Santa and some raw art

This was a busy week. With all that's normally going on, there was a Santa Claus Parade in downtown Toronto, last Sunday, which I wanted to see. Also, I went to see the Raw Artists exhibition on Thursday.

Santa Claus Parade was, well... fun. For all those under 10.
Nevertheless, it was nice to see it once, get some shots and leave it at that. I was surprised by how many people were there. It was a nice, warm day so I guess that contributed a lot.

The streets were closed, security guys everywhere, children jumping around, parents holding thermos bottles with coffee sitting on sidewalks, cushions, blankets, strollers, sandwiches and lots of reindeer horns on people's heads.

Apparently, people arrive early in the morning to save the spot for their family, so that they can sit in front row and see the parade.

The parade alone lasts for couple of hours, but to have a nice watching spot, you should be there hours earlier.





To be honest, it was actually more interesting before the parade showed up, because of all the people and kids mingling on the streets. Put some children on the middle of the empty street and give them some crayons and there you go. Art as you've never seen it.

I didn't wait to see the Santa though - it was enough for me to witness Frozen characters, clowns, girl with the goose, people in dog's costumes, Lego figures and other, I must say, lame and totally unrelated characters to something that's called Santa Claus Parade. 

The only thing they all had in common were Christmas songs. I didn't see a single reindeer :O or one of Santa's elves, for that matter. Or anything related to actual Christmas holidays. Too many commercial banners and sponsor signs for my taste though. It was like watching commercials on TV.

However, it was obvious the children were enjoying it. They don't care about rules or names or commercials or appropriate costumes. They spent the day dancing and drawing in the streets of Toronto. What can be better than that?

For something more to my liking, I visited a more adult event going on in MOD Club on College Street this week.


There was a Raw Artists Uprising event with numerous artists showing their work. Some of Toronto's photographers, painters, jewelry makers, make up artists, film makers and musicians were presenting their best pieces and had fun in connecting and browsing thru other spheres of art. It was quite interesting to be mingling around some extraordinary individuals. Here's more on that, where you can see the artists involved and some of their work.

All in all, a fun week. I was surprised by some snowflakes yesterday, and that doesn't seem like fun at all. Soon enough it'll be snowy and (more) cold and I'll have to stay in and shoot the hamster again...

Stay warm!

Soaking up some art

I live and breathe motorcycles.

Garage, noise, dust, exhausts, parts, chrome, filters, rat bikes, shiny bikes, gasoline, paint, tools, tires, chains, oils, powder coating, engines.

In an environment like this, it's easy to forget you have other aspirations too (or that you're a girl, for that matter).

There is some art involved in this motorcycle world, I have to admit (actually, plenty of it). 

But that should be another topic altogether.

My point is, I need a break occasionally, as well as other stuff (not involving motorcycle culture) too. Which is why I'm writing nonsense posts about my cat, hamster or current weather conditions.

I love bikes, but I love apple pies too and I don't eat them every single day. So I find  my escape in photographing and walking around the city, to satisfy my hunger for diversity.

The truth is, I need whatever - as long as it's something else. Preferably, something inspiring.

With that in mind, I was wondering the other day where should I go to change the environment a bit, and it was chilly and windy that day so I didn't actually want to spend the day outside. 

Then I remembered AGO, the Art Gallery of Ontario I haven't yet visited. 

After taking into consideration other alternatives, visiting AGO soon got up on top of my list. 

The moment I walked in I was impressed by the size of it and was eager to explore every corner of the gallery.

Currently, there are some really interesting exhibitions and collections holding, like Camera Atomica and AGO Photography Prize exhibition. 

The architecture inspired me as much as exhibited art pieces, most of all the famous Italian gallery and beautiful curvy designed stairs in the middle of the building.

I was never really a museum person (hello, I'm putting the polar bear with the radio as the main photo of this post), so it surprised me how much I was yearning for it.

One one hand, I mostly wanted to see the gallery from the inside due to beautiful architecture and design, but the exhibitions dragged me into them and it's impossible not to get intrigued by various artists and their pieces on the other hand.

Those foxy ladies were pretty awesome too. I kind of missed what was that all about, but the big, spacious room filled with skins looked cool.

