Time Flies When You Do What You Love :)

So recently I took a breath in between post-Artist Project and pre-One of a Kind chaos, and realized that this May marks the 15th anniversary of the start of my business.. !!
At first I was shocked (surely I'm far to young to have a 15-year-old business! Haha), but when that passed I felt mostly two things: proud of how far I've come in those 15 years, and super-excited about what the next 15 or so will hold!

When I first started my business, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. No clue that I was signing up to work pretty much 7-day weeks, almost every week of every year. No concept of what it's like to get pneumonia and not have a drug plan or paid sick days, and have nobody who could do my job while I was recovering. I now know all of this, and wouldn't change a thing :)

15 years ago, I actually had a full-time job as well as a business. This was back in the days of film and darkrooms, and not being able to "fix it later" in Photoshop. I learned a lot from the people I worked with, and most importantly learned that I didn't want to work for a big company. Which is a great thing to know, because it's made me never regret how hard I've had to work since going out on my own :)

I haven't gotten rich in money, but can't even begin to count the riches in other parts of my life.. I've had the opportunity to travel to some amazing places, I've worked with such an amazing and talented group of people, and I've been able to chase my dreams and inspirations where they have led me. I'm filled with so much gratitude that I've been able to do what I love over these past 15 years.

This actually feels like a much bigger milestone than any birthday I've ever had - after all, birthdays come whether you actively pursue them or not ;) So to celebrate, and to spread some of this excitement around to the people who've made it possible, I've decided to spend the next 15 months giving little perks and bonuses to my clients! One a month will bring us right through my 15th year, with the final month being May of 2016.

The first one is immediate: I'll be exhibiting at the Spring One of a Kind Show in Toronto a week from now, and anyone who stops by my booth to say "Happy Anniversary" will get 15% off anything in my booth :) This will be my first time doing the One of a Kind show as an exhibitor, and I'm really excited to branch out into this fantastic community! The show runs March 25th-29th at the Direct Energy Centre (at the CNE), and I'm in booth M19 - hope to see you there :) I'll be sharing some work in progress pictures over the next few days on instagram, facebook, and twitter if you like the "behind the scenes" type of stuff. *use this link to save $3 off regular admission to the show!

As for the rest of the perks, I'll be sharing that information every month on facebook and twitter, so be sure to follow! I also have an email list that you can sign up for - here's the link for the Fine Art news and updates, and here's where I'll announce any specials for couples or family portraits.

A HUGE "Thank You!" to everyone I've worked with over the past decade and a half - many of you have trusted me with the most precious moments and memories of your lives, or the promoting of your own small business dreams, and many others now have my whimsical depictions of far-away places hung on your walls.. all of you hold a special place in my heart for the role you have played in allowing me to live my dream :) I look forward to seeing you sometime soon!

xo Jessica

Art Show Summer Schedule and New Work!

Okay - so this year I was really enthusiastic when it came time to send in applications for the summer art shows.. the result is that I'm doing a lot of shows in the next 4 weeks! It's a lot to keep track of, so I've made this handy list for you :)

And in case your next question is: "what's new for this year?" - I have an answer for that too! I've been working really hard on a couple of new collections - I'll be unveiling my Ireland Collection at the Riverdale Artwalk June 7-8, including some super-cute little limited edition sets that you may have heard about! (you haven't heard? Follow us on facebook and twitter already, so you won't be out of the loop next time!) Here's one of my favourite images from this Collection:

These images from Ireland were taken over a few trips, one of which was our wedding trip and honeymoon road trip :) There's a lovely story to go along with this collection, and as soon as I have a minute to write that blog, I'll post a link to it here!

I'm also going to be participating in a group show during World Pride at the Artscape Youngplace, with a theme of "Pride in Canada".. this was a great challenge for me, as it's the first time I've been given an "assignment" in terms of what I'm creating. I'm really happy with the results - 7 images that combine animal characters with vintage details and some playful text. Here's one of my favourite images from this set, "The Fortune-Teller":

And since I know that not all of you are in Toronto or available on weekends, there are also two new places where you can find perfect happy art gifts (either for others or yourself!): the first is my shiny new Etsy shop here, and the second is my awesome Society6 shop where you can get everything from tote bags to cushions, wall clocks, or even a shower curtain! As a bonus, Society6 has free shipping this weekend if you use this link!

