The Film and the Faroes From September 4 - 6, 2024, I attended the 1st Islands Water Congress in the Faroe Islands. I went as a graduate student (as I am attending the University of Prince Edward Island). My video, “Water, water, everywhere” was part of a collaboration with Dr. Laurie Brinklow and Ryan Elliot Drew (both Professors at UPEI) and was shown as part of the closing ceremony at a fabulous multi-purpose venue called Nordic House. The scenery in the Faroe Islands is i

I am One of the Artists of Crow County In 2017, Dr, Kara Smith launched a book of poetry entitled The Artists of Crow County, the result of her time spent at the Chatham-Kent Cultural Centre (CCC) as the Writer-in-Residence in 2015-2016. "Poets and artists create through the same archaeological process of brushing off, scraping back, and building up deep-rooted experiences so that we may see our home and ourselves in unique ways. The Artists of Crow County passes through the

Salutation Cove, Prince Edward Island - September 2023 It's January, 2024. A new year and a fresh page! COVID made me rethink a LOT of things, including my scholastic endeavours. I had always wanted to do a Master's Degree but the timing wasn't right. And then, I realized over COVID, the timing WAS right. I'm now a Master's student at the University of Prince Edward Island in Island Studies. From the UPEI website: The Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) at the University

After years of talking about it, a friend and I went to the Outsider Art Fair in New York City in early March. It was my first visit to the fair and my third visit to NYC. Loved the show, loved the city (again). Went back to the show for two days straight just to make sure I had absorbed all the content. Here are a few shots: My new favourite artist is Della Wells. The piece above is Souls Bloom in this Garden (2022). The environments she creates for her self portraits are ri

Blood Ties My friend Mike Ondrovcik (we call ourselves The Art Hoodlums) and I have been talking about a collaboration for YEARS. Over COVID, it became apparent in our conversations and texts that family and connection meant a lot to us. As soon as restrictions would allow, we finally had an exhibition, together, at ARTspace. Here's the curatorial essay I wrote. Family. Relationship status: It’s complicated. Just ask Jan Brady of The Brady Bunch or Michael Jackson of The Jack

Well, I guess I should count myself among more famous artists. You know, the ones who have their work copied or used in unauthorized promotions. I should be flattered because Storenvy used one of the best collages I ever did, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills". But I wasn't consulted. I found it by accident. I make a point of Googling myself every few months and this is what I discovered. I contacted Storenvy but wasn't very successful in having the image removed. Apparen

Fun shots from the Art Lair. Over the past year, these were posted on Facebook as my way to cope with COVID. Each had a silly little caption. But I like them as they are.

The Remix Collective, of which I am a part, recently closed their online exhibition at Galerie Colline at the University of New Brunswick. We were very pleased with the interest generated and are planning to take our travelling exhibition to the West Coast. For the full write-up (in English and French), click here. screen shot of me in my Art Lair I've had my second COVID shot. And now it is almost summer. For the second year in a row, I will be travelling to an artist's resi

Me with my cool COVID mask Most people I know can agree that the last 12 months have been surreal. Yeah, COVID. I stayed home, made art, binge-watched Netflix, ate too much, and felt isolated. I WAS able to attend a week-long Artist's Retreat on Manitoulin Island in August, which really recharged my battery. I never noticed how many colourful mushrooms grow in the forest. Most of the photos taken this summer were either of flowers in the garden or mushrooms from Manitoulin, w

Travelling is one of the things that keeps me sane. And so does art. Combining the two makes me very happy. In November, I went to a place I never thought I'd go to. And I saw an exhibition that exceeded my expectations. Lost Vegas, Tim Burton's exhibition at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, was an amazing exhibition held in a crazy town! Nestled amidst the fantastic old signs in the neon 'boneyard' were Tim Burton's figures from his various movies. It was so much fun to walk ar

Soothing My Soul in Prince Edward Island I spent a glorious (almost) two weeks in Prince Edward Island, home to some childhood memories, and where most of relatives live. I stayed with my cousin Sue in Kelly's Cross. I was on a mission: recover from a near-meltdown triggered by the death of my cat, and do some genealogy. In late June, my Outsider Art/Art Singular group, Remix Collective, mounted an exhibition at the Thames Art Gallery. "We Come in Pieces" was a lot of work br