Anyhow, a great afternoon filled with great art. I'm strongly recommending to anyone who's near Toronto to see it for yourself.

There is an upcoming exhibition on American photography and film early next year which would be nice to see if I get the chance.

More on AGO's stuff you can find on their website.



Until then, there are a few other places I still need to discover. More on that soon, I hope. But first, some apple picking.

@sharoncocaine

Walkin' downtown

This was an awesome warm weekend and of course, I wanted to spend it outside.

I haven't been downtown for a while and I really wanted to take a serious walk and get out for a whole day. Since I have a guest here (her majesty, Ana Flo), we decided to use this nice weather and go somewhere I usually wouldn't go alone.


I wanted to go apple picking, but Ana didn't feel like it. So we agreed upon spending some time in High Park and some time downtown. I haven't been downtown for a while so we were curious at what's there to see.

Turned out, there's plenty to see, especially if you're bored and yearning for a little city hype.

I wanted to visit Brookfield Place to see a World Press Photo Exhibition, so we headed there first.


Some nice, some interesting but mostly sad stories told thru photographs by award winning artists and photojournalists made a strong impression on both of us. I recommend to go and see for yourselves.

We took a walk towards the lake and on our way there we stopped at Union Station - the place I've seen only from the outside until now, so we decided to walk in and take a peek at what's in there.

Outside, hungry pigeons chilled on the Union Station sign.



Soon enough we found ourselves by the lake and enjoyed the sun and warm breeze.

We entered the Power Plant gallery where we took a look at three standing exhibitions, but I was most impressed by "Black Cloud", an installation by Mexican artist Carlos Amorales. 30000 black moths cut out of paper and placed on the walls of the gallery made a splendid view.

More about him and his moths you can find here

After coming back towards Eaton Center and a huge meal, we needed a break so we had a coffee on Nathan Phillips Square. Plenty of people was there, despite being the Thanksgivings day, and they laughed, took pictures by the Toronto letters, posing for selfies, smiling, chattering and enjoying a beautiful afternoon. I do love to look at people sometimes. When they're happy.

We spend some time in High Park (as if that was a fair alternative to apple picking), but it was nice. Crowded, but nice. We barely found a parking spot after a while of driving around, just before we almost gave up. I swear, half of Toronto was there that afternoon.

We even made it to the Cherry beach.

It was a good weekend. I hope this weather will last.

I want to make an apple pie, so I still have to go apple picking...

It was busy... just how we like it. Update.

So, the last couple of weeks were pretty busy. Ever since I came back from Croatia, things just kept going on and there was no rest for the wicked.

The work piled up, the house was a mess (I do live with a male) and the fridge was empty (male again).

In between cleaning and restocking, there were moments of some photo opportunities I just couldn't miss.

The first thing after my arrival back home was a party we had - business and private kind of party with plenty of friends, lots of food, drinks and a good band. It was nice and exhausting, and everything ended with a good burnout, as expected.

After that, I was mostly trying out a new Nikon I got recently.

So naturally, I went on all the usual places I normally go and tried to capture it with a new lens.

I must say I'm pleased, even though I could use another telephoto lens. What I have now is actually doing pretty good work on macro shots.

Back home, I witnessed some Philippe Ramette's photographs for an upcoming exhibition that was supposed to take place after my father's - and his work got me thinking a bit. I sort of wanted to try out things he does, so I played around a bit with that. My options were limited and actually didn't have as much time as I wanted, so there is a few experimental shots I got. For now.

I went downtown (which I rarely do lately) to see the Buskerfest and famous Toronto sign on Nathan Phillips Square (which everyone took a picture of yet, but me).

I also visited Distillery district again (I wish I could be there more often - that place is amazing).

We also went to CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) place one night. Too expensive just to get in and leave the car outside, when basically everything else you need to pay extra. I was terrified of the rides (I would kill to ride on the most bad-ass ride when I was younger), but I guess that's adulthood. You kind of become aware that there might be actual mechanical issues and all sort of risks and that you might actually die.

We went up north to a cottage for the long weekend. I got up at 6 am to try and shoot the sunrise. Of course, east somehow ended up being totally on the opposite side of where I was thinking (It's not like I'm carrying a compass with me all the time) so the sun got up behind the bushes and cottages and the image was everything but nice.

