Tag: art

Film Reviews

Film/ART: Mad about MAUDIE

Maudie…

is the true life story of Maud Lewis, a self taught painter who rose to fame despite all odds. maud1It was the film chosen for the OPENING GALA at the 35th Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). maud3maud4

It did not disappoint.  In fact it was one of the most compelling movies I’ve seen in a long time. A hauntingly beautiful movie about suffering, unlikely romance and ultimately success against numerous setbacks, in a cinematic landscape.

This quote by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross best sums up the main character’s personality:

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

Set in Nova Scotia in the 1950s and 1960s, the story unfolds as Maudie (played by Sally Hawkins) crippled with rheumatoid arthritis decides to leave her family who have taken advantage of her personally and financially, for once and for all.

She meets a lonely reclusive fish peddler named Everett Lewis (played by Ethan Hawke) when he tries to hire a housekeeper.

The film unfolds from there as we find out how these two opposites fare in each others lives.  Everett is a very difficult man and Maudie is determined to see it through with wit, heart and ART.maud2

It’s okay to give away the ending because by now everyone knows that Maud Lewis became a well-known and well deserved folk artist whose paintings hang in the White House.

This film is an Irish-Canadian co-production.

Cast member Kari Matchett is Canadian.  She plays Sandra, a woman visiting from New York with nice shoes, a nice manner and an interest in the art that is revealed inside the little house Maud and Everett live in. She commissions Maud to paint some cards for her.

The movie was filmed in Newfoundland near Trinity (a location I visited while in Newfoundland a few years back) so it was familiar.  The real location was near Digby, Nova Scotia (another location I visited on that same trip).  The remote scenery is breathtaking.

Irish Director Aisling Walsh  along with two other female producers were there to help promote the film and answer questions from the audience at the very end.

I met Aisling Walsh in the lobby after the film.  Everyone had a ballot to vote how much (or how little) they liked the movie from 1-5, with 5 being the highest.  I told her that I would give it a 5 but it really deserved a 10.  Also, I was a mess from tearing up so much it’s a good thing I wasn’t wearing mascara.
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“Maud’s story epitomizes triumph over adversity – “Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/maud-lewis

To find out more about VIFF or buy tickets please visit: https://www.viff.org/

 

STYLE

Hermès at Work – What Lies Behind

Whether it be scarves, handbags, watches, saddles, porcelain or clothing  the world of Hermès is made up of style, art, history and luxury at its finest.

The Trademark Orange Thread
My favourite colour – The Trademark Orange Thread
The Saddle
The SADDLE that brings out the equestrian side in all of us
The Saddle Maker
The Saddler, a designer in his own right

The quest for excellence best describes any Hermès objet désirable…and they come in many fabrications or manières, as the French call it. The incomparable workmanship  requires skillful hands with intelligent minds.  It takes time, material, tools, talent and attention to the tiniest detail to produce anything from this famous French house.

The silk roller meticulously adds the finishing touches with silk thread to every scarf.
The silk roller meticulously adds the finishing touches with silk thread to every scarf
A Silk Print
A Silk Print for a scarf

It comes with a price of course, but anything worthwhile does.

I’ve always been curious about the unrivaled craftmanship behind the name, so it was totally amazing to rendez-vous with some of the experts who help produce the famous scarves, handbags, watches, saddles, gloves and porcelain.

The pop-up traveling exhibition was in Vancouver at the Jack Poole Plaza by the Olympic Cauldron with the beautiful mountain backdrop for only five days, September 21-25th.  Whoever was lucky enough to step inside got a little glimpse into a unique world with live on site demonstrations by authentic craftspeople all of whom are of French descent with cute French accents.

Porcelain from Start to Finish
Steps for Porcelain Plates on their way to completion
The Porcelain Painter. They are decorated near Limoges in France.
The Porcelain Painter. They are decorated near Limoges in France.
The Watchmaker keeps time ticking with hundreds of miniscule components.
The Watchmaker keeps time ticking with hundreds of miniscule components.

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I have a new found appreciation for my Hermès silk scarves since I know the steps towards completion are time consuming and numerous.  I have yet to come across a silk scarf so lovely.  Or a handbag, or a multitude of other things come to think of it. 

The Glover
The Glover transforms a Skin into a Second Skin
Finished Silk Scarf
Finished Silk Scarf
The Kelly Bag
The Graceful Kelly Bag

The finished product in all its perfection

Photos: d. king

 Have you seen it?

