A Visit to the Dentist

I finally made my yearly visit to my Toronto Dentist last week and surprisingly had a great conversation before all the dental work took place and was no longer able to talk.  I was intrigued with the amount of equipment and electronics in this place of business.  The continuous improvements in the world of electronics is incredible.  However, it made me think of the amount of power supply needed for such an office.  Sustainability is such a trend though these days.   It seems obvious as to why because of societies  such huge advancements, also comes the concern of long term maintenance of responsibility environmentally, economically and socially.   My dentist had everyday life to think about and the stress involved but also shared these concerns.   We casually discussed the idea of the use of more solar Panels for energy supply in such a building so that the carbon footprint would be decreased.  Not an easy project to take on, but not impossible either.   Believe it or not this conversation all began with the discussion of my art work and the small studio projects that I have been taking on.   My art projects are small, but every little green step can be seen as a move forward toward an increase in sustainability.

Salvaged Materials Lead to Creative Ideas

I purchased some small 8″x8″ Wood Panels that were on sale  to work on and wondered what I was going to do with them.  I really enjoyed the texture of the wood rather than the canvas.  I would run my fingers over the brown wooden surface and feel the shame of painting over such a natural forest product.   However, I took this guilt and decided to see where I could go with it.  My inner voice told me that the wood panels were not meant to be merely painted on with acrylic paint.   They were meant for much more, with more meaning and fun.  I rustled up all my salvaged materials taken from broken and discarded computers, eye glasses, printers, and other things.   The visual arrangement play with the huge assortment of objects on the panels began.   Some of the objects needed to be manipulated but two images of owls appeared.  One was no ordinary owl.  It was a WISE CYBER OWL sitting on it’s perch with arrow keypads for ears.   Two other 8″ x 8″ wood panels suggested whimsical old style images of bicycles with the backspace keypad.   A few more changes need to be made to the creations before they can be considered FINISHED and for display and sale.  

The View of the City from a Distance

I have  created a few various cityscapes including a larger version of Toronto currently hung and for sale in Cafe Uno in the Distillery District.   However, the panoramic wooden panels size 36″ x 12″ just seem perfect for small computer pieces and other objects I have discovered among the discarded.  I love process of using acrylics and the blending of the sky.    I have a bit of a series with these and have 3 more additions of these 36″ x 12″ Cyber Cityscapes.   I do not attempt at realism but play with the possibilities of a simple perfect futuristic quality.  What can I say I am bit of a dreamer.     The line at the bottom is beautiful glass mirror strip salvaged from an old printer that was found in the trash.  I like to believe it adds a reflective quality to the piece.  I am a reflective person and find it a great learning tool if I use it correctly.  I guess I was hoping this futuristic type of city would take a reflective stance as well for possible growth and sustainability.  Remaining diverse and productive over time.