Happy Groundhog Day! Wiarton Willy and Punxsutawney Phil did see their shadows today, so six more weeks of winter in sight. Hang in there, everyone.
Canvas (Paintings)
Today's New Oil Painting: The Fourth Tree. #1 in Scotsdale Series
Finished January 31st, this is an 8" x 8" oil painting on canvas. The long shadow lets us know exactly what the fourth tree - by the little white shed at the Scotsdale Farm - looks like. Cold, crisp winter day in Ontario. That snow didn't stay for long though. Pretty to paint, but more attractive when gone.
Doing my best to stick to schedule and keep the art work coming. Exciting to see the new art work begin to line up in my Williams Mill studio.
Scotsdale Farm has a wonderful array of white American colonial style buildings that are as wonderful to photograph as paint. It is part of the Bruce Trail, in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada, and is not too far a drive from my studio north of Mississauga.
New - 3rd Oil Painting in Ontario Series
My first oil painting of 2010 - the third the series "the Reluctant Tourist". 24" x 24". Seaforth is a pretty Ontario town we passed through on the way to Bayfield ( Bruce County, Lake Huron cottage country), Ontario, Canada. My daughter was victorious in her finds in a second-hand store. Now on to the next in the series, after I finish the little Scotsdale Farm painting I am now working on.
Warming up to Plein Air Painting
Minus 32 degrees celsius with the wind chill did not deter 8 members of the Ontario Plein Air Society (OPAS) from meeting at the heritage Scotsdale Farm, on the Maureen Smith trail area of the Bruce Trail in Ontario.
This was my first visit to the lovely American colonial style farm buildings, and my need to explore and photograph, took precedence over my need to paint. Long tree shadows crossing over white clapboard buildings, a stone silo dusted in snow, and weather vane topped cupolas made for inspiring photo taking.
As there was so much to see, it took me a while to settle down to draw with my Cray pas oil pastels. But by the time I did, the weather changed - everything going grey. Still beautiful, but we all became a little more conscious it was winter. Shadows disappeared, and snow swirled off the roof tops, as in the little 8" x 8" oil pastel drawing on canvas I did, and am quite fond of, even though it was quickly produced, for the grand jaunte it represents.
By drawing on location, my feet buried in the snow, in a farm pen that I had to climb over a fence to get to, for the view I wanted, I can still feel the crispness of the air, and replay the image of the snow swirling past the silo I was drawing. The paintings of Scotsdale Farm that will be created in the comfort of my Williams Mill studio - these paintings, will certainly benefit from the plein air experience.
To see a video by Zan Barrage on this plein air day, with some great tips (e.g. how to use socks..) click here. For the OPAS blog with plein air painting info, click here.
My New Artist Studio
What joy to set up my studio at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre, but it is still a work in progress, just like the painting on my easel. Happy New Year! Best wishes for 2010!
Gratitude, Hope, Great Art Neighbors & a Little Fun too, Make for a Happy New Year
For an eternity, it seems, my painting career has been compromised by my grilled cheese membership in the sandwich generation. Genuine teen angst faced by those of the younger generation in my household, and the chronic health issues, and subsequent death of those in the older one, gave me little time to pause for breath, nevertheless paint. However, , thanks to my commitment to be in the art fair, Art-09, in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in June, I did somehow pull through and manage to create new work. It is amazing how financial pressure & a deadline will inspire, isn't it?
And thanks to all the attention one of those paintings received (Stop and Go on the Credit), even though it did not sell at the time , in the fall I made the decision it was worthy of a quality frame. This meant, up to Four Sticks Framing - owned by the very accomplished painter Jim Reid (formally framed for the AGO & McMichael) - at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre.
After choosing an exquisite little cherry veneer frame (Stop and Go immediately sold!) I popped down the little stairs by Jim's studio to the lower level of the big stone building to check out the The Red Pig Studio . I have enjoyed reading the blog of this studio's owner - found object assemblage sculptor and painter, Carmen Hickson. I thought I might like to meet this unique artist and see her work in person.
