Monday, November 19, 2012

Mary Ambrose Art Show

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to enjoy some real live art, so that’s why I’m looking forward to experiencing Mary’s new work this coming Sunday, November 25 from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. The show is at 5 Lyonsgate Drive in Toronto (5 streets north of Wilson, east of Bathurst Street). Mary will be featuring paintings, collages and prints along with encaustic art and watercolors by her friend Emily Mandy. I know this is going to inspire me to get my act together art-wise—and probably in other ways too.

Saturday, November 03, 2012

My Dad: 1921 to 2012

My Dad—Richard Fulford—passed away late Monday night at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Although he had been in failing health since the spring, Dad continued to do the bridge hand and crossword puzzle from the newspaper regularly, downed a daily cocktail, and kept up with his large family and circle of friends. Dad served overseas in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. It was during his basic training that he met my mother at a garden party in Wales. Most of his time was spent in India and Ceylon, which gave him a lifelong love of travel.
When he returned to Canada, Dad became a Professional Engineer and gained an MBA from the University of Toronto. After he retired, he returned to school and graduated with a BA from Glendon College at the age of 77—and he was still teaching Sunday school into his eighties. Now that Dad is gone, I’m the oldest member of the family—all 21 of us—and I intend to follow his shining example and enjoy my life to the fullest.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Focus and Failure


I don’t know about you, but I often find it difficult to settle down and focus in on creative ideas that could be developed into something tangible. 
I used to think it was because artists tend to be all-at-once kind of thinkers. If a lot of ideas are coming to you (and this happens to me regularly), it’s easy to get lost in the ocean of possibilities. And when you’re easily distracted and can’t settle down, you start thinking of yourself as basically lazy ...maybe lacking the moral fiber needed to produce something worthwhile.
But in my observation of myself and others, I think there’s something deeper at work here. If you’ve experienced failure with any kind of regularity (as most of us have), you can be fearful about exploring something that resonates with you.  In other words, will it be just be another dead end? And how will you feel afterwards if it is?  It’s always harder to fail at something when it’s important to you.
Yes, I know they say that if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But unfortunately, failure doesn’t always result in a cleansing process that elevates character and improves your perception.
So what is the solution to all this? I wish I knew, although I have a feeling that following where your focus leads you and enjoying the ride just might be the only way to go.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

I think I'm back...


I don’t know whether or not anyone is still reading my blog – not that there has been anything to read since last summer. Because I always enjoyed blogging, I made many resolutions to get back to it, but I never seemed to follow through, and the longer I put it off, the harder it was to imagine posting again.
In a way, it was like falling off a diet. Once you take the tumble, you just say to yourself: “What’s the point of sticking with this when I just don’t have the willpower to carry on?”
Not that I’d describe my failure to post as a moral lapse. This period of not blogging stemmed from that Slough of Despond experience most of us go through from time to time. Quite frankly, sometimes life just overwhelms you and you don’t have that much to give to other people.
What opened the way to writing this post was being forced to go over several years of blog entries while compiling a CD of family photos, and I ended up being surprised by all the art I’d posted. When you’re not in a good frame of mind, you don’t think you’ve accomplished anything worthwhile. Then when you really think about it, you realize that probably the most important thing with communication can be distilled into these three simple words: just show up.