I had good penmanship. My handwriting, regardless of style I adopted, was neat, uniform and highly legible. Sadly, without the opportunity to practice, I have now lost much of this skill. Just the other day, when I picked up a pencil to write for an extended period of time, I was horrified at the unevenness of every alphabet, in every word. Right at that moment, I realised that I have also forfeited my skills in painting, calligraphy, and various other “manual labour”. It got me thinking - how would my life have unfold without the computer, and by extension - the Internet? Would I be able to build a simple stool to sit on? Would I be able to knit myself a sweater?

Perhaps this is why Mary Putman’s paintings depicting various barns and fields so compelling. With technology, we have lost touch of our roots: we know very little about “manual labour”. I would like to start using my hands again…

The 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver has now come to an end. In the short span of 17 days, I have experienced sheer joy, profound respect and unbridled pride. Other than Shane Koyczan’s poem at the opening ceremony,I can think of no other words to define my emotions accurately:

We can stand here today
filled with all the hope people have
When they say things like “someday”
Someday we’ll be great
Someday we’ll be this
or that
Someday we’ll be at a point
when someday was yesterday
And all of our aspirations will pay the way
for those who on that day
look towards tomorrow
And still they say someday
we will reach the goals we set…

…We are the true north
Strong and free
And what’s more
is that we didn’t just say it
we made it be.

Images sourced from Life.

… I turned around and looked back at where I came from. I like to venture into the hibernating woods, bare though it is at this time of the year, and feel the serenity. Under the canopy of snow, the ground glows. The snow crackled lightly under my weight with every step. The stillness all around me never fails to inspire awe. The crisp morning air, the quietness - they let me recalibrate my senses, right there in the caresses of late winter…

Photographs by Alexander Gronsky.

I rarely look into the eyes of my conversation companions. When I do, it is a perfunctory glance, shrouded behind a veil, performed reluctantly to satisfy the basic customs of holding a conversation. I attribute my tremendous difficulty in maintaining eye contact to my lack of self-confidence. Vain as this may sound, I fixate on every single physical flaw of mine. I do not want them to see my defects. I do not want them to come in close proximity. I do not want them to judge me as I do them…

Yes I have resigned myself to a life in solitary.

Portraits by Pierre Gonnord.

This is the only known picture of the first Canadian Olympic team:

[In 1908], for the first time, the Canadian Olympic team was named based on results from Olympic Trials and were primarily funded by the government. All team members proudly wore the maple leaf. This was the first time that the Olympic Motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Faster, Higher, Stronger) was used. [The following year], the Canadian Olympic Committee was formed from the Central Olympic Committee to select Olympic teams and secure finances for travel to the Olympic Games. The Canadian Olympic Committee was a part of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada.

It is now 2010. The 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony will begin shortly.

GO, CANADA, GO!

We are animals observing animals:

The series is entitled The Institute of Critical Zoologists, which is the first interdisciplinary scholarly center dedicated to promoting scholarly dialogue and research on the principles and practices of animal spectatorship, animal advocacy, animal killings and animal-related polices in the fields of social sciences, entertainment, commerce, aesthetics, culture and ecology…

My projects in the Institute of Critical Zoologists produce forms and ideas about the zoological gaze. They concern themselves with the institutionalization, the archive and the mediation of the zoological gaze. The inspiration for my works comes from trends in conservation and zoological research. These trends and events include how economic incentives shapes the appreciation of zoology and its preservation, and the critical debates about the feigned objectivity of zoology as a science; they prompt me to question the ambivalence of these measures and push them to their logical extremes.

Please visit Institute of Critical Zoologists to learn more. Please visit Zhao Renhui’s site to view more of his work.

… I stood at the feet of the structure and looked up into the sky. The sun rays filtered every crevice, obscuring the topmost in a flare of light. I felt small, humbled by the quietly imposing presence the structured commanded. I reached out and touched its skin, a rough hide laboriously wrought of sand and stone. Its energy coursed through my veins - excited, as I venture into the depths of its abdominal cavity…

[Joel Micah Miller's] Monumental project deals with events that occur in famous places. Photographed in metropolises in Europe and the United States, Monumental analyzes what happens or could happen in a popular space over a short period of time. The high profile locations are selected for their nearly iconic level of recognition and number of eager visitors. By seamlessly combining multiple exposures taken over the span of approximately one hour, each detail is carefully selected to construct a dynamic lighthearted image.

Please visit Joel Miller’s site to view more of his work. Additional text sourced from Artist Statement.

…Vancouver, 1912. Vancouver is a bustling city. Hastings Street is at the heart of the downtown core. It is the place to “see and be seen”. The city’s most popular theatres, restaurants, dance halls, and hotels are all located in the first three blocks of East Hastings Street. In that year, Antonio Demetry establishes a restaurant in the brand-new Craftsman’s Building at 20 East Hastings and names it the Vancouver Oyster Saloon. At the same time, Nick Thodos is working as a cook in the English Kitchen, five doors down at 30 East Hastings. The two Greek men eventually become the most popular cooks in all of Vancouver. In 1916, Nick’s brother Gustave joins him at the English Kitchen, and later that year, they purchase controlling interest in the Vancouver Oyster Saloon. They immediately renamed the establishment the Only Café.

The sign cannot be underestimated. It has shaped many a landscape and street scene, slowly etching themselves into the patrons’ awareness as the business matures, punctuated by other more sensational stimulants: the attention-clamoring window display, the pungent aroma of fried foods… Before long, they become icons - symbols of the business’ nature and roots…

Paintings by Will Rafuse. Please visit his site to view more of his work.

… A natural storyteller, Norman Rockwell envisioned his narrative scenarios down to the smallest detail… He first brought his ideas to life in studio sessions, staging photographs that are fully realized works of art in their own right. Selecting props and locations, choosing and directing his models, he carefully orchestrated each element of his design for the camera before beginning to paint. Meticulously composed and richly detailed, Norman Rockwell’s study photographs mirror his masterworks in a tangible parallel universe.

Photography opened a door to the keenly observed authenticity that defines Norman Rockwell’s art. And for us today it is a revelation to discover that so many of his most memorable characters were, in fact, real people.

Happy Birthday Mr. Rockwell. There are few whom I look upon with such smitten adoration.

Article sourced from Norman Rockwell Museum.

Adulthood is riddled with responsibilities and obligations. The reality of survival clutches all form of frivolity in its grasp upon graduation and yanks us from the bliss of our mothers’ petticoats. Hampered by unrealistic expectations (from our parents) and naive aspirations (from ourselves), we begin to assume our roles in society as the next generation of working adults. Slowly, we lose sight of our tender pasts. Then one day, as we clear out the storage room, out tumbles the toy trucks and rocking horses… Ah memories…

Artwork by Scott Owles. Please visit his site to view more his work.