Friend Spotlight - Claire F

[Photo credits: Claire Farley]

The lovely Claire has flown away to Nijmegen, Netherlands for a semester abroad and it seems like she's having a really good time. Her presence is already missed in Ottawa. Luckily, she keeps her friends updated by writing and posting photos on her website. To follow her adventures in the land of bicycles and coffee shops simply click here and wish you were there.

Ottawa! Dye your hair!

Looking through my old high school favourite, Lula Magazine, I fell in love with this image all over again. Pale skin and light cotton candy hair, yes please! So light and lovely.

The Fashion Press and Ottawa Fashion Week Give Away!

Ottawa Fashion Week is from March 18th-20th and we are giving away 2 day passes for the shows on the 19th! To get these passes all you have to do is send us your artwork, photos, or writing to leejones@thefashionpress.org. The best works will be included in our next print issue, which comes out April 30th, and you will get to attend Ottawa Fashion Week. Deadline is March 13th!

The Fashion Press will again be covering the event, if it's as good as last season, you know it'll be a show to see! To get more info click here.

The Fashion Press is looking for next issue submissions!

The Fashion Press is looking for submissions for our next issue, which comes out April 30th! If you make poetry, photos, artwork, or short stories send them to our editor at LeeJones@thefashionpress.org. High resolution photos of your artwork is a must for artist submissions. For poetry and short stories please send them in a word document. We look forward to your submissions and feel free to contact our editor if you have any questions : )

Critical Blogging Residency with Artengine!

This is an awesome opportunity for anyone living in Ottawa. Artengine is going to have a critical blogging residency! Here's the deets:

"In our continuing effor to cultivate new perspectives on the media arts landscape, Vauge Terrain (Toronto) and Artengine (Ottawa) open the call for the 2011 Critical Blogging Residency. This residency is for an emerging critic or cultural journalist from the Ottawa-Gatineau area, who will pen a month cross-post for the Vague Terrain and Artengine blogs.

Conceived as a creative space for expression and research into culture and technology the content and direction will be developed in partnership with the editors of both publications. The resident will also travel to Montreal for the 2011 Elecktra Festival to post reviews and more from one of North America's premiere digital cultural events. The resident will also receive critical feedback and professional development through the Articulation series at The Ottawa Art Gallery.

Applicants must be based in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, and are requested to send a resume and letter of introduction. The letter of introduction can describe your interest in the electronic and media arts, what you would bring to the respective online publications or your involvement in previous online projects. Applicants must also submit at least two links to writings published online.

The successful applicant will receive a $1,200 stipend; one trip (Ottawa-Montreal) including travel, accomodations and per diem during the festival; and one festival pass to all Elecktra events. The resident will also receive workships from the Ottawa Art Gallery during their 2012 critical writing series Articulation."

For more info about the Artengine blogging residency click here!

Music Review - Oh Land

Just found out about Oh Land and had to fill you in. As her website states she is a product of extremes. "A disciplined ballet dancer who was educated with the Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet schools coupled with a 'circus-like' upbringing courtesy of a family of creative souls. Their unique and individual talents have left deep imprints on how Oh Land experiences and interprets the world around her." She has created a soundscape that dreams as hard as it dances. Her performance style confronts the audience with elements as sonically and visually diverse as drum pads, an omnichord, and a front projector system that broadcasts homemade visuals across balloons. She's rocking and I suggest you check her out.

Caught in the Moment at Gallery 115

The theme of this show is "Caught in the Moment" and features artwork by Courtney Brazeau, Paula Collins, Victoria Courtney, Alexandra Peters and Sarah Tue-Fee. All the artwork looks truly fantastic! You can check it out at the 115 Gallery located on the main floor of 100 Laurier Avenue at University of Ottawa. For now, here's a short preview.

