Author Archive

Those observant among you might have noticed that Illustrated Vancouver had ceased publication about a month ago. This extended hiatus was not entirely planned; it was an amalgam of factors — the convergence of the Vancouver International Film Festival, pressures of work, life, and about 6,000 other forces. For a while it seemed like no one noticed…but recently, there have been far too many noteworthy items; I’ve decided I cannot remain silent forever. Thanks to those who have sent in submissions; I will get to them as I am able.

But first I would like to share some breaking news, which to be honest, already broke about a month ago. A little paper in town called The Vancouver Sun has published a hardcover account of their first 100 years in print. Making Headlines: 100 Years of The Vancouver Sun can be ordered directly from the Vancouver Sun’s estore, among many other places I’m sure. The Sun are offering pickup from the lobby of 200 Granville Street, Monday through Friday 8:30AM – 4PM, ($34.95 +$1.75 tax = $36.70) or delivery right to your doorstep for an additional $8 shipping. See their estore for more details and some preview images of the book. In this column, they report overtaking the runaway cook book on Kale!

I can attest, Making Headlines is thoroughly researched and loaded with gorgeous images and photographs from various archives, including the billboard advertisement shown above, item CVA 99-2242 from the Vancouver Archives. The photograph by Stuart Thomson is dated circa 1926, and while archives notes the nitrate negative is deteriorating, they were still able to make a respectable print. I took things a step further and tried to clean up the image in Photoshop. It’s not perfect, but I think it does the job.

There’s a lot more we could say about this advert. …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

The Vancouver International Film Festival has just reached the half way mark, with one more full week of films to feast on. To help navigate the rest of the festival, I thought I’d share a page or two from my festival diary and reveal a few tips and tricks for those who have yet to experience film fest fever.

I also thought I would round up some of the films with a hometown connection, and so I’ve selected 10 films from the program that have a special Vancouver connection.

I have to admit, this festival takes a special place in my heart. VIFF was one of the first major events that I attended when I arrived in Vancouver back in 2004. Since then, I have returned each year like a pilgrim in search of cinematic zeitgeist. VIFF is a real film fan’s festival; it has great programing with a strong international selection, excellent shorts, and a nice mix of docs and dramas. For my first festival, I started with a quota of 10 films, adding a few more screenings once the festival was underway. Ceský sen (2004) was my festival favourite for many years to come! Then in 2006, I got to enjoy VIFF with the aid of a corporate sponsor pass; it was my first taste of the unlimited bliss that a festival pass can offer. …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

I seem to have uncovered some sort of omission in the Olio program, which almost seems unbelievable to me. The one name that does not appear in the program is the one name most suited to the Olio festival—it’s Jenny O! She plays tonight with Father John Misty, also highly recommended, who is noted in the program starting at 8:30pm at the Venue tonight, 881 Granville Street. I haven’t confirmed this, but expect Jenny O to open for him, presumably around7:30 or 8pm.

My theory is this omission was intentional, done so just to create a the euphoric sense of discovery upon finding a buried treasure in the middle of the festival! I first heard the name Jenny O with respect to a 30 second television commercial that hypnotized me. I played that spot over and over again, creating one of those sensations where I wanted to live in the song. Then I began to see her name appear over at BoingBoing, first with her cover of the two Pink Floyd songs, The Happiest Days of Our Lives and Another Brick in the Wall, then just recently with her free track, Automechanic.

Her LP Automechanic is coming out February 5, 2013 (just in time for Valentines!), but you can get her Home EP at BANDCAMP, iTUNES, AMAZON or even better, get an autographed CD at her show tonight!

I leave you with the video for her first single, Well Ok Honey, prominently featuring some pretty awesome cycling if you ask me.

Just thinking about the Olio festival gets me all nostalgic. I remember way back when they held their first festival in town, many, many years ago. I think you needed to be a member of a long defunct newsgroup to get the invite. Or maybe you had to mail away 75¢ to a post office box in order to get a photocopy of the program mailed to you. Actually, I’m kidding; the Olio festival has brilliantly combined music, comedy, art, and style since 2009. This year’s program looks absolutely smashing, and I’d like to highlight some of the comedy on the bill.

