unsolicited opinions on random things
This made me smile. Photographer Jeff Friesen travelled across Canada, taking gorgeous photos along the way – all featuring a tiny model train that he artfully incorporated into each shot. It’s kind of like the roaming gnome, but cooler.
See the whole photo series (aptly titled “The Canadian”, after the train’s name) here.
[via Twisted Sifter]
Peter Callesen makes the most beautiful artwork using single sheets of paper and scissors. My jaw is on the floor.
[via Twisted Sifter]
If you follow arts news at all, you might remember a little brou-ha-ha that went down last spring between Canadian top playwright Michael Healey, and Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. It was all over his new play, Proud. Full disclosure here – I used to work at the Tarragon Theatre, a place that is close to my heart. So I’m not going to weigh in on the controversy, and the fallout. But I am happy to tell you that Proud is being independently produced, and you can see it later this month at the Berkeley St. Theatre.
Proud’s a great play (I’ve read it – and you can read an excerpt here), and I’m really looking forward to the production. Miles Potter (yep, from Stratford) is directing, and the awesome Maev Beatty, Tom Barnett, Jeff Lillico, and Michael Healey himself make up the cast. Oh yeah, and I designed the poster. Which doesn’t count for much, but was fun to do!
Proud is on stage from September 20 – October 6. All the details and tickets can be found on this website.
I have a pin board on the wall next to my desk (pictured above), where I have a bunch of random mementos and things tacked up. One of my favourites is a greeting card I purchased somewhere, with a print by the Scottish artist David Shrigley. It says “no speed limit anymore go as fast as you want like in germany”. I can’t really explain why, but I think it’s fantastic. Something about the yellow background, the hand written type, the message itself, and the reference to driving in Germany (something I really want to do). I’d love to have it blown up and hung, or even painted directly on one of the walls in my office.
I’m not sure exactly why, but I really love this piece of photography by Amy Stein. Read more about the piece (or buy a print) over at 20×200.
I really like these prints by Mike Monteiro.
I have a membership to the Art Gallery of Ontario, and it’s pretty fantastic. I love art museums, but I find them a bit overwhelming. I often feel pressured to get “good bang for my buck” and will spend too much time at the museum, overdose on art, and feel dazed afterwards. That’s why a membership is so great – with my membership, I can visit as often as I want. I go to the AGO every couple months (usually to see the latest exhibit, but sometimes just to peruse the permanent collection), and I usually leave after about an hour. Then I feel excited and inspired after visiting – not exhausted! I think an AGO membership is an awesome gift idea.
Bonus #1 – AGO members get access to the Members’ Lounge in the Grange building. You can have a bite to eat, and feel like a VIP.
Bonus #2 – if you get (or give) an AGO membership this holiday season, you’ll get VIP access to the Chagall exhibit, which looks fantastic. You can see his Blue Circus, above.
A new documentary about Charles & Ray Eames? Yes please! You can watch the trailer here. So far there are no screening dates in Toronto, but the DVD is being released on December 13, so check with your local artsy film rental shop. Or maybe hope it comes to Netflix.
Random: The film is narrated by James Franco. That guy is such an anomaly.
[via kottke.org]
As a fundraiser for the 2012 Olympics, members of the Canadian Gymnastic Team contorted their bodies into the letters of the alphabet (both upper and lower case) in photos taken by Alphabet Photography’s Jennifer Blakeley. Aren’t these images stunning? Apparently the capital G (top) was the hardest letter to make.
See all the photos here, and order prints here.
[via The Toronto Star]
