long, as in length, as in time, as in to long for

grow a new skin - monica lacey 2013

I just finished reading White Noise by Don Delilo, and there is an amazing & bizarre character in it who is trying to break the world record for sitting in a cage with poisonous snakes. Turns out that fictional character has his own blog. Who knew?

In other news, there have been some great announcements about local arts funding here in PEI - inspires one to keep on keeping on. Especially excited about the continuing adventures of Art in the Open, which I'll be participating in this year with an outdoor installation!

See Arlene's photo here & Sam's photo here.

routine check-in

With summer right around the corner I'm working on getting a hold of my daily routine because there is nothing like beach weather to throw all of your routines & discipline right out the window, right? 

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." ~ Aristotle

take the next train outta town - monica lacey 2013

I'm starting to implement a strict studio schedule for myself (something I've wanted to do for months!) and to seek out collaborations more often. Collaborating gets me so excited & joyful about making art - I love to hear different perspectives, ideas, solutions, strengths. My time at Elsewhere last month also really inspired me toward collaboration.

Last night was the final night of the Island Media Arts Festival, a wonderful gem of a small film festival, and they screened my film, ...for the body, whose heart lives in a cage. It was pretty exciting to see it on the big screen & an honour to be screened in the company of some brilliant filmmakers whose work I really admire. I'm hoping to do more video work in the near future & to sink my teeth into the magic of the moving image for a while.

I've been slacking on the photo-a-day project, but you can enjoy some great photography here on Arlene Giddings' site - she's been shooting like mad!

indulge

The wind today is signalling some big changes, you can almost smell it. The full moon is coming. It'll be time soon to swim. I can hardly wait!  And that's the real reason I live on an island:  there is a beach in every direction.

stand in the sea - monica lacey 2013

See Sam's photo here & Arlene's here. Arlene totally gets the photo-a-day prize for shooting so much and keeping up with her posts!

thought

If you're ever wondering, I do all my shooting with my trusty Canon 60D, process in Lightroom & Photoshop. See Arlene's photo here & Sam's here.

the middle distance - monica lacey 2013

calm

in your sleep, next to the one you love - monica lacey 2013

See Arlene's photo here & Sam's here.

sentiment

When I was a kid it used to upset me greatly if I had to put my stuffed animals in boxes or leave them at home when we traveled. I was very sentimental and would anthropomorphize anything that had even the suggestion of a face. It's exhausting though, and makes it tricky to let anything go. Some things still get me - this guy I met in Montreal, for instance. I mean just look at those eyes!

i bring you hugs - monica lacey 2013

Check out Arlene's photo here & Sam's photo here!

wood

Home again. I had a fantastic residency at Elsewhere, where I met some great new friends and colleagues - among them Suzy Kopf of NYC, Colin Bliss of Rhode Island, April Bartlett of Dawson City, and Lucia Carroll and Paul Howe, who are both staff at Elsewhere.  Here is a link to the project I created while in residence, The Elsewhere Oracle.

I also had really great visits with old friends doing interesting things in Montreal and North Carolina.

Getting back from a month-long trip it's best to hit the ground running - so I'm jumping straight into the photo-a-day project with two photographer friends, Arlene Giddings, based in PEI, and Samantha Christensen, based in Manitoba.  

Today's theme is wood, and my photo is a promo shot I took for a dear sculptor friend in Black Mountain, NC.

the woodcarver - monica lacey 2013