Patti Friday

Saturday, January 7, 2023

Canadian Artist Michael Snow of The Audience Sky Dome Rogers Centre, Flight Stop Eaton Centre and Walking Women Expo 67 Dead at 94

Today I learned of the death of Michael Snow.

I was making my coffee,

as I do at 5 a.m. every morning,

and CBC shared the news:

'Avant-garde Canadian Artist Dead at 94'.

"Artist?" I said out loud.

I flipped the coffeepot on.

Plopped into my chair and opened my laptop.

Who the hell is Michael Snow?

Why didn't I know his name?

Why hadn't I paid attention?

And then I saw.

Oh my goodness.

My entire creative life had been

touched by his art.

The memories of witnessing his talent.

Imprinted inside me.

His work inspired and informed my artist soul.

First when I attended Expo '67 in Montreal

as a young girl.

I remember his 'Walking Women'.

I recall the fuss and the lineup to see it.

I had no idea who the Artist was.

Then as a teenager in the 1970s

hanging out at the Eaton Centre

in Toronto, day after day after day.

(skipping school sorry Mom & Dad)

Walking through the door to the expansive, soaring

ceiling; taking a deep breath while looking up

in awe at the flock of Canadian Geese.

I marveled. They were magical.

I had no idea who the Artist was.

If you have ever been to the Rogers Centre

(Sky Dome as it was know when it opened in 1989)

you know 'The Audience'.

The gold people reaching out of the building.

A shining, fun sculpture.

I had no idea who the Artist was.

Did it really matter that I didn't know his name?

Does the name count if the art still touches us?

Everyone knows 'Picasso'

but not necessarily his art.

Everyone knows 'Annie Leibovitz'

and probably many of her photographs.

But if we ask the average Canadian

who Michael Snow is,

they may ask

'Was he related to Jon Snow

in Game of Thrones?'

I feel sad that I didn't know his name.

That I didn't have enough respect to learn his name.

I wonder why I wasn't taught his name in school.

Curious why my parents didn't share his name.

Perhaps it didn't matter to them.

Irrelevant perhaps?

They loved his artworks too.

This I know to be true.

Why didn't I pay attention

and seek out his name?

If Michael had unveiled

all of his masterpieces today,

I most definitely would

know his name because I would

ferociously read everything

I could about him.

Which makes me wonder,

when did I become a hungry researcher?

A lot later than I should have.

Rest in Peace

Michael.

I wish I knew you.

I wish I could have spent time with you.

I wish we could have gone on

a photoshoot together!

I now know who you are and I promise

to share your name and legacy

with everyone.

"Michael Snow"

The Audience – by Michael Snow is a collection of larger-than-life depictions of fans above the northeast and northwest entrances. Painted gold, the sculptures show fans in various acts of celebration.

Michael James Aleck Snow CC RCA (December 10, 1928 – January 5, 2023) was a Canadian artist who worked in a range of media including film, installation, sculpture, photography, and music. His best-known films are Wavelength (1967) and La Région Centrale (1971), with the former regarded as a milestone in avant-garde cinema.

In 1979, Mr. Snow created “Flight Stop” for the atrium of the Eaton Centre, a multilevel mall in Toronto. The piece consisted of 60 life-size Canada geese fashioned from fiberglass and suspended from the top of the atrium, frozen in flight.Credit...

Dick Loek/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Michael Snow was a Toronto born artist known internationally as a painter, sculptor, filmmaker, musician and author. He died on Jan. 5, 2023 at the age of 94.

“Michael Snow was undoubtedly the most influential postwar Canadian artist,” said Adelina Vlas, head of curatorial affairs at the Power Plant art gallery in Toronto.

Writing on the 2021 reprint of his 1975 book-artwork Cover to Cover, Snow was described in ArtReview as ‘a rare beast: a structuralist with a sense of humour, a filmmaker who recognised that tinkering around with the limitations of the medium was also a way to rewire our sense of everyday perception – using art as a means to capture and crystallise the whatthefuckness of strolling around with a thinking, feeling body.’

