A few words and details from our current artist Muditha Askin.

Details only, please visit the library to see full illustrations

1. The Carp fish start to swim upstream the Yellow River

2. Leaping over the Dragon Gate

3. The Dragon

There is a famous Chinese legend about the origin of the Dragon. On the ancient Yellow River in China there are two cliffs that frame the river that locals call “The Dragon Gate”. According to the legend each year three hundred and sixty carp swim upstream this river but only one carp from the three hundred and sixty will swim and rapidly leap high enough to get over The Dragon Gate. It is said that that one carp that is able to leap The Dragon Gate, will be magically transformed into a Dragon.

Symbolic Meaning:

Having the persistence to resist the hardships of swimming upstream, rapidly jumping above the water and achieving success shows the carp to be a tough fish. That they could resist the big currents in China’s ancient Yellow River symbolizes great achievement in ones pursuit or the high ambition of a life time.

On the basis of this legend the carp became cultural tradition a symbol of “courage”. The legend teaches us that only the fittest and strongest can achieve the highest goal. We must strive for our highest goals with patience, believing in yourself and always trying to do your best, this will prove you to be fit and strong enough to conquer any hardships and overcome any obstacles.

~Muditha Askin

Contact at: askinart@gmail.om

Artworks currently on display at Louise Riley Library

An Old Sri Lankan Village Scene: The young women are plucking lotus. At the boat, a young man is looking over at them. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Artist: Muditha Askin

An Old Sri Lankan Village

Artist Muditha Askin was born in Hatton Sri Lanka and has a BFA from the University of Visual & Performing Arts in Sri Lanka. She has worked as a Freelance Artist, as an Artist & Graphic Designer in Dubai U.A.E. and Sri Lanka. She moved to Canada in 2008 and has recently been volunteering at the Artist Discovery House in Calgary. Come see her lovely illustrations at the Louise Riley Library this month!

Muditha can be contacted by email at: askinart@gmail.com

Enchantment Emporium

So- I came across a booklist called: Calgary Reads - Fiction Set in Calgary that someone had kindly put together and there was one fantasy/science fiction title on it; “The Enchantment Emporium” by Canadian author Tanya Huff.

I thought ‘Nice! My patriotic book duty will soon be fulfilled.’ I tend (for no good reason) not to read Canadian books by Canadian authors, unless they have fantasy or faery content, for example: I can’t get enough of Charles de Lint and his urban faery tales. In his books it’s so easy to step between worlds and something about that really catches my interest. I have to know more! They make me want to make travel plans to walk down the same streets as the characters and see if the café that they ate at has the same feeling as was emoted in the book.

Yep, bit of a nerd that way. :D

Anyways, I’ve read Tanya Huffs’ “Blood” novels and really enjoyed them, (what a thrill to see colourful Canadian money in her “Blood Ties” TV series!) and I thought it would be interesting to try out this recommendation. A fantasy book set in Calgary! I picked up the MP3 audio version so I could listen to it in my car and by the time the main character had reached Calgary and was on a whirlwind taxi ride through the downtown core headed towards the antique/junk shop in Inglewood that she had inherited from her grandmother, I was hooked. I haven’t finished the MP3 yet but I’m really enjoying its quirkiness - also, today while unpacking brand new paperbacks – I noticed that its sequel “The Wild Ways” has just been published! More magic in Calgary!

So - time to plan a trip to the antique shops in Inglewood, a walk down Atlantic Ave S.E. in search of a good cup of coffee from a fellow named Kenny and check in at Fort Calgary, just to make sure there aren't any stray portals into the faery realms... You never know :)

On a hunt for magic!

Susan Fae and Cathrine Greene are both currently showing their lovely art at Louise Riley Library until the end of December - you'll want to make sure you pop by to have a peek so you don't miss their beautiful imagery!

Get into the spirit of the season by taking in the soft drawings and seasonal prints of Cathrine and Susan in the children's area, and if the winter white and cold outside is starting to get you down, come into our cozy branch, curl up with a book or magazine and enjoy the bright, summery floral paintings from Susan hanging on the walls!

If you enjoy the linocut prints of Susan’s that you see on our walls, you might want to check out her “Dogs & their Walkers” on display at Thornhill Library for the month of December. If her art has sparked your interest in how it’s made check out her website www.thearttree.biz for more details or look into her classes on Linocut & Printmaking in February, 22, 23 & 24, 2013.

Check out "Mighty Uke" a Canadian documentary“Shhhhh! - Don’t you know this is a library?” - aren’t really words you have to worry about anymore. Especially when you know that the librarians have a secret ukulele club.

Whoops.

People keep telling me that the first rule of ukulele club should be “don’t talk about ukulele club,” and the second rule should be, “why are you talking about ukulele club?!” I totally don’t agree! Ukuleles are too awesome to not talk about. They are small simple unassuming instruments that you can take anywhere. Children are fascinated with them because they are ‘just the right size’ and they make adults giggle, grin and sometimes groan – but it’s usually in good humour!

