RIBFEST 2009

FO at RibFest 2009

Band Shell at Victoria Park, London, ON
~
Vocals and Rhythm Guitar - Andre Ventura
Drums - Luis Lima
Bass Guitar and Back Up Vocals - Alexander Tirolese
Lead Guitar - Rob Hanson
~

On Sunday, August 2, we went to watch Alexander play in FO at the RibFest at Victoria Park. FO is the 2009 winner of the Jack Richardson Music Award for best youth band.



We enjoyed the show. They boys are really quite talented. There was a relatively large crowd that came out to support them and enjoy the show. Plus, a lot of people just stopped to listen.

Anthony and I were pleasantly surprised to run into a lot of people we know. It was great and we wished we had more time to stop and visit. However, right after FO finished we had to get to the Central Library Reading Gardens where Original Kids Theatre was presenting Alice in Wonderland as part of the Fringe Festival. Our friend, Deb's daughter, Emily, was involved and we wanted to see her in the production.

The kids put on a great show. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I managed to get a few photos of Emily that I have sent of to Deb.

All in all, it was a delightful day. We managed to catch two shows and see a lot of wonderful people.

Emily Hathaway (Red) in
Original Kids Theatre Production of
Alice in Wonderland

Ana with Dolly

My friend Dianne has a booth at the Western Fair Farmers' Market where she sells Tupperware. She has gone out of province for the summer and asked Mary (who sells Avon) and me to take over her booth for the summer so she would not lose her prime spot.

The Farmers' Market has a flea market upstairs and that is where the booth is. There are three other artists up there, besides me. However, I am not convinced this is the best venue for my work. I will finish up the summer but will think hard about continuing after the summer.

While at the market (Saturday's only) I started the following portrait:





I worked on this portrait mostly while at the market. People seem to enjoy watching an artist at work.

This portrait is of me when I was a baby. I was about 2yrs old in this portrait. I had been playing in my front yard on the island of Sao Jorge in the Azores (Portugal). I had had strict instructions NOT to leave my front yard. However, I wanted to go to a neighbour's house to get some candy (she always had candy). I was told that the neigbhour was not home, that it was rude to ask for candy, and that I was NOT to leave the yard.

My aunt went into the house to get a camera and I took the opportunity to escape. When I arrived at the neighbour's she was not home so I sat myself on her front stoop to await her. This is where my frantic family found me. My aunt took the photo. The worried look on my face is because I knew I was in big trouble for disobeying.

Summer Adventures

At the end of July we went to Ottawa to see the SMV Thunder Tour concert at the Ottawa Jazz Festival.




We were up early in the morning to leave by 4:00 am. We had an awful time driving in Ottawa, itself. There was construction, tons of one way streets, and tiny little street signs that we realized "that was the street we wanted" as we passed it. It was most frustrating.

Anthony had a diabetic sugar low and was feeling faint while we were at Confederation Park (where the festival was held) but a very nice young lady at one of the food booths was kind enough to get me some orange drink with lots of extra sugar. Turns out her mom is also diabetic so she knew exactly how to help. It was very nice of her.

On the good side, we had wonderful accommodations at the Carleton University residence. We had two side by side private rooms and an all you can eat breakfast buffet the next morning.

The concert was FABULOUS! Alexander had been invited by Victor Wooten to attend and he got Alexander all access backstage passes. This was very exciting for Alexander. He not only met Victor Wooten, but he also met Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller! Alexander was on top of the world.

All three of us enjoyed the concert.

On July 11th our friends Pauline and Yves were married in Sudbury Ontario. We had never been to Sudbury, but let me tell you, the driving was a lot more pleasant than driving in Ottawa. The drive to Sudbury was interesting. The landscape really changes from southern Ontario to northern Ontario.



The people in Sudbury were warm and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Pauline and Yves's family and friends.

Anthony and Alexander played music for the wedding ceremony. They did a wonderful job. They played Doyle Dykes's "White Rose for Heidi" for Pauline to walk down the aisle. They played it so beautifully and sweetly that everyone applauded when they finished the piece. They played a Bach piece and a Simon Fox piece as well. I was very proud of them. They did such a great job.

