MAKING STUFF
and writing about it
A record of the making and the learning along the way: process, material, and the social side of hand-making.
Dec 14, 2012
That poodle is telling us something
At first I didn't see what the fuss was about at the official artwork unveiling last weekend at Main and 18th. Unless the soggy mess of dirt and blue metal fencing in front of the new condo complex...
Dec 7, 2012
Breaking up is hard to do
It's the most wonder-what-to-make time of the year — or used to be, for me. It was all tra-la-la-la-la and glue-guns and glitter puff paint back when I had the 9-5 office job. Messing with sparkle...
Nov 30, 2012
A brilliant painter’s life, interrupted
Ignorance was truly bliss when I spotted this staggering, large painting at the AGO last month. I didn't know of the artist, so I viewed it at face value, no back story. It was the only photo I took...
Nov 23, 2012
This week’s blog is brought to you by the word Juxtaposition
A friend of mine was a little obsessed with cleaning her carpeting in the condo she brought brand new several years ago. She seemed to be at constant war with her wall-to-wall. I always assumed...
Nov 16, 2012
Weaving through weighty material
I needed to shed my years of sewing and knitting and general crafting so I went to art school. No more crochet hooks and embroidery hoops; I wanted to do Real Important Art. But it was only after I...
Nov 9, 2012
Maker’s mecca in downtown Toronto (for now)
Like other Vancouver makers , I mourn the latest closures of stores dedicated to those who work with their hands, hearts and heads, for love or livelihood. Last month it was the needlework shop in my...
Nov 2, 2012
Dogged by one Sick Puppy
Coming up with new ideas is typically the easy part for creatives; deciding which of those ideas are just distractions is quite another thing. Self-editing is an important part of the creative...
Oct 26, 2012
The genius of keeping things open
It's a tricky business, doing a public-art commission for a private corporation, especially when there are big strings attached to the cash: the thing has to salute the business itself. The really...
Sep 28, 2012
A sassy swing that ends with a punch in the gut
I love that emotional collision that happens when faced with a great artwork. It's that attraction-repulsion thing that sort of mutes the rest of the world for a moment while the ol' brain tries to...
Aug 23, 2012
Revelations from the ‘Revelation’ and other scary rides
During my first day of art school , one of the instructors told the auditorium packed with other nervous Foundation-year students that this education would be not just about making the art, but...