I am part of the Remix Collective, a group of Canadian artists who are dedicated to educating the public about Outsider Art. We are having an exhibition at the Thames Art Gallery, and we are thrilled! Our exhibition opens on July 12th, but the actual celebration happens on July 26th as part of ARTcrawl. Remix Collective is: Karine Gibouleau, Montreal Claude Bolduc, Montreal Terry Graff, New Brunswick Norman Barney, Petrolia, ON Laurie Langford, Chatham, ON Thanks to the Ontar

Rockefeller Square skating at night Barbies work the floor at FAO Schwartz. I bought an Iris Apfel Barbie. Inside the giant M&Ms store near Times Square Times Square. Insane. Best cheesecake in the world. Our hotel. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio lived there. Briefly. Museum of Natural History. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Largest Anglican Church in the World! Cathedral ornamentation. Inside the cathedral, an exhibition entitled "Sanctuary". Over the altar, E

Booby Trap, 2019 Assemblage on vintage game board. Dangly sass = vintage brass dog tags, beads, dice. This is one of my submissions for the Zip Code Show at the Leamington Arts Centre. Zip Code is curated this year by my friend, Mike Ondrovcik.

Mother, 2018. 8"w x 10"h Run Away, 2018. 8"w x 10"h Speechless, 2018. 8"w x 10"h I made these three collages last month. They were quick, and they were fun. I tried not to think too much. Trying not to think too much is usually my biggest challenge. When I was done making The Gods of Rock, I had a lot of bits of paper left over. And they were cool bits of paper, most of them from the 1880s book of religious etchings from which I cut the heads of Jesus. I decided to do a few q

Viewers admire Gods of Rock at Eye for Art 2018, Thames Art Gallery "Eye for Art 2018" brought together an inspiring collection of artwork from Chatham-Kent artists. Congratulations to Becky Fixter, Tracy Bultje, and Lydia Burggraaf for winning the Awards of Excellence. "Eye for Art 2018" media coverage here. I was pleased to be a part of this exhibition. I got my 'art start' at Eye for Art 2006, which gave me the validation I needed to continue making artwork. Above is my co

The above picture is giving me flashbacks of how I felt after the annual family dinner yesterday... but I digress. The Thames Art Gallery is having its annual Winter ARTcrawl on January 15, 2011 starting at 6pm. Once again, I have been entrusted to create the ceremonial baton that leads the masses down King Street from ARTspace to the William Street Cafe to the Thames Art Gallery. The theme this year is the Surreal- we are celebrating the life and times of Yves Tanguy, who d

Laurie's Festive "Go Away" Gingerbread House Recently, I decided to attend an adult gingerbread workshop with my friend Phyllis. Brilliant concept, really... pre-cut gingerbread slabs, 20 bowls of candy for decorating, a well-stocked bar, and no kids. I had a glass of red wine to assist with my creativity. The evening began rather innocently. I followed the usual procedure: lay out the gingerbread slabs, use white icing to glue the slabs together, lick your fingers, hold sla

This is a photo of Muffy, looking at the world from a different angle. I think everyone should do this every now and again. Well, I WAS scheduled for a solo exhibition at ARTspace in 2011. Due to technical difficulties (a chronically sore paw and a matching sucky attitude), I decided not to proceed. I did three shadowboxes in my Saints Series (see below) as part of the exhibition, and then I hit the wall. And it was not for lack of ideas- oh, I had a myriad of possibilities l

Reckless Abandon at the Disco This is me (and my son Chaz) enjoying a moment of Reckless Abandon at a disco party at the Thames Art Gallery. No cares, no worries. I think at this moment I was realizing that, despite being into punk rock throughout high school, I knew all the words to a K.C. & The Sunshine Band song. AND I DIDN'T CARE. A bohemian moment, if you will. Throwing caution to the wind. Gettin' down with my bad self. Just lettin' it ride. Pre-Show Freak Out! And no