our new baby
November 10, 2011
An Adana 8×5 tabletop platen press. It’s in good working condition and has been well cared for, with a refurbished roller that looks new. With it we got a case and a half of large wood type (two different point sizes), a kilogram or so of various lead type ornaments and initial caps, four boxes of new lead type (mostly weird script typefaces but there’s one nice 8pt caps type I can see us getting a lot of use out of), half a dozen composing sticks, at least fifteen speed quoins, three quoin keys (I AM ESPECIALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE THREE QUOIN KEYS, YOU GUYS), plenty of gauge pins, the wooden block that you use to gently tamp down the type before locking up a form (I can’t remember what this is called), a slug cutter, a Lassco corner rounder (so now I can have two, with different blade sizes, instead of having to switch the blades out all the time!). And when we had it all loaded into the car, the fellow we bought it from handed me a Bostitch saddle stapler and said, here, you can have this too. That gift with purchase alone will revolutionize my life, y’all. SO EXCITED.
Posted by jodi on November 10, 2011 at 8.21am
midtown bazaar, this sunday!
October 28, 2011
This fun event is brought to you by The House, where I have my office-slash-studio. I’ll be there selling my hand bound books and block printed clothing. Please come and buy my stuff so I can take that cash directly across the parking lot and spend it all at the used record vendor’s table (this is the bane of all artists who sell at craft shows, amirite? There’s always something there that you want, just as soon as you make some scratch!). There’s also going to be pumpkin carving, live music, trick-or-treating, derby girls, awesomeness, poets, face painting and who knows what else. And an after party at Rino’s! My artwork is still up on the walls inside The House so if you missed the studio opening last week, here’s another chance to check it out.
As vendors are encouraged to come in costume, I’ve been waffling between 16th century Russian lady (my default, no-inspiration costume of choice), Ottoman empire dancer, or roller derby girl. Because those are the things that I have clothes for already. I was kind of leaning towards the knee socks, skates and war paint approach but it’s going to be a bit chilly, so Russian lady will probably win out. She’s got the most layers, as well as a big warm shuba (that’s a longass coat with extremely long sleeves and fur trim). Maybe I’ll find time on Saturday to make a spectacular kokoshnik to go with. Which will be exciting to nobody but me.
Here’s a sneak peek of what I’ll be selling: these are some fabric squares I’m printing for bandannas, drying in the window with their first layer of ink:
And some of my block printed skirts (photo by Sanja Frkovic for Our Windsor).
Links: the event on Windsorite.ca
Midtown Bazaar event on facebook
Posted by jodi on October 28, 2011 at 9.07am
it’s possible to learn new things about yourself even in middle age
October 27, 2011
Since getting my driver’s license for the first time ever a couple of days ago, I’ve run a few errands all alone in the car. While I can’t quite shake the feeling that I’m doing something illegal (I’m not), I’ve discovered something about myself: I am a singalong driver. A very loud singalong driver. This while being the kind of person who won’t sing in public, ever. So if you see me at a stop light belting it out, don’t judge. I’ve got years of repressed radio sinalonging to get out.
SCARAMOUCHE SCARAMOUCHE WILL YOU DO THE FANDANGO!
Posted by jodi on October 27, 2011 at 10.07am
studio warming party at the house
October 18, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 4pm to 8pm
The House, 131 Elliott Street West, Windsor Ontario
There will be live music (TBD), Rino’s bar will be open for your beverage needs, and there will be plenty of art on display. I’ll also be debuting my new line of woodblock printed skirts, never before seen! Come say hello, check out what I’ve been up to, enjoy drinks on the patio one last time before winter (weather permitting), and help me christen my brand new studio.
Posted by jodi on October 18, 2011 at 8.42am
october 5 drawing
October 6, 2011
Here’s the drawing I created during my two hours as a guest on the local CBC radio programme The Bridge. The printing underneath, at least four layers of woodblock in varying shades of green and blue, was already on the page before starting, and a layer of acrylic gesso was rubbed onto the entire page earlier in the day to push those colours into the background a bit before laying down a line drawing on top. The drawing started with a tiny square in the centre and spiraled out to cover most of the page. I really had to scramble to finish this in the two hours.
At the end of the programme the drawing was given away to a listener. Thank you so much to everyone who emailed for a chance to win the piece. I didn’t get to see all of your emails but the host and producer did show me a few of them in which people said some very kind and flattering things about me. So that was lovely! Also good for the ego was the fact that there were a lot more emails from people hoping to win my drawing than there were from people hoping to win tickets to see Crystal Gayle at the casino tonight. I’m thinking about making that my byline for a while: MORE POPULAR THAN CRYSTAL GAYLE. Maybe tomorrow I’ll show you a picture of me from when I used to have waist length hair, if I can find one.
