Photo by Vera Ellen

Glad to hear that you are resurfacing, i was worried about you. No biggie about laying low for a while, sometimes the body and the brain do not always jive with everything we want to do. I don’t think it is out of a lack of pushing yourself or even being a little lost trying to make sense of everything but I think it’s just a good break that you need in order to put everything back the way it was. When we have too much, we lose our senses of directions, our thoughts get scattered and shattered all over and it is hard to keep them all together. Been there too:-)

 No need to feel guilty at all. You’ll find your way back eventually and take the time it takes to head back to normal.

All is good here, real busy with artwork with Marie-Josee and my own of course, i am sure that you have been following some stuff on FB. I do not post everything there that i am working on but the main stuff. Busy with gallery shows and planning 2011. It’s great! I have tons of work and never bored.

Sounds like a lot but i still have the time for the next adventure with my darling Dorota when you are ready!

Funny but the other night i was relaxing watching a movie and i thought… when was the last time i went out? I can’t even remember… you know the type of night of going for dinner, movie, cocktails, bars and the night is always young… I have been such a home, studio, work mode that i cannot actually recall a full night of just letting go. The only things i do for entertainment are vernissages, hanging out at home with movies, pot lucks with friends and some small gatterings. Even on New year’s eve Bruce and I went to our friends Robert and Lara to watch a movie and eat dinner. And in all seriousness it was the best!

I think i am aging? Kidding…

Without noticing i have been narrowing down my priorities. I still would love to go and hang out and go wild. But i rule a lot of it out. Since,  i got more intensively focused on my work i seem to function better. I am an artist and i love what i do, i made some compromises this last year and i am so much more productive now!

I guess what i am saying is that life does not need to be filled with options and opportunities that you are afraid to miss out on because in the end, it is your work that will be remembered. For me i would rather push myself into my art to give to to others than letting myself go and to not provide what i am good at (art).

Whatever inspires you now, is what you should be working on.

You write: Show them.

I do art:  Show them.

Love you tons baby and never forget the artist in you.

JXXX

I can’t believe what a flake I’ve been to you, of all people. You who has never let me down, you who always comes through in the eleventh hour, you who accommodates me so much…

But I haven’t been myself the last few months. Or maybe I’ve been going through some kind of transformation, not to be a flake, god I hope not.

I can’t explain it or really put my finger on it. I feel my productivity is slipping away, like I can’t seem to get even the easiest of tasks done. I’m not good at being a housewife. I shop too much. And I keep thinking I need a vacation, but I’ve sort of had several now, and it hasn’t seemed to help.

I can’t find a well-paying job, this one client that was supposed to give me ALL this work bailed, so I’m back to, I don’t know, blogging I suppose, and twittering, and really trying to write, although my efforts have been going to the third Sex, Life, & Hannah book lately, which is so ridiculous when I only have three pages to go with Lila, but I can’t seem to finish. I want to finish, I have ideas of how to finish, but now this whole Sex, Life, & Hannah thing…

Thank you for doing without the pictures, what is your website now? I want to check it out, and twitter about it. God, if the social networking doesn’t kill me, this new reality TV show I’ve been asked to do just might. Yes, reality TV. I should tell you the details over the phone, but in a nutshell: they want female writers to write about their life, relationships, sex, experiences, love. It’s weird, I’m sort of doing all that anyway, but this would be more personal, and more public all at the same time, and my parents may really disown me. But what’s life if you don’t take any risks?

Hubbie has sort of signed off on the whole thing. Sort of. He’d really much rather I don’t drag our private life through the mud, but I keep telling him: we can be better and smarter than the Kardashians. Although who knows if that’s what America really wants. Do they want better and smarter, or do they just want hot ass? And sex tapes? Not that there’s anything wrong with any of that, but it’s not what I’m about.

I’m still going to send you the pictures. Tonight. I’m doing it. Just in case. And I will finish Lila, though, I’m not going to give myself any timelines. For fear of looking like a flake again.

Love, love, love, and happy 2011 my dearest jerome, xoxoxo, D:)

Some great art too!

