Culture Vulture by Terry

The irregular combinations of fanciful inventions may delight a-while, by that novelty of which the common satiety of life sends us all in quest; but the pleasures of sudden wonder are soon exhausted,
and the mind can only repose on the stability of truth.
Dr. Samuel Johnson

If your ears and spirit and humours are vexed, and weary of all this rock and roll, as are mine oft-times, fear not, for like Zephyr and his sweet breath, summer will soon arrive in dismal grey Vancouver, and with it the fancy of a Sunday evening symphony in the park, and, best of all, it's free.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra have announced two free concerts next month, one in Stanley Park, and one in Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. These are made possible by the largesse of an unnamed benefactor, and I intend to take full advantage. I've never before heard a symphony orchestra in the flesh (never mind in the park), and I wish to be entranced, enchanted, and delighted.

Dates and times are:
Free VSO Concert in Stanley Park
Sunday August 7, 7PM, Lumberman's Arch, Stanley Park, Vancouver
Bramwell Tovey - Conductor
Christel Lee - Violin

Free VSO concert at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby
Friday August 12, 7:30PM, Deer Lake, Burnaby
Ken Hsieh - Conductor
Christopher Lee - Clarinet

And we hope, as always, that the eternal shall be made anew. If music be the food of love, play on.

vancouversymphony

Atlin and beyond Submitted by Andrew Hoshkiw

Andrew’s site


So what can I say? Atlin was, in a lot of ways, the best festival yet.
   
A thousand people together, camping in a field. You can't beat that. That's probably what made it great.
   
Two all night parties involving hundreds of people around campfires. Each site had at least a couple guitars.
   
At one point on the first night, the entire field played Neil Young for an hour.
   
This festival had all sorts of little things the others were lacking. Free camping, real bathrooms, great food, decent music and kickass scenery which was only rivaled by Haines Junction.
   
But it was the social aspects which won it over for me. Maybe it's just because I've gotten to know a lot of the people from other festivals, but no where else did I have as much fun.
   
There's only one music festival left to look forward to: Dawson City. I can't see it being as good though. When the music ends, everyone will go back to their respective hotels. There will be no group party in a field, lasting all night.

Anyhow, tomorrow is the big day. It's the deadline for all the people who got accepted to Ryerson to tell the school whether or not they'll be attending.
   
I did not make the cut, but was told I was in the "top 10" on the waiting list. So, it's entirely possible I could get a call next week saying I'm in. If the call does come, I won't have time to think about it, I'll have to give them an answer right away.
   
Because of this, I have been doing a lot of thinking about it. It's a pretty big decision. Right now, I'm getting incredible experience. Within the parameters of arts, entertainment and culture relating to the Yukon, I have free reign to write about whatever I want, and everything I've written so far has been published.
   
If I keep going, this experience will look very good on the resume.
   
But, at the same time, a formal education would look quite good as well.
   
And I certainly wouldn't be doing it just for looks. There's quite a bit about writing and style which I need to learn. Right now I feel as though I'm just writing the same things over and over. Although being here has vastly improved my social life, I honestly doubt it's done anything to help my style.
   
Besides, who's to say I couldn't find some place to gain writing experience in Toronto while I'm writing.
   
And think what an adventure it would be, to be living in the heart of that giant city! It would be a new experience, full of opportunities.
   
If the call comes, I'm definitely going.

Image by crevassezone.org/

Capturing Inflection By Mike

Mike's Musings


I’ve come to two definite conclusions:

A) life is way too short.
B) everything sounds better if you say it in an ‘Evil Wizard’ accent.

I have one. Why don't you?
Work on it.
Try saying these natural, everyday phrases to yourself in an ‘Evil Wizard’ tone of voice. Sometimes it helps to picture an Evil Wizard while you are saying them. Soon you'll be talking like an Evil Wizard all the time. And, of course, you'll reach a point, like I have, when anything you say in your regular voice will sound silly and uninteresting in comparison.

Let's begin.

"Get off my lawn you wretched children."
"I'll have the Thai chicken pita with a garden salad, please."
"J'ai tetee les tetons de ta tante Therese."
"Who is your daddy?"
"A soul! A soul inflamed with a yearning more powerful than a billion newborn suns!"
"It's Wayne's World. Wayne's World. Party time. Excellent."
"Let's get more comfortable. Try some of my elixer."

