tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-172391322008-09-29T14:03:49.617-04:00Mary Calarco is a visual artist living in Guelph, Ontario. Typically, her sparse ramblings are about the creative process, art, craft and the quest for inspiration.Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-51697670568324957962008-09-26T13:30:00.002-04:002008-09-26T14:42:48.215-04:00

...without it, we're no different than our pet gerbils. The Harper government has been on a bit of a hacking spree as of late, and the arts are feeling the pain. Shout loud, people. This one needs to be heard, and there are lots of ways to raise the volume as we near election day. Become a fan of cultureLearn about the various arts and culture policies Find out more about the candidates in

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-56802263727649698572008-09-18T14:30:00.003-04:002008-09-26T14:50:47.115-04:00

The wee one is teething, which means he isn't napping, which means I haven't really had any spare time to do silly things like surf the web. I used to spend hours online, hopping from one hyperlink to the next. Occasionally I'd stumble upon something bookmarkworthy like Stories From Space, Orisinal, Retrievr, or Whip Up. Most days I'd find something useless like the Acme Heart Maker but I'd still

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-33114305127381341882008-09-09T15:08:00.000-04:002008-09-09T15:08:46.272-04:00

This morning, the wee one and I took a stroll downtown for his 6 month check up. (Yes, six months already! Hard to believe...I'm due back at my desk in about 181 days. Not that I'm counting or anything) Anyways, after a lovely visit with the doctor and nurses, we popped into the Red Brick Cafe for a nibble (mmm...panini) and then walked over to the Trafalgar Building to chat with

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-38935068166498275412008-08-15T22:50:00.000-04:002008-08-15T22:50:05.870-04:00

Play. Land. Magic.

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-73392505295397186562008-07-25T09:45:00.001-04:002008-07-25T09:48:15.413-04:00

The damn bird (and more importantly, the damn curtains) are finally finished. And what did I learn from this process, you ask? I discovered that I really suck at sewing. The finished product looks alright, but the process? Painful. If you'd like to give it a go, you can get the pattern at Spool Sewing or you can get inspired by wandering through the 'softies' patch over at Flickr.

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-3571215318908019962008-07-19T14:04:00.003-04:002008-07-21T00:18:28.393-04:00

Another toasty day for Guelph's annual "Art on the Street". It would have been nice to participate again this year, but I still haven't had any time to paint since the wee one arrived. Instead, I volunteered at the Info Booth with a few other Guelph Arts Council peeps, and then took a quick tour to view some work and chat with a few artists. I was very surprised to run into David

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-77424221863636486192008-06-06T09:43:00.004-04:002008-06-06T14:35:50.407-04:00

Today marks the beginning of 'spOtlight', a three day festival to celebrate the arts in Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambride and Stratford. This new initiative, courtesy of Premier McGuinty, is being co-produced by the Ontario Arts Council and the provincial government. I love that artists outside of the GTA are being promoted, and if we're to believe the Status of Ontario Artists Act, the

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-41414279204139568722008-06-05T16:02:00.003-04:002008-06-05T17:12:25.334-04:00

I haven't felt much like painting lately, but after finding this really cute bird pattern on Spool, I've started to feel both creative and ambitious. (My sewing skills are pretty non-existant but I've got this great little sewing machine so I figure I might as well put it to work.) A throw for zee bebe? Curtains for the nursery? Who knows. I'm just anxious to make something other

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-4717768149793870192008-05-25T21:40:00.003-04:002008-05-25T22:20:33.733-04:00

Crying, changing, rocking, sleeping, feeding, burping, crying, feeding, burping, folding...the hours fill up so quickly, you can easily be fooled into believing your daily rituals are insignificant, or that no time has passed at all. There is beauty to be found in these daily tasks...but I wasn't aware of them until I stood back to view the patterns they'd left behind.

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-41843894013267941502008-04-01T14:15:00.002-04:002008-04-01T14:46:40.627-04:00

The last three weeks have been like a wonderfully simple puzzle that I'm unable to put together. I see tiny snapshots of time, but I can't place them together to create a larger picture. Like this morning, when I was floating between awake and slumber, I heard birds singing outside our bedroom window. I have no idea what time it was, or whether I was supposed to be burping, changing or feeding,

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-89632296774253690302008-03-29T22:05:00.004-04:002008-03-29T22:16:26.701-04:00

...has come and gone. Luckily, I was breastfeeding and not diaper changing at the time, and my rechargable TykeLight was able to guide a few things in the right direction. I wonder if there were any power surges at 9pm when all the lights came back on...

