A Work in Progress

I've decided to do a big project of photos taken on my iPhone...all printed at the same size as they appear on the phone, which is probably 2x4.5...roughly. At that size, it's harder to figure out what is happening or what the photograph is of which I like. I think it'll be pretty neat but will take a while to stockpile enough photos.
Here are a few of my favourites so far. I'm not exactly concerned with "focus" or "blur" as I tend to like what it can add to some shots. And it's a phone...so focus and blur are not always easily controlled. None of them will be edited whatsoever and they will most likely all be vertical. Maybe I'll do a second one with all horizontals at some point.
Stay tuned.

Today in the Little Gallery

The Art Building's Little Gallery has a great new exhibit this week. Forgive me, I lost the piece of paper I wrote everything down on so I will get more info later today and update this.
The artist is an MFA at the U of C and has put together a sound sculpture, if you will, and encourages viewer participation...which I'm into!
Again, I'll get all the info later this afternoon.
For now, here is a video of the exhibit in two parts...watch both!

Last Week in Art Class....

First Sculpture project done.
Our assignment was to cast a big chunk of plaster and then chip and chisel and sand away at it to create essentially whatever we want.
Mine started out as something and ended up as something completely different. My initial idea was to create a pseudo-mushroom cloud type thing but as I started putting holes in it I realized it was looking like a dinosaur egg...back to the drawing board.
I had a different idea and wanted to go with it but since it already had two holes in it I had to work around that and knew it would end up looking...feminine...as one of my teachers put it.
I like the way it turned out although I do have some work left to do with it before I'm totally happy with it.





Stay tuned for the completed project.

Coming up in the next week or two...
Next printing project...don't ask me what it is really...my instructor isn't too clear...
Sketches and the beginning stages of the next one, two or three sculpture projects. Included: sculpture that can be used as furniture!
Also...my bookmarks are getting full of things I've found on the internet and am in love with so I'll get through posting those over the next little bit.

Yesterday in Art Class

We printed. We're not using limestone lithography this year...instead, we're using "pronto plates."
It was fun. Messy. Very messy.

My print. Fourth edition maybe?

We had teams. This is Caitlin sponging the plate before ink gets rolled onto it.

This is Martin rolling ink.

Stay tuned for more prints and my first sculpture assignment...sometime next week probably.

Peter Jansen

Human Motions Sculptures







AMAZING! I can't even get over the incredible work of sculptor Peter Jansen. Capturing motion is one thing, but this level of detail and anatomical correctness on top of that is absolutely stunning and awe-inspiring.
I haven't been able to round up dimensions on any of these pieces but large or small, it's phenomenal. Anatomical sculpting isn't easy by any stretch but Jansen obviously has an incredible grasp on it.
Taking a motion blur photo and pulling it into a 3-D format is no easy feat and this work is flawless. I'm in love.

Theme Magazine

It's been a while since I've posted anything but today was my first day back in art classes and I'm stumbling my way all over the internet to find some new inspirations for upcoming projects in sculpture and printmaking. Needless to say...I've come across some amazing things that I'll be posting over the next few days.

For today...a great new website! Theme Magazine. Each issue is centered around a main theme, with incredible photographers and writers, and cover a wide range of topics.
Honestly, I'm not really that into fashion photography and get fairly tired of looking at what is most times, the same old thing, but this black and white shoot from the February/March issue For The Love Of Food really tickles my fancy. It's the perfect combination of stylized fashion and art, making it more dynamic and, for me, far more visually stimulating than your typical fashion shots.

Fantastic Mr. Fox. Adapted from the Roald Dahl book, directed by Wes Anderson, starring (voices) George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Need I say more?

New York, I Love You.
Directed by EVERYONE, starring EVERYONE and Phoenix in the trailer. Need I say more?

Gentleman Broncos. Directed by Jared Hess. Starring Jemaine Clement...and others! Undecided.

The Invention of Lying. Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey. Funny concept.

Missed Connections

I have a complete obsession with Craigslist's Missed Connections.
I read them, I sympathize with them and I post them. Not really "Missed Connections"...just things I think about.

Here's a lengthy exchange that went down today.