Alright, art-lovers - it's time for me to get some sleep before my art show marathon begins tomorrow morning! Hope to see you in an art-filled park very soon!

xo Jessica

Livin' The Dream :)

As many of you already know, last weekend was my first time exhibiting at The Artist Project Toronto. It's an amazing show, and actually what inspired me two years ago to begin my own collection of personal work, so just getting accepted and being part of that felt like a big hug from the Universe. The experience itself was so great.. I met lots of lovely people, saw many friends both in the crowds that visited and in the booths around me, and had beautiful conversations. Someone cried in my booth (the second time that's happened), which I took to be the highest compliment. People asked me questions that ranged everywhere from "how do you do that?" to "where did you stay when you were in Nice?". People saw things in my images that I'd never noticed or thought of, which was inspiring.

And I basically got to spend 4 days surrounded by images and telling stories about art, photography, love, and the magic of chance. Because if you haven't had the chance to see this collection in person yet, I'll let you in on a little secret: it's about beauty, and colour, and texture, and layers, and all that good stuff. It's about the South of France, and Paris, and a trip that I took by myself just over 5 years ago. But for me, the collection represents something bigger..

The Absolute Magic of Chance.

What happens when you go as far as you can out on a limb, and then just jump. Without really knowing what you're jumping into, or what will happen, or if it's a good idea. But having a gut feeling that it's the right thing to do.

Because as well as taking about a million pictures in my 3 weeks in France, I also met a man. A handsome fellow with a great accent. He was from Belfast, and was in Nice to go scuba diving. We were staying at the same hostel, and met in line for dinner. That man is now my husband :) Those images have grown up to be my first collection of personal fine art pieces. That trip changed my life, and I could never have seen it coming.

So even when things are not working perfectly, or are much harder than I think they should be, deep down in my heart I feel so blessed at how things are turning out. At how the adventure of my life is unfolding. So if you see me in a booth full of images that look a bit like fairy tales, it's because that's how I feel about that trip. To see my work is to see how I feel about Love, Adventure, and Romance.

I hope that each and every one of you follows your dream - even if you don't know what it is yet :)

xo
Jessica

Getting ready for The Artist Project!

It's now less than 3 weeks away - my very first indoor show - so I'm busybusybusy finishing up some new pieces and designing my booth. This would be pretty exciting no matter what, but The Artist Project holds a bit of a special place in my heart and here's why..

Two years ago, my friend Carolyn and I heard about this art exhibition at the CNE called The Artist Project. We decided to meet up and spend an hour or two checking it out. We spent six hours there - eyes lit up and imaginations set on fire. We're both creative people, but at the time neither one of us would have dared to consider ourselves "artists". Since then, we've both set up studio spaces and started devoting time to explore creatively. To make pretty things for the sake of making pretty things.

One of the most touching moments in my life was at my first show (the Queen West Art Crawl), when Carolyn walked into my booth and started crying - because she was there when the seed was planted. When I realized that it was not only possible, but really important to me, to create and show (and hopefully sell!) personal work, it literally changed my life. Don't get me wrong - I love photographing weddings, and tiny babies, and kids being kids, and locally designed fashion, art, and craft - but all those things are other people's creations. And I wanted to make something that was just mine. To ask for advise and opinions and be able to completely ignore them if I wanted. To take the love and joy I have for colour and texture and line, and make it into something that someone else can love too. To take the thousands of images that I have from years of travelling, and turn them into pieces that capture the way it felt to be on those trips.

So - here we are - two years later. I applied for The Artist Project months ago, and held my breath. I feel so honoured and fortunate to have been selected to hang my work among a crowd of such talented artists. I feel excited. I feel terrified. And it's all awesome.

