doreyme

wildflowers, watercolour on fabriano paper,10.5x13.5

mememe,oil on canvas,24x30"

today it's all about me, in ways I'm not ready to divulge...in the interim, I'm going to follow the internet trail of "Who's Getting All the Grants" in Montreal. A deadly dull enterprise for anyone not directly involved in the Montreal art scene, perhaps, or perhaps not. I've always wondered about who gets what + how much, etc. and how come, in particular, in the artist run galleries, the same ol' same ol' artists hop from one artist run gallery to another + all those things. + I'm going to pursue this train of thought + perhaps have a show about it, I'm thinking not in an artist run gallery....

okay,now I move to....

It got 58,000 in 2005, which is 4833.33 per month (2006 Canada Council grant winners aren't public until 2007 August, why?) Now let's see what exhibitions this gallery (which I've shown in the past) presented in 2005. This gallery, it states on its site is open 12pm-6pm, Wed; 12pm-9pm, Thurs-Fri; 12pm-5pm, Sat-Sun.

So these are the shows listed: 2005

This Call was to Have Effect
by Pavilion Projects
in the window from December 22 to January 9 2005
opening Friday January 7 starting at 7pm (That's 18 days)

Further
by Marianne Corless
in the gallery from January 14 to February 20 2005
opening Friday January 14 starting at 7pm (that's 38 days)

Halluzination
Les Reines Prochaines (5 Swiss Artists)
tour March 2005 (can't tell, was this a one nighter? or more)

"(Switzerland's les Reines Prochaines lead
a royal rebellion

by LORRAINE CARPENTER

"With a lively blend of music, lights, video, props and costumes, not to mention personality, les Reines Prochaines bridge politically infused, avant-garde art and colourful, accessible entertainment. The Basel-based group, whose alumni includes renowned artist Pipilotti Rist, has seen some lineup changes since their start in 1987, yet their method and madness have generally remained the same.

"A kind of language has developed in the music and the performance and the way of working, and this has grown over 18 years, so it's quite strong," says Barbara Naegelin, one of the group's newer members. An integral part of this language is the music, a smorgasbord of 20th-century European sounds, from classic cabaret to traditional Eastern, with touches of the contemporary. Throughout their shows, singer-songwriters Michèle Fuchs, Fränzi Madörin, Muda Mathis, Sus Zwick and Naegelin pass the mic and the instruments, taking turns singing lead (in German, French and English) and playing horns, keys, strings, synths, guitars and drums.

Accompanying their democratic musicianship is a substantial dose of liberal politics, particularly feminism. Les Reines Prochaines have always dealt with women's issues in their work, but Switzerland's swing to the right in 2003's elections, which left only one woman in its government, has not only re-stoked the group's fire, but brought a new generation into the liberal fold, a major step forward from the laissez-faire apoliticism and feminist backlash of the late '90s and early '00s. That said, les Reines's approach to politics bears little resemblance to the strident methods of North America's street activists and big womyn on campus.

"We don't speak out that we are feminists, except in interviews," explains Naegelin. "We're all women and we're talking about everyday life so we're ourselves a manifestation. We're not saying, ‘Feminism, feminism, feminism.'"

"Well, maybe a little bit in this show," adds Zwick.

"Yes, there's one song that's a parody of a war song, for equal rights," Naegelin admits.

Although Mathis, Naegelin and Zwick are already in Montreal with their installation La géographie transparente (at Galerie la Centrale until April 17), "this show" is Halluzination, to be performed as part of Studio 303's 12th annual Edgy Women festival. Les Reines' latest multimedia spectacle was inspired by Switzerland's devastating election ("The worst imaginable politician was elected," Naegelin says), and general dejection among liberals.

"We worked our whole life in a political way," says Mathis, "but we found that - "

" - it didn't help," concludes Naegelin. "The only thing that helps now is hallucinations or hypnosis," she says, as Mathis casts spells with her hands. Call it escapism dotted (and umlauted) with reality checks and crossed with irony and self-deprecation.

