Julia Dickens

November 24

2011-11-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

Hi guys and gals

Its November 24, which means that it's my younger sister Laura's birthday. Happy birthday Laura! You are 24 on the 24th! You are so old.

Ok now on to business. I finally started taking some documentary photos of drawings from the show this summer. Since school began I haven't been doing any of my own work, and it's very depressing. I'm submitting these two drawings to two different publications and XPACE is having a zine fair in December, so those two things have gotten me to start documenting my past work properly and thinking about the next step. Not that I wasn't thinking about the next step, but you know, for real this time.

This blog is a funny thing to re read. My own writing is the worst! Don't you ever feel that way? I'm too self concious about being self concious to take any of this down. My past is nothing to be ashamed of! I'll probably re read this in three months and be like 'oh geez Julia...'

I think it's very important to be sincere and work hard, also not to be afraid of getting older. That's all I have to say. Here some art for you to look at, and I will have more up over the next couple of weeks. I'm not posting any school work because it all sucks.

Ok bye!

SHOWS

2011-09-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hi pals!

I'm in a couple of shows this weekend in other cities that I can't go to because of overwhelming school work.

The first is at Greg's loft in Montreal:

POOP MONTREAL PRESENTS:
✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘

✘ - Four bands, four artists, two lofts, and one dog.

Musical Performances by:

KIERAN BLAKE (Montreal)
http://kieranblake.bandcamp.com/

COUSINS (Halifax)
http://www.myspace.com/cousinscousins

LOOM (Toronto)
http://loommusic.ca/

THOMAS (Toronto)
http://www.myspace.com/isthisthomas

✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘

✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘

Art and Photography by:

DIETRICH ROSTECK
http://www.lapetitemortgallery.com/dietrich-rosteck/

GREG ZEHNA

MATT KING

JULIA DICKENS
http://juliadickens.blogspot.com/

✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘FIVE DOLLAR ENTRY FEE✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘✘

Wahhh I can't go. But you should if you are in Montreal!

Now, I was supposed to be in this other show (Myriad Shocks) in Detroit, but unfortunately my friend Alex Mackenzie was carrying my drawings and she got stopped at the border and they wouldn't let her in. Total bummer! But, here is the link to the event, its a music/art fest with my friends Felix Kalmenson, Sasha Foster and many more doing art installations. Our friend Ben Filler has been putting this event together with a few other folks and he's been working really hard! Thanks so much Ben, I miss you all the time and I wish so much that I could be there.

Up next: scans of some prints I made last semester, a few new drawings. I've been calming down and speeding up at the same time. I am excited to submit to Ghost Hole, writing an event submission to Xspace, having some really great profs this year, cutting out sugar and alcohol for a bit (possibly the sugar permanently), thinking a lot about quitting smoking after my birthday (which is in one month!). I want to learn to play the drums! I still can't even remember to leave my house with my wallet.

Taking things slow, one day at a time.

xo

were you thinking about me?

2011-08-13T07:03:00.001-07:00

So this update is long overdue but its better late than never.

Here are some photos from the show! I'm hoping to get some better documentary photos of the individual pieces of work but in the meantime, my buddy Dan Epstein took these and he's a real swell dude for doing it. Dan, I owe you a couple of drinks.

Julia Dickens and Greg Zenha

My Aritst Statement:

"My work for 'Cataract' is divided into two separate bodies. The first is a mind-map of process-based text and images, created as a collection of intuitive knowledge and perception. The latter is a series of large drawings that exist as a result of the mind-map, intended to explore the ambiguity and contradictions in specific psychological states, the fractured self.

The work intends to evoke a dream space, as a representation, interpretation, and re-arrangement of memory. When we experience dreams, the narrative is often illogical, absurd, confusing and at times terrifying. The meaning behind that experience, however difficult to define, is usually very clear though, sometimes even more so than in our experiences in waking life.

In those narratives I have recorded what I find to be significant: the split nature of the human condition, the life/death wish, the allure of the void, quiet isolation and deafening confusion, a sense of humour about the senseless, the humility and hope in existance.

The intent is for the viewer to track their own experiences through the work, as I come to terms with my own purpose. I never want to truly be alone, and I never want to die. If you asked me why I chose to make art, my answer would be this:

'Because I am alone, and I am going to die.'"

There you have it. The feedback, as I may have mentioned before, was outstanding. I was kind of blown away, especially considering the day I headed over to the White House to hang it I was having some serious doubts, along the lines of 'who the fuck do you think you are?' and so forth. I felt like I was taking some sort of risk with the text work/mind map because a lot of it is pretty personal. Ultimately the whole body of work is a kind of self portrait, but in what I hoped to be an indirect way. The reason why my pieces worked well alongside Greg's, because that is what he was attempting as well, but in his own specific way. In the aftermath, it seems somewhat surreal, but ultimately I am glad that the post show depression that can sometimes come after months of hard work, a short lived opening night high, having to shelve the work and be faced with the daunting question of 'now what?', has been pretty minimal.

In other news, I would like to maybe point out that I am getting really tired of art snobbery and insecurity. I see it coming from every direction and perspective. Its important to be critical and know what you like but I what I am observing is an attitude that is mostly unhealthy: a self- concious obsession with derivativeness (as in criticizing the works of others for being 'too derivative'), excessive focus on medium over content, and this ridiculous competition over authenticity and newness. 'Well that's been done before' and 'I dunno, I'm kind of over that' HELLO PEOPLE it has all been done before, this is besides the point!

Everyone, just make work that is meaningful, lets please try to stop this insecure bullshit. Its a negative way of thinking that is harmful to yourself, your peers and your community. Not to sound like a self help book, and again this does not mean that I do not support critical thinking, but I feel sometimes that our focus needs to be redirected into the positive aspects of both our community and our individual practices. If art is something that you love, please treat it as such. The world at large constantly denies the function and importance of artistic practice and the last thing that we need is for people within this community doing the same.

Thats it! I hope everyone had a great summer, I know I did. Keep up the good work, I'll try to do the same.

CATARACT

2011-07-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

So Greg and I had our opening last friday.

It went really really well and I think we are going to try and do the same show in Montreal, possibly with our friend Dietrich Rostek (link is on my sidebar) although we haven't actually asked him yet.

CATARACT from jeremy shantz on Vimeo.

Here is the full length film that Greg made with Jeremy Shantz, which was premiered at the opening. My roommate Brendan said something about this film which I really liked and that I also think sort of goes along with and compliments Greg's artistic style in general.

He told me that the artist Sophie Calle once said that humour is the hardest thing to put into your work. You run the risk, with humour, of just being a 'funny' artist, in which case of course neither you or anyone else can take you seriously. Its a difficult thing to have a sense of humour while also being sincere about a possibly difficult and serious subject. And Brendan believed that the film managed to do both.

I'm going to have to strongly agree. This film makes me laugh and literally also makes me want to weep. Its about a specific personal experience but somehow I think can manage to hit a nerve in most of us, or at least I hope so. I have been in communication with Greg since he first concieved of the idea for this film until its completion, so maybe my bias is far too strong. I am interested in hearing what other people think, but so far, Brendan's opinion included, is that people were impressed with the technical skill with which the film was executed, but more importantly with its emotional content and impact.

I can't watch it anymore, because I will probably just cry again, but watch it, let me know what you think, if possible.

Dan Epstein took photos of the event, and as soon as I get them from that lovely man, I will post them up here and on facebook for people to see. I am also going to take a short video of the exhibit before I take it down from the White House, so that's another treat to look forward to.

Thanks to everyone who came out, who gave me the best feedback I have ever gotten on my work, ever, who supported both of us, and to the White House as well. You guys are just the fucking best.

I have lots of great plans for projects in the future... after a year of some serious self doubt and questioning, I finally feel like I am on a path, there is a purpose and that I can and will accomplish the things I dream about. Its a pretty amazing feeling, I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading, xoxo.

OH HI

2011-07-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Its been a while, huh?

I've been working on a lot of things, but haven't really felt the urge to post anything in a long time. Sometimes I just like to have the privacy to work things out without having to show anybody except maybe my non internet peers and teachers. Also, the constant struggle of 'why am I doing this with my life' continues as per usual. What else is new?

Maybe its important to question, within reason of course. You have to be able to push your work. I tend to get a little too bogged down in the questions of 'are you really cut out for this?' and 'does anybody actually care?' OH WAIT, I CARE. That is always what is important right?

