hazel llanes
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“If you want love, you have to be and give love; if you want attention, you have to pay attention; if you want money, you have to help other people make money. This was my stumbling block from ages 40 to 50 because I was just looking to get paid. Then I let go of that and said my work is no longer about me.” -
My sister and I attended a screenprinting workshop at Kid Icarus a few weeks back. It turned out to be a great learning experience! Not to mention we got to hang out at their awesome shop in Kensington Market and met Lourdes who bought us sweet Mexican bread for lunch.
We also liked that there was an emphasis on learning how to do everything at home. It’s only a matter of time before we set up our own mini screen printing operation at our place ;)
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Just a couple of unedited snapshots from some shows I visited within the past few months.
First row: Do you want to hear a story? Yes, I want to hear a story @ OCADU Student Gallery
Second row: Lost in the Memory Palace: Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller @ Art Gallery of Ontario
Third row: The Mr Pickles Fan Club Gemma Correll Solo Exhibition @ Magic Pony - see more coverage at Amanda’s blog
Fourth row: OCAD University Grad Ex 2013
Other events not pictured: The Game of Thrones exhibit @ DX and The Mass Exodus fashion show @ Ryerson. Didn’t go to TCAF this year, sadly…
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“ Oliver said it well as we took up our plates and began heading back downstairs: “I’m glad I’m not dead.” This came out rather loudly, as he is a bit deaf. Even so, he looked surprised by his own utterance, as if it were something he was feeling but didn’t really mean to say aloud — a thought turned into an exclamation.
“I’m glad you’re not dead, too,” said a neighbor gaily, taking up the refrain. “I’m glad we’re all not dead,” said another. There followed a spontaneous raising of glasses on the rooftop, a toast to the setting sun, a toast to us.
I suppose it’s a cliché to say you’re glad to be alive, that life is short, but to say you’re glad to be not dead requires a specific intimacy with loss that comes only with age or deep experience. One has to know not simply what dying is like, but to know death itself, in all its absoluteness.
After all, there are many ways to die — peacefully, violently, suddenly, slowly, happily, unhappily, too soon. But to be dead — one either is or isn’t.
The same cannot be said of aliveness, of which there are countless degrees. One can be alive but half-asleep or half-noticing as the years fly, no matter how fully oxygenated the blood and brain or how steadily the heart beats. Fortunately, this is a reversible condition. One can learn to be alert to the extraordinary and press pause — to memorize moments of the everyday.
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Some photos from a recent trip to the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory, which is open all year round.
I couldn’t stay still long enough to have any of the insects land on my finger, but this huge owl butterfly did land of my sister’s handbag.
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“Naive optimism is everything. I think a lot of people approach the world thinking that things are reserved for people who are qualified in some official capacity. Some people assume they could never be as good at something as some master, which makes them self-defeat before they start. I think some things that are really incredible were achieved because people were really naive when they began—they had an idea, set out to do it, and learned along the way.” -
Last week was incredible.
Stayed with my cousins at Moreno Valley, ate at In-N-Out Burger, explored Vegas, went swimming, visited Hoover Dam, ate at Jollibee, had funnel cake at Santa Monica pier, saw some paintings at Getty Center, did more swimming, walked around Hollywood, rode every ride at Universal Studios, then saw The Dark Knight Rises.
In short, I got to spend an entire week with the best people at some of the most stunning places in the country.
I can’t wait to go back.
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That up there is my dad looking mighty dapper during his visit to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the 80’s. As a young mechanical engineer he got to travel to a bunch of places around Japan and the US, often bringing cool toys home for us.
In 1999, he sacrificed his successful job and left his close friends and family in order to fly us over to Canada. For the first few years we were here, the only work available to him was janitorial jobs. One time, I asked him why we moved to Canada and he replied that it was so that we could have a better future.
My dad is a quiet man. But he is the most intelligent, selfless, patient, hardworking, and funny person I know. He expresses his love by working himself to exhaustion. I owe him so much.
Thanks for my life—past, present, and future, Dad.
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TCAF + OCADU Grad Exhibit
Let me first apologize for this is overdue recap. For the past three weeks I’ve been occupied with WORK WORK WORK and have been busy attending art shows, fashion shows, and art festivals.
I guess the bright side of having a busy lifestyle is that it gives you more things to
whineblog about, so expect more posts from me soon.
Anyway, TCAF. Say what you will about comic conventions or in this case, “comic arts festivals”, but let me just go ahead and say that I had a blast. There was so much talent under one roof that for the first few minutes, I really didn’t know what to do with myself. I just walked in a daze.
I admit that I’m not quite adept in the world of comics as say, my friend Dorothy but color me enlightened. There is a whole wide world outside of manga and it is amazing!!! A few notable illustrators I discovered through TCAF: Katie Skelly, David Huyck, Colleen MacIsaac, David McGuire, etc. etc. etc.
After TCAF, we went out for sushi and then walked over to see the OCAD University grad exhibit. We didn’t get to see every section of the show due to time constraints but what we saw of the Illustration, Graphic Design, Photography, Painting and Drawing students has me suddenly feeling highly unworthy to attend OCADU this September.
I didn’t take any pictures but this girl did. A lot of the best stuff came from the Illustration students and they have a special website specifically for them.
Some cool grads I hoarded business cards from: Elly, REW FOE, Ivan Sharko, Joanna Ju, Sabrina Scott, Mike Ellis Caitlin Russell, Joo Young Kim, Xiao Han, and Lauren Kaiser.
I didn’t really expect to get anything that day but check out my swag (click to enlarge):
Okay so most of the things I got were business cards, postcards, and other free handouts but hey, they were the cheapest things there and they are like little pieces of artwork in and of themselves.
The books I bought at TCAF: Lucy Knisley’s newest book, “Make Yourself Happy”, Kate Beaton’s “Never Learn Anything From History” and Hellen Jo’s “Jin & Jam” which is the badass comic in the photo above.
I managed to get 2 out of 3 of those books signed! Lookie:
