carly waito

little blizzard

2012-01-08T12:35:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season. Mine was really great. I spent a week in Thunder Bay with my family, and enjoyed all the requisite visiting, eating, drinking, sleeping, knitting and Food Network TV marathon watching that have come to be my standard Christmas routine. I feel so fortunate that not only did I get to share a fun and restful time with people I love, but I also received some lovely gifts. This beautiful snow globe is one of my favourites. I think there's more snow in there than we've seen all winter in Toronto.

print!

2011-12-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to announce that my first limited edition artist print is now available from Magic Pony. It is a full-scale reproduction of the painting I did for the Adam & the Amethysts 'Flickering Flashlight' album cover. The print comes with an mp3 download of the album. Just in time for the holidays!

September Mineral Show

2011-12-10T13:32:00.001-05:00

Here is a pile of photos from September (months after the fact - typical me;) at the annual show held by the Gem and Mineral Club of Scarborough. This is my favourite show of the year. So many good vendors, and the swap room is fantastic. I can't wait for next September!

new

2011-11-23T23:07:00.001-05:00

smoky quartz with inclusions ~ oil on masonite ~ 9 x 11"

watermelon tourmaline ~ oil on masonite ~ 8 x 10"

Some new paintings that are flying off to Miami with Narwhal at the end of the month.

nestled

2011-11-20T01:37:00.001-05:00

Another successful bunny photo shoot with Sonja this weekend. Here's my favourite shot.

Visit her at the One of a Kind Show starting this Thursday through Dec. 4th!

country weekend part 3: farm animals

2011-11-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

The woman who rented us the cabin we stayed in also has a small farm on her property with the most beautiful and friendly animals.

country weekend part 2: in the forest

2011-10-24T12:10:00.000-04:00

country weekend part 1: horse ride

2011-10-19T23:26:00.000-04:00

This past weekend my BFF Alissa, her lovely friend Anna (who was visiting from Italy), and I rented a car and escaped the city for a few days. We started our little holiday with a morning trail ride at the horse farm where Alissa has been taking riding lessons. The morning started and ended with rain, but it miraculously stopped for the duration of our ride. It was my first time really riding a horse, and it was amazing. The misty countryside was absolutely breathtaking, with cool grey skies and the changing fall colours. I wish I could have taken photos during the ride! Riding was alternately calming and exhilarating, as I started to get comfortable on the horse and then we shook things up a bit (literally) by speeding up to a trot. We even did a little galloping - yikes. I really want to do it again!

This is one of the old retired horses wandering around on the property. She was really skinny and had burrs stuck in her hair, but she was still beautiful.

And this is Bear, one of the farm dogs. He was so sweet - aggressively affectionate (he even head-butted my camera when I was trying to take his picture because he wanted so badly for me to pet him). He followed along for our whole ride.

Flickering Flashlight

2011-10-04T13:17:00.001-04:00

Photo by Celia Perrin Sidarous.

Today is the official release of Adam and the Amethyst's new album, "Flickering Flashlight" on Kelp Records. I have actually been listening to it for many months already, since my brother gave me an early version when I was working on the cover art, and I absolutely adore it. Adam and I composed the image for the cover together, with various objects he and I have collected over the years. I photographed our composition and made a painting of it. Here it is:

The album (which can be streamed here or ordered here) has already received some great reviews and a cover story in the Hour in Montreal.

They will be playing here in Toronto tomorrow night, a few more shows in Ontario and the East Coast over the next couple of weeks, and in Brooklyn on Nov. 9th. The Kelp site has a listing of venues and dates.

Aaaand... They also have a beautiful new video for one of my favourite songs (NSFW due to the skinny-dipping). It was made at Toronto Island by Yuula Benivolski.

ADAM & THE AMETHYSTS - Dreaming (NSFWish) from kelprecords on Vimeo.

Killarney rain day

2011-09-16T16:33:00.000-04:00

On our one rainy day at Killarney we slept in late and abandoned plans to do a hike. There was a severe storm (tornado!) warning, but thankfully the storm didn't even touch us beyond a little rain and wind. During a break in the rain we did a little exploring near the lake by our campsite, and sat by the water for a bit, just relaxing with coffee. Then we went into the village for dinner at the famous 'Herbert Fisheries Fish and Chips' which is right on the water. The boat that catches the fish fresh from Georgian Bay was docked beside the outdoor dining area. The fish was amazing, and the setting and weather were idyllic. When we returned to the campground we were greeted by the most gorgeous pink misty sunset. Despite the rain, it turned out to be a great day.

new website!

2011-09-08T12:24:00.000-04:00

I finally got my new website finished! Please let me know if you notice anything glitchy.

www.carlywaito.com

Thanks to Geoff and Steve C. for their advice!!

Specimens

2011-09-07T12:46:00.000-04:00

I can't believe my show is opening tomorrow night! I'm sorry I didn't post the details here sooner.

If you live in Toronto I hope you can make it! Here's the info:

Carly Waito

Specimens

September 8 - October 2, 2011

@ Narwhal Art Projects, 680 Queen St. West

Opening Reception: Thursday, Sept. 8th from 7-10pm

More info at the Narwhal Art Projects website.

The Crack

2011-09-03T00:11:00.000-04:00

The Crack was by far the most challenging and impressive trail we hiked at Killarney. It leads through forest, rocky landscapes and up and through a massive crack in the quartzite ridge. At the end is a spectacular almost 360 degree view. The rocks were unreal - so pale and almost waxy - glowing in the bright sunlight.

(The photos in my previous post that Andrew took are from the Crack too.)

