Last winter I decided to give art markets a try, and while I was displaying my images at one of these pop-up sales I was approached by a curator from VASA (Visual Art Society of St. Albert) who was interested in showing my work at her upcoming Spring Gallery. So I applied, and later had the honour of showing some of my images and photo transfers there. It was a sweet thing to see other people enjoy work that I created for myself. Thank you VASA for the experience!
Nick
From Nick's graduation photoset, that we shot at the University in April.
Today Nick graduated from University. It's funny how well you can know someone without really noticing who they have become or how they have changed since your friendship began. I just read an article written for the University of Alberta with a feature on Nick, about his honours project, and while reading it I learned new things about my friend, after knowing him for 12 years. They weren't things that surprised me, but they were things I'd never put into cohesive thought before. The writer described him as someone with a, "fluidity of mindset that allows for serendipitous opportunities..." and it took me reading it in someone else's voice to recognize that yes - my friend is very spontaneous! This is the guy that decided to spend a weekend at Coachella with me when he had mono, and dragged me off to Montreal on a whim for his 25th birthday. Someone who basically wrote the book on taking a year off to do something completely different. I gather the interviewer listened to his story and knew right away that Nick was a free spirit, going in whatever direction he detects the strongest pull. I've known Nick for so long that he has grown and changed into this more refined version of himself, and I didn't notice he was any different than the guy I met 12 years ago. Today is a good lesson for me to remember that the people I love are not one-dimensional, frozen in time once my brain has done what it does best and categorized them away in a certain place. They are fluid, they change, they grow into themselves. I need to pay attention or else I might miss the opportunity to see something in them that will make me love them even more.
When your subject is your best friend you get to share the cutaways!
Jaclyn + Ted
Jaclyn and Ted got married in Jasper on a summer day in 2014. Their wedding was unbelievable. They chose a spot in the basin between two mountains, right on the banks of a glacier blue lake. After this incredibly intimate ceremony they took us to the Jasper Riding Stables for what felt like a country carnival. They had a rainbow of Jones Sodas on ice, an interactive guest book and candy bar, and their midnight snack was smores around the fire. Jaclyn and Ted were the most care-free couple I had met yet. They planned a wedding exactly how they wanted from beginning to end, without getting caught up in tradition or rules, or what other people sometimes think we "ought to do" when we get married. I find these weddings so inspiring because they remind me that the happiest moments in life are the ones where we let go of expectations and go for what we want. Rain or shine, these two were ready to stand up in front of the people they love and commit their lives to one another amidst some of natures greatest monuments, the Rocky Mountains. When their guests were tuckered out and heading home, Jaclyn and Ted were still dancing, their satisfaction apparent in the joy with which they said good night to each of us.
Welcome to the 'Moonstruck' Blog
If you haven't met me there is one thing my friends and family will tell you in an introduction; I am 'forever nine'. This nickname was coined by my husband, to point out my insatiable hunger for life. I am not shy to ask questions or show my sense of wonder in any situation, and I simply enjoy every second I have. Whether I am photographing fish heads in the supermarket or wandering off the path to collect that one perfect pinecone I thought I saw, I am always lost in the moment... moonstruck by the world around me.
As a wedding photographer I have the privilege to be with people on one of the most exciting days of their lives, and it is my responsibility to preserve the way that day felt for those who wish to remember. My hope is that these photos mean as much to the people in them as they do to me, for each image I create becomes a part of my story, an unforgettable piece of my human experience. This art form and the people in my photos have irreversibly enriched my life.
I have been changed by you, and I am totally moonstruck by your stories. Thank you for letting me tell them.
Lessons in Ritual
The first time I smudged was just after school... I remember a college friend explaining a shamanistic background in her genealogy, and that she'd been taught to burn herbs. I'm sure there was more to it than that, but even that was more than I understood. I enjoyed it though... the smell of it, the way the smoke danced, and the ritual to it. It felt important. It brought a moment of quiet to a busy room.
Five years later I ended up in Fort McMurray teaching art projects for Learning Through the Arts, and there it was again... I recognized the bundle of sage in the FNMI liaison's office, and then a week later was invited to a training session with a local Elder. This time it was explained to me by Issapaaki from the Blackfoot nation, it's meaning, the protocol involved, why I was seeing it everywhere. I asked too many questions, and got too excited, and then Issapaaki lit the sage... and again, it brought quiet to a busy room.
