Index ~ Back ~ Next

~ Marks of Perception Art School ~ 69 Olive Gallery
~ Paintings ~ Sculpture ~ Collage ~ 52 Ladies for Tea ~  Books ~ Future Events ~ Press ~       

~ Friends ~ C/V ~

BLOG

Feel like responding? Write: wilesweb@gmail.com & maybe we'll post your comments

3:41 PM Tuesday, March 2, 2010

It occurs to me that it is probably not a coincidence that I've begun asking myself these questions, this week,  about the necessity of "The Great Father as I have been invited and will be installing an exhibit in a Church, a Unitarian Church, lucky for me, or they'd kick me out on my butt for writing what I wrote yesterday!

9:47 AM Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Post post feminism? Why do western women continue to capitulate to a male God/ The Great Father?

Why do so few women chose to be autonomous? Is it because they still feel the need to have the protection of "The Great Father"? Do women still need the protection of "The Great Father"? If so why? And why is it that any man may walk into the role of "The Great Father"?

Turns out that I find people who have ideas of their own, who are free thinkers, and who are individuated to be very interesting, and this is regardless of formal education, in fact formal education can inhibit free thinking. I have a particular difficulty understanding the motivation of the western womens' identification with male culture. In a situation where she can be free, she instead chooses to follow the lead of the male, any male, rather than pick up a machete and cut her own path. Early in my life, I thought that these poor women needed rescuing, that they couldn't stand on their own two feet, poor things, now I know that it is their own choice.

Their choice irks me as I feel that they are perpetuating the traditional roles of women, perpetuating the woman as domestic slave paradigm. I also find it embarrassing, from a cultural point of view, that women in a situation of relative 'privilege', and 'freedom' chose slavery / being kept as a pet,  over individuation, and the exercise of free will. Why do they continue to do what they are told rather than to think for themselves?

But we all know the argument ... choosing to be kept, is an exercise of free will.

Then when it gets down to it, it's not the choices of others that irk me (because they reap their harvests) as much as it continues to perpetuate the idea that choosing  to want to be kept as a pet, or play out these other stereotypical narrow roles that women traditionally play is the norm.  A norm which women are to assimilate to if they are to reap the benefits of living in society.

Perhaps I am railing here against the notion that biology is destiny, but hell, I don't really believe it has to be. I mean biology certainly determines out fate, in that we are born and we die, but what happens while we are alive certainly we have some hand in, no?

10:02 AM Monday, March 1, 2010 What is there is no "Great Father" , No God, No Christ, No Buddah, No Allah, No Jehovah? What if all that faith and belief that the believers carry is the fetish itself, perhaps belief and faith themselves generate the emotions necessary to help the believers get thorough their days, their lives, or crisis. What if belief in the "Great Father" really is an opiate? What if we all have everything we need inside of us? "Dropping Ashes on the Buddah".

2:40 Thursday, December 3, 2009

Riding the headwind returning from errands downtown. Am famished, have rice with chicken broth heating up. Excited about our trip to Mexico. We leave on the 15th. It's a joy to have a housemate who will take care of things when we are away. Look forward to painting after Mexico, that place sets me to dreaming. Until the 15th, it's work, events & preparations.

2:47 Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Just returned from Kensington Market. I went there to pick up some tomatillos and other ingredients for salsa with the aim of making taco pie for dinner. After shopping I was famished, so went to BF Burrito. I've been hearing about their "amazing" burritos for years. I'd give the one I had a 5/10. And remind myself to not eat food in restaurants that I can cook really well myself. My burrito kicks BF Burittos butt!

