New Art Class Beginning Feb 13

creativity is like a muscle
when you work it it gets stronger

…

T r a n s f o r m   is a new course starting mid-February being offered as part of Gallery Gachet’s Art School.  Its purpose is to support individuals in their daily creative practice.

for self-identified artists of all abilities, including aspiring.

Note that you can attend the first session with zero obligations to complete the course.

…

We believe that:

• By creating art every day we’ll improve in leaps and bounds (both technique and creative prowess).

• By committing to your practice (and to this course) you’ll find increased confidence in your creativity, and

• By flexing your creative muscles you’ll gain personal power to shape the world around you, from the mundane to the monumental.

To learn more about this art course please,
CLICK HERE to download Info Sheet.

Course begins Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Crow Roost Twilight Bike Ride

ALL WELCOME
for this friendly Bike Ride
on Saturday Feb 2
Meet at 4pm at
Lakewood Drive at the Central Valley Greenway
(also known as North Great Northern Way).
Bring: snacks to share if you care to do so,
and maybe a hot thermos for yourself.
Remember warm clothes,
Bike Lights, and
Bring Kid-friends too.

See below for more information, and alternate start locations.

-article adapted from Renfrew Collingwood Community News, Jan 2013-

So Many Crows, Where Do They Go?

The answer is to their roost on the banks of Still Creek, where Vancouver meets Burnaby. Join the Crow Roost Twilight Bike Ride on Saturday February 2nd to find out more, and to experience the famous crow roost for yourself.

“Being at the roost is a completely energizing and incredible experience”, says ride leader Sara Ross. “Last time I was there I could not believe how the birds just kept coming and coming and coming. It was as if the air above still creek became an ever-flowing river of crows, all arriving home for the night. It’s such a crow community celebration, I love it.”

Local experts estimate the number of crows spending the night at the Still Creek Roost to be upwards of 20,000 birds. Despite being pushed into ever-smaller pieces of viable roost habitat by development, crows seem to have adapted to their small piece of Still Creek near Gilmore. They return night after night and come from absolutely all over the lower mainland.

Still Creek runs from its’ headwaters near Slocan Park into Burnaby before flowing into the Fraser River. Decades of efforts to repair the once severely polluted Still Creek have been paying off, this year seeing the first sizable return of Chum Salmon.

Crows, unlike Salmon, easily thrive in the urban conditions we’ve created, favoring flat open areas similar to shoreline, which would have been their native habitat. That translates into crows loving parks, parking lots, lawns, rooftops. Crows are very smart and adaptable. They also have complex family groupings, and the adolescent birds help their parents raise the next generation of young. There is lots of cooperation.

Ross, a local artist, bird-lover, and bicycle organizer, will be leading the FREE family- friendly bicycle ride on Saturday, February 2nd to visit the crow roost. (Rain Date February 9, check http://stillmoon.org/ for last minute ride changes and confirmation).

Travelling like a murder of crows, perhaps with some friendly chatting and squawking along the way, the Crow Roost Twilight Bike Ride will follow the path of Still Creek eastward. The route is 98% on separated bike routes along the Central Valley Greenway.

Ross says, “You can expect to be amazed by the experience of flying on your bike with the crows towards the roost, and then we’ll quiet down as we arrive. Maybe the crows will recognize us as fellow quiet flyers on our bikes?”

This ride is part of Reflecting Still Creek, a larger program created by Still Moon Arts that aims to connect people with the creek, and with our local environment by spending time near, and enjoying Still Creek. Learn more at http://stillmoon.org/

More Crow Info
Burnaby Now Article LINK
Vancouver Province Article LINK

Ride Details: Saturday, Feb 2
in case of rain date: Saturday Feb 9

Choose your start location

LONGER RIDE (4km one way distance): Meet at 4pm at Lakewood Drive at the Central Valley Greenway (also known as North Great Northern Way)

SHORTER RIDE (2.5km one way distance): Meet at 4:15pm outside of Renfrew Skytrain Station

RETURN JOURNEY
Note that bikes are allowed on Skytrain for your return journey if desired. All riders and abilities are welcome on this ride.

ACCESSIBILITY
Assistance is available for people with unique mobility needs who wish to join the ride through tandems, chariots or loaner bikes. Please inquire in advance of Ride Leader Sara Ross at redsara@gmail.com

WHAT TO BRING
Don’t forget to bring very very warm clothing including gloves, and lights for your bike for the return journey. And if possible bring a few home-made snacks to share, and a thermos of something warm to drink for yourself?

my art as social practice

Chris Bentzen is a Vancouver curator, organizer, button-maker, and soon-to-be gallery owner. A few weeks ago we sat down to talk about art, and one result is this wee video. Chris releases one video weekly featuring a local Vancouver artist. Happy to be included in the roster!

Good luck with your gallery opening, Chris.

Interview with Vancouver artist Sara Ross from bentzen on Vimeo.

Elemental : What Stories are Made of

The story of ELEMENTAL is complex and wonderful
& involves great learning for me!

WHAT IS ELEMENTAL? Through the ELEMENTAL initiative,
the Vancouver Society of Storytelling worked with 5 different communities in Vancouver from March 2011-June 2012. In workshops, each community created stories using different elements as their central metaphor (air, earth, water, fire, metal). Physical legacies and community celebrations followed. On Saturday June 9th, 2012 a bicycle/bus tour showcased ELEMENTAL as part of the 19th Vancouver International Storytelling Festival.

