The Curtain Rises..

For the last few months I have been working on a very exciting project that allowed me to marry my love of photography, with a relatively unchartered area for me, theatre. I was asked by a friend who owns a theatre company (www.theatresymbiosis.com) to join them and help collaborate on a play they wanted to present for the Toronto Fringe Festival. It was going to be on photography, and that's all they had established. I was excited about this opportunity, and thought "why not?"

So over the next few months, we auditioned actors, brainstormed, looked at photos, made storyboards, wrote and then re-wrote scripts, figured out props, learned basic photography skills and terminology, chose our promotional material, posted on facebook, tweeted, blogged, and of course rehearsed, and rehearsed.

Last night the curtain rose on the first of seven performances. Our play is called "Exposure". In the 45 minute performance we explore how photography can impact the relationships of four characters, and how those same relationships can affect the art itself. The play takes place in two different periods of time, the 1940's-50's and present day. It moves forwards and backwards and offers thoughts, perspectives, and even a little bit of history all pertaining to photographs, the camera used to capture them, and the person behind and in front of the lens.

It has been an exciting, and rewarding journey and one I am glad I embarked on. Thanks Daniella for asking me to come aboard!!

Here are some photographs that were used or taken during the months leading up to the performance. Enjoy!

Green with Envy..

I am sure you have noticed that in the last few posts I start my entry by showing you some paintings in the colour scheme I have chosen to write about. I will be the first to say I know little about art, or art history and what little I do know is because a majority of my friends have degrees and or careers in the art world. How lucky was I to end up in the retail industry? But I digress..

I think like many artists/photographers their work may be individual or unique but they draw their inspiration from other sources. I love colour, and history and so they both tend to be my sources of inspiration. I am drawn to 19th century art just as much as abstract. It's all about the emotions I connect to the piece. Nostalgia, excitement, melancholy, yearning, happiness....all feelings I get when I am attracted to a work of art.

Green is second only to blue in terms of the most picked 'favorite' colour of people when asked. And generally that is because it has a lot of positive attributes to it. It is considered to be a soothing, and relaxing colour that alleviates depression, nervousness and anxiety. (hmmmm. perhaps I need to paint!) It is a colour that creates a sense of renewal, self control, balance, and harmony. In terms of interior spaces, it is for these reasons that green is often used in bathrooms, and work places.

People who are drawn to the colour are said to be very understanding, self-controlled, adaptable, sympathetic, compassionate, generous, humble, romantic...and no surprise here, nature lovers.

At the moment I actually have vases in my apartment filled not with flowers, but florist greens. They add a touch of woodland freshness and work well with my charcoal walls, and other blue green furnishings and photographs I have hanging. I particularly love the look of an all white space whether rustic or contemporary, and then a large art piece with fresh greens.

It makes me green with envy....

Here are some of my favorite green photographs I have taken.

Feeling Blue..

Blue...

I once posted some photos I had taken on Facebook and had a friend reply I was in my 'blue period'. At the time I did not grasp the reference, but now know that she was referencing Picasso's Blue Period (1901-1904) Blue is one of my favorite colours, and with most things it is the deeper, darker blues that I am most drawn too. Cobalt, Indigo, Midnight blue. Blues that are inky, moody and rich.

I looked up some facts around the colour blue and in some cases I discovered some interesting tidbits. Blue is traditionally associated with depth and stability. It usually symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, and truth. It is traditionally a masculine colour, but it is also associated with power, confidence and expertise. (Many business uniforms such as police, postal, the conservative government!!, tend to use blue for this reason.)

Blues are also known to be beneficial to the mind and body in that they instill a sense of calm, focus, and slow down human metabolism. (so if you need to lose a pound or two, paint your dining room blue!) People also tend to be more productive in a room with blue because of the calming and focusing qualities.

And of course, blue is also associated in many cultures with melancholy. Which of course since I think of myself as being full of melancholy at most times, it only makes sense I am attracted to blue. Now if I could only do something about getting more productive...

Here are some of my photos that have focused on the colour blue....

Another look at RED....

Yesterday I made an entry about the colour red, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. Well, about colour for that matter. The actual meanings and uses, and psychological effects of using or seeing a colour. As I have mentioned, and if you know me at all, I love colour. Bright colours, dark colours, muted colours. I may not use them in my home, or in my day to day clothing, but I admire many, many colours, and combinations.