And to honour the occasion, I've been working on some new pieces - collections of sets of 3 small pieces that go together - which I'm totally in love with :) They are the cutest and most colourful pieces yet, and I predict that they'll be crowd pleasers. Each and every one of the "birch panel" pieces that I've made are one of a kind (because I hate how reproducible photography sometimes is), so if you love any of them be sure to grab them before they're gone!

 

Bonus: I have two pairs of tickets to The Artist Project show in Toronto February 21st-23rd - if you're interested, just mention this on facebook or twitter and be sure to tag me so that I know to enter you in the draw (here I am on facebook, and here's me on twitter) - like my facebook page and follow me on twitter to get 4 bonus entries!!

Thanks a million for all the support and hope to see you at the show!

xo Jessica

My Perfect Wee Nephew at 3 months :)

I'm going to start this one on a personal note (it's my blog after all!)..

This past October I turned 37. In and of itself, that's no problem. I'm actually thoroughly enjoying my 30's, and wish I didn't spend the last few years of my 20's dreading them so much ;) But since then - in the short 2 1/2 months that I've been 37 - I've had pneumonia (which sucks even more than I'd imagined), I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics I was prescribed and ended up spending a day in the emergency room, we had our house broken into (while we were at home!), we spent a few days without power during the recent ice storm excitement, and both Norman and I have had bronchitis. So as the end of 2013 looms near, I can't say I'm sad to see it go. 

However. In and amongst all that craziness, we also spent a week and a half visiting with my sister, her husband, and their perfect new baby boy, Cooper. We were lucky enough to be there for his first trip to see Santa, his first experience of a Christmas tree, and his first time out in the snow. At three months, Cooper loves kicking, is *almost* rolling over, and loves to use his index finger to accentuate his cheerful chatter. Also, he giggles :) Years ago, a close friend of mine (also a first-time Aunt at the time) told me that nephew giggles could cure anything. I'm not 100% sure that Cooper's giggles actually cured any of the crap that was going on over the past months, but I am sure that they made up for it :)

And while I can't actually share his giggles with you here, I can share with you some of the fun we had together one afternoon..

My appologies to my brother-in-law, who isn't a huge fan of this hat.. I just thought it was totally irresistable :) A bit like Baby Cooper :)

We wish all of you a very Happy New Year, and many giggles!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Fine Art Pieces - The France Collection

I love travelling. There are few things I enjoy more than the adventure of exploring somewhere new - the unfamiliar sights and sounds, the musical rhythms of each new language, the way the flavours you taste seem somehow connected to the colours around you..

Every time we go away, people ask if it's for "work" or for a "holiday". If you've ever travelled with a photographer (and I don't really recommend it!) then you know there's no distinction between the two most of the time. Being immersed in a different culture - even just being pulled out of my everyday routines - frees my mind up to see things in new and fantastic ways. I roam city streets and countrysides with my camera never far from my face, greedily gathering new images. 

For years now I've been gathering images, storing them and backing them up. And nobody ever saw them. I hadn't decided what they were meant to "be" yet, and I didn't want to force a purpose on them. 

Then a couple of years ago, I started to go through my thousands of images. Not just the travel ones, but dozens of images taken in my kitchen while preparing dinner, images of words from signs with great fonts, all the images I've taken over the years with no clear purpose other than the fact that something about the subject matter spoke to me. And I started to see new images. Scenes that existed nowhere outside of my imagination - yet. I created a series of scenes that used colours and graphic patterns to turn regular places into fantasy worlds.

I make giclee prints of my finished images on watercolour paper, and then hand tear or sand the edges to give them a soft, organic look. These archival prints are mounted onto boards that have been softened at the edges with more sanding, and then painted or stained to suit the image. Some have stencils along the edges. The final step is multiple coats of satin finish, resulting in a piece that is pleasing to the touch and UV protected.

