Random Quotes

Ikigai

The Japanese concept of "reason for being" encompasses four essential elements: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nelldebevoise/2023/10/06/the-power-of-purpose-how-ikigai-can-help-us-live-longer/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailydozen&cdlcid=625de86c6e1a1d121183bf87&section=intro&sh=6650b03424d8

A strong sense of purpose in life - I feel alive and inspired when talking about the work we have done in Pouch Cove, the expansion of public art to other communities, and the rotation program. It is meaningful work for both me and the team, and while we don't receive monetary rewards for it, the satisfaction of seeing another artwork come to materialize and witnessing the public response are our true rewards!

William Kentridge

“How does one find a way of not necessary illustrating the society that one lives in but allowing what happens there to be part of the work, part of the vocabulary, part of the new material that is dealt with.”

 

questions

 I am an artist.

        I am a Chinese artist.

                I am an artist from China.

What does each of these statements tell us about the person?

 Got two paintings done for the fall show.

November Storm

 

Water and Memory

 I came across this quote by Toni Morrison:

"All water has a perfect memory and is trying to get back to where it was. Writers are like that: remembering where we were, what valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place. It is emotional memory-what the nerves and the skin remember as well as how it appeared. And a rush of imagination is our flooding."

I have never thought of the connection between water and memory - it makes so much sense because it keeps coming back!!!

https://blackcoffeepoet.com/2014/02/05/the-site-of-memory-notes-from-a-talk-by-toni-morrison/

End of 2020

Keeping busy with my school work but did manage to bring in a few pieces to Brenda. I started working on a piece that is quite different; something is not WAVE! My sister has one of my old paintings of Florence, and she would like to have another piece to go with it. Here is my attempt:

The pieces that are in the gallery:

As soon as I get my Methodology Chapter done, I'll get back to my studio:

First post in 2020

Not much is happening in terms of my own art, and it is expected. I was working on a large painting for the spring show, but when COVID-19 became a public health issue in March, I wasn't under pressure to finish it. Instead, I worked on some small pieces.

what happened since my last post?

2018 had gone by, and this is almost the end of 2019. How can I summarize what has happened since my last post in 2017?

Well, 2018 was consumed by my PhD program relating to the preparation of the Comprehensive Exam, and I managed to do a few paintings for the group shows at Red Ochre Gallery.

North Atlantic

Turmoil

In 2019, I also managed to paint a few paintings. I am still obsessed with waves; the ways they move are memerizing. Again, most of my time was spent on my PhD program.

Remembering the Launch

One February Morning

Wall of Water

Life is a Wave

Every time I go into the studio space, I realize how much I miss it - the melting of the wax, watching how it moves under the heat. But I also know that I am in a good space now being able to pursue my PhD study with support both professionally and personally. I cannot ask for more! 

2017 has been a challenging year with school, a broken wrist and a sprained ankle. It has also been a time to reflect on humanity, on events that happened to us and around us. I did get a few new pieces done. I like the Mist, a departure from waves which I am still obsessed with.

The Mist

Spring Storm

From the Shore

Work in progress

New work in 2016 ...  good to be painting again ...

End of winter term

Just finished two courses – Newfoundland Folklore and Maritime Sociology.  Wrote two papers relating to the Waterwitch shipwreck and, of course, stages and flakes in Pouch Cove.  One more course in the summer and I will start preparing for the comprehensive exams.  I am so lucky and am so grateful to have four wonderful people on my committee.  

There are so many things I want to do before starting summer classes – a video on stages and flakes, encaustic paintings, bibliography for the comp exams ….

End of Term...

My first term is over... I thoroughly enjoyed it - lots of work but it was good.   Both Ailsa and Martin were great.  Met some nice people from Martin's class.  Will probably run into a few of them next year in Philip's Folklore class.   There is so much to learn about culture.  I really liked Bourdieu's work.

Surface Dynamic

Brenda did a great job hanging the show.  For the first time I used frame for the encaustic work.  Dennis made some frames for me.  It is interesting to see how the frame changed the feel of the work - more confined.

I have officially started my PhD program - two courses in the fall, two in the winter and one in the spring...reading, writing, and more reading and more writing for the next many months.  There is so much to learn and a great deal to take in.  Sociology of Culture and Folklore Genres and Processing are the two courses I am taking now.  Bourdieu's Distinction offers a lot.  The working class aesthetic would be a good reference for my project.  

Have also committed to have a show in October at Red Ochre.  It is going to be a challenge in the next few weeks trying to balance my own art practice and academic work.  

Pouch Cove Open Studios is this weekend,

School starts in two weeks,

And a show in Red Ochre in October...

It is going to be a busy fall.

It's been quite a couple of months - putting together an application for the PhD program at MUN, learning to do a mobile app for our 'cod liver oil' project with Pouch Cove Heritage.  There are two painting I want to finish for the spring show at Red Ochre.  Here is one of them.

Spirit of the Sea - 

After going through and selecting audio and video clips, I put together a eight minute long version and presented it to Ken Pittman and Tristram Clark for their review.  Ken provided constructive and informative comments from a documentary/film maker perspective.  Tristram’s technical expertise in videography brought the final version to a higher quality work.  The time spent with them was truly a worthwhile learning experience. 

Slowly applying colours on the piece.  It is an ongoing struggle for me - how much of the surface I want to expose, or cover?

The Wave has been transformed since the last post.  My friend suggested a frame was necessary and the shape got changed in the midst of doing the frame.  For me, creating a sculpture  is all about materials and process, and problem solving.  After researching on different materials (resin, epoxy, fibreglass bandage, linen, raw canvas),  I went back to wax and burlap.

2014 Pouch Cove Heritage Days (September 26, 27 & 28)

Got the Town's permission to paint the concrete barriers as an activity involving kids and youth during our Heritage Days festival.

It was scheduled for Saturday morning and was postponed to Sunday due to weather.  It was wonderful.  We had kids, parents, artists all worked together and turned the grey concrete barriers to some delightful art pieces.