Category: Uncategorized

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The Cryptic Canvas (TCC) Event Gallery

A note from Toronto’s Artsy Fartsy Group on Facebook:

The Cryptic Canvas (TCC) Event Gallery is hosting a juried, indoor artists exhibition, ART off the Lot, November 5th – 8th. It is being independently run…needless to say it will be a lot more original, creative & fun! TCC is very much a gallery that acts in the interest of the artist. The show is only $500 (per booth, which can be shared by 2 artists) for an indoor venue (which is half of all other indoor exhibitions) & we are not up-charging on extras (ie. walls, electricity, etc. Our cost is the artists cost). We also have a large portion of the budget dedicated to advertising.

The application deadline is Sept. 4th. So, you’ve still got a couple of days.
ART off the Lot:
http://www.artoffthelot.com
CRAFT off the Lot:
http://www.craftoffthelot.com (they are also looking for artisans for a separate show the weekend following the ART show)

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Down Hips Dance Studio

Some paintings are now on display at Down Hips Dance Studio (http://www.downhips.com/). During the opening party, two of my photo prints were given out as door prizes.
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The paintings are on loan indefinitely. We may switch them periodically. If you’re interested in purchasing one, .

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Model arrested for posing nude at MET

It’s getting so you can’t walk around nude in an art gallery any more.

And those who did notice took it much in stride.
“I thought it was cool to juxtapose the nude woman with the art in the room,” said Mike Markovich, a tourist from Toronto. “I was surprised by how many people didn’t even notice her.”
His friend, Elizabeth Epstein, added, “It’s fitting that such an art project would happen in a museum in New York City.”
Hyman asked, “Why is this wrong? There were thousands of people in the Met today looking at nudes as art, but as soon as there is a real nude, it’s a big problem.”
Neill had the same question, which she posed to the security guard who detained her.

Model arrested for posing nude at MET – New York Post

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Artwalk 2009 planning underway

Met last night with the Central Art Walk group to discuss this year’s studio tour. We’ve got some more money available, and this will likely translate into better flyers, some print ads, and a lot more traffic in our area.

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Studio Heat

Finally got the furnace people to come back and replace the broken gas valve in the studio. I had gotten a furnace installed in the studio last month (and had to dig a 2′ trench from the house to the studio for the gas flex pipe). The trouble was, during the installation, one of the workers accidentally stripped the thread on the final valve to the furnace, and had to get a replacement shipped in. Meanwhile, the weather got colder, and the furnace lay dormant in the studio, unable to provide heat.
Well, now the valve is in, the furnace is installed, and I can keep the studio heated all winter long without all those crazy electric bills. And it heats much much faster than the tiny space heaters.

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Central Art Walk coming up

It’s coming up October 25th, so get ready to get out there and look at (and buy) some art.
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Central Art Walk

Come stroll through the pretty neighbourhoods bounded by King, Victoria, Weber and Union streets in downtown Kitchener, Ontario, to see interesting artist studios with fine displays of jewellery, paintings, artisan food and products, photography, digital art, pottery, fused glass, collage, stained glass, and fibre arts.

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Andy Rooney is a no-nothing boob

He said so himself. I think he’s being a bit of a goof on this one, but I’ll admit, I have seen first-hand some really bad art. I’ve even made some really bad art.
I’ve also been told I’ve made some really good art, too. And some of the art in this video does look crappy. But it is installation art he’s going on about, and installation artists have a tough enough time trying to fill spaces that they deserve a little leeway.
I do agree with this statement, however:

A writer ought to be able to write simple sentences before he tries to be a poet. I want to see something traditional that a sculptor has done – something I can understand – before he gets a license to do this.
Picasso earned the right to do anything he wants. His work is art whether I think so or not.

And I think that without doing more research into the actual artists shown in the video, Andy Rooney may not have a say about which of their pieces are art and which ones aren’t. Richard Serra, for example, is a renowned American minimalist who works mostly with sheet metal. I’d say he’s famous enough for his works to be considered art whether-or-not Andy Rooney thinks so. Here’s a link to a PBS article on the controversy of the Tilted Arc piece, mentioned in the video clip. Serra is quoted as saying “I don’t think it is the function of art to be pleasing…. Art is not democratic. It is not for the people.”
If art were democratic, Michael Bay movies would be the only ones in theatres.
Rooney: When Did This Become Art?, Andy Rooney On Modern Art In Public Places – CBS News

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How to Shoot Light Trails

A neat little tutorial about shooting light trails at night.
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Essentially, the trick is to use long exposure times, a tripod, and an external shutter control. Keep your ISO low, F-stop in the middle somewhere, and focus on manual. Then a 10-20 second shutter speed.
Easy.
How to Shoot Light Trails