i went to the Andy Warhol SUPERNOVA exhibit at the AGO yesterday. it had been a really long time since i'd gone to an event by myself. usually i'd find a friend or co-worker to go with me, but after speaking with kristy (who told me that we stand at the exhibits listening to a hand-held phone to our ear), i decided that it would be less stressful (as in finding someone to go with) just going alone. i was lucky, as there was also a small exhibit for some of rembrant's sketches, so i went to take a look at those first before the main show. i personally prefer looking at classic art (as opposed to modern contemporary art) and as my favorite art era is the impressionism period, so i really enjoyed looking at the micro sketches with it's fine detailing.

warhol's exhibit was simply fascinating! this specific exhibit focused on celebrities, death and disaster but with the free audiophone included in the show, i was able to gain some valuable insight into warhol's philosophy. because he worked on silkscreens and film, there was a mix of paintings and movies that were playing in the exhibit. my favorite was the screen tests. in this showing, the audience is watching a silent 4 minute (per person) screen tests for movies that were never meant to be made. The screen tests were of people who wanted to become famous or people who were prominent in the art scene (like salvador dali, edie sedgwick, dennis hopper, bob dylan...). but i was really drawn to this one because if i stood there watching the whole time, you could really see the vulnerability of the people doing the screen tests, almost like you're looking into their souls....

another great painting is the miriam davidson. i think i really liked that one because of all the different colors. plus miriam was made because of her likeness to jackie kennedy (who warhol also had an obsession with.) there's so much more that i'm not mentioning because i don't want to give too much away, but over all i really enjoyed the solo time at the art gallery. mind you, i probably would have had just as much fun if i went with a friend, but once in awhile (which i haven't had in a long time) i like having free time for myself.

i'm so interested in warhol's philosophy, and my friend nelson has so kindly lent me warhol's book. i'm excited to read it, so since it looks like this weekend is a rainy weekend, i might spend some time curled on the sofa with a nice mug of hot tea and a book. oooh yah, that sounds great! ;p

Your true colour is brown!

You're brown, a credible, stable colour that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral colour, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

www.tickle.com

Showcase - July/August 2006
By Karen Bliss

Nick-e
Who: Nick-e
What: sultry stuff
Where: Newmarket, ON
To Contact: www.nickeonline.com.

In the "thank you" section of her debut EP, Mosaic, Toronto soul singer Nick-e declares, "Wow! It's finally here. It's been a four-year labour of love, hate and all that good stuff rolled into one." So what did she roll in this six-song collection recorded mostly at Toronto's Kitchen Sync Digital Audio? Well, the first two songs are simply sultry. The title track, which is reminiscent of a less jazzy Sade, features piano and cello, then "It Feels Good" puts some snap (quite literally) into the smooth vibe. One can tell Nick-e, whose real name is Nicole Pratt, can sing - she's been doing it since the age of three - but one really wants her to bust out and show that she can roar. Instead, the next song, "Numb", is totally leftfield, a menacing, mostly programmed track on which she delivers a trip-of-the-tongue vocal. Then, she gets jazzy on "I Say" and "If You Were Here" - employing real instruments such as horns, congas, and upright bass before -ending with the moody electronic-based "Turn Me Around". Nick-e, who won the Mark Caporal Songwriting Award and Great Big Music Studio's best vocal performance award while studying recorded music production at London, ON's Fanshawe College, produced the EP herself.

and the girl is GOOD! My girl Nick-e performed at "Ciao Edie's" last night in "The Skiffle In My Ear" showcase. The performance started around midnight (yes, yes i DID go out very late at night on a work night!! ;p) and featured 4 other singers. Luckily, nick-e started first and so i was able to enjoy her and some of the others and didn't feel guilty about leaving without hearing her. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that i knew the bartender working at ciao edie's. his name is joseph, and i knew him as a waiter at the most exquisite restaurant, "honey kaffe." however, i was disappointed to hear that honey kaffe decided not to renew it's lease and has thus since closed down. boooo. i really loved their food! so if you hear about nick-e, check her out!

Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world
You can see she’s a beautiful girl, she’s a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
People who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She’ll hold you captivated in her palm

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) this is what I want to be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) why the hell it means so much to me
(Suddenly I see) This is what I want to be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) why the hell it means so much to me

I feel like walking the world like, like walking the world
You can hear she’s a beautiful girl, she’s a beautiful girl
She fills up every corner like she’s born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you’re trying to remember what you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on her word

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) this is what I want to be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) why the hell it means so much to me
(Suddenly I see) This is what I want to be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) why the hell it means so much to me

And she’s taller than most, and she’s looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from the page of a magazine
She makes me feel like I could be a tower, big strong tower yeah

The power to be
The power to give
The power to see, yeah, yeah (Suddenly I see)
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see, yeah, yeah (Suddenly I see)

She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see, yeah, yeah, yeah (Suddenly I see)
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see, yeah, yeah (Suddenly I see)
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see, yeah, yeah

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) this is what I want to be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) why the hell it means so much to me
(Suddenly I see) This is what I want to be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see) why the hell it means so much to me

- from "the devil wears prada"