Blogs

“In Search of Bearings,” a series of 10 paintings on sailing navigation charts, is about the psychosocial uncertainty of finding our way through changing corridors of places and identities. Sequences of used and now cancelled nautical maps of the St. Lawrence Seaway are reinvented using this narrative theme.

I was selected as one of thirty inter-discipline artists from around the world for the Arctic Circle 2019 Arts & Sciences Expedition residency. The book includes a map itinerary of the names of nineteen anchorages and their global coordinates for photo references.

The intersections of global climate change impacts in the Svalbard Archipelago and the St. Lawrence Seaway are tangibly linked by the northward flow of the increasingly warming Florida/Atlantic Gulf Stream.

The recent Covid-19 global Pandemic virus rudely highlights our global interdependency, nations acting together to prevent spreading, the search for treatments and a vaccine. Science predicts with rapid climate changes an increased frequency of global virus pandemics.

The Centrepointe Neighbourhood Magazine featured my photo on their cover (Lindsay Maahs) and an interview article by Sophie Desrosiers about my Arctic Circle Expedition June 2019, and follow-up presentations titled Sailing the Top of the World hosted by Britannia Yacht Club. I plan to publish the presentation as a book sometime in 2020.

Thanks everyone who made it to the Sailing the Top of The World presentations in November 2019 at the Research in Art (RIA) 94th Salon and Britannia Yacht Club hosted event. There will be publications by the same name in both ebook and hard copy formats available at Amazon.ca in 2020.

I’m pleased to report, all my Kickstarter Backer Rewards for their support helping me participate in the Arctic Circle Expedition in June are fulfilled, a month ahead of schedule. It is with gratitude that I will give presentations to the Research in Art (RIA) Salon Wednesday Nov 20, 7 pm.

It’s true I have a story to tell about my Arctic Circle expedition as a multi-media artist whose practice contributes to climate change discussions. Building toward that story and presentation, scheduled for November 27, 2019 at Britannia Yacht Club (BYC) in Ottawa Canada, I’ve benefited by responding in gratitude to my Kickstarter Backers

Oh the stories I could tell! Well not for a while, that’s for sure. Sailing at the top of our globe in the Svalbard Archipelago is a humbling experience on many levels. Especially the consciousness of how we are smaller than a spec in any Arctic Circle landscape, a reality check for an urbanite from southern Canada.

The Svalbard Archipelago is reported as the fastest heating-up location on the Globe, at a rate of 4%. The purpose of my participation in this Arctic Circle 2019 Arts & Sciences Expedition, June 9 – 26 is to further my understanding and art research toward climate warming discussions.

Announcement: The good news is after only 3 weeks, my Kickstarter fundraiser to help me get to the Arctic Circle 2019 Arts & Sciences Expedition residency is half-way to goal. My gratitude to those who have pledged is immeasurable.

This is a rare international opportunity for a Canadian artist to engage with other professionals from across the globe and different disciplines on climate change issues, such as rising ocean levels and the disappearance of coastal habitats. It’s already an achievement for me to have been one of 26 selected out of hundreds of applicants.

I’m happy to say we are going into the 7th day of my Kickstarter campaign to reach a goal of $7500 in pledges by March 31. This is a funding platform used for professional creative projects. I have developed this Kickstarter to help me get to the Arctic Circle 2019 Arts & Sciences Expedition Residency Svalbard, Norway, June 9 – 26.

Having raised funds and lobbied for social causes all my life, I hadn’t anticipated how hard it would be for me to ask for support from friends, family and community groups for my project. Its been made easier because I truly believe my art contributes to the larger global issue of climate change discussions, and this residency is about this.

After the glow of having been accepted out of hundreds of applicants for the amazing Arctic Circle Arts & Sciences Expedition Residency, I’m figuring out the logistics and expenses of getting 5000 kilometres from Ottawa, Canada, to Svalbard, Norway.

I\’m excited and feeling good about my Kickstarter video and webpage, where visitors can pledge $10 – $1000 with corresponding Thank You Gifts created out of the project being funded. This is an all-or-nothing campaign with a goal of $7500 by March 31st.

Using social media to sell artworks is no longer a new phenomena. That said, I recently have tried an on-line auction with ArtBomb.com (http://www.artbombdaily.com). Distribution is across Canada. There is a one time $75 administration fee, and a 50% commission on all sales. The starting bid is established by the […]

The “Business of Art for Visual Artists Workshop” is organized to facilitate participants ability to connect the dots that are relevant to identifying and accessing their audience. Hands-on activities with role-play exercises. The open workshop structure welcomes all levels, mediums and stages in career. Its a great start to the new […]

With little amounts of funding available for individual visual artists and hundreds of applicants, the reality has become that being selected feels like winning a lottery. Jurors have more excellent proposals from which to choose than are funds available. Reasons to apply, assuming the artist meets all the requirements are: […]

Planning for 2014 has already produced an invitation by the Vermont Art Centre, Artist Studio Residency Program in Johnston, Vermont, U.S., from March 30 to April 25. I’m grateful to be selected for this residency opportunity to exchange with international artists from different disciplines, geographies, and cultures. I’ve been assigned […]