Winnipeg is a place I call home, and always a source of creative inspiration. From the train yards to the city skyline, I am always downtown and walking my familiar routes. I snapped these photos and layered them together, taking what is familiar to me and creating something that is unfamiliar…metal blends into metal and the skyline melts into itself.
Over laying footage is so satisfying, inverting and pairing images can lead you to visual places that are familiar and obscure. This footage was shot at the end of winter, and these white snow covered spaces bring me back into the season. I looped audio of a poem about winter into the clip and I think it pairs so well.
Downtown Winnipeg on an overcast spring day, watching a friend bike home through streets of the Exchange District. The city felt alive and I was thankful I could catch this little moment from the fire escape of my studio building.
Already into April and we are in the middle of a spring snow fall. Sidewalks and streets are now covered in a blanket of white, the chill of winter has settled back in.
I’ve been working with some footage, inverting and layering images from my last shoot in my hometown. It reminds me of all the love I have for that space, but on another level represents my complicated relationship with my rural upbringing. Hometown images that are familiar against the flat white background of winter, are now inverted and layered together to create a landscape that feels detached and disorientating.
It’s a great thing to collaborate and find a creative flow with another artist, and that’s exactly what happened when I worked with Kami Goertz. I spent the afternoon with her and found a window into her unique approach to textile art and recorded her creative process. So thankful when something like this clicks. Her creations are unique and all kinds of adorable. We had fun, we made art together and now we have a short little doc from this creative afternoon (and it’s below for you to see)
Took my bike and camera and went for a ride the other day. The afternoon was blustery, overcast and kind of perfect. The city looked beautiful. Ended up on the Arlington Bridge, a classic design with a beautiful view of the downtown. Snapped some pics and video and really love the results.
Working with my partner Bren, I was able to observe and record his process in the kitchen as he made sourdough bread! Honestly what a treat, and a fun time together. Collaborating and being creative together is always better when it’s with someone you love.
Last week I collaborated with local maker Kami Goertz, an incredible textile artist whose work is so unique and detailed. I took some time on a sunny afternoon, filmed her creative process and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Here are some screenshots from that shoot! I’ll post the completed piece once I finish the final edit.
Spent part of my afternoon at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, checking out the current exhibit “In Place: Reflections of Manitoba”. The space is undergoing some massive renovations in the midst of the pandemic so the exhibit space is limited, but SO well done. I snapped some pics while I was there and wanted to share them.
Creativity is like a well and sometimes it can run dry. I’ve had that feeling so many times…but getting out of my routine, checking out local art and taking pictures was the best way to reenergize my inner artist and fill the creative well back up.
I was at my studio on Sunday organizing and cataloging some of my work, and I couldn’t resist taking a few pics with my new Canon DSLR. I can remotely connect it to my phone, hence the pic of me holding my phone. I always enjoy being in my creative space, it’s energizing with all the sunshine and it’s fun to look back through my collection of art. Hope everyone is having a good start to your week.
jamesdixon | film 