Spring Cleaning

The cherry blossoms by night are quite as beautiful as by day

Seoul is in full bloom and after such a crappy winter it's really uplifting.

The magnolia flower is something I've never seen in real life before ... just stunning!

This is one of the national flowers of Korea. It blooms in bunches along the sidewalks in many different shades of pink, purple, white and red. Love it!

More cherry blossoms! They're everywhere! They're everywhere!:)

The young'uns of the English Department Staff ... note I was the only one to make it to the top of the mountain. lol!

Brunch at the "Flying Pan" in Itaewon ... an almost real North American brunch:)

Andrews' inspired poetry party. It's always good to have equally nerdy friends.

Desert and coffee with Kami in Hongdae. this place was so sweet with its' 40,000 W coffee filters

The lovely Kami, enjoying a kiwi smoothie. Wish that girl lived in Korea! KAMI, I'm coming to Hong Kong before I go back to Canada!

Maybe it's the change in the weather? maybe it's a change in attitude? Maybe it's more possibilities presenting themselves to me, or rather that I am actually making bigger plans? What ever it is, Spring is here and it feels good.

In the tradition of Spring cleaning, this is the perfect time of year to really shake things up and make an effort to make positive changes in your life. I don't know why everyone thinks to make New Years resolutions? January is a very difficult month and no one feels inspired burried under a mountain of snow, dark weather and consumer debt. However, Spring is a good time to lighten up and cheer up, because that is what is reflected in the natural environment around you.

Now I realise that Seoul has its issues, but one thing that can be said is that they have made some great efforts to beautify this city with an abundance of flowers in every colour and description planted along every street. It has been so refreshing to see everything coming into bloom. very different from Canadian Spring, which is generally less colourful outside of private backyard spaces.

I feel as though now is a good time to make an effort to put the past behind me and to look towards a positive rest of my contract here and new more fulfilling experiences. I heard these lyrics in a song and they kind of sent a jolt through me:

"If I don't do this while I'm young, I'm sure it wont get done."

That got me thinking about the fact that I am no Spring chicken myself. My 26th birthday is in a month and a half and I feel as though I still have not done very much self exploration and adventure seeking. Now I can safely say that is because above all I am an extremely cautious person who does not like to take risks, but also because I have been trying to do the responsible thing by first hammering through all of my degrees on a tight budget and now trying to live on an even tighter budget while working here to make some headway into repaying my student loans.

But I am young, and youth is fleeting, and although it is very hard for me to do... verrrry hard, I am going to try to cut loose a bit more and take more advantage of being in South East Asia and having more adventures, even if it takes me another coupple years to get out of debt. If I keep telling myself that I will play after, then I will effectively have been spending all of my 20s working without playing, and well that's kind of backwards isn't it?... That's something to think about now isn't it?

So I ave been making more effort to be more involved with all things Korean and really think about what I want to do with my time here. I have been getting out with friends a bit more and also trying to be well informed about cool festivals and shows going on in the city. The trick for me is to make things happen, rather than just theorizing about them. That includes everything in my life from exercising, cooking and cleaning, to school and socializing. Too many theories, not enough action. But really, I gotta give myself a break here. It's not exactly like I've been sitting on my ass since I got here. But maybe not running around quite enough either... It's positively exhausting to have such high standards for yourself. Time to get the jogging shoes on and leave the winter coat in the closet I think.

After the show

The Vernissage by all accounts was a big success. Many people attended and some work was sold and most importantly of all, it all went down without a hitch. I had invited many people, but what with it being on a Wednesday evening, the turnout was not as spectacular as would have hoped it might be. I can't say I felt like the most popular person in the world, although I did get a lot of well wishes from people that couldn't be there. My friends Silvia and Andrew came to show their support and I'm glad not to have had to socialize with strangers all evening. I think after having been out of the art circuit for a while, I have lost a lot of my schmoozing abilities. I think I should make it a point to get out there and schmooze at art openings more often.... it's good practice, and you never know, I just might meet someone of interest.

There was performance art going on throughout the evening and I did make a coupple new aquaintances. The biggest compliment of the evening was being approached by someone who was interested in purchasing one of my paintings. It did not end up coming to fruition, but the interest was really confidence boosting none the less. The show is on until the 17th of the month, so there is still time and a chance that someone will want to purchase my paintings, but if not, at least I have had work on display in the "Jay Gallery" www.jaypia.com

My friend Sarah (a fellow artist whose critical opinion I trust) said that she thought my works really stood out in the show. She thought they were very professionally presented and frsh and original in their technique. I take that as a big compliment, because she went to a big art school in Liverpool and has a pretty good knowledge about the contemporary art scene.

