Manon La b r o s s e : One Telephone Pole From Home

New work : maybe, kind of, I don't know...

2012-02-10T15:18:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure this one is finished... This is now #12 in the Tree Farm Series. It's the first one with a night sky, so much darker than the other ones. I couldn't seem to take a clear picture no matter how often I tried, I blame the clouds outside ! What happened to the sun from early this afternoon...?

This is also the last of the darker wood panels. The new ones are lighter in weight, but also lighter in color. I much prefer these ones, but unfortunately, like they often do, Deserres stopped selling them. I find this happens to be with a lot of things no ? Every time I like a product, eventually it gets discontinued...which I guess is worrisome... so maybe I shouldn't complain ? I don't know. My brain is fixed on supper right now, looks like East Indian is on the menu tonight courtesy of Shafali's on Dalhousie (Ottawa).

Happy Friday.

Who Loves the Sun ?

2012-02-10T14:11:00.000-05:00

Nice day in the studio, both my dogs are sleeping outside my door, probably wishing I'd take them for a walk, but I like to think they're just keeping me company while I paint.

Today the Velvet Underground are keeping me company too. Funny how my taste in music has changed when it comes to being in my studio. It's not a bad thing, it's actually pretty good since I used to rely on Radiohead for inspiration. I know, it's sad.

I'll post some work in progress in my next post, I'm definitely getting closer to finishing one, and about half way done the other. The 12 x 12 is being a pain in the behind since I kind of ruined the logs...hard to salvage that since the natural wood part is ruined. Oh well, at least it's not one of the bigger ones.

m

Finding a gallery

2012-02-06T19:09:00.002-05:00

My mission this year, on top of resurrecting my art career, or, once I've resurrected my art career (hey, there's that positive thinking I was looking for) is to find a new gallery in Montreal.

I was extremely lucky to have one at one time, but unfortunately it closed, the owner having a change of heart. It was a great little gallery and I was thankful to have been a part of it.

So, what day into my "getting my shit together"plan am I ? Meh, I've lost count, but I'm certainly nowhere near new gallery status. But the plan is there, and it's gonna happen.

See? Positive thinking...positive thinking and.... and... hard work ! Work...yes, I think I can do that.

m

Work in progress

2012-02-03T11:19:00.003-05:00

Eh, sometimes there's no point in trying to find a quirky title to a post, this one tells you exactly what it's about, work in progress. I'm pretty busy today so maybe my brain just doesn't want to bother with actual thinking.

I'm working on 3 today, this one is my favorite because I particularly like this wood pile. Yes, it's a good wood pile. There are not many wood piles like it, it is unique.

See? I might as well give up and just post the picture and get on with my work, right? I'm working on those new wood panels from Curry's and they're pretty good, really smells like wet wood when I paint and the color of the wood is lighter...hmmm.... I'm not sold on it yet, but it's okay.

This particular work has a long way to go before being finished, but this gives you an idea of its direction. It'll be a night landscape rather than a lighter sky like most of the work from this series.

Manon

Yes, but what about the music ?

2012-01-31T19:29:00.000-05:00

Meaning, yes I've been painting, but won't bore you with more "in progress" pictures. I can tell you I have two 36 x 36 and one 12 x 12 on the go...one is almost completed...maybe by next week.

If you've read my blog before, you know I'm obsessed with Radiohead. If you don't, you can click here, and see what I mean.

But, for some reason, I've been okay listening to other music, like the Leftover Cuties, which is really fun music...and not the usual dark depressing stuff I usually insist on listening to in the studio.

I'm sure most of you have seen this youtube video of a group called Walk off the Earth playing Gotye's (pronounced like the french "Gauthier") "Somebody that I used to Know" on one guitar ? If not I'm posting them here, because I've fallen in love with this song, and I actually prefer the interpreted version...weird huh ? The sounds they create with that one guitar is just so amazing. There is actually a small possibility The Leftover Cuties might cover that song as well.

What do you listen to in the studio ?

Manon

Wood. More wood.

2012-01-27T14:37:00.000-05:00

I should probably change that title, but I couldn't think if anything else, so it stays.

These are very VERY early pictures of a brand new 36 x 36. I always start by doing the pencil drawing first, and then try very hard not to paint, drip or accidently lean on it with my paint covered sleeve. In this one I actually used coloring pencils to add color to only one of the logs. Meh. I might regret it, but I have to try some things so that there are little differences in my piles of logs.

Other thing I thought I should do is come up with titles. Right now I simply call them Tree Farm Series 1, 2, 3 etc.. I used to give all my paintings titles, but in my head there was a story to every painting. I guess I have to come up with some stories. One day I was cutting a tree....one day I was chopping wood...that day I made a pile of logs...

All kidding aside, this series was, or is, based on pictures taken of a tree farm up north. My dad had a farm and grew trees and lots of them. Can't say I had much appreciation for them at the time as a kid or teenager, but now I see their importance. Some guy bought the farm when we moved and chopped off all the trees. He wasn't supposed to chop the new trees my dad grew, but I'm not entirely sure that promise was ever kept. In the end, the pictures are powerful and inspiring. I've included a couple here, along with my log pile drawing.

Manon

It's raining outside, but who cares ?

2012-01-27T10:49:00.000-05:00

I feel like I'm supposed to break into song, like a Boyz 2 Men song or something....which will never happen by the way, I'm a grunge child.

A bit of a late start in the studio, not because I didn't get up early, but because I'm wasting time on the computer. Ah, facebook, twitter, pinterest...

But, I have started on 2 paintings so far and like every Friday morning now I start by playing some music that makes me happy, even without the sunshine. Since it's early in the day, I leave you with a Leftover Cuties video, the Happy Song ! It's a homemade video, so don't expect any huge special effects or over production, it's just music, which is good enough.

Manon

It's weird isn't it...

2012-01-25T20:12:00.000-05:00

To be so excited about new art materials ? I haven't seen a blank work surface in...let's see, at least 2 years. I know, it's like, dude, really?

In all seriousness though, I've been reworking and trying to finish Tree Farm paintings from 2009 since I started painting again in Fall 2011. You can read about it here .

I have a fresh 36 x 36 and a small 12 x 12 that I've already started on, and although it seems tiny, it's fun and seems to work with the Tree Farm Series style. I'm starting to know more what I want so it's getting easier and every new painting looks better than the previous. Well, to me it does.

I've painted my first mini logs onto the 12 x 12. I almost don't want to touch it anymore. Almost.

Manon

UPDATED: From bad to ... a little better ?

2012-01-20T11:07:00.001-05:00

Just an example of the changes a painting can go through. Especially a new series when you're still figuring things out ! I can't tell you how many times I start over, going from "this is crap" to " meh, it's okay" to "hmmm...." to "Great!" to "ugh" again...

It was snowing outside when I added that big white blob....the next day I hated it already. So there you go. Still not close to being finished of course, but I'm glad to be rid of the snow.

Procrastinating : there is a price

2012-01-18T15:35:00.002-05:00

Hey, like many of you out there, I'm a professional procrastinator. For example, I started the Tree Farm Series in January 2009. JANUARY 2009 ! That's 2 years ago. Although I have a good excuse for 2009, I don't for 2010, except lack of motivation, lack of inspiration, etc...

That was also the first time I worked on wood panel. I discovered them at (then) Loomis Art Store and although a bit on the heavy side, it was fun new surface to work on.

Now, 2 years later, guess what, they don't sell them anymore ! They sell some smaller sizes, which don't work for me. So after a thorough search online, I finally found some wood panels at Wallack's. Online. Don't think they carry them in store, which is too bad. But, at least I found some, now it's just a matter of ordering one and seeing if they weigh a ton like my older ones...preferably not.

I'm also regretting the big white snow splotch on that last (unfinished) work...hmmm...it was really just a way of erasing this big tree trunk I'd drawn...so now, I have to make this look good, 'cause right now I'm thinking I hate it and never want to see it again. Let's toss this one aside shall we ?

And, because I couldn't find a good image to go with this post, I posted a video of Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters singing "Tonight You Belong To Me" on the ukulele. I have been practising this song for a couple of weeks, not sure I can do the singing, but I'm starting to get the chords right at least!

Manon

Work in progress...

2012-01-13T15:34:00.002-05:00

Already losing light in the studio, but here's a work in progress...it's snowing, a lot, in Ottawa.