To my surprise, the one very large studio was now two - Carmen's studio on one side and the other empty. Well, long story short - after a couple of hours of animated conversation with Carmen, and an email to the mill's owner, I was the proud occupant of that empty studio space beside The Red Pig Studio.
Just in time - my art work was included the Williams Mill Gallery "Big Art, Small Works" show (I think I have now sold four!), and my studio was included in the Christmas Open House weekend, where the owners of Georgetown's Main Street Inn toured my studio & invited me to include work in their Christmas Exhibit.
So after, what can only be described as a couple of years " Annus horribilis" I am suddenly...
...grateful to be back painting, grateful to have my studio in this unique artist centre, grateful for all the wonderful and inspiring artists I have as neighbors. Grateful, as well, to all my clients- you let me continue to make art. And, although it has taken hindsight to admit so, grateful that I had the strength, good health and fortitude, to have been there for those I love when they needed it most. My life of art wasn't sacrificed as I feared, but simply waiting in the wings for my return.
Wishing you a New Year full of hope, happiness, and good health - i.e. a 2010 to be grateful for!
Fondly,
Christine
An Art Full Day in Mississauga- A show, Plein Air Painting too
This weekend, I had the unique opportunity to exhibit my paintings during the South Side Shuffle Jazz Festival. Five other Mississauga artists and I put on an art show in the historic St. Lawrence Starch Company, on Lakeshore Blvd in Port Credit, Mississauga.
The location was terrific, the venue attractively set up, and the atmosphere, with the Shuffle's live music drifting through the doors, made for a really pleasant experience. The positive remarks on the artwork displayed, as well as the overwhelming appreciation for an art venue in the area was very encouraging. The show reaffirmed just how much an art gallery for Mississauga artists is needed.
This weekend was also World Paint Out Day, a day that individual artists and plein air groups around the world make a special effort or host special painting on location events. Ontario Plein Air Society was too recently formed to organize an official plein air event. Instead OPAS, asked its members to make an effort to paint and to then post the work on its blog site.
My very full weekend - TIFF (The Men Who Stare at Goats gala ( yes - I saw George Clooney and Jeff Bridges) a street garage sale, and the art show, left me with only a short time to dash out a painting, while working the show at the Starch Building.
A beautiful day to paint! This 6" wide x 12" high oil painting is from the viewpoint of Fram's St. Lawrence Starch Building, looking east, past the iron fence, to Lakeshore Blvd.
Although I prefer not to touch up my plein air paintings, I chatted too much to inquisitive & friendly passers by, and so need to clarify and brighten up a few parts. This includes defining the words "Port Credit" (the focal point) on the red and white banner.
09/09/09 Lucky Numbers for Mississauga Artists (well, most of them)
Today, on the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month of the ninth year, The Lakeview Legacy Project , a non profit organization, was to stand before Mayor Hazel McCallion & the Mississauga City Council to ensure that the proposed Small Arms Building creativity centre would receive the infrastructure repair funding it so richly deserves. I wondered, (as both a visual artist and with AIM, Artists in Mississauga) would the 09/09/09 date bring good news or not for the arts & artists in Mississauga? Now, I knew that the team that makes up the Legacy Project has such experience, dedication and vision, that I really needn't worry. But a little chink in my faith resulted when, as just before I headed out the door to the council meeting, my teenage daughter asked for a whopping $300 for school, and that the number on the cheque I made out was 333! (add them up- they equal 9)
My anxiety grew, when stuck in traffic snarled by back- to - school buses, and construction everywhere, it took me 3x as long to reach city hall. Then, thinking I was lucky to grab a free parking spot behind the Living Arts Centre - it wasn't till I was far from my car - I saw there were now new automated ticket booths. With no change on hand, I couldn't get mine to work with my charge card. I had the joy of adding some feelings of inadequacy to those feelings of frustration at being late... until I passed a gentleman equally perplexed at getting his card to work.
