The Same But Different

 The chances of experiencing a snow blizzard in October are slim but of course it had to happen on the day we left for choir camp! Driving at 40 km an hour, we arrived safe and sound at Camp Chestemere.   Even though there was no campfires or canoeing, the students were excited and and posative about being there.  For two days I  listened to them sing there hearts out and by the end of the camp, they had reached a new level. They gave me shivers!

 Art and singing are the same. In order to create or perform,  you must be willing to put yourself into what you do. You can't just go through the motions, you have to personalize it to make it your own.  Never be happy with mediocrity!

Celebrating Alberta Cultural Days at C-Space

Exhibitions, open studio's, receptions, performances, hands on participation- an amazing event for all ages.  My highlight was meeting multi-medium artist Paula Trimm. I loved her passion and her belief that "Art is all about the process and not the final product". She wastes nothing and everything can be recycled back into her art. She had a wall of canvas where you could "mark make" on.  I am going to put one up in my classroom where the students can use their left over paint on it instead of throwing it away or washing it down the drain.( yes they do this!) After the canvas is full, I will give them a piece of it to incorporate back into another piece of art. Sounds ambitious but I think it will work! Stay tuned!

The Exquisite Corpse

This game is also  known as the exquisite cadaver (from the original French term cadavre exquis) or rotating corpse, is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. It was first invented in 1925 in Paris by surrealists Tanguy, Prevert, Breton and Duchamp and played as parlor game.  Imagine the fun we had with this in our Art Club at school! We started by everyone picking a medium and then had a time limit of two minutes to draw/paint what we saw. ( I set up a still life of mannequins) After two minutes was up, we rotated to the right leaving our drawing behind and taking our medium with us.  Imagine the bizarre and intuitive images that evolved from this!  It was the perfect game because it was unpredictable, had elements of chance, and group collaboration.( we also had a lot of fun and laughs!)  I will defiantly be trying this with my art classes!

I love to Ride My Bicycle.....

The leaves are falling and there is a cold nip in the air.  My days are limited and I cringe at the thought of having to ride indoors. I take advantage of the beautiful day and head down to Calgary's best kept secret- Fish Creek Park. Movement is a key ingredient in the creative process. It not only makes you feel good, but it directly supports your ability to open up, energize, and channel creative energy through your body and into your artwork!

I Have a Vision

I am inspired after reading the article "Machin" from Avenue Magazine. Alexis Kondra's will be displaying her sculpture in the "Little Gallery" in Bridgeland.  Her work mimes her childhood memory while exploring the nature of memory and spatial relationships. A" Little Gallery???" I did not know these even existed!  I want to make one for my students! Why have a "Little Gallery?" A "Little Gallery" aims to bridge the gap between street art, gallery art and public art. It would help local artists ( art students at Western Canada High School) reach a larger audience and make more art more accessible to the general public. It will also encourage pedestrian exploration of Calgary communities and promote locally owned businesses.  Can you imagine how great it would be to have one out side of our art room door on 5A Street SW?  My vision is for my students and I build a Little Gallery by the end of this year.  Of course we will have to change the name... I was thinking the "Mini Museum!"

"Gateway to the City"

I am not sure if I should go here or not.  Quite a few people have asked me my option about the "Bowfort Towers." I would like to put a positive swing on it. The artist, Del Geist has been making public art art for 40 years and says public acceptance can take time. "If you walk into a museum and you don't know what it is about, maybe next time time you see it, you will get it and get the aspects of it. Often it takes a number of visits for it ti grow on you."

Geist travels to various places and tries to find a context of the earth which connects to the place specifically. His sculpture incorporates Rundle rock stones which are found  only in Alberta.  The stones were gathered from the personal collection of geologist Louis Kamenka at the the Kamenka Quarry near Canmore. There are imprints of fossils and even subtle ripples in the rock from the prehistoric river they once sat in. " The notion was to mark the entrance of the city using something that is specific to the region," Geist says.

My opinion?  Go back and look at it with an open mind. Don't be so quick to judge. The Bowfort Towers may become loved with time. The whole purpose of public art is to surprise people, evoke a response, whether it be positive or negative  and to break them out of their everyday slumber!

This Wasn't in the Book

Ice Monster- It is an iconic shaved ice store that serves addictive mango ice. It made my taste buds do the happy dance!

The Songshan Cultural and Creative Park was once a Tobacco Factory that has been revamped into the Creative Hub of Taipei. The mission of the park is to have various artistic, cultural and creativity events. The old buildings housed some unique works and I wish I had the money to buy them!

Sticky in Taipei

This title has double meaning- Sticky because I am sticky, hot, dripping with sweat all the time and sticky because that is what the rice was that we ate today! We got the chance to experience a traditional, back alley, out of the way, family run meal! It is one of those places that would be on the Diners, Drive Ins and Dives tv show. It was so authentic, that I could not tell you the name of it because it is in mandarin. The owners where very honoured that we had come to eat there and they treated us like "Rock Stars!" Unsure of what I really ate, it was tasty and would rank up there with any of the meals that we have had to date!

We Came, We Saw, We Conquered.

It was a bit of an adventure getting to the National Palace Museum(planes, trains and automobiles), but Kelly and I eventually got there. Three floors of the worlds largest collections of Chinese artistic treasures- a chronicle of 5,000 years of Chinese history and heritage. A bit overwhelming to say the least. Amongst all the artifacts was a show of Giuseppe Castiglione's work called "Lang Shinning".   Ten artists jointly created and interpreted his work into installations, animations, sculptures and high tech mobile apps. 