Anyways, I have some news! I have a show (actually two) coming up in two weeks!

First, lets have a little life update: I lived at the Gibraltor Point Art Centre for a month in June and it was just the loveliest. Beach parties, great people, beautiful studio, so much kale. I'm a little sad to return to the city. BUT GUESS WHAT? I am going to register for next summer so don't worry, I'll be back. I wish I could just live there forever, its really as magical as everyone says it is.

Ok, so I took a little trip to Montreal back in April and that was real nice except for the weather but the best part about the trip was that I got reunited with my friend Greg Zenha. Greg is a photographer and he's a real good one, and we started talking about our ideas and things we were working on and I was all like 'hey! lets do a show together' and he was like 'ok!' and that was pretty much it.

Here's me talking about this show on the island with David Hanes (my studio mate):

The show is called 'CATARACT.' It features new drawings from myself, large photographs and a short film from Greg.

Cataract:
1) an eye disease that involves the clouding or opacification of the natural lens of the eye
2) a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice.

This exhibition of recent work from Julia Dickens and Greg Zenha, consists of drawings, paintings, photography and film, and initially began as a reunion of two friends. Developed as a means of individually documenting memory and personal experiences, the artists found a common dialogue within their ideas: a sense of frustration but also humour, a break down of significant events, the emotional cataract that follows, and the desire to create meaning of those events in hindsight.

The mirror that Greg and Julia hold up to each other reflects three thresholds. Initiating a conversation between the two artists but also with the viewer. The ambiguity of these three images triggers an emotional memory, ideally exposing the viewer to something within themselves and their own experiences.

Julia Dickens is currently completing a BA in Illustration with minors in Printmaking and Painting & Drawing. She is a former board member at the White House Studio Project, and has shown work in various group shows in Toronto and Ottawa.

Greg Zenha is a graduate of the School of Photographic Arts in Ottawa, specializing in large format film photography. He currently lives and has his studio in Montreal, Canada. This is Greg's first Toronto exhibition, and Greg and Julia's first time exhibiting work together."

Vernissage: July 15th, 7pm.
Gallery Open: July 16th and 17th, 1 - 5pm.

www.theotherwhitehouse.ca

I will post up our personal artist statments, as well as sneak peaks at the work, closer to the date. This is another show I am submitting a drawing to, at the Baitshop in Parkdale.

A Group exhibit of 25 local artists bring you the best in down right dirty murder mystery pleasure.

Come have a hoedown with us all as we celebrate the opening night of CAVES & THIEVES at THE BAITSHOP in lovely Parkdale.

JULY 8TH

7 pm - 12 am

Artists:

Erika Altosaar
Gordon Auld
Vicky Avramopoulos
Peter Beales
David Clarke
Arend Currie
Julia Dickens
Myra Dingley
Andru Doyle
Andrew Dunn Clarke (http://ow.ly/5jTLC )
Renee Dykeman
Mike Ellis (http://mikellis.com/)
Ro Garizurieta
Eryn Hill
Tiffany Huta (http://greycorduroy.tumblr.com/)
Jennifer Ilett (http://www.jenniferilett.com/)
Anna Kasko
Emily Kouri (http://www.emilykouri.com/)
Selena Lee (http://www.selenalee.ca/)
Vincent Luk
Andrea Manica
Matt Moreland
Hitoshi Murakami
Ewelina Pankowska

Next Level Art Collective (www.next-level-art.com)
Sylvia Waliczek
Eric Kostiuk Williams

★★☆★★☆★★☆★★☆★★☆★★☆★★

ROCKET MOOSE TO THE MOON
http://www.myspace.com/rocketmoosetothemoon

WOOD & LUNG
http://vimeo.com/user1062764

LOWLANDS
http://www.lowlandsmusic.com/

ADC
http://soundcloud.com/andrewdunnclarke

DJ BROCK MCLAUGHLIN

Bands start at 9pm

★★☆★★☆★★☆★★☆★★☆★★☆★★

Entrance to THE BAITSHOP Is off of Milky Way.

www.thebaitshop.ca

Hope you can make it to either! XO

i mean well, but my registration is still pretty sloppy

2010-12-02T11:08:00.001-08:00

Hi dudes.

Its a crazy time and this week has been sort of sad for some reasons but today my print teacher Jack said that I did good work this semester and maybe he just says that to everyone but it made me feel pretty good! I'm a messy printer, I have to remind myself to slow down and be more careful sometimes.

These are two different versions of the same drawing. There's about 50 of each of them, so that makes like 100 prints!! WANNA TRADE?

Oh and also here is another thing I printed it will probably be the cover of a zine I want to make over christmas break.

And here's a little guy that I made. Its a manipulation of a photo my ex took on a trip where we went to Cape Breton Island. The colors sucked so I just made it black and white.

Later aligators.

Slowly but not so surely all the time

2010-11-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

So here are some things. Some of them are a little on the old side.

This is a drawing I had in both the MirrOrrM show and the Fat City Wildcat II launch (both at the White House).

And this is a print that I made that was in the Fat City Wildcat II launch as well as Milk Thistle at Function 13.

Drawing for 'I Like What I Know' at the White House, curated by Lyndsey Cope.

Here is a picture of my painting from 99 Red Balloons at Canteen Gallery in Ottawa (see if you can spot mine).

Side note: Canteen is unfortunately closing its doors. Inaas, the owner, is going to keep pursuing artistic projects, but is giving up the Gallery/Store space. I'm sorry to hear that! You were a great addition to the marketplace art community and you will be missed!

Ok last but not least: here are some images of my piece for Ghost Hole II.
I made a print on japanese paper and then kind of dyed them and tore them up and made a little shrine around this cow skull that my friend Richard gave me (a hand - me - down from his old roomate and our mutual friend Michelle, who was going to use it for a photo project but instead decided to go teach english in Thailand).

Here's the drawing:

Here's the Skull:

Oh and here's some images of the installation. One with flash, the others without.

The last one is me. I asked Brandon to take a photo of me next to my art, but instead he just took a photo of me in front of it. Nice job, jerk.

I have spent the past few hours editing a new print, very similar to the one for Ghost Hole, on photoshop and it feels like my brain is bleeding. Or maybe I just think that's what is happening to my brain because that is what looks like what is happening in part of the drawing. And do you know what? I spend most of these hours (its around like 4 or 5 now) without listening to any music.

Today my prof was talking about art brut and how it was a term originally used to describe art created by mental patients. Then we watched a movie about a paranoid schizophrenic man who was from the UK but moved to New York to be a painter on the streets (not like live on the street but just take a easel out to the sidewalk and paint things). One of the experts, who was a former curator at MOMA (do you like how I don't remember ANYONE'S name?) talks about how outsider art often does not evolve because the works mostly have a similar repetitive quality to them that helps the artist sort of retain their sanity, like the repetitiveness is something calming to hold onto in the the midst of their madness. So I started thinking about the kind of art I make, and the kind of art many many people I know make and I pretty much concluded that we're all nuts.

Also, is it wrong that I really didn't like this guy's art? It had some qualities that I could appreciate for sure, and since he is 'self taught' and all (but I would argue that no one is really self taught/an outsider blabla) but on the whole I was all like this is not something that I like to look at all that much. Is that incredibly insensitive or not PC or something? Sometimes I just want to be a formalist about things and be all like 'I don't think the way that thing looks is good and that is that.'

I had a thought during my insane photoshop hours today that I would like it very much if artist statements were sometimes just a series of adjectives. Not for everyone, but for some people I think that would suit their work very nicely.

Here are the ones I came up with for my drawing today:
-gross, slimy, hairy, sharp, cold, stoney, moist, warm (it can be both things), silly, hard, squishy, slithery, tight, loose, soft, twisty.

I don't think this is coming out quite like I want it to, but its a nice idea and I will get better at this. Sometimes I just don't like writing out a full sentence, and I'm sure plenty of people feel the same way.

I'll post the print when its finished. Also, things are looking up since the last time I posted. I just get frustrated and discouraged and I think I am my own worst enemy most of the time. Which is just silly, because I have to live with myself until I die and I can't keep doing that forever.

XO

2010-09-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

Drawings from the 'Crowded House' show.

In other news, I'm so anxious I feel like vomiting and am fighting a sometimes crippling fear of failure.

I'm almost 26 years old! When am I going to start being a reliable, responsible human? I feel like I've been unsuccessful for so long that its never going to happen?