CBC Radio’s This is That live on stage at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver

Yesterday evening I made sure I was in the front row at the Rio Theatre, where Graham Clark warmed up the crowd with a stand-out standup set. The main feature of the evening was the live version of the CBC radio program This is That. Add spiffy graphics, hosts Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring in person, and all their guests—ehr—voices, and you have a whole new layer of hilarity to appreciate. If you ever get a chance to see This is That live, you must go!

The comedy did not end after This is That wrapped, and the Rio Theatre played a late night 10:30pm screening of the documentary Alone Up There, exploring the contemporary culture of stand-up. If you unfortunately had to start work early this morning and declined to stay for the screening, you are in luck! TheStandupComedians.com has just released a digital download of the film which you can enjoy DRM free in the comfort of your own home! The film is just $7 here.

Tonight is the much anticipated Stop Podcasting Yourself live taping that Bob has already highlighted here at VIAwesome. Dave and Graham are two of my favourite podcasters/performers in town, and you’ll also have a chance to see not one not two, but THREE special guests, all of whom are local treasures! Comedian Alicia Tobin, Kevin Lee of the Sunday Service, and Dan Mangan! If you are not already in line at the Electric Owl, get there now! The show is going to start around 7:30pm! Actually, it’s probably best to arrive at 7pm or sooner.

Over at the Biltmore Cabaret tonight, it’s the International Sketch Showcase, featuring The Sunday Service, Charles, Pump Trolley, and Peter ‘n’ Chris all starting at 7:30pm. Then Saturday evening, for those looking for even more comedy content, it’s a special edition of Raincity Chronicles at the China Cloud, and a stand-up set at the Biltmore Cabaret. Sunday evening, the Sunday Service appropriately wraps up the festival at the Kozmik Zoo. There’s so much more to this festival; be sure to visit their website, grab a program, or try their free iPhone iPad app! See you at Olio!

I believe this post solves one of the great mysteries I’ve uncovered since starting Illustrated Vancouver. For the past year, I’ve been trying to track down the whereabouts of the S.P. Judge watercolours that once hung in the Union Steamship boardroom. Ironically, they may have been under my nose the entire time!

I first learned of these paintings from Gerald Rushton’s book Whistle Up the Inlet, the Union Steamship Story. In the final few pages of the book, he briefly mentions:

Captain Terry later sent me the water colour paintings of the early Union fleet done by S. P. Judge of the Vancouver Art School in 1905. They had hung in the board room and in my office, and it was a gesture I appreciated.

I’ve mentioned before that Gerald Rushton wrote the book on Union Steamship twice; actually, he may have written three or four, if you include this booklet from 1923, as well as the Personality Ships of British Columbia which contains his compact history of the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia.

I tried contacting his family to see if they recalled whether these paintings were handed down to someone, as I firmly believed these were significant enough to belong in one of our local museums. After speaking with Gerald Rushton’s grandson, he did recall some paintings, but he seemed to think they were taken to a Vancouver art dealer. That’s where the trail went cold for a while…until I made a return trip to the Maritime Museum!

There in front of me, hanging in their permanent collection, were two watercolours by S.P. Judge, one featuring the Union Steamship vessel the Capilano, and another featuring the Coquitlam (items 1991.188 and 1991.189). In fact, I had asked the museum months previously if they knew the whereabouts of these Union Steamship watercolours, but since they aren’t actually labelled “Union Steamship”, they were unaware of their existence. It was a big thrill to suddenly recognize what I had been looking for after nearly a year of searching! Clearly I should have been spending more time at the Maritime Museum!

The Union Steamship Capilano by S.P. Judge, 1905

I love the fact that doing art history research can sometimes make some fairly significant discoveries. Take for example, this mis-attributed Picasso that was donated by Raymond Leowy to a museum in Indiana which was discovered because a researcher was simply looking for the word “gemmaux”. …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>