New Book: Paysages imaginaires d'Acadie

cover art © Suzanne Daillaire.

Marie-Linda Lord and Denis Bourque's collaboration has yielded a book with a unique concept: a literary atlas. The subject is Acadia. Where is Acadia? I live in Acadia, but it would be tricky to point it out on a map.

The original territory of Acadia was divided into British colonies which later became the Canadian Provinces. Acadia is used to refer not to actual territorial boundaries but "to the areas that were historically associated with the lands, descendants, and/or culture of the former French Acadian region." * Since it is not made up of political boundaries, but is more of a historical and cultural reference, the atlas includes not only a variety of maps dealing with history, population etc., but it also evokes the flavour of Acadia with the writing and poetry from some of its greatest writers.

Their writings bring to life not only a sense of place, but the memories, culture and identity of the Acadian people who have lived in this area for centuries.

"Exultant" mixed media 30x30" ©2008 Shayla Perreault Newcomb

I'm thrilled that my spiritual landscape, "Exultant", was used with the writing of Serge Patrice Thibodeau. His poetry is wonderful on many levels. One thing I love is how the sound of his words delight.

The photo I was given features only half the team that contributed to the book. From left to right, artist Roger H. Vautour; Maurice Basque, director of the Institute of Acadian Studies; photographer, Dolorès Breau; Professor Denis Bourque, a co writer of the atlas; artist Georgette Bourgeois, artist Suzanne Dallaire, whose artwork appears on the cover; Marie-Linda Lord, holder of the Chair in Acadian Studies, a co writer of the atlas; artist Herménégilde Chiasson, also one of the six writers; artist Shayla Perreault Newcomb; graphic designer, Raymond Thériault; and Elizabeth Blanchard, the project coordinator of the Chair in Acadian Studies.

To see more photos and to read a french review...

à la prochaine!

Country Mouse City Mouse

"Rentrer au Bercail" 12x12" mixed media © 2009 Shayla Perreault Newcomb.

The inspiration for "Rentrer au Bercail" came from a blog buddy, Gwen Buchanan from Desideratum. Before painting that day, I'd seen her first comment since she'd been away for the summer. Of course I was happy she was back and thinking about what her blog means to me sparked this piece. These are to me the colors of Fundy when the sand is wet and the sky is grey.

Gwen lives in romantic, sea-side, St. Martins in Fundy and her artistic country lifestyle feels like home. When I visit her blog, I'm curled up by her woodstove, with a hand made mug filled with something hot, and a chocolate chip cookie just out of the oven, with the chips all melted. Tom Waits plays on the stereo and her dogs nearby thump their tails on the floor. As Gwen tells me about her latest projects, the view of the Fundy coast on the way to the house and now glimpsed out the windows gives a profound sense of peace.

I like our city home and I am loathe to move. I love walking down the street to the library. I love that there are 12 galleries/ museums all within walking distance of my apartment and that the Artist Center and the Theatre are across the street. Having moved many times I'm now torn between that sense of peace from country living and the benefits of the city. An additional complication is that once you've lived by the ocean, it gets in your blood and in some ways you will always belong there.The painting above is a kind of country mouse/ city mouse story and "rentrer au bercail" means roughly 'returning home'.

Goodbye 2009

One last quickie post for 2009 to say thank you for your support. This past year has been a great one for connection, inspiration, creation and learning thanks to you.

I just got back from my mothers (photos are of her place) and the most outstanding visit I've ever had at The Beaverbrook Art Gallery. This year marked their 50th year, so they went all out. If you're local, you have until January 4 to go see.

The Impressionist Master Works for a starter. Yipee!! Oh, oh. I foresee this not being such a short post anymore. I always hated Impressionists until I had the chance to see them in person. Those paintings have souls, I'm sure. I could feel them breathing. Monet's piece was so tender I couldn't help but feeling affection for him and concluding that he was a wonderful person. Pissaro somehow managed to make his colors change depending on the distance from the piece, and Gauguin's energy through color and brushstrokes made me want to do a celebratory jig. Color isn't the focus among the local artists, so seeing what the Impressionists did with oils in person was a pleasant jolt. It's something that can't be reproduced as I'm sure many of you have experienced.