I moved my car to the Square One Parking lot instead.
Racing over to city hall, I held the door open for an out of breath young man who, all dressed up, looked quite perturbed as he ran up the stairs towards me. Aha! a fellow witness also late to this historic event!
But then, across the great hall, little flower girls dressed up in white and pressed against the glass - caught my eye . A wedding, and he made it.
Jim Tovey, Chair of the Lakeview Legacy Project, and the Lakeview Ratepayers Association was presenting his case as I entered the Council Chambers. With no further a due Council unanimously agreed the cause was worthy and deserving. Huzzah!
And then, but with a little more difficulty, the Art Gallery of Mississauga, also got approval for funds toward their much needed and deserved expansion ideas. Huzzah again!
Happily, I returned to my car only to find a ticket on my windshield. Somewhere in time, what had been part of a large mall parking lot, still looked like the mall's parking lot, and has no obvious signs otherwise, at least not to a frustrated motorist, was now just for private use by who knows who?!?
I could pull a "23" story line and point out that the ticket # ended in 9 (which it did) and so did the officer's number. But that's not the real point. The real point is that Mississauga is getting all grown up. It is getting mature enough enough to recognize that the arts matter, and sometimes, the value of money spent is not just about numbers. And that the nuisance of traffic, and parking that has to be paid for (sigh) are simply growing pains of coming of age.
The Great One That Got Away
I thought you might enjoy the retelling of a blog I wrote from 2007. Lessons still apply!
Dry Docked. High & Dry with No Cash in Sight. Or The Great One That Got Away.
Ever read "Blink- The power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell? Well,
read the following and find out how my snap judgement resulted in lost opportunity.
A very long time ago, as part of an OCAD class with the terrific teacher Chin Kok Tan, I was plein air painting (ie. on location) on Toronto’s Ward Island. I sat alone on my little stool (picture one of those little blue and white striped Canadian Tire folding ones) painting a watercolour of a sail boat in dry dock, the CN Tower & Toronto skyline in the background.
Three men came up from behind, and one of them politely complimented me on the painting and asked its cost. As I replied “$50” , I twisted around to look up the man asking. His fair hair was backlit by the bright sun, and I could not see his face.
Meanwhile, another of the three, yakked loudly and addressed me as "sweetheart". He made me uncomfortable, and so I dismissively ascertained all three to be “jocks”, and I was an artiste (even though I was a runner, skier & generally liked physical activity).
The polite, potential customer, continued to compliment my painting, and pulled about $30 from his pockets, stating that was all the cash he had on him. I held firm to my price due my irritation and judgement of the louder man.
The three went off, the polite, potential buyer thanking me, even though he was empty handed.
A while later the three returned. Groan. They had searched for more money (at a nearby boat?) and had come up with $38. “You don’t even have to finish it” they laughed. I proudly held my ground. It was $50 or no sale.
The three men departed, and then, when about 50 feet away, the gentleman who wanted to buy the painting, ran back to me, put his hand on my shoulder, said “Keep up the good work, dear” , and then rejoined his friends.
Immediately, I was swarmed by my classmates who had watched from afar. “What did he say ? What did he want? “
I looked at them. I hadn’t a clue what they were referring to, although by now you may have guessed.
Yes, I had turned down selling my painting to Wayne Gretzky .
Well. Lessons learned.
- Snobbery does not equal professionalism.
- Always look a customer in the face.
- Treat every one with respect. Do not prejudge. Look after your customer. Appreciate when someone has actually taken their time to stop, look, and compliment.
- Be fair to your clients by being consistent in your prices, but sometimes, it pays to compromise. At the time I could have used that $38, although I have had more than $50 in fun in recounting this story.
- paint on location with a buddy (maybe a partner might have been more observant than I)
Epilogue: A year later I sold the painting at an outdoor art show at Corbyville, Ontario. By that time I had paid for a matte and shrink wrapped it. After the woman bought it I told her the Wayne Gretzky story. She was delighted as the painting was bought as a present for her husband and he was a huge Gretzky fan. Oh… and the price the watercolor painting sold for? $25!