Cuties and new work

2012-01-13T10:47:00.000-05:00

It's Friday the 13th, and it's the first day of my new studio schedule. I've been working a boring desk job full time for the last 5 years and I've been slowly killing my art career. I blame myself, don't worry, but daily boredom certainly didn't help.

What I wanted ? Daylight for one thing. This morning I'm listening to Leftover Cuties and trying to document my work. Unfortunately it's still not great as I realized that I was missing something, but it'll have to do for today. This weekend I'll be shopping for some proper studio light and other things to facilitate the process.

I was eager to post something recent, so here are 3. I have 2 more in the works and I'm not 100% sure about one of these, but it gives you an idea of my direction. This is a new series, so the work should improve and get stronger with time.

This afternoon I'll be working on the other 2. It's just really nice to work in the daylight ! Did I say that already ?

Manon

You used to be alright, what happened ?

2012-01-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

Don't worry, they're just words to a song. Yes, a Radiohead song. I actually thought at one point that I might get that tattooed somewhere, just as a reminder that sometimes we forget ourselves. Sometimes, we care too much about what people think, and we forget who we are.

Music has a big influence on my work, as I'm sure it does on all artists. I had spoken about this in another post, but I've made mistakes which I blame entirely on my poor choice of music at the time.

I painted an entire show on one album. It was dark album that resulted in my show at Galerie Art Image. Unfortunately, I got so obsessed with that album that it made me forget the true meaning of my work. I remember interviewing with Paul Gessel about it and when he asked me what my work was about I drew a blank, because I had lost focus on how this work actually came about, and then regretfully didn't explain it well.

This is just a rambling, me taking a break from the studio. Also, I had a crappy day and ate a lot of candy, which made me feel better for about 15 minutes, and now I have a splitting headache and I'm crashing into candy hell. Hmmm...caffeine ? No...

Maybe a little ukulele ?

It's coming, and I can't wait !

2012-01-07T10:33:00.000-05:00

I start my 4 day work weeks this week. No more Monday to Friday and I am so happy. The only thing I'm worried about is that once I get a taste of what it was like to actually have time to paint and hang out in my studio, I'll want more ! At least this is a good start and absolutely necessary. First task for 2012 is to buy a filing cabinet (I know, snore) so that I can start organizing my stuff properly. I realized that I can't take myself seriously until I organize the last 10 years...talk about late.

I'll be back in the studio this week, of course. I think it's time I started posting some new work, so expect some new pics in the next week or so. Today I get to enjoy some much deserved snow in Ottawa by going to the Gatineau Hills for some x-country skiing and the best latte in the world at Cafe Saisons in Chelsea.

Manon

Everyone should play the ukulele

2011-12-29T11:13:00.002-05:00

My Xmas present ? A ukulele. Thank you Santa ! Or as I like to call him, John. My husband.

Anyhow, recently got interested in ukuleles, mostly because of an awesome underrated animated movie called "Surf's Up" which is voiced by Shia Leboeuf but more importantly, Jeff Bridges. In it he plays a surfing penguin that plays the ukulele... you want to watch it now, don't you ? Anyhow, he plays this song called "This Ukulele" which is amazingly fun.

I also recently bought Eddie Vedder's "Ukulele Songs" which is an amazing album, featuring "You Belong To Me" which was originally performed by Steve Martin in "The Jerk".

I've learned this last one, but have yet to be able to sing it. It's actually a duet, so I might have to convince my husband to join me.

To anyone looking to learn an instrument, or looking for a change from guitar, I highly recommend this instrument !

Manon

Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.

2011-12-21T11:53:00.004-05:00

Ah Christmas. Every year I watch A Christmas Story. It's funny. I mean, if you haven't seen it, what's wrong with you ? We usually watch that, A Nightmare Before Xmas, and for the man in the house, Die Hard, which we saw at the awesome Mayfair Theater last night.

So the holidays have finally started for me. It was a bit of a late start, which is fine, I don't believe in starting Xmas in November. One week before is perfect for me. Shopping was easy, I just followed the list ! And, the tree went up on Sunday. We used a dead tree that we recycled from a pile of cut trees from my dad's property. It's actually pretty cool, I think. It's a sumac "vinaigrier" which can be translated to "vinegar tree" and it has these cool red fluffy things at the tip which we kept.

We try to do a different tree every year, but sometimes we get lazy and buy one from some xmas tree lot. A couple of years ago we did the Nightmare Before Xmas, which was fun. We had skull lights and all back and white and orange decorations.

Obviously haven't done too much painting in the last couple of weeks. Can't wait for 1 or 2 weeks from now when things go back to normal and I start a new routine.

Until then I wish you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.

See you in 2012.

Manon

Small work for tiny wallets ?

2011-12-15T08:59:00.002-05:00

Or tiny walls. I used to make these tiny little paintings around the holidays so that the gallery had some "gift size" work. I haven't done that in a long time but I think I'll start again. It's fun for people looking to buy their first artwork or buying one for someone else, and, since I've been off the radar for the last couple of years, my work is still relatively cheap, compared to most. Here's a sample from a few years back. I think these were about 12" x 6".

m

Going back in time and then forward again

2011-12-14T09:40:00.001-05:00

Phew. So, more on this inventory thing. It's actually a good thing, I'm going through receipts of old work and works submitted and giving myself a small pat on the back. See, I used to work part time and so used to produce a lot of work, and it wasn't rushed. Once upon a time I took great care in creating work that I wasn't embarrassed to show or sell.

The new year always makes you rethink about plans or goals you had made that year. We all do it for various reasons, drop some weight, be healthier, be nicer to others, save money, stop being a raving hormonal b*tch, or, create new work, attend more art events, start new projects and so on and so forth. And truthfully, be honest with yourself, do you achieve all the goals? Maybe a couple...but all of them ? Hell no. Ok, maybe you do, but you're annoying.

Seriously though, I'm always disappointed with the results, be it a lack of motivation, lack of time, money, whatever. If you truly want it, there's no excuse, right ?

So, going back to this inventory thing, it's making me think. I did it once, and then I lost it, but all it took was some hard work and some confidence. This little project will get me organized and that's a good start to the new year. Out with the old and in with the new.

I wish everyone a positive start as well. Of course you don't have to wait for the new year, you can start now.

I leave you with an old painting again, from my first ever solo show at St-Laurent + Hill in Ottawa back in 2005!

Manon

Shit. Inventory time.

2011-12-11T20:29:00.001-05:00

Pardon the language but, who likes doing that ? My gallery has a new website (St-Laurent + Hill) and are asking their artists to submit pictures of the work they have. Uh....I know of 2...and uh.... yeah. This is when having a poor inventory comes biting you in the a**. Ok, I'll figure this out. In the end, I'd prefer to send new work and have that on their website, I'm tired of seeing my old work, although truthfully, not sure they have much at the time. I must say, it is making me feel a little self conscious about the lack of new work thing, I searched my google mail account for emails titled "new work" and stuff like that. For the last 2 years I've been sending emails saying how it's been quiet but new work is coming and blah blah blah...broken record. Remember that post from a couple of months ago on how I was going to get my shit together ? Well turns out I can't just paint, I have to organize stuff too....deep breath.....

Not to mention I got a refusal from a gallery last week, a gallery who I suspect had lost my proposal since the only reason I heard from them is because, over a year later, I sent an email. And, like the classy establishment that they are, they sent me a refusal email...not event a letter. Lame. Oh, I won't say who it is because I still want to try to get a show there.

So that's the plan for this week, inventory and updating resume (with what you ask ? Uh...well there's that fundraiser I did...and that other fundraiser...).

Here's a picture from a series I took to start a new painting theme called "Melting Snow". No, I haven't started that yet.

m

Xmas : slowing things down

2011-12-07T08:40:00.001-05:00

Wow. Xmas is almost here. Can you believe it ? I'm not ready ! I'm probably going to do most of my xmas shopping the week before, or in my case, since we're celebrating on the 17th, the night before. Yea, that's my style, last minute, but I work best under pressure. I know a lot of people say that but it's true in my case, I swear.

So as you can see I haven't done much painting in the last 2 weeks. I have done "stuff", but no painting. But I am making a plan for 2012 when I start my new part time schedule (part time as in one day off a week from my full time paying job). Wow, a whole day to myself. I am truly jealous of artists that have the means to do this full time and admire the ones that don't but do it anyways.