West view from the top

the iceberg

2011-08-31T13:39:00.000-04:00

There's an interview with me up on The Iceberg today. Thanks to Aldrin for doing such a nice job of it!

return from Killarney

2011-08-28T23:32:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful time at Killarney Provincial Park - it was everything we had hoped for. I only wish we could have stayed for more than four nights. We had mostly great weather, a perfect campsite, did the best hikes ever, and took soooo many pictures - mostly of rocks. Killarney has amazing geological features, which is something that is of great interest to both Andrew and I. Between the awe inspiring views and the incredible details at our feet, there are going to have to be a few posts to cover all the beauty we saw. For now, here are a few shots Andrew took of me along the way.

home improvements

2011-08-08T17:47:00.000-04:00

There hasn't been much action on this here old blog lately. The summer is just racing by. Lately it has been a blur of family visits, good times with friends, and lots of work. We've had some major apartment improvements courtesy of Andrew and our good friend Clayton (new bookshelf - details below), and my Dad (while visiting last weekend, he installed new ceiling lights for us in the dining room and bedroom - replacing the hideous fixtures that have been tormenting us for the last three years. Thanks Dad!).

This bookshelf has transformed our living room. All these books used to sit on the floor, in a long line at the base of the wall, curling around into the dining room, collecting dust bunnies. Now our living room feels like a library (there are several other full bookshelves in addition to this). Andrew and Clayton made it using reclaimed wood that Clayton acquired from an old mansion in Rosedale. The wood itself is spectacular. So thick, heavy and rich, with beautiful grain. They planed the surfaces smooth and did a decorative paint effect on the rough edges of the boards. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical when Andrew described it to me as several colours of spray paint randomly stenciled onto the wood and partially sanded off. I tend to prefer more minimal and natural surfaces on furniture, and to get my colour dose from textiles and artwork. But once I saw the results I was totally won over. I think it looks amazing, especially full of books. I love how the colours of the books themselves play off the subtle colours on the shelf edges.

Our place feels so much better with all these improvements, and it's good timing, since I'll be locked in the house working furiously to finish my paintings before we go camping (!!!) in a couple of weeks.

melting

2011-07-18T14:03:00.000-04:00

Oh man, it's hot in Toronto right now. I spent most of yesterday afternoon spraying myself with the hose in the backyard. Alas, today I must accomplish something, so I am going to try to finish this painting of fluorite. I love this specimen. The colour zoning inside (the stripes of green and violet) is so neat. This is the second fluorite specimen I am painting for my show. Fluorite is so frosty and matte compared to most of the other minerals I have painted, which have tended to be very shiny, crisp and clear. This specimen in particular looks very cool and icy, which makes for a strange sensation: staring something that looks so cold, while feeling so hot.

Oh yeah, and... kitten! (not mine :( but my upstairs neighbour's) It's a bad blurry nighttime picture, but I had to share his cuteness. He is dark grey (part Russian Blue) with matching dark grey eyes and a white tip on his tail. His name is Q Tip.

summer bunnies

2011-07-08T00:32:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday of this week I had Sonja over for another bunny photo shoot. It was super fun, and man, somehow these little guys just keep getting better and better. These are two of my favourite shots. Sonja's in town from the Yukon to present her bunnies at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition at Nathan Phillips Square this weekend. The show runs Friday through Sunday. If you are in Toronto, you should check it out! These bunnies should not be missed, and among the completely overwhelming masses of art and craft at the show, there is always plenty of inspiration and some real treasures to be found.

Plus 1 in NY

2011-06-30T14:16:00.000-04:00

The group exhibition I will be participating in in New York opens next week at Sloan Fine Art.

The opening reception is Wednesday, July 6, from 6-8pm, and the show runs from July 7-28th.

Here is a link to the press release for the show.

It is called Plus 1. A selection of the gallery's artists were asked to each invite one artist to show along side them. The artist who chose me as his 'plus 1' is Montreal-based Brad Woodfin. I have been admiring his work for some time, and am so thrilled and honoured to be a part of this with him. His paintings are absolutely stunning! I wish I could visit NY for the opening, however I just don't have the time or funds to get there this summer. boo.

Here is the piece I made for the show, Pyrite 2, 10" x 10", oil on panel:

And here is some of Brad's incredible work (not specifically what will be in the exhibition):

Ibis, 16" × 20", oil on panel

Curlew, 8" × 10", oil on panel

Gerenuk, 12" × 9", oil on panel

web

2011-06-26T00:04:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went for a hike at a place we'd never been before. It was a beautiful spot, and such a relief to escape the city for an afternoon. I took many pictures, most of which turned out awful, thanks to the lovely, but much too-dim dappled light. But this series is quite magical, I think.

iris

2011-06-12T18:58:00.000-04:00

painting, painting, and more painting

2011-06-03T13:32:00.000-04:00

Although you wouldn't know it from following this blog, I have been doing a lot of painting in the last bunch of months. I have wanted to keep most of it a surprise for the show in September, but here's a sneak peak of one I finished recently. The collection is coming together nicely; I have 10 pieces done now, and hope to get another 4 or so done by the end of the summer.

A bit of exciting news: I was just invited to be part of a group exhibition in New York in July! I'm doing a new piece, which I am hoping to finish this weekend. I'll post more info about it soon.

a new view

2011-05-26T22:48:00.001-04:00

You may have noticed my new header. Well, I'm hoping to do some more sprucing up around here, but it will likely happen in bits and pieces as I find the time to figure things out; little improvements here and there - nothing drastic. Hopefully I won't mess it all up in the process;)

backyard cat season begins

2011-05-21T16:03:00.003-04:00

I have a new friend. This big beautiful guy was hanging out with me all afternoon while I worked in the garden. He would lounge in the shade for a bit, then come over to visit me every once in a while, check out what I was up to, get a little attention, then lumber back to the shade. What a sweetheart. I hope he keeps coming around!

roses

2011-05-16T13:39:00.001-04:00

(top two images from David Austin Roses, bottom two images ??)