And with the wisdom of age and hindsight (there's that word sight again) , I mean, how cute were these guys going back to search for change to try to get the $50? What was I thinking?
Plein air painting at Riverwood with OPAS
Today I was to paint with the new group Ontario Plein Air Society, but rain got in the way. Instead we held a very constructive meeting in OPAS leader Zan's SUV, and roughed out goals for the next year. OPAS will be holding plein air painting sessions every Sunday until November and yours truly will help organize at least three of them, including the three day paint out to be held in conjunction with the international plein air paint out day! To find out more about and /or to join OPAS (it's free!) visit http://ontariopleinairsociety.blogspot.com/ Meanwhile here are a few hits of colour on what was a very gloomy day.
A New Plein Air Painting
Today was the third gathering of the new group Ontario Plein Air Society. Nine of us met at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre in Glen Williams. We used my former studio in the beautifully restored old yellow mill - which can now be rented by the half day - as a home base, but painted down the road by the Credit River.
In my secluded little spot on a couple of feet of eroded shoreline, and only a foot from the water, I painted the tree line that stood at my eye level, resulting in the oil painting on canvas above "Spring Growth by the Credit River. A Glen Williams, Halton Hills scene) . The day was hot, and very bright, but in my tiny shady oasis, I was cool and relaxed by the lapping water. That is, after I decided to ignore the huge yellow jacket that buzzed in front of my eyes every 20 minutes, and the clouds if midges that wafted above now and then!
Some terrific paintings were produced by all, and it is always fascinating to see each artist's interpretation of the same location. I am always surprised how 3 hours of painting outdoors feels like a happy day away! (Please note: this plein air painting is now sold)
Today we were honored that J. Bandini, President of the International Plein Air Painters Worldwide Organization drove all the way from Niagara Falls to join us.
And for those of you who think you might like giving painting out doors a try - the following is info on OPAS. By the way OPAS is free, and anyone is welcome. It is a way for plein air painters across the GTA and beyond, to link up to paint.
http://ontariopleinairsociety.blogspot.com
Find us on Facebook Ontario Plein Air Society(OPAS)
Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/O_P_A_S
New Oil Painting: Lake Huron Afternoon
Just finished this painting today, and have another small one almost done. With my first art fair, Art 2009 , drawing near, the crunch is on! I am quite excited about this painting as I made a conscientious effort to apply more paint to the canvas. After looking at a detail of the brush work of Australian artist Wayne Haag on his blog, I had a Eureka! moment. I am too stingy (not deliberately) with my paint. Although I am a confident painter, and my past paintings have definitely met with success, perhaps I am still caught up in my watercolor roots. Although the painting above is not textured, the paint is quite loaded on, in comparison to most of my other paintings. I really enjoyed painting this piece - and it wasn't just because I got to paint a scene of my daughter reflecting in the summer sunshine by Lake Huron.
Note: this is third of a a series I am tempted to call "The Reluctant Tourist" . Any one out there who has "forced" their children or teens to vacation or day trip will relate. Although I am not without sympathy - I certainly remember teen age trips with my parents, where I spent my time ducked down in the back of the car . Who knows who might have seen me?!
Follow the Yellow Fish Road
I just answered the door to a team of five middle school students wearing road safety vests. My "blink" intuition (yes, as in the Malcolm Gladwell BLINK sense) wasn't kicking in. My brain could not equate the facts - students in safety gear, the lack of chocolate bar boxes and school not yet out (it's only 1 pm) - and my experience, i.e. they want money.
To my pleasant surprise, what these young people were selling, was awareness.
These young Mississauga Peel School Board Students working as "Trout Unlimited Canada" volunteers, were spreading the word "only rain in storm drains" . They were giving a friendly reminder , and an important one , too, that storm drains connect directly to our local streams, rivers and lakes. As well, as part of the Yellow Fish Road campaign, they had just painted a yellow fish by drain on the road by my house.
