1st (Monday)
At the used book & mag store on
Granville, sitting on a small step
ladder, going through bridal
magazines while right in front a
rather attractive girl, with a
hoarse voice, (from Toronto)
looking through Vanity Fairs for
'interesting photographs'
2nd (Tuesday)
Typical beautiful, sunny day after
Labour Day. Continued research for
drawing
3rd (Wednesday)
Compared to yesterday an awful
muggy afternoon. Enjoyable tennis
earlier on. Met Shari at Sputino's,
who was talking like a lunatic. In
contrast the 'Richmond' girl at ABC
was charming. Watched Season
Premiere of Voyager this evening
5th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
Began drawing this afternoon. Full
title is 'Wedding Portrait of the
Maiden with Cast Iron Soul'
6th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Diana funeral this afternoon. Very
moving. Outline of the face
& hair
7th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Describing the drawing to Shari
When I told her about the dead mouse
at the bottom of the wine glass her
reaction was - (pause) 'Are you
crazy?'
8th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
Continued work on the background...
9th (Tuesday)
Saturna Island In the morning
dragon clouds above Saturna, with
lovely clear blue sky between them,
which extended enough to show Mt
Baker. Talking with a man, rather
short, grey hair, with one arm, who
told me there was a trail going from
Saturna Beach up the mtn. Under the
church bell small bouquets of wild
flowers. One with a note: 'Diana,
for an angel in Heaven. We thank you
for your time spent here with us.'
Spent 2 1/2 hrs under a big shade
tree, eating chocolate bars,
sardines, drinking beer, & savouring
the magical view. Mayne Queen showed
up at 4:15 to pick a few of us up
10th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
11th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
12th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
13th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Dropped in on Shari to pick up slides
Showed me her $10,000+ cheque
14th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Shot a full roll of film: of the
drawing outline, Risako at work, & a
dozen or so on & around Burrard
Under dark skies & ligthly falling
rain; a couple of Young Soon & a grey
cat sitting in the window at
Kenilworth...
16th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Cold, windy, rainy day. Met Trish at
the same crosswalk as before. Had a
nice conversation. Described the
drawing to her. Told me she had
recently hiked the West Coast Trail
She has the nicest hazel eyes
Uruguayian girl describing a recipe
for stew, with beef, whole potatoes,
carrots, & squash
17th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
18th (Thursday)
Bowen Island : Annual walk to Cowan
Point. On the way back found a
beautiful waterfall just off
Gardiner Rd near the municipal yard
With the sunlight sparkling off the
turbulent white water, it was very
mystical, & I felt something very
deeply. The feeling continued to
Dorman Point, which was also
magical. On the bus through West
Van, a woman & girl about 15 or 16
got on & sat close by. Girl seemed
a personification of the waterfall
Short, sandy brown hair; dark
greyish-blue eyes, basically a
round face, with a trace of a
double chin, the most delicate
lips, nicely shaped. Wore a light
beige sweater, over a long white
dress, with a flower pattern
buttoned in the front with
crystal buttons, wore new work
boots with white socks turned
down over the top. Her hands
weren't beautiful, but they were
very gentle. Her sitting there
crossing over Lions Gate Bridge,
the downtown skyline, the lights
starting to sparkle, on the
right the sun setting over the
water, was about as beautiful
a composition as you could
imagine
19th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
20th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Chatted with the girl at Schlotsky's,
& then a nice little chat with a girl
at Maxwell's (an artist too) about
her art & a bit about mine. Met
Peggy under the trees on Nelson this
afternoon
21st (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
22nd (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
Showed Schlotsky girl 4 large drawings
Was under the impression that the
woman in U.F. was an arsonist who had
'started the fire & was walking away
from it'. I pointed out the dead baby,
& she replied, 'Oh, yeah'. Later on
she asked if I used a single model, &
I explained how I put them together
23rd (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
24th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
25th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
Phoned Lisa this morning, who got mad
at something I said, & replied, 'Don't
be so insecure, Richard.' Phoned Shari
right away, & she immediately said,
'That's good, not bad.'
26th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
Sat at the table near the window with
Andrea during her break. Showed her
photos of the pastels. She liked 'Alice'
the most! Gratified that she felt that
way about something that I had such bad
feelings about. Gave her the print. She
had a few interesting things to say
about the other stuff too. Saw Matisse
exhibit with Susan, which was a lot of
fun. There was some Toni Onley abstract
stuff upstairs that we had a good laugh
about. Snacking at Gallery Cafe before
& after, & an enjoyable browze through
the bookstore
27th (Saturday)
Relaxing at Majuba
28th (Sunday)
Ditto
29th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
30th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Picked up 'Bridges to Babylon' at
A&B this morning. Girl at the cashier
amused by the bent pennies. Remarked
that she had nice hands, & showed her
photos of 'Wedding Portrait', which
needed a hand. Turns out the girl is
an artist herself. This afternoon
took about a dozen shots of the girl
at Robson Bakery, whose name is Nadia
Good model, quite creative
October
1st (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
2nd (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
Stopped by A&B Sound, & showed the
cashier, whose name is Meghan, photos
of the four large drawings. Seems like
a very cool girl. Agreed to model her
hand for the drawing. Told her it was
great that the woman in the drawing
would have the hand of another artist
Showed Nadia the shots of herself
Liked half of them. Met Lorna for the
first time in months
3rd (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
4th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Sitting with Andrea near the window
at Schlotskys. She's from Ottawa, &
lives in an old house way up the hill
on Lonsdale
5th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Susan came over this evening. The bride
in 'Wedding Portrait' reminded her 'of
something from X-Files'. Said the
sunlight slanting in made her think of
a church, which hadn't occured to me
Amused by the expression of the groom,
& impressed by the intensity of the
bride's stare. When she sat down
laughed about not seeming to able to
get away from it
6th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
Nice sunny, cool fall afternoon, with a
gentle breeze
7th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Briefly showed Meghan shots of the
pastels. Picked out 'Hope & Despair' &
'Russian Sunflower Fields'. She told me,
'You've got to have an exhibition.'