David Hanes said that Ryan Trecartin said that life is just about maintaining. I'd like to maintain a little bit better, thank you very much.

Also, sometimes its really hard to justify having a purpose, especially when you are like me and you can't entirely identify what that purpose is. Sometimes I know it so well, and other times I look around and wonder what the hell I'm doing, like, anywhere? Maybe this sounds kind of narcissistic or something but I always feel very on the outside of things. Like I'm kind of just observing life but not really participating in it. Even in groups of friends, relationships, my family. Its pretty rare that I ever get a sense of really 'belonging' or something and even still when I do it feels like I cheated, like I'm some sort of impostor.

Its not about being better or worse than anyone, either. And its not for lack of appreciating my friends or family or lovers I've had or anything like that. I kind of just feel a little lost and on the outside.

Is this a universal thing? Are we all a little like that Mersault dude from L'Etranger (plus or minus kind of being a sociopath)? What does it feel like to 'belong', to be part of something, or to really connect with another person? Is it just a moment or does it actually last longer than that?

Anyways, I don't really know, but I have to read some Clement Greenberg now so there's no more time for this kind of speculative dilly dallying. Also, on a more positive note, go see Shary Boyle's exhibit at the AGO. That lady blows my goddamn mind. She's the whole package.

bean in the straw

2010-09-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Drawing I did for FCWC 2. I forgot that I forgot to put this up. I also did some colour screenprints of this image. I'll scan those later.

I've been ignoring this blog all summer. School starts tomorrow. I just got a fucking twitter account. I guess there's a lot to talk about, but I'm not into doing it right now.

Still serious about it all but fighting major life doubts, as per usual. Do you get blue in the summer? August blues?

I needed to sit in front of a lake for like at least a week. Read more books. Draw because I love to not because its my job. Call mom more often. Eat more fruit and less burritos. Learn how to fix my bike. Play an instrument and sing because I think maybe I could still be good at those things. Be on time for work regularly. Be better with money. Go to bed at a reasonable hour. Hang out with my sisters like they are the best friends they are, not like family members. Keep bugging my brother to talk to me, even if he doesn't want to. Put boys as last priority. Stay on top of correspondence. Cook food at home. Go for runs. Keep a journal, instead of random scraps of paper.

I can still do all this, right?

CROWDED HOUSE on Friday August 20th

2010-08-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hey cool friends

So here's a thing...
I co -curated a show that I also have work in!
Its at the Baitshop Gallery in Parkdale, in the Milky Way alley by Queen and Dufferin.

You should come!

Well and Good presents...

CROWDED HOUSE
Opening August 20th, 2010
7PM to 11PM
...Show Runs August 16th to August 29th

A collective group exhibition of Toronto and non Toronto - based artists and Illustrators, curated by artists Andrew McKay and Julia Dickens.

Not in the clamour of the crowded street,
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng,
But in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.
--HW Longfellow

When we first embarked on this project, we had decided to produce a
series of portraiture early on, all of us in some way dealing with the
human form, ranging from highly realistic to the surreal. As
we set to work, it admittedly wasn't until some time later that we
came to the conclusion that through working alone in our studios, we
were building a mass work that would integrate our individual
capacities into a new and complete whole.

Presented here is a collection of portraits from nine artists working
across Canada. The individual faces depicted in the works shown here
as a single collection, are a more or less accurate respresentation of
'the crowd.' As is the case with actual crowds this exhibition may
appear welcoming or hostile, a number of individuals together, or the
teeming throngs of the faceless. The crowd and it's representation
here may attract or repulse the viewer--perhaps both
silmultaneously--leading one to consider what is the individual's role
in, and response to finding one's self in the midst of other
individuals.

Essentially 'Crowded House' is a reapprisal of crowds and the
conception of such. The ways the mass exert force on the indivdual;
the nature of individuality and collectivity; and ultimately,
the ways in which the one exerts a force in directing the collective.

Thank you,

Julia Dickens & Andrew McKay

Works by the following artists:

Dietrich Rostek (Montreal/Ottawa)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/captainrosteck/

Kirsten McCrea (Montreal)
http://www.hellokirsten.com/

Andy Borehol (Kitchener/Ottawa)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_borehol/
http://thedissatisfactory.blogspot.com/

Graham Robinson (Toronto/Ottawa)
www.beastwrong.blogspot.com

Ceilidh Stidwill (Toronto/Montreal)
http://ceilidhstidwill.blogspot.com/

Julia Dickens (Toronto/Ottawa)
http://juliadickens.blogspot.com/
http://fatcitywildcat.blogspot.com/
http://theotherwhitehouse.ca/

Vanessa Black (Vancouver/Ottawa)
http://vanessablack.wordpress.com/

Sherry Garcia (Ottawa)
http://www.myspace.com/sherrygarciaart

Theo Pelmus (Ottawa)

Opening show:
7 pm to 11 pm at the Baitshop Gallery

http://www.wellandgood.ca/
http://www.thebaitshop.ca/

(Photo cred on poster: Dimitri Karakostas)

SEE YOU THERE.

keen on zines

2010-05-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

I finished my first ever solo zine today.

small regrets

Its a collection of short stories about things I regret doing, or not doing, in relationships.

I came up with it for the nano publishing class I am taking this summer, it started as a branch off brainstorming for another zine project I'm doing with my friend Dimitri Karakostas about how we can't find true love (but who can, really?). Look at Dimitri's things, the link above is to his personal blog, also he does a cool zine called Blood of the Young that is super neat and once featured me on it their site which sure is nice.

I am really attracted to things that are highly surreal and complex but also to very simple storytelling about mundane, or maybe more appropriately everyday events and thoughts. Small acts of bravery and sometimes failures, loss, love, questioning existance, fearing death, funny moments where someone says a clever thing or makes a good face and you spit out your lemonade cause its awesome, alienation and loneliness, momentary connections with other humans, overcoming obstacles large and small, friendship, being enemies with someone for silly reasons, nerd fury, tiny things that make people happy like magic cards or sitting under trees or riding a bus somewhere and listening to music and looking at all the fucking people out there and being terrified and stoked on life all at the same time?

The sublime in the mundane? Yeah, maybe, or maybe I just needed to get some shit off my chest, but here is a little something in that direction and maybe you'll read it someday and be like 'oh yeah, I know what that feels like' and we both will know that no one is ever really alone, right?

OH YA AND THIS

The Fat City Wildcat Zine Launch is TONIGHT

Presenting work from Toronto, South Africa, Germany, Denmark, and Scotland.

Featuring work by:

Vesna Asanovic
Gordon J.L. Auld
Andrew Remington Bailey
Nathan Bryant
Yigi Chang
Arend Currie
Taya Cornett
Julia Dickens
Sasha Foster
David F.M. Hanes
Reid James Jenkins
Jamie Johnson
Felix Kalmenson
Denelle Kennedy
Hugh Mater
Kristen McCrea
Andrew McKay
Jillian Kay Ross
Sabrina Scott
Katharina Szilágyi
Elliot Vredenburg

Writing by:

Brandon Kashani
Jeremy Lavoie

Performance by:

Yuppie Couples at 8:30!
(Swampy divine communications)

Music by:

Nathan Cyprys
Hubcap Orphans
Bravestation
Lowlands

Photo:

Spencer Leman

COME COME COME COME

If you are interested in getting a copy of my zine or the Fat City Wildcat please give me a shout at julia_dickens@hotmail.com. I'll post up information on where these things will be retailed shortly.

I love you, do something nice for someone today.

toothache

2010-04-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

I got a tooth ripped out of my mouth today. No, not a wisdom tooth. Its a long story, and I've explained it too many times. I'm on a lot of drugs and I really want to smoke a cigarette right now but I can't. So this is going to be real short and sweet, even though I haven't put anything up in a while...

Here's a little guy I made for an art raffle for this fundraiser thing my friend Brette was helping organize with Shout Out Media or something?

And this is going to Canteen in Ottawa for 99 Red Balloons.

That's seriously all i feel like typing, its starting to feel like someone punched me on the left side of the face so I'm going to take some more drugs now.

I love you

2010-04-01T09:44:00.001-07:00

I feel kind of bashful about this...

But Taya interviewed me and its on the FAT CITY WILCAT blog.

Read it if you'd like! Also read everyone else's interviews. Actually, if you'd like to skip mine, I wouldn't mind! Really.

No, actually, thanks for posting these Taya, its all really rad.

