| DUNCAN WELLER / NEWS + THOUGHTS |
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| CONSTELLATIONS SHOW Ends: September, 2009 to January 1, 2010 |
| Constellations, a show of over a hundred of original works of my art, has ended after 4 months. It concluded on a hight note with a sale of signature painting of mine, titled Her Room, purchased by Brian Trussler, a local art collector. He's a regular buyer of art at the Gallery de Bellefuille, in Montreal. CONSTELLATIONS was a show of new large works and older works, in a space that was a gallery for only a few months, on St. Paul Street, (Same street as the T. Bay Hydro Building). THE STORY (as many have requested): The space was a gallery in which I was going to show my work, but I backed out a week before the opening because of unrealistic demands. The gallery manager wanted the rights to ALL my art to reproduce as posters and limited edition prints. They were going to give me 10 percent royalties, without discussion, no contract, and I saw no samples. After I became suspicious, I asked around and quickly discovered that the manager had opened and closed previous framing shops and galleries and stole art in the process. So far I've had this confirmed by over 15 people. Shortly after my show was to open, the owner of the gallery fired the manager and pulled his collection. When I discovered the space was left empty, I approached the owner of the building, Dorothy Hanson, and she very generously let me have the space for three weeks at no charge. Awesome! The opening was a success. The expense of framing new works, hiring help to deliver art, videotape the opening gala, and sundry other expenses was all worthwhile. I ended up using the space until the Christmas season ended four months later. Thanks again to Dorothy Hanson! Thanks to all the people who bought books and art. The people of Thunder Bay were very generous with their compliments as well. |
| Digital Playground: Carol Cooper and Duncan Weller, DEC. 5 to JAN. 9, 2010 |
| Carol Cooper and I have a show of digital imagery at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery (DEFSUP). The show is comprised of various series and themes best expressed and inspired by new contemporary computer/digital technologies. Carol is a well established artist in the field of digital arts and has shown internationally. Although my images look pretty wild, I'm nowhere near as competant or knowledgeable as Carol in the variety of programs now available, so part of the reason for teaming up with Carol was to learn something new. I'm fascinated by some of the amazing imagery Carol has produced. I'm looking forward to working with her agian in the future. |
| Hosting ART ZOOM: December 5: 5-9PM |
| Art Zoom was a success for most of the artists. (50 artists - painters/writers/potters/musicians/jewelers/sculptors - in 24 location in downtown Port Arthur - sponsored by the Heart of the Harbour BIA) The retail establishments are happy to Zoom again next year. The numbers from locations vary, from 75 people to approximately 300 people. I've got 40 ballots completed, and from which to draw the prize-winners. Some artists made good money as did some retail locations. Unfortunately, as is normal in any event like this, some artists sold nothing or very little. (Entrance fee was only $15.00!) As did a few retailers. Exposure was good and there was lots of advertising for the event. Feedback has been good from the public, although the Parade of Lights, was an event we were competing with, and many people attempted to attend both events. To the original organizers I'm suggesting that Art Zoom try a summer day in which to hold this event, and from the results, make comparisons. It's still a great idea and I think at some point there could be a much larger turnout. |
| Movie Madness - 10-57 Film Production: July, 2009 |
| As a break from writing and painting, I've taken the role as a store clerk in Rodney Dwira's feature film production of 10-57, a horror science-fiction film. There's about twenty of us ready to be killed off by monsters and the script is being written as we go. Alphabet Productions selected a Crystal Beach gas station and convenience store just outside of Thunder Bay for the location of the shoot. Actual customers interrupt the shoot regularly. It's quite funny to see customers faces as they approach the station. We have to keep actors who smoke away from the pumps. I suggested one actor hide the phony hand-gun as someone might call the police. Such things do happen. Rodney has killed himself off already. I'm waiting my turn. I think the little girl survives. |
| 807 Magazine: In the works: June 2009 |
| Yikes! I hate and love a deadline. I'm doing the layout and creating most images for the Northwestern Ontario Writer's Workshop's magazine, 807. I took on this pro bono job to force myself to learn InDesign, and for fun. I can't wait to get started on the cover. |
| May 25, 2009: Tied to win Everytales Competition. |
| Paola Van Turennout, a writer/illustrator of children's picture books in Vancouver created the website Everytales.com where her work, mine, and others can be seen. With my story Big Electric Cat I shared the winning prize of $500.00 with Oh Ducky Day by Ailsa Long and Kari-Lynn Winters. They wrote a delightful story with great illustrations. Check it out! |
| April 20, 2009: Request to Audition as host for ARTZOOKA |
| A few days ago I was delighted to receive a request from a production company in Toronto to audition for a spin-off children's television series called Art Attack. This new series, a Canadian/German coproduction revolves around artistic demonstrations presented clearly and quickly to an audience of 6 to 9 year olds. I gave it a shot, although I became nervous when the two college students I hired to shoot me at my place arrived. I didn't look or sound my best, but it was fun and I may put the result on my website in the future. |
| Author Name Pronunciation Guide Online Address and Drawing Dreams Foundation Site |
| The pronunciation and meaning of my name and other children's book author's names can be found at: http://www.teachingbooks.net/pronounce.cgi?aid=6402 My work can be found amongst some of the most famous illustrators in the world at: http://www.drawingdreams.org/Art2.html |
| Symphony Stories! Sunday, April 5, 2PM. & 3:30PM, 2009 |
| I will read 3 of my picture books at the 55 Plus Centre, while the Thunder Bay Symphony performs music chosen by conductor Stephane Potvin. This will be a great way for parents to encourage their children to develop an interest and eventual love for classical music. I'm looking forward to bright eyed faces and the challenge of working with the symphony musicians - a great bunch of characters themselves! |
| January 23, 2009: THE GIRL FROM THE MOON and TIGER'S DREAM |
| I've begun the sequel to The Boy from the Sun and started Tiger's Dream. They have similar themes, will be painted in watercolours, and tigers are featured in each, so it made sense to do them together. The Girl from the Moon's text is incomplete. I lie, it's barely started, but the book is very visual and I know how it will progress, so I'm going to let the words surface as I go. However, Tiger's Dream's text is nearly complete. The text is as rich as the images, so the story comes first, otherwise it will be a mess. Tiger's Dream is about a pompous tiger who eats children and wants to create Heaven on Earth. It's based on several stories about tigers. The illustrations will be fantastic. See Blog. I wrote Tiger's Dream on my clam while traveling. Some of it was done at the "Banff Mansion" with LuAn (see Blog) and some at the Edmonton airport in front of a massive fireplace while I was held over due to fog in Kelowna. Had to overnight in Toronto, but Westjet gave me a room, a meal, and a hundred dollar discount on my next flight. Awesome! Fly Westjet! Winter weather is a great help. I stay indoors. I read and work. I'm painting the neighbour's (landlord's) portrait as well. Karen and Erv as the best landlords a guy could ask for. I love my place. It's the main floor of a house with a basement and cheap. I may have to give it up to spend a few months in South America. |
| VANCOUVER, VICTORIA, TORONTO TRIP: Sept. 22 - October 25, 2008 |
| Readings Invited to do readings in Ocean Park LIbrary and the Guildford Public Library in Surrey, B.C. with the help of the Canada Council, I took some extra time to visit friends and my favourite haunts. I read, with images from the books projected to a screen to two groups of kids, numbering 55 and 75. We had a blast. I read from unpublished works and we discussed the writing process. Before hitting Vancouver I did a reading at the Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto. My reading was projected to televisions throughout the hospital. Aside from the three children in the actual library I have no idea how many other children were watching. Visits I stayed with families in North Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Toronto. I lived the family life vicariously, and it was all wonderful. For two weeks I stayed in my mother's condo in Sidney, which was a nice break. Poetry Book I was able to visit with Doug McCaffrey who I worked with to design The Boy from the Sun. We put together my poetry book, Tettrennial Drift, which has 21 illustrations and a full colour cover from an oil painting I did three years ago. I spent a few days rewriting some of the poems. The sample copy arrived in Thunder Bay before I did and it looks great. With some minor changes I will have it printed soon. At 160 pages it has a substantial thickness, so it feels great and looks fantastic. It should stand out. |
| May 29, 2008: Received Lakehead University Alumni Award |
| A classy dinner was held in the faculty lounge overlooking Lake Tamblyn of the Lakehead University grounds to honour the four Alumni recipients for their contributions to society and as representatives of the value of education born of L.U. The other Alumni winners were Glenn A. Miller (Chairman of PenEquity: real estate developer in Toronto), Dr. Elizabeth Murray (scientist at the SemBioSys Genetics company in Calgary - and multiple award winner), Kate Bird (founder of Career Essentials - job market company: and one of Canada's Top 100 Business Owners). It was a delight to be in such company. We had some time to chat. I was particularly taken by other faculty's reminiscences of my father's presence at LU when he worked there. Dr. Gellert who introduced me was terribly complimentary and forced me to cut my speech in half, which I was happy to do. It was an honour to receive the award, and although I felt slightly out of place in the company of such accomplished people I'm becoming more aware that what I'm doing as an artist really might have more value than what I'm willing to recognize. As I've said before, these kinds of awards really help to give me confidence in the work I do and to know that my sacrifices to live a life with a regular pay-cheque, wife, kids, car, house, might just be worth it. |
| Tuesday, May 6, 2008: The Boy from the Sun wins the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Picture Book Award |
| My latest book won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Picture Book Award. It is a six thousand dollar prize which is unique because the final choice is made by children in grades 3 and 4. This year the students are from the Ryerson Community School in Toronto. Kenneth Oppel won in the young adult category for his novel Darkwing. I've read two of his books and it's no surprise that he would win. This is his fourth Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. I would like to thank the Schwartz family for this pretigious award, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Association, the Canadian Booksellers Association, and the five grade 3 and 4 jurors who chose my book for the award. The Boy from the Sun was one of five books nominated for this award. I was in great company with Bill Richardson (The Aunts Come Marching - illustrated by Cynthia Nugent), Jeremy Tankard (Grumpy Bird), Wallace Edwards (The Painted Circus), and Melanie Watt (Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend). Established in 1976 the award honours two Toronto women who dedicated their lives to children; Ruth was a bookseller and Sylvia a photographer, both widely known and respected. The shortlist is selected by the Canadian Booksellers Association, and the event is managed by the Ontario Arts Council and three other organizations. |
