A Wednesday List Of Ten Things I Like.

Studio.

This is not a top ten list, but rather a totally random list of things I like in no particular order.

1.  Artist Studios. One of my favourite places is my studio, and something I really enjoy about other artist’s blogs is getting the chance to see inside their studios. I find it reassuring to know that mine isn’t the only messy one.

2. Counting To Ten. Some days I find it great that I learned how to count to ten when I was a child. There are so many times when I have to stop take a deep breath and count to ten, and sometimes having learned to count to 20 comes in handy too.

3. Visualization. Sometimes I can sit and imagine how a painting will work if I do a certain thing to it. I can see how it might look if I put a certain colour in a certain place. I guess I know how I work, and what I will do. Now if I can only get my hand to know this.

4. Colour Samples. I was having a tough time getting started on a painting. I wanted to paint squares of colours on a canvas, and the colours I had to paint were very odd. So I went to the hardware store and selected a group of colour chart samples and brought them home. Rather than paint the squares I’m going to collage them on the canvas.

5. Post Cards. I’ve always enjoyed post cards, and recently I started work on a post card that I’m exchanging with a friend in England. He’s making me one, and I’m making him one. Soon it will be in the mail. Fun project.

6. The Backside Of February. Soon this hardest of winter months will be over. I know that March can be rough, but I know that sometime in March a day will come that reminds me of spring. Good-bye, February, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

7. Open Windows. On that spring-like day in March everyone on the Island will probably do the same thing. We will open every window in the house and happily breathe fresh air for the first time since November.

8. Digital Cameras. I love digital cameras. As an artist life has become almost too easy when it comes to recording images of my work and studio life. When I think back to the chore and expense taking slides used to be, it almost seems like a piece of Steampunk fiction.

9. Cardboard Boxes. I’m always struck by how beautiful a cardboard box is. They are works of art, and of course they have been explored by many artists. But it’s as a father that I’ve really come to appreciate cardboard boxes. When the kids are bored I just give them a box and let their imaginations run.

10. Curators. I’ve not worked with too many curators over the years, but my most recent experience working with a curator was so rewarding I now wish I had one on hand at all times. I’m not saying that I should keep one locked away in a cupboard…that would be wrong. But it would be nice to have access to a few more on Prince Edward Island. So if you are or know any curators who have ideas of what to do with over a thousand 12×12 inch paintings drop me an email!

A Wednesday List Of Ten Things I Like.

This is not a top ten list, but rather a totally random list of things I like in no particular order.

1. Misremembered Memories. I really think that most memories are really just patched together bits of many memories. The other day I had a vivid memory of trees that I used to play around when I was a kid. The trees are long gone, and though the memory was happy, I now think that the trees themselves had a gloomy, sad, and sinister quality to them. Of course this too could just be another misremembered memory. Or not.

2. Side Walk Plows. Sadly we have far too few of these in Charlottetown, but they do a great job cleaning our sidewalks…eventually. It’s been a few days since our last heavy snow and some parts of the sidewalks on our street are passable. For the rest we walk in the street with the cars and trucks.

3. Boots With Good Treads. I find that when I have to walk in the street because the sidewalks are covered in snow that it comes in handy to have heavy treads on my boots. They help keep me out from under the passing cars.

4. The Jack Frost Festival. This weekend we went to our 1st Jack Frost Festival in Charlottetown. Essentially it’s a winter carnival, and it was far better than I was expecting. My daughter loved it, and she burned off a lot of energy going down ice slides, skating, climbing through snow tunnels, and just running around. It was a great wintertime distraction.

5. Meatloaf. During the grinding last few months of winter I find that meatloaf is one of the great comfort foods. It’s sort of like eating a giant hamburger, which reminds me of summer, and it is filling. Which is a comforting fact as I head out into the snow. It also makes a great sandwich.

6. Sketching. I’ve always enjoyed sketching. I guess I enjoy sketches because I rarely show them, and they often end up being other things. Sketching is a form of limbering up, relaxing, and working things out. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that writing a list can be considered a form of sketching.