You may be enlightened to learn , as I recently had, that in most cities, storm drains do not connect to the sewage treatment plant & that oil, salt, soap & fertilizer goes directly and untreated into your local waterbody!
What does this have to do with art?
Well, aside from the friendly, humourous and hopefully effective, creativity of the campaign, it is also another reminder to artists to responsibly dispose of our environmentally unfriendly materials.
And any campaign that has young people that might not normally paint, and have them think it is fun to paint, even it it just a yellow fish by the side of the road, is golden in my book.
For more information:
Region of Peel: For Safe Disposal (unwanted chemicals, paints, oils) 905 791 9499
Report Spills & Dumping:
Into watercourses - Ontario Ministry of Environment Spills Action Centre 1 800 268 6060
Into storm drains - City of Mississauga 905 615 3000
On the "Go" - Two new paintings, Mississauga landscape, Kincardine Lighthouse interior.
Last week was busy! I finished this 20" x 20" oil painting of a youth going down the lighthouse stairs at Kincardine, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. The challenge to myself was to paint whites in shadow (expand my gray palette). I wrote a blog on this painting & mini color mixing lesson. Click here.
Above is a 9" x 12" oil painting of a Go train emerging from the trees over the Credit River in Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario. Young boaters from the nearby Mississauga Canoe Club stop to watch it go by - thus the title Stop and Go on the Credit River (Please note: This painting is now sold).
The Credit River in Port Credit is fabulous spot to spend an urban summer evening. Boaters, birds, coffee and ice cream - Lots of places to stroll, shop, sit & people watch.
The original painting isn't as dark as this photograph. Unfortunately it sold so quickly I never did take that quality RAW photograph. Artists out there ! Heed this lesson. A painting is NOT finished until you have taken that quality image for your records.
I often have the problem - when the painting is glossy and glazed - of getting a true representation of the painting. Either the gloss of the paint from my use of liquin (which speeds drying time) reacts like a varnish layer and reflects the light, even on an overcast day. OR even worse, the camera is too efficient and somehow photographs through the top glaze layers and The image photographs as if in an unfinished state!
My husband has decided this is his favourite of all my paintings. Hmmm. I am flattered, but considering I have done some fairly ambitious pieces over the past six years, I am bit "stopped" by such enthusiasm, but I will admit it was fun to have a "go" at a train.
(Last week I also did my first plein air painting . Here is that painting & blog - Click here) This painting will be auctioned off at the 2010 Art Gallery of Mississauga Annual Art Auction.
Cast Fishing, Cast Shadows. Plein Air Painting by the Credit River in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
2010 Update: This original plein air oil painting, painted on location by the Credit River, -under the bridge at Burnamthorpe Bridge between Riverwood Park and Erindale park - has been given as a charitable donation to the Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) for its 2010 7th Annual Art Auction Fundraiser, April 29th, 2010.
Above is a 6" x 12" oil painting of a man fishing by the Credit River. We are both under the enormous Burnamthorpe Road bridge - between Erindale Park and Riverwood Park. The day was sunny but the shadow and the wind was cold! After 3 hours my convulsive shaking told me the painting was now finished.
Today I had the fun of plein air painting with the newly formed group, Ontario Plein Air Society (OPAS). I had not painted on location in years and never before with oils ( the exception Tapatoo Tree (sold) in water soluble oils ) . Painting on location is quite exilarating - at least that is what I felt after I was done, and could seek relief from the cold and wind in a more sunny spot.
Just before I headed out to meet up with OPAS at Riverwood Park, I quickly thumbed through some International Artist & other art magazines for some helpful hints. Painting on location requires effort put into the logistics.
Following the example of British artist James Hart Dyke (American Artist magazine November 2003) I used the limited palette French Ultramarine, cadmium yellow, cadmium red light, raw umber and titanium white. What freedom!