| Sunday, April 20, 2008: Reading with the Symphony |
| Wearing a bow tie with my tuxedo, and backed up by the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra at the T. Bay Art Gallery with 96 works of my art hanging on the walls, I read two of my stories in a crowded gallery space. The images for 'The Boy from the Sun' and 'Spacesnake' were projected onto a screen. Spacesnake was recently animated. With the Symphony playing, and special effects visible, the reading made for an awesome little show. My special thanks to all the musicians and especially the conductor and coordinator, Jason Caslor. It was a blast. I certainly didn't mind being the opening act for Susan Sutherland's interactive show with the children who came dressed as a variety of animals. The symphony backed me up with two sessions of readings where the second session was much better than the first. I'm scheduled for a show next year, and looking forward to reading more stories and making it an even bigger and better event. |
| APRIL 4 - MAY 18, 2008: THE ART OF DUNCAN WELLER at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, along with artist Kady MacDonald Denton: New Work |
| 96 works of mine are featured at the largest publicly funded gallery in all of Northwestern Ontario - the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Illustrations from my children's picture books are featured. I've included all the drawings for my poetry book Tettrennial Drift, which I hope to print this summer. I've also included a few other silly works and some adult work. Also on display are wonderful paintings by Kady MacDonald Denton. These are illustrations for A Birthday for Bear, written by Bonny Becker. Kady was a wonderful inspiration and a delight to talk with. Kady also passed along valuable information about the children's book business. I learnt a few tricks watching her in action, reading to children and performing. The opening was a great success with nearly 200 people attending. Thanks for coming out! Special thanks to curator Glenn Allison, director Sharon Godwin, and the wonderful staff. NEW WORK Included in this show is a painting that represents (not that well) the beginning of a new series of oil paintings. These will be adult works with thoughtful and often dark themes. I received a small grant from the Northern Ontario Arts Council to begin the process to create these paintings. The series is an ongoing project that will span up to a decade of work with the intention of selling in professional galleries. I generally avoid galleries after a run in with a con man in Vancouver who attempted to steal everyone's work in a gallery I was showing in, which was connected to at least two other galleries who actively stole artist's work. I wrote a short story about this, the small sting operation, citizen's arrest, and recovery of the work. Afterwords I discovered an underworld of the art scene by pretending to be a collector who inherited some money and was looking to invest in art. I did a little write up about this for the RCMP and hand delivered it. I got no feedback, but this was in a year where there were more than 200 robberies of banks and credit unions. Hopefully Vancouver has improved since then. |
| March, 2008: Great Review from Cheryl Rainfield on THE BOY FROM THE SUN |
| The Boy from the Sun received kudos from Cheryl Rainfield, a children's book enthusiast with the most extensive and useful web site related to children's books I've ever seen. Go to www.cherylrainfield.com/picture-books.html. I was incredibly disappointed with the on-line CM Magazine. Their reviews are particularly horrible as the writers (reviewers) seem to be selected randomly and have little or no affiliation with children's books. Having children, teaching children, or being a professor of any ilk, doesn't make for being a good reviewer of children's books, as I discovered. CM Magazine should get out of the business of reviewing books - or they should try paying and establishing a professional connection with accredited reviewers of children's books. Otherwise - buzz off! There was a great article about criticism in Harpers a few months back arguing that the reading public is losing out dramatically when the criticism is below standard. I agree. Regarding The Boy from the Sun, Cheryl writes: "At times the text feels a little too simple; I would have liked a bit more lyrical word choices--but it works. A rather long poem near the end of the book stopped me; it didn't fit the flow of the rest of the book, which had little to no text on the pages. The placement of the poem felt slightly forced. Yet I found the poem beautiful, and it spoke to me; I just wish it was a stanza shorter." What excites me about her review isn't so much that she likes the book but that Cheryl makes accurate observations revealing that she truly read and thought about the text. She also made good observations about the illustrations. Cheryl writes, "Weller creates an almost perfect partnership between the text and the illustrations, with each adding meaning to the other." And: "The book is a metaphor for imagination--it doesn't matter where you are, or how bleak your surroundings are, you can make them better if you open your imagination and bring beauty to you. This is a wonderful unspoken message in the book." And: "the book is incredibly beautiful and imaginative; to me it is a masterpiece. If you haven't seen this book yet, I suggest you get your hands on a copy. Highly recommended." |
| Wed, March 19, 2008: LOT 66 SHOW |
| As part of the Urban-Infil Art-in-the-Core downtown exhibition coordinated by the DEFSUP Gallery, I am showing and selling work at the restaurant/lounge Lot 66. The opening is at 7pm. All are invited. The paintings (mostly figurative) are works that won't be shown in my show at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. I'm buying the nachos. |
| March 6, 2008, Lakehead University Alumni Honour Award, MASSIVE OIL ATTACK! NEW WORK |
| I'm looking forward to this event: the Lakehead University Alumni Association will present me with an Alumni Award at LU's May 31st Convocation. Having returned to Thunder Bay I'm glad to hear that plans for the new Waterfront project have been approved. The city needs some major development in order to attract business and keep some young people here. Three giant canvases have taken over what was once my dining room. The plan is to have the three paintings completed for the opening of my art show at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery on April 4. My working methods will be unusual for the largest canvas (4.5X8.5') as each stage of the painting will photographed for use as backdrops for brief animation sequences in the film Rodney Dwira and I will make this summer. I'll have to lock myself in and work 10 - 14 hour days every day if I want to complete them in time. It's fun, but I eat poorly, intoxicate myself, turn into a depressed curmudgeon, sleep late, lose weight, and generally fry myself in all manner of ways. It has something to do with painting in oils. Or, more likely, it's an inate automatic self-conscious stereotyped pose taken to feed my ego in order to convince myself that there really is value in being totally self-absorbed with self-expressive works. |
| Feb. 28, 2008 VICTORIA B.C. |
| The Victoria Clipper was a quick way to get to downtown Victoria from Seattle. I'm visiting my mother, brother - his girlfriend and their twins, and meeting with a few friends. I lived in Victoria about eight years ago for eight years. It's always great to visit. Lots of young people roam the streets. There seem to be far more street vagrants than I remember. Victoria is its usual beautiful self except rent and the cost of housing has skyrocketed, making it very difficult for young people to live here. There are lots of low paying service jobs that can't be filled. |
| Feb. 26, 2008: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: STEVE BALL ROADSHOW SESSION |
| To see a video clip of this session go to www.steveball.com and click on "words." Scroll down and you will see that Steve has posted a few of my sketches as well. Great music. Great time. I felt so honoured to have a 3/4 of the Roadshow band - three fantastic guitarists - play for me in Steve's studio - a separate condo. Steve was joined by Ivan Lee and Paul O'Rear. Their fancy fingering produced some of the best live music I've heard in a long time. They need more promotion! They performed Orphan and Dark from one of my favourite albums, Promytheus, a Crimson tune and sections of a couple Yes tunes. Lots of fun. Talk about intimate. I had the task of videotaping the session and taking photos. Regina brought in baby Sofie and they danced around the room. Sofie, entranced by it all, stared adoringly at her father, Steve. It was a wonderful night, and I went to sleep very happy and dreamt of my girlfriend, Debbie Holseth, who I'm missing terribly and can't wait to see in Thunder Bay. I'm looking forward to working with Steve on various projects. His music is certainly inspiration, but he's a great friend and a wonderful host. Can't wait to visit Seattle again. |
| Feb. 25, 2008: SKETCHBOX SESSION # 3 |
| In this session I finished my drawing and I am reminded of how important sketches are. They help traverse an idea into reality, then act as a midway point, or as a launching pad to something else, something better. I'm glad I took the time to finish it off, taking care to balance the composition and adding little details. The somewhat finished look, rather than a light sketch, really helped create a confidence that the ultimate end product would be really worthwhile. If I were to do two more sketches before launching into the final work, either a drawing or a painting the result wil be awesome. All of course inspired by the music. Steve's playing this time was different from the last in that an entire hour of music was essentially one composition before he started another. Like a long classical piece the music wove in and out of movements and tempos, with only a couple awkward parts and some sections so beautiful, had I not been so happy to be there, I would have felt tears welling up inside. Steve really takes the time to delve into deeper feelings. There's no rock star showmanship here, or jaunty "Hey! Look at me!" sort of self-congratulation, but an intense desire to explore real feeling. And, of course, the great thing about music is how powerfully immediate it all is. It's very affecting. I wish I could sit in on more sessions. Tomorrow night however, I'm being treated to a performance with two more musicians from Steve Ball's Roadshow. |
| Feb. 24, 2008: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: SKETCHBOX SESSION # 2, THE MUSIC OF STEVE BALL |