**And, if that wasn’t enough I got a smile from both Will & Kate and a wave from Kate (a royal bonus) from the car they were in (their window was completely rolled down) when their motorcade passed by on the way to visit Vancouver Coastguard.  I was out walking my dog in the direction of the Coastguard at the exact time they passed by.  I was not with the tons of people waiting by the sign that said “viewing area”.  My dog was sitting down where the cars were passing by wearing his bright red bandana.  I was all in leather.  I think we attracted their attention (I like to think of it that way).  A couple was standing beside us and they couldn’t believe it.  A little bit of magic for our Sunday. So I bought a lottery ticket right after.  If  you don’t see any more posts I’ll be in the Bahamas!  I heard it’s better there.

Film Reviews

It’s ABOUT TIME

Timing is everything. I watched this movie entitled appropriately…..About Time.abouttime1

It’s been out for a few years but that’s okay because a few years is nothing when it comes to time travel.  It’s about going back in time to try and correct whatever you feel needs to be corrected.  For some reason this movie struck a chord.  Did you already guess that?

I mean who wouldn’t want to have the opportunity to right your wrongs (providing you have any) – or change the future as tempting as that sounds?

Anyway, I had a really well deserved lazy evening recently  where I scrolled through a long list of movies and this light Rom-Com is the one that appealed to me. It was exactly what the evening called for.

So if you loved “The Notebook”,  “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Notting Hill” and “Bridget Jones’ Diary” my guess is that you’ll love this too.

It’s about a 21 year old young man who finds out from his father that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time.  He can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life-so he decides to make his world a better place…by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think.

Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to train as a lawyer, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary (Rachel McAdams). They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he’s never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again-and again-but finally, after a lot of cunning time-traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his best friend from professional disaster and to get his pregnant wife to the hospital in time for the birth of their daughter, despite a nasty traffic jam outside Abbey Road. But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can’t save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere.  There are great limits to what time travel can achieve.

So is it best to leave everything up to fate..or tamper with it if you could?  Hmmmm………

What do you think about that?

WATCH TRAILER:

Maybe I’ll watch it again….sometime

 

 

Film Reviews

Art/Film: VIFF

It’s that time of the year again….

Sandra Oh & Ann Marie Fleming
Sandra Oh & Ann Marie Fleming  – as it turned out needn’t have worried

On the heels of the Toronto International Film Festival which ended yesterday is the 35th Vancouver International Film Festival which starts on September 29th to October 14th.  I just picked up the festival guide and I can’t wait to see a ton of films of which I will report back to you my favourites.

In the meantime I want to give a SHOUT OUT to my friend Ann Marie Fleming who’s full length animated movie Window Horses (which I previously blogged about) premiered at TIFF to rave reviews.

This is a beautifully narrated and colourfully animated story of a young girl’s journey employing poetry, music and illustrations to celebrate the value of self-discovery.  After being invited to a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran, by a mysterious figure, Rosie Ming faces challenges that ultimately lead to her self-realization. The film’s superb voice cast includes festival veterans Sandra Oh, Don McKellar and Ellen Page.

From CTV News:

“The reason why I wanted to do this film and why I moved it to Iran and why I think it’s important to do now is I wanted to make a gesture of understanding, compassion and intolerance in this world of increasingly dark images and xenophobia and fear,” says Fleming.

“This is not a political film in any way, but the gesture is political. I just wanted to make some lightness, to be able to see people for what we have in common and how poetry — poetry! — is actually the glue that’s put us all together through all these millennia.”

The Canadian Press recently spoke with Fleming about the film, which she wrote, directed and produced (in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada). It’s slated to hit theatres in spring 2017.

You can VOTE for this film for MUST-SEE BC Movies (until September 29th) and help support Canadian Art at:

http://mustseebc.viff.org/

 

 

 

 

 

Film Reviews

ART/Culture/FILM – Window Horses

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” – Edgar Allan Poe

Everyone knows that Poe is a Poet but we all have different viewpoints of another person’s image.  That is called perception. What happens when someone doesn’t fit into the “usual” image we form for something they represent?windowhorses7

What is Window Horses?

