ART ABOUT TOWN!

This last month I have been getting out to a few galleries for the Capture Festival and also had an inspiration pass from the library and went with friends and family to museums, etc.

CAPTURE FESTIVAL 2017

I was so pleased to be a venue in this year's http://capturephotofest.com/  Two artists from the neighbourhood, Ross den Otter and Kiku Hawkes www.kikuhawkes.com created an installation in my two storefront windows.  It is up until May 30th so if you are in the hood please stop by.  Open 24 hours and does look great at night as well.  Here is a link to a video I did of it.. https://www.instagram.com/p/BSuCEuThsz-/ (click on the image for the video)
Here is a brief write up they wrote about the show:
"For some decades, Ross den Otter and Kiku Hawkes  artists and long-time residents of Strathcona, have documented the area’s built form. Their collaborative installation sites images of the area’s ethnically and economically diverse past within the context of its current iteration. A landscape of local, found materials frame photographs rotating at varying speeds, expressing time and space. These unique 3D objects, created through alternative processes, reanimate a rapidly vanishing world."
 

Ross and Kiku setting up the installation

I went with my photographer friend Sally Gooding sallygooding.ca to a few venues.

Ross den Otter was having another show all based on the selfie at his studio

www.pinkmonkeystudios.com  He sets up his camera but you pull the string (which is the shutter) when you want.  Who owns the rights to this photo? A thinker right!

 

We then headed over to The Flats and bumped into another photographer Jeff Cruz www.jeffcruz.ca from Calgary so the three of us went to several galleries together.

First up was www.galleryjones.com to see Danny Singer,  Mike Bayne and James Nizam

Danny's work is all about the Saskatchewan small towns and big skies.

They are made up of several photos stitched together.

 

 

 Mike Baynes work will blow your mind.  The biggest pieces are 12" x 8" and
the small ones are 4" x 6" and they are NOT photographs...they are oil on board!

James's photo is not a hoop in the room or photo shopped...he cut 

the ellipse right into the wall and floor..click the photo to enlarge.

www.winsorgallery.com was showing Bill Anderson's large photos and photo transfers

www.equinoxgallery.com was showing Fred Herzog's photos 

(I am not doing them justice so go see them in person)

I think my favourite

just love this one

 

 

 

this is the door to my studio that he took a pic of many years ago

and Gordon Smith's painted collages (love!)

Paneficio Building had a one year anniversary party with our 3 artists

Joan Tayler, Ray Ophoff, Lori Sokoluk (with us at their studio door).
www.joantayler.com  www.lorisokoluk.com

 I was showing collages, assemblages and process shots of more 

work for my series "Tools of the Trade"

I add items, photograph, change the items, photograph, repeat, repeat, repeat until it all works together.  The above piece is still in process.  An artist in our building Arwen Hunter of SomethingSomethingStudios is going to do a process video & story of Arnt and I.

Arnt was showing his furniture and also his process for collecting wood.

A man in West Van cut down about 20 trees on his lot to make a playground for his kids....

guess he did not know that kids love tree forts, climbing trees 

and hide and seek.  Arnt went and milled 3 maple trees.  

 Rob kindly helped Arnt one day and here they are milling with the Alaskan 

Mill and I am not sure what they are up to below....excited about wood I guess!!

This is Wendy Wacko the owner of www.mountaingalleries.com who has represented 

Arnt for 25 years.  She can hardly wait to see what he builds from this. 

All stacked up in the drying room for at least a year 

before he can use it....should last him 10 years!

The Inspiration Pass

Anyone in Vancouver can apply for this and you are put on a list and months and 

months later it is given to you.  It lasts 10 days and you can go to lots of 

galleries, museums, music, etc in the city for free with 3 guests.

First stop was the Bloedel Conservatory, an indoor tropical garden in Queen Elizabeth Prk with exotic plants, birds and trees.  I took my nephew Arnt and his girlfriend Michelle visiting from NYC.

 birds bathing in the waterfall

love his perch

My girlfriend Dori Harrison and her two kids came  to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Vancouver's natural history museum, designed by Patkau Architects and houses the Blue Whale from PEI.

It is also a research lab so is quite neat to see the scientists working away.  beatymuseum.ubc.ca/

My next favourite was this display of beetles...looks like a necklace.  

Enlarge the image to read the great quote!

The University of British Columbia is now home to a 17-metre tall totem pole that represents the victims and survivors of Canada's residential school system.

The pole was carved by Haida master carver and hereditary Chief James Hart.

 Raising the pole (this photo by Meghan McMenamie)

The residential school building has a copper nail for every child who died while in the system.

Above that a canoe and a longboat travel over water, symbolizing a people moving forward.

We took our lunch to the Nitobe Japanese Gardens considered to be one of the top 5 outside of Japan.

http://botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/visit/nitobe-memorial-garden/

Last stop on the tour was UBC Anthropology Museum a place of world arts and cultures with special emphasis on First Nations Peoples and cultures of BC.  It is also a research and teaching facility.

The building is a post and beam construction designed by Arthur Erickson.  There are thousands of displays and  drawers full of wonderful things...take your out of town visitors  http://moa.ubc.ca/

small loom from the Amazon

carvings from the Amazon

love these drums from all over...each with its' own distinct sound

For our last event, Arnt and I and his mom Gwen went to the Vancouver Aquarium which was really awesome.  None of us had been there in years so was a real treat.  Really impressed with the displays.

Gwen and Arnt with the magnificent Bill Reid sculpture.

exotic birds of all colours

love jelly fish displays

Gwen and I in front of a jelly fish tank.

nice jelly fish art

the shark tank

Penguins don't like the sun apparently

this sea otter was so entertaining

Arnt getting up close and personal with the frogs.

I like to include pics of my neighbourhood whenever I can.  Vancouver is hungry for 

summer so with the sun shining yesterday everyone was in the park or on their porches.
Sweet little band rehearsal outside my house. (2 violins and 2 guitar)

I photograph these houses a lot and call the series "All the Pretty Houses"

We are in the process of voting in a new party and premier for our province.

Please get out and VOTE!  It is a right not a privilege. 

Thanks as always for stopping by and next post is about New York City.  Eight of us friends have significant birthdays this year so we are off to celebrate in the big apple. Family and friends are coming from lots of places: 12 - Vancouver, 2 - Amsterdam, 2 - Berlin and the rest from NYC.