Posted by jodi on October 6, 2011 at 9.42am
library drawing
October 4, 2011
It seemed best to keep it simple and work with as few rules as possible with this drawing, as I had no idea what I was in for being a “book” in the Human Library (Windsor Public Library, October first 2011), and how much time there would actually be for drawing. I started in the middle with a tiny square and worked outward in a net pattern, counting each closed section completed. Each time the drawing was interrupted in order to chat with a library visitor, the last section drawn was filled in to mark the drawing’s pauses, and the number was stamped in the upper right corner. Upon resuming drawing, counting started again at zero. The result is a measure of blocks of time between conversations and periods of work interrupted. You can see that it got busy there for a while and then wound down towards the end. The number at the bottom is the total number of sections in the drawing.
In general, the people attending the event were fairly engaged; always wary of talking more than a stranger wants to hear and dreading the appearance of that glazed expression, I very briefly described only the rules under which I was working to each person who approached me, and let them draw the conversation out from there. This worked pretty well, and most people stuck around to talk for a little while. One woman took one look at what I was doing and immediately brought up sari production, which was fascinating (of course I love saris, and wear them on occasion at Pennsic).
I wanted to paste a Date Due slip onto myself for stamping, in keeping with the signing-out-books format of Human Libraries, but apparently they don’t use those nice yellow ones that only get pasted across the top anymore? If slips and stamps are used at all, it’s a sticker and it doesn’t say “Date Due”. Bah. Even with a librarian for a spouse I somehow managed to miss my window of opportunity to pilfer fun library supplies. So I stamped the back of my hand every time a visitor left (“returned”, I suppose) me: Oct 01 2011, Oct 01 2011, Oct 01 2011.
Posted by jodi on October 4, 2011 at 10.47am
october schedule
October 3, 2011
Saturday, October 1: acting as a “book” in a Human Library presented by Windsor Public Library for Culture Days. Sorry, but you missed this one already; tomorrow I’ll show you the drawing I did in between sessions of being. . . read. The terminology of this event really is funny, but it was fun enough that I’d say yes to another one.
Wednesday, October 5 (yup, just two days from now): I’ll be appearing as a guest on CBC Radio Windsor’s afternoon programme The Bridge as part of a series they’re doing where they interview an artist at intervals throughout the show while during the rest of the show the artist works on a piece right there in the CBC studio. Listeners can email the programme for a chance to win the artwork at the end of the show. It’s been a pretty popular segment for them thus far; I think I’m their first printmaker. I’ll be getting a head start by bringing in a piece that’s already started with a couple of layers of woodblock printing that I will then spend the two hours drawing on top of. Horror vacui, folks. I’m scared a two hour drawing might still have some white space!
The Bridge airs from 4pm to 6pm Eastern. Not in Windsor? You can listen online, here: CBC (scroll to the “radio one” player and choose the Windsor Ontario stream). Please feel free to tune in and hear me possibly make an ass of myself on what thankfully is at least only regional radio. I haven’t quite decided whether it’s best to spend the next two days practicing not swearing, or whether to get all the swearing out of my system before then. Suspense!
Friday evenings, October 14, 21, 28 and November 4: I’ll be teaching another knitting workshop at a fun local shop, Saint Flamingo, this time on how to knit mittens. It’s a class for intermediate beginners: you should be able to do a knit stitch and possibly also a purl stitch, and have at least your first small project under your belt. But! You don’t need to know how to knit in the round or make a thumb gusset or anything more complicated than knit and purl. That’s what this class is for! We’ll have a project pattern for a simple worsted weight adult mitten, which the less-beginner, more intermediate-beginner students will be able to customize if they want more of a challenge.The sessions will run from 7pm to 9pm, and you can sign up by contacting Christine through the Saint Flamingo website.
Sunday, October 23: I’ll be having a studio warming slash art opening to welcome everyone to my fabulous new digs over at The House at 131 Elliott Street West. More details forthcoming on this once we nail down the specifics, but we’ll be starting at 4pm, going until who knows when, there will be live music and of course the bar at Rino’s Kitchen will be open for your beverage needs. In addition to having new artwork on display I’ll be debuting my fun new line of block printed clothing (skirts and bandannas, and I’m hoping to have some shirts ready by then too). If you’re in the area, I’d be honoured if you’d come by and say hello and check out my charming new studio/office, of which I’m quite enamoured.
