I recently finished reading "Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis" by Timothy Egan. It was a really great read about an amazingly adventurous and dedicated man; a man obsessed by his quest to photograph all native tribes in North America and complete his 20 volume book set "The North American Indian". Curtis' photographs were at times posed and always portrayed what Curtis considered to be the "authentic" native, both of which have made his work somewhat controversial in recent years. But what is not often know is how much time and effort Curtis also put into recording the native languages, songs, myths and other cultural elements that were fast fading from practice and memory. If you were able to catch the Curtis exhibit at the McCord Museum you may be interested in reading about the man behind the images.

Father and daughter in the kitchen.

Photos from a baby road trip from Montreal to Moncton. That was in August and I. was just 6 weeks old then. Our usual 10 hour drive took us two days instead of one!


Things to see and do in Montreal right now:

Jacynthe Carrier's "Parcours" at Occurence, till January 12th (her video is a must see, I could watch it for hours, and I don't usually say that about video work)

Chih-Chien Wang's "Aussi loin que nous soyons, aussi pres que je peux" at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, till March 17th (I haven't been yet but am excited to see it, I'm sure it's a great show)

And tomorrow (Friday) evening le Cabinet is hosting an artist talk and group critique with a few artists presenting their work, including my friend and great photographer Louis Perreault (if you don't know about le Cabinet it is a new resource for printing in Montreal and well worth checking out if you are about to print a big project)

Well after almost 10 months away I am back! And you can see what has kept me busy for the past 5 months. Little I. was born this summer and life hasn't been the same since. I will hopefully be back to blogging as normal, and not only baby photos I promise!

Chris at sunrise in the tent, just outside Key West, Florida.

Chris in Miami.

During our March trip to Florida, after camping along the Florida Keys and in the Everglades we spent one night in Miami staying with my sister and brother in law in their fancy hotel (Fontainebleu). We only spent the one night in Miami so I don't really know the place but to me this image captures what I imagine Miami is supposed to be.

Self portraits taken in Florida a few weeks ago. Yes I am expecting. Chris and I will become parents this summer!

More from relaxing times at the cottage.

Tomorrow I get a whole bunch of film back from our recent trip to Florida among other things. It's always an exciting time, waiting for the film. Inevitably I am disappointed on the first look through, but the second and third looks are better, and each batch of film pushes me to do better next time. Never satisfied: a good way to be?

With the weather the way it is right now I feel like the above scene is almost possible. But really it will take a few months till we get to this point. And of course that's the way it should be. But oh to have my morning coffee in a raft!

Our cat Pigeonz is not a fan of most people. In fact she strongly dislikes most people. But she is in love with Chris. Few people believe it or get to see their bond. Above is the proof!

Going to take a little March break hiatus from the blog. Back in business March 19th! In the meantime if in Montreal check out these photo shows:

Kotama Bouabane at The Parisian Laundry (his MFA thesis show) till March 17th

Taryn Simon at DHC Art till May 13th

Janieta Eyre at Samuel Lallouz till March 31st

Images from my Red Counter series are up on Feature Shoot, along with a short interview conducted by Kevin J. Miyazaki.

Three documentaries that I would like to see: Soth, Crewdson, and Parr.

Paint palette on the red counter.

Chris eating a sandwich.

Same path as here

Did this snake try to cross the road in winter or was it earlier in the year that it met its demise?

Chris reading.

After breakfast at the cottage.

I regret that I missed Miranda July's Montreal talk last year.

Yawning cat.

Chris in the summer. He's still biking these days. Not me, I'd rather walk.

Views from the Jacques Cartier Bridge bike path.

Chris in the kitchen. (not great scans)

After we had pulled up the old kitchen floor.

Chris washing the windows this past fall.

The red kitchen counter.

I miss you cottage!

Taught this morning and am teaching tonight. Am a little tired but posting on this blog always relaxes me and makes me feel better. After all its all about the photos, and what's better than that!