Stay Breezy.

Photos: Colin Medley

Summer is back in Toronto! The sun’s been beaming her sweet smiles on our backs and the breeze off the lake seems to lick up our sweat. It’s a glorious time in the city when the heat comes back; people get out and about and the energy seems to expand and fill up our lungs. While the sun’s been beating down, I’ve been indoors -back in the studio- recording some demos for a future album. It’s been a busy few months but it feels really good to be up to my armpits in new projects and bike rides.

Stay breezy,

KB

p.s. click on that link up there and check out Colin’s site. He’s been capturing summer creeping in.

Lavinia Fontana and Recording [Again]

Portrait of a Prelate, from late 1500s - Lavinia Fontana.
(14cm diameter on copper)

Wolfgirl - Lavinia Fontana.

Self-Portrait at the Clavichord with A Servant - Lavinia Fontana.

I’m generally not the hugest fan of Renaissance art, but Lavinia Fontana is the exception. The daughter of an artist and teacher, she started out painting portraits of all the rich people in her town. She has over a hundred paintings attributed to her which was fairly prolific – especially for a women at the time. She married and had eleven children of which 8 died before she did. She stuck fairly close to the style of the times but had some interesting models. Like that wolf girl up there. Imagined or a real subject sitting for her? Her portraits always seem to have these weird smiling eyes. Like they’re all in on a joke.  Except Wolf Girl, she sort of seems like she’s just looking right through you…

I’m back in the studio (yay!) recording another record. This is the second one this year but I feel good about that. We’re making plans, setting goals and trying to figure everything out. It’s a changing time; a time where everything can be whatever I want it to be. Sometimes making decisions isn’t fun but other times it’s tremendously exciting. I’m ready for this ride…

xo

First day of SPRING.

A pile of dried out xmas trees going up in flames beside the lake, surrounded by people basking in heat and fiery light.  Hand drums, dancing, and a tuba. The tuba was the best. Oh Toronto Island, what a weird and wonderful place you are.

Birds + Font = Nishant Jethi’s Living Typography

I love this.  Mumbai based designer Nishant Jethi addressed the declining House Sparrow populations by creating birdhouses in the shape of letters and numbers. A simple idea with beautiful results. Of the project she says, “hollow wooden 3D alphabets that could also act as a bird’s nest were created. Appropriate alphabets were sent to friends and family.

They could keep it outside their house as their nameplate or house number. This nameplate/House number also acted as nests for birds amidst concrete jungle of the city.”

I’m a proponent of functional art (a Capricorn..) and a bird nerd enthusiast so this project satisfies me to a large degree. The workmanship and design are pleasingly contemporary without feeling too “design-y”, if you know what I mean.

You can read her original blog entry on her site [link].

xo kb

This makes me feel good.

Look at this beautiful bunch of fibres from Spin Heart Spin [link]! The colours and texture make me want to stare at this all night. If this were a painting I would put it in a position that allowed me to  look at each and every morning.

I painted my new room tonight in a shade that is simply called, ‘back rub’. I’ll let you just figure out what colour that actually is!

One Warm Saturday

A number of years ago, when I was a fresh face to this city, my friend Chantale and I went into the earring business. It was quite the endevour and we probably made a hundred pairs of dangling, sparkling earrings. It seemed like the perfect plan – we could be crafty and sell our crafty stuff, y’know? We used to drag a couple chairs and milk crates out to Kensington Market on Sundays and set up a ramshackle kiosk where we would shyly display our wares. It was such a rush when someone liked what we made or stopped and actually bought something.

Fast forward to almost seven (gah!) years later and now we have ways to sell things online that embody that ramshackle table without the hassle of dragging milk crates across six blocks; online communities now exist that thrive on the art of the handmade and the ethos that come alongside.

I’ve had an Etsy shop for a while but it needed an overhaul and a vision and a lot of things. I’d sort of let it fall to the wayside because, let’s face it, things get busy. But yesterday, my darling friend Chantale again helped me and we spent the afternoon photographing, styling and describing the jewellery I’ve been making lately. It’s been such a nice way to fill my time, finding broken and ugly pieces and dismantling them and re-imagining them into something beautiful. I really enjoy working with my hands and there is something about metals and chain that offer a great tactility to the finished product.