I wish I had a real studio, so one that's not in my home, but they're hard to find and I can't afford a second rent. I had applied for these studios a couple of years ago, and last week at the CAO LUCK! event I ran into one of the artists there and she said I must have given them the wrong coordinates because they tried to call me and it was the wrong number and I'll need to reapply. Yeah...ok. *Cough* *bullshit* *Cough*.

Wow, I hope they don't read my blog.

Am I having a sarcastic day ? No. Just a sarcastic morning... but I can't predict the rest of the day.

Here's a picture of an older piece, don't worry, the new year will bring constant posts of new work. This one though, is from 2005 ! And it's sitting in someone's house. I wish I could see where all my paintings went.

Manon

CAO : Luck last night

2011-12-02T08:37:00.001-05:00

Ok, I didn't personally experience any luck per say, but I did manage to pay a little visit to the fundraiser last night and it looked like lots of fun. Those who buy tickets are given a number and then there's a draw...when they pull your number, you get to pick an artwork of your choice. Pretty awesome since everyone pays the same and who knows, you could end up with a pretty pricey piece.

Mine was picked when I got there, but they were 1 hour into it by the time I got there. It was really fun to see people all excited when their number was called out, and even towards the end, the very last person who got to choose her artwork, got the one she wanted from the beginning ! Now that's luck.

Tonight I might be checking out a supposed new gallery at Ottawa U called "The Dean's Gallery". Hmmm.... a little skeptical about this one. Gallery 115 is still up and running, so curious to see what work they'll have in there. It's supposed to be for the students.

m

Day 16 : Blog grooming

2011-11-28T20:51:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I don't end up in my studio. And that still counts. Today I worked on my blog, added some artwork, even some artwork that I would normally prefer not to include, but then it looks like I truly did nothing for the last 5 years. I only did nothing for the last 2 1/2. Ahem.

So yeah. Added artwork, trying out a new font, makin' it pretty. I've also added a link to an article about a show in 2008 from Le Droit. It's in french. I'd like to scan all the newspaper clips I have and add them, soon...

Thursday I'll be attending the Council for the Arts in Ottawa's fundraiser "LUCK!". So, for those of you attending, please don't pick me last, I'm sensitive and it would hurt my ego, as miniscule as it may be.
Sigh. Not much to say today I supposed, it's all been about working on the computer in my painters' clothes. Might come into the studio tomorrow for a change.

I'm posting a small test of a video today. A project I desperately need to finish.

m

Day 15 : Mindless sketching = awesome

2011-11-23T21:46:00.001-05:00

So today I did some mindless sketching. I managed to do some other little touches on my actual work, and played with my ever so frustrating camera and took horrible shots, but, for once, let my mind relax and sketched/drew. I haven't done that in along time, not think about what I'm putting on paper but just do, and it was awesome.

It did, however, end up looking like a 3 year old spewed out 3 different shades of pink and one pencil onto a sheet of paper, but it doesn't matter. I've been going through some "stuff" in the last couple of years and these drawings are allowing me to let go of some frustration. We should all do that once in a while, wether through music, art, writing, running or any kind of sports...whatever floats your boat really.

I had posted the drawings but then removed them, I guess they're just too personal. Maybe another day.

m

Oops. No post in a week !

2011-11-23T11:01:00.001-05:00

It's been a slow week. Busy, but slow in the art sense which is why I haven't posted anything. Woke up to snow this morning and although a little surprised I'm glad. I've always been a big fan of winter landscapes and they always make me nostalgic. I used to paint these all white landscapes that were my personal favorites, but they were never popular with clients for some reason. Too bad. I have one from 2005 in my living room right now that never sold at the gallery in Montreal (Sandra Goldie, now closed). Actually, most pieces that don't sell are the ones I love the most, go figure.

Tonight I have to go drop off that dear drawing that I had matted twice ( I cheaped out the first time and used the matt from the frame, which was super white and my drawing is on an almost cream colored board, yeah, it was pretty bad) finally deciding on a dark gray matte.

Will hopefully be in the studio tonight!

m

Day 14 : Finished work

2011-11-16T21:09:00.001-05:00

I'm not lying. I did finish one. I think.

Unfortunately, what you see is only a detail. Working at night has its drawbacks, one is horrible lighting. Will post this weekend.

I wouldn't be surprised if I reworked it, but right now, I'll let leave it alone, let it breathe, give it some time alone, and then I'll make a final decision, but right now, I can't see what else I could do, I seem satisfied.

I can't wait to have Fridays off ! A full day of studio work ! Yay for me. Things will come together.

m

Art History : it sure is

2011-11-14T20:11:00.001-05:00

Meaning all that learning I did in university is history. Come one. I'm not the only one, do you remember everything you learned in school ? Even if you haven't been using it ? I graduated from my bachelors degree 10 years ago....10 YEARS ! Apparently I'm an adult now and I'm supposed to be able to hold adult conversations about uh...smart stuff. I kid. Not really.

I feel rusty, I'm not afraid to admit it. I want to take some art history courses, but I don't want to go sit in class or do little group projects with a bunch of 18 year olds. So I'm looking for online art history courses and so far I haven't had much luck. Any ideas ? Any way anyone could help, anything you could suggest, would be appreciated. And hey, maybe my posts will be more interesting, so there's that for you, if you help.

m

3rd Post : Luck! at CAO

2011-11-13T13:34:00.001-05:00

Okay ! Third post on this, because I actually took pictures in natural light today, although, still a little on the dark side (feels like it's gonna snow, which is fine with me). I know I said I was going to submit one drawing, but I feel uncertain about it, it looks unfinished to me. So, it'll probably be this other one that I really really like and that I would feel better about someone putting up on their walls. Problem is, it's a weird size, so next weekend I have to have a matt cut and buy a frame.

Oh, that Ikea frame I was going to use for the other drawing ? It's crap. Seriously, don't buy Ikea frames. At least not this one... sorry, can't remember the name of it.

Sorry CAO for submitting late !

m

Artsy Stuff on a Sunday Afternoon

2011-11-13T13:12:00.001-05:00

It's Sunday. It's laundry day, it's "long run along the Canal" day and other various chores. Yesterday I helped my sister fix up her front yard and started on the backyard and so we were outside all day getting fresh air and exercise. It was great ! But truthfully I'm enjoying my time indoors today, getting little things done (along with the laundry...not sure if that run is going to happen). I really wanted a blackboard put in my kitchen to put notes but with half our walk being covered in tiles, it's a little challenging. Thankfully there's this little wooden shelf that I always thought was out of place, but today it has a purpose ; to hold up my blackboard. I'm not interior decorator, not in any way, but I used what I had and tried to make it cute. No more going grocery shopping and forgetting the butter or TP !

While I was doing this I made a quick mushroom barley soup (on my new stove, I might add) which I'm enjoying now while working on my blog.

Now to get serious in the studio !

Day 13 :Old drawing : New life

2011-11-08T13:46:00.002-05:00

So, I've decided to give an old drawing a chance. As I had mentioned in my previous posts, I had found these oldish drawings in this wooden case I have, and thought maybe I could use one of them for Luck! at the CAO. I was going back and forth between the two but I think I've decided to go with the larger one...mostly because I already have frame lying around that fits it...I will take a better picture, but it'll have to wait until the weekend as daylight is now very rare by the time I get home from work, so I'm always having to take pictures in yellow light (not always a good thing, although sometimes I secretly wish some of my work looked the way it does in yellow light).

I have to submit it by tomorrow to have the image on the website, so I better hurry up ! I spent all my studio time yesterday just cleaning the glass of the frame and cutting the drawing to fit the matt. I still have to secure that Ikea frame... there's a reason they're inexpensive ( I don't want to use the word "cheap"...makes it sound....cheap..for lack of a better word).

I'd like to participate in Galley 101's "101 Frames" this year, but they have themes, and frankly, I'm not all that excited about them. This year is Gluttony. Meh. Last year I submitted a power line monster drawing and nobody bought it ! Ouch. Bastards. Kidding. Sort of.

The Last Assassins !

2011-11-03T13:57:00.000-04:00

So, this isn't really truly art related, in terms of my art, but it is "art". Ahem.

I was thrilled to find out today that Jean Leloup and the Last Assassins are coming to Ottawa on November 11th. They'll be playing at the NAC in one of their smaller studios,which is even more awesome, no ?

Hopefully there will still be tickets by payday..so, tomorrow. Tickets are $33, not too bad !