8:20 still Sunday

So for a sick person I managed to get lots done today, groceries, laundry, cleaned house, made lunch, email, facebook ...but who counts the online stuff, I think we should. So after doing all that I decided to take it easy for the rest of the day as I am sick after all. Onto the sofa I go with the hot water bottle, essential oil of eucalyptus (which I occasionally put drops of into the wax of a burning candle) and my computer, well it's my desktop across the room, I've an 18" flat screen monitor, which does the trick (though 24 wouldn't hurt). And what to watch, well I've been watching anything I want, gone are the days where we are captive of programming. Julian P. told me about P. Free TV & freed me from not only watching television but also from downloading (not that I ever did that but let's admit, it's  just too damn slow). So because I'm on free tv so far today I watched: an episode of the Simpsons S16#13, in which Homer is attacked by spiders, an episode of Boston Legal, Glee, The Office (UK) and now, since I'm bored of TV am watching a movie titled, ironically,  Pirate Radio. Choosing programming for oneself from so much that is available is really really fun. It's great to be able to discover new programs at a clic of a button and watch as many episodes as you like, for free. Of course I do hope that somehow all this gets sorted out so that everyone gets paid. In the past couple of years I got into watching series, HBO series mainly, most recently Curb Your Enthusiasm, which I love. Since I've been sick I checked out Cougarland which I find entertaining, mainly because of the relationship between the lead divorced couple ... the A type real estate dealer wife and the loser goofy golf pro ex husband. But hands down new favorite is Glee. It's excellent. I'm waiting on new seasons for a few things: True Blood, The United States of Tara, Big Love, and Breaking Bad. I'm up to date with Dexter ,  Curb Your Enthusiasm, & Criminal Minds (my favorite cop show). I watched the first season (or was it two) of The Wire but stopped watching it when the writers killed off the barely teen aged kid who was acting guardian for a bunch of younger / little apparently orphaned children. That writing seemed unnecessarily brutal to me , so I took it to be coming from a sadistic place. To depressing to watch. Just so you don't think I'm too much of a slouch, I'm reading a couple of books too, just finished A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel (library copy) for my book club, and started reading a parenting book titled Positive Discipline for Teenagers by Lynn Lott, & Stephen Glenn. Alright I am sneezing up a storm, I'd better go and hit the tissue box.

Sunday November 15th, 2009 9:25AM

This morning the head cold is still going strong. Linda M recommended a Netti pot which I purchased  and am using, it offers great relief. I just went through my regular morning routine: bathroom, gather laundry, open the curtains, let the cats out, two went out and one came straight back in. Inca wanders over to D house every morning, where she get a treat of some sort. It's warm for this time of year, at 8 degrees c. this morning, but it's damp, which Gingy doesn't like. I had to reschedule the shoot with Sebastein R & Barb D  tomorrow because I am sick. Brian B recommended it as he said I sound like Edith Prickly at the moment. I guess today is going to be another one of watching online tv from the sofa. Being sick is boring.

November 9th, 2009

With the help of Sue L. 11 children & I went on a Draw on the Go Adventure today at the Royal Winter Fair.

October 26th,2009 1:40PM

Once again my day has been swallowed up by domestic details. While my intent (last night) was to focus on preparing things for next term here at my art school, the morning presented it own agenda. Everything in its time. I rode my bicycle down to  Bloor Street to go to the bank, and decided, while there to finally pick up an answering machine, which I finally found new for only $14., which I found surprisingly inexpensive. I have a home phone with bell and the bill seems to crawl higher and higher every year. I have extras on it and the one that I can get rid of is the answering service. When I signed up for it there was a charge of $5. mt. now it's 8.95, which I find absurd. So I found an answering machine brought it home and set it up. Then called Bell to cancel the answering service. First the worker I spoke with tried to repackage me, then she said that it would take 30 days to remover the answering service form the phone. When I said, "No way, I want it off now, I am not paying for it for another second." She replied that I would then have to pay a "removal fee". "Hahaha I said, very funny, no, I am not paying a removal fee, and the service must be off my phone immediately." And there is was done, "It will be off your phone in 24 hours, she said, with no removal fee."  Now the thing is that Bell Canada seems to have in place, to insure delivery of their mandate,  instructions for their staff to squeeze  clients for their money when ever and wherever possible, but, Bell says, if the client balks, then give over. What I find most disturbing about this is that a large percentage of clients will submit to Bell and pay these indiscriminate, unnecessary, unethical charges. TO live in this society and deal with these multinationals one has to be prepared to fight, it seems crazy to me but it's true. Happily  today I've saved myself  $93.40 over the next year. Was it worth it?  Yes.