MirrOrrM went super well. Its was great so see such a fantastic turnout, and everyone's work looked awesome. Can I just say how much I love the White House? I think joining was one of the best decisions I've made since I moved here. Maybe I already said this. Well, I'm saying it again!

There's no end to the work to be done, and unfortunately I have no (photos/scans) of new art at the moment, I'll probably get around to it next week. But lots of exciting things coming up this spring and summer!! So so many, actually,.

All I want to do is take a vacation. Oh, and lose like 10 pounds. Yeah, I know, how unfeminist of me, but like whatever, I want to fit into that nice dress again so maybe just shutup and come for a run with me?

xo

MirrOrriM

2010-03-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

I drew up a poster for the upcoming White House show!

Vanessa Rieger (Vanessa where's your website??) is designing the colour part and Jesjit Gill is making the screen prints of it.

The 1rst exhibition at the new White House!

Featuring the work of:

Adam Cowan
Vanessa Rieger
Xenia Vakova
Julia Dickens
Xenia Benivolski
Christy Kunitzky
Jonathan Mayhew
Emily Cook
Krysta-Lee Karenina
Brandon A. Dalmer
Gregory Denton
Zoe Alexis-Abrams
Nadia Berlique
Rebecca Fin Simonetti
Hayden Menzies

Installation and performance TBA!

March 26, 8 PM -2 AM
277.5 Augusta in Kensignton Market

I can guarantee that if you don't come you'll spend a lot of time afterwards thinking about how you should have. So come!

xo

oh. hello.

2010-03-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

WINNIE TRUONG

Look at her stuff. She had two huge drawings up in the big room on the second floor of OCAD and I was so so blown away by them. Also, she was in a poster show recently that a couple of other friends were in and she's in Free Drawings 7. I love her work so so so so much. Serious jealousy going on over here.

VIVIAN GIRLS

An Illustration I did for Pie Magazine, its an article that's basically a top 5 albums of the year type thing and Vivian Girls was at the top of the list so I drew them. I don't feel so great about this one, but its done so there you go. I haven't posted any new work in a while, and I figured it was time for an update.

Also, is Vivian Girls sold out? Its in, like, a week and I don't have a ticket and I'd kind of like to go?

That's it for now, more new work soon!

Things to look at and also a question too

2010-02-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

So here's some things that you should look at...

My sister Anne's website! She is a RISD grad, she took architechture and design, also does installation and photography. Anne is kind of the best, she always sends me links to jobs and websites that I might like, all of it art related. She's also very smart about things and is constantly pushing my buttons, which means getting me to actually think about the work that I make and use my full potential or something?

And....
Listen to my friend Emily's music on myspace! I didn't even know she could sing until I saw her in Brooklyn in November, like what the fuck is up with that? Also she wants me to do album art which is awesome and rad and super flattering.

And....
Varsity did an article on all the spaces in Kensignton, which includes the White House! They only interviewed Adam for our article, but I got to be in the photo!

And....
What is a good flat rate for paid illustration work? I have no idea and I have to come up with an answer to this question soon so I can then ask for this money. Keep in mind that its for a magazine publication that's just starting out, they have a limited budget, and also I am pretty inexperienced and unknown. Any ideas, dudes? I should really just ask one of my teachers...

thanks !
xo

First solo show?

2010-01-31T14:17:00.001-08:00

I have a small body of work up at the Flying Rooster Gallery at Zoots Cafe!

Its a charming little place around Gladstone and Dundas, really close to my home. I always go in there to get coffee when I go to the land o mat to clean my filthy clothes.

It will be up for the month of Febuary. If any of you art friends of mine are interested, the owner asked me to pass the word along to friends if you would like to show work there as well!

Things are going ok otherwise. Some very good things, some very bad things.

I think its important to always consider how what you do affects other people. This is a message not just to myself, and its just something that's been coming up a lot recently. Its pretty simple, but easy to forget.

So remember that next time, ok dudes? Ok.

sometimes home made soup is just not as good as a burrito

2010-01-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

Its true. I brought homemade lentil veggie soup out with me yesterday and ate it in the studio and all I could think about was getting a burrito downstairs...

This is the last of the drawings I will be submitting to the show at Moonbeam. It goes up tomorrow (Friday the 15th of January)....

Also: I have a couple of pieces up in the current show at Canteen Gallery in Ottawa. Go look at them! And buy a zine, or a book, or even a piece of art! Because that place is rad and you should support it.

So here are some of the things I forgot to talk about on the last post...

Right now I am reading Big Questions by Anders Nilsen. Dogs and Water is really good too. I love how he doesn't always use panels/borders like traditional comics, that some of his drawings are so light feeling and they just trail away into nothing. Its very eerie. Dogs and Water has this feeling to it like there's a constant high pitched hum... like white noise, something you don't really notice until you do notice and then it starts driving you crazy

Do you ever have days when you are really hungover and sound starts distorting like some sort of audio hallucination when you take LSD (this is assuming that you've ever taken LSD)?

Me and my boyfriend-at-the-time Greg and my friends Sarah and Matt traveled out west last summer. The trip where I got beat up by the teenagers. A couple of days before I got beat up by the teenagers, we drove the car down to the very bottom of Saskachewan and Alberta, pretty much along the border of Montana. The only animals out there were cows and antelope and it was really really flat and there was just nothing, like, it was a desert. We stopped the car to hang out and eat pie and we could see these mountains that were like 200 km away in Montana which was kind of crazy and when one of us would walk into the distance it felt like they were still right in front of you because there was just nothing to break up the space (like foreground, midground, background or something) and I have to say that I got kind of weirded out.

I was really embarased to bring it up in front of Sarah and Matt because I knew they would just want me to suck it up, and Greg and I were breaking up ever so slowly and I was being really emotional and childish and unreasonable the whole trip, but I really wanted to drive back to civilization. I am just not used to nothing, and maybe if I had been in a better headspace I would have embraced the strangeness of it, but I just wanted to get in the car and go camp out eat some food...actually, that's not true. I wanted to go home.

Its funny how lonely and awful I felt on that trip. I was with a handful of people who at the time I was very very close to and I felt so so so lost. I reacted poorly... I swear, guys I can be a really good traveling partner! Just ask Ashley, we had a great time in Switzerland! Oh well, nothing to be done now. I am glad Sarah and Matt are still great friends of mine. Sarah and I got into an awful fight the next day, which I admitedly started. She called me a cunt. I love her very much.

(this is Sarah. Probably about 5- 7 hours before calling me a cunt and I said equally bad things to her as well. She's on a Dino sculpture in Drumheller, Alberta. Its a very strange place, you should visit someday).

Anyways...

Vanessa Reiger and Xenia Benivolsky were interviewed by Sara Titanic about the White House. Read it, there's also a photo of my studio in the pictures.

Also, I am now officially on the Board of Directors at the studio!! Yay! Its a little intimidating! But that's ok, I am pretty stoked to be so involved with something so rad...

I saw a really great show at the Whippersnapper last week. Go look at it. Artists Amanda Nedham and Jannick Deslauriers. I was introduced to Amanda's work a few months ago because a friend was going to check out her show at Le Gallery and I really like her drawings. The pieces are all sculpture/installation type things but they are all stunning and you should go look at it before its over.

I'm sorry I'm not better at talking about WHY they are stunning, but I am really too self concious to write about art. That's not a good thing, but, for now, that's the way it is. When I start getting straight A s in liberal studies class and have a written a few half decent artist statements, well, then I'll be a little more vocal about what I think about the things I like...

Umm... I also really really like Luke Painter's work right now. Maybe that's old news to you, but he was this guy whose name I kept hearing forever and was all like who is this guy and then I finally saw his work, which I had totally seen all over the place before and I was like 'oh, he's THAT guy' and anyways he draws a nice picture and he sure is great at making some genuinely creepy drawings and avoiding the cheesy Tim Burton aesthetic. God, people are just so amazing at the things they do...

Also: Gord Auld from Fat City Wildcat has a show at the Great Hall on Queen Street. Go look at his things if you are kicking around that area!

Ok that's it that's all.

Anybody else interested in contributing to the NERDY DAD zine please let me know!

xo

dream a little dream

2010-01-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Hi there

As of this week (within the next couple of days) the FAT CITY WILDCAT is showing work at the Moonbeam Cafe in Kensignton! Its located pretty much at the corner of Kensignton and St. Andrew, so you should swing by and have a look-see.

