doreyme

peace, health, happiness + good fortune, 8x8, watercolour, portofino paper 2007

to all 2008...

2nd Debby Downer...

is The Diving Bell + the Butterfly + the link is Javier Bardem, in the Sea Within, which is kind of in the same ball game. + perhaps I'm the world's biggest curmudgeon but I didn't find this film one bit uplifting, I found it really, really depressing, like Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Get Your Gun I read when I was a kid. While I watched this movie, I found myself wondering if anyone would have cared if Jean-Do had been a janitor, rather than a playboy editor of Elle mag. In any case, I did google the book it was based on + even though Julian Schnabel truly is an artist + the visuals of this movie were extremely artistic, I got more feeling for the author, Jean-Dominique Bauby from a cursory glance at the Amazon site, then I got from watching the whole movie. And my next movie in the New Year is so going to be a feel good movie.

water 8, 16x16x1.5, oil on wood, carved,

2 Debby Downer movies in a row

Second one first: No Country for an Old Man aka No Movie for This Middle Aged Woman. I thought I was going to an entertaining Coen brothers movie but nooo, what I got was a bleak, depressing, nihilistic pointless Saw/Terminator/DieHard/Natural Born Killers gore bore. I’d add sexist but all the men, with the exception of the killah, Chigurh are as down home hominy grits Texas stupid as the women. Everything other than the skyscapes is ugly + cruel. If there’s a dog in the movie, it’s a killer dog killed. Dumb friendly hillbilly hicks are killed on the spot for their kindness. That’ll teach you to be neighbourly. Norman Rockwell children sell the shirts off their backs to psychos. Life sucks, everyone’s greedy or pining for some golden past until reminded the past sucked too. Everything is anti life, anti hope. Just killing + death + death+ killing. My stress/paranoia barometer shot to the top. Movie critics/reviewers are praising this thing to the high heavens! ( Hey, I can see it’s merits -- the acting, photography, editing, etc. exemplary, it’s the script/story/ that sucketh.) And unlike most every other Coen movie, it’s not funny. At all. It's macho posturing at its worst. Right after the movie, I was walking on Peel street on a clearly marked painted yellow striped "pedestrian" walk across from a major hotel. A %^%$#@ rhymes with gas bowl in a huge SUV comes barreling towards me, full speed. I cursed him + that hateful movie I just saw + gave them both the finger, a nano second before my husband dragged my angry sorry butt off the road. My point? Movies like this lower the bar of life. Life is nothing + killers are glorified. It’s a huge travesty when talented smart folks like the Coen brothers make such violence porn. We’re supposed to love the planet + not use plastic bags + be conscious of our carbon footprints. Well, what about our moral footprints? I’ll repeat it. Movies like this lower the bar of life. Tomorrow, the second Debby Downer movie + the seque is Javier Bardem, who’d make a fabulous Picasso.

the private lives of the impressionists

available at amazon online a Xmas gift I just finished reading. I can't remember if I learned this at art school -- probably not, neither of the art schools I attended ever discussed, gasp, the business of art (other than one forthright guest speaker, Alex Colville) but that impressionist gang (Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Degas, Renoir, Sisley, Morisot, Cassatt, Cezanne) was a pretty impressive gang of entrepreneurs. Like Judy Garland +Mickey Rooney, when they needed money, they put on a show. After show, after show. And stuck together, for the most part (okay, not Manet so much), helping each other out financially, psychologically + emotionally.
It made me most envious. It would be great to break out of the Group of One syndrome....

water #8, 16x16x1.5", acrylic on wood, carved, 2007

water#7m 16x16x1.5, acrylic on wood, carved, 2007

# 7 in the waterworks series

peace love health, 8x8, watercolour portofino paper, 2007

water 3 (of waterworks) 16x16x1.5, acrylic on wood, carved

#3 of the 8 waterworks painting currently on view at Pat Pink Gallery in Montreal. As I write, the sound of water pounding on the skylights...+ tomorrow, sub zero temperatures.

reject, 16x16x1.5 oil on wood, carved

a reject for the Water Show, currently on exhibit at the Pat Pink Gallery in Montreal. I did a bunch on the lack of water, the pollution of water, the waste of water, but thought, ultimately does everything always have to be so depressing, negative, fatalistic...there's so much beauty in/about water.

winter forest, 16x16x1.5 oil on wood carved, 2007

Montreal Matters Photography Competition

one of my pix came in as a runner up in the "Toxic Hotspots" category. the NFB site promoting Manufactured Landscapes

My Jointe in the Pointe, 7x10, watercolour, 2007

My daily painting group. Everyone is posting pix of their studio, photograph or painting, mine's a little watercolour.

santa's greyhounds...