"We're left to our dreams but we cannot accept this, so we still talk about it," says Naegelin. "We're in the middle of it and feeling it, but we're making fun of ourselves at the same time.)"

Artist talk evening
by Muda Mathis & Sus Zwick & Barbara Naegelin and Les Reines Prochaines
on Wednesday March 23 at 7pm @ La Crentrale (one night)

La géographie transparente
by Muda Mathis & Sus Zwick and Barbara Naegelin
in the gallery from March 11 to April 17 2005
opening Friday March 11, starting at 7PM. (36 days)

Efflorescence
Shop-Window Performance Links Embroidery, Biology and the Migration of Cultural Patterns
performance at La Centrale on April 20th from noon to 6:00 p.m.
and on April 21st from noon to 2:00 p.m.
opening on Thursday April 21st @ 7pm at La Centrale

WUH-PHARR : Boldly Go Where No Man Has gone Before
Concordia's 2004-05 Women and the Fine Arts group
A sound and video Exposition in the gallery on April 22nd and 23rd 2005
Opening April 22nd at 8pm @ La Centrale

ANNIVERSAIRE : hI-5
in the streets and in the gallery from April 30th and May 1st 2005

metro rider
exhibition from May 7th to June 5th 2005
goin' down : metro rider invites you to go down with her.
meet @ la centrale on wednesday may 25 at 1pm
n.b. exhibition in the gallery on pause from May 18th 'til the 22nd

Studio XX presents
Htmlles 07
Périphéries + proximités
performances of : Suzanne Binet-Audet, Karèya Audet + Michelle Kasprzak, Raylene Campbell, Nathalie Derome + Nathalie Dion, et installation deTamara Vukov
performances in the gallery on Thursday May 20th at 9pm
opening on Friday May 20th at 9pm
exhibition in the gallery from May 20th to the 22nd 2005

things that go down
by karen elaine spencer
performative reading in the gallery on Friday June 3rd 2005 at 7:30pm

Les fermières obsédées
performance on St-Laurent Blvd on Thursday June 9th at 10pm
exhibition in the gallery from June 9th to July 10th 2005

Seafarers and Fishwives
by Jennifer Crane
exhibition in the gallery from July 22 to August 21 2005
opening on Friday July 22 at 7pm
artist talk on Saturday July 23 at 4pm

BOOM-CHIX-ABOOM !!!
Multi-disciplinary event in front and inside the gallery
from August 25th to 28th 2005 !

fundacja 36,6
presentation / workshop
Tuesday September 6th 2005, 6pm

The Myth of Sexual Loss
Karen Brett
Presented with the Mois de la photo à Montréal
under the artistic direction of Martha Langford
exhibition in the gallery from September 9 to October 9 2005
opening on Friday September 9 at 6pm
artist talk on Friday September 9 at 6:15pm

Breathing Underwater
Glynis Humphrey
exhibition from October 20 to November 20 2005
opening on Thursday October 20 at 7pm

Let it snow
Caroline Iqaluk, Annie Kavik, Sarah Qavvik, Mina Eyaituk, Sarah Kudluarok, Maggie Kattuk, Betsy Meeko, Mary Kavik Jr., Mary Kavik Sr., Lottie Arragutainaq, Hannah Kavik
curator : gyu oh
presented by the Nunavut Arts & Crafts Association in Iqaluit, Nunavut

prom queens, 2, watercolour on fabriano paper, 10.5x13.5, 2007

the centre for contemporary Canadian Art, The Canadian Art Database

okay now I'm starting to get riled up....
Funded by: Canadian Heritage. Canada Council for the Arts. Sheridan Institute of Technology. The Ontario Trillium Foundation. Canada's Digital Foundation. And I query the same 3 names. And I get "O". I mean really. Is there no accountability at all?

And I saw they have a cool "bibliographic database"

"A UNIQUE RESEARCH TOOL
Created in 1986, Artexte's bibliographic database com-
prises descriptions of more than 16,000 documents on contemporary art.