Here is my work that I will be selling, prices listed below (unfortunately not the sizes, as they are all odd sizes that I can't really remember at the moment, but nothing is larger than 11 by 14).

200 $

200$

150$

170 $

All of them, except the one of the Harpy Eagle, are kind of along the same lines content-wise as the Octopus Dream Catcher I made for Jenn.

Go check out the show! I haven't seen everyone's work yet except Gord Auld and Dave Hanes's stuff, but so far their things look real real nice and I bet I could say nothing but the same thing about everyone else's pieces also.

Also. Life is going pretty swell: after the annual Ottawa Christmas drink-a-thon, I've been keeping on top of everything in a way that will hopefully be indicative of how this year's going to play out: making art every day, exercising lots, eating (mostly) well, not drinking too much or spending too much money, crying over silly things is down to a minimum, got a whole bunch of new comic books, reading a lot and learning to cook and I think Jenn King and I want to start a riot girl band? This last thing will depend entirely on: a) getting instruments, b) learning to play said instruments and c) finding a drummer. But I've been listening to Bikini Kill all week and I am super pumped to maybe actually make this happen.

(Bikini Kill!)

Oh yeah, and I got the crass tattoo. So far best reaction to showing it goes to Greg Denton, I think. Here's the guy (its not healing very well, btw).

Man... I always think of great things to write about on my blog but when I actually get here I can't remember a damn thing.

My teacher Shannon Gerard (oh she makes the prettiest things and she is super smart and rad and I think her class was the best ones I've ever taken, really. I mentioned Crass in this assignment I did - it was a zine - and she wrote on my assignment 'have you ever heard the Jeffery Lewis cover of..." I can't remember which song she mentioned but yeah that dude did a whole album of Crass covers and isn't it like the best when you have a teacher that knows about that shit?) last semester showed us this in class:

Are You the Favorite Person of Anyone?

I don't think I am. I realized this in my class and almost started crying in front of a few people. I almost starting crying in front of that class a few times actually. It was a very emotional semester, and I cry a lot.

I actually did a performance/spoken word for my final assignment. Isn't that weird? That's not what I do at all.

I would like to talk about that more, but there is a larger project that I'm brainstorming right now that is related to it, and I think it would be best to discuss it when I have hashed out all those details and begun the project. Its one of those things that I think I will be working on for years, which is both terrifying and exciting. But yeah...

Sort of related.... I am going to make a zine (look at me, I haven't even finished the zine i started last year) Nothing fancy, but it requires involvement from you maybe?? Dear reader...

Admitedly, this idea comes from a couple of other zines and comics I've seen. Namely the aforementioned 'Angry Dad Vs. Gay Son' by Will Varner, and this fantastic little thing I saw last year at the OCAD zine fair called 'Old Man Smell' that was a collection of drawings and stories about dads and grandpas and stuff. I am still kicking myself for never picking it up.

Anyways, I wanted to call it 'Nerdy Dad' or something to that effect and have a collection of stories that people can submit about their nerdy dads, or maybe even their moms... or grandparents or older siblings... basically I guess its just about the idea that parents are these people that you look up to for guidance and to lead you through life but maybe sometimes they are just these socially awkward people who are really into things that are maybe kind of lame but we just love them anyways? Its a strange thing because you usually just associate social anxiety and nerdiness with this awkard adolescent phase that goes away when you get older and it can be increadibly endearing and embarassing and sad but also just kind of wonderful when you have an older figure that never really got past that? Really, though I am interested to read people's stories. I want photos and things so I can draw pictures as well (otherwise I am just going to make up what your nerdy dad looks like, so beware).

The intent is an exploration of the relationship between the grown up kid who is maybe outgrowing their own parents in some ways and how they deal with thier parents triumphs and failures as human beings and role models. Does that make sense? I hope that doesn't sound lame...

Ok, I gotta go now, but send your stories pleeeease!! If you can. julia_dickens@hotmail.com
XO

happy existential crisis to all, and to all a good night

2009-12-15T15:58:00.001-08:00

OCTODREAMS FOR EVERYONE

Hanukkah (ermm... I'm sorry my jewish friends, but that is how its spelt, right?) present for one of my bestest buds, Jenn.

Dude, I'm sorry I am bailing on the Holiday Party. I am just super broke and really homesick. I love you and we're going to have the best of times when you get to Ottawa.

gimme that sandwich

2009-12-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

So....

The Fat City Wildcat launch party was a massive success. Tons of people showed up, we sold lots of zines and everyone seemed to be having a really cool time.

Photos of the work and of the actual party can be seen here.

FAT CITY WILDCAT BLOG

Follow us! And stay tuned for issue number 2!!

You should also become a fan of us on facebook, because, you know, a blog just isn't enough these days. All social networking possibilities must be thoroughly covered.

As far as my work in the show goes, here are the photos, which can also be seen on the Fat City Blog, taken by Sasha Foster.

All are 18 x 24, priced at 100$ each.

If you interested in getting a copy of the zine, contact me at julia_dickens@hotmail.com or through fatcitywildcat@gmail.com.

Big thanks to Taya for rounding us all up and Elliott (look at his website, he is a great designer!) for designing and putting together this publication. Without your wonderful efforts none of this would have come together! Thanks to Sasha and Sean also for letting us use their beautiful appartment to hang up our art. And thanks to all the rest of you who contributed, and especially for participating in the after-show crit at Sasha's, it was more constructive, honest and helpful than most of the crits I've had at school.

These days I feel so priviledged to know and be surrounded by really motivated and awesome artists and friends. Between the White House and OCAD and everything in between Toronto sure has been great this past year.

Also, I feel like a dick because I didn't actually make it out to the opening, but if you are in the area (or not even, because its worth making the trek to the west end, Ossington and Dundas is soooo not that far) check out From Me to You at Show and Tell Gallery. My buddy Graham has some beautiful paintings up that you should look at and think nice things about. It doesn't hurt that the rest of the work up there is pretty nice also.

Check out his blog:

BEASTWRONG

I have known Graham for a few years now. I first met him in Ottawa when he had a show at I think Helsinki? My friend Dietrich (also an amazing artist, check out his deviantart) brought me to check out his work and I was just blown away. Graham was just out of high school at the time, I think, and I was all like 'How OLD is this kid?' Haha, sorry Graham, that totally sounds condescending or something. I just mean that he is really good at the things he does and keeps outdoing himself. He had some work in the latest issue of Juztapoz, which in my mind means he's going some places that will probably be nothing but good. Yeah Graham!!

I think I am going to get Sasha to come take some photos at the studio so you can see some things I've done, things I'm doing, and where I do them in. Having a workspace in Kensignton is really fun also, and I'm kind of thinking of moving to the market or somewhere in Chinatown just so I can be closer. Its hard because at my current place I have sooo much privacy and I really do love the west end but it would just be so nice to be a comfortable walking distance to school and everything else.

I have just enough money to buy and eat a sandwhich, so that's what I am going to do now. There's a lot of other things to talk about, but hungry is a feeling that sometimes just trumps all other types of feelings.
xo

Big A, Little A, Bouncing B

2009-12-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Its been a month and I haven't updated this thing.

Xenia posted a blog a little while ago where she adressed it by 'dear bloggy blog' and i thought that was really funny and I'm resisting the urge to do the same.

I just don't have any photos or scans of things that I've done in the past while. Lately the work I've been doing is very time consuming, and sometimes personal as well so its been taking a lot out of me. I would rather update once a month with something worthwhile than constant posts of little things that are insignificant. The next real update will be massive, I promise!

Here's the life news: Ghost Hole was amazing, hundreds of people showed up and it was the best Halloween I've had in years and I am so happy for everyone involved. (BLOGTO listed it first on their Halloween party list - wtf??) Also, I got some nice feedback on my installations (such as 'this is the best thing i've ever seen you do' - yeahhhhh) so that was great. Rather than explain them right now, I would rather just wait until i have some photos to put up. But a total success!!

Photos of the event here. (Go to Events - Ghost Hole)

In other news, the White House is moving to Kensignton Market on Augusta! Right here

...
I KNOW, RIGHT?? pretty amazing. It will be great, so much space and burritos next door and Ronnies right around the corner for working late nights!

This is coming up on saturday the 5th of December:

FAT CITY WILDCAT ZINE LAUNCH AT THE FOSTER HOME!!
Adress:461 Dundas West

I will be featuring new work that's not included in the zine. I am so stoked for everyone, I think it will be a really great publication. I think its going to be sold at Good Blood Bad Blood, and I am going to look into a wider distro too, like at the Beguiling and places like that.

