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__________________________________________________________________________________ March 3 2010 My beautiful grandmother turns 100 this year. Her short term memory has blinked out like a light, but she still remembers her childhood like it was yesterday. When I sit with her now, she reads me Swedish from the backs of ancient postcards, or tells me stories about family long gone, people I only know from faded brown photographs. Granny was feminist before the term existed. She had an IQ higher than genius, and a desire to do more with her life than just make babies - and she is a stubborn bird, so she did just that. She had a career before it was socially accepted for a woman to have one, spoke several languages and traveled the world with them, was a fierce intelllectual until the minute her memory gave way, and had the last of her three children when she was 40 - in 1950. She bucked every expectation of women of her era, and lived the life she wanted no matter who looked down their nose at her. When I look at this photograph, I see all the things she is all at once. Demure yet made of steel, beautiful, intelligent and ageless, älva and imp. She has given me more than I could ever thank her for, and though she sometimes needs reminding where she is these days, she's still sharp as a tack, witty and gruff, and I love her more than I could ever explain.
January 20 2009 Germany was enlightening in so many ways...
January 12 2009 Off to Germany today! Auf Wiedersehen! _____________________________________________________________________________ December 29 2009
Omotesando Hills, Tokyo 2009 _____________________________________________________________________________ December 29 2009 Just got back from Japan! Wow, what a trip... I'm jetlagged and exhausted and full of inspiration. I took over a thousand photographs and have already started work on a collection of Spring '10 / Swimwear textiles. Kawaii! Tokyo was so beautiful, and surprisingly peaceful for a city of 13 million people. It was easy to find total serenity, or absolute chaos, depending on your mood. I spent two nights in Kabukicho - Tokyo's "red light district" - with my beautiful friend Ben from Taipei, shopped till we dropped in Harajuku and Omotesando Hills, braved Hachiko Gate at Shibuya, navigated ten floors of trains at Tokyo Station, gained a new appreciation for udon in open-air izakayas, then visited my brother in picturesque Motoyoyogi-cho for a few days. Then it was off to Osaka on the bullet train, and from there took the Hankyu line to Kyoto and Nara. I fed the wild deer, watched a festival that dates back to the Black Plague, wandered through Gion, took pictures of Mt. Fuji, and saw the whale sharks at the aquarium. And at last, my brother married his sweetheart in a traditional Japanese ceremony! San San Kudo! Now it's home for a few minutes over the holidays, meeting my brand new 'nephew' Fionn (congrats Rae and Scott!!), then an eight-day trip to Germany in mid-January! I can't complain... Happy new year all!
Ben and I found inner peace and lattés at the Meiji Shrine
Kyoto, 2009
Kabukicho on a Saturday __________________________________________________________________________________ December 7 2009
Current inspiration includes death, and a photograph of Anton Newcombe playing guitar like a Pentacostal snake handler, with one half-open eye rolled back in his head... __________________________________________________________________________________ November 21 2009 A little psychedelic something for my old pal Chris...
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| November 08 2009
Last week I lost someone very important to me as an artist. My friend and influence, Chris Rogers, passed away unexpectedly at the too young age of 35. As a painter, his talent was unmatched, and his warmth, wonderful smile and joie de vivre I cherished. Even the briefest encounter with Chris left an indelible mark. His spark lit a flame in me as an artist and as a person, and losing him is a very sad event indeed. This afternoon, I walked along Queen St West and realised that it won't be the same without Chris. Everywhere I looked, I saw reflections of him - the galleries he showed at, the cafés and restaurants he spent time in; the very street itself is such an expression of his amazing, unique personality. Chris was vibrant, talented, kind, intelligent, fun, eclectic and a true joy to be around. I'm so grateful that I was lucky enough to know him these last 20 years. He'll be with me for the rest of my life in the music and art we both loved, his spirit a constant inspiration. If I could speak to him one more time, I would tell him that he changed my life and I loved him for it, and that I'd worried about him, but had faith he'd find his way. I'd tell him he was tops. Christopher Jordan Rogers, 1974 - 2009
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| April 18 2009
Once again, the last few months have been very, very productive & busy! We’re in the middle of packing up the studio in preparation for moving – the new studio is sunny and lemony-bright with a private balcony, and is bicycling distance from all the best things in the city, just in time for summer weather. Can’t wait to move in! Hopefully all the fun distractions of the neighbourhood don’t prove to be more tempting than work! And speaking of work, last February mine appeared at the renowned international fashion & textile trade show Premier Vision in Paris, and has been picked up by Stüssy, Sears, Juicy Couture Kids, Top Shop and a few others, thanks to my fabulous agent, so it seems the economic downturn hasn’t put too much of a dent on the textiles industry. Thank goodness people still need to wear clothes! Finally, next week Earth Day and Alternative Fashion Week converge in the Distillery District with a series of runway shows by Canadian designers committed to sustainability. My friend Anika Koslowski’s collection “Anika” begins at 7pm on the 22nd, in the Fermenting Cellar – which sounds awful, but if you know the Distillery District, it’s actually quite beautiful! Her collection features hemp silks, bamboo wools, organic cottons and cutting edge silhouettes for menswear and ladies – definitely worth checking out! Chat soon! __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| January 3 2009
Wow, the last three or four months have been incredibly busy! Preparing a Back to School collection of textiles, having some lovely bags made, working to launch a new eco-friendly business and getting picked up by a London-based agency have all kept me from getting this blog updated. The last half of 2008 was a whirlwind! The most exciting event of the year, hands-down, was my amazing agent facilitating the sale of my artwork to Calvin Klein - for which I couldn't be more grateful. Here's hoping that 2009 will bring much more of the same! I've also met some fabulous seamstresses over the last few months, and I'm hoping to finally get my online shop up and running. For now, though, my bags can be found exclusively at Hard Boiled inc. at 82 Nassau Street in Kensington Market. And while I don't have any major new artworks to show right now, I have added a few new doodles to the Illustration section of this site. I've also been producing posters and other merchandise for the band picturesound, as well as their friend Che Dubois. You can find some of the posters at www.gigposters.com. Finally, much love and congratulations to my little sister, who got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, drag racer Grant Klohn, on Christmas day! And here's to all of you, thanks for an amazing 2008, and looking forward to a great 2009! __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| August 31 2008
My grandparents have always played a huge role in my imaginary world. Maybe it’s my grandmother’s Swedish heritage with all its elves and trolls, or maybe it's that they lived in a fairy-tale of rose hips, poppies, tiger lilies, arbutus and holly, and were friendly with the tree frogs, but there was always something mischievous and magical about them. When I was little, they looked like Santa and Mrs. Claus – she with a braid wrapped round her head and him with rosy cheeks and white beard. My grandmother would leave long silver threads of hair in the branches outside her window – a gift for the birds’ nests. We’d find these same threads knit into our winter sweaters when we were kids. My head has been filled with twigs and berries from their garden since I was very small. My grandfather passed away recently, and last month I finally got the chance to visit his resting place, at St. Peter’s Quamichan - one of the oldest cemeteries on Vancouver Island, and much like a fairy tale in itself. It was a beautiful day, quiet as can be, with dappled sunlight glittering all over the grass. As soon as we stepped into the yard, a huge brown owl silently swooped across our path and landed close by, its head swiveled towards us inquisitively. It was a lovely feeling to know that someone so apt is taking care of my Grandad, and that even though he’s gone, his magic is still twinkling in the world around me. __________________________________________________________________________________ |
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July 25 2008
So here it is, finally: my new website. I’m so grateful to Halla for putting so much energy into it! |
| Copyright 2009-10 Regan McDonell. All rights reserved |