Architecture as Art..

I was recently asked if I would be interested in doing a photo shoot based on Art Deco architecture in Toronto for a friend who is in the final stages of completing a book on the subject. For those of you who know me well, you can well assume I signed on to the project with open lenses! Architecture is and will be one of my favorite subjects to photograph.

So armed with a list of buildings I needed to photograph, I hit the streets and once again fell in love with many of our forgotten, and not so forgotten gems. I also discovered a little program that allows me to make collages of my photos so that I can show off many images in a much smaller space.

Here are some samplings from the project..

Still Life photos...

I have always loved images of Still Life. I remember one particular framed image of a a still life in my Grandparents home. It was a print of a bowl of apples. It was very simple with some of the apples in the bowl and a couple sitting outside of it. I am sure most of you have, or at least remember a home that had a still life image in it somewhere.

What I like most about them will come to no surprise to most of you. If you look at the examples I have posted of some well known still life paintings, they all speak to my love of dark, rich, moody colours. The joy about still lifes are that they appear simple but yet are complex in the way they are telling a story. Often they play with senses...items that bring forth memories of smells, or tastes. Or they play with your emotions, not only through the item being depicted, but in the way they are represented through light. Plain backgrounds allow the items to stand, and speak for themselves.

Fast forward to today, and still lifes are still alive and well and have been given a new outlet in the form of photography. A friend of mine who lives in France just had his first gallery showing of his still life work. His work is simply put...Stunning. I have decided to explore this aspect of photography myself, and hope some day I can come close to his talent.

For now, I will just share some of my favorite still lifes I have taken thus far. I'm sure this will be a lesson in before and after, so stay tuned.

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.