Celebrating 40 Years New Brunswick Art Bank Anniversary Exhibition The N.B. Art Bank has an acquisitions program that recognizes artistic excellence, a loan program and an exhibition program. If your area doesn't have one yet, perhaps it would be interested in starting one since there are many benefits. Victoria Henry, the director of the Canada Council Art Bank, say that "Australia and South Africa both developed their art banks with art loan and art rental programs based on the Canadian model, and more recently Ireland, Taiwan, Singapore, Shanghai, and Korea have requested information and advice as well." This exhibit was like visiting friends, since almost half of the works were from the Moncton area. In my opinion, this is the most dynamic artist community in the province.

Creating a Legacy is an exhibit of top Contemporary Canadian artists and it was all donated by collectors or the invited artists. It was spectacular. We got a special guide of this and the Impressionist exhibit by Jerry from the Beaverbrook and he gave us a rich educational experience. Our heads were spinning with all the great tidbits of information he had to give and the great art.

If you do visit the Beaverbrook and happen to spy a guide with a distinctive burgundy jacket, and Jerry on his name tag, do say hello. He's a fountain of information and one of the Beaverbrook's greatest treasures.

And what about you? Do you like the Impressionists? How did you feel the first time you saw them in person?

Thanks again for a wonderful year and see you in 2010!

"Trois" at Galerie Georges Goguen

The new show, "Trois", will be set up tomorrow at the CBC Georges Goguen Art Gallery and open for viewing on Monday. The hours are from Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.- 6p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Two new surprise paintings will be revealed. Normally I wouldn't suggest booking two shows back to back. It's customary to have all new work for each show when showing in the same city, unless you're in a huge urban center. I almost made it, too.

This fall I was dewy-eyed, in love with inspiration and I could feel painting after painting in my core ready to be put on canvas. Marketing for the first show, however, gave my muse the jitters. Production continued, but instead of 20 new pieces (the original ambitious goal) or even 10 pieces (the revised goal), I have 2 new fabulous pieces and 8 who didn't make the cut. Of course, if you didn't make it to the "Dynamics of the Spirit" show, then you get to see 12 fabulous new pieces ;) I'll be posting more photos soon.

The filming of "Luc et Luc" was fantastic. I would describe it as an Acadian, Conan O'Brien show. It had tonnes of energy and lots of laughs. It airs on TV this Sunday at 19h30 on CBC television.

You're Invited

For two years Jeanne and I have been partnered in a mentorship. Luc et Luc, a talk show that features people "making a difference" is covering the story and Jeanne will be filmed tommorow night talking about the experience.

Would you like to watch the filming of the show? If you're in town, they film tommorow at 20h00 at the Theatre l'Escaouette. There's no charge to be part of the audience, just get there early and you'll be set to go. Doors open at 17h40 (5:40 pm).

I took the photo of the theatre last spring. They're right across the street from us, and I found it amusing the way those same two red cars always showed up.

Check in for Art Every Day: I picked up the joural practice I'd been doing before, and forgot about (photo above). For instructions check out Bridgette's art journalling prompt "A month in Review" , I colored another sketch book entry with garish colors of epic ugliness, and made homemade thank you cards for people who helped out with the show.

Here's some of the press we got for the show. Sylvie Mousseau wrote an excellent article for L'Acadie Nouvelle. These next two papers have posted the articles online and I've linked right to them. Sheila Lagacé wrote an extensive piece for L'étoile, and an article appeared in the Times and Transcript . Jeanne is also going to talk about our mentorship experience on Luc et Luc, a daily talk show. I'm scared about being on TV and am glad that I get to watch the making of this show. I think it will help me get over that fear.