So please, if you have a few moments, check out my new home on Etsy called One Warm Saturday (the name derived from the beautiful short story by Dylan Thomas) and, as always, constructive comments are appreciated. xo

Today I’m Into This Song.

I stumbled across this video while on a Google search hunt about apartment gardening. I have no idea why I clicked on it (it clearly isn’t about gardening) but I am glad I did. It’s a nice mellow song and fits today perfectly. I’m so tired from last night! Thanks to all the friends and fans who came out to help celebrate Out of This Spark’s 5th anniversary. It was a really lovely night filled with good feelings.

Will winter ever come?

Cher Mme Hiver,

Année dernière I was living on Toronto Island, working away in a beautiful lakeside studio and staring out at the lagoon every morning. This year it’s like winter hasn’t even arrived yet (or maybe just made a couple cameos in my neighbourhood) and –although it’s lovely weather for biking and walking– I miss it.  I’m a winter kid! I was born in a blizzard in the middle of Canadian January and every fibre of my being loves slogging through the cold months. Winter is a time to reflect, to collect ideas and to gather friends over mulled wine. Who wants to drink mulled wine when it’s above zero? And skating outside feels strange when the sun is beaming down and a winter coat doesn’t even have to be worn…  Are you feeling okay this year? I know you don’t get as much respect as you deserve, but please visit soon? Don’t get me wrong– I love the sunshine and it makes everyone so happy! BUT I would love it so much more if it were shining down over me while I walked through the park crunching down on half a metre of snow.

Bisous,

Kat Burns

In studio with KASHKA

I’m recording a record under my own name –the Polish version of it– and I am very excited about it. The new music is a collaboration with my friend Jamie and it’s upbeat, poppy and totally different than what I’ve been doing with Forest City Lovers. It’s a welcome change and I can’t wait to record and record and get this baby out of my hands and into your ears. Lately I’ve been totally over dwelling on things. It’s just not productive! So much in life needs to be finished/ended/closed and then we should just start something new. When something/someone/stuff doesn’t work out, move on. It’s the new motto I’m trying to use. I’ll keep you posted on how that’s working out for me.

In the meanwhile, enjoy these shots from a day at the Glen Gordon. Photography credits = Chantale Renee. xo

It’s February already.

I’m still getting used to writing ’2012′.

Most of January I was in California, enjoying some sunshine (and cold/rain but that’s okay) and spending some quality time with myself friends. I didn’t write much while I was away this time, but I have a lot of beautiful visceral landscapes in my mind to draw inspiration from. I returned back to Toronto and, much to my chagrin, it was (and still is) barely winter. I think we’ve had 25cm of snow since November. The skating rinks are open and this is probably the first year I’ve skated outdoors in temperatures above zero and under bright sunny skies. It’s sort of unreal.

It’s been a slow return to homelife. This year feels like it’s going to be a heavy one. I don’t mean that it will be a bad year, more in the sense that this feels like a year of changes, discussions and plans. I can get behind that once in a while. Last year was a strange one, I’d love to have this year be positive and interesting. Isn’t there something about Jupiter going on?

This morning I listened to an episode of This American Life and illustrated the state of Alabama’s very strict illegal immigration laws (Bill HB56). I read a lot about this when it was being passed last year–even in Toronto it was a watercooler topic–but I hadn’t thought about it in a while. Now while I don’t know enough about the particulars to write an entire essay about it, my understanding is that it is ridiculously strict and based on the idea that if people are frightened enough about enforcement they will “self-deport”. The whole thing reeks of fear mongering (with racial undertones?) and I am troubled that it will create communities that turn on one another to uphold the law. In the episode there were a number of stories including a short interview with a Latino woman who couldn’t even pick up a money order at WalMart because the clerks were demanding she show proof of citizenship- which she couldn’t provide. Why even bother? You are a WalMart clerk, not an immigration officer. You can listen to the episode [link].

The repeal of Bill 56 was rejected as recently as December but apparently is going through another vote or round of modifications on the 7th of February? Let’s hope that it changes. Latin Dispatch has a transcription of the law [link].

In quick music update: FCL have a few shows this month, if you’re in southern Ontario maybe we’ll see you? You should come because you might not have the chance to see Forest City Lovers in a long….time. Just sayin’. Next week I’m recording a bunch of songs with Jamie for a KASHKA record. I’m totally looking forward to it, it’s always such a fun time working with him. The new songs will be out soon for your listening pleasures.

xox
kat