unraveling a mystery

I attended an artist's talk at the Two Rivers Art Gallery last Thursday by Gary Pearson. His show One Way Ticket is a body of work that seems to be related through colour, size, and biographical mystery. Gary spoke through waves of sound and words emitting from 2 of his video installations which made it difficult to absorb the words he spoke, and as he spoke he gestured to various large canvases with faces which seemed familiar, and yet not. Words visually raced across his paintings in the same manner that they were audibly racing around the room. The result was an assault to the senses which, when tolerated for some time produced a dizzy, light-headed, feeling. Like the work hanging on the wall, his talk was filled with light drivel, punctuated with the occasional interesting, intriguing statement. It was humorous and light...until he began to unravel the mystery of who the individuals in the paintings were, and how he had produced the work. Admiration for perspective, size, and palette choice was replaced with disappointment that his schtick was no more that commercial art gimmicks. His skill seemed to be ability to use an overhead projector, photos and ads from old magazines to construct the paintings. And his concern seemed to be with his reputation, style and marketability, more so than any message his art might be conveying. May be I'm a romantic, but I was enjoying the work more before I knew this, it was too much information for me. Sometimes a person can say too much and a mystery is better left that way.

note to self...

update your blog!

we could all go crazy

In Gabor Maté's book, "Scattered Minds", a book looking at Attention Deficit Disorder, he says, "But what if illness in not a separate category, if there is no line of distinction between the "healthy" and the "non-healthy" if the "abnormality" is just a greater concentration in an individual of disturbed brain processes found in everyone?...we could all go crazy. Maybe we already have."

Kind of gives a new meaning to "normal" doesn't it? Perhaps everyone does have similar potential for abnormality and we are all sitting at different levels. I would speculate that levels rise and fall daily or weekly similar to a barometer. Too much of a bad thing can raise a barometer from healthy to non-healthy, and it can take a long time to return to *normal*. If things start to heat up for me I occasionally feel as though I am going to "lose it". Stormy weather can bring on the blues, sunshine can inject me with energy, and too much stress shuts down my short term memory completely. The key to keeping my barometer steady has been learning to say no. I said no to a lucrative career that was very stressful for me. I look forward to my days now. It was difficult at first, but the change has been worth the sacrifice in earnings. Yes, we could all go crazy, but is it necessary? If your barometer is feeling a little low, take a look at the things in your life that are causing the low, then prepare yourself for a change of weather!

no leap this year

Yesterday I celebrated my 41st birthday, sort of. I was born February 29th, 1964 at 11:57pm and therefore I am considered a Leap Year baby. My mom chose February 28th to celebrate for the years which don't leap. Last year I turned 10 birthdays old, while my son turned 10 years old. It was a special time when we both could be considered "10". This year I had to endure "over the hill" jokes from my younger brother who feels that 50 is just around the corner for me. I think I will always feel young as my true birthday only comes around ever 4 years....here's to birthday number 11 in 2008!