Image by /hyrulerealm.guardianarchives.com

The Art of Sergey Smirnov By: Christine Albrecht

My sister, Cindy, sent in this artist’s information and images after viewing a show at the Kavanaugh Gallery (USA). The images clearly moved her and she found that when she viewed the art her immediate response was ‘powerful’ beauty. She found the colours to be saturated, rich and breathtaking. The art is textured, but not in a Van Gogh thickness. When my sister is enthralled with a piece of art, it’s time for me to take notice. I have enclosed the artist bio as written:

For those of you who have been following the dramatic progress of Smirnov's work it is evident that he has embarked on a clearly defined direction. Smirnov's refined portraits honor and celebrate the great men and women who have influenced Russian history and culture. Catherine the Great is the third image in his series of Russian Royals following Peter the Great and Anastasia. In the future Smirnov is planning to create several master images depicting famous Russian composers, Russian authors and portraits of inspirational characters from Russian literature.

Smirnov is proud of his heritage. His painting style combines the ancient tenants of traditional icon painters and the 17th Century "Parsuna." Soft candle light tones make his art uniquely Russian in technique and concept. His images are a wonderful bridge between the past and the present. They completely capture the grace and elegance of 17th century portraiture, yet are thoroughly modern and contemporary in execution. Smirnov creates works of art that are equally at home whether in a setting surrounded by antique furniture or modern décor.

Good scoop, Cindy!

The images shown are of 1) Anastasia Graphic release for 2003, serigraph textured print on canvas, 36" high x 36" wide.Standard edition is limited to 195 pieces.

2) Scheherazade Print with serigraph texture on Canvas
Image Size 35 x 25

Images from www.fingerhutart.com

Kavanaugh Gallery

Fingerhut Art

Ian Blair: "I'm not saying there are four bombers" By The Antagonist

Antagonist’s Home


Credit has to go to Sir Ian Blair for correcting himself when he accidentally claimed the existence of "four miserable bombers" when, in fact, nobody knows this to be the case yet.

SIR IAN BLAIR, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE COMMISSIONER:

"If London could survive the Blitz, it can survive four miserable bombers like this...."
[brief pause that always comes with an overwhelming sense of realization] I'm not saying there are four bombers...
four miserable events like this."

Oh, and the military grade explosives that were rumoured to have been used on the Underground with sophisticated timers? Well, the timers never turned up and tonight Newsnight reports that the police have only found household chemicals in the Leeds homes that were raided, not military grade explosives.

Channel 4 News tonight showed a CCTV capture of the 'bus bomber' which they claimed "had been cropped from a wider picture of all four bombers". Why was it cropped? Surely seeing all four suspects together would help jog the memories of anyone that might have seen them, especially seeing as an individual photo is also being circulated.

Newsnight also announced that the CCTV camera on the Number 30 bus, conveniently enough, wasn't working. Not that it was affected in the blast, just that it wasn't working.

Also from Newsnight, the Number 30 bus driver had been ordered to re-route the bus on the morning of July 7th for it to end up in Tavistock Square.

The Antagonist has noted that indeed, according to TFL's route maps, Tavistock Square is not on the standard Number 30 bus route as the normal route would take the bus straight along Euston Road into Marylebone Road, rather than turning left into Woburn Place.

Who diverted it? On what basis? Was it diverted into the rehearsal operation approximately an hour and half after the simultaneous tube disasters, something which could account for the significant missing 81 minutes
of the 'bus bomber' hitting the papers today? Was it going there anyway, something which, in keeping with the practise of these tactical rehearsal operations, the driver wouldn't be told until the last minute as per the Newsnight story?
How long would it take to investigate what happened on the trains in the deepest part of the Underground if a power surge had affected monitoring systems and lights as MetroNet and survivors reported at the time of the tragedy?

Page footprints Mark Thristan

Mark T’s info site


I am always surprised at how little attention is paid to page footprints (size) on many websites and intranets (especially now that everyone seems to have a fat connection). Page footprints are not just about how fast the page loads for the user, they also offer fantastic savings in bandwidth.

This came to my mind last week - as I went onto the BBC site in search of news about the London Bombing tragedy, I noticed that the homepage had been completely stripped back to basics. At first I wasn't sure if this was deliberate, or if many BBC staff had been caught up in the disruption and that departments were too under-staffed to offer a full service. In fact, as Martin Belam points out on his currybet site
, the action was deliberate in order to ensure that the BBC could cope with the predicted (and in the event, huge) spike in traffic.

