What is in a quote?

The purpose of a quote, to be quoted, is in the eye of wonder. Excepted by the peer and enamoured by the mass, we see these short statements from idealized members of society, as confirmation of our beliefs. A voice that echoes our feelings with words we cannot have said ourselves.
So what is in a quote, self acknowledgement or reprisal of our spirits?

These are my favourite quotes, and links to inspiring individuals that I feel will be quoted for many generations to come. People who's passions are to make a better place for all of us.

Creativity and the future of our childrens education.


It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.
Albert Einstein


Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

Watch his inspiring speach on TEDtalks
and visit his website to learn more about him.

http://bit.ly/w8Jj0

http://www.sirkenrobinson.com/

Live Paint Night - Stencil show

Sunday, July 26th from 5pm till midnight @ the OY (www.theoldyork.com) 167 Niagara St. will be TAR's next Live Paint Night.
We will be presenting for everyone to participate in a Stencil Show. TAR(torontoARTrevival) and the Old York will supply the the wall sized canvas, paints, basic stencil shapes and brushes.
Since there will not be any sharp cutting devices allowed, please feel free to bring your own pre-cut stencils, that you would like to incorporated in this large cooperative painting.
Enter our draw to win the Live Paint Night collective masterpiece.
This is a free event but we welcome donations to help keep these amazing events running.
follow us on our TAR (torontoARTrevival) facebook group
and on Twitter

The Road Can Be A Rash Reality

Last Sunday, was supposed to be my last chance to get a ride and some games of squash in before my wife went on vacation. The bent out of shape evening it did become, was an ambulance ride and almost a full night in emergency at the hospital. My bring home gifts: road rash, a swollen jaw, six stitches in my ear (splitting the cartilage), a separated rib, wip lash, all this and of course the headaches, fatigue and aches that would come with all that rattling noise. I've never had an accident like this before. I look quite the sight, worthy of stares, and questions, but without much of a great story to tell. Doing 40-45km at dusk I momentarily look back to see if my friend saw which turn I took, and as I turn back, Wham, speed bump. Where did that come from? No marker, no paint, it must of launched me 10-20 feet. I remember being air born. I remember hitting.

Then I remember a half hour later, some vague recollection of walking, in fact walked the remainder of the distance back from the spit to the main road were we flagged a car, and they called the ambulance with Dave's request. I did not feel much pain till the next day. Two days later and I'm an aching mess. Dave walked my bike back to his place, and unbelievably, when I went to get it, my good old trusty steed was in sturdy and stellar shape, aside from scuffings and blood spatter. I think I must name my bike now after this dramatic evening, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears even the split one?

I will be giving the details of the next "Live Paint" in due time.

Live Paint Night

Portrait yet to be completed.
Ómar with Puffin Daddy @ the OY - 2009

Last Tuesdays Live Paint Night did not have as many participants on stage but again it was a wonderful night of painting and conversation. We did not start until 8pm, and didn't let the paint start to dry till one in the morning. A much different out come to the abstract line piece of the previous week.
We did not end having a draw this evening. Being a portrait of Ómar and the Old York's mascot puffin.
TAR (torontoARTrevival) has decided to give the canvas to him after completion.
I will post photos of the finished canvas next week.
Our next post will also give the details of July's Live Paint, and I will be giving lots of notice to make plans.
John Viljoen was in attendance for the night and added in the fun. John is a excellent portrait painter from Toronto, see his works here: http://bit.ly/FxH9x
If anyone is interested in seeing my work online, heck:
http://bit.ly/VU5OL
or
http://bit.ly/lvUFI

TAR (torontoARTrevival) Live Paint Night

Well we are coming up to another Live Paint Night @ the Old York.
Tuesday June 23rd, from 7-9pm.
(mind you, last Sunday night went until one in the morning)
Some great photos were taken by Ómar, and put on the Old York facebook fan club.
<----- like this one :)
This piece was given to Erin after it was signed by TAR.
I like how this collective piece has no single name, was produced in flux, and no monetary value was associated to it.
On Tuesday, I will be planning to create a raffle so that the piece will be given away in a draw. One does not need to be a participant, they can be a part of the audience.
I like how this process over product exercise leaves ego outside the door. There is no name to associate to it and there is no pressure to produce something that may not look great.
Just a physical presentation that is about bringing art back to a place that I think it is missing, It`s soul and unexplained connection to all of our creative potentials.
I hope to have a great series of photos for this show and maybe even a video.

Father, Son and Friends

Last night I set up at the OY (theoldyork)
www.theoldyork.com
an eclectic salon style show of works from myself and my son.
It ended up being a late night, as I had to wait for tables to finish dinner and the crowd watching the Stanley Cup game to move along, but I eventually got everything up.
On Sunday June 14th, we will do a live canvas on stage from
4 to 6pm.

Elliott Lee
Elliott has always come out drawing and sketching with me at the cafes and galleries around Toronto since he was an infant. By the time he was a year and a half (with the fascination and determination to do the things I was doing) he was holding and drawing with my pens. He was born December 2003, and now has a wonderful way of forming his ideas with imagery. I remember one time when he was three he drew circles within circles, and I told him how it reminded me of the rings of a tree. I then pulled a cut log from the stack of fire wood on the back porch and described to him that for each ring in the cross cut, represented a year of the trees growth. In the case of the tree I was demostrating, it was 35 years old.
I drew this log in perspective to illustrate. He drew it this way for two weeks, with branches coming from it, and animals crawling around it, filling pages and pages of 17” X 22” sketch paper.
I always look forward to my time drawing with Elliott at places like the Old York, where friends that we know gather and speak of their own artistic practices in the art that they do.
Every Sunday for the next month and a half, I plan to do something there for anyone that wants to come by between 4 and 6pm.
Check in on this blog for updates, including a possible draw for a free original Randal Gordy Lee and Live Paint Sundays