Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

House For Sale

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

house-for-sale1

Bay Film Studios are happy to announce the completion of their first feature film shot here in the Cowichan Valley. We would like to invite you to the premiere screening of “House for Sale” at The Cowichan Theatre 7:30 pm Sat Nov 8th,2008. When a realtor is found dead in an open house, a dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues between a serial killer, the police hunting him and the realtors he is preying upon. “House for Sale” uses an exciting storyline to address the reality of physical threats that are presented daily to the real estate industry and their agents. Due to content, it is advised that children under 14 do not attend!

Cowichan Theatre
2687 James Street
Duncan, British Columbia, V9L 2X5

Tel: (250) 748-7529

Attendance is by donation to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation
Contact person: Brianna Thorne
Phone: 250.748.8970
Email: info@bayfilmstudios.com

Crafty People

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

I attended the annual Circle Craft Christmas Market held at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre with my wonderful mum and girlfriend on Remembrance Day. We had a fabulous time gawking over all the interesting kink-knacks and trinkets the artisans had at their booths! I try to attend the fair almost every year, cause it helps me gather new ideas for my own work and do a little networking while I’m at it. With all the numerous artisans at the show to talk about, it’s pretty tricky to narrow it down to a few short paragraphs in my daily blog.

An artisan I purchase something from each year I attend is from Vincent Van Designs They makes the most charming wooden ornaments you’ve ever seen. Very cute and collectable, they can also personalize them for you free of charge! This year I bought an elephant holding a strand of Christmas lights which are tangled all around him! Very cute and very detailed, especially the miniature Christmas lights with all different colors. My girlfriend bought a similar ornament except it’s of a snowman holding the strand instead, very much Christmas in a nutshell.

One of my favourite artisans is Diabolo Puppets by Steven Barkley. These fun hand made puppets are the best. I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had with my hand up a rabbits butt! This white manic-looking rabbit with big floppy ears just cried out for me to buy ’em! He was just too cool to pass up and he was the last white one too! Not only does he look cool, he squeaks too, just the thing I need to annoy my neighbours with for hours and hours and hours and hours…Funny how some people just never grow up!

Puzzle Master Inc. by Allan Stein these have got to be some of the most challenging puzzles I’ve pitched against the wall in a fit of frustration. Thanks for the headache each and every year Allan. Nah, all joking aside Puzzle Master’s puzzles are some of the most unique puzzles I’ve ever played with. Problem is taking them away from a co-worker who ‘finds’ it lying around your desk! Not very productive, nor is it good for business when you got five people shouting the “You got to face it away north while turning the piece counter-clockwise!” I still don’t know what that means???

While there was much to look at, my favourite part about the craft fair is the tasting at all the wonderful home-made treats! However with a serious fish and nut allergy I have to be very careful about the tasty hand outs, good thing my girlfriend can accept the goodies!

Speaking of goodies, that’s the name of the next artisan! Goodies make the best dill pickles and dill veggies around. Oh my god there was almost a fist fight with my girlfriend and I at the dinner table cause I stole her pickle! I say if you love ’em that much, you got to protect your pickle! I almost lost mine following the ‘pickle heist’…my PERSONAL pickle that is! Good thing you can email them for more at: thelmasgoodies@hotmail.com

And lastly Tickleberry’s chocolate covered dried goods! Sweet chocolate covered blueberries and cranberries are my favourite! Yum yum yum I think I ploughed through both bags in a couple of days, good thing they provide their contact information on the bags so you can re-order! Email: sales@tickleberrys.com or Phone: 1-800-667-8002. Tasty, very very taste…did I share…no I did not!

And that was the fair, be sure if you didn’t check it out this year to sign up on Circle Craft’s website to get your discount coupon to attend the 2009 show! It’ll be something you don’t want to miss out on, so subscribe now!

Break Out The Polish!

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

toaster2

Wow, can you believe the Toaster turns 30 today? Break out the polish cause he’s looking kinda tarnished! Just want to thank everyone for such wonderful gifts and goodies! For all those who didn’t get a chance to hang out with me on the ‘big day’ you were dearly missed!

Hulk Smash!