October 26th,2009 9:35 AM

 Lately I've decided to make a new list every Friday and try to knock everything off the list by the next Friday morning. I like to work with a list, mostly because I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when a task is complete. The completion of smaller tasks works toward the completion of larger ones so I have a good time rigging my own self fulfillment. However there are a couple of drawbacks with this list system (lisystem). Number one is that it can be overwhelming to be mastered by a list.  We  could say that I'm in control of what goes on the list, and that is true but  anything that makes it onto the list needs to be done, so in fact, I'm not totally in control of the list, this life I am leading, my circumstance has certain demands it places on me. I've got to keep up. Secondly is the timing. Sometimes there is a natural order, ie. one has to have at least newspaper and water if not windex and paper towels on hand to clean the storm windows. You know, most things in life demand some hunting or gathering to move on to the next step, money to pay bills ect. ect. But the other thing and one I find more difficult to get in the swing of is what I will call the timing of the universe. Often there are a couple of things on the list that I just can't seem to get to, even though I push to make the thing happen or to get it done, there seems to be some resistance, I'll have to continuously c/f (carry forward) the task for a couple of days or sometimes even weeks, and I don't know why this happens, then suddenly on day something happens, like a missing piece falls into place, and the task practically does itself.

October 18th,2009

Am working on the website and the house / studio today.During the week I'm  having fun teaching classes to brilliant young artists. As the weather gets cooler I'm think of my sabbatical in Mexico in December.

August 19th, 2009

I spent the summer in the studio painting like a dedicated painter and produced a series of portraits titled Masculinity. I was, and still am, curious about masculinity, particularly how individual men define their own to themselves. How the meaning / the face of masculinity shifts with changing contexts, and what it means to me. Masculinity has always remained somewhat of a mystery. Sure I am familiar with stereotypes about men and machismo, but what is the real man like? So far what I have discovered is that masculinity above all else is intensely individual, and as subjective as the individual man's face.

June 8th, 2009

Good ideas come and go so fast that they can pass by unattended. I hone my attention to catch them.

May 13th, 2009

Cameron House show was confirmed today for the (Masculinity) series exhibit. It'll run August 23rd - September 16th. Details TBA.

April 4th 2009

After spending the months of January through February painting so much I took a break in March and took care of all the other business I was stealing time form to paint 15 hours a day. Business like parenting, marketing, doing the taxes, and painting the kitchen. That stuff under way, and in some cases finished (in the way that really only annual taxes can be) I'm back to painting. I spent the day today working on an oil portrait I'd started in the early winter. Then I got into working on some other unfinished oil paintings and in a couple of cases think I may have finished them, that's always a surprise.

Yesterday Marcus and I moved my studio equipment back to my home studio from my winter studio (thank you to Marcus). So here I am working in oils again at home when the windows can be opened, it's spring. As well as finishing this portrait for a competition that I'm entering next month, I'm getting started on the (Masculinity) series. I've found a few subjects but am still looking for more. If being the subject of a portrait interests you, and you are male, drop me a line and I'll shoot you the details.

Ok I now need a walk, perhaps I'll go down to the video store, see what's on the shelves at 6:30 on Saturday night. I know as an artist I should be out in the cafe's drinking wine and laughing it up on a Saturday night, but somehow I feel I'd done my time, I'd rather just relax at home with a video after a long day of painting.

Monday March 30, 2009

It occurs to me that I am simply too busy to keep this blog up to date. Last night with the help of Marcus we took the show down from The Sublime Cafe in Kensington Market. As soon as possible I will put the images up on this site. Actually, I just remembered, a few of the pieces are already up  on this site, you can find them by going to the paintings page and then clicking 'sublime works' or you may clic this link to the page sublimeworks. After preparing for the Sublime show and painting for 2 months straight I've taken a little research and reconstruction break while I refocus and get going on the Masculine portrait series that will be shown at the Cameron House at the end of August through September 2009.

