Untitled Light Photo

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."

Untitled Movie Thought

"Follow the yellow brick road."

Today I have no pictures to present. I started and stopped several this evening. I might need to take some new pictures. Most of what I've recently taken are of the same subject just from different angles.

Instead of doing any creative work, I have chosen to watch The Wizard of Oz, a movie I haven't watched in years. It was never a particular favorite of mine but I must say I am enjoying it now. I am fascinated by the fact that when this film was originally released, it barely made it's money back. It was made with a budget of three million dollars which I can imagine was the most unheard of thing in 1939. We are so used to movies with overblown budgets these days but think about it in terms of primitive cinema. There was no marketing or media hype and there certainly wasn't the amount of screens that we have now. There was no such thing as a "multiplex", just single screen theaters that could only show four movies a day. However, over the years it has become a classic and has earned numerous reincarnations on video and dvd.

It just seems bizarre to me that this film was already forty something years old before people were given the chance to own it. Before the VCR and VHS, people would have to wait for their favorite movies to play on television. I personally would not have survived in such a time (knowing what I know now of course).

There are just so many elements that make this film so progressive and ahead of its time that it's mind boggling. I have much more respect for it now as an adult than I ever did as a child.

Untitled Game Photo

"THE SCORE NEVER INTERESTED ME, ONLY THE GAME."

Untitled Brain Photo

Untitled Home Photo

"Home is where you hang your head."

I had some views written about home

and change but I accidentally deleted it.

Oops.

Untitled Bird Photo

"The early bird gets the worm. The early worm... gets eaten."

I have always been fascinated by birds. Growing up I never had traditional pets. While most of my peers had dogs and or cats, I had birds. Over a total of ten years I went through three budgies. Birds are not usually long lasting pets. My first two had unusually short lives. I believe I got my first when I was nine and by the time I was twelve, my second had died. But as they always say, the third time's a charm. My third budgie was pure white and had the friendliest personality in the world.

I got her when I was twelve and she died shortly after my twentieth birthday. I was not there when she died. I had moved away for school and I still feel like I abandoned her.

Sometimes I fear the stupidity of being so affected by this loss but is it different from losing a friend? It's losing someone who brought you unconditional bliss.

If there are people out there who aren't emotionally affected by the death of a pet, they have some SERIOUS issues.

Untitled Street Corner Photo

"Today, if you are not confused, you are just not thinking clearly."

I took this picture a couple weeks ago but was inspired to use it once I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. A good portion of the movie is shot at this very corner and it has never looked better. When I used to live at College and Spadina, I would walk to Bloor West every other day. It is such a nice strip with so many cool shops, Honest Eds being the major attraction. I like to think of it as the Emerald City at the end of the yellow brick road.

These days I live closer to the lavish end of Bloor Street and it's just not the same. I do not fit into the mold that the average Tiffany's shopper is made from. So I find myself taking a walk to the west end on a regular basis. BMV Books, Sonic Boom, and Queen Video are among the typical places I can be found when I am in the area. And of course I will always pop into Honest Eds because it's just such a unique maze to get lost in.

Another Untitled Highway Photo

This is what I have to show for today. It is from a recent adventure I took to the nearest bridge. I really wanted to get some pictures of the cars on the highway and play with some effects. Because I am not a top notch photographer, I rarely like leaving pictures as they are. Much like leaving the house without any makeup on, I feel naked and exposed. I feel like I can do much more with it thanks to my trusty computer.

At this moment, I don't really like this one. Though that may very well change. The thing I will say is that I love how it makes me think of Van Gogh's Starry Night. I certainly don't think to compare my work to his, however it's still the first image that comes to mind.

Untitled Highway Photo

"If you don't get lost, there's a chance you may never be found."

Untitled Psycho Photo

I have absolutely no words for this. I've spent a significant amount of time trying to find a quotation but I've come up with nothing. I don't know what it is or what it's saying.

But I like it.

Untitled Flowers Photo

"Perhaps I owe having become a painter to the flowers."

