Opinions mean nothing if they are not substantiated

A harvest of glass pumpkins by Michael Trimpol of Little River Hotglass.  Michael is one of my trusted experts when it comes to glass technique.

This week has been a scattered week where I have been chipping away on a variety of projects and articles and not really finishing anything.  It is necessary.  The hardest thing I have learned to do as a writer is rewriting and revising.  It is easy to feel the push of new ideas and words and get them down on a screen or notebook.  Taking direction from an editor and reworking to suit a magazine or book's purpose is another thing all together.

My article for Studio magazine where I attempt to sacrifice the sacred cow (steer?) of Dale Chihuly is a good example.  I am contrasting the bluster of Chihuly against the quiet accomplishment of Canada's growing ranks of women glass artists.  It will be an important article for me because the tone is entirely different.  The fine balance for me is learning how to be irreverent in writing without being sarcastic.  It is also important to keep the information level up too.  Someone may completely disagree with my conclusions or evaluations of the artists and craftspeople involved but if my research is good, the facts solid, then the article will have enduring value for a larger pool of readers and future researchers.

More treasures from Little River Hotglass this time from the cover of Artful Home .

That's one reason why I made sure I talked with other experts in the field while I was in Montreal and subsequently back in Newfoundland.  So, far I have consulted with three other curators in two provinces and one glass artist in the States just to test my interpretations out before the magazine publishes them.  Opinions mean nothing if they are not substantiated.

It is also time for me to turn pages of notes into a review of Kailey Bryan's recent exhibition at The Rogue Gallery at Easter Edge.  It was clearly one of the strongest shows I've seen in this space and I'm thrilled that C magazine has agreed to take a review of it.  Bryan's work deals with the body as site and I've been chewing on that notion for a while now.  I don't want to betray my hand just yet and say too much…

Now if you know me at all, you know that if I say the word body the word tattoo is not far behind.  It looks like the tattoo project may have its first booking for 2015, which is exciting news.  But things are still being negotiated so I won't jinks that process.  On the topic of tattoos and perception (which is relevant to reviews) I will share something I discovered in En Route magazine.  It is an advertisement that shows Beckham in a tux with a status car and watch. If you look carefully, you can see his ink on the front of his hand.  This tickled me because it is an ample example (sorry couldn't resist) of how the tattoo has evolved into a status symbol.  It represents defiance and accomplishment on one's own terms.  "I've done it my way".  In loud terms.

When an individual's ink is visible from under a suit you know they don't care what you think about them.