7. Planning. I’m always planning things. Sometimes the things I’m planning are years in the future and may never occur. Sometimes I’m planning things I meant to do yesterday and may never occur. But more often than not the stuff I plan is arts-related and sometimes occurs. I like plans, and if they don’t work out exactly like I planned that’s okay.

8. Ideas. Good ideas are hard to come by. Sometimes I think I have a new idea, but often I discover that someone thought of my idea first. Actually this really only applies to good ideas. Bad ideas are often very original, sometimes dangerous, and I seem to have an unlimited supply of bad ideas. But just because an idea has been done doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it and run with it.

9. Hope. I spend a lot of time hoping for things, and they are odd things at times. I find myself hoping that paint will dry faster, and sometimes I hope it will dry slower. I often hope paint stains will come out of my clothes, especially when they are new clothes. I often hope things will come in the mail, other than bills of course.

10. The First 10 Seconds Of A Song. I like when the first 10 seconds of a song are great. I find that it means the rest of the song is probably going to be good. I find that if the first 10 seconds of a song are bad then the rest of the song will probably be bad too.

A Wednesday List of Ten Things I Like.

Messy.

This is not a top ten list, but rather a totally random list of things I like in no particular order.

1. Super Bowl Sunday. I always enjoy Superbowl Sunday. I like knowing about the half time show, and I look forward to seeing the commercials. I’m interested in who the bookies are saying will win. I like the food and drink. I just never actually watched the game.

2. Happy accidents. Sometimes when I’m painting things can get a bit out of control. Sometimes paint will spill. Sometimes these accidents end up being incorporated into an artwork, and whenever someone comments on these happy accidents I say “I meant to do that.”

3. Sunlight reflecting. Slowly the sun is inching higher above the horizon, and when it’s sunny and there is snow on the ground the sunlight reflects in the most amazing ways, and makes even the darkest space seem bright.

4. Paying Bills. An odd one I know. No one really likes paying bills but if you’ve paid your bills then at least you are still able to, and the way the world is going it seems to be getting harder and harder for all but the top 1% to pay their bills.

5. Dripping Paint. I like dripping paint, and I like to watch it run across paper or canvas. I never know where the paint may go. Sometimes the results are bad, but every once in awhile the results are great.

6. Hats. I’m a big fan of hats. I like hats with ear flaps, brims, peaks, and sometimes logos. Now if only I looked good in hats.

7. Cows. There are so many things I like about cows. I like the look of them, but mostly I like how they taste. I like their milk. I like the butter and cheese that is made from their milk. I like the leather that is made from their skin, and there are some songs that are made better by the inclusion of their bells.

8. M&M’s. Pure pleasure in a candy form. Probably not very good for me. But did I mention they are pure pleasure in a candy form.

9. Simple Things. I like when things are simple. I like when the TV has only one remote. I like when I can go from point A to point B. I like when I can turn something on by pressing a button that says ON. Keep it simple, life is too complicated as it is.

10. Good Graffiti. I come from a town that has probably some of the least talented graffiti artists in the world. There is not a single piece of interesting graffiti in this town, and what there is, is simply bad, and lazy. There is always going to be graffiti, it’s in human nature to make marks on things, especially if those things are walls, fences, posts, buildings, signs, and garbage cans. So if you’re overcome by the urge to spray paint the fence across the street from me, can you at least give it some thought?

A Wednesday List Of Ten Things I LIke.

This is not a top ten list, but rather a totally random list of things I like in no particular order.

1. Watching TV Series After They’ve Been Canceled. I get frustrated trying to watch a TV series when it takes a mid season break, or it takes every third week off. I like my television to be dependable. Which is why I love watching a show after it’s been canceled or finished it’s run. I can watch the whole series in a week, and enjoy it.

2. Mini series.The best length of any TV series should be from 3 to 10 episodes per season, 22 shows in a season is too much, and is mostly filler.

