Painting, Sewing, Walking.

Over the past few days, I have rediscovered the joys of meandering (albeit quickly) throughout some of the fantastic neighbourhoods of Montreal.

I don't have a "job", I can work when I want to (though I should work MORE) and I find great joy in just going... going... seeing and observing what is around me. That's work, right? I am a visual artist. Also it is kind of my job to keep my body as healthy as I can. That's why I am jogging more often, now that I let my gym membership expire for the summer.

Yesterday and the day before, I broke out a huge pile of fabric that I had salvaged from the "trash" at my former work-place. These are new fabric swatches, and my my my don't they make for cool patchwork! I am sewing them together and will make skirts and perhaps things like bags out of them. If it works WELL then I'll try selling some of these creations. I'll keep you informed.

I have some Raw Umber paint on my palette right now, I painted some of it on about 12 little paintings earlier. Now I'm thinking to hit some of the larger works… the Poetry-Paintings. I am working on Ghazals and Shakespearian Sonnets. I have broken down the rules for these poetic formats, and am re-translating them into a visual language. Perhaps this linguistic approach to painting is inspired by my surroundings... I live in a mainly French part of the city, and I am trying to learn that new language. Perhaps it is this learning process that has made me seek something "about language" in my new work. I don't know. I have been leaning more abstractly over the past few years anyhow, and these paintings are certainly that.

Well I’ll just keep on walking, running, stretching my body and my mind to make things, observe, and be happy.

One Week

It is the one-week anniversary of my being Gainfully Unemployed.

I went for a walk in the park today, balancing on top of snowy bits and splashing through some mud and water in the meltings-ville that is Montreal right now.

I had a nap earlier.

I sketched on some cartoons.

I documented a painting (will not post it here because it is going to be published somewhere... I'll post it after that).

I read some more of "Twilight". Yes, I know.

I saw my trainer at the gym, and she gave me a rigourous routine for the next six weeks.

At the moment I am trying out making Vietnamese-style soup, like you get in those awesome restaurants. I hope it lives up to those restaurant standards. But WOW it's a lot of soup! Yum.

Later on today (after consuming soup, I think) I will paint and work some more on cartoons.

This is a good life.