The France Gallery has been updated with pictures of my most recent trip. Check it out in full here.
Notre-Dame Cathedral fire, Paris (©Deborah Clague, 2019).
The 7th Arrondissement, Paris (©Deborah Clague, 2019).
The Louvre at dusk, Paris (©Deborah Clague, 2019).
Yellow Vest Movement vandalism on the Champs Elysées, Paris (©Deborah Clague, 2019).
I wandered an art gallery on a recent lazy Sunday afternoon, taking in a somewhat underwhelming feature on work that claimed to define the Eighties, when I chanced upon a small, almost hidden, exhibit located in a side room that showcased Canadian artist David Blackwood. Upon entering the space, I became completely enthralled by his art—the style, the intricacy of his line work, the restrained, yet impactful, use of colour, and the haunting visual narrative he shared of his home province of Newfoundland. It was spellbinding. I am absolutely in love with his craft.
I’ve never visited the Maritimes but feel I’ve gotten a glimpse into this magical world and am left truly inspired. Check out selections from David’s body of work below:
Wesleyville: Seabird Hunters Returning Home, David Blackwood (1991)
Great Mummer Unveiled, David Blackwood (2002)
Three Mummers on Winsor's Point, David Blackwood (1979)
Vigil on Braggs Island, David Blackwood (1973)
Loss of the Flora, David Blackwood (1993)
I grew up in St. Norbert, a community on the southernmost edge of Winnipeg. It offered the best of both worlds for my formative years - adjacency to a multi-cultural city known for punching above weight in regards to artistic output and a landscape that invited exploration with its fields, forests and historical ruins. My imagination was constantly stimulated and inspired.
Some of my most vivid memories involve exploring this land with a faithful companion and in my three dog life, a ninety pound lab-cross named Reggie often played this role. Taking him out was never a ten minute jaunt but rather a multi-hour journey in which I patiently waited as he chased wild hares, marked every tree, and even stood ground against coyote while I nervously tried to coax him to retreat in the opposite direction. This time spent in nature on the periphery of society gave me deep appreciation for nature, wildlife and our need to conserve it.
The next piece in my Canadiana Collection pays homage to St. Norbert, as well as the magical places (and creatures) I encountered while living there.
Prints and other merchandise available at society6.com/oblada.
St. Norbert/Magical Woodland (©Deborah Clague, 2019).
It’s no secret that I love dogs. I feel they are angels on earth and have provided some of the best companionship I have ever known in life (growing up as an only child, that meant a lot). Below is a list of the most heavenly of these creatures I follow on social media:
This is HANDS-DOWN my favourite Instagram account to follow of any genre. Beaux is an absolute delight that makes me smile and laugh daily. His positive reinforcement—that every day can be the best day ever—are as good as any Buddhist mantra. Beaux was born with a cranial deformity due to lack of room in his mother’s womb amongst a litter of seven puppies. Because of this condition, his breeder gave him away to someone that didn’t have his best interests in mind, leaving him chained up in a backyard for years with little food and virtually no veterinary care. He was eventually rescued and made his way into the home of a family that spoils him more than I spoil my Monty (and trust me, that’s a lot). Today, he’s quickly becoming a social media sensation whom I’m sure will have his own line of ties some day.
28.2k Likes, 2,420 Comments - Beaux Tox (@beauxtoxrescues) on Instagram: "I'M NAKED!🎉🐾 I'm wearing my birthday suit today! I am 7 years old! Today is the best day I have..."
Midge is a senior dog that was recently adopted from a rescue in the Los Angeles area. Midge is also one of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen. Seriously, look at this face!
2,375 Likes, 55 Comments - Midge (@thatmidgelife) on Instagram: "The face I make when they tell me I'm a good girl. #midge #pink #blushandbashful #smile #sweater..."
Maggie has had a tough start to life. She suffered from horrendous abuse that included being shot at, which resulted in blindness, and having her ear cut off. Despite facing these cruel hardships, she has regained her trust for humans and is now adopted by a loving family that provides all the love, cuddles and Milkbones her heart desires (and deserves). I love seeing happy endings like this.
