Summer painting

Gord's making paintings in his studio like a real artist, for display at Miami International Art Fair; every morning I paint another chair. Then, when its too hot in the garden, I open the door and Spaffy slips past my feet. .


Crystal skies, baking sun, cool shade. At this time of year, it's paradise. Sometimes all I can do is stare.



At Roberts Creek Pier, Dean gave me a lecture on Friday: if we didn't arrive at 12 noon on the dot, Rob was going to give away our reserved painting space on the Mandala.




Erica Snowlake has been a co-creator of the Mandala at Roberts Creek Pier for many years with Rob and other volunteers. That's Ben Low. He shot our film (http://www.fatsalmon.ca/themovie/home.html), ten years ago.


And now, here's Gord making clouds out of the whale's tail. Sunday, Day Out of Time had dancers on the Mandala, mothers nursing their babies; toddlers swaying to the drumbeat. We walked the glittering beach.

Blogs we're working on: www.posticegate.blogspot.com www.caitlinhicks.com/wordpress

Brief, fragile

Sitting here, the afternoon setting in that summer way.



He gets up in the morning, has his coffee, sits in the garden, contemplating. So many things solved in the garden. And then he's in his studio, and I can hear him downstairs moving around, brushes clinking against the glass, Mozart or Arvo Part sounding their talent in the background.

He's working on a series of new paintings. Permanent artwork. As opposed to the ephemeral paintings which melt. We're setting up new gigs, in new locations. And I have this little paragraph:

Artistically, Halloran’s work explores the ephemeral nature of existence -the difference of one degree and the illusion of physical security and permanence. The vivid colors in his work are a study on the brief and fragile brilliance of existence.



For these paintings, he begins with images of the crystal structure - close ups, melting shots, lacework in ice. He working with paint, encaustic and glazes. They're glorious, visceral, shiny.



So his studio looks like an artist's studio again, not just computer central, where he figures out weight loads and budgets. This summer it's messy, paintings strewn everywhere, things torn up, sun pouring in. Debussy or Felix Mendelssohn offering their uplifting accompaniment.




He was out. I put a few of them on the porch. Photographs don't do justice, but there was a glory to the day. A bear and a deer in the yard at the same time. This after the whale.

He had been to the heart of the Creek to pick up our half pound bags of coffee at The Gumboot Cafe.

But he ended up at the pier to see the magnificence of Georgia Strait and Vancouver Island in the early light. Seventeen years waiting for this and right there on the end of the pier, the blow hole, the tail flipping over in the water, the plume of water and air.

There was a glory to the day.

Fire & Ice

Art Sutherland, our refrigeration guru on all past PBZ projects, has made the news with energy efficient design which could be groundbreaking. The Globe & Mail opened with:

B.C.-based company recovers heat from the ice-making process and warms rinks worldwide

The president of Victoria, B.C.-based Accent Refrigeration Systems Ltd. and his partner Greg Hillman have developed a trademarked Perfect Ice system that recovers waste heat from arena ice plants and puts it to good use. That includes not only heating dressing rooms and hot water in an arena, but heating and air conditioning buildings up to a kilometre away.

This is the url, you have to see this:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/your-business/business-categories/biz-categories-technology/their-business-plan-fire-and-ice/article1612229/

Amazing accomplishment, here's another excerpt:

In Japan, for a curling club near Mount Fuji, Accent designed a system six storeys high that in the winter freezes 2.25 million kilograms of water, which then cools the building and ice system the rest of the year.

Great news, latest news:

We are working with a sponsorship guru, Deborah Jones to fulfill the prestigious invitations to Miami International Art and Art Palm Beach as well as the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.



Sponsorship Central is one of North America’s fastest-growing sponsorship consulting groups, with decades of experience linking over 100 events and thousands of sponsors in Canada and the United States.

Led by Deborah Jones Sponsorship Central is backed by an enthusiastic team of assistants, marketing professionals and researchers.

Best is, she’s really easy to work with!

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR and ART PALM BEACH have invited Gordon Halloran to create a feature installation at the January 2011 event. MIA is skedded for the 12th to 17th, ART PALM BEACH takes place the following week: 20th - 24th.


This past January 2010, MIA attracted over 17,000 visitors and collectors from around the world, in a city that has become an established international destination for the business of art. 24 - 30,000 people attended ART PALM BEACH in 2010. The fair brings together galleries, affluent international art collectors & cutting edge art projects, tours, lectures and symposia.

Halloran will create a gallery using new ICE BOX, a lightweight, modular structure designed to be a touring art gallery.


Work inside will demonstrate the variety of techniques the artist has learned from his past five public art installations.


MIA is one of IFAE's (International Fine Art Exposition) seven major art fairs, which take place in Miami, Palm Beach, Naples and London. Founded by David and Lee Ann Lester, IFAE is the largest, most experienced US fair organizer.

The artist must fundraise to cover costs of exhibiting.

MIA | Jan 12-17, 2011
Art Palm Beach | Jan 20-24, 2011
American International Fine Art Fair | Feb 5-13, 2011
Naples International Art & Antique Fair | Feb 24-Mar 1, 2011
Art Naples | March 10-14, 2011
London International Fine Art Fair at Olympia | June 4-13, 2010
SeaFair | The Megayacht Venue

Inniskillin hosted the artist (post Ice Gate) in Oliver, B.C. in April. Suzanne Coles, Guest Services Manager, takes us through a tasting. I took notes, so I could remember something. She made an excellent point when I told her my memory isn't good. "You have a fine memory," she said, "it's just very short."



At Jackson Triggs, we were hosted by Sarah Sloan where we tasted her favorite wine -- the 2004 Sunrock Cabernet Sauvignon, (won Gold at the Canadian Wine Awards in 2007).



At See Ya Later Ranch, Taylor and Megan talked up their fine wines. Taylor's favorite - Pinot Gris was also mine. (All their wines win awards, and this one won Gold at the Pac Rim Internatioal Wine Competition) - it's a really drinkable, affordable table wine. Their 2006 Chardonnay (oaked) is also excellent, (it won Gold at the Canadian Wine Championships). They also have a very tasty, crisp and dry Jimmy My Pal.



We stepped out of our zone and tried the Nelly, a rose made of gamay noir, cab franc and Gewurztraminer, nice! That's Tasha, serving.

Saturday we hosted our Volunteer Appreciation get-together -- the fab four who helped us for the Strike of ICE GATE. And .. we tasted the wines we brought home from the Okanagan.


That's Thor & Jan on the left next to Gord, Diane & Gary Gronlund on the right in the back row, and Barb & Pete Mason in the front. Brett McGillivray had to leave early - but he brought his home made apple pie. We gave Gary a Paintings Below Zero official jacket for his 3 days of goodwill -- Thanks again for jumping in and lending a hand!

See www.posticegate.blogspot.com for this and other stories of AFTER Ice Gate.

Ice Gate Strike Mar 3 - 5

The box
stripped open
and we so far
so far from
that moment.
Today, we just want to get it down.
It's Wednesday.



The crew was noticeably smaller, but Gary stayed. Here's Paul looking like a gargoyle atop the box as the plates came down.


Then the glass into the container.




Thursday night, we met with Deborah Jones and her husband, Marat, at the Jericho Club to discuss sponsorship for the next gig.


Friday night, the sidewalk was swept clean. Saturday Rob and Ari drove the truck back to the coast to unload scaffolding, and it was done.



We got our rain back. It's spring.