Window Horses is a new Animated, Multi-Cultural, Unusual, Smart Feature Film with a Message. I find it inspiring. It is written, directed and produced by someone I know, Ann Marie Fleming, who has been making award winning films for over 25 years. Because she is such an unusual & inspiring person herself I knew that at the very least it would be interesting and worth checking out.  So….

windowhorses2

Rosie Ming is a mixed-race, 20-something, introverted, closet poet who dreams of going to Paris.  She doesn’t know a thing about her parents.  Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy, Sideways, Under the Tuscan Sun, etc…) is Rosie. Her work is about transformation!

Taken from the Website:

This film is our small effort to try and add a little more peace, love and understanding to our increasingly complex and conflicted world through art, poetry, history and culture. Heady stuff!

Not to give too much away but….

It’s about love (it’s always about love…) – love of family, poetry, history, culture. Here’s the story: Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet, is invited to perform at a Poetry Festival in Shiraz, Iran, but she’d rather be in Paris. She lives at home with her over-protective Chinese grandparents and has never been anywhere by herself. Once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians, all who tell her stories that force her to confront her past; the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her and the nature of Poetry itself. It’s about building bridges between cultural and generational divides. It’s about being curious. Staying open. And finding your own voice through the magic of poetry.

Rosie goes on an unwitting journey of forgiveness, reconciliation, and perhaps above all, understanding, through learning about her father’s past, her own cultural identity, and her responsibility to it.

WATCH the Trailer:

“Window Horses hits all the things that are important to me: it’s pro-girl, pro-tolerance, pro-diversity and PRO-ART!! My nieces are mixed race and it’s very important to me that they see themselves represented in this society.” – Sandra Oh

Heady Stuff Indeed!

Window Horses will be playing during  VIFF (September 29 – October 14, 2016).  For program & tickets please visit:

https://www.viff.org

 

Art & Culture

ART/Culture: Picasso – the Artist and his Muses

Are we to paint what’s on the face, what’s inside the face, or what’s behind it? – Pablo Picasso

Femme au collier jaune, oil on canvas, 1946 by Pablo Picasso
Femme au collier jaune, oil on canvas, 1946 by Pablo Picasso

They say behind every great man there is a great woman.  And behind every great male artist there is a great muse (or muses).  Are there any male muses?  Probably not because commonly a muse is a woman who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist (who is male).  In mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses who symbolized the arts and sciences.  Therefore I do not know of any male muses to date.  So unfair.  I will research this a little more and get back to you because there should really be some don’t you think?

In modern days you might say that Brooke Shields and Kate Moss were muses to Calvin Klein,  Amanda Harlech to Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld to both Tom Ford & Karl Lagerfeld (oh that Karl, he has several and he’s not even straight so those women must be awesome).

In theory a good muse should not only be physically attractive (at least to the artist) and alluring but also interesting, attentive, amuseing, offer emotional support and be sexual.  Offer something special to inspire the artist to want to devote time and effort to paint, write, sing, whatever their artistic endeavour.  Otherwise why bother right?

Picasso had many muses and six of them are on display at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Femme couchée lisant, 1939, oil on canvas. This subject in this piece is Picasso's last wife Jacqueline Roque.
Femme couchée lisant, 1939, oil on canvas. This subject in this piece is Picasso’s last wife Jacqueline Roque.

It appears that Picasso was not good relationship material.  Interesting, Yes…Talented, yes…just non-committal and not very nice to his women.  Picasso had affairs with dozens, perhaps hundreds of women, and was true to none of them – except possibly the last.  At least he was upfront.

“Women are machines for suffering,” Picasso told his mistress Françoise Gilot in 1943. Indeed, as they embarked on their nine-year affair, the 61-year-old artist warned the 21-year-old student: “For me there are only two kinds of women, goddesses and doormats”.

And there were some unfortunate incidents…

I read that out of the seven most important women in Picasso’s life, two killed themselves and two went mad. Another died of natural causes only four years into their relationship.

At the same time he was obsessed and dependent on these women.  In any event and to our advantage they definitely influenced the development of his art. Which led to this exhibit Picasso: The Artist and his Muses.