| SKETCHBOX SESSION # 2 A great way to end the day - if you can get it - is to witness a brilliant musician play only a couple meters away from you. I continued work on the same drawing, and it's coming together nicely. Steve picks the strings on his guitar. He never strums. This makes the notes much clearer and the music brighter. It sparks and the notes fly around the room, and set off neurons in my brain more-so than recorded music does, probably because Steve's approach is less common. Steve played 5 distinct compositions, most quite long. Below constitutes over an hour of great music, all of it improvised on the spot. (I bugged him about not recording it. I'd love to have a copy myself.) I don't interrupt him. With his wife, child, and friends he lets loose, is genuinely happy. He becomes a goofy clown around his baby, Sofie. As I do - making all sorts of illiterate grunts and coos. However, when Steve practices he becomes another person. He's focused, thoughtful, reflective, and at times has a furrowed brow, giving the appearance that he's angry. I took a few photos of him at the beginning of this session. He garners immediate respect. We had a brief discussion about spirituality and we both agreed that we never need to talk about it, because we get it, or some version of it through our art, and we don't ever talk about finding it or searching for it for its own sake, but as a physical manifestation of it through the production of something tangible that we can see or hear later. We ultimately hope some of it resonates with others through their eyes or ears. This is ultimately why I think I'm totally noncommittal with religion or any extrinsic ideology. They distract from what I've already learned to achieve, almost whenever I want it. THE MUSIC OF STEVE BALL (www.steveball.com) 1) The first was of a soundscape style that evokes all sorts of cloud covered moods and makes darker emotions lurk synonymously with a kind of sweeping "hero music" feel, a cross of Phillip Glass with Yes. This would sound awesome with a giant wall of speakers in a stadium or concert hall. Enclosed in a condo the music is too big and my head immediately jumps into dark expansive landscapes I visit often when I'm moody and reflective. Awesome! 2) The songs are long enough that I can draw and make the occasional notes. This tune has trailing virtuosity - a building up on layers on a wide curve of time that cascades towards the end, starting softly and building brilliantly, but ending as softly as it began. 3) Did I mention that Steve uses all sorts of equipment at his feet and around him that help him layer his music. Well... wow! Starting with a strong beat Steve layers bright trilling moments with deep inter-layered rhythms. It's foot tapping stuff for sure, with a swampy river depth growing, with mixes of tunes from his past recorded works. One tune I recognize is from "Back in New York City" (I think it's the title - don't remember the writer) . But the tune evolves into something else. Steve works with it as a starting point and like any good artists derives something new out of the best from other artist's work, unlike a modernist approach that rebels if favour of finding something completely new (which is impossible anyway it seems). This third composition doesn't end but the sounds and tune changes so that it enters a fourth composition, distinct from the third. 4) As Steve plays sounds are generated from unknown sources. I've obviously just missed some subtle foot-pedal action or knob turn. I studied the equipment earlier and wondered if he needed a BSc or a BEng to play. (He works at Microsoft). The guitar is the ultimate source but modulated and looped as a backtrack. I notice that with ever so slight touches to the strings on the frets that all kinds of subtleties are being added and I get excited by the potential for what I'm about to hear. (As I write this I'm reading on Wikipedia about techniques called legato, pull-offs, hammer-ons, pinch harmonics, volume swells, and effect pedals. I think Steve used them all.) I'm having trouble focusing on the drawing. But when he gets into his "groove" - finds a kind of center to play with on top of a hill of wonderful sounds, I'm swept away, and able to listen and draw at the same time. I "zone in". I forget there's a man in the room playing guitar, within his own world of thoughts and efforts. 5) Starting cleanly with the guitar alone, the tune is joyful, vibrant, and speeds up, then stops. After a moment of silence he starts up with the same tune but with higher notes, then flies forward again working the tune. When he finds something he likes he stops. Starts. The sound is heightened and is made more elegant with echoing effects. The notes reverberate into space. A new tune is repeated and seems to chase after the last tune. This continues, wave after wave, building, seemingly growing louder, but just richer. When Steve gains more confidence that he's found something, he stops, but the echoes still bounce around the room. Then he launches again and the intensity builds. His left hand flies up and down the neck of the guitar. The pick in his right hand is amazingly accurate with each stroke. He stops, starts again. More tepidly he tries something slightly new. It builds, changes, and the sounds cascade down a imaginary hillside into a valley. The climbing builds again. I can't tell how many minutes have passed. I don't want it to end, and to my relief he doesn't stop this time, but hits a plateau and carries it around the ledge, changing it up, sending notes and quick ideas out into a timeless ether. He climbs a little higher and my foot involuntarily taps away. There should be more than four musicians in the room, but there's only one. Then, when I thought it couldn't get any better, Steve sauntered loudly into the layered streams of music with some rolling guitar riffs that floated over the orchestral background. After a while he turned a knob and the orchestra drifted off into the sea as if on a barge cut loose. |
| Feb. 23, 2008: SKETCHBOX SESSION # 1 - SEATTLE, WASHINGTON |
| SKETCHBOX SESSION with STEVE BALL (www.steveball.com) Steve Ball and I collaborated in his music studio surrounded by Regina's and Steve's colourful paintings. I was entranced earlier by the happiest baby I've ever met, Sofie the snotty nosed chatterer. Steve practiced while I worked on an image for one of the covers for his 3 CD box set called Sketchbox. He's an accomplished visual artist and will create most of the images for the box set. This session was one of the most wonderful artistic moments I've ever had. I was witness to musical magic from a master guitar player. For the art work I had an image in mind already, but the particular details came easily and the keen desire to draw was inspired by Steve's playing. It was a great honour to share the studio with him. (Try to Imagine getting to sit in with one of your favorite musicians.) Steve is absolutely brilliant with the guitar. The emotional range was fantastic. Whole stories - lives - emanated from the air. It was great fun to watch both his hands pick at the strings. He played with foot pedals and controls that created harmonic background textures. He layered the music with reverberations and echoes. It was a great moment I'll remember forever. I can't wait for the next session. |
| Feb. 22, 2008: MICROSOFT TOUR, STEVE BALL PERFORMANCE |
| VISITING MICROSOFT Regina drove me to meet her husband Steve Ball at one of the larger of the 85 buildings housing 50,000 Microsoft employees in Redmond, Seattle. Sofie, Steve and Regina's seven month old baby, were introduced to some of the many employes whose offices lined the clean spacious and very white hallways. The kitchens and meeting areas were sparse and very modern. The architecture of the buildings is tame and similar to many other office parks I've seen. Outstanding however were the large number of very young employees - mid twenties - imported from all over the world. One of the office walls sported a Canadian flag. Nice to see. Locally, many refer to being hired by Microsoft as being "Borged" or "Borgified" refering to Star Trek's evil enemy, the Borg, whose catchfrase is "You will be assimilated." STEVE BALL PERFORMANCE (www.steveball.com) An intimate, occassionally emotional, and remarkable little session of music performed by Steve Ball and his friend Lee took place tonight at the P&G cafe in Duval Washington, not far from the Microsoft hub of activity. Steve's Roadshow band was missing its third member, but the tight little performance was inspiring. Steve's playing was a delight to witness and Lee was brilliant. It was great to have such a close encounter with such wonderful and talented musicians. I had fun playing the role of roadie for the night. |
| Feb. 21, 2008: Horrible Greyhound, MEETING STEVE BALL IN SEATTLE, R. CRUMB at the FRYE MUSEUM |
| Greyhound is not a service I would like to use again. The unprofessional manner of the drivers - especially an overbearing loudmouth female trainee - was ridiculous. Two unfortunate passengers, mother and son, did not have the appropriate I.D. at the border. They were held back. The rest of us rode South for an hour, when at a stop in Mt. Vernon, word filtered down the isle that the bus would return to the border. The loudmouth female trainee handled the situation very badly. We were already an hour late due to the negligence of the driver making a stop a Port Coquitlam, which was not scheduled. We paid for a direct trip to Seattle. So our four hour trip would have been seven, had we stayed on the bus. Ten of us got off the bus and six of us took a taxi from Mt. Vernon to downtown Seattle. Four of our group had to get to the airport. I was the eldest in the group and the others seemed to be all university students, so I paid the $140.00 cab fair. En masse, in Seattle, we protested at the Seattle Greyhound station. Take the train! SEATTLE - STEVE BALL (Order his music at www.steveball.com) Steve Ball - famous Seattle musician (Crafty League of Guitarists), and his lovely wife Regina, are wonderful hosts. I now have more music than I can possibly listen to while I'm here - I've been gifted with a tall stack of CDs. I'm looking forward to his Roadshow group perform tomorrow night twenty miles out of town at the P&G cafe in Duvall, Washington. I can't wait to finally see him perform live. I've witnessed some of his amazing fingerwork on the guitar playing to his 7 month old baby, Sophie. (She really does react to the images and sounds of The Boy from the Sun. It's amazing to watch. I had no idea a child so young would react so positively to the book.) I'm also getting a tour of Microsoft's lodging's tomorrow where Steve works. He created music and sounds for the Windows Alta Vista program. R. CRUMB at the FRYE My favorite museum - which introduced me to the amazing work of Norweigan artist Odd Nerdrum - has a show of the greatest American underground comic book artist R. Crumb. The originals are inspiring to look at, and I'm now determined to get some of my own crazy Hardball and Riley cartoons published somwhere, somehow. The Frye is notable for its bravery in its rejection of the contemporary art scene which is known for its hostility to narrative and illustration. The show is great fun. I openly laughed in the gallery. Giggles could be heard all around. The place was packed with young people. Crumb's satire, his honesty of expression, his ablity to see himself clearly in all his feebleness, and his ability to see the rank phoniness of the world around him really does make him a great American artist. A must must see. Steve and I are returning again to have a better look and read the cartoons we didn't have time for on our first visit today. |
| Sat. February 16-19 - VANCOUVER, Great Books |
| TOURING VANCOUVER I will return to Vancouver on March 1st and 2nd to sign books at various Chapters/Indigo locations. Details to come. My good friend Lam, the designer of this web site, and his family are wonderful hosts. Currently Lam is designing sites for Naomi Klein and David Suzuki. He's now got two beautiful white cats, one of whom ripped open the end of my finger when playing. It's great to visit my old stomping grounds in Vancouver. It felt like home. Pa-rousing galleries and book stores is a favourite past-time of mine. I sign my books when I come across them. I picked up the fantastic book by Sean Tan, THE ARRIVAL - an amazing wordless graphic novel, and Peter Sis's book, THE WALL, a picture book that condenses the author's experiences under Soviet communist rule in Czechoslovakia - which, of course, is unimaginably horrible. My friend Lam and I bumped into Fred Herzog, a famous Canadian photographer and chronicler of life in Vancouver since the early 1950s. A very nice man to talk with, informative and knowledgeable. Saw some great paintings by Geoffrey Laurence at the Douglas Udell Gallery. CHRISTIANNE'S LYCEUM OF LITERATURE AND ART At 3pm Saturday, Feb. 16, at 3696 West 8th Ave, in Vancouver, I signed books for a small private library/education center. I met with my publisher, Dimiter, and his new assistant, Kallie. The sun was out in force, so turnout was low but the people who attended were very interested and I had a few great conversations with a couple established and aspiring writers, along with a talented balloon maker, and a lover of fantasy books. |
| FEBRUARY - 2008: BAY CITY Movie, Readings, BOOKS, and PROG/ART ROCK JOURNEY |
| BAY CITY : ACTION/COMEDY FILM AT THE COMMUNITY AUDITORIUM Saturday, FEBRUARY 23! ONLY $5.00! Bay City is the full length feature film Rodney Dwira (director, writer, producer) set entirely in Thunder Bay, premiering this month. Some sort of free DVD promotional package will be given away - a 1,000 copies to be distributed. I was privy to a few minutes of the film, and the preview. It's very good for a low budget (no budget) film - an action movie with some good humour. I laughed my head off at a few scenes. Very clever. Rodney received all sorts of help from the community, friends, and fellow grad students from the college. For his next film, HEGGADRAMYTH, I helped Rodney with a grant application, the least wordy and pedantic application I've ever seen. (My applications sometimes get wordy.) Having seen some of Bay City, I'm even more confident that HEGGADRAMYTH will work out. We're looking for funding, sponsors, actors, crew, drivers, locations, and volunteers. With any monies we get, we're writing up contracts and hoping to pay as many people as we can a decent wage. I will soon work on images for a Website. I have to complete the screenplay yet, but the story-map is almost complete. I'm considering combining the screenplay with the images and turning the story into a graphic novel. Fun fun. READINGS I'm half way through I'VE GOT A HOME IN GLORY LAND (GG winner!). I'm marvelling at the amount of detective work Karolyn Smardz Frost did to get the history of Lucie and Thorton Blackburn's lives on to paper. Amazing! I'm also half way through Don Domanski's poetry book ALL OUR WONDER UNAVENGED (GG winner!), and Margaret Atwood's latest poetry book, THE DOOR (GG nominated and a gift from my wonderful girlfriend, Debbie). Both poetry books require some time. Poems have to be reread, not to be understood, but felt - and they require an attentiveness I can only give them when I'm in a reflective mood. I'm also slowly getting through THE BRADBURY CHRONICLES by Sam Weller, a biography of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury. I'm looking forward to the new film version of Fahrenheit 451 with Tom Hanks coming out in 2009. Just completed THE REBEL SELL by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter. I've underlined all sorts of adroit observations as references for an adult novel I hope to start one day. Also completed THE DEFIANT IMAGINATION by Max Wyman. He's certainly committed, but I disagree with some points and wish he'd been less misty-eyed with praise for "culture" - a loaded word. More specifics as to what the functions of art might be, and what value they might have would have been more valuable. He points out some difficulties with the ability to discern value in art; that it is becoming more difficult to tell the difference from a professional artist and a crank. And the creation of art has become very egalitarian. I've met bodybuilders in Montreal who paint large abstract paintings in order to appear sensitive and worldly for their breast-implanted girlfriends. One steroid fueled 21year old was keen to show me his work in a little photo album he carried with him. The work was as good as any 4th year art school graduate's paintings. He had some of the art lingo down too, but never took art courses. He said he was planning to apply for grants. His girlfriend, beaming, was obviously full of admiration for his "sensitive side." I wish I had his physique and jaw-line. BOOKS Over the years I've slowly added to a list of books I would like to have, and finally I've got the finances to get them. I'm looking forward to recieving works by Jacques Barzun and Alan Gowans. Books I know will be useful for my painting and drawing are "Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing", and "Art for All: The Collision of Modern Art and the Public in Late-Nineteenth-Century Germany." Barzun is particularly critical of intellectual babble so I can't wait to read "The House of Intellect," "The Culture We Deserve," and his magnum opus, "From Dawn to Decadence." To TELEVISON or not to TELEVISION I calculated that I could see movies at the cinema once a week for the next ten years for the same cost as a new flatscreen TV. Not with popcorn however. OR! I could order 312 books for the same cost. As for the number of bookcases I would need I would have to calculate the thickness of books into the space available by the average number of books I could fit into one shelf, then multply the average shelf space by the number of shelves each bookcase would have. MUSIC I've ordered CDs and downloaded music from my favorite music site - dgmlive.com. Primarily a site for Robert Fripp and KING CRIMSON (The Power to Believe is one of their best albums!), dgmlive has samples and CDs of related accomplished artist's work to order and download. Tony Levin (nominated for a Grammy), Pat Mastelotto (amazing drummer), Bill Bruford (great jazz master), Steve Howe (Yes!), Robert Fripp (Grand Master of Modern Rock Music and deep thinker.), Adrian Belew (The Beatles rolled into one), and dozens of other notables and aspiring talented musicians have music available. I ordered CIRCA's DVD. My friend, Steve Ball, is listed as well, but it's better to visit his website at STEVEBALL.COM. I picked up a stack of CDs from a.k.a. music in Philadelphia. Great little shop on 1st street if you visit. Lots of galleries nearby. Now that I have the money I'm looking on the net for Canadian art/prog music. I've got to be more supportive of the locals with my publicly earned money. |
| Jan. 11 - 17, 2008: ALA in Philadelphia, New York City, Child 44, Newbery and Caldecot Medals |
| PHILADELPHIA The Liberty Bell and the Fine Art Museum are the only sights I remember as a child. I must have been eleven then. Philly does not have a big city feel and it's a great place to tour. Taxi drivers are exceedingly nice and should be paid some kind of tour guide bonus. I walked aimlessly as I do when I travel and passed through a black neighbourhood where the only reason they thought I would visit was to buy drugs. I was drawn to the area because the old buildings had real character, some dilapidated, but others restored nicely. It was funny how crossing a single street got you from a black neighbourhood to a white one. (Did you know American's call FBI agents "fibbys?") Funny, Eh? Aboot what? American Library Association Winter Conference "Huge" describe's it. I signed a hundred copies of my three books for librarians from across the U.S.. Simply Read Books, with earnings from the GG win, sent me to Philly. Under the umbrella of Publishers Group West, a number of Canadian, English and American authors and illustrator's of different publishers were signing. The biggest publishing houses were represented. I walked the vast floor between signing sessions handing out oversized bookmarks advertising "The Boy from the Sun." I bumped into the head librarian from the Library of Congress. We had a brief discussion and he's keen to order the book. I met quite a few editors who publish novels, picture books, young adult novels, and graphic novels. Everyone was excited and eager to spread the word about their new books. Free reading copies were available. I picked up Child 44 and a dozen other books that I'll read soon after I get through reading the winning books of the Governor General's Award. Good thing my television popped a tube and hissed itself to death. NEWBERY and CALDECOT Prize Groups of editors and marketing people jumped and screeched for joy in an audience of maybe 3,000 librarians and others in the Philly Conference Centre when their winning authors and illustrators won prizes. Five large projection screens displayed the names and nominees of winners of twelve major awards. The John Newbery medal went to Laura Amy Schlitz of Candlewick Press for "Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village." The Randolph Caldecott Medal went to Brian Selznick of Scholastic for "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." There's a great article on Selznick in the New York Times. Go to... www.nytimes.com/2008/01/26/books/ 26selznick.html?_r=1&ref=books&oref=slogin CHILD 44 I highly - HIGHLY - recommend a book that is coming out in April called Child 44. I read it as I traveled on planes and trains and in a coffee shop in NYC, when I could have been walking the floor in a gallery - my favorite past-time. The rights of this book have been sold to 20 countries and to Ridley Scott to turn it into a film. The author is only 28 and this, his first novel, is about as tragic as you could get it. Set in the Soviet Union under Stalin an MGB officer discovers a murder, but to reveal the possibility that a serial killer could exist in Utopia could get him, and most everyone associated with him, killed by his fellow officers. It's dark and real (well researched), and likely to be a huge hit when it comes out. New York City I never have enough time here. I need a couple months. There's just too much to see for an artsy like me. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was all I had time for after a pitch I made to a major publisher. I was staying with friends in Kingston, NY. My friend Beth has married a great fellow and has a wonderful two year old. Matt and Beth have fantastic jobs. Beth, inspired by Naomi Klein's book "No Logo," works for corporations as a corporate social responsibility advisor. Matt works for the Rockefellers and others at private functions as a photographer. He gets great gigs as a result of signing non-disclosure agreements. He's very much the opposite of a paparazzi photographer. He's photographed Sting, Donna Summers, Bill Clinton, and dozens of other notable stars, politicos and VIPs at private parties and official functions. I was only allowed to see a few samples of his work. www.mattgillis.com |
| OTTAWA, DEC. 12-14, 2007: Governor General's Awards |
| INTRO and SPECIAL THANKS TO THE CANADA COUNCIL OF THE ARTS I feel more worthy as a Canadian citizen. It's hard not to when MPs in chamber at Parliament Hill stand to applaud you as part of a group of fourteen award winners for the 50th anniversary of the Governor General's Awards. Those organizing the events for the GG's did a fantastic job. Their attention to detail, generosity, and kindness is uncommon and was greatly appreciated. I'm certain the award will boost my career dramatically. I've made some great friends and contacts and have a renewed sense of self worth and a new commitment to take part in the arts community, locally and as best I can nationally. I will be in Philadelphia later this week and will be touting the value of the Canada Council's support in my career. SPECIAL THANKS go to the jurors in my category. They are Margaret Atwood (Orynx and Crake), Michael Martchenko (illustrated most books by Robert Munsch), Ludmila Zeman (Last Quest of Gilgamesh). I neglected to thank them in my speech at Rideau Hall. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Dec. 12, 2007 Steven Harper, our PM had excused himself before the acknowledgment, but from the bleachers of the chamber I locked gaze with Michael Ignatieff. We exchanged worthy nods of appreciation, although I'm certain he didn't have a clue who I was. Stephan Dion, the Liberal leader, and possibly our next Prime Minister, was in Bali for a conference on global warming. We met the head of the parliamentary library (very beautiful!) and I bumped into Ken Dryden - Liberal MP and retired hockey star. The library has copies of each book that won a GG award. These meetings underscored my ignorance of Canadian politics and art. I was silent at the Art Matters discussion the next day, and when I shared a cab ride with Michael Ondaadje I had to admit that I hadn't read any of his novels. (He laughed. I have read much of his poetry and had a copy of Handwriting, which I gave away - the advice Ondaatje offered at the Art Matters meeting - party guests should bring a book instead of wine, as they do in Germany apparently.) The overall result of meeting an incredible number of prominent Canadians in only two days has kindled my desire to become more involved in Canadian politics, politics in the arts, and in the art scene in general. CHATEAU LAURIER: Dec. 13, 2007 I thought a throng of reporters were there to greet us GG winners as we exited the front doors of Canada's most famour hotel, but noooo... they looked thoroughly bored. Brian Mulroney is also staying with us. He'll soon leave the hotel for a bigger another venue with lots of lawyers attending. The reporters took no notice of us, totally oblivious to a small crowd of talented writers. (Press for writers is very hard to get. I have yet to get one worthwhile review for my award winning book.) RIDEAU HALL: home of Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, our Governor General (the Queen of England's representative in Canada - for those young students who don't know) ART MATTERS, Dec. 13, 2007 Rideau Hall is very elegant. I was happy to test my knowledge of famous Canadian artist's work hanging throughout the rooms - from Emily Carr to Richard-Attila Lukacs. The room in which the discussion took place had a very long table with a sound system so that the discussion would be audible to all. A microphone was passed. We were treated royally, served in majestic and orderly fashion by posh waiters in a glimmering setting of gold trim on cream coloured walls. The discussion held on this morning began with the a question as to why intellectuals feel the need to keep silent. I didn't know they were. Because of my dissasociation from goings on in the art world I couldn't back up any of my uninformed opinions with any kind of objective observation, so I kept silent. The Art Matters discussions are the brainchild of Jean-Daniel Lafond, the Governor General's husband, an erudite Frenchman with a flair for intellectual discussion. We had a great chat later. He is incredibly enthusiastic about the website forum set up on the internet - www.citizenvoices.gg.ca. Search out the award winners and get the books! It's a great list, and the authors are all wonderful. I've never met a more intelligent, interesting, and committed group of people. |
| Nov. 20, 2007: CASTLE KEEP - animated short film completed |
| CASTLE KEEP - Animated Short Seven weeks of my summer were spent working up to 15 hours a day, six or seven days a week on the paintings for this fun project. I was hired by Dennis Austin, a film prof. at Confederation College, along with Sean McNulty and George Renner, two recent college graduates and computer wizzes, to produce Castle Keep for the Thunder Bay police department. It is intended to help young people overcome troubling emotions after break-and-enter-crimes. In classes I teach through the LTTA, both students and teachers were enthralled. So I'm certain the police will be happy with it. The animated short is set in medieval times featuring first nation protagonists, so there's a mix of native imagery with an imaginative yet familiar castle-like setting. I used my brother's character home as the crime scene, adding turrets, an oversized damaged doorway, and a bridge. The monsters in the short turned out better than I expected, and the short has a very original feel to it. The art work I did was originally in watercolour on paper. I scanned the paintings into my computer and played with them in Photoshop CS2. George and Sean took these images and set them to motion adding their special touches. I earned a director's credit, but this was mostly George and Sean following the story boards I drew up to organize the story and lay out the action sequences. They added their own special touches and really noched up the impact. I've decided I have a couple more computer programs to learn, Shake and 3D Max. So I'm getting a subscription to vtc.com. I'm looking forward to applying what I learn. |
| October 17: Nomination for Governor General's Award |
| I've been nominated for a Governor General's Award for the illustration of "The Boy from the Sun"! The upped prize money to $25,000.00 for each winner, in order to further celebrate the Canada Council's 50th Anniversary, does make one a little giddy. Should I win I would use some of the money to build a fantasy raft for the film I'll be working on soon (read below) with Rodney Dwira. The jurors for the illustration prize are well known: Margaret Atwood (Orynx and Crake), Michael Martchenko (illustrated most books by Robert Munsch), Ludmila Zeman (Last Quest of Gilgamesh). Wow. Thanks for the nomination. My competitors for the prize give me a one in five chance of winning. They are: Wallace Edwards (The Painted Circus), Joanne Fitzgerald (The Blue Hippopotamus, text by Phoebe Gilman), Jirina Marton (Marja's Skis, text by Jean E. Pendziwol - from Thunder Bay!) and Dusan Petricic (My New Shirt, text by Cary Fagan). The French language category of illustration includes: Stéphane-Yves Barroux for Superbricoleur: Le roi de la clef à molette. Geneviève Côté for La petite rapporteuse de mots, Manon Gauthier for Ma maman du photomaton, Caroline Merola for Une nuit en ville Daniel Sylvestre for Ma vie de reptile |
| HEGGADRAMYTH 2008 - Movie Screenplay In The Works - October 2007 |
| Rodney Dwira who directed the "high-budget-look, low-budget-film" Bay City, produced locally here in Thunder Bay, worked with a group of very talented children for a few scenes. Rodney feels that these kids stole the show. He approached me to write a script and storyboard it for a film we'll work on in the spring of 2008. I've stolen the title from a play I'm working on, HEGGADRAMYTH, an adaptation of my picture book, Night Wall. For the film I will have to build two rafts - one which looks as if children built it, and another that will be a kind of fantasy creation. The story I've settled on is about a young imaginative girl who causes a controversy claiming she's seen a magical boat with pirates from another dimension, and a sea creature, that pulls the raft along the rivers. I've already got a few interested and talented parties on board, but funding and finding sponsors will be a big issue when the construction starts, so I'll be putting my publicity and marketing experience to work. We're determined to make the film whatever it takes. I've put my credit cards in ice, for now. |
| OCTOBER 2007 - NEW PAINTINGS - NEW APPROACH |
| My first and greatest love is painting - especially big oil paintings. I haven't done a good adult themed painting for years, so I'm looking forward to getting the stretchers made soon. Most of the sketches are completed and ideas formulated. The difference with these paintings is that they will have dual or triple functions. With new computer technology available flat images can be turned into 3D environments. I've decided to use the very old fashioned method of painting backgrounds first and subsequent midgrounds and forgrounds over top - layering them until I add the figures. Each stage will be photographed and computer manipulated into 3D Max, a program that will allow each stage to become a completely new environment for a rotating digitally modelled stage set. The idea is to drop live actors into the set that results from the paintings. Some of this must be planned carefully, but the end result will actually be a complete surprise, only because I've never done this before, and I don't know what the logistics are. It should be fun. |
| SEPTEMBER 2007 - Night Wall Premieres at the Bay St. Film Festival/ Animation Projects |
| Night Wall premiered at the Bay St. Film Festival in Thunder Bay this Saturday at 12pm along with other short animated films. This was the first public performance of my work and a new venue for me. The question and answer session was brief, but very valuable. What was impressive was how well the big screen really gripped me. The impact was much stronger than any other showing, partly I think because I was aware there were around a hundred people in the audience, but it was the size of the images on a large screen that sucked me in. I felt engulfed. The event was very encouraging. Other animation projects not already on my DVD include: a 3 minute short, RATS, which I hope to pitch to Steve Ball in the hopes he'll make music for it; SPACESNAKE, which I gave over to Jevon Kavalchuk in Toronto to direct and animate; DEMONS OF THE CASTLE, a seven minute animated short created for the Thunder Bay Police Department which is part of a package to be given to victims of break-and-enter crimes; and either one of BIG ELECTRIC CAT or THE UGG AND THE DRIP, where I hope to work with some of the great talent I've met in the process of creating the other productions and through connections with the film department of Confederation College. (None of my projects has been funded by anyone but myself - by the way! :) A near future project is to incorporate both what I've learned in animating my children's projects and branching into the adult world of film-making with a ten to fifteen minute live action short. This will work in concert with the paintings I have to complete next year for my show at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery beginning May 4, 2008. |
| July, 2007 - ANIMATION PROJECT |
| For the Thunder Bay police department, Dennis Austin, (film prof. at Confederation College) has employed George Renner, Sean McNulty, and myself to create a seven minute short animated film that is part of a DVD package given to victims of break and enter crimes. The short is set in the middle ages where a family returns to their castle to find it ransacked. Two children are the main protagonists who have to deal with their emotions. Anger, Fear, and Guilt are allegorized as monsters that they fight inside the castle. The imagery is created by scanning in watercolours I paint. I take the basic paintings, dazzle them up with Photoshop and create a mood that is otherworldly. Sean and George animate the images, creating amazing environments that can be turned 360 degrees. It's mindblowingly awesome to see the results. I have to twist my mind inside out to draw multiple sides of objects so George and Sean can twist and shape them. Even more mindblowin is their ability to take a "flat" 2D painting of a person, and map it over a model that they can move in 3D. I'm looking forward to the results and have never been so excited by a project, or worked so hard. This will be of film-festival quality, I'm sure. |
| Toronto Rocks - Week long Book Promotion - June 20 - 27, 2007 |
| TORONTO - AWESOME BOOKSTORES! My Toronto trip was worthwhile. Booksellers, genuinely pleased with the quality of my three books, were keen to order them for their shelves. A few stores already had copies and I was happy to sign them. The owners and managers of smaller bookstores; The Flying Dragon, Mable's Fables, Bakka Phoenix, and Pages, were just as eager to meet the author as were the staff of the gigantic Indigo stores and the beautiful Nicholas Hoare bookstore. I was delighted to see that "The Boy from the Sun" was selected as a "staff pick" at two Indigo stores. I made a few great personal contacts which would have been impossible had I not taken on the role of publicist, and flown down from Thunder Bay, where I'm hibernating before I make my next big move, some time next year. The job of selling my books isn't hard - actually quite fun; I suppose because I thoroughly believe in the product. Who knows what my publisher, Simply Read Books is up to. ??? DVD PROMOTION The promotion of the DVD package (4 great stories! for less than the price of a single book) and attempting to get the short animations on television will require some more research and finding the proper channels (pun?). Some companies require a lot more than simply storming into their office to drop off a package. But I had fun doing it and it doesn't hurt to try. Jevon, a great editor and employee of Technicolor, is eagerly editing Spacesnake in his spare time, and I'm already digitally reworking the illustrations for, "Big Electric Cat." It is unbelievably fun to take "static" illustrations and have characters and backgrounds slide around with all sorts of added special effects. The effect for children is total engrossment in the story. When given a choice of having me read the story or watching it, the kids always opt for the DVD version. "Sigh." The result of my book promotion resulted in a good facial tan. I saw a lot of Toronto riding the TTC and walking the streets. I would have loved to stay longer and make a vacation out of it. It's been gloriously hot in the city, but bearable - and a great excuse for rich sugary cold drinks and ice-cream. Next Stop - New York City - Here I come! |
