First solo show?

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

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.

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!! 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 and are all stunning and you should go look at it before its over.

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. 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 around that area!

Ok that's it that's all.

xo

dream a little dream

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

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

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

Happy Halloween Friends!

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