On a pragmatic note, you don't even have to be quite so proactive - simply switching to standards-based XHTML/CSS instead of table layout can reduce page sizes dramatically. I seem to remember a hypothetical redesign of a Microsoft page reducing footprint by 80%. Try to keep it lean and mean (where appropriate) seems to be a sensible watchword.

Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/07July_Statistics.shtml

Leslie Feist By: Lezah

A colleague at work recommended Feist to me.

I looked her up - turns out Leslie Feist is a hot singer/songwriter who originally hails from Calgary, spent some time in Toronto, and now calls Paris home.

Feist originally fronted a punk band called Placebo, then moved on to Toronto where she became a part of the Broken Social Scene collective.  A little hard to label, Feist recently played at the Toronto Jazz Festival, and this weekend is playing at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (July 15, 16, 17 at Jericho Beach).

Image from www.youthguide.ch

Faux Pas No. 71

I'm one of those people who enjoys scaring pigeons.

If there's one trotting around the ground nearby, I like to stomp my foot or yell, causing it to clumsily fly away.

Best not to do this on a crowded sidewalk, as I learned today when I used the 'stomp/scare' technique and our icky little grey friend panicked and flew directly into a woman's' face, causing her to scream hysterically.

Which in turn caused everyone within earshot to gawk and stare at this frantic, pigeon-faced woman.

Which caused me to laugh and spill my large organically grown fair trade dark roast coffee, and that shit's expensive.

Michael Bauer 's Power in the City of Fog By Becks & Posh

An exclusive report from your local restaurant-industry Gossip Columnist!

Last week I was witness to a situation I never imagined I would encounter: A real-life chef actually being interviewed for a job at a well-known, established but perhaps slightly jaded, San Francisco restaurant. Like a fly on the wall, there I was, hearing every single word of the proceedings. I was a little embarrassed to be privy to the situation, but the circumstances were beyond my control. I was simply sitting, minding my own business and quietly eating my lunch at one of the two outside tables available at Picco, a new Pizzeria in Larkspur, Marin. I sympathized with the chef, sitting to my right. Not only was his privacy denied, his flow was intermittently interrupted by the potential employer whose cell phone oftentimes took precedence over the interview.

Although I now know about the salary on offer, the suggestions for the menu, the skill-set the chosen chef must have for managing, training and budgeting, these details are not things that will pique my readers' interest.

What may mildly interest you, however, is to hear that the one thing the Chef is expected to focus upon above all else, is getting Michael Bauer through the doors for a good review. The interviewer emphasized that this would be the absolute top priority for the Chef who lands the job.

It is funny, because until that moment I naively assumed that a good restaurant owner's #1 concern would be to satisfy their paying customers with consistently delicious, mouth-watering food and great service. Tsk, tsk, silly, gullible me and my naive ideals...
Michael Bauer

Another reason why I'm not flying the Union Jack in the margin or saying "We are all British" By Laurence Simon

Because, for the lack of a better word, some of the British areterrorist-loving scumbags


Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed a Palestinian militant early Thursday as he was meeting a British reporter in the West Bank city of Nablus, witnesses said.

They said soldiers broke into a house where Mohammed Alasi, 24, a local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, was talking to the reporter. Alasi tried to flee, but soldiers shot him dead and took his body, they said.
...

The witnesses did not know which news outlet the reporter represented, giving her name only as "Annie."

Palestinian police said she was being questioned at her home, where she was said to be in shock. They said she was about 60 years old, had been living in Nablus for a few years and had changed her last name to "Alasi." They did not know her original family name.

She went native, then rubbed elbows with evil. If only she'd earned a six-foot hole alongside James Miller
for chumming with the enemies of civilization and basic human decency.

And Tony Blair said he was shocked at British citizens perpetrating 7/7's massacres.

Fool.

Fantastic Four - Movie Review by Kenn

Let's get this out of the way. I liked the movie. It's not a bad film. There are problems, no doubt, but I had a pretty good time and my kids loved it. Especially my eight year old daughter. Jessica Alba has replaced Hillary Duff and Lindsey Lohan as her favorite actress. The Hillary poster is about to be replaced with Jessica as Sue Storm, The Invisible Girl. This is major in my house. Hillary has held the crown for 2 years now and Lindsey joined her about a year ago. Both have been swept away by Jessica. Something clicked here.

