Weekly Shot of Art - Eastside Culture Crawl

Spending your weekend culture crawling sure takes its toll on you! My feet are killing me but, wow, did I ever get to see a lot of art! That was some good stuff. Walking though Strathcona with all the leaves and the fog and tons of people milling about and ducking in and out of galleries felt almost like trick-or-treating. It was magical.

For this year's crawl, I was lucky enough to discover a studio space right across the street from me, which was awesome, and really made the itinerary a lot easier. I fell in love with Linda Findlay's watery blue and metal pieces and also with another artist's stylish rough portraits, but she is not listed on the crawl's site, and I didn't get her card. Kate Hudson? Karen Hudson? Maybe it will come to me.

Another thing I love about the crawl is seeing how people work. I guess it's the voyeur in me, but I love seeing what people have pinned to their bulletin boards, whether they crave clutter or clean spaces... all of it. Jane Wolsak's studio is, predictably, full of sticks.

We saw people's homes who were crammed full with arty bits and things that may have been junk or maybe inspiration, and others that were sterile as a hopsital, so that the focus was clearly on the art. And all of it was full of art! That was the best part. I went in to the crawl starved for inspiration and creative people and boy did I ever find it. Even the odd time when the art is so terrible, there is inspiration in the fact that everyone can give it a shot.

Next we kris-crossed Strathcona - my new favorite neighbourhood! - so we could end up at the Parker Street Studios, a virtual bee-hive of activity, even nearing the end of the day. I love this building because it always feels to me like a mall of art, but at the same time the layout stresses me because I always feel like I am going to miss something! But I managed to discover Michael Fitzsimmons,whose fiery mixed media pieces would look fabulous in my house; Cybele Ironside, whose muted landscapes convey solitude and restfulness; and Wild Rose Tattoo Shirts, which I had heard about but not seen yet. I also made a must needed stop at old favorite Arleigh Wood to see her gorgeous new pieces. Just beautiful.

The next day I stopped in at the ARC building, so that I could see Siobhan Humston's new work, and there I discovered a new favorite in Dieter Schlatter, but I rushed through the rest of it because I was tired and not so impressed at that point.