Howdy!
You regular readers already know for I love creepy and deserted places.
This week we go to Beijing!
Welcome to "Wonderland":
As in 'wonder why this isn't finished' or 'wonder if anyone was murdered here'. 100 acres of AMAZING theme park......rotting. Construction stopped more than ten years ago on "the largest amusement park in Asia". Why? You guessed it....MONEY! Funds were withdrawn due to disagreements over property prices with the local government and farmers. The result is a graveyard of remnants of a palace, a castle, and a glass domed shopping and entertainment arcade. I LOVE IT! Here is what is was supposed to look like:
And here are some more photos of what it actually looks like.
As you can see, the farmers of the area have reclaimed it!
I think that is fantastic!!
What could be better than farming in (what could have been) the happiest place in Beijing!!!
Hey y'all.
This is a busy week...so I am just gonna get to it!
5 things I LOVE this week!!
1.) This drink.......that is still NAMELESS - that my sister made me this past weekend!!! The last drink she made - we called "Patty's practically-perfect Party Punch"....... BUT this one is BETTER!!! It is ginger-licious!!!!!!!!!!
RECIPE: (exact measurements to be determined by YOU!)
-Pimms (English booze that has a ginger-y taste)
-Ginger ale
-Sprite
- splash of lime (or lemon)
-garnish with cucumber slices
My nephew insisted we get the "Jesus" shot glass in the shot.
Yes......Jesus makes the drinks at my sister's house!!!
2.) April Smith and the Great Picture Show. I love the sound of this group!!!!! LOVE IT!!! I especially love the album "Songs for Sinking Ship". I love this album! A LOT!
Here is a GREAT SONG:
LOVE THIS ONE TOO!!!
Go and check her/them out!!!!!
3.) I LOVE this sexy retro styled reproduction furniture. Yes...a little house-porn today from 'Room and Board'!!! here are a few of the things I NEEEEEEED:
YUM!!!!!!! (thanks Cindy for this one!!)
4.)Part mural, part sculpture ALL AMAZING!!! Ran Hwang who uses thousands of components including pins, buttons and beads to create these enormous wall-sized images. She says:
I create large icons such as a Buddha or a traditional vase, using materials from the fashion industry. The process of building large installations are time consuming and repetitive and it requires manual effort which provides a form of self-meditation. I hammer thousands of pins into a wall like a monk who, facing the wall, practices Zen.
That's right....I took FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY OFF!
Three whole days without any art talk...any blogging......any painting.....
I deserve it, don't I? But - its a new week so.......back to the diamond mines....
My latest show "Town and Country" officially opened last week, and it was A LOT work.
(as much as doing what you love can be "work")
You see, it was a last minute show - I had 6 weeks from saying 'yes' to load in.
CRAZY TALK??
YES!
It means I worked like a dog to get as much new work ready as I could!
(BTW who made up that saying "worked like a dog" - seriously - have you ever seen a dog accountant? or dentist? or construction worker?)
Anyways, I had 6 weeks.......
In that time, planned, drew and painted 10 brand new pieces.
In that short time, I also re-imagined, re-drew and repainted another 5.
So that's 15 pieces in 6 weeks - which is a LOT!!!!!!!!!
(I'd do the math on this......but let's face it, there is a reason I am an artist! ;-)
So.....the opening was rather lightly attended. In fact, it was downright BLEAK.
Despite the terrible turn out on opening night, I was fortunate enough to sell a few pieces.
Which is nice. I know it is not all about sales, but right now, a little $$ would be a handy thing!
Thankfully, you, my dear readers and "fans" have a couple weeks to see these new works in person.
(I assure you - there is nothing like seeing art in person - the web doesn't quite do artwork justice)
THE DEETS AGAIN:
On NOW to August 5th,
Tuesdays-Sundays, from 12pm-5pm
Hangman Gallery,
756 Queen St E., Toronto
Here is another new painting that you MUST see in person: (click it to en-biggen it)
"The Right Track", 20" x 60", Acrylic on canvas
This is St Clair Ave West in Toronto.
My inspiration? Well.....it is part of controversy in the city due to the dedicated streetcar tracks.
Our current mayor had grand plans to dig up this line (which finished being constructed just 2 years ago) and bury it for his FANTASY subway plan - at a crazy price-tag!
I thought it was perfect fodder for a topical painting.
I like how this one turned out.
I painted in some very red-tape-y kind of printer paper with the quote from Will Rogers.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
I then painted a poster of 'building a dream'.
I tried to keep it positive......and optimistic.
Hopefully that is what people see.
Ok....so until you can see this one in person (along with the other 23 paintings currently on exhibition)
Here is a little YouTube video (this marks the first time I have been on YouTube - that I know of) Enjoy:
Howdy ho! Welcome to Wednesday!!! Again this week I am sharing 5 things that I think are S-U-P-E-R!
1.)You know how I love paper art......I talk about it a LOT these days. You MUST check out Diana Beltran Herrera. Her paper birds are really BREATHTAKING! Don't take my wow for it....look at these:
See more of her fabulous birds (and other paper animals) over on her Flickr. (thanks to This is colossal for this one!!!)
2.) Port Hope, On. Yes.....I can't believe it, but I LOVED my overnight trip to PoHo. Here are the wiki-details:
Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about 109 kilometres (68 mi) east of Toronto and about 159 kilometres (99 mi) west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
It even inspired me to paint it:
"Power", 18" x 18" Acrylic on Canvas, 2012
WHY DO I LIKE IT???
- The downtown core is one of the nicest Ontario heritage downtowns that I have ever seen.
There are a bunch of stunning small town buildings that are immaculately maintained!! It was the winner of TV Ontario's competition for the "Best Preserved Main Street in Ontario". With a wealth of beautifully restored early homes and buildings, Port Hope can boast 300 designated buildings, more per capita than anywhere else in Canada!
- There is a beautiful river that goes through it....and also a lovely beach!
- ALWAYS something to do - numerous festivals - free concerts at the cute bandstand - fishing - boating - even a summer stock theatre (that I painted scenery for 13 years ago) and much much more!!!
- Lots of great restaurants, cafes, bakeshops, cute stores and antique stores!!
- and if that weren't enough........I give you.......CRAZY COOKIES.....O M G:
Now.....get out this summer and take a weekend in PoHo. You won't regret it!!!
This super catchy song and fun video from Gwen and Co. is something I can't get outta my head....I love the sounds in the background of the song......and the look of the video too........but you be the judge:
4.) THIS RUG. COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are recycled carpets/comforters/blankets.
I love how Lise Lefebvre makes these faux bear-skin rugs!!!!!!
5.) Finally....this amused me this week. Ever think you could solve a movie's major plot twist with a simple solution? Me too.....Crackedtasked its users with Photoshopping some simple fixes to well-known movie plots. Click here for more!