For all of the whining I've been hearing from the comicbook fan community, I thought Tim Story and the crew did a pretty good job. Reed Richards was Reed, living inside his head and not connecting to the people around him. Sue was frustrated with him and her brother Johnny. I didn't find her bitchy at all, a common complaint in many reviews. She was doing what Sue always did in the Lee/Kirby books, trying to get Reed to open his eyes and trying to keep Johnny in line. The Thing was great. The rubber suit actually worked for me. Except for the nose. Fix the nose. Doom was weak. That was the most disappointing part of this movie. The Doom stuff just dragged and he really wasn't that scary. And yet I still had a good time.

I've saved the best for last. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, stole the show. The filmmakers and actor Chris Evans really nailed him. He's having fun, digging his powers, pissing off his sister and playing practical joke on the Thing. His moments on screen really helped carry the movie. The other characters had their high points, but Johnny was always fun to watch.

So there you have it. The Fantastic Four is a fun movie. My daughter applauded when the movie was over and the first words out of her mouth were," Are they doing another one? Do you know when it's coming out?" A super-hero guy film that entertained a dad, an eight year old girl and her ten year old brother. Go figure.

Skylarkin' By Terry

My omnivore mind runs on eclecticism (and demands regular feeding), so it follows that I would like a radio program that offers me music ranging from 16th century devotional music to Caribbean calypso. André Alexis has returned to the airwaves with a marvelous summer program named Skylarkin', in which he plays music that he likes, tied together with a few small stories.

Mr Alexis's last venture into radio broadcasting started slow, then quickly became very good indeed, so I have high hopes for this new series. A few more stories would be nice (hint hint)...

Mondays at 6:30 PM (7 PM NT) on CBC Radio Two and Fridays at 9 PM (9:30 PM NT) on CBC Radio One.

PS a la Amazon: if you like this, you might also like the rebroadcast series of 'American Mavericks' (hosted by Suzanne Vega), about the truly innovative composers in American 20th century music (second link below).

skylarkin

cbcradio

Manchester to host the International Debut for ‘Little Black Dress’ By Christine

March 25, 2006, will see Manchester hosting the UK’s finest fashion designers. After previous successes in Los Angeles and New York, Little Black Dress is ready to launch its international debut in the United Kingdom. Designers from all over the UK will submit their version of the "perfect little black dress. " The event’s founder, Emmy Cortes, selected Manchester’s submission (over Glasgow’s) in the organization’s final decision.

LBD UK will be held at Urbis, one of the city's modern landmarks, followed by a six-week static exhibition, which will be open to the general public April 8 – May 21.



Between 30 and 40 designers from all over the UK will be invited to participate, with up to one-third coming from England's Northwest. The elite group of participants will be asked to donate either an original piece or an existing black dress from their collection.

Some designers that have participated in the past include: Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, and Bob Mackie, Petro Zillia, and Tracy Reese.

All proceeds from the little black dress silent auction will benefit the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre in North London where over 200 children and adults receive music therapy weekly.

Previously, proceeds from Los Angeles' 2005 little black dress silent auction went to Stop Cancer a non-profit, charitable organization that supports cancer research at UCLA. In 2004, the New York event benefited Dress for Success, a non-profit, charitable organization that helps low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce.

For more information on Little Black Dress, please visit
littleblackdress


For another, interesting take on the little black dress - go here where you are able to purchase a classic dress from various eras.
black dress purchase

Couture Glimpse for Menswear: Spring/Summer 2006

ARMANI
- key word being ‘freedom’
- look for jewellery on their necks, wrists, fingers and toes,
- look for the signature Armani suit relaxed to the point of ethnic, drawstring trousers and bare chests under loose fitting jackets. Anything is allowed.


CALVIN KLEIN
- look for loosely tailored suits with collarless shirts.
- look for crepe linen suits with zip-front jackets
- pale safari-style suits.

DOLCE & GABBANA
Dolce & Gabbana claimed that Pete Doherty and his ‘Babyshambles’ band inspired the looks for their spring/summer 2006
- look for dapper black suits and rocker easy -style suits
- look for cropped jackets
- look for fitted white tuxedos

VALENTINO
- look for floral shirts (remember Magnum PI?)
- look for shades of lilac, pale lemon, spearmint and sea blue making up slacks, shirts and blazers
- look for contrasting white.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
- look for oxford blue, striped blazers,
- crested caps
- sharply-tailored white tailcoats
- ACDC looks?