if this isn't one of the sweetest, most poignant dog pix I've ever seen. Oh my, it just makes me want to run out + adopt one of these guys/gals. Although, Montreal does get kinda 19-with the wind factor sometimes, like tonight! Jeez + it's not even Jan or Feb. check them out

plaid tree, 16x16x1,5, oil on wood, carved, 2007

mount royal angel

for the artist in your life

but not me, this is not an Xmas hint honest

pay what you want

kind of sort of...that Radiohead thing doesn't really work here as anyone can download this image...it would be small + look crappy, but it would be and is free. But it would be interesting, if it was manageable, to see, for example, how much folks would pay for art, eg. this 16x16x1.5 oil on wood, carved if the price was up to them...in any case, the last episode of Dexter beckons...

the art lover

a big

to all the friends+ family who braved the frigid day to come to the studio yesterday. Thank you all so much. And for those who want to drop by before Xmas for presents, etc. I'll be there on and off, so call first.

leonard cohen, 8x8, portofino acquerello, watercolour, 2007

a new Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame inductee along with Madonna, the Ventures, John Mellencamp and the Dave Clark Five (???!!) Hey, I loved the Dave Clark Five when I was a kid, but geez, I'd hardly but them in the same category with the fabulous Leonard Cohen. Go figger.

last call, studio show tomorrow...12-8ish or later...

spent all day spiffying the Jointe up + it looks most charming + hospitable.

popcorn socks + green pointed shoes, 9 2.3x4 1/4, watercolour, sennelier paper

a teenager in Ontario was killed by her father, friends say she was leading a double life for some time, wearing her hijab at home, taking it off when she went to school. It brings back memories of my childhood in Vancouver, as a little Swiss immigrant. My mother dressed me in dark home knitted woolen tights + heavy imported broque clod-hoppers while all the other girls wore snappy little white socks and cool pointed shoes. I saved my allowence + bought little white "popcorn" socks + (I now think) hideous cheap green pointed shoes with big gold buckles. Every morning I ran to (elementary) school to the washroom + changed out of my woolen tights + broques into my "Canadian" socks + shoes + with a huge sense of relief felt normal even though I was still saddled with a very peculiar name in a world of Kathys + Debbies+ Wendys...

picked up Buddha Montreal calendars from printer

today + very impressed by quality. As for the images, well, not your everyday tourist pix of Montreal, that's fer sure.

home made swiss cookies

for Xmas show on Saturday, cooling. Hear there's a big storm brewing Sunday. Whew.

petition up to 72, 000

the push is to give Harper 100,000 signatures tomorrow... if you, Canadian person who loves the planet, haven't signed the petition yet, here it is

river cotonester, 16x16x1.5", oil on wood, carved, 2007

painted this in the summer, but varnished it this week, so it's fini...

blame canada

sign the petition "Right now, a major UN summit in Bali has just a few days left to hammer out an agreement on stopping catastrophic climate change. But instead of helping out, Canada is actually sabotaging the talks! On Saturday, experts gave us the global "fossil" award for being the worst country in the world on climate change.

There's still a few days left to save Canada's reputation -- and the climate -- but we need a massive democratic roar to remind our Prime Minister what Canada is all about, and stop him from blocking the world at Bali. Click below to sign the petition, which will be advertised with the number of signatures in an ad campaign across Canada this week. The goal is to get 25,000 people to sign in the next 3 days -- before the ads run. Prime Minister Harper's short-sighted, undemocratic and big oil- driven policy on climate change is damaging the world and destroying our image as a good country. We're supposed to be the nice guys, who try to do the right thing in the world.

The vast majority of Canadians are hopping mad on this issue -- we can win this. We just need to show Harper how serious we are that he change course. Sign up now and forward this email to everyone you
know - we've got just 3 days to hit 25,000 signatures!" from avaaz.

soho buddha

driving under the inluence of photography, take two. This year my calendar is buddha montreal 2008, which I've had printed up locally for locals + if ouslanders are interested, look to side bar on right where calendar can be ordered by the Lulu publishing company online.

pansies, 5x22, watercolour on arches paper, 2007

what a difference a frame makes.

Prancer + Dancer, 4.25x 9.66", watercolour pencil, toscana paper, 2007

waterworks 8x 16x16"x1.5", acrylic + oil on wood, 2007

my piece in the Pat Pink gallery...

Sunday night at 7, in Canada, CBC, Heartland

heartland online

L'eau Show vernissage today at 2, at Pat Pink's

Blitzen, 7x10, pencil, watercolour on toscana paper, 2007

login 7x10 watercolour

summer flowers, 11x14", watercolour on arches, 2006

didn't paint this today but I did find it in a huge pile of watercolours I haven't seen for some time + appreciated it's warmth in these days of record snow.

water works, 16x16" acrylic on carved wood, 2007

I love Montreal

in the snow. + I love my new wide angle lens for giving me a bigger slice of it.

River Trees #3, 11x14, oil on wood, carved, 2007

the l'eau show at Pat Pink's

begins December 9, vernissage, 2-6. (My contribution -- paintings. Varnish drying as I speak.) Always exciting seeing what renegade Pat's artists come up with. Her theme, this round, the timely theme of cool, cool quickly depleting although hard to believe in a week like this, water.

River Trees #2, 11x14, oil on wood, carved, 2007

joie de hate:#1: the man who looked like santa + talked like a pig: part two

And I'm in awe. Grafitti looks so good in the snow. The world is one big white box gallery. I fix my aperature, shutter. I click. I keep walking. A gate opens. Children spill out into the alley, laughing, throwing snowballs at each other. They smile + me + happy dog. Just ahead, a seasonly appropriate looking man (white hair, red cheeks, plump) is trying to get his huge van into a tight backyard parking space. His wheels are spinning, he seems to be stuck. I wonder if there's enough room in the alley for me to get in front + push. Wonder if it is wise...it's a huge van. What if it skids + squishes me, what a stupid way to go, when suddenly Mr. Santa jumps out and shouts at me -- where do I live? I'm startled and say "up there", gesturing north. He starts screaming at me. My dog took a f%^%#@**&ing shit in his alley. I didn't even clean it up. I'm a %^%#@ pig + I do this all the time..." + I'm like, hey, whoa, slow down...where? I ask. I didn't see my dog taking a dump in the alley. I have bags. I pull them out of my pocket. Look! Organic bags! I always clean up after my dog. If I missed it (did I mention there's a blizzard + I'm taking pictures) I'll go pick it up. Not good enough. He's cursing and swearing a blue filthy streak, etc. I tell him, hey, there's kids here. Watch your mouth. The stuff coming out of your mouth is dirtier than anything coming out of my dog. In any case, I don't like dog crap anymore than anyone else. I don't go to the porch to get my newspaper without doggeedo bags in my pocket. So I turned, trudged back down the alley looking for Angus' morning offering. Lots and lots of snow. New snow. Falling fast. Finally I'm down back near the beginning of the alley, near when I took my lovely grafitti picture. Now, almost buried by snow...I think, man that Santa's got some sharp eyes. So, I pick it up, tie the bag together, turn + start heading back up the alley again. And gee, what do you know. Guttermouth Santa's waiting for me. Now he's got a shovel. And I'm wondering if he's going to attack me. Angus is thinking the same thing because he's putting his head down. Growling. He feels the threat. I decide I'll put his leash on. If psycho man attacks me + Angus responds, I want him on his leash so demented man can't claim Angus pursued him. In any case, drooling hate man is a chicken and rushes into his backyard, into his home, slamming his aluminum sliding door shut, all the while screaming how he's calling the police. And I'm thinking. Go for it, Santa. You're really getting off on this. Your adrenaline's flying. You are pumped. You've got...+ then the phrase comes to me...."joie de hate." And on the walk home, trudging through the alley, looking over my shoulder occasionally, watching for a charging police cruiser, or in this weather, horseback? Skidoo? I'm realizing that joie de hate is such real thing. And I've experienced it before. People sputtering hateful, hideous things while really, really enjoying the experience. It makes them, pathetically, feel alive.

joie de hate:#1: the man who looked like santa + talked like a pig: part one

montreal's first big snow storm of the season. Blizzard warning. Radio commentators advise, leave your car at home today. People gingerly traverse the sidewalks, streets, not yet cleared. The alleys are gloriously virginal. A certain SPCA mutt is in 7th heaven.

River Trees, 11x14, oil on wood, carved, 2007

Alright. Studio Show, December 15 noon to 8

One day only, same place in Pointe St. Charles (450 Charon), curated by the fabulous Susan Lamond. Noon to 8ish. Wine + swiss cookies + good cheer. Carved oil on wood paintings from the Mountain + the Canal series, (Mount Royal, Lachine Canal), ranging from 8"x8" to 48 x60"s, plus "Water + Land" landscapes + a few portraits, abstracts, watercolours galore and the hot off the presss Buddha Montreal 2008 calendars.

On my planet:#2 they sell wine and hosts at the grocery store

"The bread destined to receive Eucharistic Consecration is commonly called the host, and though this term may likewise be applied to the bread and wine of the Sacrifice, it is more especially reserved to the bread." from the Catholic Encylopedia

Heartland, CBC, Sunday night at 7, in Canada...

online episodes for anywhere else... Back after a 3 week (football) hiatus.

teddy bear (in burqa), 7x10, watercolour on toscana paper

"The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. It is an enduring, traditional form of stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of comforting children." (from Wikipedia).