Contributing work for a group show at Canteen in Ottawa for January.

Sasha and Taya asked me to be part of a ladies only group show in January which will be pretty awesome I think. I think they want to start up a girl art collective, which I am so into that its not even funny.

I went to NY to visit my sister this weekend, she is living in Williamsburg and I kind of want to live there too. Its been 4 years since I was there last and I forgot how massive the city is and how much is there to do and see. It was great to spend so much time with Laura, too, I am so fucking lucky to have such a funny, smart and fun sibling that is totally interested in art and life. Family rules sometimes.

but yeah, actual art updates soon i promise.
I like this guy's things:

Will Varner

I picked up his comic in Brooklyn called 'Angry Dad vs Gay Son' in Brooklyn because I thought it was hilarious (angry Dads are really funny) and then I looked at his website and its full of other things that are also really neat so you should look at it too and if you ever see his comics maybe pick one up and have a read?

Also I am thinking of getting a crass tattoo. This guy:

ALSO GO TO XENIA'S CRITIC'S PANEL TOMORROW:
here is here blog post about it, i am going to try and make it if i can get all my work done for class thursday.

Happy Halloween Friends!

2009-10-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hi just real quick...
COME TO THE HALOWEEN SHOW AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Its going to be soooo spooky dudes.

Everyone's doing it.
xo

its nice to find half a peanut butter bar in your pocket when you are really sleep deprived. seriously.

2009-10-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so, quick post because I have tons of shit to do, but here goes.

A drawing I am giving my friend Taya for a collab zine she's putting together. She's also a blogmonster, lookylooky.

This is a self portrait of me smoking a cigarette when I was 18 years old. I was a very cool 18 year old. I think I was growing out my chelsea at this point (for reals! this lady here toootally had a chelsea!!)

Also, Illustrations for Pie Magazine. They are for reviews of books I have never actually read.

On the subject of that, btw, I got my issue of Pie a few weeks ago, and can I say that it is weird as shit to see your drawings in a nice shiny publication. Immediate reaction was embarassement. I didn't really want to show it to anyone, despite maybe in my career (ewwww) as an illustrator, its maybe kind of an important milestone? I suppose the first paying job is the most important, actually. I have already been paid as an illustrator before, but I am wiping that slate clean, I think, and start considering myself a paid-illustrator-virgin (for those who don't know: the University of Ottawa paid me to draw a map of the campus, which they never ended up using. It was a tidy sum, but still not worth the amount of work put into it. Seriously).

In any case, its very strange to have something important like this happen to you and not really feel all that proud. I am a bit more confident about these new drawings, so lets see how I feel once the next issue comes out.

School is mega busy, I am trying not to go cookoo bananas at the moment and manage everything properly. Its not so much time, but more how I have a tendancy of attacking myself when things don't work out. Not just with school and art, but with everything in life. I have been learning to cope better, but its slow coming. I usually require a certain amount of outside reassurance and support (ie nice wonderful friends who will say things like: you aren't crazy, you haven't ruined everything, everyone still likes you and thinks you're super rad, etc etc.) alongside the things I tell myself so that I don't freak out.

I think its reassuring to know that its not easy for anyone, and that being productive and achieving your goals, and even just not being a sad, frustrated mess of a person, is really hard! Sounds like it shouldn't be, but I was starting to think there was something wrong with me that was generally unfixable.

Anyways, I am currently working on a series drawings/installations for the White House Halloween show (it will be super rad and you all should come). The plan is to illustrate old folklore ghost stories. If anyone knows of any good ones, pass them my way! Preferably those lovely kind with moral endings and some kind of vaguely universal lesson to be learned, although not necessarily. Things that are generally terrifying are also acceptable, although I think conveying real terror is quite a herculian task to undertake. Maybe even the old folksy tales would be difficult get down to business with because sometimes simple ideas are the hardest to convey in a meaningful and honest way? God, I am just awful at talking about art.

Show at canteen update: I was still supposed to be in it, but could not mail my work to the gallery on time. Partially my fault, partially their fault (they took sooo long to get back to me) but whatever. I still want to put work up in that space so right now I am just going to push my little buns off for that to happen.

I will end this with a really rad picture of a ghost by Marcel Dzama (cool dude). I think he is going to be one of my main style influences for this series (hey, i know its not that original or obscure, but honestly, shut your filthy mouth, he's the best).

OH WAIT AND ALSO I AM GOING TO SEE TEENAGE JESUS AND THE JERKS!!
For realsies. Here's a picture of Lydia Lunch cause she's a fucking babemonster.

XOXO

always late

2009-09-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to be done a while ago.

Also, I was supposed to deliver it this weekend. Sorry Emily! Next time I come to Ottawa, promise.

These days, things are both working out great, or not at all. Would it be too much to ask that I get everything I want? Would life be really boring if that were the case? I think I'm just trying to find things to complain about, life is pretty rad these days.

I don't know if I'm still in the show at canteen. They haven't gotten back to me and I have tried to contact them. It would be less work for me, but I was so stoked to be part of it!

My profile views has spiked up unexpectedly. Did someone link me or something? I know Dimitri did, but that was a while ago. He said very nice things!

His blog/zine is pretty rad, too.

http://bloodoftheyoung.com/

I'm going to the gym to work off the guilt from eating a dinner of crispy crunch and combos (yes, I am THAT kind of girl). But before I go:

This photo was taken of me one year ago. This is in edmonton, the day after I got beat up by a bunch of teenage girls. It was the end of a trip I took with some friends, and the photo was taken by my ex-boyfriend, Greg Zenha. We said our goodbyes and broke up that day. I didn't even want to have a copy of this picture for a while because I thought it was just too upsetting.

I'm happy that's not the case anymore. Thanks for the photo, Greg.

i am the chocolate syrup on the sushi with banana in it that gave me a tummyache last night

2009-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

So here's a couple of drawings I have made in the past while.
This is part one of a diptych of my friend Jenn blowing chunks. I have never actually seen her do this. The image arose from a conversation about how hilarious vomiting is. Seriously though, imagine how funny it would be if people just spontaneously projectile vomited?
In my world, vomiting would not include feelings of nausea or malaise, would never smell and instead of food would include cartoon like colourful/psychedellic aesthetically pleasing globs. Like some sort of real life Matt Furie illustration. (checkhimoutcheckhimoutcheckhimout). Also, it would take you completely by surprise and never include that icky burning biley after feeling (but would still somehow feel just as relieving).

The next one is this dude wearing an awesome bird mask that I included for the 'blind leading the blind' show. Ps the show went really well, got lots of nice feedback and a fun time was had by all. I also included a photo of all 3 images i drew for the show taken by Donna Irvine. I didn't include scans of the last two, I am not as fond of the image of the girl wearing the mask, and also because I just haven't gotten around to scanning them.

In other news, summer ended fucking wonderfully. Capping it off with an awesome trip to my cottage, I am back in toronto ready to rock the shit out of life and work my ass off.

More art and life updates soon. XO

summer bummer dumber plumber

2009-08-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

So instead of studying for my exam like a responsible human being, i scanned and stitched together the big drawing from the 1313 show. I didn't do a very good job, but you get the idea.
Here it is:

In other news, we have another show coming up at the studio. THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND. There's a facebook event for it but I can't seem to link it so just do a facebook search or something.

Also, the White House website is up and running, so go check that guy out, there are some pretty awesome artists in residence there.

http://www.theotherwhitehouse.ca

I have been invited to be in a group show at Canteen in Ottawa! I am pretty stoked, I really like that gallery space. Its kind of like Ottawa's Magic Pony or something. Plus, umm, like, Dave Cooper is going to be in the show? I know, holy shit, right?

http://www.canteenlife.com

Is it lame that I just started getting into Adrian Tomine? I feel like I'm behind on everything.
Summer Blonde was awesome and depressing.

http://www.adrian-tomine.com/

Summer Toronto 09 is over and I never got to go swimming or camping. That's kind of a bummer. I am off to NYC next weekend and as exciting as that is, it feels kind of weird to be going from 'imitation NY' to 'real NY.' I feel like I really should just be hitching to some remote place with a friend or something.

