On my desk this morning, the work begins on the book and documentary on the life and times of my late father master artist Erik Dzenis. I am just beginning the process of cataloging over 100,000 images; photographs, paintings, sketches of his life's work; it will take years. Before I can begin to contemplate writing or editing I must first find a publishing company capable printing this book. In this day and age of high tech digital printing, they just forgot one thing: talent. No one is printing high quality art books, those days are gone; therefore the printing masters operating the Heidleberg presses are no longer in demand. Our family specialized in producing the most critical component for high quality art books; the color photography and the separations. We produced thousands of photographs of the works of many famous artists throughout their careers including international wildlife artist's Fenwick Lansdowne and Glen Loates and Robert Bateman. We produced the color transparencies for the color separations; old school technology. These days the printing companies are running coupons for a rock show one minute then high quality art books the next. Except the most of the people running the publishing companies have no idea what they are doing; the technician relies on a computer scan and has no appreciation for visually correct. I visited my brother yesterday in that regard, he is regarded as one of the top color consultants in the business; we discussed the book at length commenting on how many projects came up short became the pictures in the book looked terrible. There are one or two companies in New York with the necessary skills to produce this book, however it looks like we may need to go to Italy to get the job done. A few Italian masters are still working in the trade, we will be lucky is we can find one who is not booked for the next ten years.

Art is the human experience, and Erik always wanted to share his art with the world. He was famous for his grand oil portraits of dignitaries, VIP's and life size modern art ballet paintings and pastels. He was also recognized internationally for the lightning quick sketches he would do on the spot as references for future paintings. These are a few sketches the world has never seen, original pencil drawings by Latvian/Canadian artist Erik Dzenis. These works and others will be included in a retrospect show we are currently working on. They will also be featured in the book and documentary about the life and times of Erik Dzenis. We welcome comments from anyone who recognizes the people in the sketches and photographs. Some very early photo's of a very young Rudolf Nureyev.

Canadian artist/designer Bill Lishman

As large as life Bill Lishman. Sadly Bill passed today, our condolences to his family. I worked with Bill for a number of years helping him promote his art. A few pictures of Bill and Paula at their studio's in Claremont and Blackstock Ontario.  Also photographs of a collection we shot on a two day trip covering 5 cities.

I just happened to be present when Bill took off in his hand glider, for the first time. He stepped up to the motorized version for his famous flight with endangered birds.

The township would not issue a building permit for Bill's new library, he built a life size lunar landing craft to do the job. No law against a sculpture on your lawn. Bill had a fun side for sure, but he was a very serious artist/designer, I had great respect for his work.

Bill's wife Paula was gifted, as in the gifted program at our high school; and her brother Glen. This is a multi image photo I took in grade 9.

Skating on Lake Wilcox in 1963 with Paula, grade 9.

Bill's wife Paula; the same day we were shooting Bill's flying adventures with our giant hot air balloon, I took a picture of Paula holding up their young son sitting on the famous Lishman Rocker. While she was sitting there, Suzanne noticed she was knitting with rabbit fur; a beautiful sweater. She knitted her way to an international empire a very short time later. Paula was gifted, the two of them were extraordinary people. Her brother Glen was one of my best friends in high school.

Bill was always flying on one machine or another, on his dirt bike at the People Or Planes protest at the future Pickering Airport site 1968. Bill stopped the airport with his passion for preserving farm country.

Lady in red Donna Marie looking outstanding in the famous Lishman Rocker

As a teenager living up in Thornhill back in the 60's, I would walk up to Yonge & Steeles every Saturday morning, take the bus to Eglinton, the subway to Bloor, the street car to the ROM. It was $0.45 cents to get in, I would spend the rest of the day going through every department in the entire place; it's where I learned about life in the realm. I would start in Entomology, they let me in the back room to clean up the collections, I had stuff they didn't; I shared. Then I went to Ornithology to check out the birds. By lunch I got to Egyptology, sat their looking at their exquisite art. Had an incredible time; it costs too much for a young kid to experience that these days.

