Ch.aoti.ca by Stefania Sigurdson Forbes » Art

Baby Room Paintings

Stefanie — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:26:34 +0000

As one of the first gifts for baby Allan, I made paintings of the “spirit animals” of both me and Matt, including a dragon. See the photos here. He loves to look at them after he gets changed and dressed!

Getting Into Art Again After Being Away for a While

Stefanie — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:22:39 +0000

I remember being in highschool, and drawing this detailed perspective finished drawing of a castle. It was so fun to pick up the drawing for art class with my ruler, and keep going where I left off a few days before. It was one of my favourite things to do. Now that I am an adult, I have the opportunity to do that stuff all the time, but I don’t. I never do it (until lately).

A few times I have picked up paints and canvasses, but it is hard to get inspired, until recently. I thought I would write this post to inspire other people who may be trying to get back into art after an absence.

1. Keep the pressure off: If you were an art-star in High School or University, you may be a bit out of practice. You may not want to start off with a large painting – it could be helpful to start off small.

2. Stay cheap: You may have more money for supplies than you used to, but buying expensive supplies can make it stressful. I just got a box of multi-coloured acrylic paints, and worked from there.

3. Explore stuff you never did: I was too snooty when I was younger to try crafts, but now, why not? It is fun. It also let’s me use my imagination in new ways.

4. Let yourself fail: Part of using cheaper supplies etc., allows you to simply throw away what you don’t like. I also have a drawer for pieces that are “marked for destruction” just in case I am being rash.

You can see below some simple art pieces I did. I hope this post inspires others to have fun with art!

Interesting Paper Work

Stefanie — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:07:49 +0000

This is from Peter Callesen – beautiful! Enjoy!

Women in Art

Stefanie — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:00:43 +0000

I saw this from one of my Facebook contacts. It is amazing how many different kinds of beauty there are (it becomes especially interesting around the cubist period and after ). I think the same thing while walking around Toronto many days.

A Year of My Life: 10,000 photos from my POV

Stefanie — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 04:36:53 +0000

A photographer, Nick Barbario, took 10,000 photos during a year he spent in Italy and created a beautiful video on YouTube. He says he posted every single photo he ever took during a year’s time, which is meaningful coming from a photographer. Seeing it, you can truely imagine what it is like in Italy… you can see the natural ebbs and flows of the days… you can imagine what it is like to be this guy… to have his friends… to eat his meals… to debate at his meetings… to look in the mirror and see a bald guy… Funny. Nice to see that there are finally some well-made videos on YouTube not made by the Fortune 500. I’m taking more photos…

Bukowski vs. Houellebecq – Bukowski Wins

Stefanie — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 21:53:09 +0000

Charles Bukowski is one of my favorite poets, unexpectedly to some. There is a general consensus that in a contest between Charles Bukowski and Michel Houellebecq (author of Elementary Particles) Bukowski would definitely win in terms of who is more disgusting (Bukowski is famous for writing about his relationship with prostitutes and his life on the streets, whereas Houellebecq is famous for his blunt, mechanical description of crazy sex acts). Personally, I find Houellebecq more disturbing – where Bukowski is a spokesman for the free, unfettered life. Here is one of my favorites from him:

starting fast

we each

at times

should

remember

the most

elevated

and

lucky

moment

our

lives.

for me

was

being

very young

man

and

sleeping

penniless

and

friendless

upon a

park

bench

in a

strange

city

which

doesn’t say

much

for all

those

many

decades

which

followed.

To me, this one is about what happens when you stop living on the edge and you start living too safely. A year or so ago when I read these lines, I was launched into a crisis, feeling the same about my last 10 years. But since I have resolved it by leaving a job, a terrible roommate and an ambivalent guy, starting my own business, making new friends and getting back into writing. Now my life is better since I went through that crisis.

My favourite kind of writer is someone who lives as true a life as possible (not pretending for themselves or others) and expresses the experience genuinely in a way that inspires, promotes compassion and self-forgiveness and creates connections. Bukowski, at the best of times, does this.

Calvin & Hobbes Snowmen Art Criticism

Stefanie — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:53:12 +0000

I found this Tribute to Calvin and Hobbes Snowman Art . Bill Watterson, who created the comic strip, was somewhat of an artistic idealist, forcing newspapers to publish in his format and refusing to let his cartoons be merchandised. Those ubiquitous stickers on the back of trucks with Calvin urinating on a company logo were actually unauthorized.

Watterson created the snowmen as a criticism of the pretentious art-world. Was he including himself in that category? Since the last strip ran in 1995, Watterson has taken up painting and drawing landscapes in the woods. Me and other fans spanning generations sure wish he would come back out here to draw more snowmen.