My first exhibition of these finished pieces was at the 2012 Queen West Art Crawl, and I was really touched by the amazingly supportive response they received. For a peek at some of the smaller pieces, check out this post. To see the full collection in person, please come check out my booth at one or more of these upcoming shows in Toronto:

Cabbagetown Art and Craft Festival - September 6-8, 2013

Danforth East Art Fair - Sept. 14-15, 2013

Queen West Art Crawl - Sept. 21-22, 2013 - booth M36 

Hope to see you soon!

xo
Jessica

Fine Art - smaller pieces available from The France Collection

As many of you know, last year I began creating my first collection of photo-based fine art pieces using images from my trip to France a few years back. I had a great time selecting the images to print and an even better time preparing the printed images for my first outdoor show last fall (the Queen West Art Crawl in Trinity Bellwoods park). 

I had giclee prints made on watercolour paper, and then hand sanded or tore the edges to give them a softer feel. I mounted them onto boards that had also been sanded to soften their sharp edges, and painted or stained to match the images. I gave all of them a few coats with a satin sealer to protect them, and added ribbon embellishments  or stencils to a lucky few.

The larger pieces have many images layered together to create surreal scenes - check out this post to see some of my favourite examples :)

The smaller ones are mostly images that are so close up that they become abstract gems of colour and pattern..

My favourite part about these smaller pieces is that because of the 1 1/2" depth of the boards, I was able to wrap the image around to two or more sides on many of the pieces.

They range in size, but most are either 4x4" or 6x8" (with a few 6x6") and they are perfect either as part of a set of 2 or 3, or just on their own to brighten up a smaller spot on your wall :)

These pieces are all one-of-a-kind, so once you fall in love with one you'd better grab it before someone else does! I'm happy to announce that you can come by and see them in person and hear their stories at the following upcoming shows:

Cabbagetown Art and Craft Festival - September 6-8, 2013

Danforth East Art Fair - Sept. 14-15, 2013

Queen West Art Crawl - Sept. 21-22, 2013 - booth M36 

To get all the lastest information about upcoming shows as dates are added, be sure to Like my Facebook page and Follow me on Twitter :) And if you have any inquiries, please feel free to email me!

Thanks and see you soon!

xo

Jessica

Some of my Favourite Images from our Trip to Japan

As many of you already know, back in October I finally got around to living one of my biggest - and longest put-off - dreams: going to Japan :) We spent an amazing three weeks travelling and photographing this fascinating culture and the lovely people who live in it. 

We went to Tokyo, Mt. Fuji (although not UP Mt. Fuji), Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and spent an amazing week living and working on a farm in the mountains in Gifu. We spoke broken Japanese, broken English, and some barely-remembered high school French. We ate things with names like "octopus balls" (and enjoyed them!). We learned how to make sushi from a woman who was deemed an expert due to her 30+ years as a Japanese housewife. We braved multiple onsen (hot springs) and were not shunned for our tattoos. We saw a few real Geisha and many young women dressed up as Geisha for the day. We stood in a cage to feed wild monkeys who live outside of the cage. We were enthusiastically greeted by teams of employees at every restaurant, shop, and museum. We heard automated greetings and/or warnings from escalators, elevators, and subway entrances. We learned the difference between saki and shochu (the hard way). We stood shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of people crammed into the narrow streets of a tiny village while men paraded with huge fiery torches.

It was AMAZING. 

I have the distinct feeling that I'm still unaware of how much this trip changed my life, which is a pretty awesome feeling :) 

Being photographers, we of course took many photographs while we were there. We also made 80 short digital videos, and shot 4 rolls of super 8 movie film. Needless to say, there's a lot of really amazing material to work through now that we're back. The best of these images will be included in future art shows and exhibitions (stay tuned for details), and I'm going to work on piecing together the video and film footage to create a short piece in motion. And (as with past travel images) I will be selecting a handful to use in the creation of my photo-based multi media art pieces, which I am SO looking forward to making :) I've already started one, which you can see below..

