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Hot Nuts & Popcorn

9/29/2012

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Since my main activity these days is hanging out with a three-year-old, I don't go out on the town as much anymore. In the company of my son, a serious trainspotter, I've learned to get my kicks from counting Alberta Wheat Pool boxcars (Alec is a fan of reading "Canpotex" over and over - he just thinks it's a funny word). You know you've sat at too many train crossings when you actually begin to recognize the work of different graffiti artists - people who probably live as far away as Ontario but whose tags ride the rails through my neighbourhood on a daily basis.

This may not sound like much fun - but hey, as three-year-old obsessions go, it could be much worse. Sometimes, though, I have these faint but glorious memories of the time I spent out in Calgary's hipster scene long ago. Even now, a fair-sized chunk of my identity owes its existence to that now-buried decade of, among other things, late-night artsy escapades. So when I heard that Hot Nuts & Popcorn was scheduled for a brief renaissance - and just a few blocks away in the Loose Moose Theatre at the Crossroads Market - I knew I couldn't miss it. ...


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Graphic Recording Workshop

9/29/2012

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I had the chance yesterday to participate in a really eye-opening workshop that was put together by Bowness-based Conscious Brands. Kara Stonehouse of AHA! Graphic Facilitation was in town to tell Calgarians about a unique job that's increasingly in demand. "Graphic recording" means creating a live illustrated summation or record of an event like a board meeting or workshop. ...


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Thank you!

9/25/2012

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Thanks so much to everyone who helped to make our 23rd Avenue day a great success! Honestly, I'm still recovering from all the hard work and fun that went into our day. I'm looking forward to writing about it, though, so watch this space. For now, please take a look at our newly-posted photo gallery. I hope to add a few more pictures here, too, at some point soon. See you on the avenue!

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23rd Avenue announcement!

9/21/2012

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Here is a sneak preview of how we spent our $1200 grant money from Calgary 2012 to beautify 23rd Avenue. You can come and see the real thing tomorrow at Double Elle Bakery, or take a look here to see some pictures.

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The Mask

9/21/2012

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I am so excited about this new painting on a 23rd Avenue front door. The design was the resident's choice.

Living on 23rd Avenue has reminded me sometimes of living in residence at university: all the residents in their own rooms (or houses), but still pretty proximal, right across the hall (or street) from each other. Back in my residence hall, people put up pictures or messages on their front doors, which provided a hint as to who dwelt within. I remember what I put on my own door: a sonnet (!) written in Tolkien's Elvish, partly just because it looked cool, but also with the intent of conveying the message that there was an enigmatic, unfathomable person behind the door. Somebody mysterious and impossible to read. Well, that was before "The Lord of the Rings" became so mainstream... Elvish is probably a language option in junior high these days. Not so mysterious anymore. Anyway, the idea of putting a mask on a front door reminded me of that. I like it.

Of course, the whole time I was painting this, all I could think of was Bob Dylan's "Man in the Long Black Coat":

"He looked in... to her eyes
When she stopped... him to ask
If he wanted...to dance
He had a face...like a mask."

With all this artwalk stuff, I still haven't got that new album!



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Coming out of the Woodwork...

9/20/2012

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Only a couple of days before the artwalk, and a few new artists have just signed up to take part! This is a bit of a whirlwind but so exciting. Take a look at our list of artists and artisans to find out a bit about photographer Rob Caleffi and Three Left Feet Movement Creations. A few more 23rd Avenue neighbours... who just happen to be creative artists too! And believe it or not, there are a couple more as well. Even I didn't know that there were so many artists on this short street, when this all began! Doesn't this make you wonder about what kind of cool stuff is going on behind the closed doors on your own street?
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Calgary is Awesome!

9/17/2012

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Check out this wonderful write-up of our upcoming event that was published today in Calgary is Awesome's "Calgary Arts Round Up" for the week of Sept. 17th- 23rd!

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Come out for the 23rd Avenue Artwalk
It’s known as the Artists’ Avenue, 23rd Ave SE in Ramsay is only two blocks long but the 51 houses are homes to artists and craftspeople.
On September 22, from 11am to 5pm, the community is opening its doors for the 23rd Avenue Artwalk and Street Celebration where the street will be transformed into an outdoor arts and crafts gallery. The printmakers, knitters, visual artists, bakers, glassblowers, filmmakers, dancers and musicians will host it all along their porches and front lawns. Many are decorated with original pieces of work, including custom painted front doors like the Piscasso-like one by Matthew Page-Hanify. Plus, the area is known for some of the most beautiful gardens in the city. They even got a grant from Calgary 2012 to make this happen but had so much volunteer and community support that they’re going to be awarding it down the line to a project that will benefit the street and the community at large.
The walk will coincide with the Eastside studio crawl and the community hopes to incise participants to travel the extra block further to 23rd Avenue.

                                                                -Amy Jo Espetveidt, Quadrophonic Image


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Courgette!!!

9/15/2012

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Bounty from the amazing Bridgeland Vacant Lots Garden (notice the coin, providing a little perspective on the size.... how are we going to eat this?!)

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Bob Dylan & September 11th

9/14/2012

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I know September 11th was a couple of days ago already, but it's been on my mind because... I think today's the day I'm going to buy Bob Dylan's new album. It has been a while since I've been excited about a new Dylan album, but my pilgrimage this summer to see him perform at a very small outdoor venue in Lloydminster (Sask side), of all places, kind of rekindled my flaming passion for the man's music. Of which, rest assured, more later.

If you ask folks what they think of when you say, "September 11th," Bob Dylan fans are the only ones who will instantly say, "Love & Theft!" (Dylan's album of that name was released on Sept. 11th, 2001 - a fact I couldn't resist noting in a comic strip story about Sept. 11th, published back in 2002!)

And now, a decade later, the ever-enigmatic Dylan has another album out, which was slated to be released on September 11th, 2012. Why? Who knows! And even if it does have some kind of significance to anyone, does it make any difference to me? Probably not (although, if it turns out that it does, I'll definitely post an update!). But I'm still going to go out and get it.

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Margaret Mahy

9/13/2012

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Margaret Mahy, my favourite author, the lady whose amazing writing knocked my socks off at a time when I thought young adult fiction had no more surprises to throw at me... died this summer at the age of 76. The Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust published an online collection of tributes written about the grand old lady of New Zealand children's literature. I'm honoured to have my story is in that collection.

Although there will be no more stories from Margaret, I still feel excited to think of the future generations of readers who will share my experience of thrilling discovery when they come across her work for the first time. I have no doubt she'll be delighting fans for a long time to come!
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    sam hester

    I am a graphic recorder based in Calgary. I like local stories. I write comics when I have free time. And I leave eraser shavings everywhere I go.

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    my website

    www.the23rdstory.com started as a blog and now includes some information about my graphic recording practice as well.

    I also have an (old) website which features a lot of my (old) work. Look out, it's a bit clunky and there are a lot of links that don't go anywhere, but there are still a few interesting things there:
    www.thedrawingbook.com


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    Some nice things people said about my work:

    “If Breitkreuz and Foong [founders of the Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo] represent the Type-A side of Calgary's self-publishing community, Hester may be the community's right brain.” – Tom Babin, FFWD Magazine

    “…A strong graphic style similar to other autobiographically-inclined Canadian cartoonists like Chester Brown and Julie Doucet.” – Gilbert Bouchard, Edmonton Journal

    The 23rd Story: an indie comics creator's tales of life in Calgary

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