There's something about the events of this summer, even though I guess I've done a lot and exciting things have transpired and blablabla... it just kind of seems like a fail, and I don't really know why. Do you ever get the feeling like you don't really know why you're doing anything? Like, you're moving forward with all these vague goals and then something doesn't work out in one area of life and you're just like wait, what is the point of all this again?

Is it just me? I am constantly concerned that I am one of few people who feel this way. I feel like my motivations involve romantic things a lot of the time, to be honest. Maybe that's why it feels like a fail, because everything in that department has pretty much been a giant fail.

New resolution: Julia goes into fall not giving a shit about lame dudes and only about art. I've made this promise many MANY times before. Lets see if I can keep it this time.

Yeah!!

I'm not afraid of you

2009-07-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

So these are some of the pieces from the 1313 show. They are all portraits of people from this antique wedding album I found at a junk shop on college. The text is from this advice that a dude gave me and my friends in a parking lot outside of edmonton about what to do if you run into a grizzly bear in the forest (they were on their way up to the Yukon, I unfortunately was heading home).

The scanners at OCAD suck so the sides have been cropped in strange ways. Some of the text is missing too.

I'm not really sure how this all relates but I think its funny? I guess that's it. All kinds of feedback accepted. I didn't scan the big drawing because, well, its too big for the scanners here at OCAD and also i was worried that my stitching skills on photoshop aren't strong enough to piece it together and have it look ok. So I will take a photo and upload that later on.

In other news, here are some sketches from the sketchbook (can you tell I am trying to pad this blog so that I don't look like an unproductive slob?? ) that I don't think i've put up on facebook or anything. Observational stuff, nothing that interesting.

Seriously, though, life has been soooooo tiring. Working a lot and taking classes and all sorts of other things. Art has taken a backseat and that is not something that I ever want to happen so I am trying to get back on that gravy train again.

I went to go see these two bands recently:

and

Future of the Left and Slim Cessna's Autoclub.
Future of the Left was great, my friend Mike was the one that convinced me to go. Consider me now a fan. I love scottish dudes, they are hilarious! Aside from dancing raver guy in front of me at the show who stepped on my toes, thumbs up, you should check them out if you like... umm... well, i am bad a cross referencing similar bands and am always afraid to get called out by music nerds so just give it a listen and see if its up your tree. Loud, noisy dudes rocking out.

Slim Cessna apparently was amazing, but typical Julia got too drunk and was kicked out of Babylon (Torontonians: a bar in Ottawa) at the beginning of their set. There's a whole other embarassing/hilarious story that goes along with that particular night but rather than post it on the internet for all to see, you can just ask me in person next time you see me. But the band is basically amazing psychedellic country and I sure wish I hadn't taken that last shot of rye and been able to enjoy the show.

Also, i can't stop listening to this band:

The Dirty Projectors.

So fucking good! Why did no one tell me? Actually, a couple of girls from work have been trying to tell me for weeks and stupid me ignored them and missed the show the played last week. Gosh I'm a dummy sometimes.

Also, they have an album of Black Flag covers, which is kind of amazing and epic. I had heard it a year ago at a friends place but didn't pay much attention to it aside from mild curiousity. But yeah, check that guy out too. So good.

Ummm... oh yeah, really digging Aurel Schmidt. She draws the most beautiful and horrifying things. Here is a link to her stuff at Tiny Vices.

http://tinyvices.com/Aurel_Schmidt.html

Anyways, that's about it!! You may not hear from me for a bit because I have a free VIP pass to LOLAPALOOZA in Chicago for next week but i should be back on track after that.

I am going to see Lou Reed and you're not.

(unless you are in which case lets meet up because that would be totally rad to run into buddies in Chi-town)

stay safe
xo

I can't be long, but...

2009-07-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

quick update.

Show at 1313 went well. Lots of nice feedback, general social anxiety, etc.

Here is my work up at the gallery!

I am going to scan these in so that you can see them better, this is the only documentation I have of these pieces for now.

Oh and we were a 'best bet' in eye. Hoorah!

http://www.eyeweekly.com/arts/bestbets/article/65326

I am the girl in the mustard cardigan making the sour lemon face.

I would say more but I am studying for an exam at the moment. Things to expect in the future:
more portraits, maybe some real paintings, zine illustrations, finishing comissions, new artists that I love, etc etc.

Oh and I hate registering for classes. Its the worst.

Oh and I saw a dude biking down dundas with his small dog in the knapsack. The dog was wearing goggles. I gasped really loudly when they passed by and startled a couple of strangers. Plus there was totally a rainbow in the sky too so it was generally a great end to the afternoon.
xo

ready and ready-made

2009-06-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ok,
So its been a crazy time since my last post, and I don't have many new things to show, but I am working on a few small projects that I'm very excited about so I will keep you all posted/keep updating about that.
In the meantime, this was a last minute editorial illustration I did of Micheal Jackson for Pie Magazine. They are based out of Barrie, my friend Ian does photography for them and he hooked me up with the editor a little while ago for a different editorial.
Keep in mind that I only had a few hours to complete this. But the editor really likes it, so I guess that's what's most important.

Oh, and by the by, is it wrong that I have no feelings whatsoever towards his death? Thriller was a great album, for sure, but I'm kind of absent of any feeling of loss or something? I kind of feel like it would be weirder if I was all bummed out or something, or that I was stoked (in the yeah! the child molester's dead! kind of way) because, you know, he's a celebrity, and I don't know him personally. Like, seriously.

So here's some things for school. This is all lifedrawing (or, I should say, lifepainting) from my class with Terry, and although I have a looong way to go, I learned so much in his class. Really, though, I did not know how to paint worth a banana! Oh, and the last one at the end is an assignment where we had to paint a self portrait as a historical figure. I chose Queen Elizabeth because, well, I'm just not that creative and because there's lots of reference (it had to be a person with no photographic records, although not everyone paid attention to this and I don't think Terry cared in the end).

Here's some things from my Illustration concept class.

The first is an editorial illustration we had to do about the favelas in Rio de Janiero. Its about this organization called Afro Reggae and how they are providing youth in the favelas with alternative choices (such as music and art) to thier limited options of gang activity, selling drugs, doing drugs and generally killing each other. So its meant to be optimistic. My painting is totally cheesy, but I talked to my sister before making it about the favelas (she had been to Rio the summer before) and the way she described how the favelas actually looked probably made the most impact in creating this. The long, crooked, winding staircases built in between shanties on Rio's massive hills. Lots of photo reference, also. If you have never seen an image of the favelas, you should really look it up, they're pretty nuts.

K, so this is a poster for V-Day, some feminist day about being a woman or something like that. No, I think V Day was started by Eve Ensler, that broad that wrote The Vagina Monologues.... I guess there's a bunch of lady-centered plays that happen on V Day and general celebrations of womyn and womynhood (like how I spelt that? I can be just as PC as the next gal). I should really know more about this stuff, but I'm tired and don't feel like looking it up. Here's the link if you are curious.
My teacher didn't like this very much. Ok, that's fine.

The last one is a fridge interior. We had to do a fridge interior for our final. I couldn't think of anything so during the rough crit i just started doodling some broads in my sketchbook and then put a fridge around them and showed them to my prof and voila! Idea was born.
So yeah, ladies in the fridge. I don't really know what to say about this, except that I don't dislike it, and neither did my prof so that's alright!

(On a side note, just in case anyone thinks I'm self deprecating in terms of talking about the things that I do, keep in mind that I am mostly just aware of the fact that I could be doing better, and that also it is all said with a sense of humour. I kind of like the idea venting out those thoughts, because I would be lying if i said they weren't there, and I think most people can relate to self doubt in some aspect of their silly lives. Still, if I legitimately thought I was hopeless at everything I would stop doing everything and you would not be reading this right now. So don't worry.)

I will post up older schoolwork later on, as well as some new projects. Possibly some sketchbook pages also, because those are nice to look at.

In other news.......
NXNE was the best ever. List of bands in total seen: Black Lips, King Khan and the Shrines, Bloodshot Bill, Japanther, DDMMYYYY, Health, Sedatives, Metz, The Sonics, You Say Party! We Say Die! (Justin and Christina dragged me to this. I would be lying if I said I didn't kind of enjoy it)... maybe I'm forgetting something but I can't remember. I missed youth brigade and the homosexuals, but I guess you can't win everything.

In the name of keeping things short: short shorts, stage dancing, dancing in general all over the place, backyard BBQs, hangovers, 8 am bedtimes, loft parties, factory exploration, new friends, old friends, unexpected montreal friends, makeouts, hot babes all over the place, lost glasses, too many cigarettes, RYE, free beer, and the best sleep ever at the end of it all. Funnest weekend I've had since I moved to Toronto.