I can't wait to show you more of these images from our awesome trip, and tell the stories that go with them! I'm currently knee-deep in application and submission forms, so stay in touch to get the latest news on where we'll be :)

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Thanks to everyone for your much-appreciated on-going support! You guys are the best!

xo
Jessica + Norman

Sneak Peek of our Awesome Japan trip (October 2012)

As some of you already know, this October we went to Japan - a trip I had been dreaming about for over a decade, and which my lovely husband not only agreed to but actually set in motion. I had been putting it off for ages, at first because of how expensive I assumed it would be, and later because secretly I was afraid that there was no way Japan could live up to the expectations I had steadily been building up. I will admit - I had the entire country and culture on a pedestal. In my mind, it was a fantasy land where the distant (and very romantic) past happily coexisted with a sort of science fiction future, where everything was not only steeped in meaning but also aesthetically stunning. Long before I ever went to Spain, France, Ireland or Mexico it was the only trip I ever wanted to take - and yet it was the trip I continued to not take. 

So last January when Norman and I were discussing possible places to visit,  I mentioned always having wanted to go to Japan. In that way that people who are not you have of making very obvious and simple observations about things that you have made very complicated in your own head, he said "so let's go". And that was it.

We ended up going for just over 3 weeks in October. We took one DSLR, one point-and-shoot, and one Super 8 camera. There are now over 2300 images, 80 short videos, and four rolls of Super 8 film, along with a journal that is so far three books long. Needless to say - it's going to take a while to edit through all this and process and absorb the whole experience, but so many people have asked to see pictures from our trip that I thought I would share a few snippets :) I will also share the two major things I learned as we were in Japan - 1. it doesn't have to be nearly as expensive as I thought it would be, and 2. it is even more awesome than I could have imagined :)

Here are a handful of my favourite images.. some are from the farm we stayed on in Gifu, and others are from Kyoto and Hiroshima (I promise - stories to follow at a later date!) - enjoy!

This last image is a piece I put together by collaging different elements of images from Tokyo, Kyoto, Miyajima, and the airport in Taipei (seriously!) - it's my plan to do a collection of collaged pieces as I've done with my France images (if you missed those at the Queen West Art Crawl this fall, stay tuned for information about upcoming shows..)

Have a great weekend!

xo 

Jessica

Queen West Art Crawl - September 15-16 in Trinity Bellwoods Park

As you may or may not know, I have about a gazillion travel pictures that probably only a handful of people have ever seen. They've been the unchecked thing on the list at the back of my mind for years now - but I didn't know what to "do" with them. I love them, and I loved the trips they represented for me. And here they were, gathering metaphorical dust in hard drives stacked on my desk...

Roughly four years ago, someone asked me "what do you like to photograph" and although it seems like a very simple question, I didn't have an answer. I liked all the people who hired me to photograph their work or their special life moments - and really enjoy photographing for them - but what would I photograph if it was just up to me..? This question, along with the breakup of my first marriage, led me to book a trip to France by myself in the fall that year. Just to be alone, and to photograph.

This trip ending up changing my life in more ways than you probably care to know, but there were two "big" ones. After a few days of taking semi-touristy pictures, I found a rhythm in what I was drawn to capture for no good reason other than I loved it. I was particularly fond of the windows and doors in the South of France - all the gorgeous colours layered on top of each other year after year, revealed by the flaking paint or showing bits of rust coming through. The streets actually smelled of lavender. The crepes were amazing. My high school french came back to me and I rediscovered the awesomeness of words like pamplemouse and papillion. Aiming for a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the mountains, I ended up by the sea in a "paniche" (houseboat). I sat in cafes and bars by myself, reading Colette or updating my journal. I spent three days trying to reach a town that turned out to be a big disappointment, but on the way found another gem of a town I'd never heard of before. And on the train ride through the mountains alive with fall colours on my way back to Nice, I realized I would be okay. I could put my life back together. My ex-husband and I had lived together since we were 20 - a dozen years at this point - and on that train ride I started to picture having roommates (which I'd never had, unless you count sisters) and looking for an apartment with only my own opinion to consider. This was the day before my birthday, and I really felt like I was ready for a fresh "on-my-own" start. Exactly four hours later, I met Norman.

