memorials for the living and the dead.

it is driving me nearly insane that i can't remember/find any information about the artist who makes these disarming plates and installs them around the city. i remember reading something of a "coming out" article about him (wherein he owned up to doing this work) years ago but now can't figure out how to find it or where it was.

i noticed these ones on my way home from the workroom. these memorial plates have been present in my neighbourhood since i moved here. so much so, that i can't remember if these particular ones are very old or very new. i find them haunting, specific and vague all at the same time. their installation is violent, the screws doggedly stripped or filled and yet they fit so smoothly into the greater brick and concrete landscape of parkdale. they probably fit so well because interventions like this are supposed to exist here as testaments to the sorts of things and people that business associations and real estate developers don't have much need for.

i do know this: many of these pieces include the number 13½. that usually means 12 jurors, 1 judge, ½ a chance.

any other information you have about the artist would be much appreciated. i would love to link to his own words if they are out there in cyberspace.

update 03.10.2010: bob wiseman to the rescue - the artist responsible is one rocky dobey. thanks bob!

high fibre diet.

today saw the last meeting of the toronto church of craft in the foreseeable future. leah moves to berlin on tuesday and, as far as i know, nobody has stepped up to carry the gauntlet. but the church went out with a bang, luring the lovely kristyn woodfine away from her home on wolfe island to teach a little drop spindle yarn making.

it was a great workshop. kristyn is very patient and full of tips and information. i had been tooling around with spinning on my own, but made some real breakthroughs with kristyn's tips. watching so many other in action also helped a great deal. now i can't stop.

i also can't think of a much better way to say farewell to a crafty friend. travel safely and with ease, leah. i'll come see you in the fall (but more on that later).

three point turn.

here is a bowl of crocheted triangles in a future terrarium. i currently have 70 out of the 100 triangles i need for this mysterious thing i am making.

i can give you a hint, though. it has something to do with this.

i miss you.

a love letter to the sun - i spent part of this snowy day making new secret message envelopes for the world.

they are up in the etsy shop now.

work begets work.

today, jesjit came over on a collection of businesses. 1) we are finding ways to make free drawings and city of craft work together. 2) he dropped off a roll of prints covered in circles so that i can make a second run his very popular $$ button sets.

it always feels both thrilling and horrifying to cut into the posters he drops off. i can ease my anxieties by reminding myself that these are all ripped, water damaged and/or overstock that we are able to give new life through buttons. also, the resulting sets look extremely bad-ass.

in related news, they did some stock shuffling over at renegade handmade and sent back some of their overstock. included was one remaining set from jesjit's first run with me. it's the only set from that 2007 run that i know of, so i put it up in the etsy shop. enjoy!

pointlessness.

this is explainable but, you know...why bother?

wall flowers.

i never photograph this wall in our apartment because it is one of the few places never touched by natural light. but i am in this snapshot mood now and the lens on this plucky new companion of mine is not as dark as the ones i have for my better camera.

so look, a new bundle buggy from my grandparents' place and a collection of art. i spy work by/from rebecca tanner, reverend aitor, laura curely, sacred heart of jesus (pittsbrugh), saddle kobayashi, allyson micthell, chantelle hodgkinson, paper boy (chicago) & the boulevard in front of our apartment. guess which is which!

sick daze (and split second appearances)

it seems like i have spent half of 2010 sick thus far. i can't imagine why i deserve this, but this weekend was filled with a fresh bout of something ghastly. i lay around, shivered and watched docudramas about early canadian settlers and their constant trials (like, cholera). thankfully, i just had to sleep a lot with my cat nearby and nobody tried any bloodletting on me. i should count myself lucky.

during my latest illness, i did find time to materialize like a phantasm in a couple of split second internet appearances. see if you can spot me in this excellent interview serena did about small venues, touring, and artistic understanding. don't blink, though, or you will miss me (don't worry, i really have nothing to do with this). i also appear momentarily and inconsequentially in the preview of rose bianchini's documentary about misha glouberman and how he likes to make people yell. they are both very great projects that i am honoured to have ever insinuated myself into.

oh, and up there are some aloe sprouts i discovered today when i was well enough to scale our couch, prune the plants and water them. they seem to be reacting to their recent repotting with gusto. i hope to have a large aloe shrub in no time. it is also nice to see any kind of sprouts this early in the year, especially when i feel so sickly and depleted. there is hope for everyone.

all things in harmony.

above is the tiny quilted bookmark that jen made me for my birthday. jen knows my wildly snobbish attitudes towards design and bookmarks and has supplied me with successful options in the past. in fact, when faced with an aesthetic challenge, i often turn to jen because her complex and inexpressible requirements of colour and palette dwarf my snobberies considerably. even when i can't understand her mysterious formulae, i tend to appreciate the finished result or her colour combinations (in outfits, textiles or otherwise).

so let me know jen, does this combination of afghan, bookmark, vase and flowers explode in a perfect symphony of colour? or is that just how i see it?

either way, the bookmark will be put to quick use and the flowers (from kayla) are brightening up my mornings considerably.

fuzzy logic.

i have to admit my new beguilement with snapshots. it has been a while since i had a way to take them, so please bear with me. or don't. you can also object to my grainy posts, if you like. i need your help to guide me.

these pictures are from a dinner date with mike and jen.

come walk with me.

test, test, test, shoot, shoot, shoot.

this is what it looks like when i walk around. pretend you are wearing a skirt of that concrete-like fabric above. now you know what it feels like to be me.

flower hour.

kayla gave me this big bouquet. i was testing out the new camera on these flowers and realized the 1980's gold found within fuzzy, saturated floral shots.

puzzled.

serena gave me this puzzle for my birthday. just goofing with the wee camera's settings. look at their prying eyes.

graphing sales.

tonight, aitor got serious about organizing the trampoline hall merch table (my post at the show when i am not away). oh, ephemeral pursuits, why do you woo us so?

point and shoot.

for my birthday this year, my aunt told me that she had consolidated her air miles with my dad's and that i was to go on their website and pick out something under the budget she had accrued. guess what. they had cameras! i have been wanting a small point and shoot for a while. i actually possess a very good digital slr (from my father in a more direct way), but i have a bad back and an achy disposition that makes me leave it at home for many outings. this new guy can fit in my shoulder bag without slipping a disk and seems to take pretty good pictures. i ran around testing out indoor pictures this afternoon. it seems pretty good for its tiny size.

in order: flowers from kayla, aitor out of the shower, new orchids.

it is going to take me some time to figure out what this new camera can and can't do, but i am looking forward to curling up with the manual and doing some tests. my spine is very excited.

also of note: not only did i get a free camera today but i also got a free haircut. it's almost visible in that top photo. what a deal! double deals!

a celebration of parasites.

a trip to the southern ontario orchid society's annual orchid show is becoming something of a birthday tradition. this year it happened to fall right on my birthday. i love taking pictures of the show displays (even if it is a fight with the throngs at times). there is not much to say so i will let some images speak for themselves.

i ended up picking out three smaller orchids from the sales rooms this year. we are on a budget so i focused on value while trying to get a couple of new things. in order, they are some kind of weird crawling varietal called bulbophyllum falcatum, a phalenopsis in a new colour (to me) and something with thin spikes that i don't know the name of.

hopefully i will be able to provide for these new guys' needs. the last weird orchids i got fell victim to a string of house sitters and bugs. it was sad and made me take a brief moratorium on new orchids. but i am now gingerly reentering the game. wish me luck...