Category Archives: Ottawa Culture
Not exactly thirty days
Originally I had liked the pressure of thirty days. It squares things nicely. Yet, clearly thirty days have come and gone for “body parts”. Today the words of graffiti artist Chaz Bojórquez resonate.
“You need to spend whatever time it takes to “listen” to your painting.”
So meagre progress. Progress none the less.
Also. Spray paint. Too much fun.
heARTbeatgal
Audition for Andy: update
Where’s Waldo? Check out MoMa’s Andy Warhol: Motions Pictures.
heARTbeatgal is in there somewhere. Hahahahaha…!!!
Factory girl in the making!
Faith renewed and my new do
I try so hard to love you Ottawa. You are home, and beautiful, and safe. But shit…you are losing your cool and coolest at an alarming rate and that makes me blue. I repeat, I want to love you.
So I spent most of today doing things to repair my faith.
1. Visited some “major” ladies to have my hair chopped. Studio B: Urban Modern Hair where have you been all my life?
2. By chance, I got to see in person a painting, and its “major” lady subject as it happens, that for weeks I have not been able to get out of my head. Felt a little fated. A remarkable piece by Ottawa artist Zaneta Pernicova. HeART!
3. Indulged my new obsession with street art by buying and spending most of the afternoon pouring over the updated edition of Graffiti World: street art from five continents. Then spent some time in the streets.
All in all, a pretty good grey day to love my home. Or,…was it just the high I got from my new leather pants!?
And frankly, I’m glad my peeps are fleeing. It gives me more time to get to know you, Ottawa.
heARTbeatgal
Bulletin
A little update on the body parts project. It goes. Slowly. In parts.
The foundation has been laid. The parts are collected.
I want to say it feels good. It feels. And that is good.
Consolidation (C) Regarde, j’ai ajouté ceci pour que ça soit plus joli!
heARTbeatgal
Audition for Andy
MOMA
PopLife and a couple of trips to NYC last year has Andy on my mind…
having fun…
heARTbeatgal
Gettin’ plastered!
In 1981, or so, I attended the Alberta College of Art. I was five. Or so.
Being the youngest student by about fifteen years (and not “technically” a student) could have been daunting, but as luck would have it, my mother was also a student and introduced me to her friends. I recall being a very popular part of her gang. I also remember well the feeling of confidence that filled me as I skipped across campus, at home amongst my artist colleagues. It is good to be five. My wee brain soaking in the enthusiasm, the constant creating, the inspiration exchange. This is when my collaboARTing began.
One project in particular was a simultaneous joy slash living terror. My mother leading me to the cold damp basement, lying me on the hard floor, placing straws up my nose, and plastering my entire body. I’m cold. Told not to move. The logical half of that little girl knew that the situation required some level of heightened anxiety, but mom had proven trustworthy to that point. More than that, I was entirely bought-in to the project underway. What joyful little girl doesn’t want to be a part of building a life-size edible sculpture of herself made of cake?
[an aside, I hate cake. Always have. I wonder exactly when that started? hmm…]
I also wonder if my mother knew how much I believed we were partners in all of that? No wonder collaboARTing is such bliss.
This is what filled my head Saturday afternoon, stretched out on my dinning room floor covered in plaster, collaboARTing with my gold star AA on “body parts”. It is started. I like where it is going.
Thank you mom for getting that started.
Thank you AA for getting this started.
heARTbeatgal




















