Crocuses

The little barn is still there. We almost missed the crocuses because the weather was so bad and I didn't think they would have emerged yet. In fact they did and there are only a few remaining. 

Painting

 Painting and avoiding colour. Nice to do something a bit different, especially when I am feeling tired. Sometime soon I've got to be feeling reset and will explore something new. 

Rania rehearsing play

 

Rania has written her first (one person) play, "Checkpoint", and Kathryn Bracht will be directing it. They are rehearsing in an empty store at a mall. I will be getting some students to videotape it and needed to get a sense of what they are doing. 

Coffee with Grant

 Grant and I met up at the "And Some" cafe. I was here last week with my grad student Erika. Large, interesting place with very nice food, but almost no signage and it looks like a garage from the outside. Grant is still working, probably for one more year. 

Kids at Lori's again

 Sean, Shim, and the kids are in town again so we moved coffee to her place today. Mom ordered a big platter of cookies from her home and says it cost 15 dollars (although as artisanal fresh baked cookies, it seems more likely they were fifty and she misheard, but what can you do?). Sean has severed his Calgary ties and will be rooted in Saskatoon now.. Rourke is getting into peekaboo. 

Visiting Saskatoon

 William and I drove up to Saskatoon. He has his final meeting with the Carfac mentorship program. Chrystene ended up with a bad migraine today and didn't come but was there over zoom. We arrived just a few minutes early, partially due to my clutch having become very soft in the past two weeks and the car almost unable to speed. Also, there was ice and snow on road. They did the Carfac presentations in alphabetical order by first name, so William went last. I understand that he did well and that there were lots of engaged questions. He brought two of the puppets as well as his short film, Roses of Carmelia, episode 10. Here is a link to it: It is meant to be a soap opera and William intends on creating many pieces with many links missing so a viewer might experience some degree of confusion when trying to watch them, but will be included to put together their individual verson of the overall narrative. After dropping William off, I went for lunch with Mike and we hung out at the symphony book sail (still not a great sale, reopened from six months ago) and went to the art gallery where we ended up at an opening/artist talk with Dyani White Hawk. Sherry Ferrell-Racette was there and we sat down for a coffee at the reception.

 

Coffee with Erika, Art at MAG

 Met up with Erika at a new cafe. It seems to be set up to also be some kind of photo studio, but they say that people can just take pictures on their own, that that staff/establishment have no time to be involved with photography on top of running the place. 

This evening we went to an experimental approach to an art talk at the MacKenzie, setting it up like a talk show. In the gallery, there were amazing pieces made in collaboration between Yuji and Syvia who started working together after their Carfac mentorship two years ago. 

Slate opening

 Group show opened at Slate. William and I went without Margaret and didn't stay long. Naturally, as April comes to a close, William has multiple deadlines. His stress is my stress.

Painting class

 My paintings this spring all are on a background of paynes grey. 

Recorded voices

 Zoe and Annie agreed to do voices for William's puppet film that we shot yesterday. They had fun doing it and both talked about a love of puppets. 

Puppet film shoot

 I built a slider for William so that the stairway background and move behind the otherwise stationary puppets and make it look like they are going up a flight of stairs. Chrystene and William puppeteered and I slid the background. We discovered yesterday that mack-tack doesn't stick to cardboard. What doesn't stick to cardboard?!?!

Visit with babies

 Tate and Rourke are in town so I picked up mom and we coffeed at Lori's this morning. 

First robin

 Noticed a robin in the front yard, looking around in the snow for worms and sticks. 

No spring in sight

 I'm feeling no closer to retiring, even though classes are over and the students have screened their work. I think I need it to feel like spring is really here before I feel the semester is over, and that doesn't happen. In fact, it feels more like winter is just starting up. 

Snow

 Huge swing in temperature again. Snow. Feeling lousy about it. 

Art day

Painted this morning. Lori brought Tate in and I showed him William's art, although he was more enamoured with the mallards outside in the courtyard. Margaret and I attended a swell event at Darke Hall this evening as part of the president's art collection. Terrific food as well as some mini tours including one from Timothy Long. 

 

Kathryn Bracht

Kathryn Bracht's retirement party today. Arrived a bit late as I was also taking part (for the last time, as with many of my duties) in the BFA interviews. 

 

Mooky at Malty National

 Went to Mooky's presentation about her tv show at Malty National this evening. William drew a bunch of prototype sketches for beer bottle designs while we were there. 

Mom and flowers

 Mom is very happy with her blooming flowers. 

Fourth Year Screening

The screening went very well. The projects, which were due yesterday, finally all came in by mid-afternoon today (not all, but the stragglers). The crowd was good, about 125. I'm really happy and proud of the students this year. They worked together very well and rose to my every challenge. With this being my last term, I'd thought that I'd focus all my attention on them, but I found it increasingly difficult to do so. If they were not as responsible and resoursful as they are, things might have not worked out. As it was, they were all stars. All the food was eaten. Every drink was consumed. All but two students were there (one was away at a funeral, the other was simply not there). That's pretty good, but I do get a strange feeling when one person appears unhappy or disconnected but I cannot see a reason why. I'll likely never know. 

William came, but it took a lot of convincing after his let down yesterday. Naturally no one from Screen Sask or Filmpool attended. 
 

No Talent

 William got notice today that Screen Sask, The Saskatchewan Filmpool, and Paved have all turned him down and will not support his application to Telefilm. He plans to appeal, but that is a long shot. 

MAP open house

 Today was the annual open house and visual arts BFA show. It is also the day that Ctch shows off the entirely of their student's work for the year (above). The president was at the Ctch event, which was crowded (Sho-box is a smaller space and very full of technology). 

Relaxing with cat

Took some time to relax today. 
 

End of classes birthday

Last class today. We looked at films. Some are finished, but others still have need of polish. Overall, I'm very excited about the screening. I stopped at the Darke Hall today to test the projector. Also ordered food from Italian Star. Took family out for smash burgers at Paddy Wagon, then finsished the day with ice cream. 

Chrystene and puppets

 Chrystene and William are getting some last minute puppet work done in preparation for the final meeting of the Carfac mentorship program. 

Requesting support for Talent to Watch

Geremy and William (with some coaching from me) submitted their Talent to Watch project to ScreenSask/Filmpool/Paved to request their required letter or support that will allow them to apply to the Telefilm program. The application could use another day or two polish, but that would wait until after a letter is secured. Without the letter, the project will be dead in the water, so everything hinges on this pitch. 
 

Outside the Box - Birdhaus

 William's new AGR Outside the Box exhibition opening coincided with the AGR member's show and sale. He put a couple of framed comic strips (new versions drawn bigger and with more care) into the show. 

Big things happening

 William installed his AGR box show this morning. It is designed to fit through the sliding doors. However, it ends up that the doors can be removed so it could have been built in one large unit and put in as one large piece. Instead, it took three hours. 

Later, we ate with George, Samantha, Katherine, and Kristin. George made a toast that referenced god and concluded with a thanking of Samantha for finally saying "yes". No other details or context. 

Shooting demo film

 William and Geremy shot the demo film to support their Talent to Watch proposal. The weather continues to be very cold so they couldn't shoot outside this year like they did last year. 

Garage art

In preparation of William's outside the box at the AGR show, I sorted and properly stacked the Neutral Ground artwork. William will be mining it for parts.