Looking into the gallery as we arrive on time for our exhibition. Lots of folk already there!

This is the front area, with a peek towards the rear on the left side...

The front wall with a work by Peter Frey on the left, two of mine in the middle, and one by Christel Kleinewillinghoefer on the right.

Speech time. Here is North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto,

and Capilano University President Dr. Kris Bulcroft.

Our exhibition opening at CityScape last night was excellent and very well attended, so much so that it was difficult to take photos of the work, especially in the rear section of the space where the table of wine and nibblies attracted everyone to linger. Our work looked great in the space. There were speeches by several people - was I ever thrilled to have my work behind them - what a photo op!

From the Press Release:

A diverse printmaking exhibition by members of the Art Institute of Capilano University that explores a microcosm of dynamic changes occurring in international print culture, especially with regard to the digital revolution.

The exhibition includes a variety of printmaking processes- everything from the classical etching, relief and silkscreen to the more modern photo and digital work, often in combination with each other. Through these processes, the artists explore the surfaces and possibilities of scale, embossments, enamels, rare Japanese Gampi papers and metallic surfaces.

The exhibition will showcase diverse images and concepts- every thing from environmental issues, technology and the human condition to the creative act, music and ecology.

The exhibiting artists are: Hans-Christian Behm, Katie Dey, Wayne Eastcott, Roger Fidler, Peter Frey, Orianne Johnson, Bonnie Jordan, Christel Kleinewillinghoefer, Marja-Leena Rathje, Linda Robertson, Joan Smith, Michiko Suzuki, Francis Tremblay.

Free Artist Talk and Demonstration: Saturday, February 11, 1-3 pm. An artist's talk and demonstration on relief and intaglio printing plates and process. Please register: 604-988-6844 or exhibitions@nvartscouncil.ca

Everyone is welcome! Our group is excited to be showing in the lovely and spacious CityScape Community Art Space at 335 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver.

- a small collagraph print with colour added digitally

I am so pleased with this new blog design. As it turns out, it is the perfect eighth blog anniversary gift from Elisa and J, though likely the timing was serendipitous. As you may recall, it was J who started me on this fascinating and addictive project eight years ago. I've surprised myself that it's still going, even if sometimes limping along (like me).

This is the biggest redesign yet, affecting many areas of the blog. If I recall correctly, this may be the third banner, after the one put up on its 4th anniversary. Then a couple of years ago, youngest daughter Erika changed the font. As I wrote then, I'm very picky about fonts so am pleased we found this one called Calluna Sans Light.

This redesign is still a work-in-progress, as are most creative projects, with a few little details to adjust. One new and developing feature is the 'About' page. You might notice the old gallery/slide show is gone because Flash no long works with this design. Hopefully a new improved one will come sometime. So many dead links floating around now - will I need to update them all?

I wonder if anyone else feels a sense of loss when changing things in a bigger way. Like the banner...it's just not the same to have the digital file and a screen shot as to see the whole blog with it. Rather like when moving house, I feel sadness leaving the old one, but nervousness and excitement with the new. I hope to have more adventures ahead, shared in the deep pleasure of friendship with all of you readers. Thank you for being here on this journey.

Related: the first anniversary, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and the seventh

The changeover will start soon and take several hours, I think, so this is just a warning that things may look funky temporarily. Some parts of the blog will still be works in progress, more on this later.

Many thanks for this lovely design and all your hard work, Elisa and J! How lucky I am to have you and your talents.

lingering leftovers from this morning's fall of wet snow

It has been quiet here on the blog while life has been exciting some days, sometimes leaving me too tired for words (partly due to a cold as well). So just a list as to what has been going on:

• MUSIC: we were gifted at Christmas with tickets to a Vancouver Symphony concert on the 16th, featuring pianist Freddy Kempf. It was marvelous, we really enjoyed his powerful rendition of Tchaikovsky. Beethoven is always a favourite and was well done but we were not so impressed with the new-to-us Polish composer Górecki's work (especially the third part that sounded like a lot of noise to me).

