The Desire for More Solar Power and 100% Sustainability

A Visit to the Dentist

I finally made my yearly visit to my Toronto Dentist last week and surprisingly had a great conversation before all the dental work took place and was no longer able to talk.  I was intrigued with the amount of equipment and electronics in this place of business.  The continuous improvements in the world of electronics is incredible.  However, it made me think of the amount of power supply needed for such an office.  Sustainability is such a trend though these days.   It seems obvious as to why because of societies  such huge advancements, also comes the concern of long term maintenance of responsibility environmentally, economically and socially.   My dentist had everyday life to think about and the stress involved but also shared these concerns.   We casually discussed the idea of the use of more solar panels for energy supply in such a building so that the carbon footprint would be decreased.  Not an easy project to take on, but not impossible either.   Believe it or not this conversation all began with the discussion of my art work and the small studio projects that I have been taking on.   My art projects are small, but every little green step can be seen as a move forward toward an increase in sustainability.

Salvaged Materials Lead to Creative Ideas

I purchased some small 8″x8″ wood panels that were on sale  to work on and wondered what I was going to do with them.  I really enjoyed the texture of the wood rather than the canvas.  I would run my fingers over the brown wooden surface and feel the shame of painting over such a natural forest product.   However, I took this guilt and decided to see where I could go with it.  My inner voice told me that the wood panels were not meant to be merely painted on with acrylic paint.   They were meant for much more, with more meaning and fun.  I rustled up all my salvaged materials taken from broken and discarded computers, eye glasses, printers, and other things.   The visual arrangement play with the huge assortment of objects on the panels began.   Some of the objects needed to be manipulated but two images of owls appeared.  One was no ordinary owl.  It was a WISE CYBER OWL sitting on it’s perch with arrow keypads for ears.   Two other 8″ x 8″ wood panels suggested whimsical old style images of bicycles with the backspace keypad.   A few more changes need to be made to the creations before they can be considered FINISHED and for display and sale.  

The View of the City from a Distance

I have  created a few various cityscapes including a larger version of Toronto currently hung and for sale in Cafe Uno in the Distillery District.   However, the panoramic wooden panels size 36″ x 12″ just seem perfect for small computer pieces and other objects I have discovered among the discarded.  I love process of using acrylics and the blending of the sky.    I have a bit of a series with these and have 3 more additions of these 36″ x 12″ Cyber Cityscapes.   I do not attempt at realism but play with the possibilities of a simple perfect futuristic quality.  What can I say I am bit of a dreamer.     The line at the bottom is beautiful glass mirror strip salvaged from an old printer that was found in the trash.  I like to believe it adds a reflective quality to the piece.  I am a reflective person and find it a great learning tool if I use it correctly.  I guess I was hoping this futuristic type of city would take a reflective stance as well for possible growth and sustainability.  Remaining diverse and productive over time.

Toronto Artist Tries to Think of New Ways to Pay the Rent

Sustainable Living Artist Style

As sustainable living ideas and concerns increase people are thinking second before throw anything out.  As an Artist I am constantly sorting through things with the hopes that I can find discarded material a new life.  Living and working in an old warehouse building offers the opportunity and space to keep various materials and use them in creations.  Having a collection of material leads to adding another step to the creative process of  an  inventory management  so that things don’t get out of control and you have an excess of clutter of materials that can take on the appearance of  garbage.   I’ve had an excess of unusable computers given to me from an insurance company.    These computers were all intact and ready for my dissection.

Closet Space Devoted to Donations

I had to clear a lot out of my closet space for the computer and devoted a lot of time with tools to finding the beauty within.  I still have electronic donations given to me and have to turn them down from time to time for fear that I don’t have enough time to give them the attention that they need.  I try to use as many items inside as possible , but it takes a lot of imagination.

Electronic Reed Switches and Lunch Containers

The biggest challenge is finding time for all the ideas that come to mind.   Including the  reed switches, gadgets, keypads and other components can leave a feeling of transformational empowerment.   This is one of the reasons why I work with recycled items.  I can take the feeling of being broken and transform it into a rebirth.    I’ve even found a few abandoned small batman  lunch containers at post garage sale street sites and used them to keep some of my materials in.

Ikea Table Top Transformed

The reinvention of the old into the new is a theme that is becoming more common as concerns for our planet grow.   This piece was created with a discarded table top, plaster relief and computer components and electric devices inside.  There is a switch on the side that allows you turn a small light on inside to reveal the what is hidden beneath the relief sculpture of the torso.

My Visit to the Tarragon Theatre

The Production of Forests – Tarragon Theatre

I had the pleasure to visit the Terragon for the first time last week in a while.   It was a special treat.  The production that I was fortunate to experience was called Forests by Wajdi Mouawad and translated by Linda Gaboriau. I was really impressed with the small venue and the acting ability. I have always associated larger companies with better quality of actors/actresses. I was obviously not correct in this viewpoint, and happy with my new theatre experience. The Tarragon theatre space is intimate and this adds to the appeal. The main space seats about 200 patrons and they have an extra space that seats 100. Another patron of the theatre mentioned “The performances I’ve attended have always been full or near full, probably because the tickets are one of the best deals in town and because they put on such interesting work.” I will definitely consider attending another performance at the Tarragon to explore it further.

