tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-130400642009-12-20T16:16:45.845-08:00every child is an artist ... the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up ~ picassoandreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.comBlogger739125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-49109753097824889592009-12-16T14:25:00.000-08:002009-12-16T16:49:41.857-08:00

Take this, Madame Tussaud: These sculptures are almost more realistic than people, so why not take Picasso's famous flattened space and make it 'more realistic', too:

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-15165078868014788212009-12-15T14:04:00.000-08:002009-12-16T16:57:27.892-08:00

Over the past few years I've idly wondered why three-quarters of the people in art workshops, on arts councils, who teach art, etc., are women, whereas three-quarters of artists represented in galleries are men. I lamely concluded that changes in gender politics on an economic/business level were simply lagging behind what was happening socially. The glass ceiling and all that. That may be true,

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-85275693086746111282009-12-12T09:04:00.001-08:002009-12-12T09:49:06.335-08:00

I took these photos last weekend and am posting them after reading this idea, which I love. (Thanks, Albina.)

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-45049158211398522632009-12-10T15:46:00.000-08:002009-12-10T17:40:23.526-08:00

Interwebs recess over! It was a sad excuse for a break, actually; I did a lot of lurking. In any case, I did start Christmas shopping and going to the gym again and did everything on my To Do list except finish my book. The best thing was finally, with some trepidation, uncapping my new tubes of oil paint last week. Oil paints are a very yin-yang thing. They are very sensuous to use and I was

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-4244044011112588562009-11-27T17:38:00.000-08:002009-11-27T18:02:25.348-08:00

Technology is so much fun but we can drown in our technology. The fog of information can drive out knowledge. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin I think this is a perfect quote with which to launch a short break from the interwebs. I'm going to read this and work on the photo project for family Christmas presents and clean up the garden and finally finally dip my toe in the oil paints, so to speak. Be good

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-5873925522278969872009-11-25T13:58:00.000-08:002009-11-25T16:45:26.812-08:00

After checking out the website and watching some of the clips, I am dying to see Objectified now:OBJECTIFIED, by filmmaker Gary Hustwit, is the second installment in his trilogy on design (his first was Helvetica). OBJECTIFIED encourages us to stop and notice our surroundings and to think critically about creativity and consumption. Who makes all these objects, and why do they look and feel the

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-47008537619605729222009-11-25T11:39:00.000-08:002009-11-25T12:29:33.802-08:00

I want to be just like Hugh MacLeod when I grow up. Instead I'm like me. These days being like me means injuring your fingers three times in one week, the last being the worst. I slammed my finger into my minivan's sliding door last night and followed that up with the doctor actually burning a hole in my fingernail to relieve blood/pressure. X-ray results not back yet. Like the cartoon above

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-15982085834833960122009-11-18T14:34:00.000-08:002009-11-19T08:49:35.918-08:00

OK, it's actually cold and starting to rain again with another storm on the way -- but my back is better and I had a good workday! Just before heading out this morning I got a call from Mila, the gallery manager at the Federation Gallery on Granville Island. I entered one of my mini drawings in the annual Small Painting Salon (it's a holiday tradition for me now) and won first prize! (AKA The

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-71146558820270009592009-11-16T19:38:00.000-08:002009-11-27T17:33:51.442-08:00

Bloggers new and old, but especially old, read this about how blogging has changed in the past half dozen years, and why. I certainly know that Facebook now fills the void that was once filled by what I considered my particular blogging community. As far as my own responsibility as a blogger goes, I can tick almost all the boxes in the article, especially the ones about laziness, burnout and

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-40346046935996482192009-11-12T14:26:00.000-08:002009-11-14T22:00:32.862-08:00

While looking for images that combine steampunk with Bob Ross (a mighty challenge) for my last post I happened across this image of a steampunk guitar. (There are a few out there. Here's another one I like.) Then yesterday I took Coco out for a little Remembrance Day run and had the stupidity to try and keep running after I felt twinges in my lower back. Needless to say, I'm grounded today -- and

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-57946676789431739962009-11-10T14:07:00.000-08:002009-11-10T14:32:31.005-08:00

This is for Ellen (and Google).Bob Ross paints Slayer

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-28069518031798825682009-11-07T18:01:00.000-08:002009-11-08T08:13:40.783-08:00

