10 new things 2012

Once a year, on my Birthday.
I can live with this.
Thanks for a fruitful 27 years everyone.
Today I turn 28, I am now older than Basquiat got to be.

1. It's about doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right moment.

2. Artists are invisible thieves. You think we would be original, but we are largely not. We just know how unoriginal we are so we steal as much as possible. The most unheard of places for stealing often offer the greatest material. The more learned of us just know better where we got our sources from.

3. I have an eternity to be famous. What is extremely finite is my time here on earth to complete all the projects, activities, events, and happenings I can only begin to hope to.

4. I don't know if it is artists who aren't seen as responsible, accountable, and organized individuals, or if it is nurses who aren't seen as creative, original, and talented individuals, but everyday I am faced with this certain, yet subtle adversity. On the flip side, one could argue Keith Haring and General Idea were community health nurses for their work in raising awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS, Van Gogh tried to help people, and it was Nurse Anita Dorr who invented the crash cart in the 1960s. QOL = Quality Of Life


5. Jars! Saves time, money, and paint. Not sure how I didn't think of that sooner.

6. There are no such things as stupid questions. There are only those who know the answers, and those who don't.

7. People think I'm curt, but I think I'm to the point.

8. Art is the things that people make.

    Culture is the kind of life that revolves around the things that people make.

    To make art is to make a kind of life.

9. "You know the people at the top of the charts are never the best." -Huey Lewis's father.

10. People seem to think the world could benefit if I was more assertive and spoke up more. 


Here's some stuff that got made in my honour:


A mix by GNat:
http://soundcloud.com/gnat/siu-liy
(Siu Liy is my Chinese name.)

A wrong handed, pens only, depiction of me and stuff by the SADC:

A Birthday portrait by my cousin. This one really made my day:

Short Video Profile

I was recently approached by Scarborough Arts to do a short video profile of me in my work space as a celebration of diversity for Asian Heritage Month. I also happened to be finishing up "Oriental Avenue," so I thought, hey, why not?


There are also two other profiles there that I quite enjoyed. 


I love being able to peek into the mind and space of others. 


Thanks again to Ben and Galen of Scarborough Arts for putting this all together:

http://scarborougharts.com/story/

ARTISTS for ASD FUNDRAISER

Gonna be a part of this again this year, see ya there!

Join a group of artists and musicians for a night dedicated to awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder as they transform the Gladstone's Historic Ballroom into a gallery and set the stage for musical performances.

Proceeds and a portion of all art sales will be donated to Giant Steps Toronto. Funds raised throughArtists for ASD will be used to deliver Giant Steps’ hands-on therapy programs to children with ASD. Tickets $20: Available in advance online at http://artistsforasd.eventbrite.com or at the doors.

Paintings To Agincourt Library, Scarborough Toronto

     Got some new paintings @:

     From the forest of the mind, to every sandy shore on Earth, to the federal penitentiary, Lisa Ng’s collection of paintings titled, “Summer In The Fun,” is an adventure into what was, what is, and what could be. Take out a book, enjoy the AC, and find out what everyone’s up to this summer. 

SADC to Roncesvalles, Toronto

     The Spooky Astronauts Drawing Club currently consists of thirty something members. Everyone draws. It originated from Hamilton, Ontario and has been in active space exploration since 2010. This will be their fourth solo show.

 The Spooky Astronauts Drawing Club:

The Founding Fathers:
President Jeff Garrett
Vice President Jim Fitzgerald
Lennycks"Dental Wires" Kennadee
Matt Mincoff

Hammerton Ontarion Crew: Ahren Liudas Karnas, Andrea Benjamin, Darlene MacNeil, Keegan Mccusker, Marc Andrew Allen, Mark Wilson, Matt D'Alvise, Mike W. Mr. K. Wild Mongoose, Mehtaab Samara, Justine Lanza-Kendrick, Bec Boulton, Brad Germain, Jenni Germain, Pat Bellamy (Be-Bop), Chad Scott (Rocksteady), Kat O'Hagan, Drew Taylor, Brian Fowlie, Alyssa Nicole, Kara Wilson, El Pablo Del Antico

Rogue Squadron (Toronto): Rogue Leader Lisa Ng Anam Ahmed, Bradford Wilson, Corinne Ton Nu, Ryan Solski, Thomas Jeferson, gNat Lai, John C. Barry, Lee Tiffany, Pablo Jueves, Matthew Brown, Gregory Hughes, Peter Kalyniuk, Ambassador Mike Brown, Patrick Fazari, Mahassen Farah, Sarah Campbell, Claudia Chemical Strawberry, Jeff Mihaly, Ben Lopes

Oshawa Crew: Red Leader Corey Chew Kyle Stacey, Allen Connor, Bobby Watkins, Nick Watkins

Here are some great shots of our Launch Off taken by Peter McCusker:

Astronauts on lunch:

Next Appearance:

The Big Art Book Digital Anthology Launch Party

Guess whose work they decided to grace upon the cover:



Here's me accepting my Outstanding Artist Award:

:

Public speaking is scary:



Here's what eye said:
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Hi my name is Lisa Ng. This is my painting titled, “Picasso’s Rose Period.”

When Picasso was twenty-five he had already completed his Rose Period. When I turned twenty-five I figured if I could take all the best parts of Picasso’s Rose period and combined them all into one painting, well I thought it could be really something great. This is exactly what I did here, and threw in a few elements of my own.

In doing so, I couldn’t help but to learn a lot about Fernande Olivier, a model and artist whom Picasso was lovers with for seven years during the time he was making his Rose Period. Rumor has it she was born out of wedlock and raised by an aunt. When her aunt tried to arrange a marriage for her, she fled, instead marrying another man who ended up abusing her. When she was nineteen she left this relationship and changed her name so her abusive husband could not find her. It is around this time she met Picasso, and modeled for him. She inspired Picasso, he painted over 60 portraits of her. When Picasso got famous, they parted ways. She then took odd jobs from a cashier at a butcher’s shop to a sales person at an antiques shop to support herself. She taught drawing as well. In her old age when she was suffering from arthritis and going deaf, she received a small pension from Picasso to not publish a memoir about their relationship together while they were both still alive.

I think mixing through all the shades of rose, fuchsia, salmon, raspberry, strawberry and pink; I must have stumbled upon another’s interpretation of a woman who played an important part of his growth and development, and now, mine.


One question I’ve been asked is, “Why the clowns?”

To this I discovered that:
Each one of us is a unique, fun-loving, and potential thriving individual, even if we don’t know it yet.

Art making for me is a discovery. It happens everyday, in the world, and in the mind.

Thanks again everyone for having me.
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And for the BIG ART BOOK 2012 go here:

http://issuu.com/scarborougharts/docs/bigartbook_scarborougharts_2012

And oh look who else was selected as a juror's choice: Jeff Garrett, with the Spooky Astronauts Drawing Club, page 34 - 35