Sunday, October 30: More fun times at The House! This time in the form of the Midtown Hallowe’en Bazaar, which will happen in the parking lot at the corner of Elliott and Pelissier, right next to The House. There will be artists, crafters, nonprofits (including the ever-awesome Border City Brawlers), local independently owned shops of all kinds (vintage gear! used records! so clearly if I make any money at this thing I won’t be taking any of it home). Everyone there will be handing out treats, so bring the kids all costumed and loot bag’d for a fun early start to the festival of sugary excess that’s to follow. The event runs from 2pm until 8pm, followed by a Hallowe’en party inside at Rino’s Kitchen. I hear there’s going to be pumpkin carving and prizes for the best costumes, too. I’m still trying to decide whether to be a pirate rollergirl, a medieval Russian peasant rollergirl, a 1970s rollergirl, an Ottoman Empire dancer rollergirl or some other kind of rollergirl for which I don’t already have an appropriate costume on hand. Or perhaps even (gasp) something other than a rollergirl? Nah.
Posted by jodi on October 3, 2011 at 4.51pm
the only bad part is it keeps putting the neil young song “human highway” in my head
September 30, 2011
This Saturday I’ll be taking part in a Human Library event presented by the Windsor Public Library as part of Culture Days. A number of people from Windsor’s arts and culture community will act as “books”, which can be signed out by visitors for a 20 minute period. It’s going to be a whole load of nerdy fun, you should come!
Read more about the human library movement here: humanlibrary.org
Read more about Culture Days here: culturedays.ca
Here is Saturday’s Human Library catalogue in full. I’m not going to say “check us out”, that’s too cheesy. I am going to bring my date stamp along, though.
Musical Migrations: The Story of Greg Cox
My musical journey has been one of wide geographical range. As a teenager, I learned to play guitar listening to the great rock n’ roll records that I heard emanating from Detroit, Michigan. Later, I began to trace the roots of that music to the delta blues of Mississippi, learning open tunings and bottleneck slide. Later still, I fell in love with the sound of Kentucky bluegrass and picked up the 5 string banjo, and, after seeing the legendary Bill Monroe in person, added the mandolin to my arsenal. Today, I’m learning the baglama, the folk instrument of Turkey, and the oud, the soul of Arab music. Somewhere along the way, I very naturally fell into teaching and developed a passion for sharing all that I am learning with others.Rashmi Dadwal – Mixed-Media Artist
Rashmi Dadwal was born in Mathura, India. She received her B.Sc. at the University of Agra where she majored in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry. In 1971, Rashmi’s passion for the arts led her to study at the New Delhi Polytechnic for Women where she specialized in textile design. After gradating with distinction, Rashmi taught textile design at her alma mater and went on to also become one of the most famous high-end freelance artists and textile designers in New Delhi, India.
A mother of two girls, Rashmi left behind her well-established enterprise when she immigrated to Windsor in 1999. Feeling the need to continue exploring her creative side, Rashmi immediately turned to stained glass—a curious art form only known to few. The vibrancy, accessibility, and functionality of stained glass became an attractive distraction from her previous career as a textile designer, and what started as a simple and casual exploration of the art form soon transformed into a full-fledged adventure. It was only a matter of time until Rashmi started establishing a name for herself in Windsor, creating elaborate stain glass compositions which were displayed in Windsor and around the world.
