Friday, December 19, 2008

Must learn Spanish!


Life is good in Mazatlan.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Next post - January 2009

I'm off for a few weeks of inspiration in sunny climes. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Cohen-inspired again

I'm feeling inspired by Leonard Cohen, and not for the first time, as you will recall from a previous post.

Last night I was at the Canvas Lounge on Powell Street for a showing of prints by Leonard Cohen - this is the third showing of his works, previously in Manchester and Toronto. The trendy nightclub was closed to the public and open only to invited guests (I was the accidental recipient of an e-mail invitation and though we were not actually on the guest list, Garth and I managed to talk our way in.

Cohen's charming son Adam spoke at the event, in a deep voice tightly resembling his father's. He was rather witty and managed to convey the deep respect he has for his father and not only made the crowd laugh, but also to cheer!

Oh to have such an opening for my own work!!! There was well over a hundred attendees, all fashionably dressed, apparantly upwardly mobile (or had already achieved a spot at the top), and noticeable amidst the dark clothing was the sparkle of "bling". Bar tenders on all three levels were serving martinis and wine at a swift pace and about a dozen volunteers culled from the art department of a local college stood at regular intervals between large framed limited edition prints of Cohen's line drawings. These volunteers were there to point the way to the bars and washrooms and to explain a little about the works and the process for purchase (envelopes attached to the wall beside each print held cards with the print name and number, so that more than one person could purchase the same image but with a different print number; i.e. 20/150 and 24/150). The prints were priced between the mid-$2,000 and high $9,000 range - a little steep for my wallet, but clearly not a deterrent for other attendees. The works were enlivened with sometimes witty and sometimes poignant text, bright colours, and Cohen's logo-like double flipped heart (forming a star of David) and what appeared to be his personal chop in brilliant red. As Garth commented, the drawings were somewhat Picasso-esque in their simplicity.

If you'd like to have a look at Cohen's works yourself, by Saturday they will be available for viewing and purchase from Linda Lando's gallery in Kerrisdale.