Once on location, I struggled a bit with what to paint. I sat across from an enormous old tree, partiatially in decay - but what I wanted to say about this tree could not be said on my 6" x 12" canvas. Suddenly I found my self doing a quick - almost Japanese brush like gesture of the fisherman before me ( I could have drawn him all afternoon) and that was that - I had my subject. I guess I just cannot escape the call to put a figure in my landscapes.
Mini Art lesson 4. Learn Along with me in How to Paint Grays in Oil.
One of the reasons I wanted to create the painting I have in progress at the moment (scroll down) was the challenge to paint many variations of the colour gray. A trivia email going around states that the human eye sees 500 shades of gray. In trying to confirm this online, I have found the human eye sees 500, 700, 256, a dozen and less than 16 shades of gray. Whatever the true answer is, it is a lot more than I normally mix in my standard palette, and in the creation of this painting I hope to illustrate as many variations as I can. Normally, I use the following standard palette -
- cadmium yellow pale
- yellow ochre
- cadmium red
- alizarin crimson
- viridian
- olive green
- chrome green
- cerleum blue
- cobalt blue
- ultramarine
- burnt umber
- titanium white
I create black from mixing equal parts burnt umber and ultramarine and my grays from adding white to that mixture. (see lower right of palette above)
So how to expand on my knowledge of creating grays?
I turned to the terrific book I bought recently Color Mixing For Artists Minimum colors for maximum effect using watercolors, acrylics, and oils by John Lidzey, Jill Mirza, Nick Harris, and Jeremy Galton. Barrons Educational Series Inc. This is one of the most readable, portable, helpful and affordable color books found in our local stores.
This is the starter palette from Color Mixing For Artists
- titanium white
- lemon yellow
- cadmium yellow
- yellow ochre
- cadmium red
- alizarin crimson
- Winsor violet
- French Ultramarine
- raw umber
- Payne's gray
The book has a whole section on mixing gray as well as sections on mixing most other colors
Palette 1. Using Alizarin crimson, viridian, ultramarine, lemon yellow
Left: 7 parts viridian, 1 part alizarin, 2 white
Centre: 3 part viridian, 1 alizarin crimson, 6 white
Right: added some more viridian and white to left mixture
Ignore blue blob
Palette 2
Left: 2 parts French Ultramarine, 1 alizarin crimson, 2 lemon yellow, trace white
Centre: 4 parts French ultramarine, 1 cadmium red . White.
Right: 20 parts viridian, 1 part crimson, white, and more white
Palette 3
Top left: 4 parts cerelean blue, 2 camium red, 1 lemon yellow, 2 white. And more white.
Bottom left: Mixtures of ultramarine and alizarin and white.
Bottom right: cerelean blue, burnt umber , white
Top right: 3 french ultramrine, 1 alizarin crimson, trace lemon yellow, white
Of course what I am really doing for much of this painting is creating the illusion of white painted surfaces- the railing, painted walls, white flowers on the t-shirt- in shadow and reflection. One of the great joys of painting is learning to intrept just what it exactly what we are seeing. When asked what colour are the walls, we would answer white, but what we paint is another story.
An additional note. A couple of years ago I enjoyed a show entitled "White" at the the Abbozzo gallery in Oakville. Examples of the interpretation of white from all the gallery's stable of artists wwere on display. This show was a great example to all painters and students on the myriad of ways to paint white (and its grays) - whether in abstract. realistic or illustrative painting. To see a few examples from this show click here.
Art: See Gull painting. New Acrylics Golden.
I finally finished this 20" x 20" inch canvas of a sea gull by the steps of Gairloch park in Oakville, Ontario. This is the second painting I have completed using the relatively new Golden Open Acrylics.
Having concentrated on teaching myself oils this past 6 years, I have very little experience with acrylics. I do know that I found the actual process in my traditional acrylic work too different from how I now naturally paint in oils.