We met in line for dinner at the hostel we were both staying at in Nice (named after the writer of the Little Prince). I loved his Belfast accent, and his smiley eyes. We spent a lovely few days together walking the old streets and eating ice cream (mine was rose, his was Bailey's - both delicious). We went to the market. We sat on the pebble beach at night, listening to the waves drag the pebbles down. We had the most expensive cup of tea and pint of beer on a rooftop patio with the most beautiful view of the coast at sunset. And then we kissed goodbye.

Two days later - in Paris and back on my own - I found myself in the Rodin museum, in the room with "The Kiss" (which I'd been saving for last), just as a young man got down on his knee in front of the young lady he was with and pulled a ring from his pocket. There was only one other person in the room at the time, and when I looked at her I was glad to see she had tears in her eyes too. I had to leave. I called my sister (7am her time, and what turned out to be a $400 phone call) and through my tears told her that the most unlikely thing had happened - in the space of three days, I'd fallen in love. The rest is a story for another day, another collection of images, another art show.

This is the trip I chose for my first collection of fine art pieces. I will be showing (and hopefully selling!) these pieces at the Queen West Art Crawl this coming weekend in Trinity Bellwoods park (booth D13). Come on down and see us - we'll happily tell you more stories about the magical places these images came from :)

Here's a glimpse of what I've been working on for the show...

these (on the left) were my "minis", pocket-sized versions I could carry around with me to consider. On the right was "colour-picking day" - one of my favourites :)

 colours picked, paint mixed, boards painted, images printed and attached to boards..

 some lucky guys got decorated along their edges too - I loved this part!

I can't wait for the show, and hope to see you there!

xo Jessica

Shinsedai Cinema Festival - countdown to Japan trip!

As you may or may not already know, I've wanted to go to Japan for over a decade now. I can't entirely explain why, I just love Japan in my mind and it's been a dream of mine to one day go there. When Norman and I were talking about this 6 months ago, he said "let's go then" - and somehow something that I'd been putting off for years was something I was booking flights for as I dusted off my Japanese language CDs. {At this point I should admit that my whole life I thought I was a romantic-dreamer sort of person.. and then I met my lovely husband, for whom the notion of "can't" doesn't seem to exist. He makes me look like a pessimist. I guess that's what happens when you grow up in the land of Lepprechauns and Fairies :) }

Anyways - we've booked our flights, have so far learned how to introduce ourselves, count to 10 and discuss our hobbies. I've been devouring books about Japan, both memoirs by other foreigners who've visited and translations of Japanese literature (currently reading "Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan" - awesome!). We've been trying to talk to everyone we know who's ever been there. So even though I know that the Shinsedai Cinema Festival showcasing Japanese films wasn't planned especially for us, the timing was perfect :)

It was a four-day festival at the Revue Cinema and included 12 main films and a selection of shorts that were shown before the main ones. (Three of the "main films" where actually collections of shorter pieces as well, and one was a double-bill of two hour-long "Pink Films"). I'm sure there will be loads of proper film critics out there writing about these films, so I'm just going to mention what were my personal favourite moments from the weekend..

I got the Deluxe Festival Pass, and went to everything. Norman had a 5-film pass. Here's what we saw:

Ringing in Their Ears - this was Norman's favourite. It was half documentary about a Japanese indie band about to break out into major lable stardom, and half imagined stories about a handful of fictional fans of the band. It was preceded by one of the best shorts of the festival, Back. This followed two kids in reverse as they walked through the streets, with all sorts of excitement around them.

Enter the Cosmos: Takashi Makino Special - This was a collection of three shorter pieces of "experimental filmaking". I'm going to be honest, I'm not THAT arty. I did fall asleep in part of the middle and last films, which were incredibly abstract and a bit psychedelic. I - more than once - wondered "how much longer?". But here's the crazy thing: watching something that isn't actually demanding anything from your brain as far as paying attention goes, allows your mind to sort of float around. At first it was my never-ending "to-do" list very vividly presenting itself. And then my mind wandered in a way that I don't normally have time to let it do. By the end of the movies I was a bit bored and a bit relieved to be going home - but after leaving, I felt really awake creatively.. it was sort of like exfoliation for whatever part of the mind is in charge of "possibilities" and "ideas", the part that gathers dust as we worry about paying bills and meeting deadlines. So these three films were not something I would say I enjoyed as films, but I would say I enjoyed the experience they gave me - which was a very unexpected and great one.

