Yes, I’m posting an image of myself, but this was a big event for me! My friend Karen Lam set up a whole shoot with me as a model. I’ll admit I thought she was a bit nuts, I mean, I had a real hair and make-up woman named Win Liu, and the fantastic, total pro photographer Tallulah all working hard to make this broad look nice. I’m truly amazed with the results and totally flattered. Thanks, Ladies!

I’m very pleased to announce that I’ll be participating in a 4 Person group show from May 9th - June 6th at Distinction Gallery with three very talented artists - Aaron McKinney, Andy Clarkson, and Camille Boggs. If you get a chance, please check it out! I’ll be sure to add a link of the whole shebang once the gallery has the show up and running, but meanwhile, here is my contribution:

I hope you like them!

“High Wired” 6×8″
“Close Carriage” 6×8″
“Desire” 6×8″
“Butterfly Kiss” 6×8″

From time to time I get asked if I sell prints and so far I haven’t figured out a reasonable way of doing them without spending a fortune in set-up. I heard of online “pay-as-you-go” print companies, but would like to see some examples. If anyone has ideas about this, I’d love to hear them.

Meanwhile, I’ve been toying with other forms of duplicating my images while trying to create some originality and making them affordable - a “something new from something old” kind of idea. Here’s more of a description:

Odd Box - Are they original or are they prints? Odd Boxes are both -   digitally designed using existing elements from my own hand-painted original paintings, printed and then transferred onto a new wood surface. Each piece is then hand-painted, meaning no two will ever be the same. There will also be no more than 15 made of each design -just to keep those numbers odd.

These pieces can be found at Dr. Vigari Gallery on Commercial Drive here in Vancouver.

“The Blue Flame”
8 x 10″
Casein & Oil on Hardboard

“The Blue Flame” was an apparently horrible 1920’s play starring, the famous vamp, Theda Bara. Horrible or not, I’m still pretty fascinated with the idea behind it - very “Frankenstein”, and very “Alraune”. Both themes seemed to be popular back then.

Here’s a quote from The New York Times, March 13, 1920:

“The Blue Flame,” in which Miss Bara has been appearing on the road for four weeks, concerns a scientist who believes that he can restore life, and who successfully experiments upon his fiancee when the latter is killed by lightening. This is accomplished, in the play, by an electrical apparatus, but in the process a blue flame, the soul of the girl, is discerned to leave the body. The girl lives, but without a soul and the remainder of the play is made up of her adventures as a vampire”.

The article this quote came from was actually involves a lawsuit involving “The Blue Flame” and another story called “Lola” (1911). Both had the same plot except in “Lola” the scientist is the woman’s father instead of her fiancee. “Lola” a.k.a. “Without a Soul” was also later made into a movie staring Clara Kimball Young in 1914.

In regards to the “Frankenstein/Alraune theme, the very first “Frankenstein” movie was made in 1910 starring Charles Ogle as The Monster

And the first “Alraune” movie was made in 1918 although it seems to be lost, so instead, here’s a clip from the 1928 version starring Brigitte Helm who also starred in “Metropolis” (yet another “Frankenstein/Alraune  themed movie”).

“Lock & Key”
5.5 x 8″
Casein on Hardboard
Tart Arts and Surly Girl -Ladies First Show

This is a little painting I did for a friend’s birthday yesterday. The basic translation is: “Art (work) is long, Life is short”. It’s a good Latin phrase given my aching head this morning after a full day of celebration!

Coincidentally,  it must be a phrase that’s in the collective unconscious these days because Rod just happened to come across it in a crossword puzzle recently and then I found a post using it at Cabinet of Curiosities. I happened upon it while looking up Latin phrases here amongst the hundreds.

“Ars Longa, Vita Brevis”
5 x 7″
Casein on Wood Panel

“Lakshmi”
Casein & Oil on Cradle Board
11×14″

Perhaps it my state of mind, but Lakshmi has appeared yet again in a new painting I’ve completed for the “Everything But the Kitschen Sync” group show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in March.

“Circa”
15 x 7.5″
Casein and Oil on Hardboard

My Artist Statement:

It’s the journey, not the destination, the unknown, not the certain. In this series my starting point is the concept of travel, both literal and metaphorical, about the many facets and interpretations of the idea of The Voyage. Taking a fanciful approach, some of the mental threads I am pulling together to explore the theme are: the smaller quests one must endure in order to evolve, to overcome obstacles, to take detours, all in the course of the larger journey. At any point in time, people have always found a means to escape, some towards the future, others drawn to the past, and some to another world that only exists in one’s imagination. I like to think of it as a strange voyage, and although we know the destination, perhaps this journey never ends.

Distinction Gallery
Bonni Reid, Aaron McKinney, Andy Clarkson, and Camille Boggs
May 9, 2009 – June 6, 2009 | Reception: May 9, 6-11 pm

I’ll be posting more images as I get them done.

Karyn Cantor, owner of Classic Hardware, contacted me awhile back in regards to using some of my artwork for this season’s collection! I’ve been so excited and driven crazy holding off announcing this until I had a “retail” link to post.

All her pieces are just fabulous, and are sold all over the world. I’m honoured that she wanted to include my work with so many wonderful artists such as: KuKula, Kelly Haigh, Kelly Vivanco, Nix Turner, Caia Koopman, Angelina Wrona, Heather Watts, Sandra Frame, Sunny Buick.

You can find my featured page here: Link

Since ancient times women considered to be suffering from hysteria would sometimes undergo “pelvic massage” — manual stimulation of the anterior wall of the vagina by the doctor until the patient experienced “hysterical paroxysm”
“Female Hysteria” -Wikipedia

I am so fascinated with the Victorian era. To think that being fiddled by your doctor was a common occurrence. What surprises me even more is that doctors found the ordeal to be a bit of a nuisance so often they would prescribe mid-wives to do the job. Eventually quick climaxing contraptions were designed for the task, because instead of taking an hour+ to treat each woman, they could service several women a day.

This has got to be one of the biggest in-jokes amongst the Victorian ladies.

“Paroxysm”
11 x 14″
Casein on Wood

“The Dirty Show”  Feb- 7th - 14th
@ Pat’s Pub