Artexte has developed several specific fields for its bibliographic database, which indicate: the names of all authors, the type of document, the exhibition dates and place, the name of the exhibition curator, etc."

So I checked it out...and looked up me, "Edith Dora Rey" Okay, not a household name, but I've got work in government art banks, I've had several government grants + government exhibitions replete with catalogues..not to mention, shows in Canada Council funded galleries. And what do I find? "No records found by latest query." Fair enough, it's not like I represented Canada in any Venice Biennial or anything. Like Barbara Steinman, who did represent Canada in a Venice Biennial. So I tried her name. Same deal... "No records found by latest query." I tried a friend of mine, who just had a mega show on the west coast, Robin Peck + has published all sorts of books, critiques, etc. etc. Same deal. So okay. That's all my brain can take for today. But I will continue this thread. Not that I'm a prairie Harper Valley redneck. I attended 2 of the finest art schools in Canada, West Coast + East Coast. I had profs, eg. Jeff Wall. But I believe in democracy + accountablitity. If you're getting 100,000 grand plus per year, plus summers "by appointment only" to host a "bibliographic database" of contemporary Canadian artists...? Deliver.

Okay, so here's Artexte

It's got a lovely website.
I may go down to the office to check it out, but I see it's by appointment only from June 26 to September 3rd. Okay. Here's what they say about themselves.

"Established in 1980 by art historian Francine Périnet and artists Angela Grauerholz and Anne Ramsden, Artexte Information Centre began as a bookstore specializing in Canadian and International contemporary art. The organization responded to an essential need in Quebec and Canada for up to date, accurate information on contemporary visual art.

In order to realize their objective of disseminating this information in 1981, the founders opened a documentation centre in Montreal. They then created Artextes Editions, which today comprises about 15 titles. Finally, they set up a national service for the distribution of exhibition catalogues and independent publications on contemporary art. In 1997 this service was transferred to a private business specializing in the distribution of this type of document, ABC: Art Books Canada.

In 1993, the bookstore moved into the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Two years later Artexte let go of its bookstore operations, which were passed on to Librairie Olivieri in September 1995, under a partnership agreement respecting the initial objectives of the Information Centre's mandate.

In May 1996, Artexte moved to a larger space at 460 Sainte-Catherine Street West, where it still is today. This move marked the beginning of a new era for the organization and its users, by positioning Artexte within the heart of a network frequented by artists and researchers of contemporary art. This relocation also corresponds with the reorientation of Artexte’s activities by its board of directors.

In the Fall of 2000, Artexte put its Bibliographic Database at the Internet user’s disposal, along with a first draft of the Public Art Database, which will document the whole of public art works in the province of Quebec. The Public Art database will eventually include all public art works in Canada as well, thus meeting Artexte’s mandate.

After twenty years of existence, Artexte has become a renowned artistic organization which, by the scope of its activities, responds with a high level of professionalism to the specific needs of the Montreal, Quebec and Canadian visual arts milieus."

Artist Run Galleries, Montreal 2005

These are artist run galleries funded, partially or fully (ha, ha, that's a joke) by the CC in Montreal.

Program - Assistance to Artist-Run Centres

Articule MONTRÉAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 42,000

Centre d'art et de diffusion Clark MONTRÉAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 24,000

Centre des arts actuels Skol MONTRÉAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 40,000

Dazibao, centre d'animation et d'exposition photo MONTRÉAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 90,000

La Centrale/Galerie Powerhouse MONTRÉAL QC Outremont 58,000

Oboro MONTRÉAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 63,000
Optica MONTRÉAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 92,000
Vox, centre de diffusion de la photographie MONTRÉAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 43,000

So far I'm seeing Artextes Editions - Artexte Information Centre MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Mariehas got quite a wad in 2005 -- 115,000 PLUS from The Flying Squad Program another 7,495 + I'm curious about them so I'm going to check them out.

Canada Council Grants 2005 Montreal area

"Find out who got a grant"
look for yourself but it's only 2005 for some reason, 2006 won't be available until August 2007. Why?