4,802 Likes, 142 Comments - smartypaws_ | Blind Rescue Dog (@maggiethewunderdog) on Instagram: ""Monday has come once again and man has it been RUFF!"-Maggie * * * What a weekend. Poor me was..."
I first saw Mugsy on a news report about animal cruelty. She was adopted from a rescue organization in Iran that cared for her after having corrosive acid thrown at her face. Mugsy now lives the good life in Vancouver where she is receiving further surgical procedures to treat her injuries. She may look different but her loving spirit proves that beauty is only skin-deep.
1,444 Likes, 154 Comments - Mugsy The Smiling Puppy (@mugsyhapoochi) on Instagram: "Bundle up; the sun is still trying to make an effort!! 🌞🐶 #rescue #rescuedog #rescuedogsrule..."
Jack is a special-needs pet that was paralyzed after being attacked by another dog. He has no feeling in his back legs or bowels and uses a custom wheelchair to scoot around and do zoomies. He was adopted last year from a shelter and his new family aims to dispel the myth that a disabled pet is more of a challenge.
330 Likes, 19 Comments - Jack (@jackhecan) on Instagram: "Enjoying this Saturday morning! Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!"
I first encountered Pirate’s story via a Dodo video (that, like most of them, made me cry). Pirate spent over seven years at an Oahu, Hawaii, shelter without being adopted. Finally, the right family came along and welcomed her into their home where they have committed to providing an indulgent, spoiled existence for her remaining twilight years. Well deserved and well worth a follow to see how unconditional love doesn’t diminish with age.
3,129 Likes, 71 Comments - Pirate Marie 🐾 (@pirate_marie) on Instagram: "💤💤💤💤💕 #sleepypuppy"
‘Canadiana Collection’ by designer Deborah Clague now available. Click to shop.
I’ve always been captivated by the majestic beauty of Canada’s north. With skies that appear to dance to the rhythm of one’s heartbeat and glaciers that run as high as they do deep, it is a place of otherworldly landscape.
I am so proud to call this country home.
Prints and other merchandise available at society6.com/oblada.
Up North, Dawn version (©Deborah Clague, 2019).
Up North, Night version (©Deborah Clague, 2019).
I grew up in a home in which music provided a near-constant soundtrack to my life. This was thanks to my mother, who grew up during the The Beatles reign and found such enlightenment in the early years of rock-and-roll, in contrast, perhaps defiance, to her strict Catholic upbringing, that she even bestowed me with the name of her favourite song. For her, music was like an aural vitamin; something to take in every day for increased wellbeing. Thus, as a child, the radio was always playing and I quickly adopted the habit—or perhaps it is better worded as “addiction”—of also taking time to appreciate the symphony of sound from the era.
While we didn’t have an extended cable package that included MTV or Much Music (I may have been the only Western kid without this), there was plenty of alternative music programming such as American Bandstand and Solid Gold (!!!) that allowed me a visual glimpse into the voices I heard every day. I was always riveted to the television when they aired. Pop and rock stars held my interest so much more than those made famous from film. The fashion, the attitude, the rebellion all appealed to me even though I was too young to fully understand why (or realize that it was as much theatre and marketing as any movie).
One of the first music videos I recall seeing was “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston. Childhood-me, just getting over the wonder of Disney, was completely mesmerized. Even at that age, I could recognize that the voice I was hearing was magical. I also thought the singer was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Whitney, partnered with Michael Jackson, are the musicians who first gave my soul life as a kid. This evolved into becoming a fan of Janet Jackson, Madonna and then, as a teen, Stevie Nicks and Courtney Love, which shows how life’s trajectory may never follow a linear pattern. But even as my tastes morphed into acts that were decidedly less parent-friendly, Whitney was still in the background. Her fame and presence in the lives of a generation solidified as “I Will Always Love You” became the defining anthem for all high school slow-dances in the nineties.