8th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Pouring rain & wind around four o'clock
Photo session with Andrea postponed till
next week
9th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
Photographing Meghan's hand holding wine
glass. She looked striking to say the
least. Wearing a bright green dress with
short sleeves & polka dots. Walking over
Granville Bridge late this afternoon. A
stormy 'Bruegel' sky, strong wind but no
rain, bright on the eastern horizon,
patterns of trolley wires against the
dark sky
10th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
11th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Watching Rangers/Canucks from downtown
arena, while looking over the drawing
Gretzsky putting on quite a show
12th (Sunday)
Relaxing at Majuba
13th (Thanksgiving)
Ditto
15th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
16th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
17th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
18th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
19th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Janis came over this afternoon. Interesting
remarks about the drawing. Said, 'You must
hate women.' Showed her the disclaimer
20th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
Roger Curtis Point : Bowen Island
Magical fall day. Spent 1 1/2 hrs at the
Point, sitting under the beacon in the
warm sun, listening to an old Sam Cooke
song on American Radio, while sipping on a
beer, watching the dragon clouds move
slowly past the sun, & seagulls gliding
above my head in counterpoint against
lovely patterns of wispy cloud & deep blue
sky
21st (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
22nd (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Gave Meghan photos of 'Wedding Portrait'
& 'Hope & Despair'. Is this girl really
special, or not, I wonder? She seems to be
23rd (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
24th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
25th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
26th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Enjoyed watching Villenueve win F-1 racing
title. Didn't enjoy watching Marlins win
in bottom 11th, in Miami. Worked on the
mouth & chin, part of the shoulder
27th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
Chat with Cathy this morning, who remarked
that she thought the bride in the drawing
was 'selfish', & adding something about
'anyone who stares at you like that...'
28th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Late this afternoon in a fish & chip
place in Langley. Outside, dark & pouring
rain. Reading Vermeer & looking over
photos. Touching up the rings
29th (Wednesday)
At Majuba. Some good math study &
deliberation
30th (Thursday)
Met Michie at Burrard & Georgia
Pleasant chat as the wind began to gust,
& the rain fall. About 4:30 the sun came
out. A golden light reflecting down from
the clouds above made the autumn leaves
on Hornby, between Nelson & Smithe, a
radiant, glowing red. In fact it
enhanced all the autumn colours. Talked
with Vivian on the phone, Sheila at
Eatons, & Laura at the library
31st (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
On the bus to UBC: an east Indian girl
with a pretty face, ten rings in her
left ear, & short black hair cut a
little after the fashion of a Vulcan
woman on Star Trek. On the bus home a
girl with short blonde hair from
Melbourne, Australia who was very cool
& seemed to have a wonderful
personality. Reading Vermeer in the
basement cafe. A cute girl who had lost
her money asked if she could borrow
25cents for the phone. Later on she
passed by & smiled. In the same way
Vermeer's 'A Lady Writing' was smiling
out from the page. Which is something
special to an artist. Tower Beach &
Spanish Banks walk. A bit of
everything. Very mystical
November
1st (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
2nd (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Showed Michie a few pastel photos
'Princess Capilano' reminded her of
'Group of Seven'. Of the few I showed
her liked 'Alice' the best
3rd (Monday) & [Wedding Portrait]
Showed Meghan the 'seahorses'. Liked
the photos of herself & asked if I
could make reprints
4th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
5th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
6th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
7th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
8th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
9th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Bright, sunny afternoon walking with
Shari & Eliza along the seawall at
English Bay. Shari's usual rich commentary
on people & things: Gays ('flamingo
fagot'), 2 lesbians ('k.d. Lang #1 & k.d.