What lured me to try the new Golden Open Acrylics, however, was the promise of a longer drying time. As well, the colours stay quite true when they dry to how they looked when applied. I have been told that traditional acrylics dry darker (imagine thinking of acrylics as traditional).
I had some technical difficulty at first with my brushes as they were meant for oils - easily solved with a few more dollars spent.
The slow drying time of the paint really does lend itself to my method of applying paint and as I got into my painting "zone" I easily forgot I was working with a new medium. The paints are looser than oils (thinner?) and so I missed the feeling of "carving" into the canvas. As well I haven't really figured out how to glaze.
Thanks to twitter buddy, Bernard Victor, I learned that Winsor and Newton , now also have a line of slower drying Artists' Acrylic , not yet available in Canada. Here is a terrific area on the Winsor & Newton site with videos on featured artists - all who have very different methods of using acrylics, and a contest (you can rate the entries- Bernard has entered this) for acrylic painters- http://acrylics.winsornewton.com/en/.
Speaking of Winsor & Newton, have you heard of their North American rep, Canadian artist Doug Purdon? The extensive and fascinating knowledge this artist has on the history of materials, technique, and more, is an experience not to be missed. If you ever can hear Doug speak, go for it, he is a treasure trove of educational and entertaining anecdotes.
Have you tried the new Open Acrylics? Let me know what you think or any tips you have to share.
Grey Paint. Phenology. Where's the link?
Today I was going to talk about painting greys, that is until I did a look see at The Riverwood Conservancy new web site- here. Formally the known Mississauga Garden Council, this non profit organization has chosen a new name more suitable to their role as steward (and much more)of this amazing urban wilderness - that in their words, to which I fully concur- is both "beautiful and wild".
There is much to explore in this 150 acre old growth forest that is the most ecologically diverse in the Credit Vally watershed. Do you know that the salmon, yes salmon, are working their way through the 6th largest city in Canada, right about - let me check my watch - now?
But what I really wanted to let you in on is the niftyRiverwood web feature, the Phenology Database . At this link one can search for the time and place of the sightings of specific animals and birds. I think this is a great tool for nature lovers, artists and photographers alike.
As well, one can return the favor and enter the location, time etc. of the wildlife seen. I think this would be a nice participatory thing thing for the kids to do, too.
You don't have to be an artist to enjoy a visit to Riverwood... but I strongly suggest you'll regret not bringing your camera.
So much talk about Riverwood on such a sunny spring day. The greys can wait. Guess where I'm heading?
- Riverwood, Mississauga crocus Copyright Christine Montague 2009
Big heART Ideas for Mississauga Small Arms Building
In the blog earlier today, I wrote about the thoughtful & inclusive process Mississauga has undergone to research the betterment of arts and culture in the city. The creation of venues for culture, heritage and education in Mississauga, has pretty well taken a back seat to 30 years of building houses, and attracting business. Pretty well complete, the city has outgrown its "bedroom community" moniker. More people are coming into Mississauga to work than leave, and guess what? A lot of artists want to work, learn, perform, teach, exhibit, sell, share, mentor, here too. But where?
Well, AIM, (Artists in Mississauga) and the Lakeview Ratepayers Association, may have the solution! Sitting on Lakeshore Blvd East, with Lake Ontario to its back is the 33,000 square foot Small Arms Inspection Office Building. This building has everything one could envision for a world level arts (all arts) centre.
The positives:
· It is ENORMOUS- solving city's desperately needed room for studios (visual art , dance, sound, & more), workshops, installations, cafe, galleries, heritage museum
· fabulous lighting everywhere - huge windows, skylights
· high ceilings (which do play a part in creativity - high ceilings, big ideas)
· Location, location, location. By the lake, Lakeshore Rd & Mississauga Transit, by Longbranch Go, by TTC streetcar, by Marie Curtis Park, by future parks and Lakeview's Heritage Plan
· Plenty of free parking space
· handy to plenty of walk by traffic - especially when those parks go in
· Large welding area- large garage doors - set to go as metal sculpture centre. Who else has one of those?