Other news: I moved into the White House! Its a studio space near college and landsdown with around 20 artists residing there. They do fun things like put on art shows together and have yard sales and things. It seems kind of silly to have to find a place to designate as an art spot, instead of just your own home, but sometimes I just need to get into a creative space, I guess? We have a show coming up at Gallery 1313 that I'm in, here's the link to the facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=96989981875&ref=mf

You should come!

Um...I saw the surrealist exhibit at the AGO last week. I was pretty impressed. I don't really feel like going into it, because you should just go see it, but I will spill the beans and say that they have Marcel Duchamp's Bottle Rack in it! Not really surrealist, but still exciting as hell. I just wrote an 8 page paper on Duchamp so I was pretty pumped, he is my new all time fave. I think I actually said 'holy fuck!' when I saw it and the security guard gave me a funny look but I don't care.

That's it that's all for now. I hope you all have the loveliest of weeks dear friends!

2009-06-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

I am starting this thing for real this time.
I guess i should introduce myself. My name's Julia, I study illustration at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, and I like to draw. Mostly people, animals, things that are funny and things that are sad. I like lots of different types of art and have a really hard time picking favorites, I feel like doing so would be pidgeon holing (is that correct?) my own work so I don't really want to talk about that right now.

I also took animation for 3 years and have a really hard time breaking away from figurative work. I'm ok with that, actually. I have never really felt the need to wander off into abstract land. There aren't many abstract illustrators working out there I don't think, so its probably for the best that its not really my thing.

Lets get right to the work (if you can call it that). Here's a bunch of portraits I'm doing for my friend Emily Claman's art collective in NYC called the Arberretium. You should check it out:

http://www.TheAberratium.com

Anyways, here they are, the last one is of me. Emily asked for one of me as well. I believe they are going to use them for promotional stuff. I believe also that she wants me to do a few more, so stay tuned on this project, if you feel like it. It was a lot of fun to do these, I know they're just portraits and most people don't really find this stuff that interesting, but I think i kind of learned something from this?? Like a direction for a style or something (scary thought).

Oh god, now that i look at the one of me I don't like it so much at all. Hmm... well, no going back now. Wait, that's not true at all. I can totally just do another one. I probably won't though.

Emily is the second drawing, the girl with the short black hair.
You should also stop by her website, she is a very talented artist and writer (I think mostly poetry still, right Em?).

http://www.emilyclaman.com

Moving on, here are a few zine doodles I've done over the past little bit. These guys are for a collaborative zine I am doing with my friends Andrew McKay, Dietrich Rostek and Graham Robinson (links all at the side of my blog). They are taking forever to finish their drawings, which is fine because I think I am going to redo a couple of mine. Its an alphabet zine, so basically, each of us gets a letter of the alphabet and has to do an illustration for it. I know its not a very original idea, but I kind of thought it would be fun.

Here's a few of the things I will probably be keeping in the zine

And here's one of the drawings i did for a silly zine I'm making with buddies Jenn King and Mike Laderoute. Its just doodles of us hanging out with George Clooney. Mike probably won't like that I'm putting this up here before we make the zine, but he's not even finished is drawings yet, so whatever.

Its me and Clooney riding a tandem!!

Just a few more things then I swear I'm done.

This is a drawing that is part of an ongoing series that is basically me spitting out terrible things from my head. I guess kind of like a diary, but little drawings and things instead of just writing. Usually drawing and writing, actually.

This will probably make sense to anyone who's a good friend of mine, because god knows they've had to hear enough about it. I went through a terrible breakup this year (over 2 and a half years together) and he was deathly allergic to peanuts. I'm not going to talk about that breakup too much, because its personal, but obviously at the point that this drawing was made I really missed him and wished that we were still together.

A lot of the drawings from that series are about dealing with that, but just as many are not as well. I never really knew the value of externalizing the internal, and the theraputic qualities of art really, until this year (a LOT of time spent alone). Maybe its kind of stupid to make art about a breakup, but I just tried to keep everything as honest as possible and hope that it works.

In any case, I didn't really make any of this stuff to be seen by anyone, actually. I posted this because I just like how I drew the peanut! Well, I guess its important to let people see some of the personal stuff. Maybe in a few years when I can look at all the things that I've drawn and written about in a more objective and not so emotional light I will put all these things together and make a zine with them. But for the time being, I am just not brave enough to put that much of myself out there. Not to mention, the work is often brutally honest, meaning, not always nice. I am afraid of hurting other people's feelings! I mean well, I swear I do, but I can be a terrible person at times. And don't be so smug, so can you.

Few more things:
Little drawing of a Fox that I'm kind of attached to.

Drawings for a comission for Emily Hanlon. She's a sweetie, she really liked my moose drawing and wanted something like that. Her favorite animals are lambs and deers. I haven't quite figured out the background for this one, but yeah, Emily if you're reading this, here it is:

Last thing:
This is a self portrait that I finished that I used for the title of the blog. Its an homage to the Egon Scheile self portrait where he's resting his own head on top of his head. Also to Frida Khalo and all that garbage (I'm just kidding, I kind of love Frida).

Here's the Schiele one:

This is one of my favorite pieces of art, ever. I know everyone loves Schiele and that kind of leads to thinking in some circles that he's a little overrated, but I don't really care.

Umm... that's it for art!!
I think I will have a little section at the end of this to talk about shit that I like. Art shows I'm going/been to, music that I'm into, all that nonsense. This is mostly so that you think I am an active, cultured and productive member of society, not some crazy broad that lies in bed for two days straight with tofurky slices and a box of pringles, crying sporadically and watching x files reruns for hours at a time (don't laugh, this is pretty accurate).

I have some classmate buddies in this show:

Its at the Whippersnapper Gallery on College st. so go check it out if you're in the area.
Also, photo show with photo buddies in ottawa!! Stop by SPAO, its on Dalhousie at Bruyere, there's some really great work up.

As far as music goes (try not to judge me when I talk about music because I am always behind on everything, but that doesn't mean that I don't love it just as much as you do)

By Mount Eerie, with Julie Dorion. This is basically the prettiest fucking thing I've ever heard. My friend Jenn played the third track 'You Swan, Go On' for me a bunch of times when we were really drunk and we cried a whole bunch and talked about how much love stinks. Basically, this album is kind of my 'Blood on the tracks??' Maybe not, I am not the kind of person who likes listening to really sad songs about how love just didn't fucking work out when I am in a state where love just didn't fucking work out. When I've been heartbroken (and I mean REALLY fucking heartbroken) I usually don't even want to think about it. This leads to either reading a good book to distract myself, working on some art, or drinking a LOT of rye. But anyways, yeah, post heartbreak, this album is just a really great thing to listen to, i think it pretty accurately describes states of love, post love, and solitude type stuff that I can't really explain, you should probably just listen to it.

I went to this Vice party last night at the Amsterdam Brewery for NXNE. Basically, it was free, the beer was free, and Bloodshot Bill, King Khan and the Shrines AND the Black Lips played.
I was kind of in shock, it seemed too good to be true. Well, only kind of. They started breaking it up before the Black Lips played, told us we couldn't go back inside when we went out to smoke. But, whatever, i got drunk, saw some really good music and STILL made it to 83o class this morning. Besides, the Black Lips are playing tonight at Dundas Square for free so who gives a care, right?
Oh and PS: for all you Toronto dudes, if you're wondering what you should check out for NXNE that you may never have heard before, my friend's band The Rough Sea is playing a bunch of shows, and I highly recomment checking them out, they are super cute. Here's their myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/theroughsea

Also, I bought this book of Clare Rojas's art last week and its the best thing ever. Here's a link to some of her work. She was one of the dudes in the Beautiful Losers show and one of my favorite contemporary artists.

http://www.modernart.net/artists/clare-e-rojas

Um.... other things?? Really into pomegranate green tea, and this one particular brand of pre packaged indian lentil soup, and also donuts. Loooove donuts.
Oh yeah, and I totally forgot all about Tom Collins (the drink) and remembered it a couple of weeks ago and it is just as good as ever. Here's a photo of a Tom Collins, you should get one next time you're at the bar:

Ok, I swear that's it. If you have read this far, I know we'll be friends forever. I will update soon, hopefully with school projects and actual real paintings!!
xo