Discipline - Visual Arts

Program - Acquisition Assistance for Art Museums and Public Galleries
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 30,000

Program - Assistance to Art Museums and Public Galleries

The Saidye Bronfman Centre Art Gallery MONTREAL QC Mount Royal / Mont-Royal 58,000

Program - Assistance to Contemporary Fine Craft Artists and Curators - Creation/Production Grants to Professional Artists

Carole Frève MONTREAL QC Outremont 15,000
France Roy MONTREAL QC Outremont 9,000

Program - Assistance to Practitioners, Critics and Curators in Architecture

Jacques Bilodeau MONTREAL QC Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie 20,000

Program - Assistance to Visual Artists - Project grants

Jean-Jacques Ringuette MONTREAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 20,000
Steven Topping MONTREAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 13,000

Program - Project Assistance to Visual Arts and Fine Craft Organizations

Concordia University, Faculty of Fine Arts MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 6,000
MAI Montréal, arts interculturels MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 8,000
Quartier Éphémère centre d'arts visuels MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 8,000

Regroupement des centres d'artistes autogérés du Québec MONTREAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 15,000

Program - Support to National Visual Arts Service Organizatons
Artextes Editions - Artexte Information Centre MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 115,000

Program - The Flying Squad
Artextes Editions - Artexte Information Centre MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 7,495

Regroupement des centres d'artistes autogérés du Québec MONTREAL QC Laurier–Sainte-Marie 10,000

Program - Travel Grants to Professional Artists

Bruno Andrus MONTREAL QC Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie 1,500
Lynne Cohen MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 1,500
André-Louis Paré MONTREAL QC Westmount–Ville-Marie 1,500
France Roy MONTREAL QC Outremont 750

Program - Visual Arts - Creation/Production Grants to Professional Artists

Michel de Broin MONTREAL QC Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie 25,000
Marisa Portolese MONTREAL QC Papineau 20,000

I was getting gas the other day...

and I notice the manhole covers are painted "esso" red + white + I realize, oh, look that artist I was ranting about the other day (actually I wasn't ranting about him, personally, it was the fact that Canada might be a little generous throwing our money around to foreign artists) must have been here, at my very own gas station on the corner of Pine + St. Denis. painting the manhole covers. I'm not going to over exert myself tracking down his work but I'll certainly document it when I see it.

prom queens, 10.5x13.5, watercolour on fabriano paper, 2007

'Tis the season.

lawclerk + associate in a firm, 10.5x13.5 watercolour on fabriano paper, 2007

yup, it's Sunday.

the last of my little birds

flew the coop today. Luckily I have not only my deep and abiding love for art that keeps me company, but my furry always loving family, Ollie, Bad Betty + the ever faithful Angus. Still, there is sadness. My mother used to drive me crazy with cliches, like, "well, that's life, ya-ya" (she's very Swiss), but ultimately, she's, like, ya-ya, right.

chinese landscape, oil on masonite, 12x15"

I've never been to China but I bet somewhere there's a place that looks like this.

okay, so I forgot to pay my videotron bill

on time...then apparently 30 dollars short...so no videotron e-mails since June 18.  Like I noticed. I did actually...so I called Videotron. A quick Visa intervention. 94 e-mails later...so if I haven't written people back...sorry, that's why.

babs amiel, ink on fabriano paper,10.5x13.5

most probably the last piece I'll ever do of Mr + Mrs Black....they don't hugely interest me other than their lovely grey representation in the yellow press.

it was a dark + stormy night, watercolour on fabriano paper, 10.5x13.5

happy grad to my darling daughter

an amazing baby, an amazing child, an amazing scholar, an amazing woman.

conrad b+ babs a II, 10.5x13.5 ink + watercolours on fabriano paper, 2007

re: the power of art the other day...found it a little heavy on the dramatic re-enactment...only saw the Van Gogh segment...switched to Big Love, the Mormon husband with the 3 wives HBO series.

poor conrad+babs, 10.5x13.5, ink + watercolour on fabriano paper, 2007

all their problems + now me painting them.

