Saturday, 29 August 2009

MooseMan In Progress

MooseMan lives! Poor fellow finally has a face now that I discovered a nifty sawdust paste recipe.
After languishing in the basement for about 15 years I tossed the original body, redesigned it as a fish rather than human and changed the environmental angle from the destruction caused by logging (that's kind of a done issue) to the devastation of oceans and fisheries.
I've selected only the highest quality materials for construction...contains some of the finest duct tape I've ever handled.



Hirsch Creek #3

(18 X 24, acrylic)

I just really, really like this spot so I threw some salmon in it and will haul it on down to our annual 'Here Fishy, Fishy' art exhibit. I'd prefer to keep all my paintings under wraps till my exhibit but Fishy's a little thin this year so I'm doing my part to take up more wall space.

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

How 'Bout We Swap Yer Seroquel For Some Skinnamarinky-doodle-azipine


I honestly don't understand what the hell shrinks do all those years in school...
What on earth - and what earthly good - is it that they're learning???
Is that ten or twelve years of post-secondary simply some gruelling endurance race inflicted on students in order to weed out anyone with the slightest weakness whatsoever - resulting in a gulf so vast between them and their clients that they may as well be dealing with aliens?
After reciting the requisite life history TwinB tried to explain her current fatigue/confusion/discalculia to todays doctor.
He could only reply "I don't get it..." "Why don't you just write the day down as well..."
(half a point for being up front about being confused by her confusion)

Ever heard about cognitive dysfunction??...put up your hand- thank you.

I'd really like to get some things into their heads - preferably something constructive but barring that a flaming bag of dog shit might be almost as satisfying.

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

Scatterbrain

An animated - only in the sense of style ; ) - self portrait that TwinB executed sometime during high school when experiencing her regular bouts of fatigue and confusion.

She recently smacked into her 'confusion issues' again, showing up two days early for an appointment with her counsellor Kelly. She'd been checking -scrutinizing actually - the appointment card which apparently was for the 17th until she actually arrived that day where it mysteriously and without sense suddenly turned into a '19th'.

TwinB has a long history like that with numbers.
She phoned me from C-train, quite chagrined if not somewhat alarmed about the situation.
"My left hemisphere is totally useless...it's only there to Fung Shui my brain...oh let's just throw some pillows in that corner...or maybe it's ballast for my head so it doesn't tip over to one side"

You know you have mental health problems and/or disabilities when you have to get someone to fact check an appointment card for you.

Thank goodness Kelly received her report seriously. TwinB also mentioned getting hopelessly lost during a run then having to knock on a strangers' door at the edge of town for rescue.

The ultimate occured while at the Art Institute of Vancouver -she only realized that she'd been enrolled in a particular course when the transcripts came out and she'd failed it because she didn't know that it was on her course load and had never attended a single class.

Yup. She really did it.
Most people just have nightmares about that sort of thing.
Not her. She's really lived the 'dream'.
I'm relieved that she has resolved to have her special needs labelled and addressed. Be nice if we could get the guv'mint and or healthcare system to assist in some way or to at least make some allowances for her.
Trying to keep her going can often feel like juggling jello or herding cats...maybe even both at the same time. However she never ceases to impress me with a self discipline and tenacity that somehow burns through the fog.


The Finished Product

Here's the dastardly chalk pastel. Don't know if I should redo it in acrylic which is a far more suitable medium for rendering rust. Probably better for moths too.

Chalk Pastel Gets The Boot

The chalk pastel piece I've been working on fell to the floor with a resounding 'bonk' this morning. It dropped vertically and landed on the bottom edge because I had used fairly stiff, heavy paper and in doing so managed to dislodge the last 2 hours of work I had applied.
There was enough to fill my palm and and I am not impressed and/or amused.
I had given up on chalk pastels several years ago due its tendency to release itself from any surface despite rigorous precautions and preparation.
I hereby declare that from this moment forward I will shun - shun I say! - this unreliable and fickle medium to the end of my days!

Monday, 17 August 2009

Who's Got A Big Fat Smile??


I DO!!!
The postal worker just delivered my much anticipated package from future famous writer BC Woods. WOOT!
oooooooo.....I'm downright giddy!
thank-you!