All the decorations were hand made and set up by Pauline's friend, Carol Bisson. She did a marvelous job! She even hand made all the chocolate decorative pieces (and they were delicious!).

The wedding and reception were wonderful. Anthony made a heart-felt speech for his friend, Yves. It was a beautiful day and evening.

Alexander Lacount's Baptism

On Saturday, June 13, 2009 we were honoured to be the Godparents for Alexander Lacount. Here is a slide show of the event. The baptism took place in Holy Family Roman Catholic Church followed by a BBQ at their home.




Click here to go to to album.

Photo Restoration

My friend, Laura, asked me to try to restore this photo of hers. She had found it, and it is one of the few photos with her great-grandmother in it. It was pretty badly damaged. I told her I could not promise anything, but I tried to do some retouching to restore as much as I could.

This was done using the premium version of Picnik on my laptop. It took about two hours. I was unable to fix the boy's mouth (by the father). However, overall, I am pretty pleased with the results. AND, more importantly, Laura is pleased.

Meshy Produce Bags

Strong enough for a dozen apples

Have you switched to reusable grocery bags but find yourself still using those clingy plastic produce bags at the supermarket? Now a Canada-based company, HotSacks, sells reusable mesh bags for your fruits and vegetables. They are recyclable, can be reused countless times and come in four fabulous colours.

They are available at Home Outfitters ($4.99 for a set of eight) or online at www.hotsacks.ca

Use them for:

• various fruits like apples, lemons, avocados, grapes, etc.

• various vegetables including potatoes, onions, peppers, turnips, etc.
  
  
• bulk items such as wrapped candies or nuts in shell, etc.

And, when you use these, you will be the coolest shopper around. Everyone will want to know where you got them!

Posemaniacs

According to the Posemaniacs's site: "Pose Maniacs supports all artists, including art students and people who study illustrations and mangas on your own. This blog is for uploading variety of poses for nude sketching, and introduces other FLASH training tools for drawing."

Someone on one of the groups I belong to posted this some time back. I really got a kick out of it. It is an excellent site for reference. I love the fact that you can see all the muscles. It is somewhere between an artist's dummy and a live model.

This can be used for gesture drawings (30 second drawings), for practice drawings, and for reference for art pieces. There are so many possibilities!

I won't apologise for defending the arts

It’s not charity or empty philanthropy. It’s an investment in jobs and our collective soul
by Kevin Spacey

Open any newspaper or turn on the TV and you are confronted with the realities of recession. So it is perhaps inevitable that there will be some who frame the arts and culture as luxury items and accept that they will have to survive on shorter rations. And in the grand scheme of things, what does it matter, they say.

I believe that, far from being luxury items, arts and culture are a necessity in our lives, as individuals and as nations. Culture is the ...read the whole article

(Originally Published in TimesOnline on May 9, 2009)

Every Day in May

Élena Nazzaro has challenged artists to draw every day in May, and several artists have taken her up on her challenge.

I first became aware of this challenge through the Every Day Matters group (that I have often mentioned on this blog). It looks like a wonderful challenge and the participants seem to be having a lot of fun with it. Unfortunately, this year, I will not be able to participate. However, there is always next year.

There is a Flickr group set up for this challenge that you can view here --> Every Day in May

Also, here is a partial list of participants for your viewing pleasure:

Leigh Bunkin
Anita Davies
Ffyrebird
Sandi Lee
Ann Thompson Nemcosky
Rachel Proffitt
Shirley
Owen Swain
Jennifer L. Wambach

Recycling an Old Book as a Watercolor Sketchbook

I belong to a group called Every Day Matters. While reading the posts, this morning, I came across this post and just felt I had to share it. Shirley recycles old books into watercolour sketchbooks and she shows us how she does it in a post on her blog. I am thinking of following her instructions and creating my own sketchbook (not necessarily watercolour paper, but perhaps using my favorite drawing paper du jour).