During my recent venture down to the Distillery District, I came across an interesting shot. It was someone's garbage tossed into a alluring bed of flowers. A cigarette package to be exact.

I really love the colors in this picture. I ended up choosing what I like to call "mustard" yellow and "ketchup" red. Such classic colors that always look good together. And of course I wanted to throw in some darker tones. I just really love how the black adds a protective layer to the flowers.

Quotation: Claude Monet

Untitled Window Photo

"I used to be a window cleaner. I got fired because I sometimes liked to drink the soapy water."

Untitled Paint Photo

"A good painting to me has always been like a friend. It keeps me company, comforts and inspires."

I have decided to do my darnedest to create an image a day. I don't feel like I've wasted another day if I do something creative. Every time I do something I get a sense of calm in my life, even if it's only for a moment. It's the feeling of being in my element that I love and crave.

These were two photos I took the other day when I was in the Distillery District. The first was a picture of a brick wall with a giant paint splotch on it. I really enjoy the randomness of spilled paint. The second was the logo of a Sound Design gallery. Nothing but a metal sound-wave. It looked so nice with a background of bricks. As attached as I was to these photos individually, I was that much happier when they intersected.

It sparked something in me.

Untitled Sight Photo

"The greatest talents often lie buried out of sight."

I am interested in numerous forms of expression. Over the years I've illustrated, photographed, and written about the world as I see it. I have never been able to stick with one creative outlet because I never know where I will be. When I feel the urge, I will turn to whatever is there in the moment. At work, all I have is a pen and paper. This is the time when I enjoy the brainstorming process. I have a lot of time to think things out so that when I get home I can test them out on images. Still or moving, doesn't matter to me. Lately I have been doing more still work but I do equally enjoy playing with moving images.

The montages are extremely fun to do but are much more of a challenge than the pictures are. It seems to take me just as long to find the right subject as it is to cut into something.

However this challenge makes the feeling of completion that much better.

Photo Taken By: Erica Paolini

Untitled Head Photo

"Is there no way out of the mind?"

I took this picture several years ago while I was in film school. We always seemed to have a lot of random props hanging around and so I found it amusing to put the mannequin head into the stove. Who knows why I did this but it made for an interesting picture.

Untitled Lucy Thought

August 6th, 1911 - April 26th, 1989

Top Five "I Love Lucy" Episodes

5. The Operetta
4. Job Switching
3. Lucy's Italian Movie
2. Lucy Gets Into Pictures
1. Lucy Does a TV Commercial

Honorable mention goes to Lucy is Jealous of Girl Singer. This was the first episode I ever saw and taped off TV. I rewound the nightclub scene so many times that my face hurt from laughter.

Happy Birthday Lucy. We miss you.

Untitled Six Word Photo

Untitled Subway Photo

Untitled New York Thought

"New York: the only city where people make radio requests like "This is for Tina- I'm sorry I stabbed you."

There is certainly no city I'd rather get stabbed in. Ideally I would rather avoid the stabbing part but if I'm going down, what better place to go down in?

I am reminded of a Friends moment when Ross makes that list about Rachel and derails the future of their relationship. In this sweet and tender moment of reflection out a rainy window, the song stops. Appalled by Ross' actions, the DJ changes the music and dedicates it to a couple that might stand a chance. The dedication went something like this: "Avery, Michelle's sorry she hit you with her car and she hopes you two will work it out."

Hilarious.

Quote By: Carol Leifer

Untitled Eyes Thought

"Eyes show us the fascinating story."

I'm an observer by nature. I love to sit back and watch people interact with their surroundings. Do you ever feel like you're being watched? I always do. On a good day I like to pretend that everyone's eyes are glued on me just waiting to see what I'll do next. That's the fun of my imagination I guess. I can always be prominent in my own world. I think you can tell that when you look into my eyes.

Untitled Shelf Thought

It only took a day for my latest montage to fall flat on its face. After playing with this footage for the second time around, I don't think it's going to work for what I'm going for. Or it could just be the fact that I've already gone through this footage before and I feel like I'm being redundant.