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-10808653011274192902008-03-26T12:20:00.003-04:002008-03-27T15:32:03.748-04:00

The little pickle is finally here! Benjamin Everett Hurlbut arrived into this world in the wee hours of Saturday, March 8, 2008. 7 lbs 13 oz with blue eyes and light brown hair. His grand entrance was drug free with the assistance of some mighty forceful forceps. Mommy say 'ouch' and 'yay' spontaneously while daddy cried tears of joy. Oh, so cute! Whether he's a gherkin, dill, bread and butter

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-89636531071753436762008-02-27T14:52:00.007-05:002008-02-27T18:37:27.866-05:00

Baby seems to be quite happy with the current housing arrangements, which brings us to 5 days overdue. I feel great and the extra time has allowed me to mentally prepare for the big day, but I've been told this can't go on forever. At some point, I'll have to be induced. Enter the beloved exercise ball. I perched on top of it last night and have vowed to bounce happily until

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-71887583729719089402008-02-19T17:04:00.009-05:002008-02-19T20:00:08.183-05:00

Today marked the first official day of my maternity leave, so despite the fact that winter was raging, I decided to treat myself to lunch at With the Grain. It took quite a bit of work, hobbling down Woolwich Street through all that snow, but I figure at 39+ weeks, if I want a bowl of homemade soup I probably shouldn't fight the urge. Upon arriving home, I was greeted by the sexy curves

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-66162204138118940612007-11-18T16:59:00.001-05:002008-02-21T14:09:35.606-05:00

It's the third Sunday of November, which means I'm doing lots of laundry and packing. Move-in for the One of a Kind Christmas Show starts tomorrow morning, so instead of making the daily commute into work, I just pack up and relocate to Toronto for two weeks. It's never easy leaving lovie and the comfort of home, but it means I get to sleep in, even after a 14 hour day. The calendar also tells

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-3703107558141823902007-10-31T21:58:00.000-04:002007-10-31T21:56:59.791-04:00

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-88615313199020346442007-09-14T18:56:00.000-04:002007-09-14T19:04:37.513-04:00

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-28533486818276115442007-09-11T22:00:00.000-04:002007-09-11T21:59:29.372-04:00

Once I finished this piece, I asked lovie if he'd come up with a suitable title. Without hesitation, he said "Nuit Blanche", because it's misty quality reminded him of our all night escapade through the fog...

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-25510847539226317082007-09-09T18:05:00.000-04:002007-09-09T18:20:15.491-04:00

Let the frantic painting begin...

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-87695332244781484562007-08-30T11:22:00.000-04:002007-08-30T11:15:31.305-04:00

This month, I searched high and low for the perfect letter 'g'. While on my quest, I stumbled upon a podcast, ("Yo, G!) a brief history, ("The letter G made its official debut in 312 B.C.") and a passionate admission. ("The g is the most beautiful letter in the alphabet. No question.") I finally settled on the first G I found in the recycling bin. With only two more days left in August,

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-394220936441471722007-07-11T22:30:00.000-04:002007-07-11T22:41:22.128-04:00

I haven't had the time to upload any new paintings in quite a while, but here's a sneak peek into what I've been working on...the structured blobs seem to be a nice contrast to the organic canvas, and I'm happy to say the two seem to be getting along just fine.

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-27773394684966509612007-07-10T22:16:00.001-04:002007-07-11T22:42:28.844-04:00

Loads of artists, along with a few great bands to liven up downtown Guelph this Saturday, July 14th for the 5th annual Art on the Street. I'll be in booth #35, which appears as though it'll be on Wyndham Street near Budd's. Yehaw! Drop by to say hello, and to view a few of my most recent paintings. Burrows - noon Ambre McLean - 1:15pm Ancient Chinese Secret - 2:45pm Strawberry Apostles - 3:

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-25593297977273087102007-07-07T22:32:00.000-04:002007-07-07T22:25:55.506-04:00

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-66851952439719459922007-06-18T21:47:00.000-04:002007-06-18T21:46:35.596-04:00

A while back I found an unusual 'call to artists' via Instant Coffee's email list...the Dawson City Arts Society was seeking volunteers to help them with their 'big picture' fundraising initiative. Interested artists who provided their address would be mailed a single plywood puzzle piece to decorate (according to the instructions provided) and return. Once all 400 pieces are completed, they'll

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17239132.post-15461309062130579372007-06-15T08:50:00.000-04:002007-06-15T08:50:45.566-04:00

...by Keri Smith. It's not very often that you get the go-ahead to make 'mistakes', but this gal is encouraging us to catalogue the whole process. Willy nilly. (Check out all these wacky people on Flickr, being reckless with their journals! I like this one, and this one, and this one, too.) Looks like far too much fun...I just may have to take her up on it.

Mary Calarcohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02792241540764842369mary@marycalarco.com