PEOPLE...all over the world "the global community"

Although this will be posted April 6th this part of the post is being written on April 2, 2020. Asking why? Well I felt it important to take note of the day we officially reached 1 million confirmed cases of COVID19 around the world. I wish it was April 1st and one BIG April fools day joke but it’s not. This Virus has made me very aware of #’s, numbers on so many levels, and not just how many times a day we are washing our hands.

Italy was the first one I remember clearly being surprised about when it came to numbers. I kept saying “are there really 60 million people living in Italy? Did you know there are 60 million people living in Italy?…” Once that hit then I started looking more closely at the population of counties, ie. 80 million in Germany, and then numbers on how many countries on the planet were actually hit with the virus. I now also know that there are 195 countries in the world and everyone of them have been hit by this COVID19 virus that came from Wuhan province in China where 11 million people live and the first to experience this crisis.

So today, April 2, 2020 we know that 1 million people have COVID19, that is the entire city of Vancouver plus at least 2 other municipalities. Fifty thousand (plus) people have died which is basically the equivalent to all of the people living in Port Coquitlam vanishing off the planet. I’ve needed to put things into a personal perspective so that this surreal madness makes sense and why we should take steps to protect ourselves and one another. Is it really a big deal to have a debate on to wear or not wear a mask? Why not just do it? Don’t have one , well then make one not only for yourself but for someone else too. It most certainly will not hurt and in fact, one of those things that if everyone does it will make a difference. It’s a step towards taking care of someone else.

Feeling like we are all living in a big social/science experiment also makes me think about just how precious life is and how things can change on a dime. One month ago I was posting pictures from Barbados (no cases there at that time) and dancing with the waves in the Caribbean sea. What were you doing a month ago?

This recent article in the Globe and Mail by Ai Weiwei is a great well written opinion piece on what is happening. Ai Weiwei,  is the Chinese artist who was secretly detained for 81 days from April 3 to June 22, 2011. The charges of tax evasion, online dissemination of pornography, and bigamy that were levied against Ai are widely perceived as political retaliation for his outspoken criticism of the government. Weiwei’s work is powerful and thought provoking so to honour of this timely article, during what we’re experiencing, here are a few pieces of art to look at that have been hung recently!

Isolating and soaking in the art:

Ahhhhh, things falling into place, including the messy desk I work from and Artdog Koko expressing my state of mind from pooped to crashing.

COMMUNITY...in lockdown

It’s happening but surprisingly it doesn’t feel that bad. The slowing down of the world is kind of peaceful. I’m not saying it isn’t weird and odd to know we’re living in a time where we have just lost another level of freedom. Just like 911 when the world changed we now face another layer of that same shift. During this odd phase of knowing it and feeling while in it I try to focus on the silver lining. The good things that will come out of the shift.

At present this article on the market just down the street is very much a positive I’m happy to share; nice job Mr. Mackie. Take a look at John Mackie’s article that has great images of the neighbourhood store and dances with the history of the business and locals who appreciate the community. I’ve hyperlinked it in the blog as it wasn’t an easy drop into the text. With all the madness in the world my present choices are to take the path of least resistance.

What I will post for visuals this week are the great looks this Project and house get on a daily basis. As I sit in my office and/or living room or even looking from my upstairs bedroom window, I see and hear people passing by the house or riding their bikes. Comments often heard are “check out the Pink house”, or “I like this place”… So as they’re lookin’ at me I’m lookin’ at them building a breathing visual.

Have a great week and stay healthy — I’ll be waving at you through the window!!

PROGRESS... no progress and heading for lockdown

Well COVID 19 is here and it’s getting more real everyday. Vlad still shows up to work on things that need finishing touches, keeping a healthy social distance, and updating each other on what is happening in the respective countries with which we are in contact. Mom is isolating at her place, and when the sun was out she even suntanned (smile). Laura, Quinn and Grayson have been floating about keeping busy, having picnic lunches on the cement benches, during the crazy crisis. It is really interesting to see how the “compound” works when we’re all here and isolating while working.

It’s one thing to design a space that looks good and another to live there and see how it functions. It has been wonderful to feel how successful the spacial arrangement has played out. I love flowing back and forth between my place and Mom’s be it morning, noon or night. I have not developed a routine, since Vlad arrives most days between 7:30 and 8:00 am, depending on where I am in the wake up program and what day it is I have the freedom and flexibility to carry through with a varied routine either at my place or Mom’s. Sometimes I do my morning meditation in my house and other days it will be her place. There are days I bring her a morning coffee and we chat about our plans and other days I’ll ask her to take on the task and I’ll pop over once I’ve finished a chore or business task. This week while in isolation it’s been great to see how we all live independently respecting our space and yet also can see each other and chat from a distance. Here are a few shots of this in action! Mom on her deck, while Laura and Grayson have lunch outside while I’m in the kitchen cooking and I think Quinn was down in the studio…

While the world is in chaos we managed to get plants put in and the yard cleaned up and the garage even got a hit of organizational energy. My list of things to do, organize and complete is long so I often feel like nothing has been accomplished until I remind myself to “go easy tiger” and take things one bite at a time.

More moments from the week, from chill to creating be it knitted tops to yummy dinners.

Take care of yourselves. Isolate as in “stay home”!!! Enjoy your own company and stay healthy!

Health and Happiness to all.

ART... you're still hanging art? how much art do you have?

Well let’s just say LOTS. There are 40 works in the Air BnB suite alone. The rest of the collection is in Mom’s place as well as here that is going up as I type. David Harrison / HarrisonArtServices.com art dudes (and dudette) came in today to help make that happen. Things have really come together, the wait for the ART DOORS being installed was worth it, as you’ll see.

Pretty awesome ehe?

Those doors going in have freed up the space to make more curatorial decisions. The biggest challenge was the wall across from the Art Doors? At first, I felt it would be good to connect a grouping of figurative works under the art light. I had the pieces lined up and kept thinking about how to group and hang them. They were there for about a month until one day it hit me that it was just not the right spot. Sooooo, the next question was hmmmm, if not there then where? The answer came as quickly as the hit not to place them on the original wall. Here is the answer and perfect placement.

…and what went on that original wall space we talked about?

Looks good ehe? and love the reflection of other work across the room. Koko is digging the art work on that floor, as you can see.

Jim and Dudette from HarrisonArtServices.com did a great job of hanging the main floor and the “GOOD BYE WORK” piece on the ART DOOR floor. Here’s a peek at that main floor…

I’ll be happy to chat further about choices that go into curating a collection, especially in a new place, it takes time, patience and always others. More art to come!!