You can view Shirley's full post on Shirley's Blog.

You can also view a related post (from following a link on Shirley's blog) to a wonderful post with with illustrations by Martha of Trumpetvine Travels. Martha "reloads" Moleskine sketchbooks.

The idea of recycling old books into sketchbooks is appealing to me. You now have some wonderful instructions to follow if this appeals to you too.

Coffee Clatch

Revelle Taillon has created the marvelous caricatures that she posts on her Coffee Clatch blog. I got a real kick out of these posts and thought I would share. Please feel free to go see her work by clicking on the link.

Art Show & Blogapathy

I know it seems like I have been suffering from blogapathy, but in reality, I have just been busy dealing with life.



The Westmount Branch Library called in late March and asked if I could have a show up for April because the person they had scheduled canceled out on them. Luckily I had enough work hanging around the house to make up a small show. There were three new pieces since the November show at Williams Coffee Pub (all the other work I did since then were commissioned pieces that were shipped to the clients). I am scheduled for a show at the library in September. I should have more pieces by then.

We had the reception for the show on April 11th, 2009 which happened to be Easter Weekend. It was not the best weekend to have a reception as most of my friends and family were out of town or busy with family events. It was not a great weekend for library patrons either. However, we did have a few people show up and I met a few very interesting people. Despite the low turn out, I did sell three pieces, so far, and I also sold some cards and prints.

Alexander played bass guitar for me, using a loop station. All his band mates were also busy that weekend.

We have been dealing with health issues in my family and that is the main reason I have not been posting. However, things are looking better and I should start posting regularly again.

Portrait of Raven and Minnie

Raven O'Keefe
8" x 10"
Graphite on Strathmore 100lb Bristol Vellum

This was part of a portrait exchange from one of the art groups I belong to. Raven did a portrait of me. This was a lot of fun to do. You can see a quick slide show of the work in progress, below.

Pencil Drawings - A look into the art of David J. Vanderpool

I picked up David's book some time back, but only finally had time to sit down and read it from cover to cover.

The book is well written and has lots and lots of photos of his work (my favourite kind of book!). There are many step by step photos of several of David's pieces with insightful text explaining how he got the effects.

Messy looking hair is much harder to draw than hair that is combed. Light must be able to bounce through that careful styled ‘mess’, as well as the shadows that help some of it stand out. Take your time by tackling one section at a time. Much like muscles in a hand or chest, hair needs to be drawn in sections too.

It is a great way to get into the head of the artist, while picking up tips for your own work. His style is a little different than mine, but I love his realism and his technical skill. I have tried a few of his techniques in the latest piece I am working on (will be able to post it soon) and I find that it works well for me.

Here is what is said about the book on the site:

Pencil drawings - a rare and often over-looked art form in today's art scene. This collection of masterfully crafted graphite pencil drawings shows the step-by-step process it took to complete over 26 dynamic drawings in less than a year. With over 350 illustrations, see the portraits develop and read the artist's thoughts and views on how he crafts each incredible work. This "journal style" book gives the reader unique insight into the creative mind of the artist and takes the reader on a journey from blank page to masterpiece.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for tips and techniques, or likes to get inside the head of an artist. I give it 4½ stars out of 5.

WARNING:
If you are offended by human body, this is not the book for you. There are a few images that portray full male and female nudity.

To see more of David Vanderpool's work, please go to www.ArtWanted.com/paper2pencil

Portrait of Ana By Raven O'Keefe

Ana Tirolese
By Raven O'Keefe
8" x 10"
Graphite on Paper

My friend, Raven O'Keefe, did this lovely portrait of me as part of a portrait swap in one of the art groups she and I belong to. I am thrilled with the portrait. My guys have already been figuring out where to hang the portrait once we get it framed.

Raven O'Keefe is a very talented artist. Please view her sites by clicking on the links below.

Pet Portraits by Raven O'Keefe
Faithful Friends by Raven O'Keefe
Wool Sculptures by Raven O'Keefe
Raven's Gallery of Wildlife Art
Raven's Li'l Critters