We also had a photo shoot going on last week, where I finally got to shoot some real people (in your face, Shelly the hamster). Actually it was a girl, a model, and she did her job pretty well. I got to the conclusion that I need a lot of practice still. It was a good experience. I'm looking for models now.

Last, but not least, I joined Instagram. A huge step for me. I've been kind of avoiding it this whole time, but what the heck. You can see a lot more photos if you follow me there - @sharoncocaine

That's all for now. Rock on, folks.

I'm back.... or "snapshots from Croatian vacation"

I'm back. And I'm already cold (is it just me or is this Canadian summer kind of fading?). I was actually standing close to the BBQ today just to feel the warmth of the fire. But, Croatia..... well, that was the real summer. The one you easily get used to.

Botel in the heart of Rijeka City

I managed to go there for a little more than couple of weeks, and it was totally worth the 7 hours of uncomfortable ride in the first plane and then an hour in the second one to get there.

When I stepped onto the Zagreb's airport ground, all I felt was a nice, warm breeze.

That is,  before my parents managed to make an incredible noise, first arguing about the parking lot (which had nothing to do with me) and then showing their affection, hugging me and asking me if I'm hungry (cause apparently I seem to be thinner every time my mom sees me).

Downtown Rijeka

We hit the road to Rijeka, a beautiful city on the coast, where we were about to spend the first week of my vacation.

My father was holding a photography exhibition there and it happened so that my good friend Ana was living there at the moment so I got the spend lots of time with her too, as well as with some of other good friends.

I used to live in Rijeka, so being there after so much time brought lots of memories back, making the stay so much more interesting and intense.

Rijeka is a big city on northern Croatian coast - it's a harbor city, seaport with shipyards and heavy industry.



A part of it is Trsat - the old fortress where it all started back in the early times. Today, there is also the Sanctuary of our Lady of Trsat, representing the guardian of the travelers, especially seamen.

To get to the fortress, you can take the road - but more interesting path is the stairway from downtown all the way up, with it's 561 stairs (that's how much we counted).

Trsat stairs	Stairs downtown

According to the legend, it's impossible to count the stairs due to the devil who got mad and mixed them up once and for all, making them "constantly changing". Even today, people of Rijeka swear that the number of the stairs is is different every time you try to count them.

Korzo

Rijeka is an old city - full of stairs, narrow streets, old buildings and monuments. It's also a modern, European city, where people are open minded and good-hearted, full of classic and street art, culture and bursting with flair.

One of old buildings (with wide selection of windows)

We did all the average tourists do - which we rarely did before - visiting the old Trsat fort and counting the devil's stairs, eating in amazing restaurants, taking walks at night in the vivid main street called Korzo, enjoying cold beers on the boat club, going onto the crowded beach and eating pancakes there.

View from Trsat

We also did all the things we normally do when we're on the coast - eating bread with pate and tomatoes (traditional Croatian meal when on vacation), eating tons of watermelons, drinking beer in the apartment till the early morning, sharing stories, laughing and having fun remembering old times.

The time passed by real soon and we had to leave Rijeka and go back home - to my parents town. That was a different kind of week - lazy, relaxing kind of fun where everything is about my mom's delicious food, spending time with family and noticing how things changed in the house.

One of Zagreb's typical cafe's downtown

I've also spent two days in Zagreb.
I got really surprised by what they did downtown - making the city looking awesome.

It's full of tourists, and for the first time I actually had the feeling they have something to see. People dancing in the streets, playing music, walking in traditional national costumes, beautifully decorated cafe's and restaurants - a feast for eyes, ears and soul.

Zagreb downtown in the mirror

I did everything I wanted to do and therefore my vacation was 100% successful.

I've spent quality time with my family and had a great time with close friends.
I ate octopus.

I ate pasta with truffles.
I ate pate and tomatoes and watermelon.
I swam in the sea and sunbathe on the beach (the real beach).
I felt the scent of salt in the air, as well as rosemary, lavender and all the other scents of coastal, Mediterranean vegetation.
I drank home made liquor.