Day 12 : that's it ? 12 days ?

2011-11-01T21:18:00.000-04:00

You mean to tell me I've only been in my studio 12 times since I started this whole thing ? Hmm...my math must be wrong. No that sounds about right. I truly cannot wait to go to reduced hours at "work" so that time spent in the studio seems more productive.

Today I reworked and reworked the 3 paintings I'm working on. Can I be honest ? Today sucked. Just wasn't into it. Everything felt forced and because of that I think I made a couple of screw ups. Meh, it happens.

I'll be back in here tomorrow, I'm sure it'll be better. Maybe it's the music ? Today I listened to some Radiohead, as per usual, but then changed it to Cowboy Junkies....too slow I think.

Anyway, here's a work in progress, and my knees.

To a better day !

CAO : Old drawings ?

2011-11-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

...soooo, I found these drawings. I've never really shown my drawings, never used them for shows, it's always been a secret thing, mostly because I didn't think they were any good. I still kind of think that, but I also kind of secretly like these two on the right. I'm thinking maybe I'll submit the smaller one, framed of course, of the CAO's Luck fundraiser. I have one week to think about it ! Which means if I decided to make something new, I'd have one week to do that...

I have work in my studio, but it's all kind of large for a $100 fundraiser. Hmmm....wish I knew what other people were submitting.

Well, back to the studio, I'm working on 3 paintings at once, trying to finish them so I can start some new ones. I really have to stop myself from just starting some new ones and actually finish what I started.

Halloween !

2011-10-31T21:14:00.001-04:00

I like Halloween. So I apologize, I won't be in the studio tonight, but rather tomorrow, Tuesday instead. 'Tis time for horror movies and a sad excuse to order pizza and eat chocolate for me. So far we've watched a couple of episodes of the X-Files, Community's season 1 halloween special, and now we're getting ready to watch The Crow. Oh, most importantly, we watched The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Disney animated version I used to watch as a little girl on the Wonderful World of Disney on CBC on Sundays. Remember those ? They were awesome ! And the original was just as good as I remembered.

Happy Halloween, and see you tomorrow. I have to come up with a piece for the Luck event in early December, so I'll be concentrating on that this week and next week. I'll probably need to buy a new canvas as mine are a little too big for that kind of event.

So for today, here's a picture of my Xmas tree a couple of years ago. My theme was Halloween.

CAO Luck ! Fundraiser 2011

2011-10-28T14:39:00.001-04:00

That's right, this year I'll be particpating in the Council for the Arts in Ottawa's yearly fundraiser, Luck ! I'm not sure what I'll be submitting yet, I might have to do a new work for them as all of my works are large-ish...but, probably something in the Tree Farm style..hmmm..have to think about that one.

Anyways, here's the info, I think tickets are $100 but you walk away with original artwork of your choice, mostly all valued way above that price !

LUCK! 2011

When: Thursday, December 1, 2011, 6-9 p.m.

Where: Council for the Arts in Ottawa

Arts Court

2 Daly Ave., Ottawa

New set-up : Artwork

2011-10-28T14:01:00.001-04:00

So maybe you've noticed the blog is ever changing, in my opinion, it's improving, no ? I'm trying to make it easier to surf, it used to be all external links which means every time you wanted to look at my cv or artwork you had to go on a separate page, usually out of google docs or picasa web. Meh. If I had enough skill to make a proper webpage, I would, but then I wouldn't get to blog !

I was going through my artwork, planning to put it all on there, and then I changed my mind. Why you ask ? Well see, I'm realistic. I know not all of my paintings are/were good. Looking back now, I'd say some of them were actually pretty a bad. So, I will put a "selection" of artwork from the past, and concentrate on the present/future. You'll get a pretty good idea of my work.

Also, I am now aware that a lot of my work was horribly documented. I apologize for the quality of some of the pictures, I wish I could go back and redo them all, but they're gone (mind you, that's a good thing). I remember when I was a juror for the Ontario Arts Council in 2009, another juror had gone and looked me up and said she really liked my work, but...uh....they're all blurry. I never fixed that. Yes, sometimes I'm a dumb**s.

Expect the artwork page to be up by next week or so. I'll try to make it pretty.

m

Day 11 : What's that now ?

2011-10-26T20:43:00.000-04:00

When I'm in my studio, I zone out. A lot. We all zone out, no ? I also zone out when my boss talks to me, but that's a different kind of zoning out. Hell, I zone out when I'm walking, cycling, driving...but don't tell my instructor, I just got my license 2 weeks ago. No seriously. I like zoning out. I don't necessarily think of anything, I'm just...somewhere else. I had great music so maybe that's what was doing it for me. Does this all sound cheesy ? Oh well.

I had a good time in the studio, I did manage to paint so no, my bran was not mush the whole time. I worked on three of the paintings that are on the go right now. I'm really trying to take chances, my work's been too safe in the last couple of years, I think I forgot how to paint. I was too preoccupied with getting work done, but not actually getting GOOD work done.

I also sit around with my camera. Even in that little horribly lit room, there are so many photographic possibilities. I actually kind of like the yellow light.

Once I post pics of my actually work in it's full, I'll have to do it during the day though.

Happy hump day.

m

Day 11 : Serenity now...

2011-10-24T21:29:00.002-04:00

Ugh. What a day. I've had a shitty day, that's all. I'm not going into detail, but it could have been a better Monday. I mean, it's Monday ! This is how I have to start my week.

Sigh. Okay I know, get over it. I went in my studio anyways, even though it took me a half hour just to find my Ipod so that I could listen to some decent music while I work.

I did some work on 2 of the Tree Farm Series. I also lit a candle to help me relax and calm down. Yes, my day was that bad. It involves my doctor, my neighbor and my dog. Oh, and my Ipod. Those things are not all necessarily related, don't be gross.

Okay time in the studio nonetheless. Not much to say today, I just end up bitching anyways. Sorry. Better post on Wednesday!

In the meantime, here's some detailed pics of some of the work I'm doing, and some other shots I took in the studio. I tried taking some of me, but the lighting is so horrible at this time of day, I end up looking like a goblin. A french goblin. With freckles.

I don't know why, but I just remembered this time when I was like, oh, 15-16... and I was at this diner called Mom's in my hometown and my gang and I were writing stream of consciousness, and I wrote this awesome one called Table 8 or something...I wish I had all the stuff I wrote back then, wouldn't you be curious to know what your teenage mind thought of back then ? It was probably awesome. I miss my teenage brain. Sometimes.

m

Day 10 Part Deux : Monster Power Lines

2011-10-19T20:54:00.000-04:00

For the rest of the time, when I had done what I could with the paint, I just chilled to music and took out my sketch book. I started off with some telephone poles and then started on my power line monsters.

I had an idea a long time ago to do a series based on power line monsters. I orginaly thought they'd be on paintings, but now I understand I can't paint figurative stuff, I hate it. But, I like this cartoonee style...they're fun. Probably won't lead to anything, but they're great, I like them!

Day 10 : True Progress

2011-10-19T20:48:00.003-04:00

I actually truly enjoyed my time in the studio today. I painted, a little bit of this, a little bit of than, and I even drew. I put on some older radiohead, from the early 90s to now and it kind of helped me relax, reminded me of the time I used to spend in the studio in university, smoking in my studio on the 4th floor with my thermos of coffee, windows open, freezing, but having a good time. I could do that for hours and I could do it until the middle of the night...now I'm lucky if I make it pas 9 o'clock....what can I say, I need my sleep.

But anyways, nostalgia aside, I had fun. I was a little scared to do what I did to some of my tree farm paintings, which were flat, but I did it in hopes that it will lead to improvement. I thought the telephone pole one was lost, but I did something today that made me believe in it again.

That's today, a good day.

Day 9 : I skipped a week, so what ?

2011-10-17T20:50:00.006-04:00

I had no motivation last week. I should have kicked myself in the a** and gone in my studio anyways, but I didn't, but I'm back this week, that's all that counts.

I worked that "that" painting. It's a complete mess. But, I put it aside, and brought out that newish series I had started in 2010 (or was it 2009?), the Tree Farm Series. See that ? All in Caps ? Impressive no ?
Anyways, working on that other practice thing, got me thinking about the tree farm series and I took one out and fixed a problem. I'm happy. Now, I leave it alone till Wednesday and see what I can add to it. I don't want to let this series go, I like it, I just never got lost in it like I used to with the telephone pole and powerline series...it never felt like I was doing something great, but I knew, know, it has potential.