After three years of working in McMurray with those kids and artists and Elders I learned that smudging was just the shadow of an enormous mountain that had been hidden from my view, as if it had been cloaked in invisibility. Each time I returned to the city the cloak was lifted a little farther off. I learned so much about indigenous history, tradition, and protocol... I cannot even begin to describe how many things I did not know, that I SHOULD have known. There is a whole history to this place we call home that many of us have never even had the chance to wonder about because it is hidden by the leaders who don’t want us to know, locked up in the memories of those who wish not to share, silenced by the bystanders who chose not to tell, and dismissed by those of us who don't know how to listen. There are too many pieces to the history of Canada that are unrecognized by too many Canadians. Even amidst blaring calls for an amendment to the way our history is presented in schools, touring Alberta classrooms brought me face-to-face with countless horrid misrepresentations in classroom posters and books, and also in the perceptions of students and the way they spoke to each other. It left me over and over again looking at the people around me and trying to find a way to explain that I've been to these communities, I have sat and shared with these people, and this literature is wrong, these images are wrong. But there's no way to tell people that. That's the weirdest thing about this kind of racism – yes racism. It has somehow gained so much traction that I get looked at like I’m a monster when I point out a mistreatment or misrepresentation. If I correct an insult or challenge an assumption I am put down for rudeness, or silenced by the awkwardness that falls over the room.
It didn’t make sense. I was seeing all this misunderstanding all around me… it was like everyone was in a dream I couldn’t wake them from. You could call it blissful ignorance, but once you leave that bubble it’s not blissful anymore. It’s alienating and it ties your stomach in knots because you can’t get back in and you don’t know if you even want to. The only places that felt honest were my classrooms where Issapaaki had taught us the truth, my youth groups in those remote communities, and my little group of artists in Fort McMurray. At least here people were awake.
After a few awkward exchanges with relatives and friends I realized I wasn’t getting anywhere. Eventually I stopped trying, and then I detached. I had to compartmentalize because this fight was so big and it made me feel so small. See, I have the privilege (and I use that word with intention) of learning these things third hand, of not being affected by the injustices personally, but being able to grieve and then leave that pain in the place where it resides. Not everyone has this privilege, and I would like to say every day I stand with those who don’t… but I have to be honest. Most days I lack the courage to say anything at all. So today, on National Aboriginal Day, I am using all my courage to share this rant, this love letter, this truth with those of you reading. I love and respect my indigenous friends, neighbours, and fellow Canadians. Thank you for everything you have shared openly with me. Every bit of it has enriched my life in ways I never knew possible, and although we cannot yet share the joy without recognizing the pain I hope to see that day come. As a wise woman once said to me, “The world is brimming with ignorance … we can but chip away at it.” I hope that I have made some small difference in your lives as well.
//Happy Solstice //
Winter Infusions
The snow came to Edmonton this week... I often dread the snow, but this year I'm filled with the magic of winter! On Monday I was surprised by the nostalgia of hunkering inside on a cold day, on Tuesday I noticed the fun of snow crunching under my boots, and today I am sharing the winter concoctions we mixed up for the holidays. These infusions will sit for one to three weeks before they are ready to enjoy, just in time for Neil's parents to visit from Nova Scotia!
FIG Infusions
This one was the easiest! We did two jars, one with Bulleit Bourbon, and the other with Alberta Premium Whiskey.
- Cut up 4 dried figs and place in the bottom of a jar
- Pour 1 cup of liquor over top
- Seal Jar
- Wait 1-3 weeks (when the liquor tastes like figs we'll know it's ready)
HONEY HABANERO
This one was more exciting with a little more prep and lot more spice. We found this recipe on Boozed + Infused, when it's ready we'll tell you how it is! I tasted a little drop of the honey when it came out of the pot and I could certainly feel the heat!
- Put 1/4 cup honey in a pot
- Add 1 1/2 ounces of water
- Add 1 medium cinnamon stick (we snapped ours in half)
- Add a habanero pepper cut into quarters (seeds intact if you like it really spicy!)
- Add lemon zest from 1/2 a medium lemon
- Bring to a simmer and let the mixture simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring often
- Remove from heat and let the mixture cool completely
- We used a mesh strainer to syphon out the solids as we poured the honey mix into a jar
- Cover with one cup bourbon or whisky (we did one of each!)
- Seal tight
- Boozed + Infused suggests to strain through a coffee filter the next day and then let rest for a couple more days before drinking. We haven't gotten that far yet...
WINTER SPICE WHISKEY
This is the one I am most excited for. This is a tweaked recipe from Boozed + Infused, and the Orange peel makes it look so inviting!
We put all these ingredients in a jar and have to wait 6-12 days (depending how strong we like it)
- 3 whole cloves
- 10 allspice berries
- the zest from one whole orange
- 1 medium cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 2 cups Alberta Premium whiskey
If you have any ideas for cocktail recipes we should try with these liquors please let me know in the comments :)