[Photo Credit - Victoria Courtney]

Photographer Spotlight - Olivia Bee

Olivia Bee has got me hooked on her photography for the past few days since I've discovered her work. The 16 year old girl from Portland, Oregon is documenting her teenage years in the most captivating way. Since the age of 11, Olivia Bee has built an enormous amount of crazy/beautiful work that keeps growing everyday. The images that she captures are full of vitality, beauty and soul. Her website has become like a diary - open and alive to the world. Please, do yourself some good today and check out her website by clicking here. You won't regret it, I promise.

U Nancy Huh?

Nancy Zhang, the artist we featured earlier this week, has finally begun her fashion blog! Click here to check it out! To read our interview with Nancy click here! We wish her loads of luck on her fashion adventures. From what we see so far, it looks like it'll be going swell.

Book Review - David Altmejd

I saw David Altmejd's piece The Holes (2008) at the exhibit "It is what it is" at the National Art Gallery and it's a piece that has been in my mind ever since. After looking through his book by Louise Dery at the exhibition I ordered it through the gallery. This overview of his work is really beautiful and is also bilingual (English/French). Altmejd mixes colourful organic with mirrors jutting out everywhere. The pieces contain decay but it's colourful and meant to show that life arrises out of decay into something beautiful. His pieces look really abstract and at first a bit disturbing. Decaying werewolves with arms growing out of their decaying parts does not sound quite so wonderful in print, yet when you see it you immediately change your mind. It's his use of colour that really makes this shift from ugly to stunning. The book was an interesting read and it was awesome to be able to see all his works that are spread all over the world. I really recommend seeing his work at the National Art Gallery and checking out this book while you're there. Click here to learn more about the exhibit.

Facehunter Takes Manhattan

Yvan Rodic from Facehunter definitely represents all ze hipsters out there. He roams through the world looking for individuality and style. He could also be described as the "modern flaneur" perhaps? Check out this video by Nowness and then click here to check out his blog.

Poncho Paradise - Lindsey Thornburg

Lindsey Thornburg's designs are truly ideal. Her ponchos seem cozy and sophisticated, yet they look fresh from the runway. While studying in Los Angeles, Thornburg took a trip to the Peruvian highlands of Machu Picchu and came back fully inspired. The subtle detail work, the creative patterns and the earthy colors make these unique pieces unforgettable. There are also large pockets, which are a definite bonus. Although, I can hardly afford anything lately, I dream that one day I will be able to wear one of Thornsburg's perfect cloak. Click here to check out her website and admire more of her work.

Susan Feindel at the Ottawa Art Gallery

Last Thursday I went to the opening of Susan Feindel's exhibition 'See Below' at the Ottawa Art Gallery. Feindel is an artist from Nova Scotia who uses Indian ink to demonstrate environment. In this installation, which goes on until April, she focuses on the ocean. Her works contain a cool mix of organic and geometric shapes. Blended Indian ink shapes are overlayed with geometric patterns and forms. My favourite part of this installation was use of light and dark. In the first part of the installation Indian ink drawings with tiny holes are backlit, which gives the works a really cool effect. In the second room viewers are encouraged to use a flashlight to look at her works on the floor while music goes on in the background. Overall the exhibition creates an interesting atmosphere and this was the most memorable aspect of my visit. To get a better understanding of the pieces check them out at the Ottawa Art Gallery or click here to get a description of the exhibition by the curators.

Artistic Spotlight - Nancy Zhang

Nancy Zhang is an illustrator and photographer currently attending OCAD in Toronto. What struck me about her work is the detail. Illustration has become a new interest of mine after reading the Gutenberg Quarterly and it's a media that seems to keep getting more and more amazing. When asked about her work Nancy states "I love working with pen and ink. That graphic yet very organic flow in line works can be so beautiful and that’s what engages me to continue working with that medium. Just recently I’ve started to get into acrylics and gouache as well, just having fun experimenting with layers and colours." Her work reflects this interest in line and detail to a great extent.