With time, Rashmi began to pursue mixed media art, blending and shifting between creative mediums like design, fine arts, stained glass, and sculpture. Her work also increasingly began to take a spiritual stance as a result of an accident which left her with a fractured wrist in 2004. Finding inspiration and healing from religions, cultures, and humanity alike, Rashmi’s new challenge was to fuse her spirituality with discarded objects that might on first meeting have no apparent story. Working with these two elements, Rashmi modestly strives to create pieces that speak to and can be enjoyed, appreciated, and afforded equally by all. Rashmi’s work can be found displayed in various Windsor locations—from galleries, to libraries, hospitals, community centers, and markets. As a result, Rashmi’s unique art pieces and icons have permeated Windsor and today serve as time stamps of over a decade of artistic evolution and progress.Jodi Green – Labour Intensive
Jodi Green is a printmaker, bookbinder and independent knitwear designer whose work is informed by the schedules and rituals of labour and the magnitude of small, repetitive acts. While completing her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Georgia she explored the relationship between the routines of the factory floor and the routines of daily life by creating and wearing a series of uniforms that evolved and changed over the course of their wearing. Her recent prints and drawings continue to focus on self discipline, repetitive tasks, tallying and time keeping in an effort to place the antiquated and labour intensive processes of woodblock prints and handmade textiles in the context of the manufacturing industry that defines Windsor.Mark Lefebvre – Stilt Guy: the story of a classically trained actor reaching (literally!) for success
Mark earned his BFA degree in Acting from the University of Windsor. Notable stage roles include the title role in the world premiere of “Brebeuf’s Ghost” by Daniel David Moses, Lee in Sam Shepard’s “True West”, Gandalf in “The Hobbit”, and Frank N. Furter in “The Rocky Horror Show”. Mark has worked extensively with choreographer Gina Lori Riley, including a major tour of Canada’s eastern arctic. He had leading roles in two feature films by Otto Buj. He has taught at St. Clair College, the U of W and Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts. For seven years his therapeutic clown doctor alias was Dr. Dan D. Lion with Fools for Health. He also sings with contemporary jazz vocal group Spectrum Chorus under the direction of Ian Smith.
Mark directed “A Touch of Grey” for the 2010 Windsor International Fringe Festival, and his Canada South Performing Arts produced an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s gothic novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, “Tooth of Crime” by Sam Shepard, George F. Walker’s “Zastrozzi”, and “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett as well as a number of edgy, short works in theatre and dance. In 2006 he programmed entertainment for festivals during Detroit’s Superbowl XL, and in 2005 created two sculptures for the international art exhibition CarTunes on Parade.
Never one to stand still, Mark learned to walk on stilts and with partner Kyle Sipkens performs at festivals & events as the Stilt Guys. In 2011 they have travelled to Memphis, Tennessee and to London UK to celebrate Canada Day in front of 70,000 people.
Mark is married to the lovely and talented dancer, singer, actress Susan Doucet, and together they have created three masterpieces named Jacques, Sylvan and Cavelle.Leslie McCurdy – Performing Artist
Recipient of the 2000 Mayor’s Award for “Outstanding Performing Artist” of Windsor, Leslie McCurdy, has been performing for many years in Southwestern Ontario and the Mid-Western United States as an Actor, Dancer/Choreographer, and Singer. Also a teacher, with an honours B.F.A. in dance with teaching certification from the University of Michigan, Leslie served as choreographic and teaching assistant to Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre during several of her Detroit Residencies, and was slated to go to New York to apprentice with the Ailey Company when she literally tripped, fractured her hip, and fell into acting. Credits include; Mrs. Barker in American Dream; Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill; Risa in Two Trains Running; Nurse Ratchet in One Flew Over the Cockoo’s Nest; Bobbie-Michelle in Last of the Red Hot Lovers; Dorothy in The Wiz; Laura McClellan-Williams in Checkmates; The Acid Queen in Tommy; Fraulein Kost in Cabaret; The Coochie Snoocher in The Vagina Monologues, and appearances in ABC’s Detroit 1-8-7, and several movies, including Ides of March, shot in Detroit MI under the direction of George Clooney. Also a playwright, Leslie has written two one-woman plays that she has performed for fourteen years touring Canada and parts of the United States seven months of the year with over 150 performances annually. The Spirit of Harriet Tubman was a finalist for a Canadian Chalmers Award for Best New Play for Young Audiences and was performed at the 2011 National Black Theatre Festival in North Carolina. Her second play Things My Fore-Sisters Saw was filmed for TV and premiered on the Bravo Network in Canada in February 2006. A two-person adaptation of that play entitled Voice of the Fore-Sisters was commissioned by Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal Que. for one of its more successful school tours. She also penned a version of Harriet Tubman’s story for primary students entitled Harriet is My Hero that has quickly come into demand. Leslie finds time for community involvement in Windsor and has created and/or worked with several programs focused on developing opportunities and training for youth in all aspects of theatre performance and production, notably as Artistic Director and Choreographer of a production of The Wiz in a Summer Youth Arts Program that she was instrumental in creating and through Learning Through the Arts Programs in schools. She tries to return to her dance roots, her true love, every chance she gets and is a company member with Grosse Pointe’s Dance Nonce.Mary Ann Mulhern – The Red Dress
Mary Ann Mulhern is a Windsor teacher and poet.
The Red Dress, published by Black Moss Press received national attention in a CBC interview on Tapestry.
Touch the Dead, also published by Black Moss, was short-listed for the Acorn- Plantos award in 2007.