Ghost Cat & The Mysterious Shamisen - this was cool because it was an old (1938) black & white horror film, with all the women running around in kimonos.

Zero Man vs. The Half Virgin - really funny, loved the foreigner speaking bad Japanese (that will be us!) and a great ending. It was preceded by a short called Dark on Dark about a very busty woman going around placing her breast on men's heads to cheer them up - a good pairing :)

The Naked Summer - a documentary about butoh dancing. It follows a group of around 40 people at a butoh dance retreat, leading up to an awesome final performance where everyone wore not much more than gold paint and danced by torchlight. This was beautiful and was one of my favourites.

{in between these films I met my awesome friend Amanda for ice cream and a walk down Roncesvalles - this strip has changed a lot since I lived near it 7 years ago, and has some fantastic little shops and places for ice cream!}

From the Great White North: Yubari Fanta Special - this included three shorter films: Hole and Pole, The Student Wrestler, and Mrs. Akko and Her Husband. All were really good; I especially loved the humour of the first one (where highschool students are taught to overcome their enemies by out-pleasuring them), and the second one was also really funny (a documentary about the lives of student wrestlers and their lack of girlfriends).

End of the Night - I didn't really like this one as much as many of the others, although it ended up getting an honourable mention as the film that very nearly won the audience award, so obviously other people must have really liked it..

Battle Girls & Bondage: a Pink Film Double bill - both these movies were entertaining (the first one had a great low-budget mid-80's hilarity factor), but for me the highlight by far was the live performance right before the films. A dancer in a sexy-tized kimono wielded two gauze-wrapped fans in such a way that it literally looked as if she was dancing with jelly fish. It was so beautiful. There was also a short documentary about the history and making of Pink Films, which was really interesting and funny.

Hiroshima Nagasaki Download - this was awesome. It was a documentary about the survivors of the atomic bombs who are now living in North America, and also ended up being about the emotional and psychological journey that the filmmakers experienced while travelling around and interviewing their subjects. We both really loved this film, and it won the audience award. It was preceded by one of the best shorts, called On This Side, about an elderly couple struggling with illness. I don't think a single word was spoken from either character, but the visuals and the music beautifully showed a heartbreaking story. I cried. And then after the feature documentary there was an interview on stage with a Hiroshima survivor which was also nothing short of amazing.

Good For Nothing - also not one of my favourites..

Beyond Anime: The Outer Limits - this was a collection of animated pieces curated by festival co-director Jasper Sharp to showcase the vast variety of non-Anime animation being created in Japan.. a lot of it was a bit dark in theme, most of it was very good. Also due to the lack of subtitles it was another time during the weekend when I felt my mind was free to just absorb and enjoy.

{I actually went for a short walk after this screening and took some amazing photos in the neighbourhood :) Three of these images ended up being part of my 7-image submission to my first ever photography competition that was completed on Monday.. here's one of them:

Plus, I somehow had time to find the best kid's book ever (called "Go the F##k to Sleep") in a great bookstore on Roncesvalles, which I brought home with me because everyone should have a copy of this book.}

Tentsuki - I had a couple of moments when I wondered what the heck was going on in this film, and did it matter, and was I enjoying it even if it didn't make much sense..? There were some really beautiful shots though, so I enjoyed the watching of it (if that makes sense). And at the very end, I suddenly thought of Kafka. And how in the end none of his work really went anywhere or made any sense, but you somehow loved him in spite of it. That's how I felt about this film :)

Phew! It was a marathon that involved much planning ahead with snacks and meals, much stretching between screenings, much adding and subtracting of clothing layers due to the extreme heat outside and air conditioning inside, and much smiling :) I can't thank co-programmers Chris MaGee and Jasper Sharp enough for a fantastic experience and a great launch into the planning of our trip! If you missed the festival this year and have any interest in Japan or independant films, make sure to catch it next year!