This is a beautiful day! I got up early and Max and I headed over to the pond. I made a decision to attend a later Mass again because light will be fading soon and our pond walks will be later in the day…it is time to soak up the beautiful morning light while it’s still possible. It is another golden-blue day as tree branches become more exposed and the leaves move into a warmer shade of yellow.
Mass was inspiring. With my church family, I was able to reconnect with a friend I hadn’t visited with for quite a long time and I felt as though I was able to be really present to her and to the blessed peace of the Mass. I thought a lot about discipleship…and took pause to consider what direction these thoughts might take me in my community.
Once home, I ate a nice lunch and then visited with Dad on Skype. Now, I am sitting in my pyjamas, ready to have an afternoon nap. The sunshine is creating beautiful patterns on the floor near by. This relaxed feeling that pours over me is quite a contrast to the whirlwind of activity that has been filling up my life since Enriquito’s departure and connecting with Dylan last week. A few images as an archive…
Dragon Pearl Dumplings and Hot and Sour Soup…a family favourite and great for an art night.
From this gallery setting, we headed over to Pith Gallery, meeting John Will in the center of 9th Ave, where funny enough, he stopped to talk. Comic Con’t by Ryan Statz, had me in stitches. Honestly, the work made me laugh out loud. A great find! Autobiographical in nature, this work was technically astute and in very good humour.
Lifted from the Pith Comic Con’t public share, I hope that Ryan will not mind me sharing this…sort of gives you the back story.
Ryan Statz – Biography
A native of Montréal Québec, Statz completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Alberta College of Art + Design in 2000, and received his Masters of Fine Arts degree at Concordia University in 2008. Currently based in Calgary Alberta, Statz’s work has been exhibited across Canada, The United States, and Europe.
Ryan Statz – Artist Statement
I am an idiot.
Anyone who knows me would likely admit that this is neither a stretch of the truth or the imagination – in fact, if I were a gambling man I’d say it’d be a pretty safe bet. Based on a personal, and experiential reality, my work owns up to this; however, because I also do not lead a life that is altogether interesting or exciting, the subject matter of the work references the mundane.
In the production of my work, I employ strategies from performance, executed with a deadpan fervour that includes elements of humour, wit, and humility – with just a hint of self-deprecation. Any self-flagellation, however, should not be taken as an admission of a lowered self-image; it is used primarily as a comedic device that addresses the notion of hegemonic masculinity.
Art History ubiquitously portrays the male artist as an iconic figure, a genius, and a hero. As I often approach things with a great deal of humility, I present the male artist (myself) as an individual who is not the sharpest tool in the shed, whose social status amongst his peers isn’t the highest, and whose success within the local, Canadian and international art context is virtually non-existent. So for my own purposes, and in the context of the male artist-as-bumbling-idiot, failure is always a viable option.
From Pith Gallery, Cayley and I walked down to the Ironwood Stage and Grill where Steve Coffey and Sheri-D were performing a collaborative piece titled, Tales From the Moonshine Room. Over a glass of wine, a snack of calamari and conversation shared with a writer out of LA, Cayley and I really enjoyed this performance piece. On a few occasions, the spoken poetry brought me to tears.
Saturday morning began with an early morning pond walk. Even when life is hectic, having a beautiful border collie (Max-Man) in my circle, causes a connection with nature and required exercise.
I decided to opt out of the bus tour of the Shepard Land Fill site and headed home to chill out before sharing the evening with my girls, attending Alberta Ballet’s Balletlujah.
It was nice to sip (or would that be, down?) a gin and tonic at intermission with my daughters, reviewing the experience together and getting some Auld Triangle time (a little name we gave ourselves during a show put on Tom Phillips one night at the Ironwood).
Now…it might be that my readers will think that Saturday was over…but, no. What did we do? We stopped at the Blackfoot Diner OF COURSE. We thought we would share a piece of pie. But instead….this.