Cheers

Jerome

Well…Jerome’s art at least will be in NOHO.

JEROME! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this earlier. I had to find out from hubbie, last night. Don’t you think that’s a bit bizarre? Anyway, can’t wait to check it out. You are the first artist I ever bought real artwork from, you never cease to amaze me, and always keep me coming back for more.

Date: Saturday, October 9, 2010

Time: 7PM-11PM

Location: 5126 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601.

So i was right on the dot. There are 2 more collages in mint condition at my mom’s house. Two larger ones. Making a total of 4!

I cannot quite remember how many you had, but i remember that one sold in Montreal during our Exposed show. Does this count make 5 pieces? If there were more, i could look deeper in the gazillion closets and storage spaces my mom has and try to find more:-) But i think this may be the correct count.

I am going back to Trois-Rivieres this week-end to an an all artist party-gathering saturday night. On sunday, i will visit my mom and i can take pictures of them. Remember that i am not the best photographer but will try my best. Once i am back in Montreal, i will send them to you and also take pics of the two i have here at my house.

Yeah, i really am between two cities these days, always something…Never stops.

These pictures on this post are unrelevant to your work but just wanted to share my pride and happiness on a new photoset that Listo films Montreal is doing for me about one of my lamps i finished designing last winter. This lamp is called -LOGAN- an LED reading table lamp fully articulated. Inspired by the 70′s film Logan’s run.

I asked my sister Josee to be the model for this lamp. the pics are turning great! Still in the works but more are coming!

Cheers, Jerome

PS: LOVE you too georgous babe!

Oh yeah, i know what you mean about a mental blockage in whatever forms of any creation. We all encounter them form time to time. But hey, it eventulally goes away and in no time there will be that spark that will trigger your brain and i promise you that even your shadow will have a hard time following you. It can be a day, a week, a month, whatever it takes. Remember that Lila’s last pages are the most important ones, give her justice man! Don’t rush things and get the best last bit of her story! You are one of the most determined, stubborn and ambicious woman i know and i can’t see you going like this forever! If you do, i’ll take a GodDamn plane to you and give you a spanking you won’t forget:-)

Actually i think i am wrong with my calculation of your collage that perished in the fire. I have 2 here, the one with the original dentist hand holding the ring box with lots of blue skies and green foliage (which need a little touch up that i will repair like new), and a little one with the dentist face sideways with Lila’s booth below.

 BUT i think my mother has other ones stored at her house. Because after the fire, things got so crazy and so quickly that she took a lot of art from the debris and i think that some more may have survived. The chances are high, because all of your collages were tightly wrapped in the far back of my studio where the fire did not get to, only water and heavy smoke damage but that only made it on the wrapping, the content should be intact. I am going to visit her this wekk-end and i will check.

Other news, i took the whole month of August off from the arts, the whole month of July was dedictated to the preparations of the North Hollywood show, which has now been postponed to October 2nd to another gallery space still curated by Cella Gallery but in a new concept of Satellites shows. I will give you more details later on.

In addition, i collaborated with Marie-Josee Roy once more on some pieces for a December show in New-York at EA gallery and also for Montreal  at Galerie Le Royer. Soooo, yeah, uncle Jerome needed a little break….But now ready for some more, nice to take a break but i feel a but art-trigger happy. So bring Lila in, whenever she is ready let’s give her life!

But the art-break was fun too! Bruce is applying to be a REF for the next Rollerderby season in Montreal, the man has never QuadSkate his entire life. So i thought…Oh my, he will break both his legs…So i got a pair of Quadskates too and i have been going with him to practice. Another one of my little kept athletic secrets is that i used to be a freestyle champion (yes with many medals…) QuadSkates in my young days from 1980 to 1987. So i have a baggage of skating tricks that i have been teaching him the best i can…i am not a very eloquent teacher…He says…. But at least he gets to watch my moves.