A couple of days ago I got a new document from Ralph Pratt, my dad's cousin, who lives in Winnipeg. He is the family go-to guy about our one relative of public achievement (and the man he is named after), my great grandfather, Ralph B. Pratt. Back when I first started blogging I posted some photos of train stations he designed, then later on a church. Ralph keeps me topped up with what he

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-56889633912895951682009-11-04T12:08:00.000-08:002009-11-04T13:08:16.505-08:00

It was actually fun redoing my website, even if it took three days. I added the slideshow feature that I've admired on other art websites, tried really hard to edit myself (only partially successfully) and keep it simple and professional looking. I'm thinking it's pretty good for a hack like me who uses online tools, knows very little HTML and hasn't taken a single instruction in web design. But

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-20803525806155657582009-10-29T13:36:00.000-07:002009-10-29T15:21:58.064-07:00

I'm ashamed to admit that this blog has become far more about pictures than words. It's my answer to keeping it going when I have too many balls in the air and need to prioritize. I suspect that, once I get back to serious painting, I will become nauseatingly chatty again.Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have been working myself into a knot over painting these glass tree ornaments to donate to a

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-30817178618338183982009-10-28T09:06:00.000-07:002009-10-28T09:14:31.224-07:00

Now this is Halloween art. I discovered it over at Neatorama.

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-82177264210984689642009-10-25T12:36:00.000-07:002009-10-25T12:48:37.514-07:00

And it's a wrap! The final drawing in the set of four is over here. Next, I need to paint two Christmas ornaments to donate to a fundraiser for a children's centre. Then, and only then, can I start playing with my oil paints (yay!). That doesn't stop me from playing with Flickr Toys, though:

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-28316489858233707782009-10-24T14:05:00.001-07:002009-10-24T14:08:00.723-07:00

Three down, one to go!

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-33841870876263395482009-10-22T16:22:00.000-07:002009-10-22T17:02:30.417-07:00

I love it when I discover an artist whose art and practice ring all my buzzers. I discovered Christopher Reiger's work a few days ago over at Chris Rywalt's blog, NYC Art. (Oh, Angela -- will you take me to New York with you in your carry-on luggage?) The natural themes of his work, presented in a unique, thoughtful, and visually skillful way, are like candy to me. While sifting through his

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-13707738495135794262009-10-21T16:56:00.000-07:002009-10-21T21:33:58.872-07:00

I did it! For years now I've been promising myself that I'll invest in oil paints. I loved using them at university, but when I started painting again in 2001 (after a way-too-long-to-mention break) I hemmed and hawed for a bit, then decided on acrylics for ease/economy/ low toxicity. I liked them immediately though I'd never used them before. They suit my graphic/layered style very nicely though

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-58804098543960997172009-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:002009-10-18T18:14:31.004-07:00

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.~ Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-37898815479130272312009-10-16T15:23:00.001-07:002009-10-16T15:23:56.611-07:00

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-11698377475204047712009-10-16T08:32:00.000-07:002009-10-16T08:34:59.826-07:00

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-51908187753798094232009-10-15T08:48:00.000-07:002009-10-15T09:21:21.200-07:00

So ... what do you think? The 2010 Winter Olympic medals were unveiled in Vancouver this morning and there's bound to be controversy over their dramatically different design and shape. I would love to hear your opinion, so please leave a comment.For more, go here or here.Vancouver's Olympic organizing committee has unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals for the 2010 Games. The medals were

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-30641182031659186042009-10-12T16:53:00.000-07:002009-10-12T19:20:43.972-07:00

My favourite weekend of the year is almost over. There's just something about Thanksgiving weekend. It's all about autumn colours, family, food and hiking. There isn't a single commercial element to it, which may be part of the attraction. American Thanksgiving's proximity to Christmas and the fact that it's already winter here in Canada at the end of November (which means endless gloom and rain

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13040064.post-73258284462270319322009-10-08T08:09:00.000-07:002009-10-08T08:17:08.237-07:00

Because I'm a fan of her writing and her art, check out this offer from Hazel Dooney. More importantly, though, I think artists need to keep tabs on her pioneering efforts at changing the way we market our work.

andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16364011769128646998andreap@dccnet.com4