Looking Through The Window Inside Kingston Penitentiary

Having worked in corrections in my past life, with adults, young offenders and as a volunteer within prisons, I am very familiar with the environment. This experience was in a medium security setting, and in open custody facilities, very different than Kingston Penitentiary. I have been on a few brief occasions, inside Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick, that is also maximum security. Driving through Dorchester from Ontario as a kid, I remember vividly, how ominous the site of that huge old penitentiary was, sitting high up on a hill overlooking the village, and the feeling of dread that it gave me.

Renowned Canadian photographer Geoffrey James, gives a compassionate insightful perspective, when he spent time documenting with his camera, what it is like inside the Kingston maximum security prison. 

John Szarkowski once described photography as a window or a mirror, the two strategies of pictorial expression. The 'Mirror' strategy focuses on self-expressive photography. The 'Window' element being when photographers leave their comfort zone to explore.

Geoffrey James left his comfort zone when he traveled to Kingston Penitentiary in 2013. His photography exhibit, opened August 30th - December 7th 2014, and was held at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, in Kingston Ontario, and he also published his book Inside 1835-2013 Kingston Penitentiary. I heard a fascinating interview with Geoffrey James about his exhibit today on The Morning Edition,,CBC Radio.

new photography exhibit at Agnes Etherington Art Centre - See more at: http://www.kingstonist.com/2014/09/16/geoffrey-james-inside-kingston-penitentiary-31019/#sthash.x0LWBmpG.dpuf

a new photography exhibit at Agnes Etherington Art Centre - See more at: http://www.kingstonist.com/2014/09/16/geoffrey-james-inside-kingston-penitentiary-31019/#sthash.FUWGVVKu.dpuf

a new photography exhibit at Agnes Etherington Art Centre - See more at: http://www.kingstonist.com/2014/09/16/geoffrey-james-inside-kingston-penitentiary-31019/#sthash.FUWGVVKu.dpuf

Alex Colville - 110 Paintings

Seven Crows - Alex Colville

This Alex Colville painting is my absolute favourite of his. Perhaps because it embodies Nova Scotia to me, and where I live on the edge of a tidal river, were the sea marsh lies, and the crows fly. It is a scene I see from my studio window everyday.

This morning I was looking very forward to, and excited about listening to the Sunday Edition with Michael Enright, because of the interview and walk through tour he was going to have with Matthew Teitelbaum, the Curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The very special exhibit at the AGO, is the biggest collection of 110 Alex Colville's paintings.

The interview and Matthew Teitelbaum's talk certainly did not disappoint. It was excellent, and I hope you will take the time to listen.  http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/The+Sunday+Edition/ID/2530851581/

Mary Pratt - The Love of the Simple Things

While slothfully lying in bed as I often do Sunday mornings, my ears were glued to the radio listening to a CBC inteview with Canadian artist, Mary Pratt. I don't know when it was I first became familiar with her work, but I know when I first heard her speak, I felt so much affection for her, because she has one of those infectious personalities that makes you feel like you know this person, as a friend. Every time I'd hear her I'd feel more this way, and this morning it was no different. Her wit, humble nature, and talent is so wonderful to me, which causes me to long for the chance to meet her one day.

What struck me most about what she said, was her attitude toward loving and appreciating the simple things around us in our everyday lives. It made me think once again about simplicity, which has been on my mind a lot lately.

This is one of Mary Pratt's realistic renderings. Just amazing how beautifully and skillfully she captures the light and colour.

A close and long time friend of mine just sent me  one of Anne Lamott's recent books entitled, Help. Thanks .Wow. The Three Essential Prayers. Anne Lamott is one of my very favourite non-fiction authors, because she makes the simple deeply meaningful, with a real honest attitude and she has great sense of humour and humanity, as does Mary Pratt, who depicts her subject matter, as being what the stuff of every day life is made up of.

As I age, I increasingly realize as time passes, how important it is to keep it simple, to find love, pleasure, and gratitude in the present moment. Finding happiness and contentment wherever you find yourself, and to grow, flourish and even thrive where you are planted.

Our lives in this world can be, and have become complicated in so many ways. We are either regreting the past or projecting into the future. We say I'd be happy if, or I'll be happy when, always looking outside of ourselves in search of that elusive happy state of mind.
Striving to capture and hold that present moment in time, or having a mindfulness with appreciation, relishing every bit of happiness with what we have, and being grateful to be able to do this, is what brings me happiness.

My day wasn't completely slothful. I had a simply enjoyable afternoon of making more rope baskets sitting on the front porch is the sunshine. Here's what I been making this week and into the weekend.