Nuit Blanche: Toronto

Get ready for an art all-nighter, Toronto. This Saturday night (Sept. 30th - Oct. 1) three downtown districts will be home to 130+/- art happenings courtesy of the Nuit Blanche event. It's all free and the preparations look impressive. Way to go, gang. I think it's a great idea. Let's have more like it!

My big anticipation is the Three Stooges playing all night at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA). The video will be slowed down so I can sit back and watch all the goofing and slapping and head-clamping in glorious slowmo.

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Here's a belated Gallery Crawl Update from last week's adventures. Last night a nice young woman recommended I try to set my hand-held camera against a wall for low light/long exposure shots like the one above taken at Gallery 1313.

Dry Spell

It happens sometimes.

I just can't think of anything to write (other than this) at the moment. It's not depression. It's a lack of inspiration. No...connection with life right now. Art is life in my book.

Much of my life has been about putting things on hold for a better tomorrow. And then tomorrow is today and things are still on hold.

My enthusiasm is on trial. So, I think I'll take a small break from blogging for a while.

Aloha.

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Thanks to the angry ISP gods I'm back on-line!

It was a crazee weekend of art crawling. Check out the art action with this Gallery Crawl Update link!

Kevin Clarke for Mayor

When last we saw our intrepid hero, Kevin Clarke for Mayor, he was telling the crackheads across the street to "Get the hell out of Parkdale".

Here's some Clarke advertising material for his Mayor of Toronto bid.

Kevin baby seems to be pushing the love thing.

Best Gallery Crawl 'Show of the Night'. No jive.

'Big Boy' Contest

Ms. X is up to her old tricks with a link to this crazee 'Big Boy' on-line contest. Vote for your fave Big Boy entry. Maybe your favourite man/boy slob can get a $500 gift certificate.

I find the whole Big Boy thing quite David Lynchian. What's the rubber overalls for? You slaughtering livestock on the premises?

Wow. I just looked up the Lynch wiki and...

Lynch is a big fan of Bob's Big Boy restaurants, an Americana restaurant chain whose chief icon is a chubby cartoon male with a tray of dinner plates. Lynch has said that early on in his career he got a chocolate milkshake at one restaurant near his house almost every day for seven years in a row

Bizarro. Weird. Strange.

Here's another thought -- Big Boy is PEOPLE!!!

That's How You Bid

Being the art agent for a wealthy art collector may be confusing at times.

Recently deceased Canadian multi-billionare, Kenneth Thompson, had a system.

The Globe and Mail relates...

He and his advisers gave a number from 1 to 10 to a particular work, making it clear how adamantly his bidder should go after the piece....

I think that captures a lot of variables in the auction environment (from what I've seen on TV). The bidder adds value to the process from the acquired knowledge of past bidding history and collector feedback.

This information provides an interesting view into the relative nature of the secondary art market asset valuation by a serious, sophisticated collector. By using a scale of 1 to 10 to rate acquisition targets, I wonder if an effective financial 'bidding model' could be formulated to capture the decision of whether to 'bid' or 'pass'?

And then there's the tax question.

Me? I collect Cheeta paintings. Y'know, Tarzan's sidekick? For real, brah. Everybody's favourite sidekick is still painting after all these years. You gotta love those second showbiz careers.

Painting by Cheeta

$25 US is my 'buy and hold' recommendation for Cheeta paintings.

RIP : Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin

It is sad to report the death of famous conservationist, Steve Irwin. Irwin entertained and informed millions of people around the world with his enthusiasm and awe of the natural world.

BBC on-line reports...

Mr Irwin, 44, died after being struck in the chest by the stingray's barb while he was filming a documentary in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

In memorial...

A natural showman as well as a conservationist and zoo owner, Irwin was committed to educating people about wildlife.

He often did this by putting himself at great risk, confronting crocodiles, poisonous snakes and other dangerous beasts in their own environment. This fascinating television was often punctuated by his trademark yell of "Crikey!"

While his methods may have been questionable at times, Irwin's passion for conserving the natural environment was noble. Steve was the kind of guy you'd like to have a couple beers with.

Cheers, Steve!

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'The DJ Analysis' Bill Pocock, 2006

In this Gallery Crawl Weekly Update I feature a photo of a friend swinging through town on his way to the Amazon next day.

Here DJ skims an acquisition target's balance sheet between shows.