blando flowers II, 10.5x13.5, watercolours on fabriano paper, 2007

the composition isn't as dead centre as the pic, even tho brattily I do do that sometimes just to bug people who have been taught 2 things about art and that's supposed to be one of them, but it's not even true.  There are no "rules" that shouldn't be broken.  Oh gawd, that's bad grammar.

okay, this is not me, my glasses are maroon

+ I will most probably put my foot in it because I didn't read the fine print,  but moments ago, I got an e-mail from a local gallery, quite a renegade gallery, which I'm happy exists for a show by a fellow called Franck Bragigand, who born in France, lives  and works in Amsterdam.  I know because I googled his site.  He's doing  some whimsical art for the people kind of thing in Montreal here, which I am also happy about.   Love that painting manholes stuff.  What I'm not especially happy about,  is  according to the gallery's e-mail they're sending out to fine overburdened Canadian especially Quebecers, the highest taxed people in all the land, tax payers such as myself is the financial help of: Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Conseil des Arts du Canada, Conseil des arts de Montréal, Arrondissement Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, du Consulat général des Pays-Bas, de la Commission des services électriques de Montréal et de Belle Gueule!  Fine for the European input, I'm wondering about the Canadian bits.  I'm thinking dude, we are some great country doling out dough to European artists to make art on our turf. I'll have what he's having. 

Oh + did I mention, the "Arrondissement Le Plateau-Mont-Royal" ..the h2w postal code, has the most artists living in it in ALL of Canada?  Oh, I did, in a rant months ago...

kewl, on PBS tonight...

the Simon Schama's Power of Art" , a Columbia prof focuses on 8 artists + their masterpieces  including “Wheat Field With Crows,” which Mr. Schama describes as “the painting that begins modern art.”

mr dr+mrs dr, 10.5x13.5 ink + watercolour on fabriano paper, 2007

did 3 "love + marriages" today...using ink for black, like Chinese artists, rather than sepia or paynes grey.

ollieollie, 10.5x13.5, fabriano paper, watercolour, 2007

it's a  watercolour of a cat. This will make the international art world spin in it's tracks. 

ollie plant, 10.5x13.5,watercolour + ink on fabriano paper

ollie hiding from the birds, good luck, she has bells on her collar

power jesus, montreal dusk june 15.07. digital photo

orange pansies, 7.5x22, watercolour on saunders paper, 2007

some more humble little pansies

Is it time for my close up yet?

"Collectors are grumbling about the scarcity of top-quality art. “There are some good things, but not as many as there used to be here,” said Donald L. Bryant, a Manhattan collector and trustee of the Museum of Modern Art. “The market is so hot, and the demand is so great, it’s getting harder to find great art.”read more I'm not saying my stuff qualifies as "top-quality art". I'm not saying it's "great art". No sirree bob, what I will say, how many gallerists/curators these days take the time to visit "no name" artists? Aren't they even curious as to what's out there?

blando flowers, 10.5 x13.5, watercolours on fabriano, 2007

they are blando, but pleasing in their blandness. My eyes aren't at their best. Some dumb infection, so using ointment which makes the world look oily. I painted watercolours in the backyard for a few hours today with my oily eyes but I wasn't entirely displeased by the results. Seems virtuous in some undefineable way to use such a limited palette.

the story of water, oil on wood, 48"x 32"

here's one that got away...
actually, I have a whole file called "painted over"...I still have the digital photos. Sometimes I look at the work + wonder why? why? did I paint over that one. I'm a firm believer of the muse. You have to follow the muse. But sometimes (ha) you have doubts + you paint over something you really shouldn't have...

pansies, 7.5x22, watercolours on saunders paper, 2007

I'd like to grow sweet peas but I don't have enough sun, alas. Right now the pansies are out and they are gorgeous, so "old school".

as for who done it?

a visually astute fellow who works on wall street noticed in the (silent) credits,
an actor in the diner, playing Nikki Leotardo...Phil's nephew. There you go. He also mentioned 2 other possible shooters with motives also in the diner. see for yourself if you care.

