Canvas to the Imagination

I’m not sure whether I’ve mentioned this before on the blog but I recently created an inventory spreadsheet in order to keep track of my ready-for-sale art work. I have a lot of stuff kicking around, most of it left over from the last few shows I’ve put together, and some were created specifically to sell on Etsy. I was surprised by how much stuff I have ready to sell, just sitting around gathering dust and taking up room in my apartment when someone could be buying them. It’s hard to sell things when no one knows they’re there, not even me. Some of the work I’d forgotten about completely until I started the inventory. I won’t forget about them again thanks to my spreadsheet. The next step will be to figure out the what/where/how of making them available for sale.

Where did this brilliant yet simple idea come from you might wonder? From a great book every artist should have called, “Artist Survival Skills: How To Make A Living As A Canadian Visual Artist”, written by Chris Tyrell. Admittedly I haven’t read much of it thus far but I’m off to a great start with the inventory.

In the last few days I’ve been asked twice, “What’s new?”, and both times I’ve floundered for an answer. I realize this has always been a question that makes me fumble because I’m rather literal when it comes to words. I feel like I actually have to have something exciting and new to tell when this question is asked and at that same instant my mind goes completely blank. I tend to have a similar reaction to the question, “What have you been up to?” I think what throws me is how general these questions are and I’m never sure what specific information is required. It’s funny how my brain works.

Here are five good things that are “new”:
1. One of my shots has been accepted into a group show of toy camera photography at RayKo Photo Center in San Francisco. The show starts at the end of February.
2. My photograph taken inside an abandoned house last summer will be published in the next issue of Light Leaks Magazine.
3. I bought a new laptop recently and the speed in which files open in photoshop is nothing short of AMAZING!
4. I organized my first group photo walk in a very long time and it went well enough to inspire me to want to do it more frequently. I’ve missed it.
5. Along with many of my favorite flickr contacts I received an invitation from Getty Images to *sign up and submit my work.

(* A future post will be devoted to some thoughts on this.)

I’ve always wondered whether the two lovebirds, the only caged birds in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds“, were actually the evil ringleaders causing the bird attacks on people. Lovebirds do tend to be troublemakers…

In my original concept for this shot I’d planned to use fake birds, and spent a bit of time searching for places to buy them. The only birds I was able to find were fake crows and they were far too ugly and misshapen to pass for proper birds. I decided to pull all the bird photos from my archives and composite together in photoshop the shot I had in mind. It took about four or five hours of masking, manipulating, and layering to bring it all together.

It was created for a project called, “Scenes from a Movie” organized by Stephanie Vacher. The idea was for each participant to choose a director’s name from a hat and then create a shot to reference that person’s film work. I lucked out and chose Alfred Hitchcock.

It’s hard to reflect on a whole year now that it’s come to an end because the beginning isn’t as clear in my mind as more recent events. Here goes:

1. Getting to know Boris in many ways I never expected and building a good relationship with him. I’ve known him for a couple of years, but not very well. He only came into sharp focus for me at Travis’ birthday at the end of 2007. I’m glad my crush has turned into something more.

2. Setting a weekly goal to create a collage in my moleskin sketchbook and learning much about composition, techniques, materials, etc, in the process.

3. Leaving behind a job where I felt like I was wasting my time and spinning my wheels.

4. Taking baby steps forward in showing my work, with one more solo show under my belt and participation in five different group shows.

5. Going on an awesome roadtrip with Boris back in March. We drove from Vancouver to Seattle via Whidbey Island and Bainbridge Island, and had many lovely adventures along the way. It was my favorite trip of the whole year and definitely a highlight.

6. Starting a weekly self portrait series called “52 weeks” which has led me to producing photographic work I am very pleased with. This week is number thirty-seven in the series and it will continue until April 2009.

7. Many weekend trips to Bowen Island over the course of the year, and having a comfortable, cozy place to stay with the Mann Family.

8. A brief visit to Toronto back in May to see my family and meet with a old friends. I was glad to also have the opportunity to catch a few Contact Festival shows and see the awesomeness that is the newly renovated ROM.

9. This may sound strange if you’re not a cat person, or have never met Travis and Susie’s cat Maggie, but she has definitely been a highlight of my year. She’s a kitten-sized pack of trouble full of the stinkiest farts known to man, but she’s damn cute, full of personality, and fun to have around at work. I adore Maggie.

10. Realizing (yet again) that no matter how old I get there will always be more lessons to learn about myself and more growing to do. I hoping to put this knowledge to good use this year and move forward instead of just running in place like I feel I have been.

What are your good things from 2008?