My first week in Toronto has been fun, spending some time checking out the city, shops and galleries ...

I checked out a show featuring Saskatchewan artists at the York Quay (Harbourfront) Centre, here is the show's write up ...

COMBINE situates the works of 18 artists from Saskatchewan throughout York Quay Centre. The title joins two iconic references - the image of the prairie farming machine and the assemblages first created by Robert Rauschenberg - to provide a hint as to where the artists are from and what they are up to. Participating artists were selected for their mutual understanding of how the amalgamation of disparate objects and images can create new stories and meanings.

Here are some photographs I took at the show ...

At the harbourfront I was impressed by this wave boardwalk for children to play on ...

Another show I briefly saw was Christina Leslie's photographic series (MISSED) PERCEIVED at the Gladstone Hotel. It showcases multiple portraits and deals with satirical representations, for example the portraits reference the sambo character and representations of othering in media and popular culture. Leslie juxtaposes the sitters actual portrait with their 'caricatures'. Here are some photographs I took at the show ...

Some more fun finds on Queen West + Ossington ...

Inspiration: cloudy skies, cityscapes and chaotic illustrations.

This afternoon Leo and I walked down to 17th Avenue so I could photograph my project site. It was a cloudy day, but I like photographing when it's overcast best, its like a natural filter so you don't have to worry about harsh light. Here are some shots I took along the way ...




This amazes and inspires me - I read this article 'Favela Painting by Haas and Hahn' by Frame Magazine:

Haas and Hahn create a community driven artwork spanning over 34 houses, by painting the favela Santa Marta.

In the heart of a favela in Rio de Janero – called Santa Marta – a huge art project has given colour to the streets. The artwork aims to brighten up the neighbourhood, giving the community a boost by educating and employing workers. The project is an initiative by Dutch art duo Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn.

Haas en Hahn (hare and hen) as the artist call themselves, made a flexible design of colourful rays that can easily be expanded, to paint the houses around the central square. A group of locals were trained as painters to work with scaffolding and different materials; during the month it took to paint the buildings, they received training as well as a pay check.

The final artwork is a monument to the community living in the slum. The artists’ goal is to transform the whole hillside favela into one big colourful area, turning it into a community-driven artwork and helping inhabitants on the employment ladder.

(Photos courtesy of Favela Painting)

Natsko Seki is a Japanese mixed-media artist who creates these cheery, fanciful and chaotic cityscapes. She finds inspiration in antique and vintage culture, as well as nostalgia. I love the aesthetic of her work - it is inspiration for my own cityscape project. I especially like these works by Natsko:

(Map of Clerkenwell, 2009)

Mike Perry's illustrations and designs are chaotic -a mix of graffiti, graphic design, poster and street art ... I love it ... there's a sample of his work below and see more here.


Tomorrow we are off to Bragg Creek, so I'll share some pictures from that day trip soon ...

These days inspiration for me has been flowers and gardening ... maybe it's the gloomy weather ... the rain is good for growth!

We have been planting our garden this last week, mostly in pots on the patio. This year we planted: rosemary, parsley, coriander, dill, oregano, and chives ... also, three varieties of tomatoes, kale, lettuce, rhubarb, beans, onions ...

For inspiration, I have just started reading Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway. I borrowed the book from my brother and I am excited to learn more about sustainable gardening practices, especially techniques when planting native species, grey water recycling and techniques to increase biodiversity in your own backyard. Reminds me of this project I worked on in school.

Edible landscapes are so practical and delicious, but I am a flower child at heart, so I have to have colourful and showy blooms in the garden, so I planted scads of zinnias this year as well.

I was really amazed at this flower I spotted at the farmer's market last week - the 'dinner plate' dahlia...I have never seen this variety before and I was impressed, the bloom is huge, literally the size of a dinner plate!!!

The rooftop of Chicago's City Hall was often brought up in lectures at University and it is true inspiration for sustainable building and gardening. It is a Greenroofs.com project. Have a peek at these amazing shots of the garden ...

What is truly amazing is how public gardens like this one can encourage social capita - community building. What is community and why do we need it? Broadly, the word "community" is derived from the Old French communité which is derived from the Latin communitas (cum, "with/together" + munus, "gift"), it is a broad term for fellowship or organized society. What is important is that it is a gift and that it is rewarding to give and receive. Here is a friendly poster - How to build community:

Flowers, flowers, everywhere - I have the most amazing boyfriend, he brought home a beautiful bouquet of lisianthus, peonies, sweet peas and leucadendron ... mmm, lovely fluffy flowers!

I came across these photographs by Amira Fritz, they are humorous. These pseudo-fashion photographs are in strange contexts, and made even odder with funeral-esque arrangements taking the place of the model's head.

Who doesn't love to look into a artist's studio - I love photographs of this subject in its own right. Photographer Rachel Whiting snaps this shot. I love the colourfulness, the collections in jars and the stacked shelving all the way up the wall.



I read an article in UPPERCASE about Three Potato Four, a family business started by a love of collectibles. Their online business sells unique collectibles from wedding wares to kids kitsch, from signs to paper and prints. The name derived from their family of three growing into a family of four. This business name reminded me of a haiku my friend wrote for me when I was pregnant:

seedling to soft kicks
inside-out, hugs and kisses
two cups become three

(image: Claire Coles Design)

Here is an illustration I finished this evening.


I really wish I could have seen the New Amsterdam Village that was featured in New York City last September.


And it is for this reason:

In addition to the New Amsterdam Village, which represents a more "traditional" version of Holland, a demonstration model of a Dutch greenhouse will be showcased. The Netherlands is a world leader in greenhouse innovations and the Dutch have made great strides in energy saving technologies in this industry. In this special greenhouse visitors can familiarize themselves with flowering lilies, greenhouse vegetables, special micro vegetables and a bumblebee colony. Also a model of the electricity producing greenhouse can be found there, as well as an overview of the latest technologies and research in the Dutch glasshouse construction sector -ny400.org

Oiseaux sells beautiful vintage nameplates, like the one found below.


I love the crafty flower creations of Laurie Cinotto. Pictured below are some of her beautiful paper and fabric boutonnières.


I stumbled on Grant Hanna's website. I really like his painting titled Navigator (My Swampland) pictured below.


Land-Rich's mission is to provide beautiful objects that symbolize the quality, functionality, and sustainability of simpler times. Each quarter they will debut a new edition of products. Below is their Tallow Berry Bulb, now a part of Land-Rich's permanent collection.


Some blogs to take a gander at...

Twig & Thistle Stationary and Crafts
Eat Drink Chic Stationary and Crafts
Treasuring Lovely pattern design by Jessica Gonacha Swift
Tinderbox Dublin-based creative network
Green Wedding Shoes Beautiful and colourful photography of fun-themed weddings

Here are some slides from our group work from my urban lab course. Our intent was a community redesign of the Varsity and Dalhousie Communities in Calgary. Click on the images to make large.