Gallery No. 1--Cats

I'm quite fond of galleries of all kinds, so I recently decided my next project would be a gallery. The subject matter? Cats. I'm more of a dog person but find that when I'm behind the camera, I connect with cats much better for some reason.

This particular gallery took quite a few months to assemble. Many people have asked why I decided to focus on just two cats, and the answer is that it's due to a variety of reasons. I feel the sense of intimacy is much greater with two subjects and also, I live with both of these cats so it kept transportation and studio fees to a minimum.

I hope you enjoy this gallery. I've been deciding the proper venue to display it in, as I feel the traditional "art space" wouldn't fully allow the subjects to shine, and would really be in opposition to the underlying theme of the piece. I decided to post a preview of the gallery up here, at least until I hear back from the AGO or the City of Toronto Transportation Department (for display on subways, streetcars, bus shelters, etc.). I am also awaiting responses from several school gymnasiums.



So here it is: Money & Marley.

As always, I welcome all feedback.

PS--On a related note, a few months ago, I decided to do an experiment in the 'Free' section part of craigslist and see if I could post something so pointless and illogical that no one would want it. I posted an ad entitled "Free pictures of my cat." The ad said:

"I recently moved into a basement apartment and had to give up my cat. I have a lot of really nice pictures of her and was wondering if anyone would want them. I'd hate to throw away perfectly good pictures, but I don't really need them anymore. If you like pictures of cats then you will love these. Let me know if you would like them."

I figured at most I would receive some hate mail calling me a horrible person for not caring about my cat, and perhaps some people asking if I was for real. I didn't think anyone would actually respond asking for the cat pictures--if you want cat pictures, you usually go right to Google image and type in 'cat pictures.' Well, I received both of those responses and a few more, too. Here are some of the replies I received:

"This has to be a joke - you got rid of your cat but don't want to just get rid of the photos? That's sad, or I'm just a fool.." --Bob

"Who throws away pictures? Especially pictures of your cat you once loved??" --Dr. Marvin (who also told me to "Stay Golden")

-Me and my daughter would love to have some cat pictures, we love cats!! --Greg

-"I want your cat photos a lot. I live in Montreal, so you'd have to mail them for me. I want to use them for a series of drawings. I've done cat-related work before, so you know I'm not nuts (or maybe just a little.) I can pay for the shipping if you like." --Crystal

-"Do you still have photos of your cat?"--Melanie (received one month after I posted the ad, which would mean she was going wayyyy back into the archives for free stuff)

Everyone who requested the cat pictures was sent a copy of the photos in this gallery, as a way of testing the waters and seeing public response. I received a lot of positive feedback, which really pushed me to finish the gallery and display it to the public. From this experience, I also learned that you can post anything on the 'Free' section of craigslist and someone, somewhere will want it.

Craigslist Intriguing MC of the Day

I'm a big fan of the Missed Connections section on craigslist. I try to lurk on there daily, seeing if I was at the grocery store or streetcar at the same time as a MC. Did that one-second glance I shared with that creepy guy on the subway mean as much to him as it did to me? Am I the girl in the blue dress going northbound on Tuesday night who was looking fine? The only way to know for sure is to check the MCs.

My friend Velvet found an interesting Missed Connection for me.

(UPDATE & AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh dear. It appears this post expired before I discovered the art of taking screenshots. So in order for this entry not to be a complete waste, I will do my best to recreate this Missed Connection post. Ahem.)*

"Saw you at the eaton centre today. You walked by me, you were wearing some kind of black yoga pants, maybe loulou lemon, i dont know. I didnt see your face.
So if you can meet me at the eaton centre again today, you get a reward lol."

Now, I'd really like to believe that MCs can sometimes work out and some possible love connections can be made, that the chemistry between two strangers can be so strong that you both feel it right away, BAM. It's a nice thought. Sadly, I think most people on the MC section might just be out to get laid.

Not this guy. He's so unsuperficial, so willing to look past appearances, cares so little about looks that he doesn't even mind that he never got a good look at her face. Doesn't matter to him. I guess when love is real, it doesn't need a face. Just a good pair of spandex, ass-hugging yoga pants.

I'm really hoping that it works out for him. Never mind that the fact that he didn't see her face means that she almost certainly didn't see him at all, never mind that the Eaton Centre is a huge mall filled with hundreds of people, never mind that almost all girls own a pair of LuLuLemon yoga pants (not me, though--so that rules me out; sometimes life is really sad)--dammit, I want this MC to work.

So girls, if you were anywhere near the Eaton Centre this week and own a pair of pants, respond to this ad. Make this happen. An added bonus (beside the obvious of scoring this catch of a guy)? "You get a reward lol." Like he could sweeten this deal any more.

*I realize in my recreation that I'm lacking the author's particular essence, but hopefully you can get a look into the awesomeness of his post. The kind of guy you want to bring home to Mom. Sophisticated. I hope it worked out for him.

(please note that for future craigslist posts, I will be taking screenshots the moment they're posted, though it's pretty fun to try to recreate posts I read a month ago).