Author: Janice Tanton

This author has written 261 articles

Prolific? Perfection? :: What does that mean for artists?

I admit being a workaholic. The creation of images fascinates me and borders on obsession. What does it mean to produce really great work, in a prolific manner? I think the answer to that lies in a concentrated residency period that allows experimentation. Quantifiable data can help flesh out part of the picture, but not all of it. Here was my short experience at The Banff Centre.

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You Can’t Fool Mother Nature – Alberta & BC Must Rethink Western Pipeline After Haida Gwaii Earthquakes & Tsunami Warnings

Haida Gwaii sits at the juncture of three tectonic plates, with a total of 10 fault lines. A bit like Mother Nature's weak and ticklish spot, if you will. In short, this area is as unstable as the San Andreas fault, with a powerful oblique thrust that will put some kick in your behind. A tsunami would carry dirty crude oil a very long way.

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Thumbnail Sketching – Play Before You Plan!

When I came back from Gwaii Haanas National Park in June, my head was filled with so many images, experiences and thoughts that I needed some time to sort through them before picking up a paintbrush. I'm still going through that, with over 5000 photographs, a full sketchbook, sound files and video. One of the things I'm starting to do now is to thumbnail sketch out in "storyboard" form, my trip through the park itself which took 5 days. I'm looking at every photograph, recalling the experience and picking a few moments that interest me. One of the greatest tools any artist can use is the thumbnail to do this, and it's a great tool that I learned way back in my college days as a graphic designer.

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