The themes in her work are often abstract. As she states "With school assignments, it’s all about meanings and illustrating a point. I get very tired of that, so I choose to let loose and draw things at random that don't necessarily have to make sense, simply visually appealing or interesting." Her next project is to branch out into fashion. A fashion blog with a unique concept. "Currently I’m still in the planning stage. My focus would be simple, photograph what students and regular folks along the street wear on the daily bases, not intentionally look for fashionistas or people that’s considered “trendy”. I think it’d be nice to showcase a variety of looks, even if a person is covered in black from head to toe, somewhere out there another individual can relate to that and sees the appeal in the look. My goal is contribute to the community and try to put myself out there and gain more insights." We're excited to see how it all turns out. To check out Nancy's work click here!

Girls - Lust For Life

Love this band, this song and this video.

Event - Grad Night at Café Nostalgica

Back on January 28th, the Café Nostalgica on the OttawaU campus hosted an inside/outside party. Even though it was a chilly and snowy night, the ice bars and Dj's were cool enough to keep a good gang partying under the moonlight for a while. Later on, everyone moved inside where we all participated in the usual sweaty dance sesh. It was quite the night. Pretty memorable. Anyways, here are some photos that I took with my fish-eye camera and click here to check out the Nostalgica website to go to more events like this one.

Book Review - Bad Day Magazine

Bad Day Magazine is a quarterly publication from Toronto. I started picking up this magazine mostly because of the awesome design. Each issue is monochrome to a single colour shade, this issue is all purple. Yet the inside is full of interviews with artists who have interesting thoughts. My personal favourite is an interview with Shary Boyle, who I first found out about at the National Art Gallery's new exhibit "It Is What It Is". Her porcelain figures are disturbing and at the same innovative (her most famous one is a figure with a woman's legs and the upper body of a penis). Bad Day is known for it's choice of unique artists. Disturbing, creepy, yet wonderful all at once. As their about page states, "The name is meant to subvert a negative concept through the positive impact of art; good things are found in the pages of a Bad Day." That's the way I see it to0. To find out more about Bad Day click here.

Event - Electric Church Party Feb. 4th

This friday get ready to get wild in a cathedral! The Arts kids from OttawaU have organized an Electric Church Party. All drinks at 5 dollars and music blasting in your ears in one of the sweetest venue in Ottawa means that there are no reasons to miss out. A Tribe Called Red and Dj Brains4breakfast will invade St. Brigid's (which has been converted into a cultural art center). It is located at the corner of Cumberland and St. Patrick st. and the event starts at 10:30pm. Tickets are 8$ dollars in advance or 10$ at the door. All proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society through Relay For Life. Click here to check out the event on facebook for more details. ps: I'll be bartending, so come visit!

If this video isn't enough to pump you up for this Friday night, I'm seriously not sure what will.

Book Review - The Gutenberg's Quarterly: A concern on illustration & surroundings

The Gutenberg's Quarterly is a magazine primarily about illustration. This issue features interviews, artist profiles and "a bunch of good work". As the back of the magazine states "Illustrators: Their ways of life, studios, pets, meals, and of course, their work." This fourh issue of The Gutenberg's Quarterly closes Volume 01 with great european interviews wich will let your mouths wide open. Some contributors include Sasha Grey, Kristian Hammerstad, and even Tanya Johnston of Montreal.

For me, it was interesting to see art from the illustration perspective, a medium that is so often ignored in discussions of art today. There is also a multi-media aspect to the magazine as well. Illustrations go alongside photos and collages. The one fashion shoot has the model photoshopped out so that you only see her hair and her clothes.

The magazine is very web friendly. It's a print edition but "The Next 26 G'sQ Rated Concerns" section of the magazine is full of websites to go visit to see awesome art or other awesome publications. I also enjoy the chill feel of the writing. It's very laid back and just plain cool. As the back of the magazine states "Freaking out? Buy this magazine and take a nap by the pool!" I would definitely agree. Check out The Gutenberg's Quarterly by clicking here.