I have decided to start just doing small abstract paintings. I have to get practicing with just having fun and going for it and size and time art two big dissuasions to sitting down and working for me. So the solution is small works with no real definitive theme in mind.

The expat web base magazing "Groove Korea" wrote a pretty good review about the show. Check it out at the following link: www.seoulstyle.com/culture.php?aid=0000000092

Spring is coming to Seoul, and that has really motivated me to try and get my life on track. I would say that my batteries are about 60% recharged after arriving here pretty much on empty. I am looking forward to exploring Seoul and the rest of South Korea this Spring and Summer with a newly restored interest in the Country and the culture. I want to start doing weekend trips to different temple all over the country (starting with the douzain or so in and near Seoul) I also want to see all of the tourist attractions that I haven't been to see yet as well as the museums and cultural centers that come highly recommended. I have to embrace and push a positive, optimistic, proactive attitude towards the rest of my time here in my life in and outside of work. I also have to start taking my health seriously because it's getting out of hand. How is it even possible that one can get sooooooooooooooooooooo out of shape in 1 year!!!???? New mission, kick my butt back into shape! Here's hoping that i can do it and keep smiling :)

The paintings are done, now comes the set up

Learning How to Chant, Acrylic on Canvas, 45 X 52cm, 2010

Learning How to Meditate, Acrylic on Canvas, 45 X 52cm, 2010

So I may not have the most fabulous and exciting life exactly, but I do feel as though I am putting this year to good use in a professional sense. I hoped, but I never imagined that I would have landed 2 gallery shows and one festival exhibition by 2/3 of the way through my year here. I feel really proud and happy that I am proving myself as a professional artist right now. Of course, this is still a group exhibition and I am not doing nearly enough work or getting enough exposure to really call myself a professional, but the point is that I AM working and I AM getting into exhibitions. Period. And more important or most important is that I am getting international exhibitions on my artist CV. This is the kind of experience I need to set me apart in the job market back in Canada and also to boost my confidence as an artist and a scholar.

I have to admit that I have been having some doubts of myself as an artist lately. I am really not prolific in any sense of the world. Is it a question of habit ?( I am not in the habit of making art for myself, or not for school or some greater purpose). Or is it a question of it just not being my passion and something I want to really work at? These last paintings that I've done have met with a lot of positive feedback from my friends and family but also from school mates who have voiced that they think this is a step forward for me... but they certainly didn't come easily. I guess it's not the style of paiting that I identify myself with. But if we're not challenging ourselves with difficult work are we able to grow as artists? Have I been playing it safe for the past years and just doing something that comes easily to me rather than pushing myself to grow as a painter and an artist? These are difficult questions, but I guess now is the time to answer them. Maybe it's time to go nutz and do everything I was not doing technically before to switch things up and force myself to find another direction with my artwork.

Tomorrow I am going to Jay Gallery to set up my work after school. I have really pulled everthing together and this is the last thing that i have to do before the work is finished. I spent all day Saturday searching for the perfect Buddhist prayer beads and mok-tok (chanting instrument) in Insadong. I went to the Jay Gallery first to reserve some materials for the show and pick up the exhibition catalogues. then I asked Jay were I could find white gloves and he dicided to help me by taking me to the shop himself... helpful man! He then showed me this fabulous street that runs parallel to the main tourist/ Gallery street in Insa-dong except that this street is full of Budhist shops! It is also home to Jogyesa Temple (the base of Korean Zen Buddhism... kind of like their White house. lol!) At the end of the day i left with my beads, my mok-tok, a new insense burner, a book on Korean Zen temple history, white gloves, the show catalogues and a sense of having accomplished a LOT.
Sunday I spent the entire day finishing my paintings (between sleeping in and several extended breaks.) And now, I have just finished varnishing, painting my edges and getting everything ready and packed up to take to the Gallery tomorrow after work. yee haw!

On an unrelated note, I have been having many words with my school about their utter incompetence with the whole apartment situation. To be honest, it would be nice to move, but I'm not sure how much longer I can live with the constant unbalancing instability of never knowing when or if you are going to be moving.... It has really thrown me for a loop the past coupple of months and not in a good way. I finally demanded a conference with my school and was like look, I don't think this is going to happen. So in the best interest of everyone involved, let's just freeking throw in the towel, call it a day and you can hire me professional mold cleaners instead. I can't say I'm thrilled, but at least the warmer weather is coming and I can always stay out walking around at night or crash at peoples houses a bit easier.... eugh! I have to start working harder to be social or I am going to be without parties and peoples this summer. For now though, I am feeling somewhat optimistic..... maybe it's the varnish fumes?... haha