urban wetlands

All of this is well within the city. RJH wanted to go kayaking. There is a company which rents kayaks down at the beach, not far from here. We went to the water, but they weren't there. Not deterred, we continued past Old Mill to the Humber River, where there were kayaks and canoes for rent. Where we launched was noisy enough, what with the construction on the Bloor St bridge and the overpassing subway cars, but right away we could see kingfishers, moths, dragon and damselflies. While neither as quiet, not pristine as our paddle near Fredericton, earlier this summer, it was quite amazing how quickly the city disappeared. We passed the Humber Yatch Club, but only saw a couple of pleasurecrafts, a few canoes, another kayak and some fishermen. There were a few marshes to explore. RJH took the photos (of course). I had an instinct that I should not bring my camera in a kayak and I find it's best never to ignore instincts. I love turtles and was happy to see this muddy guy sunning himself. We veered some distance off the main course of the river into a secluded marsh, where we found many swans, water lilies, lily pads and this lovely egret. He remarked that we had a full 360 degree view of green. The tall reeds screened any sign of homes or roads, and dampened noise as well. We went most of the way down towards the lake, returning only when we could see the Lakeshore.

Now I have sore shoulders and sunburnt thighs, but it's great to remember how much wildlife manages to thrive here, and that wild spaces remain, for those who can't escape the city.



With a pun only Reynardin could love, RJH mailed me that photo with the subject line 'Egrets, I've had a few.'

Hard-headed Euoplocephalus to fight cancer

I'm really pleased to be donating this print to The D.A.D. Project (Drawing A Day). Two sisters, Serena and Emily, who are both illustrators, here in Toronto, and in Ottawa, decided to use their skills to make art to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. They didn't want to feel helpless as their father fought cancer, and now, they run the project as a tribute to his memory. They sell their art, and donations from other artists, through theDADproject etsy shop. It's always great to be able to do something I enjoy and put it to good use. You should check out their shop - lots of fun, whimsical illustrations from this talented family. And if you're a local artist, please consider donating some work.

Mmm... Coffee

Ah... that's better. Now I've had a coffee, I can face the day, and contemplate doing things which require higher brain functions, like carving letters in reverse, or the molecular structure of caffeine. This is a first edition linoleum block print, in a rich, dark, coffee-brown on sand-coloured recycled paper from India. The edition is limited to 10 prints on standard 8.5" by 11" paper (21.5 cm by 27.7 cm). The print is my illustration of a coffee mug and how the aroma triggers me to remember how much I depend on coffee. The molecule is caffeine, a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and psychoactive stimulant, which keeps us coming back for more coffee. The molecule contains carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen atoms, each of which are shown somewhat differently. Now, in fairness, I don't think caffeine is what we smell, but when I smell coffee, I know I'm going to get my caffeine fix.

The Mad Scientists of Etsy theme for July and August 2011 is 'Chemistry' and I made this print in response.

today's creative endeavours

I sold a Lady Ada Lovelace print. The customer requested her biographical information be included. This is the second time a customer has asked for information on my subjects. Occasionally, despite ample evidence to the contrary*, I forget that not everyone is obsessed with the history of science, and in fact, perhaps most people have no idea who my scientist portraits represent. Even my father, who rarely admits to being ignorant of anything whatsoever, didn't know who Niels Bohr was, and asked me about him, at the 'A Hidden Place' artshow, last December.** So, I think I should learn from this experience and print some information with my prints.

So, I spent my morning fighting with my insubordinate printer, before heading off to the post office. I lost this battle.

I also mailed my print of Mercator (1512-1594) to Belgium, where they will be celebrating the 500^th anniversary of his birth year at the Mercator Museum Sint-Niklaas and asked to include my print in their exhibit.

Apart from buying some oddly coloured vegetables (with which I plan on confusing RJH) my other accomplishment was purchasing thermochromic powders (after considerable research). There are a lot of interesting new materials out there, and an entire sub-culture of crafty, techno-savvy DIYers putting them to interesting use. As a physicist and an artist, it's high time I looked into this further. Thermochromic materials change colour with increased temperature. There are also photochromic pigments and inks which will change colour upon application of UV light (which comes naturally with sunlight). I plan on making artwork (on paper or other textiles) which will change if touched (due to temperature) and then move onto art which changes with the application of electric current (cause any electrical conduction will produce some waste heat, hence a temperature change). I thought I might embed some simple circuits so the art would be interactive. What I really want is some electroluminescent ink which I can interface to sensors so that art will 'turn on' if approached. Bwhahaha! Ok, er, one step at a time. First, the thermochromic powder and testing how it mixes with block printing medium. Actually, perhaps that is the second step; despite the array of manufacturers producing these sorts of materials, very few of them seem to sell them directly, or in small enough quantities to make experimentation feasible, or affordable for an individual. So, I've made it through the first hurdle.

Oh, and I also wrote about Biophilia by Björk on magpie&whiskeyjack.

*I taught physics for arts students for how many year? I should know better.
**Why do people know Einstein, and not Bohr? I suppose Einstein's career was more ecclectic and his hair more eccentric, but I think if you surveyed physicists on "giants of the 20^th century", their names would be quoted together.

Victoria

After our research cruise, we did a tour of the city. Our local volunteers and I (the former resident) showed the others around. It was a beautiful day.


Emily Carr and monkey friend


I kind of liked how Parliament was overrun by children.







I had to explain this reference to my colleagues, none of whom had seen Portlandia.
















I remember playing on the Cadboro Bay octopus when I was in grade 3, and we came to visit my grandfather.




I spent the rest of my time up on the peninsula.


The California poppies are something I miss from my time out west. They're everywhere.


I went to the bird sanctuary. This is an oystercatcher.




That's a great blue heron, but you'll have to take my word for it. Mainly, I got decent photos only of snakes.








R2D2

I spent the evening with friends in town.





There are a lot of vintage cars there. There's no winter really, and they seem to last forever.