When Angels Weep, published in 2008, was launched at the University of Windsor and short-listed for the Acorn-Plantos award in 2009.
Mulhern’s new book, “Sleeping with Satan,” brings the Salem Witch-hunt into contemporary focus. Sleeping with Satan is published by Black Moss Press.David Pepper
Mr. Pepper was born and raised in Windsor, and returned to his home town in 1989 after more than 25 years in Toronto. He specializes in the design and creation of museum exhibits, such as the detailed scale model of the Jacques Baby house at Windsor’s Community Museum. Over the years he has worked with many museums in Canada and the U.S., not only as an artist but also as a Curator of special exhibits on Japanese art and culture. He has lectured and written articles on this and other subjects. David’s deep interest in Japan dates from his high school days in Windsor. In
1958, he bought an antique samurai sword. This sparked a life-long path of collecting and studying artifacts from Japan, and eventually to open Okame Japanese Antiques which he now runs in Walkerville. As well as dealing in original artifacts, he appraises and restores them. He speaks Japanese, and has traveled to Japan five times. He says he
has lost count of the number of books on Japan in his personal library, but there are at least 1,300. The oldest one was hand-painted in 1788; the newest was printed last year. When David has a chance to create his own art, he likes to work especially, but not exclusively, in wood. His carvings are strongly influenced by folklore, history and Nature. The largest collection of his artwork under one roof is at All Saints’ Anglican Church in City Hall Square.Shane Potvin – Owner, Creative Director: SPOTVIN
Shane is an accomplished art director with over 10 years of design experience in a variety of local and national account situations.
As Creative Director of SPOTVIN, Shane is responsible for creative concepts, art direction, design, and graphic execution on a wide range of client projects spanning all media.
Shane’s industry experience includes a position as senior art director at McGill Multimedia where he developed the overall look and feel for functional and engaging e-learning materials for clients such as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and MasterCard. He also held the position of senior art director at Hargreaves Stewart where he created and managed corporate visual graphics. This experience included branding, creative strategy, campaign graphics, website design, and print materials in a wide range of mediums for clients such as City of Windsor, University of Windsor, Windsor Spitfires, ENWIN, Windsor Crossing, Santerra Stonecraft, and LHIN.
With Spotvin, Shane continues to work with many corporate companies and not-for-profits to develop branding and creatively effective campaigns to help raise awareness and help them meet their objectives.
Shane received an honours Graphic Design Diploma at St. Clair College.
Posted by jodi on September 30, 2011 at 11.41am
brawlers team draft
August 22, 2011
Venus Di Massacre #7, Hiram Stalkers
On Saturday August 20th the Border City Brawlers, Windsor’s first and only women’s flat track roller derby league, made their official debut in front of a packed house at South Windsor Arena. Two new house league teams, the Hiram Stalkers and the 519ers, were announced to much fanfare, after which the two teams faced off in their first public bout. I was working the bout as a Non Skating Official, keeping track of penalties on the inside white board, so I was only able to snap a few photos during warm ups and before the actual bout began.
Tulkamania #314, 519ers
left to right, the skaters whose faces are visible are: Busta Limbs #705, Hiram Stalkers (seated); Scarlet O’Scary Hairy #CH16, Hiram Stalkers (orange tights); Rebel Hurl #8, 519ers, Billie Helliot #H3ll, Hiram Stalkers (seated in the distance); Mod Broad #5:15, 519ers; Terrortino #D20, Hiram Stalkers.
Drop Dead Alice #99, Hiram Stalkers
The Stalkers trailed the 519ers 25-16 after the first half, but a combination of some crucial penalties for the 519ers and a stellar jamming performance by the Stalkers’ Pain Eyre turned the bout around to a 67-39 win for the Hiram Stalkers.
Pain Eyre #1847, Hiram Stalkers; photo by Sanja Frkovic
Links galore!
my flickr set from before the bout
another flickr set of bout photos, taken by Sanja Frkovic for Our Windsor
Want to be a Border City Brawler? Join us!
Posted by jodi on August 22, 2011 at 5.03pm
border city brawlers draft party and exhibition bout
August 20, 2011
Tonight! The Border City Brawlers, Windsor’s only roller derby league, will debut two new house league teams at a draft party at the South Windsor Arena (2555 Pulford Ave.). Doors are at 6pm, draft at 6:30, BCB’s first home bout at 7:30pm and after party at Faces (College Ave. at California) at 9pm. For more information contact info@bordercitybrawlers.com.
Posted by jodi on August 20, 2011 at 8.04am