Here are some detailed pics of the work in question from the Tree Farm Series. I have uh...1, 2...4....6? In my studio, and I think I had 2 or 3 at the gallery in Ottawa, so, it definitely needs to grow.

I'm thinking of having little tidbits for everyday of the week, something to keep you interested. For example, Monday could be 5 favorite art quotes, and Tuesday could be performance Tuesday, and Wednesday could be Weird Art, but in a good way...just a thought, still working on that, obviously.

See you Wednesday,

Art in Ottawa: EBA

2011-10-14T15:48:00.002-04:00

If you're looking for something to do in the Ottawa Art scene within the next couple of weeks, there's our famous artist run centre, the EBA (Enriched Bread Artists) having a show starting next week. Here are the details and you can also look at the invite for more info and a list of artists ; there's always a great variety of styles and mediums, from installations to more traditional wall work and sculpture. There are some Ottawa U alumni as well which I like 'cause it's nice to see familiar faces still doing art. I will probably go over the weekend next week.

Opening Oct 20 2011

6pm-9pm

951 Gladstone Ave

Continuing until October 30

Art and priorities and dreams and money and...

2011-10-11T20:33:00.002-04:00

Today, I'm not inspired. But I must do something productive right ? I'm dreaming of new art supplies. Which, leads to dreams of money magically appearing in my bank account and a trip to a magical art store that sells the wood panels that I want in the size that I want. Not possible you say ? You're right. Every time I fall in love with a surface to work on, they discontinue it. You know what I need ? I need a woodshop. And some tools. And uh...some skills in the woodshop and with tools.

So, I think I can go shopping for art supplies in 2 weeks. I am but a poor starving artist you know. Did I tell you I bought this super awesome sweater at Urban Outfitters this weekend ? ooohh...new sweater...drool...

Ah, priorities.

Ew, who's studio is that ? cricket cricket... oh, that's mine. blush.

Bad pics = Bad art

2011-10-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, you know what ? Those pics from the previous post are horrible. Manon, when will you learn ! I swear to almost never post such horrible pictures of artwork. They're faded and blurry. I am removing them ! In their place, nothing. But here is an old one, to make up for them. 2005 !

Chow!

Day 8 : 2nd Post : Spot the difference

2011-10-05T20:31:00.000-04:00

Hey, time for a game of spot the difference. No I'm not geeking out.

I took pictures of my work in progress...now don't judge, this is not finished, it's a WORK IN PROGRESS. But I took pics with and without flash, and one pic is from Tuesday, and the other is from today, after I retouched it a bit...can't tell ? Yeah well, sometimes, and you can ask any artist this, you spend hours in the studio, and only put a dash of paint on your canvas. And no, it's not because we're wasting time or lazy or ... stoned, that's just the way it is when you're really trying to think things through and not screw up.

This is a practice painting, so I'm hoping greater things will emerge from it. Oh, did I mention it's not finished ?

m

*** pics have been removed because they were horribly documented and I was embarrassed of my photos skills, or lack of.

Day 8 : Art in Ottawa this weekend

2011-10-05T19:49:00.003-04:00

Yeah that's right, we have a pretty awesome art scene in Ottawa. We'll soon be kicking Toronto and Montreal ass. The art community is expanding and we have a lot of great artists. Something to consider, is the 1st Thursdays Art Walk on Wellington West. And, I'll be even more specific, go to Gallery 3 and see David Lafrance's new work. He is a terrific artist and I hope to own some of his work one day. This show is up now and usually they only stay up for a couple of weeks, so take advantage of the beautiful Ottawa weather this weekend and check it out.

On your way there, may I recommend Flock Boutique and Victoire Boutique for some shopping...purely chick shopping though, sorry guys. And to eat, I'd say Foolish Chicken if you're in the mood for some organic bar-b-q chicken and ribs, or, if you like simple but delicious homemade food, I'd go to Three Bakers and a Bike. They also have little mini cupcakes ! And, you might as well get a caramel latte at Bridgehead...

Cheers.

Day 7 : Making progress

2011-10-03T20:54:00.001-04:00

Hello again.

So I am making progress. I am. But, I took pictures of small areas on my painting and am getting ideas from those, rather than all of them together. What does it mean ? Maybe a separate series, something more abstract still...I've had some difficult times in the last couple of years, and, not to sound fromage (cheesy), but I'd like to use that emotion towards something.

It would most likely be dark, obviously, my difficulties were not in capturing unicorns and picking a flavor of cotton candy. Mmmm...cotton candy. I had cotton candy two weeks ago.

Getting back to uh...art ? Yes, something darkish...and abstract. Screw the telephone poles...well, not altogether, just for that "idea" of a series. No fromage there.

Here are some little hints / glimpes / teasers, what have you. I know, but that's all I have for you today. If you're not pleased, you can go to my previous post and tell me how awesome I am for making those cupcakes.

Cupcakes, cotton candy and unicorns. Yes, that's exactly what my personality screams. insert sarcasm.

m

Not painting, but creativity just the same

2011-10-03T19:40:00.001-04:00

This weekend, I didn't go in my studio... fine. But, I was creative, that counts for something right ? Eh ?

Anyways, I did this mural for my sister in law, it's in the baby's room. It's not an original, it's based on a photos found on the web..I know...shhh...

I also made my cupcakes, and they were delicious. Double vanilla with vanilla bean...and I made homemade fondant and made these Ironman logos for my husband's b-day cupcakes...he'll be doing the Ironman Mont Tremblant next year.

I'll be posting a bit later, after working in my studio.

m

Culture Days

2011-09-30T13:27:00.001-04:00

Well for anyone that reads my blog and is looking for something to do, here's what I would do if I were here this weekend.

There's an exhibition by Andrew Smith that seems like it could be interesting at the City Art Gallery and there 's also the EBA studios that are having a photo exhibition. Otherwise...last year I went to the NAC and saw some improv, that was fun-ish...otherwise, as I mentioned before, open doors at Art Bank should be fun and, a show I've been meaning to go see, is Leslie Reid's show at the Carleton University Art Gallery.

Ever wonder why U of O doesn't have such a nice gallery ? I mean, they have the visual arts program, and Carleton U only has art history...the U of O gallery is pretty sad.

Culture Days take place all over Canada I believe, so get out there and do free art stuff !

m

Day 6 : yay

2011-09-28T21:06:00.001-04:00

So, I guess I feel good about what I've done so far. I'm taking my time and it feels right for now. Today I worked on that same painting, what would be the first of a series. No title, theme or concrete idea right now, which is what works best for me. If I plan too much and think too much, I screw up. Unfortunately that's how I plan my life too, one day at a time...heh heh...

Today I was having a good time in my studio, and then I experienced something that put me in a foul mood. I'm still in a foul mood. I'll ask you this : have you ever gotten excited about doing something for someone, and that someone shits all over that thing you were going to do and then you don't want to do it anymore because they obviously don't appreciate it and don't know how to just say thank you ?

Goddamn it. Is it really that hard to at least pretend ?

Whatever. That's my rant for today.

Did I tell you I love making cupcakes ? Pretty amazing that someone would ruin that for me.

Anyway, back to art I guess. This weekend is Culture Day so a bunch of art organizations have open doors, so free admission and so on. Might drop into Art Bank and spray paint a telephone pole on there somewhere since they never accepted any of my work. In all seriousness though, you should take advantage. Little did he know, Ottawa has a lot to offer in the arts. Sorry, I've always wanted to use that line...

Oh, more old stuff, mostly 'cause my camera's battery died on me. I still have this one, you know, if anyone wants to buy it. Hint.

Catch yous later.

m

Day 5 : sniff

2011-09-26T21:02:00.003-04:00

I'm getting a cold. Seriously ? It's so nice outside.

Anyhoo, was in my studio for only about an hour. Going to bed after this. Left the sky to be for now and worked on the bottom part.

In other news, my boss has approved my request to go 4 days per week, giving me one more day, a full day, to paint. Less money, more happiness doing what I love. Makes sense, no ? No really does it ? 'Cause being broke was cool in my twenties, now that I'm 32 it's a bit less appealing.

Here's some random pics in my studio, a dog painting from my niece and nephew and a clock that doesn't work (it's retro, I like it, so there)

m

Day 4, Ugh.