I think we were made for each other... - m4w - 29

Not a missed connection in the traditional sense. I think it's just God's cruel joke really. I've liked you since I met you, infact I would go as far as to say we are connected. Well at least I am, you have apparently missed this connection. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not upset, just baffled. You see before we last talked about this I prayed for the first time in a long time, something like this... "give me a sign you bastard, or I'll have to give up on her". Not even a half an hour later I found your ad on here and I knew somehow it was you, I don't know how to explain it. The ad was vague, it could have been anyone, I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach, I knew it was you like I would if you had been speaking directly to me.

There are only a couple of options here:
-a) either I'm completely delusional and it was just a crazy coincidence
-b) god hates me, and is pissing his pants laughing right now, or
-c) maybe god tried to tell you, but you can't hear him for some reason,
*Note to to readers who are not the target of this posting: She knows who she is, we've already talked about it, she seems to lean toward option a).
Look, all I know is unrequited love sucks to begin with, but when I know, absolutely and undoubtedly that we would be so good together, it sucks all that much more. And I really don't like the f-word but you gotta admit fate isn't that far of a stretch from where I stand.

I know you have already made up your mind, otherwise I would just send this to you, I guess I just need to say it and clear some space in my head.

Sincerely,
M

-------

Re: I think we were made for each other

I am pretty confident this ad was posted directed at me....all I can really say is i am sorry. I knew it was tough for you when I said I couldn't date you but I guess I didn't realize really how much it affected you. Its not that I hate you or that I don't like you....I think you know that. I told you my reasons and I am sorry if those weren't good enough for you. I don't know what else to say except that......I have alot of things going on in my life right now, yes I posted an ad at one point but all it did really was reinforce why I have given up on the dating world a long time ago. Its been a long time and I know really I am still not ready to move on.
I hope that some how we can get past this awkwardness that we feel when we are around each other and that we can still remain friends at the very least. We did have fun hanging out....right? Your call I guess...

M

------

Love is tough. I might start posting my own "Best Of" once a week. I say that about a lot of things though.

Hey listen, gimme a kiss.
Really?
Yeah, why not, because we're just gonna go home later, right, and then there's gonna be all that tension, we've never kissed before and I'll never know when to make the right move or anything. So we'll kiss now and get it over with, and then we'll go eat. We'll digest our food better.

More Light Play

Light Play

I was laying outside the other night trying to take photos of lightning and ended up just playing around with zoom and lights.




I'm into it.
Also, I'm working on compiling some out of focus/blurry photos I've taken that actually turned out to be nice...or at least....I like them. Inspired by a blog I came across once about photos that would have otherwise been deleted but ended up being beautiful. I can't find it again.
Stay tooned (sic)

Coconut Records - Any Fun

If you don't know by now...I'm completely obsessed with Jason Schwartzman and Coconut Records.

Here's his new video for "Any Fun" off Davy. Even though I'm really not a fan of Chloe Sevigny at all...I dig this video!


Also...I'm really branching out into the wonderful world of blogging - BeatRoute Magazine is now the proud owner of a blog which you can find here and also...a fantastic website for Calgarians and fans of awesome things alike is Calgary is Awesome which I will now be posting on. Ch-ch-check it out!

<3

Alice in Wonderland - Tim Burton

I've got just about one word for these first promo pics from Tim Burton's upcoming rendition of Alice in Wonderland:
YES.

Freaky Friday - MGMT

MGMT - "Kids"
These dudes...this video...so strange. And scary!!! But I really like this video. It makes me want to jump inside their minds and figure out what planet they came from.

Have a nice weekend. I won't be posting.

xo.

Coconut Records

Jason Schwartzman...how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. Cool Ethan in Slackers.
2. Rushmore. Duh.
3. I Heart Huckabees
4. The Darjeeling Limited
5. Coconut Records

Coconut Records is so poppy and sweet it hurts my teeth. And I love it. Jason Schwartzman is one talented dude and his one-man band puts a huge, huge grin on my face no matter what.


"Microphone" from his latest album Davy on Young Baby.

Not an official video but pretty good anyway! "Nighttiming" from the 2007 debut release of the same name. (Young Baby) This song has such an incredible beat. I can't get over it.

Sonic Youth - The Eternal

New Sonic Youth album is absolutely fantastic.
Head over to Pitchfork to check it out!

The Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is by far one of my favourite books of all time and initially, I was hugely excited at the idea of a big-screen adaptation of it but now...after watching the trailer...I am a little concerned.
I didn't even watch the entire trailer because, honestly, I couldn't stomach it. Going from the very drawn out (in a good way) and intense (in a subtle way) style with which McCarthy tends to write...this over the top Hollywood trailer just didn't sit well with me.
Furthermore, the book never specifies what the "disaster" was and the role played by Charlize Theron was much, much smaller in the book.
I'm undecided as to whether or not I will go see this movie. I'm slightly disappointed that the film seems to not have the same ambiance as the book...whatsoever.

In other news...since I feel like a pirate today I decided to post a Gogol Bordello video. Gypsy, pirate, all the same for today.

"Wonderlust King" from the 2007 release Super Taranta! on SideOneDummy.

A day of reflection...

You know...I miss Kanye West. I miss him when he was good, at the top of his game.
This new 808s and Heartbreak album is just not...Ye to me. At all.
The College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation just all seemed so full of life. They are as big and inflated as his ego which made it okay for him to spout off about how he is the next James Brown and how he will go down in history as one of the greatest entertainers of all time etc etc etc.
But stacked up against 808's...those statements just don't seem to ring as true.
I like to think that his next album will return to walking the walk AND talking the talk.

New Kasabian and other new things

New Kasabian track "Fire" from their newest album coming out tomorrow West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum released on RCA/Red Ink.

Also, no videos for this but...
The Most Serene Republic are releasing a seriously fantastic record. ...And The Ever Expanding Universe is an absolute must-have for fans of Arts and Crafts! Give 'er a listen when it comes out on July 14th.

It's Saturday

New Moby Single "Pale Horses" from the upcoming Wait For Me album out June 29 on Little Idiot. A charming video.

Amazing Baby - "Head Dress" from their upcoming full-length Rewild being released June 23 on Shangri-La. I'm not too sure how I feel about this video yet.

Something a little bit older. I just love this video. Lioness - "You're My Heart" from their 2008 self-titled release on New Romantic.

Fresh Friday

Again avec alliteration!

Franz Ferdinand has released a dub album. Yeah, you read that right. A DUB album. And what's more surprising? It is, for the most part anyway, incredible!
They've taken tracks from their last release, Tonight, and remixed them in a way to create Blood - a fresh take on the sound niche they've carved out for themselves. They should probably get risky like this more often. It works. Some tracks are more fetching than others but on the whole, I'm really diggin' it!

There's nothing on the internet that will let you listen to some tracks (quickly) so I've made a file of 3 of my favourite tracks and uploaded it to the site below. It's crude, so forgive me, but I have no idea how to do this and am pretty impressed I managed to do this much.

The tracks I've included are (in order of appearance) "Feel The Pressure", "Feel The Envy" and "If I Can't Have You Then Nobody Can."
Hopefully there's no trouble with this file. Enjoy!
Franz Ferdinand - Blood (Domino)

Tiga on Thursday

Apparently I really like alliteration.

Here's the new Tiga video for "Shoes" from the new album Ciao! on Last Gang records. Directed by AlexandLiane who did the video for "Shut Up and Let Me Go" by the Ting Ting's (We Started Nothing, Columbia) as well as "That's Not My Name"...and since embedding is disabled on both those videos...I'm gonna take it back to 2004 and post another video directed by AlexandLiane!

Scissor Sisters!!! "Laura" from their self-titled debut album on Universal.

A Little Somethin' Different for Hump Day

New Beyonce video for "Diva." I really like it a lot.

Happy Wednesday!

Tiny Masters of Today

These kids...15 and 13...and totally amazing.

Title track from the upcoming album Skeletons being released on June 16 on Mute records. I has me a feeling it will be packed with gems.

Here's their video for Hologram World from the 2007 release Bang Bang Boom Cake directed by Kids with Canes (Karen O and Barney Clay). Great video, great song, great kids.

And in the spirit of new music...

Here is a video of I Don't Wanna Go There... new Dinosaur Jr. song from their upcoming release, Farm (June 23) on Jagjagwuar.

Film Friday!