· Important potential for tourism, arts, culture, and citizen destination
· Important potential for artist to sell, work, interact, teach, exhibit, Stay in their city to create!
· Heritage: This building with its historical connections to World War 2, feminism, 40's architecture, & Mississauga development deserves to be saved, and used well. It embodies one of Mississauga's most exciting historical stories.
The Negatives? We're not in there..yet.
Mississauga Grows up. A story of hope for artists. Ending Unknown.
My city, Mississauga, located in Ontario, Canada, is a new city - only 30 years young. It is remarkably, for being so young, Canada's 6th largest city. It has many wonderful attributes - a diverse, multicultural population made up of wonderful involved citizens and great neighbors, clean streets, safe environment, libraries galore, terrific hospitals, varied work opportunity, and it is debt free.
What does this have to do with art?
Mississauga's past focus on rapid growth - from it's bedroom community image amongst farm fields, to a city with a spanking brand new skyline, white collar industry, and the largest shopping centre east of West Edmonton Mall, is not a bad thing. Most people want a nice roof over their head and nice places to work and shop.
30 years ago to own a car and a suburban home was hot, and so this city was not built around culture, public transportation, and education. Attracting builders and developers and keeping the tax base low, thanks to them, was. Museums and places of art just weren't included in the equation.
The result? Rapid growth didn’t save room for all those quirky, interesting, and traditionally low rent spaces where artists of all sorts can set up shop to create, practice, incubate, mentor, promote, exhibit. There are plenty of places for children or hobbyists to take extracurricular arts courses of all types, thanks to the commitment of the city to create community centres. But for citizens, whose compulsion to create is as vital to their existence as breathing, are there are a lot of talented Mississauga artists out there, there is an extreme lack of venues to work, show, sell, create, perform, incubate etc. One must either leave, compromise, or give up.
Then along came hope and the promise of Vision - for the Good of the City as well as its Artists.
3 years ago Mississauga, i.e., its Mayor Hazel McCallion, and Council did something rather amazing. Even though culture was not highest on their mandate, they recognized, (and the recent literature of the time proved) how cities need art and culture to be healthy . Mayor McCallion , in particular , is infamous for her passion for the city. Like a devoted parent, she decided that if her city needed arts and culture to grow, even if it wasn't her thing in particular, she would do her darndest to help it.
Through an incredibly inspired and citizen inclusive process the following happened.
The Mayor invited unbiased, respected and knowledgeable movers and shakers to voluntarily serve on an Arts Review Task Force . ARTF held town hall meetings for every arts group & individual on what was negative &/or positive for the arts in this city. They listened. From this information, the ARTF formed a incredibly comprehensive report of recommendations for the city - one of the recommendations being the formation of the Office of the Arts & Culture. The Council accepted and lauded the report. A momentous day, a foot in the door of hope for artists.
Next came the formation of the Office of the Arts and Culture (OAC). More listening to the arts community needs, some growing pains, a little reorganizing.
The OAC then hired the Canadian Urban Institute who held a free, incredible speakers series - "A Conversation About Building A City For The 21st Century" . This series offered attendees the opportunity to hear what different visionaries thought about Mississauga's future.
As an artist, and advocate for low cost art spaces for artists, I particularly liked the evening Dr. Roberta Bondar, astronaut, physician and photographer, shared the stage with Tim Jones, executive director of Artscape, a company specializing in building creative communities. My optimism for the arts and Mississauga itself actually grows.
Next, Mississauga citizens - yes, everyone!- were invited to attend workshops, and round table discussions about how they viewed their city. They got to speak their minds on exactly what it is they wanted.
In 2009, the UIC, after more calls to the public and arts communities, made bang on recommendations for the OAC to create their strategic plan. This plan will be presented to Mississauga Council on April Fool's Day, 2009. Surely, this inspired visioning, offering such hope to the city's arts community will not turn out to be a trick.