2011-09-22T08:42:00.003-04:00

Hm. This is getting harder. Cleaning my studio was easy and covering bad paintings in white paint was easy too. But now I actually have to come up with something.

Worked on that sky thing a bit more, it's a slow process, if I work too fast I'll end up with something I don't like and it'll be too late to fix..so one step at a time.

I was taking pictures of progress but now I'm going to be secretive....the sky is dark, no clouds, but hazy....how's that ? It'll be winter again I think too...

In the meantime, here's some more old work; this painting started it all for me back in 2004 or so when someone rented it from Art Rental at the OAG. I wasn't aware of it, but my mom was reading the Ottawa Citizen and saw this picture in the House and Home section. The couple had renovated a house and had rented artwork there for showings because they were trying to sell it. Well, they ended up buying the painting. This is the only picture I have since this was a painting from my Grad Show in 2002 and I had never properly documented it. Oops.

Day 3 : meh...

2011-09-20T14:37:00.001-04:00

Okay, there was a Day 3, and it was meh. Trying to figure out skies. Dark skies...experimented, and, well, we'll see tomorrow. I need it to dry before I try something else...lots of layering. Also, with such a dark sky and the fact that I don't use plaster anymore, I need to figure out how to get those telephone poles in.

That was it for Day 3. Skies. Oh, working on wood right now.

In the meantime, check out these super old paintings I made from when I first started selling in galleries. These were like 12" x 6" or something.

Day 2

2011-09-14T21:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, not super productive, but productive none the less. A plan ? Yes. Well, we'll see what I think of that plan tomorrow. So far, looks like I might go back to telephone poles. And why not ? But I'm not abandoning the Tree Farm Series... just taking a break. And I wouldn't say I only listen to Radiohead when I paint, but listening to anything else has led to me going in the wrong direction too many times. I used to come out with a new series with every Radiohead Album. True story, and a sad story. I guess they are my muse.

In the spring I was listening to Tool while painting. I painted tree stumps.

Then I listened to Bon Iver and ended up with this big bird on my canvas. WTF right ? Well, to me it's WTF.

Anyways, that's all for tonight.

m

Day 1 of getting my shit together

2011-09-13T20:03:00.000-04:00

Day 1 of getting my shit together. I painted over this awful painting, hopefully I'll be able to use that. I won't say what was on there, it's too embarrassing. Sometimes I blame hormones for the stuff I come up with. I shit you not. mmmmm....smells like gesso..

Been a while since I zoned out to Radiohead, which usually gets me in the mood to paint, currently listening to "codex" off their new album....

Anyways, didn't think I'd do any miracles first day back, so at least I've set up the studio the way I think I want it and got rid of the distractions.

Cheers.

And, we try again

2011-09-12T10:27:00.000-04:00

About a year ago I posted a comment saying that 2011 would be a better year, a productive year. Well it wasn't. I did go back into my studio and I did produce some work, but was it good ? Hell no. It was crap. I'm now afraid my gallery will kick me out since I haven't given them anything in a couple of years. I feel bad, I do. I don't want them to think I'm taking advantage, I'm not. I'm in a rut.

I had made a decision about 3 years ago, no more telephone poles, no more power-lines. I think I made that decision too quickly. It has created the equivalent of writer's block. I started a new series called the Tree Farm Series, which has potential, but I'm stuck. They all look unfinished and I don't know what to do with them.

So what do I do ? I work full time, so that time you need to think about what you're doing....that's what I don't have, so I make crap. But, enough whining, trying to go to 4 days a week at work which will be a huge pay cut, so that'll suck, but I think I'll be happier if I can spend more time in my studio, and stop making crap.

I also have an unfinished project funded by a grant from the City of Ottawa from 2008 that I have yet to finish. So no grants for me until I finish this project.

F*ck me. I really screwed the pooch in the last 3 years. Oh well. Time to get my sh*t together I guess.

Studio renovations

2011-03-15T13:27:00.000-04:00

Well, not really. But I bought a $9 table at Ikea to rest my paints and brushes on, some curtains, and uh...well, that's it. I cleaned it, first time in over a year ! I figured it gave it character, made it look like I was there. Oh, some window decals too.

LUCK! CAO's pre-xmas event

2010-11-23T13:13:00.001-05:00

Hi, will also be participating in the Council for the Arts in Ottawa's annual fundraiser event "LUCK". First time so I hope I don't get picked last. Value of $500 which you'd be getting for $75. Deal! m.

101 Frames : Gallery 101

2010-11-23T13:11:00.000-05:00

Will be participating in 101 Frames this year, trying to do little events to get me back in the painting mood. Here's a horrible picture of what I'm submitting. Yes, it's a powerline monster. Title " The Wrath of the Power Line"....the theme is wrath this year. m.

Goals for 2010 / 2011

2010-10-15T15:03:00.004-04:00

Complete Tree Farm Series
10 Melting Snow (I'll tell you about that later)
Complete video work
Apply for non-profit exhibitions up North
Find new Montreal Gallery (Orange or other)

I think that's pretty reasonable and realistic, no ?

Pictures taken on way to Toronto in 2009

2010-10-15T15:02:00.001-04:00

So much for 2010...

2010-08-22T19:33:00.000-04:00

..and let's look forward to 2011 ! So, if you read the previous post, you might find this one ironic. I did nothing (so far) in 2010. I had, frankly, a really crappy year. But without getting into details about hospitals and parents living with you...*sigh*...I have now promised myself to get back into my studio. With two galleries closed (Gallery 479 in Ottawa, and Gallery Sandra Goldie in Montreal) I have a lot of work ahead of me. So here's to 2011.

Also, I'd like to say that I just now read some comments left back in spring and would like to thank those who left them. I appreciate it and it's nice to know some people actually read this blog and I encourage you to leave more. I will say that I am now monitoring messages because I was getting spam in my comments, which is annoying.

Thank you for everyone's support, and, because I don't have any new work to post (yet), Mason was kind enough to pose for you.

Manon

New Year : 2010, is it gonna suck ?

2010-01-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't know. 2009 sucked, so let's get moving shall we ? In terms of New Years resolutions, mine is to spend some time in the studio and to get serious. So here I go, in my little box studio...to paint..and...yeah. Honestly, if I get one more refusal letter from (you know who you are), I'm just gonna quit and use all my creativity towards crafts and scrapbooking. Geez.

This is f**king depressing.

2009-12-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

New Work

2009-12-10T19:49:00.000-05:00

Myspace, really ?

2009-08-28T15:02:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I was bored and made myself a page on Myspace, if anyone's interested. It's not terrific, but it's something, whatever that means. I will ever open a facebook account though, those things look way to annoying. www.myspace.com/onetelephonepolefromhome

m

Montreal Gallery Closing

2009-08-11T11:08:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a crappy week. I just found out my representation in Montreal is now down to zero since Gallery Sandra Goldie is closing its doors. I had no warning at all, so I'm a little shocked.

It'll be hard to find a new gallery, Sandra Goldie had approached me, so I was very lucky. If anyone knows of good galleries in Montreal or Toronto, I appreciate any suggestions.

In other unrelated stuff, I discovered a musician by the name of Bon Iver (pronounced like french "bon hiver")and would recommend him to anyone who likes simple but strong acoustic songs. Nice music for zoning out, which I like to do a lot.m

New Work : Tree Farm Series

2009-07-06T16:59:00.002-04:00

I just gave these 3 new paintings from the Tree Farm Series to Galerie St Laurent + Hill. m.

2009-05-22T14:27:00.000-04:00

New Work : The Tree Farm Series

2009-04-20T10:26:00.002-04:00

I will be posting new work soon. I've posted the painting that will be in the OAG Art Auction in June on the right side. The Tree Farm Series is quite different from past work which is refreshing for me since I had been working with the telephone poles for a while. All new work is on wood panel which I am also enjoying. Expect a new post in May or June with more pics. m.

2009

2009-01-30T08:41:00.007-05:00

Well, I thought 2009 would be a boring year for me, but things are starting to look up. I've bought some new art supplies, new surfaces to work on, new paint. I've got a couple of things in the works that should keep me busy for the next couple of months, but I can't talk about them just yet, but they're great experiences. I'll be in Toronto in March, so hopefully I'll get around to checking out galleries over there while I visit some old friends.

