“Seek experiences that make you nervous, where you’re right on the edge of blowing it. Try not to blow it, but if you do blow it, learn from it and keep on keeping on.”

— JASON HARDY, digital designer and 
self-proclaimed “creative generalist”

I read this quote today in a profile of Jason Hardy and had to share it with you. He's found a vivid way of expressing what I seem to keep doing, what I know I must do, though I have times when I shrink from it and other times when I embrace it whole-heartedly.

There is a nervous sensation I get just below my solar plexus that I've come to recognize as my friend (my exciting, daredevil friend!). Without it I would not grow or learn or DARE the way I do. Those experiences in turn shape who I am as an artist and as a person, so I would not recognize myself without that "friend".

"Explorer's instinct" might be a good name for that impulse, one that has led me on some life-changing physical journeys as well as guided me to the challenging projects I've taken on in recent years.

My current show 'Chains Unlinked' was the latest example. I submitted a proposal that I thought was exciting, that would create an interesting, integrated experience as well as a visually distinctive and dramatic use of the space. I felt good about sending it in.

Then I got the acceptance letter! At first I was (of course!) pleased and excited, but at a certain point reality set in and I thought "Oh sh*t! Now I have to figure out how to actually do this!"

Figuring it out as you go along is part of the fun, terror and excitement of straying into unknown territory. What's important to remember is that it's rarely fatal (!), and you are allowed to ask for help and advice along the way! 

We often forget to ask for help. It's something I'm still working on myself. I know I've made progress though because this group of work only happened due to the help and support of many people.

I thought it would be fun to include a few photos of projects that were big stretches for me, that led to some moments of dark terror as well as giant leaps of faith and many miracles, large and small.

Whether the new challenges you take on are massive or modest in scope, they are the most direct path to growth, in creativity, experience and confidence. They make us nervous though because by definition they require us to risk failure.

The final day of installation started with clean-up. Tarps came down, drapery went up, then we spent hours getting the unlinked chains up and their positioning and angles fine-tuned.

At day's end we were done; it only remained for the professional installers to light everything so you could see it properly. They did a great job! In fact the difference between how it looked when we left and after they lit it was an object lesson in the importance of properly lighting a show. I've been in shows where some of the work had half (if that) of the light it actually needed.

One major improvement that occurred with proper lighting was that the white layer of drawing on the drapery panels become visible where in low light only the black layer could be seen easily.

The Art Gallery of Mississauga's 'Walk the Talk' event is coming up and includes a tour of all three shows and informal talks from some of the artists, including me. 

I will talk about how I layered up a kind of evolution of meaning and experience while keeping things thematically tight yet physically airy in a small space. I may also talk about taking on projects that risk failure to stimulate my own growth and creativity. 

Bring your questions and observations and we'll have an interesting discussion about it.

Please join me:
Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 1pm
Art Gallery of Mississauga (click on name to go to their page)

P.S. The time-lapse below is a bit too fast. I'll try to improve it when I edit the whole installation process into a single video.

It was a great relief getting the face drawn in. I had made numerous efforts (not all of which were captured by my camera) and in the end I asked a member of the gallery staff Shellie Zhang to pose for a couple of photos.

I'm normally fine drawing faces without a reference but there was a problem for me doing that at this size. Working close enough to draw properly I could not see the face as a whole, which I need to while I work. With a reference though I was fine. I did not try to draw a portrait of Shellie, though she is very much embedded in this face, I used it as a structural basis from which I "riffed", like a jazz musician might with the structure of a musical piece.

Sorry I didn't capture any footage of the face being drawn, but the view from the camera probably would have been blocked by my body anyway.

It was difficult getting blacks into this drawing, whether through broad marks (I could manage relatively fine ones) or areas. The lighting in the photo is uneven so I should mention that the bicep area is not as black as it looks here. It is dark, but with lots of layered-up mark making giving it life, variety and depth.

You can see from the photo above that the upper calf muscle I managed to get black, along with a couple of other touches. It was a big improvement getting those darks (and black) in. But more changes would come in Day 4. Stay tuned!

The 'Chains Unlinked' exhibition is on at the Art Gallery of Mississauga through September 13, 2015. On Saturday July 25 at 1pm I will be giving an artist talk there.

Well, it's important to have a plan, but there is often a difference between an installation and its plan! Tuesday was a good example of that as unexpected problems arose when we followed the plan I'd so carefully worked out.

Figuring out how and how much to deviate at least tripled how long it took to hang the red chain link portions of the room.

Putting up the drapery panels went more smoothly and made the space instantly feel softer, less hard-angled. Please note, whether you see these in person or just online, all of the pattern on each panels is painstakingly hand-drawn – metres and metres of it! – in both black and white.

The discoveries we made weren't confined to problems, there were also serendipitous ones along the way.  I hadn't planned to draw on the floor of the room, but that's just what happened in effect once the light hit those hanging strands of chain link. Made me very happy. I shot the video below as soon as I realized what was happening.

I hope you can join me tomorrow (Thursday, July 2) for the opening, but if not, perhaps for my talk on July 25 or a third date I will set so some of those who missed the first two dates can visit the show while I am there to talk to and answer questions.

Meanwhile, for anyone out of town who cannot make it, I will continue to post images/updates, just not on a daily basis!

Thanks so much everyone for your messages and interest. I am very much buoyed up by your support.