This is my new plant obsession that I alluded to in a previous post: roses. I have long been dreaming of having climbing roses in my garden. It seemed like a small step towards achieving more of a Secret Garden vibe, rather than the junky-backyard look I'm rocking now. Once I started looking into rose options seriously this spring for the first time, I got totally sucked in. There are just so many amazing varieties. I chose 4 bare root roses from Pickering Nurseries. They are (clockwise from top left) Sombreuil, Comte de Champagne, Louisa Stone, and Leverkusen. The Sombreuil and Leverkusen are climbers. The other two are bushes. I love these big pouffy old fashioned types, and round cupped petals. Basically, I like roses that look like peonies. But unlike peonies, these roses should keep blooming throughout the summer! I have always thought of roses as tricky, labour intensive plants, but as I have been learning more about them, this really doesn't seem to be the case. All the research I have done lately has also taught me how to care for the couple of climbing roses that were already in the garden, so I've finally pruned and trellised them properly for the first time. Here is a photo my mom took of me when I was planting my new babies. I'll keep you posted on their progress!

Do any of you have experience growing roses? Any tips? Favourite varieties?

spring at last

2011-05-10T21:48:00.000-04:00

It is finally spring for real in the garden. While the leaves on the trees are still barely more than buds, there is plenty of green (and pink and white and yellow...) happening at ground level. I spent a couple of beautiful, sunny afternoons working out back this weekend and it was heavenly. I also had my mom and brother here for our annual Mother's Day weekend visit. It was so nice! Of course, I didn't manage to take any photos, but I'm waiting for my mom to send some that she took. I think she got at least one shot of me posing in the garden with a shovel like a dork that I may decide to post if I don't look too ridiculous. We'll see...

mountain formation, 1874

2011-04-29T18:17:00.000-04:00

from here

little cardigan

2011-04-11T19:04:00.001-04:00

I finally finished it up and sewed on the wooden buttons. Now to wrap it up and mail it off to my cousin who will be a mom very soon! It was a very simple pattern, which I found for free here (through Ravelry).

more hellebores

2011-04-11T00:08:00.001-04:00

I have had a hardcore gardening weekend. The weather was great, and it felt wonderful to get so much done - planting seeds, moving perennials, adding manure to the beds, building trellises... I also made a trip to Plant World, to get some supplies, where I happened upon several gorgeous Hellebore varieties. I wasn't planning to get more of these until maybe next year, but they seduced me. Plus, they were on sale, so how could I resist them? There are three: The top two are different colours of the same double petalled variety; a greenish yellow and a dusty greenish pink (2 pics of the pink one), both with subtle little speckling; and the last one is a different variety with spiky edged leaves whose nodding flowers will appear more white as they open.

This year I was supposed to take it easy with the garden, since I should really be spending most of my time painting, but I haven't been able to stick to my aim of keeping things low-maintenance. I just enjoy it so much that I can't keep myself from following whims and trying new things. In the Spring, especially, I feel a passion and excitement for gardening that I haven't felt about much else all winter. I just have to find a way to be more efficient with my time. Maybe I can add a few extra hours to the day or days to the week? ha ha. Wouldn't that be nice.

I have managed to develop yet another new plant obsession (in addition to this Hellebore infatuation), which will definitely make more work for myself, but I just couldn't put off indulging it until next year. So... more about that soon.

more from yesterday

2011-04-03T20:46:00.001-04:00

The best thing about yesterday was seeing my friend Stephen Appleby-Barr's exhibition at Nicholas Metivier Gallery. It was the last day for the show and I'm so glad I made it. It was amazing! I even bumped in to Stephen on the street after, and he gave me these exhibition cards from his secret stash.

I also bought some buttons for my baby sweater (which is aaaalmost finished). I had trouble choosing, so I got a few options. Hopefully in the next couple of days I will finish it up and post some photos here. I have to finish soon, because the baby is nearly due! The other thing I bought that I planned to photograph to show you was a pair of pink jeans. I've been dreaming about pink jeans for a long time now, and found a great dusty rose pair at Urban Outfitters. However, I chickened out of modeling them for you all. Maybe another day...

busy day

2011-04-02T22:03:00.001-04:00

Today was a beautiful day, and full of activity. We took advantage of the weather (sunny and mild) to do a LOT of pruning in the backyard. I also ventured out on my bike to do a bunch of things (more about that when the sun rises so I can take some decent photos in the house). I brought home the best roti in the world for dinner, and now I'm editing some new mineral photos that I took last night. I plan to start a new painting of one of these tomorrow. It feels good to be productive. Maybe I can manage to pry myself out of bed before 10 in the morning (yeah, right) so I can get even MORE done tomorrow.

hellebore

2011-03-24T23:48:00.001-04:00

I went to the Canada Blooms garden show last weekend (thanks to my fantastic neighbour and gardening buddy Sandy, who volunteers every year and gets me a free ticket!) and bought myself a Hellebore plant(aka Lenten Rose or Christmas Rose). I have been in love with these plants for years and am so happy to finally have one. I was going to plant it outside right away, but we just had a big dump of snow (booo), so it will have to wait. Until the show melts, my new Hellebore will live in a pot by the kitchen window. Anyways, it's kind of a shame to stick such a beautiful plant in the back of the yard, when it will only be blooming when it is too cold to spend much time out there. I'm happy to have an excuse to keep it inside for a while where I can really enjoy it. I can see myself getting completely obsessed with Hellebores. There are many incredible variations.

signs of life

2011-03-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

I did some cleaning up in the garden today.

Things are starting to sprout up through the detritus, even impaling whole leaves.

This makes me feel hopeful.