One thing I can say is that I've been asked to participate in this years OAG Art Auction again. I'm excited since I'll be submitting work that is a little different from what I've been doing. I think that takes place in May, not entirely sure.
I watched some really good movies last weekend, none of them big blockbuster movies. One is "What we do is Secret", which is a movie about a low key punk band called "The Germs". The other movie is "BagHead", which is a comedy/horror/drama....I'll just say that it cost the guys $1000 to do, and it was money well spent.

Nightmare before Xmas

2008-12-07T20:50:00.003-05:00

For xmas this year, with the recession and all, we decided on a theme : The Nightmare Before Christmas. I even had some skull lights and got a dead tree from my dad's backyard. m.

101 Frames

2008-11-30T16:59:00.005-05:00

So I dropped off that drawing at 101 frames. Their theme is "lust" and they'll be doing a different "sin" for the next 7 years. It would've been hard to incorporate telephone poles into the theme ( i had a couple of ideas but didn't have the guts to go through with them) so I finally did something with this old drawing.

The auction is on December 6th and starts at 8pm. It's $10 at the door but there's some door prizes and a performance as well. Click HERE for more info.

101 Frames

2008-11-25T20:12:00.003-05:00

I'm thinking of participating in 101 frames this year, the theme is Lust, and I happen to have this drawing from University that I think goes well with that theme. I fixed it, of course, and reframed it...it looks okay. Picture's kinda bad I guess.

New York / Radiohead / Eddie Vedder / Bodies

2008-08-13T19:10:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I went on a 4 day trip to New York. I was lucky to score tickets to both Eddie Vedder and Radiohead ! Eddie Vedder was awesome, it was just him and a couple of guitars and relatively small location.

Radiohead was amazing, the show was perfect with an amazing light show. Unfortunately, I brought my cheaper camera (in fear that my new one would get stolen) so the pics aren't that great. It was the most amazing thing to get to see these two concerts, especially Radiohead since they are a huge influence on my work.

I also went to see the Bodies Exhibition. One word. Gross. Looked like chicken. On our last day we made it to the MOMA and the MET ; both were incradible, would've liked more contemporary art, but it was great. I saw some amazing work by Ad Reinhardt, I saw Malevitch's white square and so much more.

I can't say I enjoyed NY as a city though. I know I'm a small town girl, but even in Soho and Grenwitch Village, it wasn't all that impressive. Even kid's parks/playgrounds were concrete. We took the subway the whole time, so I guess maybe that didn't help, that was quite the adventure, I met a lot of interesting characters...and rats.

m

Revue Liaisons

2008-07-07T19:28:00.004-04:00

Hi there,

Been a while since I posted anything. I have to say, that it's been a great couple of weeks : two things happened : I got the City of Ottawa artist grant, and, there is a very nice french magazine that came out and it has another review on my show at Art Image. The magazine is Revue Liaisons, and the article was written by artist/professor François Chalifour, currently exhibiting his own work at l'Espace Odyssé in Gatineau. It's a wonderful article and I hope I get to thank him one day, I'm always so surprised when people actually get my work, or see where it's coming from, I thought I was the only one that could ever know that. Once thing's for sure, he said it much better than I ever have/will ! The magazine is available for purchase across Canada, here in Ottawa I bought mine at the Librairie du Soleil in the Market.

You can see the PDF version of the article by clicking HERE

Art Image show

2008-05-06T19:40:00.002-04:00

The gallery where I had the show has an educational program for schools and kids from grade 2 did little reproductions of my work and did an awesome job ! I swear they are better than my own !

m

Art Image Show

2008-05-06T19:36:00.003-04:00

Pictures from the show: Art-Image

2008-05-06T19:31:00.003-04:00

So I took the show down on May 5th. Some of the paintings are at St-Laurent + Hill and some came back home. I'm posting pictures from the show...

m

Ottawa Citizen

2008-04-11T17:10:00.003-04:00

Hi there,

Today I had an interview with Paul Gessel from the Ottawa Citizen : how cool is that ? I'm having the time of my life and I can't wait to read the article. First I had the interview with Le Droit and now this. Amazing. Anyways, the article will appear in next Thursday's edition, so that's April 17th. The show's still up and will be until May 4th.

Manon

News and reviews

2008-03-22T17:43:00.002-04:00

It's only been a week or so since my show and I have to say that this is the best experience I've ever had. I'm presently patiently waiting for my husband to come back with a copy of Ottawa's Le Droit (Saturday's edition, March 22) where Claude Bouchard wrote an article on my show. You can also see see on Roger's cable in a show titled "RegArts" : it'll play all weekend, but you need to be subscribed to Roger's cable to access it. Also, Radio Canada apparently went to the gallery to film the show, but I've either missed it or have yet to see it. Fortunately, you can watch it live on their website, it could be any day during the 6 o'clock news.

In April I'll be filming with Balestra Productions for a show titled "RadArt". Apparently I will be a mentor for a younger artist and will get interviewed. The show should air in May on TFO, a franco-ontarien channel.

That's all for now, hope some of you are stopping by the show at Art-Image.

m

Art Image Show : March 14

2008-03-16T21:02:00.003-04:00

So I had my opening for my exhibition at Art Image in Gatineau's Masion de La culture, and it was awesome. What a great place, nice people, great location and most importantly, great exposure. It was such a wonderful experience I felt really confident about my work and the way I decided to show it. The lighting was the most complicated but we played around with it for a couple of hours, one painting at a time since we decided each painting needed its own lighting. I even got to pick a musician to play at the opening and decided on a cello player which was perfect. The low, slow tones matched the atmosphere of my work perfectly. I recommend the experience to anyone looking to exhibit their work. They also have l'Espace Odyssée on the second floor which is a not so traditional space, but still very nice and big. This is an important show for me, I hope a lot of people go by to take a look, even if you have to go across the river to do it.

I might be getting an interview with a show on the french Roger's television...I don't' remember the title of the show but they cover the local art scene. I'll come back with more details.

The image you see on your right is a painting that will be included in this year's OAG Art Auction in ...I think it's April.

m

Ottawa Citizen : When Science Meets Art

2008-01-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

So, I was googling myself, as I often like to do, and I found this little article in the Ottawa Citizen. Nice to see my name in the most promising exhibitions of 2008. Click here to read the article, my name is only mentioned once...in once phrase so don't worry, there's lots of other interesting stuff in it.

Movies & Music

2008-01-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

Because I actually think people read my blog I'm gonna recommend some music and a movie that really inspire me and motivate me in my work and in the way I think. I actually haven't seen the movie yet, I'm gonna go see it this weekend at the Mayfair in Ottawa. The movie is Into the Wild and it's written and directed by Sean Penn. It's based on a true story and that's all I'll say, go see the trailer at www.intothewild.com.

As for the music, well, the soundtrack for Into the Wild, entirely created by Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam is a really beautiful album, especially songs like "Here's to the State" and "Long Nights". "Into the State and a couple more songs are actually bonus tracks from another soundtrack Eddie Vedder worked on for a movie/documentary called Body of War.

The other album I strongly recommend is, of course, Radiohead's new album "In Rainbows". These two albums are possibly the best I've heard in at least 5 years or so. I'm not a big fan of the crap that comes out these days and don't buy much music anymore, but these two albums have me hooked and are all I've been listening to. I think Radiohead and Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder are some of the few artists left that are still true to themselves and their music.

That's all. m

Exhibition : March 2008

2007-12-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

Hey,

Here's a link to Galerie Art-Image's website where you'll find a short description of my exhibition in March 2008 : http://www.ville.gatineau.qc.ca/artimage/expositions.htm .

I can't wait, I'm working on the paintings slowly and reworking them a lot, especially the skies.

m

New works : November 2007

2007-11-20T19:36:00.000-05:00

Here are 5 small paintings I just gave to St-Laurent + Hill. m

New work, I swear.

2007-10-23T12:15:00.000-04:00

So, Xmas is coming so galleries are requiring smaller works. I'm working of 5 of them right now, two of them might actually become sort of like a dyptic. The gallery will probably have them by this weekend. They are quite small and so will go for quite cheap..sorry..inexpensive...so did I say Xmas is coming ?

Preston Catalogue available

2007-10-23T11:39:00.001-04:00

As I was knee deep in dirt on Sunday pulling out all the weeds and dead flowers from the front of my house, I was pretty excited when I turned around to grab a shovel and found the long awaited Preston Catalogue on my front steps. After paying around $200 to have a one page add in it I couldn't wait to see what my page and the rest of the catalogue looked like.