lang #2'), pot-smoking golfers (Christ,
they have to get stoned to play golf')
Carrying Eliza (40 lbs) quite a few blocks,
which left me a little sore. Stopped at
the cake place on Denman
10th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
Bowen Island on the 'Bowen Queen'
Cool, afternoon, with soothing soft
sunshine on the trees which have lost
almost all their leaves. At Bow Mart Cafe
admiring Vermeer's 'A Lady Writing' while
the old folks were chatting away. 'Have
you ever had a heart attack?' - pause -
'No, should've I've had one?' On the west
side of Gardiner a low fog over the water
of Georgia Strait. An old 'Spitfire' type
plane doing circles & flips above it
11th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
12th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
13th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
14th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
15th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Girl from Afghanistan working at Galloways,
Davie. Showed her some of the pastel shots
Liked '(Sky) diving', & '7-Up' & 'Afri-Kola'
16th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
17th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
18th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
19th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
20th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
21st (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
Had beef stew at Shari's this evening,
from there to MacPherson's. Gave Rhonda
photo of 'The Unforgettable Fire' &
Annie photos of 'Debutante' & 'Fair-
haired'. Felt good about their response
to the work
22nd (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Showed Afghan girl more photos. Liked
'U.F.' & 'Odyssey' of the large work
Also liked the old watercolour croquet
woman. Late this evening (morning)
Clinton motorcade drove by. Burrard
erily deserted
23rd (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Clinton motorcade went by again this
morning, on the way to the golf course
I found out later. Australian PM going
into Christ Church
24th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
Burrard St shut down around five this
evening. An unusal air of electricty in
the streets, supplemented with police
whistles & motorcycles. This afternoon
reading Durer at Lonsdale Quay. Sun
came out around four. Freighter slowly
moving out of the harbour through a
golden mist
25th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Strengthening the shading on the face
& hand
26th (Wednesday)
Majuba. Clear & mild
27th (Thursday)
Ditto. Rainy with clouds of mist
drifting all day across the face of
Sumas
29th (Saturday)
Met Peggy at Pacific Centre mall
Sitting in two chairs at Shoe Repair
at the bottom of the escalator. Showed
her 'Odyssey' which she was nearly
ecstatic about. Prefered it to 'Fair-
haird Lady'. Showed her shots of
'Wedding Portrait'. Thought she was a
'bitch' - 'Excuse the expression.'
Afghan girl's name is Shikeba
30th (Sunday)
Risako came over around 3:30, left
about six. Thought the bride was
'beautiful' & 'proud'
December
1st (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
2nd (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Lunch time photo session with Andrea
around Waterfront Centre. Took a few
shots of Cathy at Cordova/Granville
through the railings of the parkade
Walking across Granville Bridge late
this afternoon, pale wintry blue sky,
wintry wisps of cloud tinted pink
Passed a beautiful woman, with a
lovely smile
3rd (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
4th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
5th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
6th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Chris working at ABC this Sat. Showed
her photos of 'Wedding Portrait'. She
said to me, 'What a great artist you
are.' Told her about how the mouse got
into the drawing. 'Let me get this
straight - You found a dead mouse,
dropped it into a wine glass, poured
water over it, & then stabbed it with
a fork?!'
7th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Pleasant bit of banter with Andrea at
deli. Who's dyed her hair black, &
telling me she hates Woody Allen AND
the Stones
8th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
9th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Brunch with Andrea. Told me she's
getting her tongue pierced. Seemed
happy with the photos. Has a sharper
eye than I gave her credit for
10th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Finished work on the skirt of the
wedding dress this evening. Saw
'Rolling Stones Rock N' Roll Circus'
after all the years of reading about it
13th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Lunch with Shari at the Grove on Denman
followed by the Xmas tree adventure
14th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Finished basic work on the drawing
about ten this evening. Needs a fair
amount of reworking to bring it up to
scratch. Good basketball game downtown
tonight, won by Van over Houston
Beautiful sky about 4:30. Deep, rich,
intense blue above the horizon,
reflecting in the apt windows,
contrasting sharply against winter
trees on Cardero. Above them lovely
patterns of clouds colored pink. Not
the colours themselves, but the
intensity of colours made it unusual
15th (Monday)
Heavy rain & wind all day
16th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
17th (Wednesday)
Pleasant trip out to UBC
18th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
19th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
20th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
21st (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
Touched the drawing up here & there this
afternoon. Signed the drawing this evening
while watching basketball, in Gothic
Littera Bastarda. Yesterday, Susan echoed
Peggy's words: - 'She's a bitch.'
28th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
29th (Monday) [Wedding Portrait]
30th (Tuesday) [Wedding Portrait]
1998
January
2nd (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
3rd (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
4th (Sunday) [Wedding Portrait]
This evening made the last changes to the
drawing
5th (Monday)
First photo session of the year this
afternoon. A listless effort, though the
results may be okay
April 1998
5th (Sunday)
Saw 'Deconstructing Harry' at the
Hollywood
6th (Monday) [Math]
7th (Tuesday)
Wonderful banter with Shelagh this
morning
8th (Wednesday) [Wedding Portrait]
Milkshakes & french fries with Andrea
at White Spot, Thurlow. Refreshing
sweet cool air, big white clouds with
bright sunshine
9th (Thursday) [Wedding Portrait]
Another great talk with Shelagh, her
reaction to the photos
10th (Friday) [Wedding Portrait]
11th (Saturday) [Wedding Portrait]
Photos of Caroline downtown this
afternoon, as the rain was lightly
falling