| May, 2007 NEW WORKS/ Northern Arts Grant |
| NEW WORKS! A themed series of large paintings, tentatively called STAGED, has begun for a big show next year at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Although the show will feature my children's book illustrations I want to exhibit adult themed works to fully express what I love to do and what I love about being an artist - the ability to make unusual and hopefully inspiring observations about the world we live in. The theme was inspired by my experience working in the Play Industry where we created large indoor toys for children. I was trained by a talented group of artists, and learned the ropes quickly. I became the art director in one company by default when my boss became sick from the chemicals we worked with. As an art director, I worked with a team of six themers (play industry artists). Much of the process was similar to set-decorating and scene constructing for the movie industry. I worked with an Emmy-award winning sculptor (X-files) and numerous other talented artists. What was really inspiring were the unfinished pieces we rolled around on our barges. The pieces really had an absorbing quality about them and I was intrigued by how it often felt so otherworldly when we worked together on these bizarre objects. Up until the point the work was completed I had all sorts of epiphanies about how much of our present world is a physical construct reliant on an ideological construct. The history of art is the history of ideological belief systems. All sorts of visual and thematic ideas have been bouncing around inside my head for a long time, so I'll finally get a chance to work them out. Should be a blast. NORTHERN ONTARIO ARTS GRANT Special thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for the grant I received this month. The money will come in handy in getting things started for my show at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery next year. |
| April Acts! 2007: Chapters Book Signing - Bachelor of Hope Auction - Smith Clinic - Film Night |
| BOOK SIGNING The book signing at Chapters for the release of my third children's picture book, "The Boy from the Sun" in went well. I met a couple famous local personalities and chatted with a few curious kids and adults. The five hours went by quickly. I was pleasantly surprised that my other two books sold almost as well as the latest one. I'd like to thank the staff and management for helping me out and making it a successful day. I'll be sending my fans your way. BACHELOR AUCTION Success! The bachelor auction raised more money for breast cancer research than any other previous auction - $55,000.00. It was a little daunting to go up in front of 470 crazed Thunder Bay women, some a little underdressed, and more than a few unsure of what the event was for, but the choreography for us ten guys went well, and I only got butterflies in my stomach when I had to "work" the room - dancing around in circles with the audience- and then strut around on stage. The package I represented was worth a thousand dollars and I was sold for $650.00, which was pretty good, but two of our guys really knew how to work up a frenzy and their female coworkers who attended the event got into a bidding war, so Mike sold for $2,500.00 and Dorian went for $3,000.00 - a thousand dollars more than the package was worth! Crazy! I ended up getting only an hour of sleep that night, but the party was worth it. SMITH CLINIC Drug rehabilitation is the focus of this clinic where I am giving painting lessons to four substance abusers who have voluntarily come to the clinic to get help sorting themselves out. Although a little scatterbrained in behaviour, they're actually a lot smarter than they let on, which of course is the cool person's bane in life - having to look stupid to fit in with others whose envy and self-doubt steals away their ability to better themselves. So sayeth the artist! FILM NIGHT Confederation College film student Trevor Picard's film - After the Tone -was quite funny and well done. I had a few lines in an opening sequence and didn't do a half bad acting job. Filming the scene with the guys was fun. When another one of the actors commented that they spent a lot of time waiting around I quoted Michael Caine who said, "I'm not paid to act - I love acting. I'm paid to wait." The three night event was packed. I wasn't allowed in opening night, even though my brother is a full time prof. at the college. I came back Sunday, and was lucky to get a seat. Part of the reason for the big change from last year is that the quality of the films are growing exponentially because of gov. funding for new equipment, and my brother's influence and knowledge gained through his love of movie-making. He made a full length feature horror/comedy film a couple years back called, Zombie Massacre for which I did a few paintings. |
| MARCH, 2007: 7 GRANDFATHER TEACHINGS - Mural with First Nations Children |
| SEVEN GRANDFATHER TEACHINGS MURAL Through an organization called CAHEP (Community and Arts Heritage Project) I am working with a group of First Nations children, and a few youth workers in an after-school program. I've primed the boards and painted a limited background of a fantastic landscape on which the children are painting themes related to the Ojibwe Seven Grandfather Teachings. Some of the children have really taken to the project, while others seem contented to watch. My job is to get them all motivated and excited about the project. |
| FABULOUS FEBRUARY - 2007 - THE BOY FROM THE SUN Arrives on Earth/ Bachelor of Hope Charity/ Learning Through the Arts/ Dr. Gellert's Class/ NEW PLAY - Mom's the Word |
| NEW BOOK! Finally! After a year of delays (whatever they were) The Boy from the Sun is out and on bookshelves in Chapters, Barnes and Nobles, and other book outlets. I haven't decided where or when to hold a book launch, here in Thunder Bay, but I will be doing my own promoting, especially in Toronto and Montreal some time soon. I will hold a seperate launch in Toronto. Any suggestions where this may work best? BACHELOR OF HOPE: Selected as one of ten bachelors to be auctioned to raise money for the Northern Cancer Research Centre I'm looking forward to the dance lessons, the fitting of the tuxedo, and the sundry events leading up to the main event. Dieting and exercising should make me more saleable. (I can do sixty pushups! - okay fifty - on a good day). The auction itself should be a blast, but at this point I haven't got a clue what will happen in a room of 450 women making bids for date packages, including spa treatments, a helicopter ride, a fancy dining experience, etc. I can only hope not to get the lowest bid. LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS Children are creating storyboards at C.D. Howe school in T. Bay, where I'm teaching Grades 3 to 6. One way I encouraged children to generate ideas was to have them reach into a pillowcase and tell me a story based on the objects they feel inside. This technique I picked up from an LTTA Symposium two weeks ago. One of the teachers at C.D. Howe, Mark Tabor, had the children write a chain story. Each child in the row passed their stories, in turn, to others and attempted to create a plot with characters and settings . I expanded on this approach in another class. I divided each group into two parts: one story writer, and the rest as researchers into their particular curriculum that day. The idea was that the researchers were to make available valuable details for the story to help the writer of the moment make it more interesting. By looking closely at what they were studying - in this case - environmental science, and putting this information into a story they were doing what many reporters have done - the kind of "new-journalism" of Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson, and many others. The children didn't understand the research aspect, and even declared it boring until I pointed out that Thompson was nearly stomped to death by the Hell's Angels motorcycle Gang, and Wolfe is universally hated for ripping apart and discovering unwanted aspects of many elites. I compared the research aspect to many actors who, in order to get into character, research the character they will portray in a film. Keannu Reaves hung out with FBI agents, Forrest Whittaker studied the speach and body movement of Idi Amin. There's hundreds of examples. The children in the classroom seemed impressed. I wasn't able to see results as the school bell ended our session. I'll check up on their progress soon. INTERVIEW at L.U. In Dr. Gellert's contemporary children's literature class, Night Wall, my second book was one of ten books assigned for study. The interview with Dr. Gellert went really well. The students, near 40 in number, in Lakehead University were very quiet. Before the class, on the stairway, I overheard two students question the value of studying a relatively unknown author's work in class. After talking about some of the perils of the business, the demands and trials of getting a book published and taken seriously, I believe there was some value in relaying some of my experiences. Dr. Gellert is considering assigning The Boy from the Sun for next year's students. I would love to hear the interpretations of this book. NEW PLAY As publicity and marketing assistant at Magnus Theatre I have many little duties and its been a delight helping promote "Mom's the Word." The five female actors and director are wonderful. They brought their children with them. The young children are being looked after by a daycare worker and roam around the offices and lounge. The thumping sounds of their play-acting can be heard above me. The opening night was a huge success and the play is sure to do well. I've certainly been doing my best to get the word out. |
| JAZZIN' JANUARY - 2007 - SANOMAT Interview/ ART SHOW/ Opening Night/ CAHEP - Teaching an After-School Program |
| INTERVIEW -- The month started well with an interview with Vervi, a reporter for Canada Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper. The questions were pointed and direct. Probably the best interview I've had. Although I couldn't read a word of it, I'm told the article is very well written. Vervi also took a mean photo too. I never looked so good, without Photoshop. ART SHOW: Tettrennial Drift -- Images for my poetry book Tettrennial Drift are at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay from January 19 to February 24 in a show called URBAN INFILL - ART IN THE CORE - THE PROJECTS. The show features Czech born Lenko Novakova-Ango in a show of 8 specially designed monofilament projection screens with video projections. Also featured is Derek Khani who paints mythical characters and legendary beings. Looking forward to the opening this Friday night, Jan. 19. OPENING NIGHT: With over 200 people swarming through the gallery I didn't get much of a chance to talk with the two other artists. It was great to see people respond to the work - actually talking about the work - in groups. I ended up touring small groups around the room, answering dozens of questions about the art itself. Often galleries become the excuse for a social occassion, but people were legitimately excited by the work, which is great to see. Special thanks to Dave and Renee for putting on a grand opening! CAHEP - an after-school program for "disadvantaged" children was a blast once I got over the initial shock of dealing with thirty unruly kids. There were a few successes - great to see improvements. The children created storyboards. The process worked well and even the most difficult children, eventually, created a story - or something like it. They loved the idea of creating a finished book project and were inspired by the readings, sometimes mimicing my own stories. I learned a lot myself. |