Now until October 2nd at the Vancouver Art Gallery:

Vancouver Art Gallery
Vancouver Art Gallery

Below taken from Vancouver Art Gallery Website:

Known for his enormous contribution to the canon of great art in the 20th century, Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (1881—1973) is one of the masters of Modernism. Examining the significance of the six women who were inspirational to his artistic development, Picasso: The Artist and His Muses is the most significant exhibition of Picasso’s work ever presented in Vancouver. Beginning in early 20th-century Paris, the exhibition takes the visitor on a journey through the lives and personalities of Fernande Olivier, Olga Khokhlova, Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar, Françoise Gilot and Jacqueline Roque, who were all principal figures in Picasso’s personal life and strongly influenced the development of his career. Picasso’s innovations in painting, drawing, print and sculpture are conveyed through recurring motifs such as the seated woman and reclining nude. The exhibition presents major works that dramatically altered the course of European art history.

http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/

It is a must-see

“I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them”

“Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs” – Picasso

 

 

Art & Culture

Audain Art Museum

Diversityaudain6

What do you get when you mix historic art in an architecturally stunning building amongst a breathtakingly natural setting?audain1220160701_135130

Steps to Second Floor
Steps to Second Floor

audain7

This museum is a must for anyone remotely interested in art while visiting Whistler. 

James Hart, the Dance Screen
James Hart (1952 – ) The Dance Screen.  Red Cedar Panel with Abalone,  Mica, Acrylic, Wire and Yew Wood.  Audain Art Museum Collection. Gift of Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa.

I spent half a day appropriately On Canada Day experiencing the Art of British Columbia, from traditional works of the province’s First Peoples through to its contemporary masters in one of Canada’s most treasured wilderness settings.  It’s such an impressive gallery.  I absolutely loved it and highly recommend checking out British Columbia’s newest and perhaps nicest museum.

Bill Reid, Sculpture. JAck
Bill Reid (1920 – 1998), Bronze Sculpture.
Behind Sculpture: Jack Shadbolt (1909-1998) Butterfly Transformation, Acrylic on Canvas
Emily Carr
Emily Carr

Permanent Collection

Toni Onley
Toni Onley (1928 – 2004)

The Audain Art Museum’s Permanent Collection of nearly 200 works of art is a visual journey through the history of art from coastal British Columbia. Spanning from the 18th century to present day, the Collection contains one of the world’s finest collections of Northwest Coast First Nations masks; a large collection of works by Emily Carr, encompassing all periods of her artistic career; as well as art by important post-war modernists such as E.J. Hughes, Gordon Smith and Jack Shadbolt. In addition to these historical works, the Collection showcases art by internationally renowned, contemporary British Columbia artists including Jeff Wall, Dana Claxton, Marianne Nicolson and Stan Douglas, among others.

Gordon Smith
Gordon Smith (1919 – ) Winterscape, 1991.  Acrylic on Canvas

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Photos: d. king

Permanent Collection (about): taken from Website

Have you been?  

THINKAboutit

Natures Greatest Artist

He’s a small fish in a big sea with one thing on his mind (not unlike other male species) – what can I do to attract a mate? hardwork4Ahhh….think I’ll create a masterpiece like all the greats before me.  

 That’ll grab her attention!

Unfortunately the small Japanese Puffer Fish is apparently dull almost to the point of invisibility, but to compensate he’s probably nature’s greatest Artist.   To get a female’s attention he creates something in the ocean floor which almost defies belief…with his only tool – his fins in order to attract her.  How charming is that?

In his head a pound of mathematical perfection.  He plows the sand, breaking it up into the finest of particles.  He uses shells to decorate the bridges of his construction.

He can’t rest for more than a moment.  He’s a total workhorse fish. He must work for 24 hours a day for one week or the current will destroy his creation.

A final tidy up and his masterpiece is complete!  Because…hardwork1

I would definitely go out with him..if I were a little fish.  Looks aren’t everything!hardwork3

Source: Blue Planet Wildlife

WATCH this amazing short video clip:

So….know any man who can top this??hardwork2

Art & Culture

Coffee ART: a delightful disappearing ART

You might want to linger over your mocha or lattes by Melannie Aquino, a barista at the  Elite Audio Coffee Bar in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood. Mostly because as you can see from the following photos, they’re dazzling masterpieces in a cup.

With a side of Ice Cream
I’ll have my latte with Ice Cream on top

Melannie uses a metal skewer and a pot of chocolate to draw remarkably detailed sketches of everything from sweet-faced pugs to London’s Big Ben atop the frothy foam. Aquino, who grew up in Hawaii and moved to San Francisco 10 years ago, was recently named the best coffee artist in the world by Mashable. Without question she’s the best in San Francisco.barista1“I thought that was a really bold statement…” Aquino says. “I may be one of the best, but I don’t think I’m the best. It’s a lot about perception.”

Most coffee art is made by “free pouring” steamed milk into a shot of espresso and adjusting the pour to create certain patterns and designs. The drawing method, Aquino says, is unique and she knows of only a few other “drawing” artists through Instagram.