Karma can be a bee; here's hoping. If I had three wishes, what would they be?
My good deed for the day helping a bee find its way back to the hive, it just took a moment with an old fashioned country kitchen live bee catcher. This simple act of kindness takes a second and becomes a moral compass when we integrate with nature and our fellow humans to make the world a better place. We have a colony of wild bees nearby, they have been in the same spot forever, never caused a problem; survived a hundred years of farm chemicals. Every summer the hive splits into two separate colonies, a serious eclipse as the sky goes black around the house for about ten minutes. I'd say there are a million bees, they tend to the nature as they were intended to do. I like to stay on their good side and not piss anyone of them off, it just take one angry bee to send a signal to the colony. Harmony in nature, harmony in life, my father taught this to me at an early age; he would often say "harmony" was the central theme to his work as an artist, especially his tribute to ballet series. Suzanne and I will be devoting more of our time to this creative endeavour, we are preparing a show of contemporary Canadian abstract art for presentation in Beijing. The project is called MIND Fyre.

Canadian artist's Jaclyn Howes and 
Val Engen: Mindfire:

"Art is a platform fraught with many complexities." abstract art is art of the imagination, if you can imagine it, it is said to be real. If it is real, it is no longer abstract. Therefore the "art" must be somewhere in between; my view of the creative process.

The individual paintings an artist produces are a record in time of the creative thought process, just a snapshot out of the movie. 

The real art, the "mindfire" happens between the paintings, the poems, the music, the real power to construct a complex yet simple psychological impression of a moment in time and space. The movie is going on in the background and that is what everybody wants to see. That is the prize commodity in the world of art mindfire. Getting to know the artist. You never see it. It is invisible, yet it is the secret soul of the creative spirit needing to get into the light; you only see the result, the "finished work" In that regard, the "work" is never finished. I'm interested in the process in between the works, what happens in the artists mind/life to account for the difference in "style", but there is really much more to this story.

The devil is in the details. The artists ability to lay out a textured template in the unveiling of their concept is the foundation for a great abstract work. Now, you come along and compare your life experience to what you think you see on the canvas. The big rush, the mental high is where your brain analysis and compares every emotion it has ever had to what it thinks it see's and feels in the painting; in an instant. In the blink of an eye, first impressions are everything in art. You can savor it later. If it doesn't knock your socks off when you first see it you are just going to keep on walking; something like that. A sharing of secrets of the artists deep emotions about life, and the nature of the universe; they have to release the immense energy of their mindfire onto the canvas, or their heads will explode. Then you come along, stand in front of this complex psychological template fraught with emotions in the theater of the absurd we call life and see whatever you want to see. Your reaction become part of the art, that eureka moment, the grand vision appears before you like the first time you dawned a pair of 3D glasses. You wonder how is it you didn't see it earlier. Then you ask; Why is it only me that see's it?

Like gazing into a fire, an artist on "fire" is too excited about the discovery process to spent one more second overworking a concept, dwelling on the past. A new song, a new poem, a new painting, a new experience is the theme of an art show I am putting together in Bejiing. I have spent my life loving, looking at, studying "great art" and artists, I know what I like. I am continually amazed at unknown artist popping out of the woodwork with amazing modernistic art. Like Paul Klee I have always had an aquarium on my desk, 60 years later I learn new things about the nature of nature. I am an agent for art of the imagination, I currently represent a small group of brilliant "mindfire" artists, I am looking balance the show with something different. If you creative mind is on fire send me an image, if I hear the music, I will take it to China. I'm betting they will like it as much as I do.
The surge of new millionaires in China has developed a thirst for excellence in modern art, art of the imagination. Especially brilliant new abstract artists from the west who have great energy, great mindfire, and can crank out acres of brilliant paintings at the speed of thought. Abstract art is the only commodities market that never goes down; eternal value. Not a metaphor. Recently an unknown artist a few years ago sold an interesting work for $19,000, two weeks ago it sold for 200 million dollars. The gentlemen purchased the painting as an investment; that's what he saw in it