"Fish Story"

Photos on acrylic

"Flash"

Photograph

Obituary New York Times

Obituary The Globe and Mail

Awards	Officer, Order of Canada 1981 Companion, Order of Canada 1997 Chevalier d'ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France 1995 Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts 2000 Honorary Doctorate, Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne 2004 Honorary Doctorate, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi 2016

Watch the short film about Michael Snow in the tweet below:

Canadian artist Michael Snow has died. This 1970 profile from CBC's biography series Telescope illustrates Snow's trip to represent Canada on the international stage. https://t.co/rYgUONlN8x
— CBC Archives (@cbc_archives) January 6, 2023

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Pink Pound Cake for New Year's Day

First cake of 2023! A store bought pound cake messily slathered with pink buttercream! Of course little guests love sprinkles so they were graced upon the thick frosting too.

I swear. A sparkler elevates every baked good.

Have a bright and delicious New Year! Thank you for being here for all the things popping out of the oven or cake box.

Peace Love Create Art Gather and Cake,

Patti xo

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

White Christmas Holiday Movie Cake Goof

White Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday film. I’ve watched it every year for many years. The movie was released in 1954 and I believe it can stand up against any new movie; Hallmark or otherwise, as one of the greatest.

In filmmaking, a goof is a mistake made during film production that finds its way into the final released picture. Depending upon the film and the actual scene, the goof may have different effects: a loss in realism, an annoyance, or it could just be funny. It is often a type of continuity error. Goofs are also known as "bloopers" or "mistakes".

Though I have enjoyed White Christmas over and over and over again, I’ve never noticed this ‘goof’. It’s about the cake at the end of the movie. (The tearjerker part!)

Learn about the 'goof'!

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

A Slice of Log Cake

Life’s a slice. It’s been a slice. Slice of life. They dined on mince, and slices of quince. The best thing since sliced bread. Any way you slice it, it’s a slice of cake. But not just any cake. It’s a ‘slice of a log’ cake! Read more here.

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Lucky Red and White Amanita Muscaria ( Fly Agaric ) Mushroom Christmas Heirloom Decorations Crafted with Paper Clay

I have always wanted to make each of my four children and their family a very special heirloom Christmas decoration that they would hang on their tree each year. I finally completed my LUCKY mushrooms! If you hang a mushroom on your tree, it will bring you luck and prosperity for the new year! I hope they cherish these!

Have you seen my NEW 'LUCKY' book?

A festive BOOK for kids of all ages!

Available NOW here.

These mushrooms were created using Paper Clay, acrylic paint and gloss varnish - plus a little eye hook on the top tucked in with white glue. Satin gold ribbon. This project took about a week start to finish for drying time and fiddling with them. I only made 4 and as much as I'd love to, I'm not making any more to gift or sell. It truly is a wonderful family & friend activity.

Happy Holidays and Happy Crafting!

"You’re probably familiar with the Christmas pickle tradition: On Christmas Eve, someone hides a pickle ornament on the tree. Whoever is the first to find it is believed to either receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas in the morning (if a child finds it) or have good luck for the coming year (if an adult finds it). But it turns out pickles aren’t the only accessories that bring good fortune: The Christmas mushroom may have equally positive powers. Curious? We were, too!"

- Taste of Home

"Known in German as glücklicher pilz or gluckspilz (which literally means “lucky mushroom”), the red-and-white speckled fungi grow deep in the forest. Its real name is Amanita muscaria or fly agaric, and finding one is thought to be a sign of good luck, similar to the way the Irish view four-leaf clovers. That’s because the roots of this specific mushroom can only grow in the root zones of certain types of trees, which happen to be those we generally think of as Christmas trees."

- Taste of Home

Find Here

It's Latke Season and Alison Roman Has a Recipe for Us

Way back in 2017 I published an article called:

The Best Potato Latkes Recipe Variations

The post has many recipes to choose from, but Alison Roman's recipe and video (below) are simply scrumptious! Hanukkah is in a few weeks and I'm hoping all these ideas will kickstart your planning!

Let me know what recipe you selected OR if you have a tried-and-true family recipe that you always use! pattifriday@hotmail.com

Yum!