It was very strange to get back on QuadSkates after soooo many years, but it is pretty much like riding a bycicle…only i am now 40. My pirouettes and jazzy moves are a little rusty but we are having a blast getting them back and i am amazed how fast it is coming bck to me:-)

Thanks for looking into the Dentist and the Toothfairy high res pics for me, whenever you get a chance, send them my way, my website is currently being entirely re-done.

Yeah it’s funny, i just realized that we have not posted in a while. Guess this blog is a a surprise everytime from two very busy people…but the best thing is that they ever gonna get the best out of us when our shit (writting and arts) gets to them!

Hee hee

Cheers, Jerome

PS: Keep going at it! You are a writer:-)

 Hey Jer,

Got your email yesterday. Yes, I will email you the hi-res images of the remaining Dentist and The Toothfairy artwork. Let me know which of my collages survived, because I also have pictures of all of those. Which ones didn’t make it? I’m kinda bummed I don’t have at least one as evidence that I dabbled in art…oh well.

Having a big show at Cella Gallery this coming sept 18th, you definately gonna have to go see it. It will be magnificent. I am talking to them tonight to tune up stuff for the exhibit and i will ask them if you could drop off some books.

That is awesome! Thanks for giving her my number again, although I still think she has a bunch of books. Unless she sold them and didn’t tell me about it…we’ll sort it out.

As far as what’s been going on with me and Lila, well, I’ve had a shitty few weeks. First of all, Lila is like 3 pages from being done. I really just have to write the last few end scenes and the first draft will be complete. I took some time to map the story out again because I realized my original outline was a bit weak. I even got hubbie involved because I had some serious blocks about how the story should unravel, and actually even the premise. So it’s all sorted out now. Though it’s been hard to find the motivation to finish.

Business has been really slow this year, and I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I probably need a job. I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this whole independent contractor lifestyle, and I feel I’ve kinda failed as a publisher, maybe even a writer. I mean, I know my writing is good, but I’ve failed in the sense of being able to sell it, being able to get people excited about it. I feel like everything I’ve done is somehow wrong, or not good enough, or behind the curve.

Yesterday I found myself at a ghetto casting agency asking about being an “extra” for $60/day, and realized, I’ve hit a new low. And I have no desire to act. I suppose if I was “discovered” and someone gave me a lot of money to do whatever in front of the camera (except porn, still don’t think I have it in me to do porn…) I would take it, but aside from that, I’m a writer, not an actor.

I feel burned out, tired, broke, uninspired, and bored. I’m feeding the goldfish we’re pet sitting watermelon, and thinking about setting him free…

And I’m hoping my pity party will end soon.

Jerome! I am alive and I love Lila! I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your first voicemail last week. I was in Edmonton working on you-know-who’s sugar sculpture book. And now, I’m in Vegas celebrating hubbie’s b-day.

Lila is, of course, different than I imagined. But this is one of my favorite parts of working with you. I never know how you will interpret my words and thoughts, but I am never disappointed. I especially looooovvvveeee the whips in her hair:) I can’t believe you can make such bitchin’ art in a day.

I’m going to keep this short, because hubbie’s waking up from his nap, and we’re off to the Foundation room for dinner tonight, and I have to finish blow-drying my underwear (long story). But… as I mentioned on the phone to you just minutes ago, Lila is a little girl for the first part of the story. As you said, there are a lot of ways we can handle this, but I really love your idea of getting pics from our Lila model from when she was a kid; age 10 or 11 would be perfect.

Is this possible?

Can’t wait to get you the story! xoxoxooxoxox, D:)

So yesterday i decided to invent-create what Lila’s hair may look like. I’ve always like the idea of Whip hair. My first idea was to make the whole hair made of whips but thought it would not be clear enough on drawing. So i sort of had whips anchored to her forehead brushing back.

I made this one in watercolor and ink (instead of acrylics which is my medium of choice) i though with watercolor, it gives more of a fluid look. In time, when the photographs transferred onto canvas will be in my hands, it may turn out to be slightly different, but the main idea of the whips appeals to me. (yeh this one is not a tranferer, it is entriely painted)

What do you think?

