The Grow North Creative Residency is an initiative by North York Arts to “pass the mic” to artists in our community. Local artists living in North York are given the opportunity to share information, teachings, and their artistic practice with our audience, and engage with the North York Arts community in meaningful ways.
Based on: Girl, By Jamaica Kincaid
Wash your brushes immediately and put them to dry hanging upside down; Wash the acrylic ones separately and never mix them with oils; don’t leave your paintings to dry in the hot sun; they’ll cook and crack; wash your palettes as soon as you’re done using them; when buying yourself an apron, be sure that you don’t spend too much money on it, because that way you won’t feel guilty when you spill wax and paint all over; prime your canvases overnight before you paint on them; always eat your food before you start painting; don’t want toxics inside there; don’t sing while you work; don’t socialize so much; don’t eat your meals outside – you’re wasting good money; this is how to build a stretcher; this is how to stretch a canvas on the stretcher you have just built; this is how to use an easel when you’re painting something too large; this is how you smile to a professor you don’t like too much; this is how you smile to a professor you don’t like at all; this is how you smile to a professor you like too much; this is how to sculpt a pot; this is how to sculpt a face; this is how to sculpt a body; this is how you set a work on display; be sure to wash every day; the smell of your paint is better than the smell of your sweat; don’t paint too many flowers – they can make your work boring; don’t throw stones to hear the pattern of sound they make; you waste too much time daydreaming; this is how to knead red clay; this is how to knead white clay; this is how to start up a kiln; this is how to get the maximum amount of work done in the minimum amount of time; this is how to save a painting before it becomes an inconceivable mess; this is how to burn old rags; and that way your room won’t look dirtier than it is already; this is how to control your work; and this is how your grades control you; this is how to love what you do; and if this doesn’t work there are other ways, and if they don’t work, don’t feel too bad about giving up; this is how to make old supplies last; this is how to squeeze out each thumbnail for more ideas and mistakes to make sure your painting turns out looking perfect; but what if I like them imperfect?; you mean to say that after all this, you are going to be the kind of artist who thinks every mark you make is a masterpiece?