Claire Richard, pictured here with her husband, Homer, is a regular blog reader, but doesn't blog herself. I'm so glad she introduced herself this weekend at the Moncton Studio Tours.

It's been a goal of mine lately to remember names. Hah! Not going so well. Since I didn't write these down (mistake), I'm paranoid I've got them wrong. I do remember Homer, for sure. Claire, if you're out there today and I got your name wrong, please drop me a line :)

First Snow

L'Euphorie de l'anticipation 12"x16" oil on canvas © Shayla Perreault Newcomb.

We got our first snow today! They are the big fluffy flakes I love best.This painting is about when you go out on a clear winter night, after a fresh snow and it smells wet and clean. It's not a smell that comes after rain, only snow. There seems to be more oxygen in the air and it feels fresh, stimulating, exciting. I've used that sensation to represent a place in our lives when we're savouring anticipation. There's no doubt now that what we've wanted is about to become reality.

Here Jeanne is speaking with Line Massé from AAAPNB, a Francophone artists association.

The art opening on Wednesday went well. Jason, my spouse-guy, was a big help in greeting our friends and he also took pictures. It's great to have a friend helping out, and this opening was easier than usual because Jeanne, my mentor, and Maurice Henri, the Library Gallery Dealer made for a super team.

Florine Leblanc from Women in Business spoke about their new mentorship program for local businesses. She was the one that introduced Jeanne and I, and got the idea to start this program based on our mentorship experience.

Another highlight was City Councillor, Nancy Hoar, representing the city and speaking about the importance of the arts to Moncton. She brought out some of the concrete ways that the city has invested in the arts.

I'm still resting today, but have kept up with art every day. I have a Julia Cameron coloring book that has been fun to use and I started a forgotten art journal practice I'd meant to do this year. More on that later.

Top Six Art Books

"Neo-Totemism" copyright Heather Busch

Here's my list of favorite art books discovered recently at the library.

The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles- 5 stars, great drama, better than fiction, fun to read.

False Impressions by Thomas Hoving- Suspenseful true tales of art fraud and fakes plus reveals on getting aged patinas. Two popular choices with fakers? Burrying it in animal dung or skins.

Mary Pratt by Sandra Gwyn- A local artist who's also a member of the Order of Canada

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf- not a new subject, but her insights on women and creativity are handled with an uncommon grace.

Why Paint Cats-The ethics of feline aesthetics- A great spoof, but plenty of food for thought and no matter what the intentions of the authors, it's imaginative and gets the creative juices flowing. You can follow the controversy on their website or see what Snopes had to say (I promise, no kitties were subjected to toxic materials).

Mouse Guard - by David Petersen. I'm smitten with his illustrations. This book was a library discovery that I loved so much I had to buy my own copy.

The last two books were bought with money raised from Magnum Opus charity art auction in years previous. I've been happy to stumble across them and can't wait to see what they'll be able to purchase this year. Do you have a favorite art read? Let me know if you have any to recommend.

Magnum Opus and Artist Mentoring

Today we had the opening for the group show "Magnum Opus" at the Moncton city library. The paintings will be auctioned off at the Magnum Opus Gala on Sunday, October 25. I may not get a heads up to my mailing list in time, so everybody you're invited.

This charity does things a little differently than usual. The work wasn't donated. All the artists are paid for their paintings. The auctioneer has done a fabulous job in making a $20 000+ profit for the charity even after the artists were paid.

Photo bottom left to right- Jennifer Evans, Grace Ward, Jeanne Leblanc Mullin, Me, Jules Landry. Second row left to right- Joel Culligan, Diane Ryan, Cecil D, Georges Goguen, Marc Blanchard and Josette Mallet.

To see more artists, the paintings and all the details, check it out.