One of the more recent memories I have of Whitney’s music tying into a defining moment of my life happened shortly after I bought my first home, a purchase that represented success and stability for me. The rush of emotion I felt at this major achievement—and commitment—swayed between elation and fear. After all, I was a single career woman with no back-up if things fell to shit. As I settled in and started planning improvements to “make it my own”, the music of my childhood seemed to be the most fitting background noise to bridge the span of time from where I was to where I proudly stood now. Singing along (poorly) to Whitney’s greatest hits while painting my walls with a fresh coat of the hue dubbed “candlelight glow” marked this celebration.
I recently watched the documentary “Whitney” which depicted the incredible highs—and tragic, heartbreaking lows—of this, one of the most iconic voices of the twentieth century. I felt a bit numb as the credits started to roll. As though all the personal memories I associated with her and her music growing up could no longer be appreciated after witnessing the darkness that manifested with her fame.
But there’s more to a life than the end.
And we should take that mirror of how someone’s influence defines us, our life and times, and allow it to be their story, their grace and their power.
Reefer Madness
Written by Eric Schlosser
After reading (and absolutely loving) Schlosser’s ‘Fast Food Nation’ last year, I ordered more of his books including ‘Reefer Madness’ which investigates the far-reaching influence of the American black market—specifically pot, porn and illegal immigration. These three areas, which the government consistently seeks to regulate, all contribute substantially to the national economy. The book is a few years old, and a lot of information outdated, however it’s interesting to see the current outcomes of how these areas evolved. As Schlosser writes “no deity that men have ever worshipped is more ruthless and more hollow than the free market unchecked.”
Favourite line: “Many of the social and economic trends of the past two decades seem remarkably similar to those described in Frederick Lewis Allen’s classic history of the 1920s, ‘Only Yesterday’. The sex scandals, stock swindles, and celebrity murder trials, the youthful hedonism and religious fundamentalism, the Big Bull Market, thriving black markets, fondness for literary irony and political apathy of that era have strong contemporary echoes.”
Real Food, Fake Food
Written by Larry Olmsted
I’ve eaten “kobe” beef several times in my life, always somewhat skeptical that it was the real thing as it is a relative rarity outside of Japan and notoriously expensive. After reading this book, my suspicions were confirmed but not only for that - there are numerous food products we consume every day, from olive oil to various cheeses, that may not really be what you think they are. One fascinating fact Canadians may not know is that Maple Leaf Meats trademarked the name “Prosciutto di Parma” in 1971 and duped consumers into believing it was the authentic Italian dry-cured ham. Only in 2013 was this rectified with a new trade agreement in which both actual Parma producers and Maple Leaf Meats can still can sell the product, real and fake, in Canada. This is a great book that will get one thinking while shopping for groceries.
Favourite line: “Meat marketers use what is known as modified atmospheric packaging, or MAP, to make products look artificially fresh. Basically, they fill the package with small amounts of carbon monoxide, the same stuff unhappy folks use to kill themselves in garages.”
Maze
Written by Christopher Manson
I’ve collected gamebooks since I was a kid. I am exposing my nerd side but I have spent significant coin on old, weathered, well-used copies of the Fighting Fantasy series on eBay just for nostalgia. Paired with hot cocoa and a comfy couch, reading them comprises a perfect Sunday afternoon for me (especially with current temperatures in the -40 degree celsius range). Billed as “the world’s most challenging puzzle”, ‘Maze’ was a popular gamebook aimed at adults during the eighties. I hadn’t heard of it before and it is, indeed, very hard. I could only complete part of it, the main quest of navigating through the maze; for the other, visual puzzles—which were coupled with a publisher-sponsored prize back in the day that no one rightfully claimed—I resorted to cheating (and honestly probably wouldn’t have figured them out anyway).
My notebook while attempting ‘Maze’, the world’s most challenging puzzle.
Another new vintage travel poster design, this time showcasing the “land of living skies” (and my current home), Saskatchewan. I am hoping to eventually turn this into a series of prints representing how the spirit of the province weaves through the landscape, wildlife and culture.
And yes, the first design required a moose.
Saskatchewan (©Deborah Clague)