The Museum d'Orsay also had on a show- it showcased 69 paintings  of the great ones-Millet, Cezanne, Da Vinci, Renoir, Monet and Gauguin to name a few. The theme of the work seemed to be " Ordinary work that people do". Famous paintings seen in real life pale in comparison to ones you see and read about in books! Did I have a favourite? Impossible to pick just one!

I ended the day with one more adventure-  the Shilin Night Market. The market consists of two major elements- general merchandise and food. To say that the market was "bursting with activity" would be and understatement! I have never seen so many people, smelled so many unique smells and seen so much stuff to buy! Every square inch was used and nothing went to waste. Would I go back? Probably not, but it is worth the experience!

Confucius Says......

Imagine my surprise to see school children practicing a traditional dance called the "Ya"Music Dance inside the Confucius  temple compound! They will be  entertaining the diplomats at a festival at the end of September. Julie was telling us that people will often come to the temple to ask for something- to do well in a test, a pass in their drivers licence or to have good health. Confucius was said to be a man of simple living and therefore the temple is simplistic- no icons or elaborate carvings.  Interesting enough, I was interviewed by some exchange students on what I thought about the temple and my visit here.

The Bo'an Temple had a much more sacred feeling- there was a lot of praying going on! This archetectural masterpiece is recognized as Taiwan's most elaborate. 

The main show at the Contemporary Museum  of Art was called "Being" by Li Chen.  His works are combinations of Buddhist and Daoist philosophy and creative elements from western sculpture.  One of my favourite pieces was an interactive instillation.  On entering the realm of "Existing" we came face to face with the storm and glittering light of the Holy Light- this enticed us to to ponder the state of our mind! We then moved through the cycle of Leaving, Arriving, Entering and  Existing of Being which were fully expressed in the realm of space and emotions.

After we left the museum - we got lost in the underworld maze of Taipei. I felt like a cornered rat! ( and a bit grumpy because I was hungry  and tired and could have really used a snickers bar!)  Its's so hot outside, that everyone travels underground !

I Could Live Here!

Wow! What an action packed day today- our host Julie and her family was able to show us Taipan from a local perspective.  We started off the morning by having a traditional Taiwanese breakfast- salty or sweet soy milk, fried bread sticks and clay over rolls filled with honey or egg. So good!

We walked to a " Creative Park" that was a warren of shops, cafes, restaurants, boutiques and exhibitions. The complex was a refurbished wine and camphor factory dating back to the Japanese era. Its known to attract "hipsters" and young families and it is a great place to see the designs of Taiwan's young creative community. So much to see- too little time!  I plan on coming back!

The changing of the guards took place at Sun Yet-sen Memorial- it is done to pay respect to the father of their country for his great contributions. 

Lunch- this meal put western chinese food to shame- Din Tai Fung was the name of the restaurant. The most amazing dumplings I have ever tasted! 

Off to Taipei 101- the 8th tallest building in the world.  We made a reservation the Starbucks that brought us to the the 35th floor- we could spend 1 1/2 hours there. The views were breathtaking!

We walked back to the MRT and fought to stay awake for the rest of the evening!

I could live here.  The people here are so kind and generous- not once have I felt like an outsider. So much to do and see. It is clean and very modern and yes it is very hot but I am ok with that!

cSPACE King Edward

At the suggestion of a friend, I went to visit cSpace to see what it was all about.  Imagine my surprise to see the Glass House doing a workshop in the parking lot! I wish I had known-I would have definitely signed up!  I have made small glass beads before, but this took it to the next level! On my bucket list for sure!

The King Edward school is under construction and rejuvenation and it first opened in January. There are four floors full of art work, artist work spaces and meeting places. One of the shows on display  is called " I am Western"- it is a post modern interpretation of the cowboy and western genre- installations from 14 contemporary artists. One that stood out to me was the work of Kelly Johner- I loved her use of the saddle and how she transformed it. I also really enjoyed the work of Feder Yolo- he is a veteran from Afghanistan who suffered from PSD and has used his love for  art to help his healing process. His work is display of figures/faces that are  abstract, surreal and colorful. I asked the curator if the work was in any kind of chronological order because there was one piece( the Rose) that did not look like it belonged there- the style was so different. I guess it will remain a mystery!

The Alberta Craft Gallery also has a show called the "Citizens of Craft" that features exceptional work by 15 artists.  You can actually buy this amazing work and it is original, creative, personal and authentic. 

As you walk between floors, you can't miss the mural painted by Katie Green and Daniel Jkirk- WOW- that is all I can say!

Will I be coming back? You bet but next time I will have my students in tow with me!

I Hear You Loud and Clear!

Wow, I never thought I would have the ability to make a web site or write a post!  I am what you call "Technically Challenged"and really unsure of myself on a computer- afraid to make a mistake, push the wrong button or delete something and not be able to get it back.  Up until now, I never really had the time to focus on my art.  I was too busy coaching- not that I did not love it- but it took up a lot of my time.  Having had hip replacement surgery and back surgery this past year has really made me slow down and prioritize my life. I needed to "weed my garden" and focus on myself and recovery.  Creating art is a huge part of that!  So, hence the web site! I wanted to share the work that I do and have done.  My husband also mentioned to me" Gwen, you should paint pet portraits.  You really have a talent for capturing their personalities."  I am hoping this site might also let people know that can create a fun and unique paintings for them.

Without the help from my friend Arman, I would never have been able to do this!  The picture below is us having fun with his new camera.  I am looking forward to this adventure and have learned to be a little less afraid!