Person at the Window - 76

Person at the Window, Salvador Dali, c. 1925

In general I'm not a huge fan of Dali's work. Most of the time I find it disturbing and just a little too surreal for my taste, but I was pleased to come across one that I actually liked, so I thought I'd learn a little more about it.

Dali painted this piece showing his sister Ana Maria looking out at Spain's Bay of Candaqués as an expression of his love for the place where he would spend his summers. It's a departure from his usually violent use of colours and bizarre imagery and conveys a sense of peace and calm.

Apparently Ana Maria was Dali's only female model until he married his wife, Gala, in 1929. Later, Ana Maria wrote a book that showed Dali in an unflattering light and in 1954 he created a new version of this work entitled, 'Young Virgin Buggered by Her Own Chastity'. Apparently this is not someone who's bad side you want to be on.

La Scapigliata - 76

La Scapigliata, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1508



So basically I suck. It's the 22, so I should have done three of these by now. In fact, I even started writing this one on the 2. Alright, I can get back to this.

I have always loved this piece by da Vinci, so I figured it was time that I actually learn a little something about it. La Scapigliata apparently means 'a woman uncombed', which seems appropriate for this beautiful creature with unruly curls. This is also something I can relate to. ;)

Why this piece is important: Da Vinci was truly a pioneer in many fields. He was an inventive genius who was able to bring new perspective and vision to life, challenging preconceived notions at every turn. In a time when women were considered inferior to men, he depicted them as beautiful, intelligent and equal.

18 and 48

So obviously I started the blog (48). I'm not completely sure where I'll take this yet, but I'll post when I complete tasks and talk a little about why I wanted to do them. I'll also use this space to write about my weekly choice of artwork that I've learned about, and any other random things that I just feel like getting out. So I guess we'll find out whether or not I'm interesting. ;)

18 - upgraded DWF membership. DWF is a community of professional wedding and lifestyle photographers. I won't go into full details about why this is important, but it is. I'm so glad I finally took this step, but I can already feel the extra strain it will put on my schedule. I've had this new status level for about a day now and can't stop taking in all the new information. I'm hooked. I wish I had an extra 40 hours a week just to read and learn.

January 1, 2009 - Day Zero

Here it is! The list of 101 things that I will do in 1001 days. So starting today, I have until September 29, 2011 to complete these tasks. They're all things that I've been wanting and meaning to do for some time, and I'm finally pulling them out of the shoebox. Some of them will be ongoing, some of them are one time things. As I complete each task I'll post about it here and update the list with the date that it was finished.


1. Become familiar with 3 new Toronto neighbourhoods
2. See more of Ottawa
3. See more of Montreal
4. Visit a new province
5. Visit three new countries
6. Do 5 touristy things in Toronto
7. Visit a new state
8. Make photography full time career by 2010
9. Sell an art print
10. Have a wedding published in a magazine
11. Challenge myself in a new way every month (photographically, of course!)
12. Publish and sell a book of photography
13. Establish print packages
14. Clean out unwanted files from my computer at least once a month
15. Organize 'hard' copies of all files
16. Create printed portfolio albums
17. Open Etsy store
18. Upgrade DWF membership - Completed January 1, 2009
19. Buy a house
20. Have a date night with Craig every week
21. Visit Port Elgin 9 times a year
22. Get another dog
23. Write a will
24. Get really great pictures of my family
25. Secret
26. Spend three weekends away with Craig 1/3 completed Jan. 24, 2009 (Niagara Falls)
27. Play video games with Craig for three whole afternoons
28. Take Guinness to play in a park once a month
29. See Cristi
30. See Saralyn
31. Spend a weekend away with Katie
32. Roadtrip with Laurier friends
33. Roadtrip with Jackie, Trish, Kelly
34. Learn 5 ways to make eggs
35. Learn to knit
36. Read three French novels
37. See Casablanca
38. Re-read 1984
39. Re-read Heart of Darkness
40. See new AGO
41. Read Catch 22
42. Read Ulysses
43. Learn to make a pie crust
44. Create a photographic alphabet
45. Go snowboarding
46. Carry a 'journal' to jot down things that make me smile
47. Send a postcard to Post Secret
48. Start a personal blog - completed January 1, 2009
49. Learn to play guitar
50. Watch the Indiana Jones trilogy in one sitting
51. Volunteer
52. Get my G2
53. Get my G
54. Learn to make a tea ring
55. Cook a turkey
56. Eat a new kind of animal
57. Go camping
58. Get my next tattoo
59. Read the bible
60. Learn about Islam
61. Learn to play backgammon
62. Learn to play poker
63. Think of three things I am grateful for every night
64. Type out favourite family recipes
65. Learn sign language
66. Plant a tree
67. Give blood
68. Sing at karaoke
69. Work on an election campaign
70. Start RRSP
71. See a show at Stratford
72. Read a previously unread Shakespeare play
73. Read the Handmaid's Tale
74. Read Alias Grace
75. Read The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
76. Learn about a new painting every week - blog about it
77. Watch the Godfather trilogy
78. Watch Schindler's List - completed Feb. 6, 2009
79. Do something with well wishes from wedding
80. Finish guestbench
81. Buy myself flowers five times
82. Buy flowers for someone else five times
83. Go to an NHL game
84. Go to an NFL game
85. Put up a new wall map with pins
86. Play a team sport for a season
87. Regain summer fitness level and maintain
88. Run a 10K
89. Run a half marathon
90. Cut out carbonated beverages
91. Get a bike
92. Climb the CN Tower
93. Don't use the elevator in my apartment for one month
94. Get a proper bed (frame! headboard!)
95. Hang paintings in apartment
96. Frame/display some of my photography
97. Organize my closets
98. Get more storage in apartment
99. Get rid of old magazines
100. De-clutter
101. Organize kitchen - completed January 31, 2009