Life's the best

So last week was an exciting week for me. I was offered a job teaching adult painting and ceramics classes at a local art center and Dee, Rick and I set up the first show at Gallery Ingenue (the new gallery I've started). It has actually just hit me that in the upcoming month I will be starting my first two art related jobs! With a lot of art degrees people joke that there are no jobs afterwards but I disagree - the jobs are there if you make them! So yes - just a warning that you'll be hearing a lot more about Gallery Ingenue and the art classes in upcoming posts...

For now I thought I'd share with you photos from setting up the first show at G.I!

Rick and I setting up Melanie (a painting of Rick's fiance), Prosperity in the Prairies, and Dee's 16 Selkirk #3 (from L to R)

Dee with 72 Richmond West

59 South St. Annes by Dee Barsy

Hanging Kyle #2 by Rick Rosario

Their opening, 'Faces of the City - selected works by Rick Rosario and Dee Barsy' will be Dec.10 from 7-10pm and the gallery is located in Stella's Cafe and Bakery on Osborne so stop by that night if you have a chance otherwise the work is up from now until January!

This week is another big week - our final week of school. I had a presentation at 8:30 this morning and had to do an artist talk for my thesis seminar requirement and on Friday I have my big thesis crit with my advisors.

I was actually so happy with how my presentation went this morning though - we had to give a 10-15 minute talk about our own work so kind of an overview since we started making art to what we're doing now in our thesis year. I've had a phobia of standing in front of a classroom and talking since high school when I would basically just stand up and shake with nerves. I know its a psychological thing because I have no problem teaching, critting, or talking about my work in my studio but it's as soon as I'm in that formal classroom atmosphere when I'm the student that I can't handle myself - it's as if my brain won't stop saying things like "Gill your voice is wavering - don't loose your train of thought - everyones watching you!" Which is really hard to think over top of. So for this presentation I practiced with Darrin at home (which wasn't the same as being in front of a classroom of people) and wrote out some point form notes on cue cards. I got to school early with Lauren so I could set up my computer and be the first to go to get it over with. I stood in front of the class chatting with people as they came in so I could try to make myself mentally used to standing there with people watching me and then we all started joking that Lauren should come stand with me up there. Anyways it was a joke at first but then Cliff Eyland (one of my thesis advisors) said he didnt care if she did! Anyways, just having someone I trust physically closer to me helped so much and the presentation went so well! No voice quivering, friendly banter - I couldn't believe it! People who came in late were probably confused as to why she was standing up there not doing anything but I'm thinking of it like training wheels so hopefully next time I have to give a presentation in a classroom I'll be fine.

Something I hope to implement in my classes - being a person who has trouble in a formal classroom atmosphere is to implement sitting and working in a circular formation. Rachel Schappert (my neighbouring thesis friend/performance artist/painter) who is a big advocate of circles thinks that the circle is a very powerful shape and if every classroom people were in a circle it would create a much more comfortable/open atmosphere. So hopefully by taking a page from Rachel's book I will be helping people like me!

Rachel is a hula hoop enthusiast and this is her performing as a mystic alien creature at the SOFA 'Pickle Party' we had in the fall at the art barn

Another performance piece where Rachel played the role of a blank circular canvas and people were invited to draw or write something that makes them feel good.

After the presentation today I was walking through University Center and remembered that the annual Ceramics club sale was on! So I bought a new mug made by the head of ceramics - Steve Grimmer. Aparently it was just one of his test mugs but I think it's great and it reminds me of the circus and feels great in my hands :)

The ceramics sale is on all this week so if you're around the university pop by and support ceramic artists!

Other things I have planned for this week include...

- working on my newest painting of slaughtered sheep - it was good to take a break from painting and do ceramics for a while so now I'm straddling both mediums

- start a new ceramic sculpture that involves my chicken humans in a formation based off of an ancient Indian erotic relief sculpture

- listening to Darrin's radio show tomorrow afternoon - it's called Soul Patch Radio and plays on UMFM (101.5 fm) at 1-2pm every Tuesday. He plays a lot of acid jazz and funk and if you're not from Winnipeg you can always listen to it here!

- attending Darrin's screening of 'The Weather Underground' for his student group DOC's - Wednesday afternoon from 2-4pm in the GSA lounge in UC

- have a dinner party at Leslie's house with friends - I'm making a new vegan bread pudding she found for me on "Yeah That Vegan Shit.com" - I made it on the weekend and almost ate the whole pan to myself!

- set up for Lauren's upcoming show at the SOFA Gallery at Edna Fedya

- submit my 8 1/2 x 11" work for the TOMS shoe design contest (submissions are this Wednesday btw so if you still have time to submit!)

- attend and possibly submit a painting for the art auction Chutney Mayhem - a fundraiser put on by the head of painting and my thesis advisor, Kevin Kelly, for the Jagruthi Orphanage in Bangalore,India!

- BIG THESIS CRIT Friday - Dun dun dun....

Another thing I'm excited about is a group of us in painting thesis have decided to do a secret santa but all our presents have to be 1x1ft paintings for eachother - I'm really excited about who I got but can't tell unless they read this... So statring next week I'll be wokring on that little diddy aswell!

Anyways there's so much to do I have to get started! Hope you guys have a great week!