pretty pickles

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

I am so excited for this show!

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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

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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

hiking part 2: rocks

hiking part 1

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

time flies...

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

camping: clouds

camping: beach

(photos 3-6 by Andrew)

camping

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

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

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.