3.The Length Of British TV Series is the perfect example of how many episodes should be in a series. Most of my favourite British shows rarely have more than 7 episodes, and often only run for 3 or 4 seasons. There are only 13 episodes of Faulty Towers, and it’s perfect.

4. The Smell Of Turpentine. The other day I was using turps for the first time in a long while, and I have to admit I loved that smell. It brought back many memories.

5. The Smell Of Oil paint. I always love the rich musky smell of oil paints. No other paint smells as good. Probably one of the reasons I don’t use acrylic much.

6. Red Tories. This country could use some of those old school red Tories that we used to have. Just so that people who’ve always voted Conservative can realize that the party they are voting for is not a conservative party, but can only be described as a political party from the Land Of Mordor.

7. Raw Carrots. Maybe it’s because I’ve eaten too many overcooked carrots in my life, but the only way I really enjoy a carrot is raw. Or in a cake. Carrot cake is good too.

8. T Bone Steak. I’m dreaming of summer. BBQing on our deck, and cooking up some fine tender steaks. Winter is long, and I’m sick of it.

9. Pockets. I tend to need a lot of pockets. I tend to carry a lot of junk. I never have any money in my pockets, but I do have many hair elastics, and wadded up kleenex.

10. Frozen Fish. I’ve come to the conclusion that buying bags of fresh frozen fish is the best way to purchase fish. It is cheaper than buying fresh fish from the fish counter, and when thawed it tastes just as good. Especially with lots of tarter sauce.

A Wednesday List Of Ten Things I Like.

This is not a top ten list, but rather a totally random list of things I like in no particular order.

1. Stickers. We have 2 small kids, and it’s amazing what the promise of a sticker reward will get you. Potty training! Trips to the doctor! Pretty much anything that has to be done with a small kid and that can turn into a battle can be negotiated successfully with a sticker reward. Except eating any kind of vegetables. They haven’t invented a sticker for that yet.

2. Incandescent light bulbs. I’ve a strange belief that we should only use energy efficient bulbs during the summer months. Incandescent bulbs create heat, and in winter on Prince Edward Island we need all the heat we can get. I wonder if they’ve ever done a study to see if there might be a heating oil saving by using incandescent bulbs this way. I remember sitting near lamps with incandescent bulbs and feeling the heat from the bulb. Does anyone know if there are any advantages? Just asking.

3. Things that last. Nothing lasts forever, but it would be nice if some things lasted a little longer. I do have some items that have lasted a long time such as artists brushes, shirts, books, and other odds and sods. But I wonder why waistbands of underwear, cell phones, computers, and chocolate never last.

4. Pizza. I probably could live forever just eating pizza. Maybe forever wouldn’t be very long. But I can dream.

5. Living on an island. I like living on an island. I always know where I am. I know where the edges are. I know when I’m home. I know when I’ve gone too far.

6. Award Season. I like this time of year when awards for movies and television shows occur. I like doing pools to see how many I get right. I seem to always have a movie or actor that I hope wins an award. The thing is I rarely see the movies that get nominated, and in most cases I have no intention in seeing most movies that get nominated. But I do enjoy winning the family Oscar pool. Not that I’ve ever actually won. But some day I will. Even if it means watching some of those nominated movies.

7. January Thaws. Really the only good thing about January thaws is that they make room for the February snows. We had a January thaw this week and the town looks like hell. A thaw shows how much garbage and dog poo we’ll have to pick up in the spring. But at least I’ll have room for all the snow that is coming.

8. Being deaf in one ear. There are few things good about being deaf, and I’ve been deaf in my left ear since I was 2. But I do have one thing I like. When I’m having trouble sleeping I roll over and put my good ear against the pillow, and I can’t hear anything. Off to sleep I go.

9. Other Artists. I actually like other artists. They are interesting, fun, and colourful characters.  Sometimes they are very nice. Except when they don’t want to be.

10. Five-Dollar Bills. I’ve always wondered why bank machines only give out $20’s. The $5 is a much more useful bill. You rarely have to break a five, and a few of them can pay for many things.