Indian Summer in Montreal today, perfect to paint!

What a day, and I am still inside, reading, cleaning and now posting after all these months! Don't I realise that Indian Summer lasts for only a couple of days; don't I know that I had better get out and enjoy it, paint it, embrace it, soak it in,..till the terrible beast of Winter lands!?!  Yes, I know, but I'm a bit in denial!  It feels that it will last, that these beautiful autumn colors will shine through the window for long, that the warm air coming in will continue....what am I saying!  I will stop writing, no matter how long it's been, and go out and face this extraordinary October day.  I guess those who don't live here cannot understand my urgency and fear of the coming winter! These few warm days are Natures way of preparing us kindly for what is yet to come. A kind of respite or reprieve!  Well, bye for now.......

Sunny days in Montreal and Light

Lately I've been outside painting watercolours, so it was a pleasant change to get back to the oils in the studio.  The light is so beautiful on these long summer days and it seems that the studio absorbs every ray which then play around my canvas waiting to be caught and eternalized with paint!  I find the best way to capture light is with a spatula.  There never seem to be enough once I start painting.  I have to make sure that I clean them between each stroke of colour so that it retains its brilliance! Yesterday I worked more on the painting of M.  It really resonates. Some paintings take a few months or even years to finish, just like some projects!

Montreal is a transitional city

That is what E said, and it is true....Montreal is a transitional city for all except for the, "belongers" and the die-hards.  I guess I am a die-hard because I've been here for so long. Am I a belonger?  It is my home, yet it has never really adopted me.
I belong to my ethnic linguistic groups and that is an accomplishment in itself, but for such a big city and for so long, the homogenous aspect is missing.
So many people have come and gone to and from this city, mainly students, Consuls, company execs, even doctors.  What about artists?  What is our fate in Montreal?  As there are no real criteria, the professionals become amateurs and the amateurs professional. There is some really amazing art, though a lot is based on technical merit or explanatory subtext.

Artists have to constantly hustle, and what about those that don't know how, don't want to be bothered, or don't believe in it?

I think I just made up a new word; "belonger"!:) it sounds like something we used in high-school, or from a song!

Remembering to Blog about My Art

There are so many ways of communicating now, but blogging is the least demanding.  If one is like me and writes rarely, mostly for oneself, and prefers not to be read, then it's perfect.  The blog is not a diary, nor a letter to anyone, nor a specific tirade.  Though I must admit I let out some steam regarding "committees".
It really serves as an outlet for some writing an as a reminder that I am a painter. My only problem is that I still haven't figured out how to post photos from this computer, so words are all I have!
 My last few portraits have been in deeper, more complex colours. The one of S is all in oils and started from life , continuing from photos which I took in the studio. The colours are inspired by the rich tones of saris!  V's is inspired by the dark colours of his paintings, which can be seen in the background. S really loved hers, and V has not seen his yet.  It is remarkable, that, when you first see it from a distance, he looks his age, but as one approaches, he seems to turn younger and younger! Maybe it's the final translucent layers of oil over acrylic on the face! Maybe it's the fact that I caught his youthfulness on canvas! Someone said that he seems to have an Idea!
I am now working on 2 new paintings which are taking forever! The story is forming along with the paintings!

True Art on St. Lawrence Blvd. today! Montrealska Devojka.

As I was going home in my car, I noticed a girl with alabaster white skin and dark red hair passing in front of me.I thought that she would make a wonderful model.  Her shoulders were bare and she wore a short black dress.  While stopped at the stop sign, I noticed a young man lying face down on the sidewalk as though dead, yet I knew he wasn't.  He had a muscular thin physique and shaved head. It was a magnificent pose, even though he was sprawled on the pavement! As the girl crossed the street in front of me, she immediately noticed the young man and approached him.  I was surprised when she reached out and touched him, as other ( mostly girls)  quickly gathered around him.  She, very lightly, touched his shoulder and he raised his head from the pavement.  That was when a car let me through and I drove away, looking back in my mirror, seeing her still there.  I don't know what happened, but it was life's art unfolding in front of me.  I had my camera next to me, but did not take a photo, it all happened so unexpectedly.  The image remained in my mind the whole ride back, and still does.  I wonder who stayed, who helped, who cared, what happened. It reminded me of the Serbian painting by Paja Jovanovic called, Kosovska Devojka.  Only this was Montreal and the young man was not on a battlefield, or was he?  I don't know if the girl gave him water, as the devojka in the painting did, or if her touch saved him.....but it was a moment of "Montrealska Devojka"!

Peer Assessment Committee, dreaded words!

Whenever there is a peer assessment committee in Art,  I shiver and know I won't make the cut.  This time it was from the Canada Council from which I had asked a grant. We rely for help in order to keep our art pure and as non-commercial as possible, but the support is hard to come by.  It's as V said; there's a whole method to writing grants, it's even taught at Art schools! More so than the actual art! I guess I should use the rejection experience in "finding the other means to pursue my artistic endeavours", as Michel Gaboury, the  Program Officer wrote.  The titles, the process, it's all so bureaucratic, and so far fetched from art itself, especially my art, which is based on instinct and emotion.  I guess the only thing artists like me can do is rely on themselves and their own " peer assessment committees", made up of friends and family:)

Warming up Humanity

I was very touched by a phrase I read in the paper today...it should definitely go into the annals of great phrases!  It was uttered by B. Kalif, a Montreal hero.  He said that Humanity these days is like the weather, it's cold as hell!  No truer words were uttered for a long time!  Hopefully these words will inspire people to be more humane, and not some conglomerate to make jeans and money with the slogan.
I feel sorry that I have to voice that fear, but it is just as true as the words the young hero uttered. It is the very reason that we are lacking Humanity, because everyone and everything is profit oriented. Imagine a world in which money and profit do not exist and the only goal is Humanity!
I think that is my driving hope, that we will one day become more humane, as our mothers were; as we were taught by our elders.  I hope it happens before we become elders. As it is, the Elders are being put away and Humanity is a forgotten word, all until a young and completely unexpected hero comes along and restores it into our consciousness!
My paintings have always related to the face of Humanity.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iI4-f8m6Hw4 a gift on uTube

Today, I am finally writing a bit in this Almost forgotten art blog of mine.  I think the main reason I don't write too much is the privacy issue. And the funny thing is, we write blogs, exActly for the reason  of being read.  But somehow, knowing there is someone reading it for the wrong reasons puts a damper on the creative pleasure of writing. Today's exhibit of Vlada Velickovic's works has re-sparked my urge to write a bit.  His works have brought back the pain all of us Beogradjani felt during the civil war which tore our old country apart. It is great to see how well received he is in Montreal! What a vision!  And he is consistent to himself.
The city we live in exerts an unseen force on our painting, despite all that we carry within us.  In my case, it is a mosaic of cities, and personal experiences.  Coincidentally The newest  painting I am planning is in tones of white and black. But before starting it I practiced on my gifted flowers, a bit like stretching. I could call it sketching stretching:) Somehow, i feel the need to paint every living thing that enters my studio, even flowers.

 Upon seeing my uTube presentation: Marina Gavanski Art Symphony;
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iI4-f8m6Hw4
S said that my black and white works are the most striking. .

The key for Z is taking a lot of my time.  Choosing the best photo of all those possibilities that J photographed for me is difficult and time consuming. Yet when I compare the real painting with the photo, there is always something missing.  There is nothing like the original!