Marcasite

2011-03-17T17:13:00.000-04:00

A new work in progress.

meteorology, 1846

2011-03-04T13:16:00.000-05:00

from here

icebergs, 1894

2011-02-23T20:07:00.000-05:00

from here

winter survival

2011-02-18T13:49:00.001-05:00

A few things helping me get through February this year:

A new stack of Scandinavian/Nordic mysteries and Wallander on DVD - so good!

I have ventured away from Sweden and on to Iceland and Norway. I'm savouring the last Wallander book now.

I haven't started the Jo Nesbo yet, but I've finished the three Icelandic mysteries by Indridason, and they were great.

Tulips from my valentine.

Beautiful old type drawer to display some of my collections (birthday present from my honey).

Filling this up with tiny things will occupy me for a while.

Mail from far away friends.

Knitting my first baby sweater (for a cousin's forthcoming little one).

I've also been re-watching Veronica Mars, one of my favourite shows ever. So addictive!

What has been helping you to survive this winter?

birthday #30

2011-02-11T12:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. I took the day off work, slept in, got my hair trimmed (professionally for the first time in over a year - yikes!), bought some yarn and started a new knitting project (more about that later, hopefully), and went out for an amazing dinner with Andrew at Atlantic. It was a perfect day. My parents had these flowers delivered for me - so sweet! And my Dad sent me this photo on facebook. I think I was about 5 years old? Notice the rad tent trailer in the background. I love it! It is mini-me! It's funny how I seem to look more like my young-child-self now than I did at any other time in my teenagehood/adulthood. I guess it's the hair.

I feel pretty good about being 30. I don't really see why people make such a fuss about this number. I guess I'm pretty lucky to feel happy about where I'm at in my life right now.

first collection

2011-02-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

This is my first rock collection. Well, not counting things I picked up off the ground. I've been looking for it for ages, and finally found it hidden in our cluttered apartment. I brought it for show-and-tell in kindergarten, and while it was sitting on the counter at the back of the classroom, waiting for show-and-tell time, some kid covered up my name with blue marker. So mean! He vandalized my rock collection! I was so upset. But I wrote my name again on the lid with some stars and hearts. And my mom wrote my name on the underside of the lid and on the bottom of the box with my address. It was clearly a precious possession. I'm not sure about the math equations on the back. I can't imagine that I would have written those there, since it was such a special object to me, so maybe someone else did that too? Curious. Anyways, I'm so happy I found it! It is definitely my most treasured childhood artifact.

dog-sitting

2011-01-29T18:54:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I have his parents' dog Holly staying with us for the weekend.

We took her for a walk at dusk this evening with our friend Clayton and tossed a stick around in a nearby field.

It sure is nice having a dog around.

January and beyond

2011-01-16T22:34:00.000-05:00

January is turning out to be a very busy month. Full time hours at my 'job' plus weekends painting. I'm hoping to finish off my brother's album art by the end of the month so I can get back to my own stuff. Luckily after January I'll be spending a little less time on 'job' work and more time on painting work, because I have to be VERY productive for the next seven months. In September I will be having my first solo exhibition at Narwhal Art Projects! I've known for a while, but wasn't sure if I should announce it yet. It seems too good to be true. I've finished three and half paintings for the show so far, so I have a LOT more work to do before the Autumn. I'll try to show some bits and pieces here along the way, but I will try to save most of it for September. Maybe this can count as a New Years resolution: maintaining a rigorous painting schedule and being more disciplined about how I spend my time in general. I don't usually do the resolution thing, but this year will definitely require more focus and discipline than I normally feel capable of. I hope I'm up to the challenge.

Thunder Oak Cheese Farm

2011-01-05T16:41:00.001-05:00

I finally made it out to the Thunder Oak Cheese Farm this Christmas holiday, while in Thunder Bay. They make fantastic gouda of all kinds. It is a really charming place which also sells various imported Dutch foods and sweet Delft pottery. We couldn't get a tour that day, but I did buy a whole bunch of cheese, including a huge chunk of extra old gouda, which is definitely one of my favourite types of cheese. I also ate my weight in cheese curds. Apparently Thunder Oak gouda is available in Toronto at Whole Foods or several specialty cheese shops. You can also order it online directly from the farm and they can ship within Canada.

a few moments at Ian & Julie's

2011-01-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

While in Thunder Bay, I had the pleasure of catching up with a bunch of old dear friends at Ian & Julie's place (aka paradise).

Olive (Ian & Julie's little one) and Kate.

Reuben the morning after.

Adam the morning after.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everybody!

This photo was taken from the driveway of my friends Ian and Julie's beautiful new home in the woods near Thunder Bay. It was the morning after a great party, and every twig and pine needle was coated in white frost. So peaceful and absolutely gorgeous. It's hard not to dream about living in the country one day, after being in a place like that. More Thunder Bay holiday photos to come.

Happy (belated) Holidays!

2010-12-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

Oh my, where have the days gone!? I just returned today from a week in Thunder Bay with my family for Christmas. It was lovely. I hope you all has a wonderful time with family and loved ones, or just taking a little time for yourself to rest and enjoy the season. xoxo

an orange canary and a vampire squid

2010-12-17T16:55:00.000-05:00

This is the first time I've posted a video. I hope it works.