I'm looking for men who are interested in being subjects and working on this portrait series project with me. If you are interested please drop me a line ASAP.

Thursday January 15th, 2009

Ms. Littleton was over for tea & crumpets this morning. Before she came over she turned me onto the music of Gillian Walsh via a post on her Face book page http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=db_7Lr5Rb3Y .  Ms. Littleton & I have a lovely visit, she is a truly lovely woman,  has the heart of an artist and lover of music, all that and talent to boot.

Now I am listening to music, stretching a canvas, then will paint.

Wednesday January 14th, 2009

random thoughts...

Music revitalizes me as well as a nap.

I've learned something from every artist I've met.

January 13th, 2009

Working as an new immigrant in Toronto is this Pizza Pizza delivery Man...

A Pizza Pizza delivery man delivered the wrong pizza. It was paid for and he left. After he left, it was discovered that the wrong pizza had been delivered. A call was made and the teens were told that their order would be dropped off right away, and that they could keep the other (wrong) pizza as well for no charge (which was a good thing as they had already started eating it),

When the delivery man showed up with the correct pizza, I joined my teen at the door in conversation with the man. The delivery man was very upset and frustrated, he pleaded with us to pay for the second pizza, it's 1/2  hr. (or is it 45min.?) delivery or the pizza is free, but he pointed out that it was actually on time. He said that if we didn't pay for it that he would be fired from his job. He was so flustered that he'd forgotten that we'd paid for the first one. My teen was understanding that he wanted us to pay for the second one as well. He calmed down a bit after I reminded him that we'd paid for the first one. But he did complain that there was so much snow on our street that he was having problems driving. This leading us back to Pizza Pizza 1/2 hour delivery policy that was also stressing him out.

Does Pizza Pizza actually fire their drivers / delivery workers if they 'fail' to get the pizza on time? I wouldn't be surprised, Delivering pizza is one of those restaurant jobs that people can do without having their papers worked out, good to get some work. And in a way it looks good on the company that they hire people who need jobs but don't have 'proper' papers.  However their is no legal protection for the workers in the workplace- such as the workers compensation board. It seems that Pizza Pizza might be well advised to lift their free pizza after 45 minutes, and stop stressing out the drivers.

Then again when I put on my cynical hat...maybe the company regularly threatens to fire all their drivers to keep them on their or they tell the drivers to tell the customers that if they don't get the pizzas paid for that they will get fired. Who knows what the real truth is.

January 11th, 2009

The primary reason that I self publish is that it is expedient.

January 5th, 2009

Ok it's the New Year and I'm saying "uncle, uncle!"

Staring with a keen eye into 2009 I realize that it's swim swim swim, create create create,  teach teach teach, basically do do do.

Marks of Perception, my art school is cruising along, with an offering of ten classes a week presently, and summer program development simmering on the back burner.

Also there are two exhibits lined up for my painting (one in March, one in September)  so time must and will be devoted to working on canvas.

All of this I love, I love to create, and do!

However I'm at the point where I can no longer do everything myself.  I need help!

Please consider this a call for volunteers.

There are a number of areas that I could use assistance with. I like to paint my own paintings so that's not available! However I can really use help in the 'office' with research, website management, copywriting, and program development. The suitable candidate would be someone in high school who requires volunteer credits, has an interest in the inner workings of the artists' career, and who can be counted on to do what they say they are going to do, when they say they will do it!  or a University or Collage student who requires an apprenticeship in arts/design/ business  management. 

Also I am looking for an accountant and a housekeeper. If anyone would like to volunteer for those positions feel free!

If you are interested please email me at wilesweb@gmail.com ...soon!

