a taste of the season

chudleigh’s farm, an ideal destination for the most glorious time of the season. dazzling sights of apples, pumpkins and a pristine azure sky. a most memorable weekend affair.

art exhibit

parts gallery is presenting an exhibition of new paintings by JEFFREY HARRISON from September 27 - October 14. an explosion of colour and texture with applications of mixed media. on my wish list - a must see!

installation art?

the wall that faces our breakfast bar is cream and although it does wonders for brightening up a small space, it is not a colour that i find particularly exciting. a tight budget will not permit my artwork of choice (jeffery harrison’s “softie” oil on canvas, gush – but more about that later) so after gleaning some inspiration from design*sponge, i decided to tack up a cork board. the project was refreshingly simple (some double sided peel and sticks to adhere each square to the wall) and while the final product is more primary bulletin board than fine art, i love the bolt of colour and whimsy it adds to the space.

olivia's artwork takes centre stage

market day

riverdale farm had been hosting a farmers’ market for the past 7 seasons. the market operates from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm each tuesday from may 8th to october 30th and is overflowing with fresh local produce. farms like plan b organics, operated by a family team of one sister and two brothers offer a range a produce from greens, broccoli, tomatoes, peas, carrots, potatoes and kale to a wide variety of herbs. angolos, from country meadow organics provides olives, eggs and sheep feta (stunning) as well as dried herbs and heirloom tomatoes. breads, wild mushrooms, elk meat, fair trade coffee and chocolate, roti, ice cream, lamb burgers, sweet potatoes and fish are all available depending upon the season and the week. items move fast, coveted berries and specialty greens are snapped up – so go early!

it's all relative

my father-in-law is a modern day renaissance man. dabbling in such activities as: jam making, stamp collecting, woodworking, astronomy, tile construction, gardening and baking, he has impressed even the most indifferent. while all efforts are remarkable, one that has greatly benefited me (besides baking – banana bread, YUM!) is photography. our home pays a small homage to his precious work; black and white images salvaged from dusty basement boxes cover our walls. most photographs are from his years in the west indies – grainy shots of ports, cigarettes, ships and locals; all reflect a history and a man whose art emulates his character.

his new photographic pursuits are from deep space.

M42 Orion Nebula

Horsehead Region

jarred

autumn sweeps in inconspicuously, with restrained fanfare. blink and you may miss the tawny oranges, fiery magentas and mellow golds – a rather awesome and comforting exodus. throughout my life, this time has always been marked by the annual collecting drying and sorting of beans, herbs and grapes. yet, the most significant of all these harvests is that of the tomato. each september, family members gather to make jars upon jars of sauce that will serve as many meals throughout the seasons to come. it is a harried, chaotic time when hands, faces and smiles are covered in a sea of red. while years of practice has made the process efficient, there is always room for giddy foolishness (squishing boiled tomatoes has always been a favourite diversion). after a lengthy process of ripening, boiling, straining, ladling, tightening, sealing and cooling, nothing quite compares to the sight of rows upon rows of crimson jars that line the cellar shelves – fall’s greatest inauguration.

art fest

the queen west art crawl is an annual event featuring local west-end artists. organized by artscape (a toronto-based, not-for-profit enterprise whose work involves the construction of creative spaces), it is one of the largest community-based festivals in toronto. the festival celebrates the character and soul of queen street west with an annual weekend-long event featuring artists from a range of disciplines. conventional potters, jewelers and painters intermingle with robotic artists (yes, robots literally), silk screeners and doll makers. some stand-outs include: nicole katsuras whose oil on canvas pieces abound in extraordinary vibrancy and texture; ann sheir’s encaustic designs offer an intriguing combination of explosive colour (from intense lime to punchy orange) and a waxy grain. allison wells of papersnake jewellery, creates delicately striking earrings and necklaces in bird and scissor motifs. all artists display a unique combination of rawness and pomp which lends itself to the crawl’s edgy pace.

the big tent

acrobats, tightrope walkers and jugglers – the circus is in town. aside from the iconic tent and stilted clowns, circus without boarders is not your typical spectacle, it is a troupe on a mission. as a non-profit organization made up of experienced circus professionals, circus without borders tours orphanages, street youth centres and other community level projects in areas of the world in an attempt to bring laughter to those that need it most.

room and bored

after spending some time agonizing over paint colour, accessories and functionality (which was then meticulously vetoed or approved by my savvy 5-year-old) i made the first, of what will surely be many, attempts at revamping olivia’s room. common ground was found with a compromise of green chalkboard paint (olivia wanted everything black, including furniture) hot pink duvet and patterned fabrics functioning as pillows and a makeshift closet door. days of laborious toil has left a half-completed room that olivia adores and i continue to envision.

piccolo paesi

traveling through the towns and villages that line campania to the west and rest along the path to my parents hometown is quietly overwhelming. small villages like, capriati and letino hold an italian heritage that is often not seen in postcards, nor in federico fellini movies. these villages are the rural havens of farmers, masons and shopkeepers, far removed from iconic roma or reputable napoli. they hold much of the magic of italy, telling stories of those who have emigrated and those that remain. the dearest of such places is gallo matese, a proud and humble village which sits at nine hundred metres atop the appenines in its simple glory. at once regal and weary, it is the birthplace of my heritage and pulls me in with an incessant intensity. the cobbled streets are worn, the homes disheveled, but a vibrancy seeps from the cracks in the stucco and the weathered lines in faces that surround. i am encircled by a history that i own. whispered dreams and fears of grandparents and parents are embedded in the fountain, the church and the chicken coops that i pass. stories of hardship and bliss are revealed on the land that i stand upon; the earth exposes its truth. gallo is a place of wonder, stoically forging ahead with a mere three hundred remaining. it is a place that has shaped the lives of my family and has left its imprint through generations. it is a paese that i understand at last.

joy ride

if i had to choose between riding in the back seat of a roman taxi, or riding through the door handle in the back seat of a roman taxi, i think i’d choose the latter. catty makes european ground travel at 180K look fun.

glorious fare

if the regions of lazio and campagnia do nothing to satiate one’s hunger for modernity, they will certainly satiate one’s appetite. food in italy transcends its prim definition as a noun and transforms into a boundless verb: dancing, singing, teasing the palate. produce winks as you pass, entreating your attention. aromas linger and mingle – basilico and tomato, lemon and fig, red wine and parmigiano, all intoxicating and inviting. markets offer staples of honey, olives, tomatoes and cheese and also provide the seemingly exotic: north african cactus pear (which to my great pleasure grows throughout campagnia by the side of the road!) italians are fastidious about their culinary choices; the youngest is able to discern varieties of tomatoes, peaches and cheeses and as a result, foodstuff is exemplary.

plane doodle

travel with a 5-year-old is unpredictable: frenetic or potentially dreary. thankfully, a rather banal eight and a half hour trans-atlantic journey was salvaged by puppet games, checkers and drawings. this one little creation made me smile…

street art

...signs that roma is alive and kicking. inspiration from bridges, brick walls and street corners in trastevere and testaccio. whether such artistic expression is viewed as offensive, or stimulating, it is all too apparent that roma is on the cusp of a subversive renaissance.