I just looove this video.

adam and the amethysts

2010-12-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

I'm working on a very exciting project right now: cover art for my brother Adam's new album. You will have to wait until it is released to see the full artwork, but for now here is a sneak peak of some unfinished details. I am so happy to be doing this for him. He is the best brother ever, and I really love his music SO MUCH. His last album, Amethyst Amulet received some great critical praise:

The pop hit of the summer!
-TORONTO STAR

While evincing the intimacy of an apartment recording, it is also brimming with overlapping instruments, tempo changes and ambitious arrangements. The result resembles the precarious balance between innocence and sophistication that Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks have been known to strike.
-TORONTO STAR

I’ve fallen in love.
-NATIONAL POST

Montreal’s newest shimmering gem.
-SAID THE GRAMOPHONE

They meander quietly through ethereal psychedelic moments and a Neil Youngish understanding of the lyrical details that fill a songs with endearing personality. At 13 songs, Amulet could go on a while longer and still remain a beautiful piece of contemporary Canadiana.
-NOW MAGAZINE

The project has the pedigree, the creativity, and most importantly, the songs to make Amethyst Amulet the must have record for the summer. The songs are drenched in reverb, and sparkle like sun kissed water. Truthfully, I am not sure I’ve been as excited about a Canadian artist since I first heard Miracle Fortress. His understanding of what makes a pop song challenging and still enjoyable is incredible.
-HEROHILL

I'm so proud of him! You all have to check out his new album when it is ready. I'll be sure to let you know when it is available.

no knead bread

2010-12-08T00:40:00.000-05:00

Here's my first attempt at no knead bread in my new dutch oven. I'm probably the last person in the world to try this fantastic recipe. It seems to have exploded through popular culinary consciousness since appearing in the NY Times a few years ago. There are a few things I'll try differently next time, like add a little more salt and bake it at a slightly lower temperature because the bottom burned slightly, but overall it was a pretty successful first try. It sure looks good! And it tastes great too. I can't believe how crunchy the crust is! And the inside is very soft, moist and, as you can see, bubbly. I can't wait to get creative with this recipe! This dutch oven is making me more excited about cooking/baking than I have been in a long time.

early xmas present to myself

2010-12-06T21:45:00.000-05:00

I've been dreaming about getting a Le Creuset dutch oven forever, and a sale on cookware at Williams Sonoma on the same day that I was out doing my Christmas shopping was irresistible. The thing is, I ended up buying a Staub dutch oven instead of Le Creuset. I just fell in love with this grey one. And none of the three colours they carry of the Le Creuset felt right for me, plus the Staub was $50 cheaper. So, Staub it is. As soon as I brought it home, I christened it with a big batch of roasted butternut squash soup. I love this little sticker it had inside saying "This product was inspected by Cristophe Remi for your satisfaction." Merci Cristophe! I love your name and I am very satisfied. I can't wait to try using it for this bread. Do any of you have any dutch oven recipes to recommend?

Swedish Wildflowers

2010-12-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

I sure wish I could have bought this when it was up on Etsy. Isn't it wonderful!?

I found it through Google Image Search about 10 months after it had already been sold. Bummer.

fierce bunnies

2010-11-21T12:17:00.001-05:00

Sonja and I did our 2nd Annual Fierce Bunny Photo Shoot at my place this weekend. It was really fun. Sonja is back from the Yukon to present her bunnies at the One of a Kind Show here in Toronto from Nov. 25 - Dec. 5. She will have an astounding array of heartbreakingly sweet bunnies, some of the favourite prints from last year, and of course prints of the photos we took this weekend. This is one of my favourites

sphalerite finished

2010-11-15T11:58:00.000-05:00

I finished this guy a couple weeks ago. It was a fun one. Lots of colours! Look at my rainbow palette:

ROCKS and MINERALS OF NEW YORK STATE

2010-11-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

from here

The European Roe Deer, 1854

2010-11-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

from here

tomatillos

2010-11-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

Even with our hot summer this year, I didn't have much success with my purple tomatillos. If they had full sun all day they would have done better, I'm sure. I got plenty of little fruits, but only a few fully matured. They really are beautiful regardless, which I suppose was the main reason I wanted to grow them. So maybe they were a success after all.

autumn garden

2010-11-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

aka gnarly mess of mostly dead weeds

hello november

2010-11-02T20:42:00.000-04:00

brrrrr... time for coats

image from here

Sphalerite

2010-10-17T19:03:00.001-04:00

This Sphalerite, more than any of my other specimens I think, benefits immensely from being lit well and magnified. It has so much detail and crazy iridescence that is difficult to see with the naked eye because it is so tiny and dark. Under the greasy iridescent metallic coating it is actually a dark transparent rusty red stone. Without the light hitting it in the right way, it just looks black. I think it's going to be fun (and a big challenge) to paint.

On a side note, it is so hard to take photos in my house in the evening. It is just too dark, and I lack the skills to compensate for the lack of light. I apologize for the badly lit blurry photos which will likely become the norm here, now that it's getting dark earlier and earlier.

*edit - In case you can't tell in the photos, the colourful image is just the photo I took and printed out as reference and the painting has only been sketched out so far. When I took these photos I hadn't actually started painting.

spring 2011

2010-10-16T23:55:00.000-04:00

I've been slowly browsing through the Spring 2011 collections, and I can't get this one Costello Tagliapietra dress out of my head.
I want to wear it. Image from Style.com.

Crystals, 1851

2010-10-11T20:29:00.000-04:00

From here.

Shary Boyle

2010-10-05T12:29:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to be attending the private reception tonight for Shary's new four person show at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Breaking Boundaries. And for those of you in Toronto who haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend checking out her AMAZING exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Flesh and Blood, which is up until December 6. She sure has a lot going on right now. It makes me so happy to see such a brilliant hard-working talented and lovely woman enjoying so much success. Yay Shary!

All photos by Rafael Goldchain. Artworks by Shary Boyle courtesy of Jessica Bradley Art + Projects.

Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

2010-09-29T22:10:00.000-04:00

I have recently developed a serious addiction to Swedish Crime Fiction. It, of course, started with the Millenium Trilogy. It got me wanting to look for other authors of the genre. My boss Patrick shared this sentiment, and has been collecting novels by other Swedish writers and loaning them to me (!!!). The first books he passed along were the Martin Beck series, ten books written in the 60's and 70's by the Swedish couple Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. This is them in the picture above. Don't they look great!? This series is really wonderful, and was highly influential to many writers in this genre, within Scandinavia and beyond, including Stieg Larsson. The stories are really well crafted with an engaging cast of characters whose lives and perspectives evolve as the series progresses. Sjöwall and Wahlöö were committed Marxists and there is a strong thread of social criticism running through the series. Having absolutely no idea how to pronounce their names, or countless other names in the books, I turned to the internet and found this really helpful blog page. I recommend it for Larsson fans too. Now that I've finished this series, I've moved on to the Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell. It is also so so good. Next in line is an Iclandic writer. Every once in a while I have to wait a few days before getting a new stack of books from Patrick, and I'm forced to read something else for a little bit. I blame Sjöwall and Wahlöö for the fact that it took me 6 months to get through Anna Karenina. Ha.

Happy Autumn

2010-09-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

I've been totally slacking here lately - with good reason! I've been super busy, working long hours at the gallery the last two weeks while we've been installing new exhibitions. Plus I've had a ceramic commission to finish at our old studio and I just completed my first painting commission - three pieces for a print application (I hope to share more details soon), which I was approached with only two weeks before the deadline - the deadline being the same day as the exhibition openings we were working towards. yikes

It worked out well that all this business happened in September, because I always feel a surge of energy at the beginning of the Fall. You know, that 'back-to-school' rush. Even though I haven't been in school for five years, I still feel that sense of anticipation and excitement to start something new. Everything is done now and things are getting back to normal, so hopefully I can get back in the habit of posting more regularly.

For now, here is a random picture of a bug that I took on our camping trip last month. Does anyone know what kind of insect this is?

Tank and Steve

2010-09-17T12:00:00.001-04:00

Tank is a huge dog. He is some kind of mix of things including Husky and Malamute I think. He is very gentle and quiet and so well behaved. He has one brown eye and one blue eye which is shaped like a star. He really is my favourite dog in the whole world.

Steve is Sarah's latest guinea pig. She has always had at least one guinea pig, and he is the one she's got now. He is the colour of caramel and makes funny noises. He is pretty ridiculous. We took him swimming. He didn't like it. At all.

Sarah

2010-09-16T22:50:00.000-04:00

Back in Thunder Bay I got to spend some time with my childhood best friend Sarah. She's really more like family. The kind of best friend you can't remember not having, and can't imagine not being close to forever.

We went to her family's camp on Lake Shebandowan, just the two of us, her dog Tank (my favourite dog in the whole world) and her guinea pig Steve. We walked in the woods, took pictures of beautiful sun flares and mushrooms, collected moose bones, red books in hammocks, went sauna-and-skinny-dipping, made homemade macaroni and cheese, ate strawberry rhubarb pie my mom made, listened to the handful of old records her family keeps out there (primarily Fleetwood Mac - Rumors and the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack) and she taught me how to sail for the first time (so fun!). It was perfect. Like, really really perfect.

I think Tank and Steve deserve their own dedicated post, so that will come next.

Kakabeka Falls street fair

2010-09-11T22:17:00.000-04:00

One highlight of my recent trip to Thunder Bay was a quick visit with Adam and Miranda to Kakabeka Falls (a little town and provincial park just outside of Thunder Bay) for its annual street fair. It seemed like half of Thunder Bay was there. There were cars parked along the side of the highway in a long line leading way out of town. I regret not getting a picture of that.

I kind of wanted this turtle footstool. Pretty cute.

Miranda and Adam posing with my favourite signs in town.

Kakabeka Falls is full of small family run businesses, many of which have been around forever and have awesome signs.

I guess this is the kind of juxtaposition you see in a small tourism-based town. There is a mineral shop in the laundrymat. I got some nice stuff from here. It was a surprise to see more than just amethyst, which is in every gift shop in Kakabeka or anywhere near Thunder Bay.

pretty pickles

2010-09-10T19:08:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I made some pickles from garden cucumbers with the help of my friend Kerri. We mostly used regular little pickling cucumbers, but we had enough of these beautiful 'lemon' cucumbers to do some pickles with them too. They turned out so pretty and very tasty. Also, this is the new Marimekko bowl I bought at Finnport when I was in Thunder Bay recently.

THE DAZZLE

2010-09-02T11:00:00.020-04:00

I am so excited for this show!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Narwhal Art Projects invites you to experience The Dazzle, a study and celebration of collection fetishism. Collaborating with over thirty different artists and assemblers, Narwhal presents a cabinet of wonders that reveals the mysteries of the world through an installation of enigmatic treasures. Inspired by early 17th century Wunderkammers, The Dazzle exists as a microcosm of our world, capturing diverse specimens from a wide array of studies including natural history, geology, mathematics, archeology, magic and mythology. Mirroring early explorers who used the Wunderkammer to showcase worldly discoveries from distant lands, The Dazzle unearths artist creations fabricated through internal mind mapping, resulting in an awe inspiring collection of the bizarre.

Contributing artists include Stephen Appleby-Barr, Joe Becker, Katie Bethune-Leamen, Rory Dean, Nicholas DiGenova, Shannon Gerard, Katy Horan, Melinda Josie, Adrienne Kammerer, Peggy Kouroumalos, Christy Langer, Ginette Lapalme, Jamiyla Lowe, Derek Mainella, Noel Middleton, Megan McKenzie, Julie Moon, Jennifer Murphy, Jennifer Muskopf, Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, Jessica Polka, Jennifer Rose Sciarrino, Jennie Suddick, Carly Waito, Jacob Whibley, Selena Wong, Naomi Yasui and the Wild Unknown.

The Dazzle runs from Sept 9 – Oct 17 with an opening reception Sept 9 from 7-10pm. Selected artists will be in attendance.