“With a latte, the picture starts degrading after a few minutes,” she says. “Whereas with a mocha it sticks together for about 20 minutes.”barista7

Whole milk works best, while almond doesn’t cooperate.barista2

Requests:

Corgi dogs are currently the most commonly requested, and unicorns were popular for a while. R2D2 is also a favorite because a video of her creating the droid was featured on Instagram on Star Wars Day. She won’t do portraits or company logos. Once a girl used one of her creations to ask a boy out to prom. “While he was in the bathroom, she ordered his drink and asked me to write ‘Prom?'” she says. “He said yes.”barista6Aquino has always been a doodler, but she says her ability improved when she was studying film at the Academy of Art and required to take a drawing class.

“I’ve always been doodling throughout my life, but that class really showed me the basics of shape and shadowing and that’s where I learned to make my drawings a little more refined,” she says.

Moving to San Francisco and going to art school wasn’t what Aquino’s parents had in mind for their daughter. “It’s one of those things where they wanted me to go to college and get a stable job,” she says. “And they wanted me to stay in Hawaii.”barista4

But now that Aquino has over 22,000 followers on Instagram, websites calling her the best at her craft and people from all over the world coming to Elite to order her creations, she says her parents are proud, and most importantly she’s happy with what she’s doing.barista5

When I’m next in San Francisco I can’t wait for my JiaJia (he’s my sheltie dog) latte ooops, I mean mocha with whole milkbarista3

Source: Amy Graff for SF Gate

Film Reviews

Art/Culture: Dressing Downton

For those few who are completely oblivious to the popular series Downton Abbey®….and who are these pour souls? Downton has nothing to do with Downtown.downton7This is one series that I admit to have binge watched.  Aside from the exquisite costumes (imagine getting dressed up like that everyday?), I wasn’t even expecting to like it all that much. I’m pretty particular about what I watch in general, but the quality of the overall show, scenery, characters and let’s face it the clothing had me hooked.  And Maggie Smith alone is mesmerizing. I also loved Shirley Maclaine’s cameo.downton2downton1

Guess I have an addictive personality when it comes to drama, intrigue, history, fashion, romance, power and politics. And everything sounds much more enticing with a British accent.  So I joined the masses and ended up binge-watching season six on Netflix.  Apparently it was one of the most widely watched television dramas in the world. At least I wasn’t alone.downton3downton4

Which brings me to the very point of this blog post – Dressing Downton; a traveling exhibit that showcases nearly 40 period costumes and jewelry from the hit series!

Changing Fashion for Changing Timesdownton5

Set in the early twentieth century, Dressing Downton traces the events that uprooted British society on the eve of World War I and ushered in the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age and a new way of life.

“Dressing Downton highlights a time in British history when industry, fashion, and politics were changing drastically,” expressed Amy Noble Seitz, Founder & CEO of EDG.  “This exhibition quickly filled its three-year tour which says something about our obsession with all things British and our thirst for Fashion.”

About the Exhibit:

This exhibit started off appropriately at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina and will go on to tour other North American cities including Chicago, Cincinnati, Nashville & various cities in California and Florida through 2017.

The exhibition is designed and produced by *Exhibits Development Group (EDG – see below) in collaboration with award winning costumier, Cosprop Ltd; London, Museum of London, NBCUniversal International Television Production and Carnival Films, PBS Masterpieces.

How many of you have watched this series?

For more information on exhibit tour and dates please visit: www.dressingdownton.com

New on Netflix: Janis: Little Girl Bluejanis

Never a voice like this. Watch this fascinating documentary on the life and career of super singer-songwriter Janis Joplin.  See archival footage and interviews with Janis, her family, friends and fellow musicians that highlight her rise to fame in the 60’s. Aside from her unfortunate battle with alcohol and heroin addiction I found a whole new appreciation for Janis Joplin.

 

*Exhibits Development Group (EDG) is dedicated to the development, production, marketing and distribution of traveling museum exhibitions and cultural projects. EDG also serves as a partner to other exhibition organizers, museums, foundations and collection owners in the U.S. and abroad, in the care and stewardship of their exhibitions and collections. EDG’s mission is to initiate and promote international cultural and intellectual exchange by bringing high-quality traveling exhibitions of art, science and history to broad and diverse audiences. For more information, please visit www.exhibitsdevelopment.com.