Generations of art and artists

 Art plays an important part in the mental and intellectual growth of children. 

Generations is a family show, featuring my dad’s artworks, my own, plus works by my kids and grandchildren. When I was teaching art education to teachers at the University, I would use slides of my own kids’ and grandkids’ artworks, to give teachers an idea of what to expect at each age and grade level. From the time my kids could hold a pencil or crayon, I kept their scribbles, their drawings and paintings. When they became able to manipulate clay, I kept the clay objects they made and painted. This exhibition, Generations, confirms that the arts and art education, are fundamental to hand and brain development. 

For almost a decade now, the arts ecology in this province has suffered a drought. As usual, when the economy hits the rocks, governments cut art budgets in the name of austerity. In Europe and Asia, the arts are taught at every grade level.

That’s why we need to advocate for arts education.

We are moving into a future that will require creative thinkers who will be able to solve a host of new problems creatively, using both hands and both hemispheres of the brain.

More Sex in the Garden

Every summer, I have a lot of fun observing the interesting reproductive variations of the plants emerging in the garden. Sexual reproduction was an early evolutionary innovation and, when we think about it, is commonplace. The birds do it, the bees do it and plants do it throughout the growing season. 

The latest sexual wonder in my garden this summer has been a Franz bunching onion.Its companions normally grow in bunches of 20 or more tops. It’s what I general expect. However, this single Franz erection that popped up in the onion patch this year is 140 cm tall (and that was a week and a half ago!)!  This Jack in the bean stalk onion appears to be a celebratory show-off, with a flower like no other, eagerly inviting pollinators to fertilize it to reproduce another unique Franz onion. Just goes to show, garden sex works!

Update on CO2

On Thursday, July 7, 2016, I wrote a blog alert quoting Lawrence Soloman’s article in the Financial Post: “Hooray! There’s reason to celebrate that CO2 levels are rising.”

What’s to celebrate? Recent finding from NASA and the University of Otago, New Zealand provide us with the first global picture of the seasonal change in the patterns of vegetation – known as phenology, the timing of leaf emergence and how CO2 is altering the cycle. The planet is getting greener. Plants love CO2. But……….!

Earlier leaf emergence moving out of synch with the life cycles of birds, pollinators and mammals will have a significant impact on the ecosystem and could lead to higher extinction rates of species dependent on leaf cycle.

Are these early warning indicators of catastrophic ecosystem changes? NASA is sending up three missions to investigate the role of plants in the breathing earth’s carbon and water cycle. 

Edward O. Wilson's book, Half Earth: Our PlanetsFight for Life, proposes an achievable plan to save our imperiled biosphere: Devote half the surface of the Earth to nature. It’s a good start.

Rhubarb

I love honey-sweet, tangy rhubarb. I enjoy it on my cereal in the morning. And I enjoy it with plain yogurt drizzled with maple syrup.

I have three separate plants in my garden, some I’ve picked weekly and shared with family and friends, some I’ve cooked as a simple compote for myself. A third plant on the east side of the garden I’ve only started to pick. Yesterday, as I was picking some stalks from that plant I noticed several gigantic leaves. Rhubarb leaves bigger than I’ve seen before. Sure we’ve had good rains recently and lots of prairie sun. But there was something unusual in the size of the leaves that caught my attention.

A recent Financial Post article by Lawrence Solomon: “Hooray! There’s reason to celebrate that CO2 levels are rising,” that my brother-in-law sent me, jostled my mind. Plants love CO2. Could it be the over 400 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere has given the rhubarb leaves an extra growth spurt?  Nature loves abundance. Should I celebrate?  Should I shout out “Hooray” with my 400 ppm CO2 filled lungs?  Not likely!

CO2 levels are rising at a rate of 0.04 % annually. Existing coal fired plants and over a billion cars spewing out CO2 may well raise that to 550 ppm.  Concentrations that high were last seen 23 million years ago. That may be way more than humans, plants and animals can handle. Welcome to the Anthropocene!*

What the planet needs is a green thumb species, working with nature, building healthy soils in backyard gardens, in community gardens and adopting Miquel Altieri proposal for an agroecosystem of agriculture which “could sequester more carbon than is currently emitted.”

Let’s start digging and planting!

* "Record Levels of CO2 Herald the Future of Climate Change", by David Biello in the November 10, 2015  issue of Scientific American.

The Cicansky Gazebo

Large or small, a gazebo is a refreshing focal point in the garden, providing shade, shelter, rest, and intimate views of the surrounding landscape. It's a place where life and art are rooted, a place where the smell of wet earth, the sight and feel of nature's fecundity and the rhythm of its unfailing cycles reminds us of our place in creation. And it's a place to watch butterflies and bees among the flowers, to delight in the passing seasons, the evening moon and the morning star.

Grow Regina and I have actively begun the process to raise funds to allow the construction of this gazebo in the Yara Community Gardens on Queen Street in Regina. If you would like to help, or make a donation, please contact Grow Regina.

One of my book projects

I'll be presenting at the launch for my brother-in-law Joe Varro's new book, "Tracks". Join us at the Art Gallery of Regina on Thursday, October 30th, 7:30 pm.