Opening reception:
Thursday Sept 9, 2010
7-10pm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are in Toronto I would be thrilled if you could come!
Here is one of the six new paintings I'll be showing:

Pyrite ~ Oil on masonite ~ 5 x 6"

hiking part 3: fungi

2010-09-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

hiking part 2: rocks

2010-08-31T09:00:00.002-04:00

hiking part 1

2010-08-30T17:26:00.002-04:00

The best thing about Restoule Provincial Park is the Fire Tower Trail. It was a fantastic hike.

time flies...

2010-08-30T12:27:00.001-04:00

I've been away again. This time in Thunder Bay for 10 days. I had a great time - the perfect mix of visiting family and pure relaxation. I have lots of photos to share, and I still haven't posted all my pictures from camping. I think I'll post a few more camping photos before getting into the Thunder Bay ones. It's funny how this happens - I felt like I had nothing worth posting about for months, and now it all comes at once. It has been a great summer.

camping: breakfast

2010-08-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

camping: clouds

2010-08-14T11:40:00.001-04:00

camping: beach

2010-08-12T18:28:00.000-04:00

(photos 3-6 by Andrew)

camping

2010-08-08T23:22:00.001-04:00

We just got back from camping for the weekend. It was wonderful.

I'll have plenty more to post once I've gone through all my photos. More to come soon!

mineral show

2010-08-02T21:46:00.000-04:00

The same weekend my brother was here I snuck away for an afternoon by myself to go to the Toronto Jewellery Gem and Mineral Show, a seasonal event, which on this occasion was held at a community arena in East York. It was my first time going to a show like this and although it was mostly people selling jewellery/supplies and beads, there were half a dozen mineral specimen dealers there as well. It was pretty exciting - the most specimens and best selection I've seen in one place. Needless to say I spent way too much money, but I got a bunch of great stuff, most of which will be used for paintings. To start with, here are some pics from the sale. I'll save my purchases for a separate post.

family weekend

2010-07-28T23:24:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of this past weekend with my brother Adam and his lady Miranda and her sister Laurel. In addition to many fun times that I neglected to photograph, we had a lovely brunch at Saving Grace and an afternoon BBQ (pizzas!) in my backyard with our cousin Steve and his wife Lisa and their perfect baby boy (Max, of the owl hat). Yay for family!

...waiting for a table...

mmm... fried trout tacos

Cousin Steve and Adam barbecuing pizza.

Laurel, Miranda, Lisa and Max.

Max and Lisa

What a handsome little dude.

I highly recommend barbecuing pizza. It was sooooo good. Definitely the best pizza I've ever made at home.

And watermelon for dessert.

summery goodness

2010-07-27T21:44:00.000-04:00

I have been too busy to post much lately, partly with work and partly with summer fun. Now I have a bit of a backlog of stuff I want to share - most of which happened this past weekend, which was full of good things. I will start, though, with these photos from a couple of weeks ago of a wonderful visit with my dear friend Kerri. We had a lovely lunch of garden goodies and lots of girl talk. I took the photo of her with my camera and she took the photo of me with hers. I love the long/tall proportioned images her camera makes.

eggplant and pyrite

2010-07-19T14:12:00.001-04:00

I'm excited to be having some success with my eggplants this year. Last year was a total bust for them because of the crummy weather. They are doing much better with this summer's heat. Me? Not so much. I feel wilted. At least there's a bit of a wind today, but I still think I'll have to wait until the sun gets low before I can get some much needed maintenance done in the garden. Until then I will camp out at my desk beside an open window with a big glass of homemade iced tea and work on my painting of this little guy as I am serenaded by the sensual sounds of the Lambada ice cream truck (seriously).

new amethyst painting

2010-07-09T16:46:00.000-04:00

Here is a new painting. I was going to wait, but this one is already up on the Narwhal website (main page, at the bottom), so why not now here too? This one is actually my favourite of my new pieces. This amethyst is a specimen I bought in Thunder Bay from a shop run by one of the amethyst mines there. A lot of the amethyst from that area has this neat red colouring (hematite) on the surface.

new website!

2010-07-08T21:34:00.000-04:00

I FINALLY got my portfolio site online. I've had it almost finished for ages, and kept avoiding it because I was having frustrating issues getting it online. So here it is: www.carlywaito.com. Right now it only has paintings you've probably seen before, but there will be new stuff soon. I have some new pieces done now (and a few still in progress) for a group show at Narwhal Art Projects that is happening later in the summer. I'll wait until closer to show time to post/upload the new work.

*PLEASE let me know if you notice any problems with the site or if you have trouble loading it or something. I am no expert with this stuff and it is very likely that there will be technical issues. It *should* be working fine, but I don't trust it, or rather I don't trust my website building skills.

carrot tops

2010-07-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

pretty accidents

2010-07-04T18:55:00.000-04:00

I've been photographing mineral specimens this weekend, and got a few reject shots that I really like. One is just overexposed in such a pretty way and the green one is, I think, a result of light reflecting off the metal casing of one of the lights into the lens.

mmmmilkweed

2010-06-30T20:34:00.000-04:00

This milkweed is my favourite colour in the garden. And the structure of the little flower sections is so neat. Luckily it seems to pop up everywhere like, well, a weed. I think in the Fall I will dig up some of the orange day lilies (which I kind of hate and are EVERYWHERE, choking out and shading plants that I actually like) and let a few more of these fill in some of that space.

little pink roses

2010-06-28T21:59:00.000-04:00

little maple

2010-06-28T21:38:00.000-04:00

One of the maple trees in our yard is in rough shape and has been seeding like CRAZY (a last ditch effort to reproduce before it dies - which it won't because we're making sure our landlord takes care of it. It needs a large branch removed, and then it should be ok). There have been thousands of seeds falling in the yard - hundreds of huge clumps of seeds. I think they've finally all dropped, but now baby maple trees are sprouting up all over. Sometimes I find one like this that still has its helicopter thingy attached. Cute!

goodbye darlings

2010-06-27T19:59:00.001-04:00

I managed to get a few things done in the garden today and take some pictures before a thunderstorm started. I had to say goodbye to my peas. The vines are tired and seem to be pretty much done producing, and my cucumber babies and tomato babies need the space to grow. The tomatoes are getting HUGE. I found the first little tomato growing today. That helped to soften the blow of having to tear out my pea vines. I really got attached to them. They added such lush green-ness to the garden, and I will really miss their exquisite blossoms, delicate leaves and adorable curling tendrils. Sigh....

