Month: July 2013

How very “Victorian” in a British Columbian way. This wonderful, loosely rendered artwork was found in the rediscovered cache of Helen Andersen’s paintings… but it’s not one of hers. It was done by Robert Amos, R.C.A, artist and art critic for Victoria’s Times Colonist newspaper.
While she was alive, and upon her death, Mr Amos published insightful thoughts about Helen’s work. Here are two of my favourite quotes: “…I believe posterity will know her as an artist.” and “It will be a daring curator who eventually shows us her Ovide Mercredi and His Mom or her Church, Law and the Native“.
The new owner of the Amos work is Thorne Won, who has done much to assist with the recovery of Helen’s work. He appreciates the Robert Amos piece (as I do, too) and we appreciate Thorne’s help.

The “Helen Andersen”project is becoming even more exciting than I had hoped. There are more originals than we’d originally believed…. dozens upon dozens more. A suitcase we thought was full of painting supplies was actually full of sketchpads, watercolours, serigraphs and drawings.
Above you see the first piece that Danica has photographed and uploaded to DropBox where I could get it. It is titled “The Lubicon expect fair play from the government” and it went into a B.C. Festival show. The information comes from the back of the piece, which Danica also recorded. What you see is part of a dyptych according to the writing on the back of the piece, so there’s another half to see.
We have a wealth of material to go through and document. The Canadian Women Artists History Initiative (based at Concordia University, Montreal) has taken an interest and will be adding Helen to their database.

Logan arrived on July 24th, a little ahead of schedule and weighing in at 4 lbs, 7 oz. Day One photo (left), Day 8 photo (right). He’s active and feeding well and Mom’s in good health, too. Proud parents Steve and Maureen Walker have made our friends Crawf and Ulli into double grandparents. Earlier in the month, Brendan and Julianna made them grandparents for the first time.
Steve and Maureen live in Calgary. Brendan and Julianna are here in Toronto. Crawf and Ulli live in Victoria. A suggestion: Everybody slow down for a while, now. Crawf and Ulli visited friends and family in France and Germany this year, visited Ulli’s mom in Peterborough, stayed with us in Toronto for the arrival of Grandchild One, touched base with friends on a holiday in Nova Scotia, flew home from Halifax, then drove from Victoria to Calgary for the arrival of Logan. You guys are due for some rocking chair time, aren’t you?

Today’s little bike ride clinched it. Walking’s good, but so is cycling in Tommy Thompson Park (a.k.a. The Leslie Spit). It’s such a short ride though quiet side streets to reach the Martin Goodman Trail along the lake’s edge, it would be a waste not to get out there.
Surprisingly, my decade’s-old 10 speed was up to the task. No popped tires, although they were sounding creaky and squeaky. The bike’s not the only one… I think I could use a newer and more comfortable ride myself. And if I get new (or good used) wheels, so must Danica.
Current models have features we never dreamed of as kids… full suspension forks, padded seats on shock-absorbing springs, easy-peasy gears. Let the hunt begin.

Fabulous bands of every genre, not only jazz, but latin, rock, folk, blues…you name it… all free in front of Queen Street East storefronts. The street is closed to cars and the crowds are wall to wall. There are stages down at lake side, too, Gorgeous at sunset. We are so lucky to have this annual event within walking distance. We can even hear the beat from our front porch.

See Danica’s comment to understand how close I came to annihilation. And to think I gave that guy a toonie!

We’ll be back when the Ai Wei Wei show opens at the Art Gallery of Ontario (after August 17) but today was ideal for experiencing the sound-stage-props-environments called into existence by the collaboration of artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller.
I can’t show you pictures of those installations, for very good reasons that I’ll explain after the “Read More”, if you’re interested.
I can show you (sort of) some curious works we found down a back stairway. Above you see a sampling of plasters by Toronto sculptor Evan Penny. I say I can sort of show you because a flat photograph doesn’t really convey the strange illusions these pieces create. They are 3D illusions… apparently very realistic viewed head on but skewed flat from the side. Penny creates anamorphic deformations that we are used to seeing in pictures and renders them as solid objects.
They play with what we think of as realism, on one hand delivering extremely accurate detail while on the other, tricking our eyes with illusion. The plasters are only a stage in the work. Finished pieces are cast in flesh-like silicone and coloured to look more lifelike than figures in a wax museum. [See “Back of Kelly” here]
The “unphotographability” has something in common with the installations of Cardiff and Miller now on display on the AGO’s fourth floor.

Not open Mondays, so I couldn’t try the coffee today, but I’ll be back. The still-nameless venture seems to be off to a bright start. While it was being redecorated, I thought it was destined to be some kind of daycare operation. I’m delighted that it has popped up to offer some competition to Lazy Daisy down the street.
Update:
I got in for my coffee this morning. At the friendly proprietor’s suggestion I held up my trusty Blackberry Playbook and took a picture of the “OPEN” sign… which the café is, Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m..
The coffee is good, there are fresh baked goodies every day, the place is bright, clean and comfortable, there’s wifi and the service is cheerful. I think I might become a regular. Oh, and the place does have a name… The Flying Pony Café. An installer was working on the exterior sign as I left. 1481 Gerrard Street East, on the southwest corner of Gerrard and Rhodes (near Coxwell).
Like them on Facebook.

It started off quietly enough, as I explored a footpath alongside the Via Rail tracks. It starts on the west side of the Coxwell overpass. A nice little tunnel through greenery, quite peaceful when a train isn’t passing.

At the end of the path, about 4 blocks in, workmen were busy on a welcome surprise. They are refurbishing a pedestrian underpass that will be ready for public use in about a month. Then we’ll be able to get to the other side of the tracks from the top of Ashdale instead of hiking over to busy Greenwood Ave. Great!

End of peace and quiet. A chopper overhead made sure of that, hovering in one position, obviously looking at or for something or someone.

The good news: A week ago, everyone escaped alive from the fire that took out the corner of Broadview and Gerrard.
Today, Danica and I went to see when the streetcar service might return to normal. Looks like we are not too far away. The most severely damaged parts of the building have been removed completely.