Writing from the studio.
Studio notes, artist interviews, programme news and the occasional letter from the NOOD studio.
Steel Horses & Drawing Horses
As a biker watching the peak riding season fade away, I want to say something. There’s a certain kind of melancholy that comes from watching summer disappear. The days get shorter, the evenings get colder, the motorcycle gets parked a little earlier in the evening. You start checking the forecast: What time does the sun…
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Back to School, Back to the Drawing Horse
There’s something special about making tools that become part of an artist’s practice. A well-made drawing horse can support years of sketches, lessons, experiments, and those “I think I’ve got it” moments. That’s why NOOD continues to build handcrafted art benches, created in collaboration with @skippersdesignstudio. Thoughtfully designed. Solidly built. Made by artists, for artists.…
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Art Is Not a Credential
It’s Labour Day — and to me, that marks the unofficial end of summer vacation and the beginning of the academic season. Which got me thinking about education, credentials, and what it really means to be an artist… I recently saw Maud Lewis’s house at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Not a replica. Not…
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It’s Not a Bad Life, Just a Bad Day
Yes, I was livid. For three days. My motorcycle was towed. It was parked in front of my own house, in a residential parking zone, with a residential parking permit, and riding insurance. I thought I was doing everything right. Apparently, I was wrong. Unbeknownst to me, there’s a 14-day parking bylaw. If my vehicle…
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Stronger Together: Part 2 – It Takes a Community to Raise a Dough
A bakery might not seem to have anything to do with life-drawing. But it does. At NOOD, we believe collaboration goes far beyond what happens inside our studio. Sometimes, collaboration looks like a life-drawing session with another arts organization. Sometimes, it sounds like live music. And sometimes, it smells like coffee and a table full…
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Stronger Together: Part 1 – Why NOOD Collaborates
At NOOD, we've never believed that building a community means competing with one another. We believe in lifting each other up. That's why we collaborate with the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) to create an elevated monthly life-drawing experience for artists in our community. Together, we each contribute our strengths. This kind of partnership reflects…
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Open House
Come see what we’re creating ... join us September 3rd 6:00–9:00 pm at 49 Dunlevy Avenue, Whether you’re a seasoned artist, someone who’s always wanted to try life-drawing, a current or aspiring life-model, an educator, or simply curious about what happens inside our studio – we’d love to see you. This is an opportunity to…
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Emily Carr Faculty Days at NOOD – EXTENDED
The response from Emily Carr faculty has been so encouraging that we’re extending our Emily Carr Faculty Days through August. Join us every Thursday 6:00–9:00 pm at 49 Dunlevy Avenue for an evening dedicated to your own creative practice. Open to all Emily Carr University faculty. Pay what you want. Reserve your spot by emailing…
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Classroom Skeletons Are Lies
The skeleton in your art class is a hoax. Those perfectly arranged bones? In real life they’d be a catastrophic pile on the floor. Your skeleton only works because of 200+ bones, 900+ ligaments, 600+ muscles, the I-don’t-know-how-many cartilages and … one brain. This is what it takes to fight gravity … and gravity still…
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Introducing NOOD LifeLine: Online Life-Drawing, Anywhere in the World
We’ve been receiving messages from artists who live outside the city, sometimes the other side of the world, expressing an interest in drawing with us ... and we listened. NOOD now offers LifeLine, a session created with online participants at its heart, while still welcoming artists who wish to attend the studio in person. We…
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The Heart of a Canadian
World news is often filled with headlines of conflict, crisis, and division. It can feel as if these stories define the shape of the world we live in. But in times like these, it’s important to practice something quieter and more lasting: creativity, connection, and kindness. Being a Canadian is not just about flags and…
ReadEmily Carr Faculty Days at NOOD
Throughout July, NOOD is hosting a special Emily Carr Faculty Life-Drawing Series every Thursday from 6:00–9:00 pm at 49 Dunlevy Avenue. Whether you've drawn with us before or it's been years since you've had uninterrupted studio time, we'd love to welcome you back. Open to all Emily Carr faculty. Reserve your spot by e-mailing [email protected].…
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Creativity Support Dogs Welcome
At NOOD, we care about the whole human — and that includes the beings you care for, too. Recently, someone left a session early to take care of their puppy, and that stayed with us. That kind of attentiveness, responsibility, and love is exactly the energy we want in our space. So, effective immediately, NOOD…
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