This is a photo of me and Jeanne Leblanc Mullin. She's been my mentor for the past two years and has been the best teacher for a perfectionist like me. Rules paralyze me. I try to stick to them so perfectly that I end up artistically constipated and unable to paint. She never lays down the law when it comes to work in the studio. Her comments are subtle and give me the freedom to explore. Often it's months later that one of those comments will click and lead to growth. Here she's talking about the importance of contrast, value plans and how Rembrant is the guy to study to learn more. She knows about the local market so her insights on marketing have been invaluable. If you're an artist and would like to progress more quickly, mentoring is a great accelerator.

After the show we got lunch at Caluctus, yummy vegetarian fare and talked about our upcoming November show, "Dynamics of the Spirit". This is the second mentor ship show that Maurice Henri has organized for Moncton. The program is still growing. If you're local and would like to be involved you can contact me for more info. I've got some homework to finish by showtime but am happy to say that my biography passed. I'll post it later.

Spontaneous Guerilla Action

If you want to have some fun you should try this. The Global Guerilla Challenge has been extended by Sydney artist grrl+dog. Now there are only two days left. I just found out, haven't really met grrl yet, am not an official participant, but this is too much play to pass up.

I had a long strip of old practice knitting ready made and just right for tree sculpture. Well, maybe not wide enough, but I improvised with a corset-like lace up.

After scouting out locations, I decided on a tree in the park across the street.

Several blasé teenagers passed by, but no one approached. If someone wants to play too, there's an invite and directions to my blog inside the card.

Trying out a project that's out of the usual routine is a breath of fresh air. Happiness inducing. Hmmm, this may end up being another addiction.

Lastly, here's my trashed studio after hunting for for my knit sewing needle. Never found it. Improvised with a paper clip. I think a touch of spring fever hit, yah we're buried in snow, but the light isn't white anymore. It's yellow. Spring fever can have this effect on my studio.

The studio is slowly recovering...

Mystery sculpture on Moncton's Highway 15

You may not even notice it as you're driving on highway 15 from Moncton, going east. At first glance it looks like a stand of dead trees.

If you're really observant, you can see orange tips, typical markers left in the woods, as you drive by in a matter of seconds. Strange though, they mark an awful lot of the trees. It doesn't look like the typical work of a lumberman...

You're right. It's not the work of a lumberman. Local artist, André Lapointe, was permitted to make use of the space for his sculpture. Curioser and curioser...

A lot of his works deal with the environment. He had this to say in the Virtual Museum of Canada about his work in general, and it offers some clues:

"My work has always been linked to the landscape, right from the start : shapes of nature, in landscapes. At the beginning I tried to reify the shapes of nature, transforming them into sculptures in a somewhat surrealist manner, I’d say. Later it developed into land art and nature art."

I had my own theory when I first saw it that the piece had to do with deforestation, and the possibility of removing every tree on the planet. I've since seen another piece of his work- a gynormous snowball the size of a car wedged in a tree. Very cool. With that context, and after reading the above, I don't think that's what he had in mind, but I feel like believing it anyway.

What do you prefer to see?

Studio Snooping

I love looking into other people's studios. Today I saw a 360 degree photo by Berthélémé of Yvon Gallant's studio and it made me want to go home and paint.

Here's some photos of my studio after getting my new storage cupboard I got from Boutique Recylc'Art & Antiques. Yay! I'm so in love with it! My studio used to be three feet wide until I took over our dining room. It's gone through various stages of discomfort, but I'm very happy with it now.

Tag, Awards and Magnum Opus

Magnum Opus, a Gala art auction library fundraiser in Moncton, is set for next Sunday, the 26 of October. It's a cause I'm eager to support.

Libraries are easy to take for granted, but they are such a great resource. Even today, it's not possible for everyone to get extended learning. I know I'm hungry for more education, but circumstances prevent me from going. I'm certainly not the only one. For some people socio-economic barriers, location, health issues, the difficulties of immigration, heavy family responsibilities, and other reasons make the challenge insurmountable. The library makes it easy to stay informed or get an education regardless.

It's also such an environmentally sound system. We may not think of it, but when we borrow from the library, we're reducing our consumption and the size of our ecological footprint.

