Girl holding a globe

The Art of Knowledge


graphite (46" x 76")
March/April/May/June 1999

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23rd (Tuesday)
Photo session for the drawing with
Olya as the model, & Betty as an
'assistant'. Was actually quite a
lot of fun. Took a couple of shots
'for the store' of the two of them
together, holding the globe
Watched Grizzly/Laker game, from
downtown. Rainy evening

24th (Wednesday)
Met Christina at the library. She's
working in the kitchen, at the cafe
on the corner of Richards & Robson

25th (Thursday)
Photos of an ancient bathroom in the
Spartacus bookstore bldg, to be used
in the drawing. Showed Betty & Olya
B&W photos. Betty thought her face
looked fat, but liked the shots of
Olya. We agreed on which was the
most intriguing profile for the
drawing

March
1st (Monday)
Dropped in on Olya this morning, with
chocolate. Showed me her Salvador
Dali calender. 'He's the best, that
guy.' Photos of tiles at Sinclair, &
an old bathroom door, both for the
drawing

2nd (Tuesday)
Saw 'Shakespeare in Love' with Shari,
while the star of the film was
working nearby. Saw Shari's new apt,
& got some shots of her holding the
globe. 'You might be an umemployed
bum,' she told me, 'but you've got a
vision.' Most postive reaction from
her yet, when I showed her 'Factory
Girl'. Told me I was '...starting to
get the proportions right.' Vintage
Shari. Risako phoned, asking if I'd
tape the Academy Awards while she's
in Japan

3rd (Wednesday)
Watched parts of the Lewinsky
interview, while arranging ref
photos on the table, & giving
thought to the outline

4th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Sitting with Christina in a booth at
'Teddy's' Cafe, showing her photos
of the large drawings. Girl who works
there as a waitress, a creative,
somewhat eccentric girl with tatoos
on her arms & shoulder. Has an idea
for a play, & animated film, about
the 'beginning of time'. Beautiful walk
through the afternoon rain. Dark
overcast, with a misty lightness on the
horizon

5th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

6th (Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Approached the girl who works at the
hair salon, Sinclair, about being a
model for the drawing in the fall. A
very positive response. Her name is
Trish

7th (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

8th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

9th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

10th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Tea & cake at Chapters around 2
o'clock. Shari's commentary on a lawyer
walking down below

11th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Finished basic work on the outline

12th (Friday)
Susan came over after lunch. Said the
girl in the drawing was more 'demure'
than she expected. Saw 'Toulouse-Lautrec
exhibit at VAG. Cold, wet, & windy
Talked to girl at salon (Trish) this
morning. Showing her photos on Monday
Shari phones the VIA terminal to tell
them the 'A' in their neon sign is
burned out

13th (Saturday)
Quite a long discussion with Ho Im
about her frustration with her friends,
as she diced celery sticks & threatened
never to talk to me again if I tried to
take her picture. Good math review this
afternoon & evening, of work I'd done
relating to arc length ellipse

15th (Monday)
Too tired to start the drawing this
evening

16th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

17th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Reading Rodin & looking over 30th
anniversary White Album CD at 'Sil vous
Plait' this afternoon. Waitress
describing one of her puppets, which
has a hollow quail egg in the stomach
A misty rain falling, with bright
sunshine, on Burrard St this afternoon
Became very dark, with rain, & then
cleared up again, with a rainbow

18th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Betty describing the ideas behind several
of the Dali paintings on her calendar

19th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

Showed Jenn the two Fujis. Liked them
both but prefered 'Winter'. Asked if she
wanted a portrait done of her, that
would be a 'a little pastel, & some
charcoal.' - 'Yeah, sure!' Reading Rodin
at White Spot, Arbutus on a perfect
spring afternoon. Developing an idea for
another large drawing titled - 'Crime of
the Century (the gossip column)'

20th (Saturday)
Sunny, & even warmer than yesterday
Walking along Howe St, chatting with a
girl from Montreal, with pretty eyes
Had walked & cycled around Stanley
Park, visited Granville Island &
'Gasville'. Sorting out an old math
idea at UBC

21st (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Lovely spring evening, with the sun
coming out after steady rain. Sunlight
on Cardero cherry blossoms, sparkling
with droplets of water

22nd (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Good solid day of work on the graffiti

23rd (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Tea & strawberry cake with Shari at
window counter, Murchie's on Robson
Later in the afternoon took a few shots
of Trish, under a dark, stormy sky, with
a wind. 'So, do you just do this for
your own amusement?', she asked

24th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

25th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

26th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

27th-29th
Hail & then an evening snowfall at
Majuba

30th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Cheesecake & Earl Gray tea with Shari at
Gallery Cafe. Rich variety of caustic
remarks on various men sitting at the
tables. East Indian girl at the bank
describing the gold ornament around her
neck, which she called an 'ohm'. She
said, 'It's like the Cross in your guys
religion.'