A- I had a collaborative piece that i worked on with artist Marie-Josee Roy for a a show at the Cirque du Soleil headquarters. The opening night was last wednesday and it went very well. Our piece sold too!

B- I worked on the Oldbury band new album cover as well as re-working their logo. It was so much fun to do. One thing i love about this band is that we have such a great understanding and laid back collaboration. No fuss, no art snobism… Just plain creation. I dig their style (and music too!) and they come up with ideas that i draw that are very much along my drawing board and ideologies. So we rock and jive. Love working with them!

C- Also finished creating some 3D art (chandeliers and lamps) And getting ready for a photoshoot of them.

D- Slowly working on new pieces for a group show in Montreal for July. I am doing watercolor…WTF can you believe it?… WATERCOLOR…!!!!! Yeah but they will be -a la Jerome-…New techniques… So far looking very nice with good ol’ Jerome twisted stuff. Nothing better then a dead body with machines in watercolor…Dunno… it give some zest:-)

And E- But not the least- Getting Lila created! Which is getting there!

About the progresses of Lila, Rissa introduced me to Sara, a friend of hers. Rissa sent me some shots of Sara a little while back and since i have been looking at those pictures and started to mold Lila around her. At first Rissa told me that Sara is a little older than what Lila would be i real (written) life, so i waited for the pics.

To give you readers a little bit of the backgroung of such difficult casting, some of the girls that Rissa told me about and sent me pics of would have been perfect for the look of Lila (goth style with the whole make-up dark feature, severe expression, dramatic etc) But when i turned around and started to think about my artistic approaches and techniques i am planning on creating Lila, i realized that my challenge was not there entirely. These girls sure are knock outs and georgous but they are pretty much done… Meaning that i do not have a lot of room to create. Girls, you are beautiful, why would i want to re-create you?

Sara is different in a good way, in all honestly i was not sure at first but then the more i look at her pics, the more ideas i received, she challenges me in a creative sense. First, Rissa wrote me saying that Sara has blond hair, respecting Lila’s futur look i would of thought NO and i would have said- i need darker hair, flat and ironed-. Funny how hair can be important even it’s color! 

But then i realized that if i were to draw upon her , blond Hair works at my advantage to create a much more elaborate drawn hairstyle, with blond hair i could draw filligrees upon each strand of hair with lots of details. Just to imagine how much i could do darkening up her hair with details gives me goosbumps. I think that this what i needed. To open my mind and work upon someone to create a character versus enhancing someome too close to the character. Lila should be artistic and inventive. Sara, somehow gived me more options to experiment. Hard to explain right now in this ealry of a stage but i guess i needed a model that i would leave me more room to create. Sara gives me this so far. And i feel more comfortable to go crazy on her face and body because Sara gives me more room.

 And she has a face of an angel, great features that i can definately work upon, flexible, and a great smile.

The best is someone said to me once…When somebody smiles so well, their dramatic expression”s switch can be just as drastic and surprising (translating a french quote here…) Meaning, that someone that can have such a happy expression can do the opposite in a flash versus someone that has sad expresssion and try to smile (do i make sense?)

Next is to get Sara’s pics transferred onto canvas (once Rissa does the shoot), i have 2 contacts in the city that can do an awesome job. I think i will illustrate the Lila book onto canvas like it was was a painting with photographic transfer… I feel comfortable with the medium so why not?

So yeah, this is where i am so far.

My dear and beloved Dorota…Glad you are out of the writer’s block! Call me this week-end, or i will call you, would love to know Lila’s wereabouts (ah and yes gossiping about stuff too)

Rissa-I tried to phone you between a thousand things but your phone answering system has not been set up yet. Mind you… Your husband is staying with us for the next few days, i am sure to talk to you then!

Sara- Looking foward to this futur collaboration! Muse!

Jerome

Oh and lastly here’s a pic unrealted to Lila but a fun one, it was taken a friend of ours first vernissage last week (Shannon Myers), Thought that i would put her on the spot, great photographer and a bright futur ahead!