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

hulk_train1damian_hulk1

As some of you may have already read in my blog, it was my birthday on Dec 02/08! A very good friend of mine came over with a present for me not too long ago and I was delighted to open it and find The Incredible Hulk Action Figure! The Hulk was to cool to keep inside the packaging, so I took him out! For those of you who don’t know me, I don’t open any of the toys that I buy or receive, unless I intend to play with it or pose it on the shelf. This Hulk figure has got to be the best looking Hulk on the market thus far. It’s sculpted by the good folks at Hasbro, which was a bit of a surprise cause he looks bang on! I really enjoyed posing him on my model train that I have set up around the Christmas tree, what better way to celebrate Christmas than with the Hulk whipping around a Christmas tree? You’ll notice that there’s cardboard under the train tracks…this is to prevent the sparks from igniting the carpet and Christmas tree. Can you imaging the train catching on fire and whipping around the tree, which would go up in smoke pretty quick cause it’s fake…plus the smell of burning plastic and paper!?! Not a very fun Christmas if you ask me. Thanks to my good buddy Mark for the gift! If you want to pick one up for yourself, here’s the link to Hasbro: www.hasbro.com
Enjoy

Sick and Twisted

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

spikeandmikeIf you haven’t heard by now, Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation is BACK! After a five year hiatus, the gang that brought you such memorable classics like; No Neck Joe, The Hangnail, Tongue Twister and of course Doctor Tran is back with an entirely new collection of their sickest stuff yet! Attending the Sick and Twisted festival is such a ‘hoot’! I love the audience participation during the animated shorts, please be aware that there is some rowdiness during the show. Sometimes you’ll smell something a little ‘skunky’ in the air to. Of course the festival is playing at a new location, so those people might not be able to get away with ‘indulging’ themselves during the show. Be safe people, save that kind of ‘business’ to do in the privacy of your own home!

Rio Theatre
1660 East Broadway & Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC Canada
www.riotheatre.ca
(604) 879-3456

Feb 20/09 – March 05/09
Monday-Thursday 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Friday and Saturday 4:30pm, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Sunday 4:30pm, 7:00pm – 9:00pm

For the entire festival tour schedule, click here

Tickets are ONLY available at the Box Office!

Tiko Kerr ‘You Are Here’ Exhibit

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

kerrTiko Kerr

‘You Are Here’

 April 08/09 – May 03/09

 

 

Since 1981, Tiko Kerr has produced a number of solo exhibits both nationally & internationally and has participated in many group exhibitions and creative cultural collaborations. His work is widely collected and he has generated an impressive number of corporate commissions. As an activist, Kerr routinely uses his success to help raise funds for a variety of worthy causes and related charities.

In his most recent series of figurative and landscape works, Tiko Kerr examines the disparity that exists between what shelters different citizens of Vancouver, BC. The artist invites viewers to examine a variety of concepts of what makes a home and illustrates the ambiguous boundaries and unstable locations found within a city poised on the verge of global examination. 

A deeply profound exhibit that will leave you asking what else our government could be doing to aid the numerous individuals facing homelessness in our city/province.

Winsor Gallery

3025 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
V6H 3J9
604-681-4870

Come to the Darkside with your dad, Darth Fiddle!

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

darth fiddle

A street performer dressed up as Darth Vader.

Fantastic!

Victoria, BC

Bronze Sculptures by Kathy Ross

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

TroikaWhile attending the Circle Craft Christmas Market this year, I came across a very unique booth filled with all sorts of bronze statues. The artist; Kathy Ross is a very talented artisan whom not only produces bronze statues but fabric doll pins and figures made out of recycled materials. This was not your typical Christmas craft booth, which is why I hovered around absorbing the very surreal imagery Kathy Ross incorporates into her pieces. Try to imagine Hieronymus Bosch meets Salvador Dali in bronze! Kathy Ross takes a very difficult and beautiful medium to capture her imagination indefinitely.

Kathy Ross has a fascination with globes and how we fit in this world with all this ‘stuff’ swirling around us. She takes an interesting approach to this idea and takes out sections of the earth and puts in funny looking humanoid characters among fused objects set upon chicken legs cast in bronze. Also on display was a very interesting piece that featured soldiers riding mice in a battle against babies also on mice. The title; Us vs. Them or The Mice Wars. For the artists statement and a further in depth explanation on these two pieces please visit her website: Sculptures by Kathy Ross. Troika was one of the sculptures I purchased from Kathy, there was something about these three horses fused together that made me smile. Troika currently sits atop one of my many bookshelves where I adore it when I reach for a novel.

Also found in her booth was a series of sculptures known as the ‘Travellers’. Kathy Ross takes her figurative sculptures holding small globes and poses them using the globe as a sort of ‘vehicle’ which drives us to our destination. These charming figures are sculpted out of many different recycled materials, mainly cardboard, wire, paper, cloth and then layered with plaster and actual maps to help visually represent travel and destinations. A very beautiful and delicate figure is created with this collage of plaster and paper materials to create a fantastic eye catching piece.

I spoke with Kathy Ross throughout the craft show about her inspirations for certain pieces and was delighted to hear and that she was going to branch out into another interesting and difficult medium; tin. I can’t wait to see her beautiful yet surreal figures moulded out tin at the next Circle Craft show!

It was a pleasure meeting Kathy Ross, and I hope that you take a moment to look at her beautiful sculptures through her website.