31st (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Pleasant chat with Irene's friend. Was
surprised how friendly she was. Has a
very unusual beauty. If only she could
speak better English!


April
1st (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

A rather encouraging encounter with the
'East Indian' cashier at London Drugs
When all was said & done, I said,
'Enjoy the afternoon.' As I was going
through the door she stared at me in a
way which was anything but unpleasant
Reading Rodin at the White Spot,
Arbutus. Charming waitress. Long walk
through Kerrisdale. Along 36th Ave to
Dunbar in the warm spring sunshine
Tommy, side 4

2nd (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Showed Ho Im the 'Kool Filters' pastel
Sort of gasped, & then quickly handed
it back. Finally got through to Lani,
who was coming down with a cold, &
sounded a little jaded, but was charming
just the same

3rd (Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

4th (Sunday)
Called Shari from the bus depot who
answered, 'Hello, Happy Easter!'

5th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

6th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

7th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Walking along Hastings, just past
Hamilton. A girl amongst a small crowd
in front of ------x. Taking a drag from a
joint. I pass by, glance up at the sign,
& then at her face. 'You want some,' she
asked, almost in a whisper. Dropped by
'Sil Vous Plait'. Christina & I admiring
the quivering light in stainless steel

8th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

9th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Nice little visit with Betty that
lasted over 2 hrs. Described the idea
for my 'Egyptian' drawing. Not sure
if she fully understands the idea, but
had some good suggestions for the
girl's dress. An acquaintence of hers,
a girl from Columbia, dropped by & we
had some interesting conversation

10th (Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

11th (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Masters golf this afternoon, won by
Jose-Maria O. Remarkably warm this
morning & afternoon

12th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

13th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Tea with Shari at Starbucks, Manhatten
Apts. A firetruck drives by. 'There's a
fireman for ya.' 'Wait for me!' she

replies. 'They make fabulous money &
they have great insurance.'

14th (Wednesday)
Bowen Island, Mt Gardiner   on a
perfect spring day

15th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

16th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

17th (Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

18th (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

19th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

20th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]


21st (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Taking photos of Jenn (for the portrait)
sitting in the chair, who was charming
but nervous about people going past,
kept bursting out in laughter

22nd (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Nice walk through Shaughnessy to the
White Spot. The greens & pinks against
the sky was lovely

23rd (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Saw 'Elizabeth' at Odeon, Granville,
with Shari. Sitting against the glass
at Chapters, looking at a Geographic,
while Shari described a dream about a
bat trying to kiss her on the cheek,
& her trying to brush it away. 'Maybe
it represented Chet.' 'No, if it was
Chet I would have smacked it.'

24th [Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Visited Betty at her new store in
Gastown. Tour of a cryptic basement
next door which she has ambitious
plans for. Insists I shouldn't show
Olya photo of the drawing till it's
completely finished

25th (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

26th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Saw the 'East Indian' girl at
London Drugs. Remembered the last
time I was in, & told me she'd
short-changed me a dollar. Showed
her the two 'Fuji' pastels. Picked
'Winter'

27th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Earl Grey tea & cinnamon cake with
Shari, downstairs at Chapters. Then
saw Drew Barrymore movie. S having
her fortune read in the lobby, for a
quarter

28th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Girl at the bank (Sheila) writes
'Factory Girl' on the back of the
photo, in one of the Indian languages
Susan visited tonight

29th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Showed Hanna photo of 'Knowledge'
Her boss, in the white chef hat, took an
interest in it, asking, 'Is she a
fortune teller?', & what's she doing?'
Was curious about the globe & the
figure of Christ

May
2nd (Sunday)
2 rewrites of the pages describing
linear & perpendicular distance

3rd (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

4th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Showed Olya photo of the drawing
Told her about the idea to use
Laura's legs in the drawing. She
seemed disappointed. 'You can use
MY legs,' she told me

5th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

6th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Finished shirt on the drawing
yesterday, continuing with graffiti
Banter with Karen (Gran Isl bakery)
only bright spot in dismal day

7th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Saw the first screening of 'The
Mummy', with Shari at the Cineplex,
Granville. Went to this pastry shop
across the street, where S bought
$30 worth of little cakes