George Mang Shoes: By Lezah

George Mang is the trendiest and newest shoe designer out there.  The faves of celebs, his shoes have been featured recently in numerous magazines and are frequently seen on the red carpet.
With a rock and roll attitude, these stilettos are strappy and sexy, and often feature an unusual profile.  

Designer iPods By Lezah

You can make your iPod even more of a fashion accessory than it used to be - just download one of the sexy prints available at http://www.hp.com/music, print it on an iPod sticker tattoo, apply, and you're good to go!

Harry Potter Release By Lezah

The latest Harry Potter book is being released on Saturday - and if you're prepared to stay up late Friday night, you could be one of the lucky few who have their hands on this book one minute after midnight.

The last time a new Harry Potter book was released, we attended one of these Harry extravaganzas at Kids Books in Vancouver.  By pre-ordering a book from Kids Books, you and however many people are in your party are invited to join in the festivities.  

Two years ago, there were close to 2000 people outside of the store, waiting.  Many were in costume, the Harry Potter costume being the most popular get-up but some of the lesser known characters were also in evidence.  There were numerous TV stations there covering the event, and entertainers for the kids.
About a half hour before midnight, we started snaking our way along the long lines, and at exactly one minute after midnight, the vault was opened and the books were handed out. With the length of the line-ups, I was figuring we'd be there at least until 1 am, but no - at 12:10 we were on our way to the car, book in hand.

This year, in Vancouver, both Kids Books and Chapters are offering Harry Potter book release parties on the night of July 15.

Madagascar Movie Review: By Lezah

Last week we went to see the animated film 'Madagascar', and we ended up being in what one would think was the best company to see any animated film in:  in our group was a writer for 'The Simpsons' comics, as well as the creators/writers of the animated TV show 'Bob and Margaret'.  I was expecting some lively debates after the film, but hey - I guess sometimes everyone just needs to go and sit and be entertained for a while...

'Madagascar' is Dreamworks' latest venture.  With an all-star cast (Ben Stiller as Alex the Lion, Chris Rock as Marty the zebra, David Schwimmer as Melman the giraffe, Jada Pinkett-Smith as Gloria), this animated tale is about a group of friends who make their way from the urban jungle of New York (where they live in the zoo) to the literal jungle of Madagascar, courtesy, in part, of a group of anarchistic penguins (between you and me, these penguins are one of the best things about the film!).

Normally I don't like stylized cartoon characters, but these ones worked for me, at least in part because they were complemented by the backgrounds which were so lush.  The film opened with a great shot of the modern, minimalist zoo, then shifted to grand scenes of the Manhattan skyline and city proper, and finally ended up in a Rosseau-type Madagascar jungle.  Also interesting was the use of a technique called 'squash and stretch', which allowed the characters more speed and flexibility than one usually sees in an animated film.

The story started off strong, and the character development was solid; however, by the time the group arrived in Madagascar, the storyline seemed to drift off a bit.  However, jokes abounded and there was plenty of laughter in the theatre from audience members of all ages.  Likewise, the frequent references to other movies were helpful in keeping the adult viewers engaged.

Thematically, this story is about friendship and acceptance, with the mix of animals serving as a metaphor for our multi-cultural society.

Overall, an entertaining film, and the under-tens in our group gave it three thumbs up.  

Reading Cereal Boxes: By Rob Williams

I promise I'll continue my post about meeting with my agent and what is going on with the book.

Briefly, yes-- I'm working on turning it into a novel -- my short term goal (for this month) is to do an acceptable draft by using what I already have and then show it to the agent.

In the meantime, however, here is an essay on the ‘Writer as Reader’ by one of my favorite writers:
John Dufresne
(oh he of the amazing short story collection "Johnny Too Bad")


Excerpt:

The Writer Reads
by John Dufresne

“ . . . how could you write about anything without wondering if it were true?  I mean you’d be describing a bird in the garden and suddenly there would be that awful question in your mind, did they have birds in the fourth century?” 
–Gore Vidal

(Quoting Christopher Isherwood)

            A fiction writer has to read everything from Wittgenstein’s Blue and Brown Books to the backs of cereal boxes.  (My own cereal box says, “Tiny dark specks which are natural to corn are occasionally found in this product.  They are not harmful in any way, and will not affect the taste or texture of this product.”  I’m given a phone number to call if I’m anxious and told to “Please retain box when calling.”)  The writer’s problem, and opportunity, is knowing the world.  That’s why we can never have enough reference books.  Reference books supply the facts we need, and then, as Kenneth Clark put it, “Facts become art through love, which unifies them and lifts them to a higher plane of reality.”  How nice when writing your story to reach over to a volume on the shelf–always keep your books near the writing desk–and learn that, yes, they did indeed have birds in the fourth century, and the one I’m thinking of now is this one on page 187, the song sparrow.  Christopher Isherwood


This is an essay that I've read many times and just love it. I find I'm always reading. Reading signs on the subway, flyers on street corners, reading shampoo bottles (over and over in every morning), food ingredients, magazines, newspaper, and, of course, books.