| Night Wall DVD COMPLETE - November 29, 2006 |
| Night Wall; the story of two young travelers encountering monsters in the forest is now a short semi-animated video in a beautiful DVD package along with three other as yet unpublished stories. Included is a special version of Night Wall with Steve Ball?s music for Night Wall. Not on this DVD is almost forty minutes of original music that Steve Ball recorded. We?re still working out how to attach this to the package either as a special CD/DVD or as a separate CD. The favorite story for children however (I discovered to my surprise when presenting the stories to classrooms), is not Night Wall but The Love Ant. The determined little ant won the children?s hearts, and the trick ending caused quite an amazing reaction ? first dead silence as they contemplated the ending, then a huge gasp, then a burst of laughter with spontaneous applause. Despite all the efforts of those involved in putting together Night Wall - the detail, the finessing, the fussing with everything, the cool monsters, suspense, mystery, dynamic music, excellent narration, slick editing, etc. - the STORY of a little ant won out with the praise it garnered from both children and teachers. The Love Ant is presented as a slide show ? no panning or special effects ? and with my imperfect voice as narrator. Not that the effort on Night Wall was wasted in any way, but Night Wall is a more psychological story and the effect on children is simply harder to read, and probably no less effective for what it is. In regards to Night Wall I was amazed by one child who piped up midway through the reading with a question that lead to the heart of the story and was the underpinning of the original meaning I had intended to express, but only inferred to indirectly because I thought the meaning might be a little ?heavy? for kids. She deduced the theme right away and was quite vocal about it. I had to give her praise for seeing what others had only seen circumstantially, and to which no university student who studied the book last year in a children?s literature class was able to discern in their analysis of the book. Because it is a picture book, the idea that there are different levels of meaning might not occur to some people. The primary reason for spending so much time on the detail was to get people to look, to come back to the images, to engage them ? or at least encourage them to wonder about the disconcerting elements in the story. The children?s reactions to the story are really very encouraging, and an indication that I?m on the right track. The DVD will be used primarily to promote the talents of those involved, primarily myself and Steve Ball, and to generate other artistic projects. Weeks of refining and Photoshopping images of the original illustrations, months of learning and editing, and adding little effects, narration, and the incredible musical results of Steve Ball make it much more than a promotional package and has real potential to sell as a DVD in stores or on the web. I?m going to explore all options. |
| A Job in the Theatre! - New DVD - July 17, 2006 |
| HIRED BY MAGNUS THEATRE IN THUNDER BAY I received warnings from people who had worked there previously not to take on the job. They have a very high turnover - 14 staff left in 2006. (We'll see how may leave next year.) I've had jobs where politics and crazy people reigned supreme, and you can't take theatre people seriously - after all - they're all aspiring wannabees and fame seekers in some respect and if they overact, get dramatic, jealous, or bitter on you, don't take it personally. Pretend you're watching television. I'm serious! It works. If your boss screams at you and makes ludicrous statements and suggestions that have no basis in reality, don't get confused, or seek the affirmation of others that the world is not totally abstract - just turn the channel. In a field where ticket sales account for 15% of the revenue and the rest comes from government grants and donations to keep a theatre afloat, you don't have to take anyone in the theatre business seriously. Reality isn't something they believe in. The reality is that a ticket to see a single live theatre production should cost you $135.00. As if I don't have enough projects on the go, I was about to head to Toronto. I am now full time in the publicity and marketing department. And more like an artist in residence I will be creating posters and graphic imagery for the celebratory 35th season. The new theatre was built five years ago and is attached to a schoolhouse built in 1884. I work in the schoolhouse. It's a hive of activity with Mexican children stomping around, learning to dance and speak English as part of an exchange program. My partner is John Cameron, a former television host and professional curler. We're both learning Corel draw and coming up with ways to get "bums in seats." Marketing is easy when you're selling something cultural, beneficial, and fun. I'm having a blast coming up with poster ideas. BEGINNINGS OF ANIMATED "BOY FROM THE SUN" At home I'm using Photoshop to create backdrops from my book "The Boy from the Sun" to use in a DVD production for the book. I'm going to apply for a grant to see if the National Film Board will help me to turn it into an animated short film. I spent two weeks last summer creating hand drawn animation cells. It was difficult, but fun. The end result using Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, and Soundtrack could be awesome. |
| UNDERCATS - June 16, 2006 |
| Euphoria! I picked up my printed copy of Undercats today and had a rush like never before. The look, weight, feel, and even the smell of a stack of laser-ink printed pages - 259 pages that now exists outside of a digitized world - really sunk in as an accomplishment. I spent two and a half years working on this novel. The last two months were fully dedicated to completing it, working 5 to 10 hours a day each day. Although it was difficult, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing process, especially the editing and tiny additions that made the story better and better each time I read it through. This is my first novel, and it is for young adults. THE STORY: Jimmy, a boy of about 11 is renamed Upcat at the beginning of his adventure in an underground realm dug out by oversized walking and talking cats. These undercats use the evolutionary addition of spades and hammers to their tails to dig, carve, sculpt, and build a wonderful mix of eclectic styles of living spaces in their veins (tunnels) and cavities (caverns). Upcat, the first human to meet the undercats, is drawn into a political power struggle, a struggle that will determine the undercat's future relationship with humans. One group sees value in humanity and the other wants to terrorize the humans above. Drawings and design for the cover jacket have begun. The cats are a blast to draw. The book will not be illustrated, as originally planned, as the words stand on their own. |
| Night Wall DVD Production - BIG OPPORTUNITY - May 21, 2006 |
| Illustrations from NIGHT WALL have become backdrops for a short semi-animated film to promote the book and as part of the package for the next printing. Original music by Steve Ball (www.steveball.com) was the impetus for creating the DVD component. Steve is busy at work with Robert Fripp (of King Crimson fame) on a project called the Vista sessions, making music and sounds for Microsoft's "Window's Vista," which will be purchased by millions of people and used for the next ten years and longer. THE BIG NEWS is that Jon Anderson from another famous rock group, Yes, has seen Night Wall (Sent to him by Steve Ball) and (hope and pray) may contribute to the project with his voice for the CD side of the package. I can't begin to explain how wonderful it would be for him to contribute. Jon, if you're reading this, whatever your decision, thanks so much for all the wonderful music over the years. I'm looking forward to more and more. While I write my roommate's two ferrets are climbing all over my keyboard attempting to get at my tea. When I drop them to the floor they get angry and try to bite my toes. Very uncivilized. For revenge, I will take them out for a walk and let neighbours Brianna and Kierra (ages 3 and 7) play with them. The ferrets LOVE that! |
| Teaching in School: LTTA: May 2006 |
| Through a program called Learning Through The Arts I am helping to teach part of the curriculum in Forest Park Elementary, here in Thunder Bay, in grades 4, 5, and 6. I read my books and then allow them time to come up with ideas and help them to write and illustrate their own stories. Although I've read to children before, it's my first attempt at encouring them to write. They have little problem with the drawing aspect, but they do have trouble organizing their ideas in a cohesive manner. I was surprised at how much they'd already covered in terms of both writing and drawing techniques. Freewriting and perspective I thought might be taught to older grades, so it was great for me, in that I was able to throw out ideas that were a little more complex. |
| Night Wall Listed in Contemporary Children's Lit. Class - Feb, 6, 2006 |
| Dr. Gellert added "Night Wall" to his reading list for his course, Contemporary Children's Literature currently underway at Lakehead University, here in Thunder Bay. In three interview sessions we talked in front of a class of fifty students about the influences and meaning of the story. We also talked a little about my experiences as an author and illustrator, and we discussed the illustrations, the techniques and aesthetic inluences upon the visual elements. Dr. Gellert made valuable comparisons of my work, motifs and related elements of my story with classic fairy tales. I was intrigued by the parallels to Oscar Wilde's story, The Selfish Giant. In discussing the meaning of the story I made the point that what I was discussing with them I would not discuss with reporters. Because some issues are sensitive I worry that underlying themes could be misconstrued and my intentions misinterpreted. The students wrote a page each about what they thought the story was about and how it related to the present day. it was fascinating to read and gave me a real confidence boost. Most of everything I had hoped to say was communicated to the reader. Albeit they were asked to analyse the story in a university setting, but it tells me that I'm on the right track, that I'm not producing popular art fluff and that there's real potential to accomplish something worthwhile. |
| Music for Night Wall by Steve Ball - Aug.12, 2005 |
| Steve Ball, a wonderful Seattle musician associated with some of the greatest progressive rock musicians in the business, and a great friend who I have yet to meet, has created music for Night Wall. He sings the text and plays all the instruments. You can listen to his music at www.steveball.com. On his main page, choose "words," then scroll down a little till you see illustrations from Night Wall and click on the music samples. Steve has recorded with Robert Fripp of KIng Crimson and a host of notable musicians. I don't think I have ever been paid such a high compliment for my work. Months ago, while painting in a library, a man approached me and asked, "Can you live on that?" I replied with the line told to me by a woman in Montreal when her artistic son was asked that same question: he said, "That depends on what you need to live." Having a talented musician make music for my images is worth more than money. It makes all that effort, "that little extra" as Tolstoy described, worthwhile. Compliments like this will last my entire life and make me richer in soul. My favorite image building music has always been of the art rock/ alternative variety, along with classical music, and jazz. I like the feeling of travelling somewhere where a variety of events are taking place, where the music works like a soundtrack to a film with suspense and surprises; a beginning, middle, and end. Steve and I started a correspondance over a year ago when I ordered his latest box set of music, www.steveball.com: excellent works of intricate and harmonious guitar music. He's also an accomplished pianist. DO! check out his web site and order his music! You will not be dissappointed! |