Adventure with ROCKS

2010-06-26T15:07:00.000-04:00

How fun and exciting!

From here.

jumper romper onesie?

2010-06-21T16:59:00.000-04:00

A while back I posted about some summer fashion I liked, and mentioned a jumper I picked up last year at a thrift shop in Thunder Bay which I hadn't worn yet, partly because it was winter, and partly because I was a little nervous about pulling it off. Well, I wore it today for the first time (only around the house and to the grocery store) and I am pretty sure I don't look like a mom from 1991 (my mom from 1991) or a phony hipster. I think it's pretty cute and summery. I had Andrew take an awkward picture of me wearing it. I probably should have put on some shoes... And I propped the camera up on the couch to get this detail shot.

The detaill shot shows the fabric better. It is a super lightweight perfectly worn-in cotton with a slightly linen-ish texture. And there's my new coral-red nail polish that almost matches my new coral-red lipstick (I'm kind of loving this particular colour being matched on the lips and nails). I think that pop of coral really helps to make this jumper look more contemporary.

I have to say that I have serious respect for you girls who regularly post personal style self portraits. You guys always look amazing and I love looking at your photos, but seeing my own I feel like a total goof. I'm sure some of you have the same camera-shy tendency I have, and I really appreciate that you are able to get past this because I really do love to see your outfits and be able to match your pretty faces to the words I read on your blogs. I probably won't be doing many of these kinds of posts, but we'll see. If I'm feeling particularly interested in something I'm wearing, maybe it will happen again? I can get pretty excited about clothes, but I generally don't think what I wear would be remotely inspirational to anyone else. In this case, I guess I'm mostly just curious about what you guys might think of my borderline-frumpy jumpsuit...

i had to have it

2010-06-20T11:28:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite things to search for lately on ebay has been anything relating to caves and caverns. I've discovered a whole world of cavern-themed material culture. Like any tourist attraction, these caverns have produced all kinds of souvenirs from silver spoons and shot glasses to view-master reels and postcards. A lot of these items, while appealing in an odd kitchy kind of way, are really super tacky. But some of them are actually beautiful. Like this plate. There are a variety of plates like this out there, but when I found this one I had to get it. I am a little worried that this may turn into an actual collection that I can't really afford and don't have space for, so hopefully I can exercise some restraint and keep it at just the one. But really, a collection of cavern-themed china!? Wouldn't that be amazing!

greeeeen

2010-06-09T21:41:00.000-04:00

The garden has been making some pretty major progress thanks to all that hot weather near the end of May and rain at the beginning of June. The garlic scapes are curling elegantly, the lettuce is filling out lushly, and the pea vines are huge and producing lots of delicious snap peas and snow peas. The shelling peas aren't quite plump enough for shelling yet, but the few I've tried are nearly as sweet as candy.

I tried a new technique for trellising my tomatoes this year. I made a bamboo structure with vertical strings to hold up the tomato vines. So far it is working great. It is so much easier to maintain than the stake and weave technique I tried last year, and I love how it looks. It reminds me of Japanese scaffolding or something. The tomato plants are crowded between the shelling peas now, but the peas will come out soon enough to give them more room.

Weyer's Cave, Virginia, 1880

2010-06-02T23:57:00.000-04:00

From here.

scabiosa

2010-06-02T19:17:00.000-04:00

How can such a pretty flower have such an unattractive name?

pea blossoms

2010-05-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

With all this hot weather we've had in Toronto, we came back from Montreal to pea vines a good foot taller than when we left, and with blossoms starting to form. I think they are my favourite thing to photograph in the garden.

montreal

2010-05-28T00:05:00.000-04:00

Sorry I've been gone so long! I went to Montreal with Andrew to visit my brother over the long weekend and just got back last night. My parents were there to visit too, and we all chipped in to build a deck on the roof of my brother and his girlfriend Miranda's beautiful apartment in Outremont. We also did an awful lot of walking and eating delicious food. It was SO CRAZY HOT! Like, 35 - 40C hot. And we spent most of our time on the roof in the blaring sun. But it was really fun and I can't wait to go back. I didn't really take a lot of pictures, but here are a few highlights:

Dad and Andrew making beams with Mont Royal in the background.

Some Waito family bonding.

Delicious dinner on the deck.

Adam looking at his awesome new deck.

My favourite tiny treasure at the Musée Beaux Arts.

Underground in the Métro (I forget which station).

Mmmmmm... canalés.

Sunday evening

2010-05-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

We had our first spinach salad from the garden tonight (with delicious barbecued hamburgers).

We took a walk through the neighbourhood as the sun set...

... where we saw this amazing wisteria that had crept out from its yard and wrapped itself all the way up a streetlamp post.

yet another new header

2010-05-14T23:40:00.001-04:00

As much as I liked that big reflected leafy thing I had going on for a few days, it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the blog very well. So now I'm trying this. I think I like it better. This is what I see when I look up from my backyard. What do you think?

green and pink

2010-05-14T23:23:00.000-04:00

new header image... maybe?

2010-05-10T22:57:00.001-04:00

I'm trying a new header image. Well, it's the same photo, but modified. Any thoughts? Is it too much? Too big? This reflected plant image thing is kind of a long standing obsession for me. (like this for example) I may change it back, or change it to something else, but let's try this for now.

*edit
I changed it - but this is what it looked like: