(re)mark

As you may have heard, several arts funding programs have been cancelled in the last seven days. While many in the press have condemned this decision, government leaks have been handled in such a way that indicates they feel it is electorally profitable for them to cancel these programs.

from www.carfac.ca

It had been a while that I was looking for a studio, but last month I found a place to work. It is a nice, smallish place with large windows on Pine Avenue near St Laurent Blvd (for those familiar with Montreal).

I am still searching for a small studio to rent or for a larger one to share. I sometimes use oil paints but use non-toxic solvents. If you know of a place in Montreal please let me know.

Nice to see that the painting has found a nice home.

Recently I have been in a non-blog period. I have not been that regular with my own posts and at the same time have been reading less blogs. Do any of you have suggestions for good blogs to read? Add a comment and let me know - I would like to find some new ones to check out.

On the painting side of things I have been trying a few new things. Last week I started a portrait of J. If it improves I will post it here - but how it stands now I am not that happy with it. I used to do quite a bit of life drawing and painting from the model in my undergrad studies but have not in the last long while. It makes me realize how drawing or painting from life is a skill the requires continued practice.

I can see this photo (billboard) from my window in Old Montreal. I am really liking it - much better than the last. As you can see it is rather overcast and rainny in Montreal today. Very autumnal weather we are having.

I am still looking for a studio to rent/share - in Montreal (Mile-end area preferably but not necessary). Please contact me if you have any leads. Thanks!

Yesterday, while in traffic on boulevard Saint-Laurent, I saw a pigeon fall from the sky.

And land squarely on the white dotted line of the street.

I have been doing a few changes to the look of (re)mark. For the next few days I will be doing updates to finalise the customisation. I installed an update to Wordpress and will have to change a few options of the K2 theme (I don’t think it will do everything I want it to do).

Many Tibetan protestors are calling on people to boycott Google. The search engine has agreed to the Chineses government’s cencorship policies. The irony is that I found many Google ads on pages covering the call to boycott. Not only that but I even found stories regarding this using the Google News search tool (I wanted to know if they were self censuring). I think I will change my homepage on my browser to another page - it used to be Google Canada’s site.

Typing “Dalai Lama” into Google’s U.S. Web site yields dozens of pages of results on the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. Top results include his Web site, his biography and news of his appearances around the world.

The same search using Google.cn yields none of those sites. Instead, Chinese users get headlines such as “Dalai Lama unpopular among Tibetans: chairman of Tibet,” and “Dalai Lama Aims to Split Motherland.”
from SignOnSanDiego.com

In a few months I will be looking for studio space (to share or rent alone). If you know of anything becoming available please let me know. The studio does not have to be that big, but in the Mile-end, Little Italy area of Montreal (other areas could work as well though).

Contact me or leave a comment below if you know of anything. Thanks!

Today is election day in Canada and most people I talk to are quite nervous of the out come. If polls are correct (they often are not) then we will be waking up to a conservative government tomorrow morning. On this note, I think that we should be able to spoil our ballots and have them counted. This would allow people to express themselves in a positive way (instead of not voting because there are no acceptable options). The percentage of spoiled or ‘none of the above’ ballots should then be released with the official results of each riding.

I am not referring to the eat your ballot option. An interesting option but it may cause strange digestive problems - just think of all that black ink.

In Canada it is actually illegal to spoil your ballot (I assume that eating it is also illegal).

According to section 167(2)(a) of the Canada Elections Act, “no person shall wilfully alter, deface or destroy a ballot.” Subsection 480(1) of the Act also provides that every person is guilty of an offence who, with the intention of delaying or obstructing the electoral process, contravenes this Act.

i have not been posting much content lately. it is mostly due to the fact that i have not been scanning new images (it is also due to the fact that i have not been getting much work done either). i have been working out a few ideas in my head for some new drawings and paintings. they never get resolved that well there actually. i need to get them on paper or canvas to work them out. concept feeds form feeds concept.

on an unrelated note, here is where you come from :

percentage of last 100 viewers/readers
38 % - US
10 % - Canada
8 % - UK
7 % - China
6 % - Netherlands
5 % - Poland
4 % - France

J has opened a new massage therapy and yoga centre here in Montreal.
——–
Visit our new massage therapy centre at 3630 boul. St-Laurent (corner Prince-Arthur).

We now have the pleasure to offer you:

* Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga classes (maximum 8 persons per class!)
* Private Yoga therapy classes
* Sea salt exfoliant treatment (mint, rosemary, ginger and lavender)
* Massages offered : Hot Stone - Swedish - Sport - Californian
* Gift Certificates ”

www.espacenomad.ca

To be informed of upcoming promotions signup for the espacenomad newsletter.

i just came accross this interesting little tool that uses google maps as a virtual pedometer. cool stuff.

check out my bike route to work.

Where I am right now.

Click here to view the original photo (here to view the drawing again).

it is hot and muggy here in montreal today. it makes me want to be back at lac echo (where we went last weekend).

j and i went to the adirondack mountains this weekend. it was fabulous. the weather was great and the camping and hiking area even better. the above photo was taken from the top of mount jo. i didn’t bring a camera and found the photo on the web here after doing a google search. we spent a long time lying in the sun and looking at this view. i searched for a picture of the view from our campsite on heart lake (the lake in the lower part of the picture) but have not found one yet. interesting that there are certain places in the world that have been captured in pictures by many people. of course the view was quite different yesterday but the picture is surprisingly similar (there were no leaves on the trees and a bit of snow at higher elevations). the sky was different though and there was a bit of ice still on the northern edge of the lake. i prefer my mental image.

walking in old montreal this morning, the sun was warm and the sidewalks wet with small rivers of melting snow. i tried to loosen the control of my thoughts. i wanted to see the images that would appear in my mind. unfettered.

i saw billowing sails against a deep blue sky.

the shadow that inches its way across the wall behind me at work.

cajun tree, december 30, 2004.

near here (cajun country, louisiana).

16:08

just got back from the ‘deep south road trip’ last night. it was a lot of fun. interesting. bizarre. cool. bad coffee. fried food. lots of miles. good weather. super duper nye - cool bars and hotels in new orleans. saw crocodiles. ate crocodile meat. white beaches. cabin on the bayou. waffle houses. juke joint. 4 states. more later.

so here i am at the halifax airport on my way to YFC. left YUL way too early and have a 3 hour wait here. it is cool that there is free wireless in the terminal - it makes the new laptop uber handy. so here i sit drinking coffee, chatting with my bro in fredericton (who is sick) and friend in nyc (who is also sick) - hope they get well soon, and checking email. i am off for a speedy trip to see the family and then back to YUL to go to JAN for a week long road trip in the deep south.

Here is a list of my top ten music artists of 2004. Most of them released an album this year - others I discovered this year. There is lots of good stuff there. Great Lake Swimmers are really great - haunting, melodic, folky.

• Great Lake Swimmers
• I am Kloot
• The Arcade Fire
• Franz Ferdinand
• Smog
• Clem Snide
• John Vanderslice
• Elliott Smith
• TV on the Radio
• Interpol

Close but not the top ten : Les Cowboys Fringants, Scissor Sisters, Wilco, Jean Leloup.