My name is Claire and I am a local visual artist. I am trying to start an arts collective that is dedicated to relationship-building projects between local artists and other members of the Kingston community – business owners, landlords, city officials (those who control or have access to spaces in Kingston).

I have a zygote of a first project in mind, and I am hoping to form a committee that can help shape the idea. The basic premise is to create a window decal for businesses who support local artists. This sticker would say something along the lines of “We Support Local Artists” in English and French. I am imagining that this would spark an oral culture of awareness about local arts events: once a store or restaurant has a sticker, patrons will eventually start asking what cultural events/exhibitions take place in the establishment. If business owners are unsure of how to support artists, there will be a blogspace for them to look at other examples, read profiles of artists, and find out what kind of projects and collaborations are seeking a space.

For the moment there are a couple of interested businesses and a few artists interested in being profiled on the site. I am hoping to find a community of committee members, volunteers, and artists, and once this is established, funding will be sought from CFKA and CKAF.

Please let me know if you are interested in coming out to a meeting to discuss the idea.

Thank you very much!

This exhibition, in Verb Gallery (85 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario) is a collection of recent works, but includes some pieces from earlier years. Works in this series are themed around the concept of “aberrants”, a bilingual word meaning that which is abnormal or unusual. In medicine, the word refers to tissues or organs which are found in unexpected places. The Aberrants in this show are both celebrated and made vulnerable through exposure. Signs of physical and psychological torment stand in as metaphors for the ostracism of all who are “aberrant” in the eyes of a dominant/dominating culture.

OPENING NIGHT: Thursday, January 19th, 7pm.

As an art history student, I became a little obsessed with the relationship I had to famous works through my art history textbooks. I found the small reproductions of paintings charming, and the details of large paintings often stood alone as compelling pieces in their own right. I started painting these, as if the small images in the texts could represent something that existed in that size and so was no longer a reduction of an original. In this way I obtained, for myself, a sense of a piece’s “aura” despite the fact that I’ve grown up in Canada and have never seen the originals. I have created tiny reproductions of Klimt, Monet, Da Vinci, Modigliani and Hopper. The pragmatics of modern living are such that I sell these for $30 each.

I then started painting famous faces, again as strategy to collect and contain greatness in a way that was personal and precious. Here is an example of how I work from a photo to create a miniature version of John Lennon, Billie Holiday, Frantz Fanon, Janis Joplin, and Martin Luther King Jr.

After seeing my work, many people commission a portrait of their loved ones, however. These are $40 each, but $5 off for each additional piece (up to $10 off max). For examples of these, see my Paintings page in the above menu, and click on the Miniature Portraits gallery. My email is available on the Contacts page.

The Fat Goose flew last night. It was a whirlwind of happy shoppers, smiling vendors, amazing video art projects put together by Maayke Schurer from Modern Fuel, and incredible music brought by CFRC djs. The evening was enhanced by vegan and non-vegan delights provided by vendors, which went well with the rum-filled egg nog being sold at the Renaissance Event Venue. Thank you to everyone who came out, and a special thank you to those who have contacted me today about portrait commissions. The Fat Goose is still air-borne, my friends! Get your order in soon for Christmas present: Miniature portraits for desks, mantelpieces, or boats. Don’t miss upcoming events – subscribe to this blog today.

Perhaps you don’t want to stand in long line-ups under fluorescent lights? Perhaps you want to meet the artist who made the gem of a gift you are buying, so you have a story to go with the present? These are the kinds of shopping experiences that are slowly disappearing from our “glocal” environments, and we at Fat Goose want to put this spirit of community back into the holidays, whether they are Christmas, End of Seasons, Hanukkah, Hijri New Year, or Kwanzaa celebrations.

Maybe you don’t celebrate with gifts, but want to enjoy the festive spirit in a unique environment? Well, let it be known: there will be music, “Snow Storms”, and boozy egg nog! 

Thank you to the Tea Room on Queen’s Campus for showcasing my work for 2 weeks before the holiday season. These are two highlights from the mini-exhibition. Stop by on Wednesday morning, December 7th to meet me in person and ask questions about my work! Enjoy one of the dozens of incredible teas at the Tea Room as well. Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am – 4:30pm. Location: Union and Division, Kingston, Ontario.

This is an example of a linocut that can be framed as original art, or in this case, be used as the front of a greeting card.

OPEN STUDIO WORKSHOPS:

Queen’s University Education Department is offering a Linocut Printmaking course, facilitated by me, on Wednesday, November 9th from 6-8pm. Only 5 spaces left, so hurry! $20, includes the material costs.

See http://educ.queensu.ca/arts/programs/openstudio.html for details.

These were created as part of a course on Abstract Painting that I have been teaching at the Kingston School of Art. This particular class was called Fast Painting, and each of these paintings was created in 5 minutes or less. They are small, about 5 x 7 inches, which helps. They are less Abstract than perhaps was needed in terms of a demo for the course, but worth keep nonetheless.