I decided to do some more research into the colour red, and here are some fascinating tidbits around the history of red:
-Red is said to have protective powers against evil, to give strength and to ward off illnesses, fever and even miscarriages (The painting I posted dated 1434, entitled Arnolfini Wedding, is said to illustrate this belief...)
-Red garlands and red scarves are part of many wedding customs. In fact Red bridal gowns were worn by Ancient Romans, and are still worn by Chinese Brides today
-People wear red to bring them luck.
-It is both the colour of Satan, and of the Roman Catholic Church (power, need I remind you?)
-Its excellent visibility in extreme darkness lead to its use in stop signs, danger signs, fire trucks, and brake lights.
-Red may cause restlessness and insomnia if used in bedrooms, but is regarded as a great colour to use in excercise and play rooms. (And as I mentioned yesterday, in rooms showcasing art!)
-It appears closer then it actually is, so a room with red walls will feel like it is closing in on you.
- And finally, for you who love red, but not the intense energy it gives off, then try a muted earthy red like red ocher, venetian red, or even brick red......

I'm sure if you look through all my photos, you will find a shade of red that is just perfect for you..

Hope you enjoyed this little trivia session. I know I did!

Seeing Red...

Red....the colour of love, passion, anger, and aggression. Did you know that at one time many fast food restaurants used the colour red in their interiors in order to create a passion and desire to eat more food. The funny thing is it also was used to hurry the diners up and get them out in order to have a greater turnover, thus more sales.

At home, especially in the 19th century, and early 2oth, red was often used in dining rooms. Red is a very flattering colour to most peoples skin tones, and combined with candlelight it made for a very cozy, flattering, and enjoyable evening. It was also used alot in drawing rooms, especially those with salon type walls chuck full of paintings, sketches, and photographs...Red seems to show off art work well. I believe there are even red walls in part of the exhibition spaces at the AGO here in Toronto.

Did I mention my kitchen is red? It is indeed. I always wanted a red room, and now I have one. I love it.

When I take a lot of my photos, especially when I focus on colour, pattern ,and texture, I always associate a feeling to the photograph. I also envision many of them hanging in people's rooms. Usually in large format, much like some huge painted canvas...I think colour is so important to each of us, and it often means different things to different people, hence the millions of colours available to us to purchase in the form of paint. There is an energy in colour, whether it is strong and vibrant, or soft and strong.. There is a colour pallet for each of us. Have you found yours? What is your favorite? How do you react to certain colours? It is such an interesting topic don't you think?

Enjoy your day, and I hope I have you seeing red..

Urban Textures Revisited....

Last weekend while I was sorting and editing some of the floral abstracts I have been posting I had one of those a-ha! moments. It had suddenly dawned on me to go back and take a look at one of my earlier subjects and then re-interpret them with some of the new skills/techniques I have learned since then.

So out came the camera and the umbrella and I headed over to one of the more colourful spots in Toronto, Queen Street West. The first time around I had focused on Urban Textures as I was actually viewing them, and only used composition as my way of expressing how I was seeing them. This time, it was still about the colours and patterns, but less about fine details. I decided to experiment using the same techniques I have been using with the floral images, and my Kaleidoscape series.

The result is an explosion of colours, and some wonderful, (in my opinion) abstract shots. I can't wait for my next day off, and hope to build up the portfolio with a few more...

Here are a couple for you to take a look at..

Fresh and green...

Anyone who lives in the Toronto area knows we have had our fair share of rain this spring. It seems we get 24 hours of rain, for every hour of sun. Everything is behind almost 3 weeks in terms of nature. My friends forsythia tree is just now dropping its bright yellow flowers that usually herald the start of spring. This also happens to be the first long weekend that 'unofficially' starts the beginning of summer. Here in Ontario it marks the beginning of planting season.....

This year however, the ground is wet, and it hasn't stopped raining long enough for most people to cut their grass, or turn the soil over never mind planting.

Can you tell, I also happen to love gardening? Granted I now live in an apartment building and my gardening is limited to what I can put on my 15 foot balcony. It is a good thing that one of my friends owns his own house and lets me putter away in his yard when I can. I just helped him put in an herb garden which I can't wait to reap the rewards. Now we just need some sunshine, to dry the ground out a little, and we will plant some veggies, and more flowers. Come on Mother Nature, put away those tears for a bit anyways...

In the meantime, here are two pictures I took in the greenhouses on Easter Sunday...Hope you enjoy them.