You may have noticed local painter Patrick John Mills on the Mackenzie King Bridge, who is painting outside every day in March.  If you are not familiar with this project, or are aware and want to know more, you can visit his blog where he is documenting his adventure.  (Images of Centretown and The Big Beat have also written about this great undertaking). Mills’ painting endeavour got me thinking about other art-related blogs in the National Capital Region.  While the following list is by no means exhaustive, it will provide a starting point for those... | Continue reading article

Two-shot (ˈtwo-ˌʃɑt ) 1. (Cinema) a medium-range camera shot of two persons: 2. A two shot is a type of shot in which the frame encompasses a view of two people.  The shots are also used to show emotional reactions between the subjects. Local photographer Kym Shumsky has a talent for making strangers feel comfortable.  In her photo-blog Le Mien, she photographed 100 strangers over a 21-month period, culminating in an exhibit and book that raised $2,000 for Operation Rainbow Canada. She is now working on a new artistic endeavour called TwoShot, a... | Continue reading article

Editor’s note: This call was initially posted on Tuesday, February 26. The deadline date for applications has been extended until Monday, April 1st (no foolin’). This year Apartment613 and Artengine continue our endeavor to foster new perspectives on the media arts landscape with an open call for the 2013 Critical Blogging Residency. This residency is for an art critic or cultural journalist from the Ottawa-Gatineau area, who will cross post thought-provoking dialogues on the Artengine and Apartment613 blogs throughout the year. Conceived as a creative space for expression and research into culture, technology and... | Continue reading article

It’s been about a year since Esther Simmonds-MacAdam has shown work in Ottawa. She’s returning today, to install her latest paintings at La Petite Mort Gallery, which opens tomorrow night. If you missed seeing her show last year, it would be well-worth your time to stop by an introduce yourself – she will be at the vernissage (from 7-10pm). Her latest series, it is natural, marks a dramatic shift in terms of how and what she paints. Maintaining a realistic aesthetic, the oil paintings reference specific periods of time and deconstruct... | Continue reading article

Who is responsible for explaining the heavens?  In today’s modern world, our understanding of the universe comes almost exclusively from science, which provides breathtaking images of outer space with such instruments as the Hubble Space Telescope. Local photographer Sanjeev Sivarulrasa, however, wants to change this by having artists also provide insights on galaxies, nebulae and other celestial bodies. “Scientists are the gatekeepers of the sky,” says Sivarulrasa in a phone interview. “(But science) doesn’t tell us much about how we feel about the night sky.” While fully embracing the work... | Continue reading article

A few weeks ago, Ottawa-based artist Deborah Margo unveiled new work at Patrick Mikhail Gallery. Working in various media including sculpture, textile, painting and drawing, Topographies takes knitted installation to new heights. The work evolved from Margo’s recent travels abroad and acts as a record – unique translations of her experiences. If you’ve ever attempted to knit a loved one a scarf, you will appreciate the attention to detail, patterning and repetition evident in the work (the scale alone is impressive). Each hanging contains smaller fragments, much like panels or... | Continue reading article

It’s St. Paddy’s day this weekend, folks, and we’ve got just the burlesque show to celebrate. Need something a little more traditional? Head out to your local pub, Irish or not! Guaranteed they’ll be in a festive mood. Tonight at the NAC, you can catch the hip-hop/rock/soul music of Sound of Lions, while Algoma releases her new album down at the Mercury Lounge. Three local bands will take to the stage at the Lunenburg Pub for their weekly battle of the bands – this week, Go Long (!), Leadfoot Pretty,... | Continue reading article

Quebec artist Karine Giboulo is a master of producing miniature figures that portray evocative scenes.  From powerful commentary on the production of electronic products from China, to work that has been described as a three-dimensional comic book, Giboulo uses miniature figures to produce thought-provoking work. Her latest exhibit Democracy Village, which is taking place at the Ottawa School of Art at 35 George Street, is no different, as she explores the vast class differences between rich and poor countries. Modelled on a real shantytown named Village Démocratie on the outskirts... | Continue reading article

Everyone knows that paintings are inanimate objects.  What if this commonly-held view, however, was incorrect, and the images on a canvas were actual living entities. This intriguing idea lies behind the latest exhibit by painter Colin Muir Dorward, which is currently taking place at the Saw Gallery at 67 Nicholas Street. Dorward’s thought experiment is as follows: Envisage a world in which images are parasitic entities that attach themselves to a medium, with the aim of using that medium for the purpose of replicating.  If the medium is the human... | Continue reading article

Whether you’re an environmentally-concerned fiancee, a Tibetan film buff, a tango aficionado or anything in between, this city’s got something for you this weekend. Tonight, Legion of Saints hits the stage at Babylon, while NDMA celebrates a new EP down at the Mercury Lounge. The Goodluck Assembly is giving a sneak peek of their new album at Cafe Dekcuf Friday night, and there will be lots of jazzy goodness with Molly Johnson at the NAC. The Flaps take over the GluePot Pub for their cd release party – The Hilotrons and... | Continue reading article