December 1, 2008

So it's getting close to year end, and if you have visited the future events page you will already know that 69 Olive is hosting                                  Anarres Natural Health here on the 13th and also that there is a big Arts & crafts sale at the Zen Buddhist Temple later that same day (the auction begins at 7Pm).

I'm still here at 69 Olive teaching and painting as always. I recently finished a commission and am thrilled to be honored with the task of painting on a portrait of the Venerable Samu Sunim for the auction at the Zen Temple on the 13th. http://www.zenbuddhisttemple.org/  After that I will be working on two new series simultaneously.  I will be producing a series of portraits, and as well will produce paintings inspired by collages I have made in the past.

Marks of Perception, your neighborhood art school is still going strong. Presently there are openings in a few of the sk-gr. 8  after school classes and the daytime classes for jk/ sk are still wide open, as are the daytime adult classes (to see schedule clic here). The Friday Trial Class is still running (from 5-6 pm). It is for anyone who has children interested in checking out a class here and it is FREE, just let me know in advance that you will be coming to it. Also there are gift certificates available for 8 week sessions of classes.  Just write let me know if you would like one.  (wilesweb@gmail.com).

Tuesday November 24 / 08

Just finished painting a piece for a  commission of one of the collages, Free Bird, you may see it my going to my paintings page. I've been wanting to paint some of the collages for awhile, so this commission got me started, I feel a series coming on... 

Friday November 22 / 08

Blog piece on Forget the Spin this week, titled Single Parenting, Gender, Autonomy, & the Real Meaning of Pussy Whipped  check it out at http://www.forgetthespin.com/

Wednesday November 12th, 2008

Sio tipped me off last night to two artists who are also working with Yoni: James McCartney, sculptor, casting many vulvae.   And Heather Leach, filmmaker of The Perfect Vagina. You may check out her film and his wall of vag at

http://www.viceland.com/int/v15n10/htdocs/woman-documentary-vaginoplasty-144.php?source=mp

When you get down the page a bit there is a link that says "clic here to watch her documentary".

I highly recommend watching it. More later.

Saturday November 8th, 2008

Single parenting, gender, autonomy,  & the real meaning of pussy whipped

Being a single Mom is difficult labor intensive work. Single parenting demands that you think on your feet while multi – tasking past your point of endurance. Single women with no children cannot fathom what havoc single parenting reeks on one's autonomy.

Although some women chose to be single parents (I did), most don’t, their marriages break up and most often they unceremoniously  (& resentfully?) become a single Mom. Most single women imagine having a man in the picture, their future husband, and although they may imagine many things about who their husband will be, and how he will be, most women don’t imagine that he will just be gone, leaving them with the children.  Even though statistically this is what happens to the modern family more often than not, for some dysfunctional reasons we just can’t come to terms with the facts, so continue to delude ourselves with illusions of manicured perfection.  Even a whisper of the possibility of single parenting to a young single woman with her eye on the diamond may cause her to run to her bed and hide under the blankets, or at the very least she will cut her eyes at you to tell you that she knows your just jealous of her brilliant  youth and future.

Single men with no children never even bother to entertain the idea being a single parent in the future, the woman is a biological necessity, therefore they imagine her into the picture. When single men think of having children they never consider that it will require them to sacrifice any more of their autonomy than they have to sacrifice to be with a woman. And we know autonomy is not something that men like to sacrifice (and if they think of it at all, will consider it a birthright). The derogatory slang term “pussy whipped”,  generally slung by ignorant lazy irresponsible men at their opposites, is commonly meant to infer that a man is under the thumb of 'his woman' (the i.l.i. 's maintain the woman should be under the man's control). While in reality "pussy whipped"  connotes a man who privileges interpersonal relationships & community, prioritizing the inherent responsibilities of each, above his fight flight singular autonomy.

Monday November 3rd, 2008

Ok, busy. Just putting the studio back together after the Thinly Veiled. Moving around furniture, returning borrowed power cords, organizing the art supplies closet, & reorganizing the basement. Plus I finally have the new version of this website up, I made the decision to post it while I work on it, it'll be under construction for awhile. I've learned this year that some things take time to do, I used to try to finish a project off in a day. Building my own website completely broke me of this notion. It's a more relaxed way to work anyway.