Support has been outstanding from sponsors, newspapers, television and magazine coverage. The library is thrilled to have writer, Kathy Reichs, as the guest speaker. Brian Cormier has all the details and a list of participating artists on his blog. I love it when an art event gets that much buzz!

**********************************

I've been tagged by Robyn at Art Propelled, a wonderful sculptor and story teller, with lots of gentle wisdom on the creative process.

I guess I've got the library on my brain, since several of my facts were literature related. So I made my random/ weird facts on a literature/library theme.

1. I took a course in writing for children and teens and I still have a soft spot for children's literature. All time fav's: Brian Jacques, Karen Cushman and Louis Sachar.

2. I made the goal when I was in grade five to read all the classics. Hah! Talk about unrealistic ambitions. That won't ever happen, but some of my favorite classics are Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, the Bible, The Scarlett Letter, and To the Lighthouse.

3. Lately it's got to make me laugh and if it feels at all like it might 'improve my mind', you know, homework-like? *blush* I can't be bothered. Absolutely loving British comedies like P.G. Wodehouse, Sophie Kinsella, Terry Pratchett and Jasper Fforde.

4. Have you ever tried dinnerotica? Rated General or PG and meaning luscious, drool inducing descriptions of food and cooking. Curious? Try Peter Mayle. Mmmmm...

5. I love black and white movies with spunky women like Kathryn Hepburn and Mae West. Yay! Most libraries have DVD sections now.

6. Last fall I did a Brahms experiment. While painting, I would listen only to Brahms. Here's how it turned out. Now I'm doing a Mozart experiment to see how he affects my painting. All CD's have been borrowed from the library.

7. I had an acquaintance in Millville N.B. who learned how to prospect from borrowing books from the library. He got such a complete education , he ended up working professionally in this field.

THANK YOU so much Picciolo from the UK for the Proximidade Award" or "Friendship Around the World Award"! This award highlights blogs that are special in some way and extends the hand of friendship around the world. Isn't that a great thing about blogging? Armchair travel at its best. This way we not only get to read about foreign places, but meet great people from all over the world. My international buddy, Picciolo's blog features happy, colorful designs on items like purses and pouches.

This award from Jeane is such a delight. It's a 'no strings' attached' award (fun!) and I'm really pleased to have met such a great artist as Jeane. I've learned a lot from her techniques, and I'm double pleased that she likes to hang out here.

Now I'd like to recognize some great blogs. Please pick the award of your choice. Alas, I'm still somewhat of an internet introvert, but I'm slowly adding some new favorites.

For tag: 1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

For international friendship: choose 8 of your favorite blogs and ask them to do the same.

For no strings: No strings :o)

1. RGR designs blog

2. Mika Art blog

3.Pink Purl

4. La Vie est Belle

5. Amarosia

6.Joan Gregory

Moncton Gallery Hopping Adventures

Gallery hopping last month has been a blast! Pascal Cormier had his first gallery solo show. His work has such a great illustrative feel. I can see him going far. Sonic Cubes by Béchard and Hudon at Galerie Sans Nom opened on the same night. So cool!!! I could write pages on how outstanding that was! The art experience changes depending on who's in the room. It started very quietly. Jason came too. Just me and him turning the boxes to hear the 'mystery' sound. Then another person wandered in... Still a minimalistic soundscape. Soon there was a whole room full of people jamming on these sonic sound boxes. Their voices and excited chatter got louder and louder as they discovered each sound. More people packed in to discover. Soon the sound level escalated to PARTY!!!

About a week ago was Amber's vernissage. It was packed and lots of fun! One of her pieces reminds me of one of my exotic, beautiful friends. Loved that! The art openings have certainly been crowded lately- and that's simply the best kind of opening

Road Trippin'

"Road trippin with my two favorite allies. Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies.Its time to leave this town.Its time to steal away..." Red Hot Chili Peppers

Nothing like a road trip every once in a while and leaving it all behind. Refreshing. Me and my two favorite allies (Jace and the dog) just got back from Fredericton. The photo I shot above is about the only evidence left from the flooding they just had. Houses had 8 feet of water in them, and the main streets had 3 feet of water on them, but I didn't even see water stains.