8th (Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

9th (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

10th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Working on Modigliani's 'Gypsy Woman'

11th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Working on 'Gypsy' while switching
back & forth between basketball &
hockey games

12th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

13th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

14th (Friday)
Saw 'Midsummer Night's Dream' with
Shari. At one point she asked, 'Is
that guys ass on fire?' Girl at the
bank (Sheila) talking about a drawing
of herself in dance costume

15th (Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Risako & Meechi came over about 3
o'clock. Enjoyable visit. R put some
Japanese characters on the 2 'Fuji'
pastels

16th (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Walking down Burnaby St. Essence of
Spring: sweet cool air, overcast,
but a strong light in the east gave
the falling rain a silver tincture

17th (Monday)
Math work at UBC. Heavy rain,
Nov-like view of the trees & water
from 5th floor, Koerner Library

18th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

19th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Dropped in on Music Box. Sergio was
there talking to Olya. When I came
in she showed him the photo of
'Knowledge'. He stared at it, & then
shook her hand, saying,
'Congratulations!'

20th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

21st (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Met Hanna on Thurlow, who let me try
on her tinted glasses, which were
beautiful to look through & very
easy on the eyes

22nd (Saturday)
Vivian came over this morning. Bought
me something called Chai Tea Latte,
from Starbucks, which was VERY nice
Was impressed with how the face in
the drawing matched the photo of
Olya

23rd (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

24th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Girl at Bojangles: short hair dyed
pink, wearing a beautiful long
dress, a fairly thick fabric coloured
bright orange & pinks, which glowed
in the sunlight. Sipping orange juice,
reading Goya, & admiring her

25th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Met Laura at the bandstand, where an
eccentric woman had camped out with a
sleeping bag. Sat in the sun-speckled
grass, singing in an awful voice

26th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Another sunny late spring day, with a
pleasant cool breeze

27th (Thursday)
Pleasant banter with Karen (Gran Isle

Bakery) who was leaning against the
wall, waiting to start her shift. Has
a nice style & a certain charm. 'The
chocolate man cometh', I said,
into Laura's 'office' on the 5th
floor. Topic of digital cameras came
up at UBC for some helpful info. As
I left the office she started
unwrapping the chocolate 'orange'
A little math work on 6th

28th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Saw 'Notting Hill' with Shari. Met
Lynn (Toni Onley's daughter) in the
lobby after show. Had a good
conversation with her at Chapters,
Starbucks, while Shari was yapping
away with her old boyfriend who she
met in the line

29th-30 (Sat-Sun)
Impressive thunderstorm at Majuba,
with a nice display of lightening

31st (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]


June
1st (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Jello with Shari at the rooftop
cafeteria at St. Paul's. West End
rooftops & heavy rain

2nd (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

3rd (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Forgot Susan's card at White Spot,
Arbutus. Went back for it, & the
sweet girl with the round face told
me they'd already mailed it, was
that okay?

4th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Cool, dark, & rainy today. This
morning in the Atrium, a group of
Tibetan nuns working on an art
project

5th (Saturday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

6th (Sunday)
Another cool day, the sky darkening
& lightening, with 2 or 3 showers
of heavy rain

7th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

8th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Saw 'Star Wars' with Shari, at
Metrotown. Thunderstorm around noon
View from Main St platform, looking
south: distant church dome through
the falling rain, cool blue sky &
misty clouds drifting across the
southern horizon

9th (Wednesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Another cool day, with rain

10th (Thursday)   [The Art of Knowledge]

11th (Friday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Fresgo's with Shari & Eliza

12th (Saturday)
Met Peggy this morning & had a great
little chat at Haro & Bidwell
Complaining about her job at Kodak
Had fun suggesting what she could do
on her last day. Coming home from
UBC met Tatiana at McDonald &
Broadway. Enjoy talking to her, has
an impressive intellect. Overcast, &
very muggy. Beautiful cool days are
behind us

13th (Sunday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Goya, orange juice, sunshine, & ...

14th (Monday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Hottest day of the year

15th (Tuesday)   [The Art of Knowledge]
Drawing finished this evening
Darkening & some xtra graffiti to
be added a little later. Dim: 45"x76"

16th (Wednesday)
Math work, at Koerner, UBC

24th (Thursday)
Girl at Main St bus stop, terminal
In a sleepy haze on the sidewalk
against one of the concrete columns,
curled up in a nest of dirty sleeping
bags & pack sacks, a large brown teddy
bear, & at her feet a coffee cup for
handouts, with another small stuffed
animal sprawled around it. 'One More
Cup of Coffee'