• FRIENDS: A wonderful visit from old friends we've not seen in well over a decade, who live in Ontario. The guys have known each other since they were seven year old tykes and all of us were former Winnipegers, educated at the same university and married there. So much to catch up on and to reconnect.

• ART: We visited the exhibition of the Audain Art collection at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Loved it all especially the older West Coast First Nations carvings, as well as their modern work, and all the well-known BC artists from Emily Carr to the present, plus some Mexican art. How ever does this amazing arts philanthropist fit all this work, many very large, in his home? Some good photos here, and Michael Audain in his own words and as The Philanthropist (interesting!).

• CONSTRUCTION ZONE: very distracted, fascinated and having mixed feelings by the demolition and excavation next door, and soon to begin construction of a new home.

• WILDLIFE: saw a coyote walking down our street - a nice reminder that we live on the edge of mountain wilderness. And, as I stood on our deck one day to look over the construction site next door, Crow joined me on the power line above me, quite calm when I turned my camera on him. Wonder what he was thinking.

• AURORA time: check out the latest comments at blue snow.

• OLD FINNISH JEWELRY - please visit the interesting update to that old post.

• MORE ART: last but not least - looking forward to our exhibition, opening next week! Welcome!

Two days ago we became quite distracted by the demolition of a house next door, spending much of the day watching... no, gawking out the window and taking photographs. We were most impressed by the skill of the operator of that excavator and how quickly it was done, loaded onto numerous trucks and hauled away.

We knew this was coming since the property had changed hands and the buyer is having a very much larger home built in its place. Still, it was sad to see a decent home torn down, one that had housed several families over the years. We knew three in the time we've lived here and liked most the last family with young girls.

Most appalling, however, was that the building materials - roofing, window glass, timbers, gyproc, insulation, wiring and much more - were not separated for recycling, that is, were not put through a process of deconstruction which I think is required practice today. Truck after truck just hauled it all away quite some distance to some dump presumably.

Sad, at so many levels.

the snow is still crisp and crunchy
such amazing blues in the afternoon sun

about 4:45 pm. January 14th as the melting snow rivulets begin to freeze

above and below, about 9:45 am. January 15th before the melt

Though the ice melted, the snow remained crunchy underfoot as it remains cold and clear and going down to -5C (23F) tonight. Winter's beauty - may it last a little while.

PS. Speaking of which, you may enjoy watching these crazy Finnish men fishing under ice. Thanks, Anita!

In the last hour of Friday, January 13th, big fat wet snowflakes began falling, our first measurable snow this winter. I wish I could have stayed up all night to watch it. By morning it had stopped. It was still cloudy as I snapped a few shots. Now as I write this near noontime, the sun has come out and it is a brilliant world out there. The forecast says we might have more over the next few days, though here close to sea level it might be rain. Enjoy it while it lasts, I say.

A turban squash, that is. Today's much-missed glorious sunshine tempted me and my cameras into action to capture this gorgeous vegetable which has been gracing our kitchen counter over the holidays and will soon be eaten.

Compare these to some earlier squash photos: green globe and cucurbita.

I am going through my 2011 iPhoto library, trying to reduce the numbers of photos from the almost 1800. These two almost got trashed until I began to play with them a bit and turned them into black and white. As I recall, the sky was what attracted me, and I do love that in the first photo. The strong vertical and horizontal lines and patterns of the transmission towers pulled me into the second shot. Not my usual subject matter...

inkjet print, frottage and drawing with conte 19.5 x 195 cm

Happy Twelfth Night!

Related: Twelfth Day post of 2006

Some readers were curious about the etching I used to make the rubbing yesterday. Here is the deeply etched copperplate, about 12.5 x 28 cm. You may have seen it before though I could not find more than a small section of it. The etching was originally created for the Meta-morphosis VII group of prints and used again in Nexus Blue IV (the 'gallery' has a better image of this).

Still inspired to play some more with rubbings and drawings, I did several more today with this copperplate, above and below are the best two. I think I like yesterday's better - beginner's luck!