I visited family and friends I knew in Jr. High- the sleepover, make-overs, and "I dare you" crowd. One of my friends brought her two little boys and I could honestly say they were the sweetest little boys I've ever met. I was so proud to see what a good Mommy she is.

What a luxury it is to hang out with people you knew when you were younger! I've moved too many times to count, so most of the time people have only known me a few years. It made me think briefly of moving back to Fredericton- where I have the most roots, but it will always be the city with the most unhappy memories and I don't want a daily haunting.

The art scene in Fredericton is also vastly different from Moncton. Fredericton has a strong "Fine Craft" scene because of the art college. I used to teach workshops in Fredericton in craft-mostly fiber arts. I have so much respect for fine craft and I want to incorporate some of it into my work, but it's not enough for me. Moncton has a vibrant "Fine art" scene and I've met so many stimulating, exciting artists here. That in itself is the biggest anchor to keep me in Moncton. It's alot of work to get involved in a new art community- too much work to be doing every few years.

I'm still trying to work things out in the studio. I've got 5 paintings on the go, or shall I say 5 puzzles. I'm journalling through this to help narrow my focus and reach some conclusions. I've been playing with different designs in my sketch book as well.

Normally when I'm stuck like this, I take a break until I feel an overwhelming, almost violent urge to get to my studio. Then it pours out perfectly, beautifully. I feel that this time it's different. It's more of a paralysis that I have to fight, so I'm still plugging away. It's hard, still exhausting, but my morale is good. Being an artist is hard work. Euphoria isn't the only step of the process and I have to be committed to the entire journey. And yes, lol, I can even say I'm having some fun through all this confusion.

Works In Progress

I've got to share these handmade, Japanese papers with you from Daniel Smith. They're so pretty, I've hung them up as curtains for now. There's maple leaves woven into the lace. It's raining here today and very overcast, so silver is the best light I could hope for to show these off. I would have preferred a little spring platinum. I think they'll make nice shadows when the sun comes out.

This is my take on a project Cyndi suggested for March's mixed media challenge in the Wetcanvas forum. It was soooo much fun! It involved melting candles over a paper you've already painted. It should be pretty well covered in wax, then after it's dry you bend the paper which makes all kinds of little cracks. Then you paint over in a darker color. It's a little like batik. All the dark sinks into the cracks.

I have a couple of works in progress on the go. Below are some details for the "chocolate" painting. It's not turning out to be about chocolate at all! I even tried writing out this recipe for rum mousse, which I distressed and was ready to collage... Yummy, made me hungry, but wasn't satisfying artistically speaking. These are very closely based on antique Japanese printing plates. I've sent the images to the photo lab to try them out as transfers. I'm still hesitating on buying a professional printer so in the meantime, the lab's using waterproof pigment ink for me.

I had family visiting last week. We played hooky one morning and went to the London Wul Farm. Here's Heidi's blog, the fiber artist, museum owner who's trying to get me and mom addicted all over again ;) They had the same commercial dye baths that were used in the 18oo's like cochineal and indigo. Mom and I used cochineal all the time when we demoed dying wool at King's Landing, but we've never had a chance to use indigo. Drool...

I was coveting spinning wheels (so relaxing- you know the way a kitty purrs? well so does a spinning wheel and the rhythm is hypnotic) and mom picked up some alpaca for a coverlet she's weaving.