I was excited, proud and honoured to work alongside Naomi Steinberg, friend and community builder, storyteller and artist extraordinaire.
Naomi is an elemental force for good in Vancouver!

My task was two-part.
1. to organize a bike ride to showcase the ELEMENTAL project.
2. to create a zine / artbook documenting the project.

invitation to mindful moment

On the banks of beautiful Still Creek in Burnaby, BC i worked with a group of community artists and the Still Moon Arts Society to create the Spirit Fish Festival.

Kyira Korrigan helped me create this Invitation to Mindful Moment    which I image recreating in Stanley Park some day.

INVITATION
You are invited to pass through this arch and into a mindful moment.

Step 1: This journey will be undertaken in silence.

Pause a moment before entering; breathe deeply and let go of words.
When ready, announce your intention to proceed with a ring of the bell.

Step 2: Find a place to comfortably stand near the river. WATCH YOUR STEPS, WHERE YOU PUT YOUR FEET! When you arrive, return your gaze to your surroundings.

 Pause for a moment, and listen. What is the dominant sound? Explore the components of the background you are immersed in. Listen a bit longer—let a minute or two pass.

Step 3: As you exit, you may choose to ring the bell again to sound completion of your mindfulness.

More about SpiritFish: video link

velodeco : make something from nothing

for the last three years i’ve had the great pleasure to create and provide the decorations for a kids bike parade. I hand-make streamers out of used plastic bags + salvaged veggie twist ties.

HOW i ride my bike all over town visiting various large-chain grocery stores where people ‘recycle’ their disposable plastic bags    i don my gloves and dig through the bags of bags    searching for beautiful colours    most bags are not desirable: thin white safeway beige yellow buy-low grey home depot yuck.

A gem would be solid red or blue sears, multicoloured record store, white and pink hello-kitty! I’ll post instructions sometime.

here’s the thing with this work. it’s not collectable. it doesn’t hang on your wall. it’s not new. is it even art? just because some kid hung my quote work on their bike for a few days and rode in a parade… i suppose the kids feel validated for loving their bikes for fun and freedom, parade viewers see the bikes and feel hopeful for the future. i feel good too. okay.

eighty eight : Video R E L E A S E D !!

very excited to announce
the Video I directed and produced
is finally officially RELEASED.

watch the video at bcclettes.ca

seventy nine : old art : vactor 2100

this is a Vactor 2100    drawn by myself in 2002   which is ten years ago
clearly i was an artist then too   mostly judging by the words that appear on the back of this 4-part series.   I find the image itself easiest to see when i squint my eyes   and please note that i photographed it on my sisters ironing board last week    ten years ago my sister was 21 years old

in 2002 i mailed Vactor 2100 to her in four pieces    canadian domestic mail stamps cost 47¢ and the cards feature a Pierre Trudeau, a Victorian Order of Nurses, a Bluefin Tuna, and a Nunavut stamp. i mailed it in this order:

Here is an excerpt from cards 3 & 4:

“the other day i awoke to a loud industrial noise in my neighbourhood. i also imagine a subtle pulsation of the ground : as a mild QUAKE. in my [tank top] morning i walked into the studio and pulled back the curtains. work   men   in   the   AM…”

and as con’t on card 4:

“work men in the AM, but not just that.
¡A PULSATING VACTOR 2100! outside my very window. i started rushing about. breathing. flinging limbs. The meaning of life. So clear as rendered in red china marker on the back of an old poster.   Tear up the street.   Suck shit up.   wake the world.   Look at Vactor.   Pulse.   Throb.   Tubes and containment vessels.   i   hold   your   shit.”

uh…..

seventy eight : card faces

cards painted white as creative inspiration tool
with a singular frame remaining     does anyone know why the king of hearts is feeling so low?

and

in my process     of getting rid of things i’ve got     that i don’t want
i removed these business cards from my dated rolodex     face down
possibilities lost    paths crossing
simple
yet
myriad
complexity
of
precise present moment

sixty nine : so many me

sixty five : i love birds

i love birds

many of my posts feature bird art     like this one for example

⥤ these are pictures of bird things within reach of my desk

i do love birds

the question

¿why have i been recently exposed to pictures of birds that are dead because they ate plastic?     such as this b e a u t i f u l  4 minute (sensitive viewer warning) video trailer     and the presentation i watched last night

i love birds
i experience angry
single use products are

NOT OK

cat.bird.funny from Sara Ross on Vimeo. 12 seconds.

May i present… one ❝symptom❞ of single use things

pictures taken last night in feeling of anger
two blocks of recycling      normal      in my neighbourhood.

it made me feel sad looking at the ways we have adapted to survive     drinking milk from somewheres somecows     crushing cans of pea soup night after night by ourselves     tomato sauce tomato sauce tomato sauce     newspaper tells us whats happening     dead fish in cans     plastic     so much plastic

i send my love to the mountains and to all people who are doing their best at this very moment to survive    which likely includes just about everyone

i send my love      as Chris Jordan’s film trailer says      to those of us who have the courage to face the realities of our time     and who allow ourselves to feel deeply enough that it transforms us and our future

brave spirits of the earth and downtrodden     thank you    you are my heart