tapestry insanity

Okay, so in Fredericton there is this fantastic gallery, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (website is having some problems). And I enjoyed many things there, really. Lots of eye and brain candy. But there was this crazy tapestry there, a 17th century 4m x 5m (!!!) Gobelins tapestry “The Hunts of Maximilian, July (The Report)”. I looked at that thing for about an hour, visiting twice to try to absorb it all in.

This thing is bananas. The fineness of the weave, the brilliance of some of the dyes (imagine what it looked like before the other dyes faded!), the masterful rendering of details, perspective etc etc. Seriously fantastic.

But what is in the front and center foreground of this masterwork? Did you notice the first time? I didn’t see it at the beginning:

Yes, that is a dog crapping right in the middle of the tapestry.

A close up, showing evidence that the dog is male. Nice touch.

I have learned that this is not the first version of the tapestry, the original was done a little earlier, but the same carton was used for this one, which may have been made for French royalty. Part of a 13 piece series, The Hunts of Maximillian, this one is July (as evidenced by Leo at the top). It probably took two years to complete. All of the versions always have the dog crouching, but some subsequent versions do not include the crap. I have not yet been able to find any discussion of the poop phenomena anywhere, but I may have to do some serious investigation. A detailed poop analysis.

And to think that some tapestry workers over 300 years ago would have worked for months on rendering that straining dog and the pile of crap. Awesome.

Fredericton

I was lucky enough to go to Fredericton for a conference and workshops a couple of weeks ago. Except for the food poisoning I got on the last night (right before a 18 hour travel day back home: sweet) it was fun, interesting, stimulating and hot.

And lobstery.

for three mosquito bites

On my way home from work yesterday there was some crazy insect-on-flower action going on. My favourites are the motion shots.

still no pics

Since I’m still not fully image-ready I fall back on the old meme trick, this one from Delly Bean.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I had finished about a year of traveling in Europe and living in England and was just about to move to Victoria to start my second year of university. Heady times. I believe this was the summer I had bought my best car ever, a 1972 Datsun 510. I liquidated it for tuition $ a year later. Boy, I wish I hadn’t! It was a beautiful car. Sigh.

What are 5 things on my to-do list?

1. Get my lichen dye grant project underway.
2. Clean/organize the computer-craft room.
3. Fix my Louet (I disassembled it and have the new bolt assemblies, now I just have to figure out how to put it together, and it involves some drilling. Boo.)
4. Download my pics from the last two months to the computer. Must find cable!
5. Buy tickets to Folk on the Rocks.

Where have I lived?
I’ve moved about 30 times, but in an isolated number of places, and apparently mostly in Alberta. These are the 3 month&+ abodes (in alphabetical order): Bad Tolz Germany, Bedford Beds England, Calgary AB, Cochrane AB, Edmonton AB, Fort McMurray AB, Leduc AB, Montreal QC, Victoria BC, Yellowknife NWT.

What would I do if I was a billionaire?
I’d set up some philanthropic arts foundations, buy a few modest properties and studios in different countries, travel, have a small hobby farm with staff so that I could swoop in and out at will, have a personal masseuse and chef available wherever I go, and develop my art practice. Right now I especially like the masseuse idea.

Who would I like to know more about?
I’d like to catch up with the friends I’ve lost touch with. We’re scattered far and wide.

rubber heat water bag

I just got a new lovely orange hot water bottle and despite not being able to show how awesome a colour it is, I can show you the Chinglish instructions that came along with it. My favourites:

3: After filling water, must let the air in the heat water bag out and let the screw tight. Check if there is leak water phenomenon. (Ah, that leak water phenomenon. It often happens to my head eyeball organs, too.)

4: When baby use the heat water bag, should let the heat water bag a little far from baby. (But how can the baby gain “medical treatment health and common live to get warm” if the heat water bag is not close to it?)

5: When the heat water bag is used or storage must avert it to be weight on or stabed, not touch sour, alkali, oil and sunlight shoot. (The nefarious sunlight shoot is mentioned a few times in these instructions. I picture a laser-like beam of sunlight melting my precious hot water bottle and I tremble. Don’t worry, orange rubber heat water bag, I will keep you “in shady environment”.)