Lastly, I'd like you to meet Frederick Hann. He's a landscape architect and he won my newsletter giveaway last month. When I dropped it off he gave me a tour of their offices. Wow! I wish architects designed everyone's offices! The board room was especially magnetic. All the windows were covered, so there wasn't any natural light in the room, despite that as soon as I walked in it felt right. I asked him how they were able to achieve that. The ceiling was dropped, except for a circular area above the table. Special lighting- almost chandelier-like was hung in this spot. The design of the ceiling, he said, was to keep the eyes down in the area of the table. The table was a rich wood in a triangular shape. This was to avoid anyone being at the head, all are equal. Kind of like the Knights of the Round Table only the triangle makes it more dynamic. One wall was brick, but not just any brick. Just the right tones, texture and distressing to give a feel of warmth and authenticity. It was as satisfying as a well composed painting and it left me feeling welcome and empowered. So if I was to design a Utopia, architects would be in charge of all our buildings.

Pitching a tent in the living room

Why did I set up a tent in the living room? Number one - Why not? Number two- plan number one was to try winter camping to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. There is a thirty minute hike with all our supplies through the woods before we get to the camp. Sounds like such an adventure, but I've been fatigued enough lately that I would likely give out on the trail. If Jace were stuck hauling all the gear, food and me for 30 min through feet deep snow our weekend might not start out with much of a celebratory feel to it, lol. Work obligations keep us from getting too far away so up went the tent!!! Yay!

We decorated it with antique saris, fairy lights on the roof to look like stars and filled it with comfortable pillows and blankets.

The shot below is of the inside.

The weekend involved lots of yummy takeout and movies in the tent, one special supper, and thrift shopping.

Tadah! Presenting my new stripey stockings given to me by Jace. Now we're off thrift shopping looking for some serendipitous finds. Later that night we saw two art exhibits. One of my favorite mixed media artists, Elaine Amyot, and performance artist Jean Denis Boudreau. Jean Denis's was a staged funeral, but it wasn't really creepy. It was more humour based, after all the casket was made out of gum balls.

This is the card I made Jace. It's based on a pose from our wedding photos. The inside has a song he wrote and sang to me at the wedding. It also has one of my diary entries when I was just falling in love with him.

This little book is an antique shop find. It's from the 1930's, all silhouettes. Isn't it gorgeous?

Painting of the Week and Moncton Art Scene

This painting is called "Luisant." It means "shine."

Last Thursday Maurice Henri had a great turnout for his art exhibit opening "Abstraits," but you can always count on Maurice's openings to be packed with a friendly crowd. Achille Maillet, the mayor of Dieppe gave a speech on appreciation for abstract art and the University of Moncton donated- I don't know precisely- over $1000 (I think it was $1900) for Maurice's cause, "Cameras for Healing." He's using the money to build a third school in Sierra Leone, Africa and to help children suffering the aftermath of war to work through their trauma through photography. He's worked for many years in helping people who've retreated into themselves to come out of their shell with the help of art. For this project Maurice is partnered with a trained psycologist.
It was a great show full of bright colors and incredible textures. Maurice said that the color was his way of lifting himself back up after witnessing so many horrors and hearing of so many soul anihilating experiences that the people have suffered. If you're in Moncton, go to the Centre Culturelle de Dieppe (beside the new town hall) for some color therapy. It's an uplifting, not-to-be-missed show.

Dave Skyrie has a show in the Moncton City Gallery that will really make you travel! He called it "Breviary", meaning a book of prayers or a collection of meditations. Dave defines the show as "the detritus of the daily arguments between my mind, spirit and canvas in the search for peace and a certain state of grace." It's very effective. I tried form my own impressions before reading the titles. I could feel a flitting movement in one painting. It turned out to be titled "Thoughts like butterflies." That's one I could so identify with!!! I have a million thoughts at any given time scattered all over the place. Another one I found to be especially moving was "As Boundaries Disappear." When meditating have you ever felt your thoughts get so uplifted that they seem to be above you? Wow- that sounds freaky-sometimes it's best not to try and describe art, especially if you're not a writer. Ok- I'll tentatively try this again. Well, when I looked at this painting, it felt like I was so uplifted that my whole body was up there with my thoughts.