“When you’ve got a big hole in your heart, nothing is enough.” Forests.

The actual Forests production was quite a trip. I felt like I was taken on a long and complicated journey. Sometimes it left me wondering where on earth I was going. At the end I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the over all journey and the psychology behind it. The story begins with a character named Aimée when she learns that she has an unusual brain tumour. She decides to risk her life to have her child for profound reasons. Then only to die when her daughter Loup- played by Vivien Endicott-Douglas- is a teenager. Enraged and grief-stricken, Loup reluctantly begins a quest to discover the origin of her mother’s mysterious illness. This quest is an interesting windy road. It was a little disturbing at times. In a story that spans six generations and two continents, the writer Wajdi Mouawad, demonstrates that the bonds of family are not merely biological and cannot be contained. It’s not a light story, so those who are not willing to take a deep inner voyage beware. If you like a story with deep meaning that you can explore, this might just be for you. It is a story that dives into the Art of Remembering – Or Not. And, as I mentioned before the acting talent will definitely guide you with their excellent skills through the story.

The Art of Remembering – Or Not

Forests dives into the idea of memory and how it can connect us to the past – or chain us to it.  Denis Villeneuve, Director, Incendies (Scorched) Nominee, Oscar for Best Foreign Film writes……..”A real adult is someone that has – how can I say – you are a real adult when you can get free from the anger that doesn’t belong to you.   In order to do that, you have to put your ego aside and confront your own identity and – it’s a process that I think everyone is going through in a way.  If you don’t, you have a reaction that belongs to childhood all your life.”  Forests theatre  production explores the idea of postmemory phenomenon.  This is where descendants of survivors of massive traumatic events connect deeply to previous generation’s memories.  These people feel experiences that they have transmitted to those were not actually there to live.  Reliving events that happened to ancestors from previous generations.  This is a controversial idea but the Forests story definitely  experiments with it.

Love of the Tarragon Theatre

This little theatre on the outskirts of the Annex is a hidden treasure worth exploring. I was surprised to find out that for forty years Tarragon has been creating, developing and producing new plays. I could see why the best Canadian talent are drawn to this company for employment in hopes to be part of the process of telling stories. The building itself is quite the ” ramshackle affair”. It has been described as a building “charming approaching dilapidated”.    It’s a little crowded but that comes with territory of good quality theatre.   It’s true though, if you play it, they will come. Some have also mentioned a little annoyance with the crowd control in the small lobby, and with line-ups for the two theatres, and the box office sharing space.  I guess things can get confusing. But all of that is nothing to the quality of the work presented.   Again, let me reiterate: the tickets are cheap, especially considering the quality of theatre you can experience locally.  “Culture is being built, brick by brick, here, with every passing season.” Michael Healey, playwright-in-residence.

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Exploring Happiness for Bangladesh

Happiness Images With Children

I am fortunate to have friends teaching and living all over this planet due to my Montessori teaching experience. One of my amazing teacher friends works at an international school.  She came up with a great idea for an art project to raise funds for the street children in Bangladesh. I was intrigued when she told me of the idea and grateful for being involved.  She had her classroom and others participate as well. The classroom children were given the art exercise to visually describe what happiness meant to them. They took their paint and applied it to paper to illustrate what happiness look like.

Fortunately I get to work with these paintings as one of the participating artist volunteering my talents and time to the project.  I was surprised to receive 100 paintings on paper in the mail. I was delighted to experience each one and note the differences and similarities. As I looked through them I reflected back on my childhood days and admired the simplicity and beauty of each one.  In some paintings I could tell it was the process itself of painting that brought them happiness, not the end result. This thought brought me a moment of happiness as well.  I love when the theories I believe in are proven true.

Well, I began by taking my scissors out and cutting images. There were plenty of families, pets, trees, flowers, rainbows, butterflies and pizza. This is one of the beginning phases of the project. The step I am going to take is to plan the background and placement of the image objects. I have my work in store for me.  Here are photographic glimpses into the process. I am curious to how this large painting is going to turn out.  I have until June.   Stay tuned for more.

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My Cyber Soul

acylic and mixed media

My Cyber Soul is a new piece that I’ve just created in my studio. It’s not quite finished yet.  Right now I’m in the process of incorporating a light fixture on the inside of the body to illuminate and make more visible  the computer components in the center circle of the torso.

This art piece is the one of a new series, and it’s looking for a new home if anyone is interested.  The piece is composed of a lot of recycled materials, but you would never be able to tell.   It’s a large piece.   24″ x 40″ and it would look great on the  walls of any condo living room study, den or bedroom.

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