Tuesday 1 September 2009

A perfectly loverly time ...

Yesterday I had an appointment for a mammogram at 1:20. I was not anticipating a sociable day filled with good things. I would have considered it a good day if the mammogram machine did not squish me too brutally. Instead I was treated to a lovely series of things.

I stopped at Thyme and Time Again, an eclectic shop on Beechwood, to see the children's chairs. They were, as Barbara had said, expensive, too expensive for me to consider, but I ended up having a delightful conversation with the owner of the shop, and I enjoyed my brief time poking about among her treasures.

Next stop, the Montfort. Then tea with Barbara.

Barbara Carlson has some new work ... The Secret Garden ... and some great house interiors, including a doll house and a wonky house. Barbara photographs objects and then manipulates them on her computer to use as elements in her pictures. In the garden, the pieces from a friend's garden were layered to create the scene. It is meticulous work and I love the art that emerges. I have a print of the rear view of her high rise created from photographs of houses with character. I wish that architects creating their concrete monstrosities would learn about what home means to real people. Barbara could teach them a great deal.

On my way home I took a detour so that I could stop at my favourite thrift shop where I bought two sturdy wooden boxes for $5 total ... and then I came home through the traffic to Kenya.

I have a week of sunshine and warm days to look forward to ... and the only times I intend to leave home are to walk the three dogs I will have here this coming weekend (Corey, a big Golden, Zeke, the Nova Scotia Duck Toller, and Kenya of course). I will also make a couple of trips in to Wakefield to visit Claire, buy groceries, and deliver finished pieces to the shop, and I will likely attend the annual Horseshoe Tournament and Corn Roast that the Pike Lake association puts on every Labour Day weekend.

The rest of the week I just want to paint ... and play with images ... and perhaps try out some experiments with writing style as suggested by Brian Doyle, and reiterated by Robert Genn in this week's art letter. He mentioned a book I want to buy: Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau written in 1947.

I hope we all enjoy this second short burst of summer.

1 comment:

Barbara Carlson said...

Yes, it was fun seeing you in person, after reading your journal for over a year. You're pleasantly feisty -- in a good way!