How To Be. Directed by Olver Irving and starring Robert Pattinson. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Twilight was awful...but I have a feeling Robert Pattinson is going to have a long career ahead of him and we'll look back on Twilight as that awful movie that started his career.

Twistee Treat. Directed by John Herzog. Potential!

That's all for today. I have to get back to working on work things.
Enjoy your weekend!

Toonie Thursday!

Got a double header today!

Whatever Works. New Woody Allen film starring Larry David, Patricia Clarkson and Evan Rachel Wood. Looks great!

Newest Phoenix video. 1901 from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

First video off the new album Veckatimest. Directed by Patrick Daughters who's done a ton of music videos including "Date With The Night" - the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Four Kicks" - Kings of Leon, "No I in Threesome" - Interpol and basically every Feist video.
I love this video!! There's something about humans with really big cartoony eyes that just makes me so happy. Great, great video.

New Steadman!

Lacrosse Ballet

Local Spotlight

My friend Anna and I went to Market Collective 5 here in Calgary a couple weekends ago and had the pleasure of seeing local artist Markus Michel.
His work is absolutely amazing and I came across this video of one of his books. The video doesn't do it justice but these books are huge, hundreds and hundreds of pages, and this particular one took 22 months to complete. The majority of the pages are delicately cut so that each page interacts and relates with the next. The colours he uses are so bright and vivid and his subjects range from octopuses to buildings to his own cat. Some of it is funny and all of it is totally breathtaking.
The video is 6 minutes long and worth every second.
Beautiful, beautiful work.
Enjoy! And go to the next Market Collective and see it for yourself!

Movie Madness, Take Two!

Get it? I made a joke...referencing film making?
Anyway, here again are some wonderful trailers of upcoming movies that look simply wonderful. I hope you enjoy them. (NOTE: For some unknown reason, these damn trailers are showing up with a quarter cut off on my computer. If the same goes for yours...take the time to go to youtube and watch them because they really do look great.)

Paper Heart starring Charlyne Li and Michael Cera. I can pretty much say this will be one of my favourite movies of the entire year. Makes me feel all warm even though there's snow on the ground.

Lymelife. Three words: Culkin. Culkin. Baldwin.

Cheri. The kind of period piece I could get into.

Here is the link to a film I couldn't find the trailer for. It's called In A Dream and is a documentary about an artist, his family and the demise of his marriage. It looks beautiful.

Aaand...

CUT!

Random Vandal

I took a little hiatus from blogging in order to get things done for school and celebrate appropriately at BSD on Friday but I am back now and will hopefully return to daily blogging once again.
So...I came across a new site! Random Vandal. The name is pretty self-explanatory but basically it's a blog with photos of random graffiti. I like the idea but instead of posting photos from it I'm posting my own favourite random vandal from a pedestrian bridge downtown.

Also...here is a piece I did for 3-d Intro. The assignment was to make a sculpture out of a found object and I came across a garbage bin outside the woodshop with a bunch of discarded wood. I took them all home and, after a stressful night of essay writing, glued them together into...whatever this is. I call it Clusterfuck.

Airspaces

I came across an awesome site that lists a ton of different homes, shops, rooms, etc for photographers, directors, artists etc to rent and use for whatever they need.
I clicked around for hours, wishing I could live in these amazing spaces.
Whenever I get bored I tend to rearrange furniture or see what kind of interior design-y type things I can do, generally for free, and this website is just a big bundle of inspiration.
Here's some of my favourite interiors:






Here's the Aispace site. Check it out for tons, tons more rooms.

And here's something I did the other day when I should have been doing a drawing assignment. I pinned up old curtains into my hideous drop-ceiling. I guess they're good for some things!

The Prairie Chicken comes alive at night...

Today in 3-D fundamentals, Ron took us on a little walkabout around the campus to look at all the sculptures that were commissioned around the time of the '88 Olympics. Here's a few of them.

"Rhythm One" - Drahanchuk - 1970.

The figures were sculpted by Ann something...finding out... The arch was designed by Diamond Architects.

Kinetic sculpture park by Katie Ohe.

"The Prairie Chicken" - George Norris.

There's tons, tons more art on campus if you ever want to wander around one lovely summer day and take it all in! But keep your eyes peeled, some of it is a little hidden.