We had a great, hot weather and everything was perfect. If by any chance you plan to visit Croatia though, make sure you take more than couple of weeks to spend there...

Panamania in Toronto

This summer, Toronto hosts Pan Am and Parapan Am Games and even though I tried, I could not ignore it anymore.

I'm not into sports (other than running) and I certainly don't follow up on world events such as this particular one.

I have seen parts of Olympics a few times, but that was either because there was nothing else on TV or I actually stopped flipping the channels if something, like woman gymnastics, caught my eye at the moment.

Or male gymnastics. Russians were cute at the time.

I do come from a country that is very proud in sports and yields lots of world greatest athletes - whether they're into skiing, swimming, handball, tennis, athletics or (I'm going to say it) soccer.

We have lots of great athletes, and I can maybe name ten of them. But Croatia has always been very sport oriented and we still have great results in every competition held.

Still, that haven't intrigued me to follow sports on TV or, god forbid, going to see games (!).  It's a huge part of Croatian history, but it doesn't exist in my world.

However, it exists now, when there are special traffic regulations introduced and there are crowded people everywhere and you can read PanAm on every sign, screen or piece of newspapers.

It's the PanAm fever that's happening all over North America. One good thing I've learned, being connected to lots of bikers, is that motorcycle riders can use HOV lanes and they will have the best summer riding ever! At least while cruising around the city of Toronto. I failed to see other advantages, except for global euphoria that makes people nice and hearty. That's always a good thing.

So I thought to give it a shot and went to see what's going on down there at Toronto Exhibition Place. Free concerts, food, beer, lots of enthusiasts and enormously expensive souvenir shop with prices blown up to the skies, because of Pachi, the little porcupine mascot is on every mug, t-shirt and key chain.

There are events all over the city connected to the Games, from different workshops, celebrations and concerts.

Every day something new is going on and everywhere you turn, you can see the famous logo of the porcupine. Personally, I liked Vucko more (hint: 1984 Olympics).

The Pan Am Games are over in couple of days (they end on Saturday) and Parapan Games begin on August 7th.

Athletes from more than 40 countries participated in different sports from archery to roller figure skating.





And all I can say is: I wish the best luck to each and every of them! I'm going for a run now, and hopefully I'll be swimming next week in beautiful Adriatic sea. After that, the only sport I'm going to participate in is eating my mamma's food and sunbathing like a lizard.
I need to train that more...

Music day in Toronto Music Garden. Or not.

Last night, I remembered how there was the time in my life when I couldn't imagine to fall asleep without music in my ears. 

I had a few playlists only for that purpose and it was impossible for me to go to bed without listening to sweet sounds of Pink Floyd, Knopfler, Metallica or Vangelis (among others). 

Weird bunch, I know, but they all have one thing in common - smooth, soothing sound that regularly helped me calm and fall asleep.

I guess I was thinking about it because Steve Vai was in Toronto this Saturday, and I missed it. 

I was kind of sad-ish for not seeing him, but thinking about his music made me remember so many other, nice stuff from past. So I listened to some of it last night and I was nostalgically happy. 

Therefore, to continue the music vibe, this morning I went to visit the Music garden in downtown Toronto. 

Instead of being in the good mood (cause there was no reason for otherwise), I somehow didn't start my day right. Maybe I got up on the wrong foot, or something.

Not that I need a special reason for it (I am a woman, after all), but I did something and I said something and I killed the music day mood. Totally.

On the bright side, I did get some nice shots of the park and spent the morning in the beautiful waterfront environment. 

The garden is actually quite small and it consists of six different, little parts (Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuett and Gigue).



The whole garden represents Bach's Suite No.1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello, BWV 1007. 

During the summer, there are free concerts held in the garden, twice a week, and I can only imagine how cool would it be to listen to Brazilian choro on a lazy afternoon in early August Sunday, which I won't hear - I'll miss it, of course, cause I won't be in the city at the time.

I'm also missing Ron Bumblefoot and Joe Perry tonight, just because I feel meh about the whole day and I don't feel like going out. I'll be whining about that tomorrow. Or maybe not.

In the meantime, I'll be listening to some sweet sounds again this night, and hopefully, tomorrow is going to be a more pleasurable day.

Rock on and sweet dreams.