| INVITATION TO SHOW AT THUNDER BAY ART GALLERY in 2007 or 2008 |
| VISIT THE THUNDER BAY ART GALLERY!! This is GREAT NEWS! The Thunder Bay Art Gallery, the largest public run gallery for this region, has offered me a show! I was strolling through the gallery admiring the wonderful oil paintings of Winnipeg artist Steve Gouthro when I met Sharon Godwin. Sharon was an acquaintance from fifteen years ago before I left Thunder Bay. Sharon is now the director of the gallery. Later, during the all too short six hours of talking with the curator, Glenn Allison, over a wonderful dinner he prepared; he suggested the gallery display my work. Glenn, a newcomer to Thunder Bay, felt confident that my paintings would make for a great exhibit. This opportunity is not only a confidence builder for me, but will inspire me to create new work, and to focus on specific goals for my visual art outside of the illustrations for the children's books. The show will happen some time in 2007/8. Thank you Sharon and Glenn! |
| Return to Thunder Bay - hometown July 15, 2005 |
| After a seventeen year absense with only one short visit to help my brother on his fim, Zombie Massacre, I am in Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario: The Great White North. I am house-sitting for my brother Eric while he and a friend road trip across the Prairies to Vancouver (California Canada). Eric has his own film business and teaches at the local college. Using Eric's computers I am putting together a promotional DVD for my books and art work. With the program Final Cut Studio I am creating animation shorts to compliment titles and to make for neat little introductions. No film required! I scan the drawings, sequence and edit them to make movement, and voila! Cartoons! I've done over 200 little drawings so far and a few backdrops. Using Photoshop I took images from my upcoming book, The Boy from the Sun, and erased the children, turning the images into backdrops for the animated characters to run across. Coming back to Thunder Bay is an interesting experience. The trees have certainly grown. The houses are inexpensive and more beautiful than I remember them. Unfortunately young people are leaving in droves, I'm told. The Fort William and Port Arthur downtown cores have serious problems while the newer shopping district is expanding. Despite its problems, the city is actually more attractive than I remember it. Houses continue to be built. The parks are great. I can't wait to rekindle memories by visiting my favourite haunts when I was a child. For now I'm spending all my time in front of a monitor, but I'm having fun. Not sure how long I'll stay. |
| June 16, 2005 - My Books Appear in Hollywood Film, "MARTIAN CHILD" |
| Fun fun! My books, and a large poster for "The Boy from the Sun", may appear in the set of a boy's bedroom for the motion picture currently in production in Vancouver called "Martian Child," starring John Cusack, Joan Cusack, and Amanda Peet. A set decorator for the film found a copy of Spacesnake in a book shop, and thought it related thematically to the movie. I offered to have a poster made for The Boy from the Sun, as the book does not yet exist, but will by the time the film comes out, in December 2006. The film is based on the Hugo and Nebula award winning novella by David Gerrold, author of Star Trek's classic "The Trouble with Tribbles." The story is about a single father who adopts a difficult child who thinks he comes from Mars. The director is Menno Meyjes who made the semi-controversial film "Max". In this film John Cusack plays an art dealer who has a difficult relationship with a young Adolf Hitler. Hitler strives to become an artist, and the film reveals how art and power and self expression can be closely and dangerously linked together. I highly recommend seeing "Max," and I'm sure "Martian Child" is going to be a great film as well. |
| June 6, 2005 - Serendipity Supreme |
| Amazing! My first book signing: Victoria, B.C. I was sketching at my table in Chapters; books and artwork displayed, having just set up; when I looked up at two beautiful women, one who asks, "Do you recognize me?" It takes a second before her surprised face registers. "Julie!" I say with complete surprise, "I don't believe it." Julie Payne was seventeen years of age when she modeled twelve years ago for my story Night Wall. I hadn't seen her since, and made several attempts over the years to contact her to let her know of the progress with the book. She was on the move, living in England for a while. She returned to Victoria recently and walked into Chapters to meet a friend. I was thrilled to be able to give her a copy of the book after so many years. |
| May 17, 2005 - Back in British Columbia |
| I've left Montreal behind for a while. I'm staying at my mother's, and friends, on beautiful Vancouver Island. I visit Vancouver from time to time. I house-sat while mom was away for two weeks. Mom recently returned from Libya with a pouch of light sienna Sahara sand. She was on a sightseeing trip with a group looking at old Roman ruins and the slowly progressing life of the people in the country. I've been able to work with Doug who is designing The Boy from the Sun. He was primarily the scanner guy for various projects, but after some schooling he is now expanding into book design; doing a great job. I am learning a lot in the process. |
| APRIL. 2005 - LEAVING MONTREAL |
| LEAVING MONTREAL So sad, but my financial situation, partly a result of my inablity to pick up the French language (I've taken classes and studied hard), and the fall-through of two book illustration projects with my publisher has left me destitute. My apartment is nice, but pricey, so I'm skipping town, which I really don't want to do. I'm a having a good time here and was just beginning to make friends. I'll try to keep in touch. Feb. 1, 2005 - Interview: Prince George Free Press: A Voyage Back to Youth - by Teresa Malam "Duncan Weller is the author and illustrator of a new children's picture book titled Spacesnake. Duncan is the eldest son of founding University of Northern British Columbia president and academic Geoffrey Weller. Geoffrey came to Prince George in 1991 to set up the university. He passed away four and a half years ago after serving two terms as president. Duncan credits his father with switching on the art bug at an early age. "When I was five he took me to an exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. After seeing all the wonderful planetary exhibits we watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was featured at the centre. I thought the film was some kind of documentary. After the film we stepped out onto the concrete entranceway and I looked up to the stars. I had my first transcendental moment. I was blown away with how awesomely huge and free the universe is and how small I seemed in comparison standing on solid ground. The closest I could get to repeat the same feeling was to use my imagination when I drew and painted. I hope when children read my books they get that same feeling of mystery." Duncan credits his love of painting to his mother. "My father would go to conferences and do research across Canada and the United States, but my mother would take us to the all the major museums and various galleries in each city we passed through. While at the Boston Museum of Fine Art dad stayed with the car. He went for a coffee and when he returned all the contents of the car had been stolen. Other cars were robbed as well, and the car ahead of us was missing completely." But that incident didn't stop Duncan's mother, Jean, an award winning quilter, from visiting many other galleries. Duncan was impressed by the American's support of the arts and the love shown in their art of great individuals and the land. Spacesnake tells the story of a mean machine that runs into damage control when its dastardly deeds are foiled by a small boy. The central character, a mechanical snake was inspired by nothing more than playing. "I had a blank pad of thick paper in front of me one day. I felt like drawing, but the adult side of me was uninspired, so I asked the child inside me what he wanted to draw. He said 'asteroids' and so I drew asteroids. When I got tired of that the boy inside said 'draw a big mechanical snake and people reacting to it.'" And so the drawings came before the story. Duncan fleshed out a plot to make sense of the first image and Spacesnake was born. "When I first went to university at Lakehead, I started out as an art snob. I was going to be a gallery artist and thought children's books were beneath me. But I discovered I could paint better than my professors, so I switched to English Literature where my love for children's literature was rekindled." After many years of rejections and failed collaborations with other Canadian publishers Duncan took six completely written and illustrated stories to a new Vancouver publisher. This publisher was impressed straight off and agreed to publish three of the books; Spacesnake, Night Wall, and The Boy from the Sun - all to be available on book shelves this year and distributed across Canada, the United States, England, and Australia. "It's very difficult to get published in Canada. I almost gave up. I was literally two weeks away from heading to the United States when my work was accepted here. Weller was born in Lennoxville, Quebec. He studied visual arts and English Literature at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario and graduated in 1991. He now lives in Montreal spending half his time on his children's books. He also shows adult work in galleries, paints murals, designs freelance and writes for adults as well. Spacesnake is published by Simply Read Books, www.simplyreadbooks.com. His books can be ordered through Amazon.com/Canada." |
| Evgenia with a Pearl Ear Ring - Montreal, Feb. 25, 2005 |
| Evgenia Deichman, a slight, sweet, and pretty sixteen year old Russian immigrant commissioned me to paint a portrait of her as the Girl with the Pearl Ear Ring by Dutch painter Jan Vermeer. Evgenia's high school art teacher told her she resembled the mysterious woman wearing a turben. Inspired, Evgenia sought out an artist finding me through a friend of hers, Julia. Julia and I were taking French classes in the same school, in Montreal. Evgenia sat in the same position as The Girl to have her photo taken. I adjusted a light to cast similar shadows. I drew a sketch from the photo combining her face with the cloths of The Girl's. The cloths are painted in acrylic and Evgenia's face is painted in oil. |
| Boy from the Sun - Completed! Montreal, Oct., 2004 |
| Hurray! After years and years I have finally put the finishing touches on The Boy from the Sun. I've carried the illustrations around the country for years, addicted to an ideal, as if I were Leonardo travelling from town to town with the unfinished painting of the Mona Lisa secretly stowed amongst his bags. The idea for The Boy from the Sun came in 1986. I began painting in '89 and stopped in '89, leaving it because the child's voice inside said I wasn't good enough to complete it. Years later in 2003 the voice came back (the etherial voice of inspiration, of course), and told me to continue. So now in 2004 the story and illustrations are complete. One principal illustration took me a month and a half to paint, working up to twelve hours a day, six days a week. The end poem took a while too. Two lines are; "I see and hear and feel the breeze today, And all the paths of leaves are in the air." Of all my books, I think this will be the most successful. |