Re: Dufresne's essay-- above my desk I have: Webster's New World College Dictionary, Roget's Thesaurus, the Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary, and, close at hand I have The Ultimate Visual Dictionary
(good for looking up things like a 'kave'--an oar pivot on a Viking Rowing Boat)  and the 1902 Edition of the Sears Roebuck Catalogue
(which is now on CD Rom! ...there was a time, when I was about 8 or 9, that I thought you could still order from it...)

Right now (per my agent's suggestion) I’m reading: ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ curiousincident

Roy Darling (Artist) - Nanaimo's La Peregrina: By Christine Albrecht

Roy Darling’s fascination with sail boats has been with him for as long as he can remember. His fascination with art and inventions has also been a side attraction. Roy is in his niche if he can combine the three themes - nautical, artistic, and ingenuity. He has managed to master all three in his recent creations of “Spirit Ships”.

Roy, as with any avid ship owner, has a nostalgic attachment to his vessels. However, after the death of a well known Nanaimo resident, he decided to create a piece of art that memorialized boaters’ favourite pastime.

His first “Spirit Ship” painting was created after the death of Nanaimo’s, Allen Farrell. Farrell, onetime champion gymnast who could still walk on his hands in his 70’s, was Nanaimo's free-spirited, crowd avoiding, and classic boat expert. He was especially noted for his classic junk, the China Cloud, which he constructed entirely by hand.

Farrell’s generosity to boat owners was well documented, albeit orally. There were stories of his helping out other boaters when they were short on food or cash. He was also know for the dozens of hand-built (never with power tools) boats he crafted. His boats took him along the coastal waters of British Columbia and as far as Hawaii and Fiji.

Allen’ wife, Sharie, died before him, leaving everyone to wonder how Allen would fare given the closeness of the couple, who were together over 50 years. He stated he was prepared to join her, and at the age of 89, did. Prior to passing away, he had been helping a friend, Bill Wilkinson, build a replica of the China Cloud.

Farrell was also the subject of two books - Dan Rubin’s “Salt on the Wind” and Maria Coffey’s “Sailing Back in Time”

Roy was so impressed with Allen’s craftsmanship of China Cloud, as well as with the man’s personality, he decided to pay tribute to Farrell with his multi-medium painting, ‘China Cloud - Spirit Ship’. Using nautical charts of the areas Farrell most frequented as his canvas, Roy painstakingly re-created the China Cloud using various photographs as his guide. He then added details to the painting such as Allen, his dog, as well as other details.

Last but not least, Roy ensured that the China Cloud was always ‘at sail’, both day and night. Sure enough, when it is time for bed and the lights go down, the China Cloud floats eerily on the wall, glowing for all to see.

Roy’s artwork is unique, quirky, and beautiful. He is not limited to just ‘Spirit Ships’ having painted for most of his life. However, the ‘Spirit Ships’ are something that lie close to his heart.

Roy is in the midst of creating his website (roydarling.com) which will showcase his art as well as his inventions. He has finished four ‘Spirit Ships’ and offers customized art for any and all boat lovers out there.

Generally, after gathering pictures, charts, and information, Roy takes approximately 3 weeks to fine-tune a painting. Prices depend upon the amount of detail involved, as well as whether the buyer would prefer the original or a giclé

(Giclé-on-canvas is a printing technique by which each second the ink-jet printing machine produces millions of extremely fine droplets of ink on fine linen canvas creating thousands of shades of color in an image of exceptional clarity and color fidelity. The use of pigmented ink provides for archive-type longevity.)

Giclés of Roy’s present ‘Spirit Ships’ can be purchased as he owns the originals.

If you would like further information, or would like to receive some jpegs of Roy’s art, email him at roydarling2000 (at) yahoo (dot) ca