my friend Chris aka Zeke...

is not fairing well in court. He is not allowed to blog, at all, + his blog, passionate, detailed + opinionated (like that's a crime? Oh, stop, it is? Is this Canada?) about art, art, art is sorely missed. A local art agent, Pierre-Antoine Tremblay, alleges Chris defamed him + is suing for $25,000! Here's what the Montreal Gazette wrote about it...last saturday.

close, but no cigar...

either we've been "hood-winked",or Tony did get whacked last night. The last thing he saw was Meadow, then everything went black.  When the Soprano movie comes out, long after everyone's bought the boxed tv series, I'm still convinced it'll be Meadow that takes over.   Chase could have thrown us just another bone.  A shot of the "Italian" guy coming out of the can with a gun...perhaps he felt that would have been a homage too far...?

partner+funder raiser, watercolour on fabriano paper, 13.5 x 10.5, 2007

okay, it's Sunday.

tonight....last sopranos episode, ever

of which I've been a huge fan for years + I'm going to go on the record...the last scene of the last episode will be Meadow -- in the near future.  Or her boyfriend/husband, in a bathrobe, shufflin' down the driveway by a pool to pick up the paper.  If it's not Meadow, it's boyfriend/husband, getting it for her because she's off to work -- now a lawyer, legit,  ha, leading the Jersey families.  Maybe even the New York families...?

squeegee kids + puppy mills

a young (aren't they all) squeegee kid was sitting on the sidewalk in front of Provigo, on the corner of Mount Royal + St. Urbain, with her ever so sweet black pup, a smaller clone of Angy. Of course I couldn't resist giving her money.  So I asked her where she got her sweet dog.  Well, Ms leather+studs+tattoos said the pet store down the street.  One of the stores that sells mutts for 3-6 hundred bucks.  Mutts without papers, bred at puppy mills allowed + thriving all over Quebec.  Why I thought these kids got their dogs at the SPCA, I don't know...

Summer flowers, 22x7.6, watercolours on waterford paper, 2007

a real scorcher here in Montreal, what with Grand Prix craziness, + street fairs + Euro "trash", sipping $50 a glass champagne on St. Catherine st.

arabesque IV, 8x10", oil on canvas, 2007

whoa,mama.  My muse is taking me down some weird alleys.  This, in real life, is strangely beautiful.  The green radiates, like some nuclear after thought, the lips plump + vivid, the skin, Barbie at her finest. Plus, I'm indulging in roman numerals, which I've always thought is the height of pretentiousness + pomposity.  But now that I've tried it, it's quite fun. Decidedly much less plebian than using regular numbers.

arabesque III, oil on canvas, 2007

exhausting stressful lifelifelife day, this portrait from a few days ago.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a calm, artartart day.

arabesque II, oil on canvas, 2007

arabesque, 8x10,oil on canvas, 2007

it was very cool not to paint in oils for almost a month, because when I got back to the studio, this day + the other day, well, I saw oils like one of those new york cartoon guys on their hands + knees, crawling in the desert seeing an image of an oasis. But oil is real + buttery + thick + I've embraced it. Painting today was like icing a cake, the paint is that thick. On the negative side, this painting will take months + months to dry.

trouble at Zeke's gallery blog

one of Canada's most popular art blogs is in hot water anyone know a  good freedom of speech advocate art loving lawyer?

vice pres+invest consult, watercolour on fabriano paper, 13.5x10.5

ah, yes, must be Sunday.  NY times wedding + announcement times.  Never ceases to entertain me, people + their pedigrees for all the world to see.

mr man, off to work, needs to provide

this is not a rose this is not a rose ..22x7.5", watercolour on waterford paper, 2007

E's grad flowers, 22"x30", watercolour on waterford paper, 2007

one of larger watercolours I've done in awhile.  Quite trad, for me, starting with a pencil sketch.  Later yesterday went to the Jointe for first time + just painted straight out for 5-6 hours.  Heaven, zoning out completely.