in training

extreme ironing collage
Originally uploaded by My Art4Life.

I said I would be posting my extreme ironing sport events and to wet everyone's appetite I am posting this training session. It was a challenge to hoist that heavy ironing board from the '70's onto that roof. A lot of people who participate in this sport have fancier equipment than me, like battery operated irons, however, my iron still needs to be plugged in. Husband, Kevin lent me his super heavy duty, extra long extension cord for the event and I was greatful. He has even offered to loan me his gas generator so that I can perform "off the grid." I would like to issue a challenge to my friends and colleagues to compete with me. Email your photos of yourself "extreme ironing" and I will post them to my blog.

i felt it

Destiny and Temptation-i felt it, deserves a second look. This show at the Two Rivers Gallery is deep with meaning which spills forth like smooth flowing honey. Intriguing reminants from this performance by Barbara Scholz (a conceptual artist with a history in master dressmaking), grace the walls in the Galleria and the imagery stays with you after you leave. For those of you who are not in Prince George and able to see the "Guided Moments" in this show, watch my blog for further information about viewing it online.

obedience (detail)

obedience (detail)
Originally uploaded by My Art4Life.

This is a detail of an encaustic collage I did, recently posted to my flickr account. I had a comment on this piece from artist Femke van Delft that she thought it very funny that an aboriginal person would be using bits and pieces of a National Geographic magazine to make art. Who knew?

form follows function...

and ornament is a crime. Principles once embraced and followed by Les Courbusier, Viennese modern architectAdolf Loos, Alvar Aalto, and other modernists. From a time when plain, simple steel water towers were seen as good examples of 'simple' design, (as recently as 1984), to design fantasy where Furniture Designer, Patrik Fredrikson says, "As we penetrate ever deeper into the digital age, we are leaving behind modernism's driving imperative - mass production by industrial means". His work, recently on display at the London Design Festival featured a table made from materials such as ice, and candles for which the stick and holder were both made from wax. Working with ceramicist Ian Stallard, Patrik calls their work "fairy tales for grown-ups". Are they functional, impractical, or a stepping stone to new ideas?

neurodiversity

The National Post reported on Oct. 7 on a show called "The Joy of Autism" which is showing at Toronto's Lonsdale Gallery. This show is put together by the Autisim Acceptance Project who embrace the idea of 'neurodiversity' which defines autism as a different way of thinking rather than a disability. The artwork is interesting, the concept of neurodiversity challenges my current understanding of autism and those "syndromes" that are considered to be on the autisitic spectrum...like ADD (attention Deficit Disorder).

extremely boring?

I don't think so. Returning from a holiday of any kind can sometimes invoke feelings of boredom as life returns to its predictable cycle. But I have been inspired by this extreme sport to take my ironing to a new level. Watch for photos at a later date.

reunion

25 years have past since the whole of my future lay ahead of me. High school was left behind and interests were pursued. There are those I remember having had an influence in what paths I would take. This man was one of them. Dave Johannsen still teaches art at Memorial Composite High School in Stony Plain, Alberta. It was my pleasure to reconnect with him and classmates this Thanksgiving weekend.

think of yourself as a coach?

Idea #18 from the mini handbook How to Improve Student Learning* tells me I need to do this. It also tells me to be sure the students are performing for me and not the other way around. How many times have I felt like I was performing? I remember my first try at teaching adults. I was asked to present on using the internet to disseminate research information for a forestry grad class at UNBC. The students sat there looking at me with sleepy eyes. No matter what I said or did up front, I failed to impress them. Several of them began a 'wave' of yawning that knew no end. A couple of people folded up their books and replaced them in their backpacks. As Idea #18 says, I should have 'blown the whistle', I needed to 'coach', rather than to 'impart imformation'. I have since applied this to my teaching. Now, if only I could apply it to my parenting.


*How to Improve Student Learning, Dr. Richard Paul, and Dr. Linda Elder, published by The Foundation for Critical Thinking