Between the Points Project: Process, Memory, and Beautiful British Columbia

The dogs here can communicate in English and French.

Or at least that's what the government here is pushing for - that all dog owners must teach their dogs commands in both English and French. Luckily, this breaking news story came around the same time Miley Sirus began twerking, so all in all we in Canada may be winning.

Set up has begun, and although there are minor tweaks to the studio to come, I feel I am closing in on a permanent set up. I overlook my neighbor's beautifully manicured vegetable garden, a Sedarium plant I'm hoping becomes interesting and not just mold, and my Grandmother's (I think) table that I have turned into my painter's table.

It's been such a joy to go through the pieces created on the Between the Points Project. Although I have landed here in Vancouver, British Columbia, I feel as though I'm still on the road when I go through these works. It's as if creating these pieces in those places captured and retained the energy of that moment. While I always thought of paintings and artwork being able to produce emotions for the viewer, these sentiments are much stonger than I had anticipated.

Even within the photographs I developed from my Ricoh 35 mm camera. Perhaps that's just how memory works - it is jolted awake by images or things or scents. When I began the Latitude/Longitude photographs I had this in mind - that a memory is actually a fleeting, unclear thing. As theory states, "our perception of the past is always influenced by the present, which means it is always changing."

By having something, in this case a latitude and logitude location "trigger", in the foreground, the background becomes gauzy and painterly - much like memories.

This process of redefining what you see and how you understand it is essential for creating a body of work, or a process of working, that feels noteworthy - for me at least. I also enjoy trying to think of past events in a different way. Perhaps you can imagine an unpleasant moment in a positive or humorous light.

Like these:

Cloudy Mornings.

Although I was hoping for a beautiful sunrise in Virginia, I was greeted with cloud covered rolling hills. I would pack a few things and go back to look, but the mountains were still fast asleep under their blankets of clouds.

Allergies.

Which plagued me State after State either due to dust of different things in bloom.

Desert Heat.

As my close friends like to point out, my body does not do an exceptional job regulating heat. However, the colors of the desert feel alive, and though I was at times unable to take a step, the people accustomed to the desert heat didn't let it stop them.

Sometimes to energize the mind and body, for me, it is best to just get to work. This project, as well as preparing for my next group show, the Lab Arts Show put on by Glitz Entertainment, as well as creating a new portfolio for the Open Door Gallery, who I am represented by here in Vancouver, has helped me to hit the ground running, and be thankful for everything I have, have done, and will do.