We’re all still pretty new at this and getting to know our ukes, but – we’ve pretty much mastered ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’ (new achievement unlocked!) which coincidentally has the exact same chords as two other songs (Woo! Three with one blow! We’re doing awesome!) Now we’re working on ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ and there’s a few more chords in it (five instead of two) and singing, strumming and counting is sure tough to do at the same time, but what a lot of fun!

So now some nights, after dark, when the library should be quiet and calm, if you hear the odd strumming and buzzing of strings and a few stray stanzas being caterwauled… don’t be alarmed, it’s just your local librarians ‘rocking out’ on their ukes. AWESOME.

We still need a little encouragement though; we’d love to know,

Who else is out there in a secret ukulele club?

What was the first song that you learned and

What do you think we should we tackle next?

Carole Bondaroff, one of the artists currently showing in our Horse Art Exhibition has a new show opening at ARTPOINT Gallery. Make sure you stop by Louise Riley to get a taste of what a treat you're in for! Her art is only up until the end of October!

"TELL ME TWICE AGAIN"

AN INVITATION to my upcoming Art Exhibition at ARTPOINT GALLERY, Calgary: An Exhibition of Recent Lithographs and Etchings by CAROLE BONDAROFF The Art Opening / Vernissage will be on Friday evening, November 2, 2012: from 5 to 9 pm. (wine and cheese) The exhibition continues until November 24.

Gallery hours:

Thursday/Friday: 1 - 5 pm

Saturdays: 11 am - 5 pm

or by appointment (cabondaroff@gmail.com)

Artpoint Gallery:

1139 11th Ave SE Calgary

phone # 403 265 6867

I look forward to seeing you!

CAROLE

By Garry Ryan

It’s kind of strange to look back on a book after the writing, the research, editing, etc. and realize where it all came from. Blackbirds is the story of a young woman from Calgary who finds herself in the thick of it in England in 1940. It’s where she discovers her rare and valuable talent.

Now I realize the story is rooted in Calgary’s post war Glendale. Our next-door neighbours were from Poland. Cas had been a prisoner in Siberia then went to Persia (Iran), Palestine, to the UK and to Canada. Hedi survived the war in Poland. She once told me that during the war, “You never knew whether you’d be alive from one minute to the next.”

Across the alley lived Mafalda and Ernesto. He’d been in the Italian Army and had been a prisoner of the French, Germans and Americans. For four years his family didn’t know if he was alive or dead. When he returned home for the first time, he hesitated at the front door and coughed. His mother recognized the sound immediately, opened the door and collapsed.

Down the block, lived three men who had been in the Canadian Navy. Smitty was one of them. After the war he joined Calgary Fire Department, used to take us fishing and died rescuing a man from a fire.

My mother was orphaned in 1940 and for a time lived at Calgary’s Wood’s Home. At eighteen, my father joined the Canadian Air Force near the end of the war and was scheduled to go to Japan.

You won’t read any of these stories in the history books. Few people know the stories, because the people on my block were reluctant to talk about the war. They moved to Glendale, had livings to make and families to raise.

Blackbirds is fiction, but it was influenced by the lives of ordinary people who accomplished the extraordinary. In many ways it is an attempt to honour their remarkable stories.

Why horses?

In 2005 on a trail ride into Calgary for the Stampede, 9 out of 200 horses were killed in a freak accident on the bridge. As horse's being the sensitive creatures they are, this tragedy shocked and saddened me greatly. In my grief I created a series of horse drawings and paintings in commemoration of this unfortunate event. Happy to say the Stampede in there infinite wisdom have now stopped these trail rides into the city during Stampede.

What's your favourite medium to work in?

I enjoy painting on canvas, and I also do pen and ink works on paper, I also love hard board and the rough side of masonite board with acrylics and multi-media.

How can we find you online?

moveovermountain@yahoo.ca

Which artists do you find inspiring?

Otto Rogers, Alfred Pellan, Michael Snow, Jock MacDonald, all Canadian artists and Cezanne (if he's seen Canadian Light he probably would have relocated here to Canada and painted our land)

What's your favourite section of the library?

New & Notable. The library staff always seem to select the latest and best authors for my reading pleasure. Sometimes I take advantage of the magazine section and stop for a flip through the art magazines.

What's your favourite colour right now?

I love all colours, and as an artist the colours choose me when painting...

Do you have any personal stories about horses?

Well this aforementioned 2005 experience and the piece I submitted for this show lead to a story I wrote on the legend of this particular horse representing all nine of these wonderful creatures.

Thank you!

Your welcome and thank you for your efforts in making this event possible to bring artists and the library experience as a co-creation for the library clients.

Why horses?

I'm not sure. They were the first things I ever drew and the only ones for many years.

What's your favourite medium to work in?

Pastel, Coloured Pencil, and Paint.

How can we find you online?

www.theflemishmonkey.com or www.flemishmonkey.deviantart.com

Which artists do you find inspiring?

Kinuko Craft, Franz Marc, Emily Carr

What's your favourite colour right now?

Yellow!

What's your favourite section of the library?

I discover a new one every week!