Jun 26, 2012
Makers get respect they deserve at Mini Maker Faire
In his speech to graduates of Toronto’s York University this month, one of my favourite journalists, CBC Radio’s Michael Enright, advised the next working generation to “learn how to fix…
May 30, 2012
Good design is a natural
It’s probably more Little House on the Prairie than the slightly unsettling modern survivalist culture that has me generally pre-occupied with designs for off-the-grid living, untethered to hydro…
Apr 30, 2012
The public is personal
Somewhere between finishing my career in newspaper journalism and finishing four years of art school, I found myself moonlighting as a home stager. It didn’t begin that way; it started with a…
Mar 25, 2012
Facing down the fear of failure
Visual artists talk a lot about the importance of happy accidents. That’s when good things come out of experimentation. It’s very tough to accept the less-happy accidents as part of the process,…
Feb 28, 2012
Putting art value to good use
The art world doesn’t have much use for “use objects” as art objects. There’s really nothing valuable about them beyond their use value. And the fact that they’re laboriously handmade doesn’t cut it…
Jan 30, 2012
Staying true when the ground is shaking
Reason #372 why it’s so great to be in a shared studio : inspiration from your fellow artists. Like in the candy-store story shared by one studio-mate. In the old days I would research and cite the…
Dec 28, 2011
‘The Thing’ is bigger than our original idea
It’s alive — and threatening to take over. Since one of my studio-mates and I started our own Social Network (working title) a couple of months back the thing has become The Thing that won’t be…
Nov 7, 2011
Someone plug my cake hole with Halloween candy
There’s an old story in our family about my brother who, as a tyke in montessori, pointed out a stain on the dining room wallpaper and said it looked like Chad. Or maybe it was a U.S. state. (It…
Oct 30, 2011
Strands connect to Deep South quilters and Occupy Vancouver
From left: Gees Bend quilter collective members Revil Mosley, China Pettway and Louisiana Bendolph sing their life. (Photo from theartblog.org) I finally got to hear from some of the amazing Gees Bend quilters at the Maiwa Textile Symposium on Granville Island a couple weeks back, on the heels of attending the first day of Occupy Vancouver in front of […]
Sep 12, 2011
Everyday ecstasy
The only thing I miss about being 20 is going out of my mind. Or into my mind. Or just getting out of my context, for many lost hours. I miss those moments of ecstasy. There are really no…