Well, from the outside it looks pretty nice, good quality, shiny, glossy, whatever. But when I did find my page, I was really disapointed. The image I had sent them was meant to be printed about 6"x6" max, which is what they had required. Unfortunately, my one page add is now a two page add, with my image way too big (I'd say they blew it to about 8"x 8") and spread over two pages, which, you got it, cuts the image in half. I then looked at other artist pages, and a lot of them were the same, if not way worst, some of them meant to be vertical, are horizontal, and some of them so bad you can see the pixels.

Now, I know I take bad pictures. When I sent it to them, I told them to let me know if the picture was not printable; they said it was approved for printing. Should Preston Catalogue have contacted artists' who's pictures were not of good quality ? Doesn't that kinda make the magazine look bad ? Or does it make the artist look bad ? Don't get me wrong, some images are beautifull, espacially those who opted to pay more and have two images (printed smaller, for that reason), one on each page. Beleive me, if would've know we were getting two pages, I would have added an image.

Another mistake they made is they gave the wrong information about the whereabouts of that painting. I had told them where I was represented in Ottawa, and also that I had a show coming up at Art-Image, and they decided to cut most of my info out, and just put the painting's info, followed by the name of the gallery where I have representation, making it seem like the painting can be found there, rather than it's true home, a show in 2008 at gallery Art Image.

So there you have it. I'm disapointed. But go out and buy it anyways, there's still some good art in there, and some bad. I'm sure the magazine knows it needs variety to get everyone's attention, so you'll see everything from little snowmen to Betty Goodwin type drawings (hello Ottawa U. students) and more figurative but beautifull works by Carrie Colton and Heidi Conrod. And then there's mine, which you can categorize as whatever you like.

Preston Catalogue : out soon

2007-09-10T20:31:00.000-04:00

Hey,

Just a short message to say that I'll have a whole page to myself in the fall issue of Preston Catalogue : it's a really awsome fashion/art magazine that's gonna feature the best of Ottawa in terms of fashion/restaurant/galleries/artists. Apparently they're going fast, check it out on the web at : http://www.prestoncatalogue.com where you can see a small preview and also details about a big bash they're throwing for the launch.
m

Slow summer : Update

2007-08-10T09:42:00.001-04:00

Hi there,

It's been a while since I've posted anything, I think that, once again I find myslef questionning my work and coming up with new ideas. I've been working with the telephone pole theme for a while now as well as the same materials and am in the process of changing some of that. It's a scary thing to do after you've basically worked with the same materials for....5 years and the same theme for 6 years. I think that my new theme will still revolve around telephone poles, but I would like to incorporate other things that kind of represent my views on the urban city vs. nature. I've been looking up comtemporary artists, mostly american, such as Michelle Haily (http://www.michellehailey.net/) ; I think what attracts me to her work is the contrast between the painterly aspect and the pencil drawings which is what I used to do with my work a long time ago. I guess you could break it down to two types of contrasts : painterly vs. sketchy and nature vs. urban. That's what I want my work to be. I also want to get rid of the plaster in my work ; although I enjoy the scratching and basically destroying the surface of my paintings, I think it might be time to move on to something else which is basically the only way I can ever make my work look different because the plaster is a very strong material and kind of dominates the style of the painting.

I've definitely felt there's been something missing in my work for the last 2 years and it's taken that long to think about which direction I want to take and it'll probably take me a couple of months to get some sketches and some smaller works done to see if I can do it, although I feel pretty good about it now.

Another thing I've been thinking of for a couple of years now is having a studio outside of my home ! I'd like to rent a large apartment or a small building and invite certain artists to share the space with me. I don't have too much money to spend on a studio space so the challenge would be to find the best space/deal, but first I'd have to find some interested people. Or maybe even find sponsors...something.

Anyway, that's what's going on in that little head of mine. Seems all I've been doing is a lot of thinking but it'll amount to something soon, I just want to do it right.

Cheers,

Manon

Art Auction : OAG

2007-03-27T12:27:00.000-04:00

As I had mentioned before I will be participating in the annual Ottawa Art Gallery art auction, this year: it is titled "Splash ! / Coup d'éclat !" and it's taking place on June 7th 2007 from 6pm - 9pm. They will have a website up within a month or so with a list of artists, biographies and artwork. I'm very excited to be a part of it and will be there as well. I am working on my piece right now. They have a publication called TRACT out and available in pdf. format, you can get it by clicking here, it has a page on this year's art auction along with the list of artists. A couple of artists there are actually my professors from university so that should definitely be interesting. m.

Stuff coming up...

2007-02-12T19:53:00.000-05:00

Well, the show at St-Laurent is over, two weeks later. Now I'm getting ready for the 20x20x20 group show at Goldie's in Montreal while working on a comission. My plans for the remainder of the year are to get ready for my show at Art-Image in February 2008, and make some work to try to get in a gallery in Toronto, if anyone's got suggestions for a good gallery, I'd appreciate it.

Otherwise, I also got an invitation from the Ottawa Art Gallery to submit a painting for their annuel Art Auction. I'm quite happy with that and hope to get some good bids since I plan to donate the whole amount to the gallery.

The image you see on your right is not mine, I found it on the internet in my many searches for telephone pole and power line images...I thought it fit it well.

M.

Number Six..

2007-01-21T17:23:00.000-05:00

Here's the sixth of the series for the show, there might be a seventh, I don't know if I'll have time to finish..I'm not sure if they'll all be in the show, but they will be going to Galerie St-Laurent + Hill. Ml.

New work for St-Laurent show

2007-01-19T15:39:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of some of the work for my show on January 27th. I apologize for the pictures, I either can't figure out my camera, or two years after buying it, it's already dying on me. Either way, here are the pics. I'll post the rest of the work ...later. M.

Exhibition coming up..

2007-01-17T19:29:00.000-05:00

Hi,

The group exhibition with Adria Collins (you can see her work here ) is coming up on January 26th, with the opening on the 28th, from 1-5pm. I will be posting images of my work on this Friday the 19th. The gallery is Galerie St-Laurent + Hill at 333 Cumberland street, Ottawa. Ml.

More old stuff...

2007-01-06T15:04:00.000-05:00

Here's a little article that appeared in the Ottawa Xpress newspaper. Click here to read it.

m

Group show

2006-12-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

So it's confirmed, I'll be having a group show at Galerie St-Laurent + Hill in late January 2007. I found this little online article today on Where, click here to see it. Oh, the show is from January 26th to February 7. m.

My work on Myspace ?

2006-12-14T21:20:00.000-05:00

Hey, I had mentionned that one of my friends, Laura, was gonna use one of my paintings for her music project, so here's the link if anybody's interested :

www.myspace.com/thestarsbelowthefloor

chow.

New work

2006-11-28T19:45:00.000-05:00

Here's a new work I just finished...maybe; I find that I have to see it on the computer for a while for me to know if it's really done...it's a really bad picture though, the lighting isn't very good for taking pictures in my basement studio, I'll have to invest in some spots. It's supposed to be from a series I started last year, you can see the other painting here.

I removed the picture I had here 'cause it sucked. I'll take a better one.m.

Manufactured Landscapes

2006-11-25T09:21:00.000-05:00

I went to see Manufactured Landscapes last week, and even though it wasn't quite what I expected it was still pretty interesting. The whole documentary actually took place in China where he took pictures and filmed huge recycling factories, dams and mines. You wouldn't think that everytime you throw something away that it'll end up on top of a huge mountain of bits and pieces of computers and other electrical stuff and that a handfull people would be sorting through it by hand to save the good parts. That series of pictures actually made me think of Tetsuo the Ironman and I was convinced he would emerge out of one of the piles, which, by my standards, would've been cool. All in all, I guess my naive little mind was expecting more "natural" landscape but manufactured landscapes don't look natural...yeah I know. Anyways, right now I'm working on a couple of 60x60 paintings so that's keeping me busy.

m

Something to see

2006-11-20T12:07:00.000-05:00

Oh, and before I forget, something that I will see/rent/buy is a movie/documentary called "Manufactured Landscapes" which, if you live in Ottawa, is playing now at the Bytown. Go here for info : http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Reviews/M/Manufactured_Landscapes/2006/09/29/1917582.html, or go on IMDB and look it up. I also mean to see Bodysong but have yet to order it since it's not available in stores here, of course.

m