Wednesday September17, 2008.

It's been awhile, we'll I've been busy. At any rate if you check press & upcoming events on this site you'll find that I've a show coming up opening on Sept. 27, from 2-8 PM. All welcome, bring your checkbook,  hallelujah!

Regarding blogging I was invited by artist & writer Natasha Lukanovich to write for her blog  of Forget the Spin.  When I write a piece I send it, accompanied by a visual piece to her and she posts it.  You are welcome to check it out at http://forgetthespin.com . She posts new stuff weekly, it's up on Fridays. Cheers.

Thursday March 27, 2008

Well the 52 Ladies arrived in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia without a hitch, and so did I.  The opening was fantastic, we were well received. There were interesting questions asked during the artist talk and the Ladies received some press in the Chronicle Herald, Nova Scotia's main newspaper. Now I await the return of the Ladies to Toronto and am looking forward to reading new comments from the audience in the big book that accompanies the show.

Monday February 11, 2008

Looking forward to the show in Annapolis Royal.                                                                     

Also while I am there some of my work will be part of an exhibit here in Toronto. John Romano has started an auction house. The first exhibit and auction will take upstairs at the Bloor cinema. My work will be installed on the 18th of February along with the work of others artists, and is being exhibited as precursor to a March 8th auction also at the Bloor Cinema.

Monday August 27th, 2007

Lots going on. Marks of Perception fall/ winter sessions start in the first week of September.

In October I will be hosting an exhibit of the new visual work of Jim Christy.

Friday May 25th, 2007

I need a nap. Make that a vacation. Sleeplessness... menopause. Yawn.

Macleans has posted the article online:

see it at http://www.macleans.ca/culture/media/article.jsp?content=20070521_105249_105249

Monday May 21, 2007

Happy birthday Buddha!

I've a 4x5' canvas stretched on a piece of 5x6'  3/4" plywood. I'm impatiently applying gesso with a 2" roller. Just went out and bothered a couple of neighbors asking if I could borrow a standard size one, to no avail. Looks like I might have to cough up a bit of dough and buy another one. I want to put on four coats of gesso and it'll take literally all day with the 2" roller. SO I'm off to the Hardware store momentarily. (.99 cents for 2 at the dollar store, though it fell apart when I tried to rinse it out)

The MacLean's which carries a feature about my work 52 Ladies for Tea, written by Julia McKinnell, is now on the news stands. The cover screams Black on Nixon. It is dated May 21st, 2007 and the feature appears on page 74. I'll post a link to it as soon as it is posted on MacLean's website. Till then you'll just have to run out an buy a copy ;) . To see the article you may clic Press which will take you to it here on my website. Thank you everybody involved in this whole endeavor, it's a process! 
 

The straight line is a poor way to fend off chaos. But the line does seem much more serious than the circle. The circle has a lot of personality, the straight line; not so much, one has to bend it to have a little fun.

I would like to install 52 Ladies and have Gordon Lightfoot's Canadian Railroad Trilogy looped playing in the gallery.

 Paul on painting... 
"I spent the entire day and night painting, when I paint I forget to use the washroom, but that doesn't matter much because I eat so little heee, heee, hee. The day and night goes by so fast ,It's somewhat different ,as an example suppose I start painting on a monday, well see what I mean, It's not Monday,It's Tuesday.I had this habit of licking my brushes clean ,then it occured to me ,could I get lead poison?Oh thank god a friend of mine reminded me that oil paint no longer is made with lead, but my mouth still gets greasy and the color, wait a minute ,colour, sorrry, heee heee heee,well anyway the colour is all in my mouth and even my best of all friends avoid me, heee, heee, heee."

www.myspace.com/cearbhaill

wilesdeb@gmail.com

Copyright © 2009 Deb Wiles