global and then CTV,
(I don't have cable and these are the channels that come in without any help from me and the computer and laptop were all downstairs).

I was waiting to see some kind of ball drop to mark the change of years. I did find a bit of this with the Niagara Falls New Year's event broadcast on Global, but once I saw it I ignited a craving for Anderson Cooper on CNN, partly for the New York Times Square event but also because they would be broadcasting the shoe drop in Key West.

I watched the Niagara Falls thing and turned back to the CBC to see...
the Air Farce New Year's Eve Special.

*sigh*

I muted the tv and heard.... nothing. No fireworks, no banging of pots, no shouts of Happy New Year! Nothing. Not even a car alarm.

When I lived downtown we'd walk to Parliament Hill and since moving here to the west end I haven't seen any New year's fireworks.

Maybe it was quiet cause everyone was out?

So, in contrast to my New Year's Eve (no video of it taken as it was so ... nothing) I did find video of where my Key West sister was; in the VIP section at the giant Shoe Drop with Sushi. Here's her behind the scenes take on the event.

Strange Cloud Obsession in 2010

One last thing before I quit blogging about 2010.
Actually it's a confession.

I had a cloud obsession all year. I don't know what this was all about but I swear the clouds were FANTASTIC this year. I couldn't get enough of them. I'd be driving along and the clouds would take my breath away. Sometimes I pulled over to really see them and take their pictures.

After a few months of this I quietly talked to couple of artist friends about my obsession and they too admitted to having secret cloud fetishes.
Maybe it's just that like people become friends, but I found this to be both affirming and scary.

Oh well.

One year I was obsessed by the sun and could not get over the fact that it is a burning ball of fire way way out there. That thought can still stop me in my tracks so I won't speak of it again but, ah, no. No more talk of the sun. And don't get me started on the moon, or a single blade of grass. It's all just too much.

2010 by guest blogger, Caesar Cat

Here's my look back at 2010

Winter. More accurately, I believe this was taken in February.


Here I am and it's Spring, quite possibly April.


Summer? Oh yes, this is right after the summer solstice. A long day of napping that was.


Fall, and the nights were definitely getting longer here.


I'll try to stay up to see that delightful Anderson Cooper but if I fall asleep I am sure I'll hear all about it tomorrow. Happy New Year.

My Year in Review 2010

Most of my year I was here, at home, waiting to find out what my future held. Due to Chris' new job there would be/could be/might be/should be/probably will be and then definitely was a move in the future for us.

All this home time would have been fine with me except my Chris' new job saw him travel to the Bahamas in January, Costa Rica in February, and the Isle of Man in October.

I was very jealous.

As consolation, I took a trip with family to my hometown of Sudbury in April, primarily to get a grave marker for my grandmother who'd been without one for over 10 years. It's finally there now.

I had to go all the way to Dynamic Earth in Sudbury to find some rocks that made me feel all warm and cuddly. I recall the Sudbury landscape as dark and brooding and barren. Like this:

But even this picture has too much green for me.

They've even cleaned up the Big Nickel and made it shiny and new.
You just can't go home again.

In the summer we went to North Bay and I found this delightful signage on an even more delightful property down by a lake. Oh Northern Ontario lakes how I *heart* you!

We stayed overnight in North Bay and then drove off to Parry Sound. It was at a resort there where I took my first jump off a dock into the water EVER.
Yes.
Ever.
I do believe my own personal "leap of faith" was in the top five things I did this year. It makes me smile even now.


Also this year The City Of Ottawa purchased an artwork from me: my giant handmade print about the bus strike. I was so honoured! I am now in the Fine Art Collection of the City of Ottawa and my work will rotate through city owned buildings. I don't think I can say how much this means to me. It's a fine way to cap off an art career in this city when I started as a street vendor in the Byward Market in 1991. The showing of all the work purchased by the city will be at City Hall in the Spring of 2011. I'll let you know when it is. The best place to get a good look at this piece in on the Ottawa Citizen Big Beat Blog by Peter Simpson. Click here to go to my interview done during our grad show preview ... it was so so hot!

A very spontaneous Santa Claus brought us a new car this year,

and big consumer debt to go with it (hohoho). I do love my car coloured "velocity red". Thanks Santa.

On the sadder side, my beloved Kitty X died this year. Colon cancer. Here she's being bothered by Caesar Cat as she's taken his special spot.

All year I waited to find out where I'd be moving to and now it's settled: Toronto.
I was really REALLY looking forward to a move overseas but it's not in the cards for now.

Beginnings and Endings. Looks like I'm going to be experiencing many of them in the coming months. I'm anxious to find out what Toronto has to offer and, actually, it's a lot. So much of everything there. We'll see what I can do with that.

Best of Show - OSA Holiday Art Show 2010

To my great surprise I won Best of Show at this year's Ottawa School of Art Holiday Art Show!

Best of Show means you get a Best of Show ribbon


placed next to your award wining artwork.

I also won a gift certificate to Capital Pottery Supplies.
Thanks! I see underglaze crayon set #208 or #209 in my future...

I won for my ceramic sculpture called Entering a State of Change.



front view and the following views are as you walk around the piece




Human evolving into bird or bird evolving into human?
Hard to say.
I do know it's about 24" tall and handbuilt with coils. That glaze is Emily's Purple and the deep black is Black Velvet glaze running over the surface. It is made of stoneware and fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln.

The Holiday Art Sale goes until Sunday the 19th of December. In the background of my images you can see how much fun stuff is there.

Stop by and buy something fun!
Support your Local Artist.

Pimped out baking

My sister's latest blogpost about Spotted Dick had me thinking about Christmas baking. Believe me when I tell you, what she says about her baking is all true. She loves a challenge. As synchronicity would have it I came across this image:

I think my sister should make something like this soon!

Look at the detail! In art school we were encouraged to try our hand at copying the Old Masters to learn how to handle our paint and to analyze what goes into creating a good composition.

Re-making these culturally archetypal snackfoods may just make you appreciate these tasty tidbits that much more. The artistry! The ingredients! The effort! The challenge! The change of scale! The cost! The admiration from loved ones and strangers alike! So many benefits to be had.

Obviously intrigued, I ended up looking at pretty much everything
on Pimp That Snack.
I perused their gallery of goodies and here are some favorites.

giant oreo

giant maple leaf creme cookie

The making of the inside of a giant Kinder egg. This one was just a big wow to me.
I am pretty intrigued by it and may attempt it--maybe for Easter.

My Significant Other may appreciate the tricked out tart and he would probably
love to toast it on the BBQ. All the better to eat you with....

And a Jolly Old Soul was He

This newest Franklin seems to be all-things-Christmas in one polite package: Rudolph nose, reindeer antlers, Christmas tree and Santa. There's even a poinsettia.

Guerrilla Knitter(s) at Large! Yay!

While returning library books this week I noticed this bit of guerrilla knitting outside the library

You don't often come across this stuff in the urban wilds
of mild-mannered Ottawa.
Most people walked right by it. I thought it was extraordinary and wondered who put it there and when. Looking closer I saw some lettering--maybe a mark of the maker(s)?

Hong Kong Graphic Arts Fiesta

If you find yourself in Hong Kong on December 21st, please visit the Hong Kong Graphic Arts Fiesta where I and 10 others have work representing the Ottawa School of Art Printmakers. This show has been in the planning for most of this year and it's exciting to see we're almost at opening day.

For myself, this is the furthest I have shown one of my prints and at the Jockey Club in Hong Kong no less! Very exciting.