art is for the birds

December

2009-05-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Seasons Chapter 1: Autumn

2009-03-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hello again. So last year, during an epic snowfall that left me stranded in Vancouver, my camera passed away. Tragic as it was, I managed to capture two great photo-sessions before it happened. This is the first set, taken in October-November. Enjoy.

This is a friend I had for dinner one evening.

At fishtrap creek. If I was a bird I would be this one, hanging out on a big log in the rain. What better way to attract a mate.

Now this is bitter irony at it's finest! And this isn't even a road, this is a nature path! David Suzuki would have a field day (in a natural natury field, not one of those manufactured fields kids these days are using for organized sport activities).

Well, it's good to see that a lot of optimistic people enjoying hiking, at least.

Solitude.

"Oh my heartstrings come undone, I will wait for you". Demon Hunter said it best.

Let's go for a walk sometime, you and I, as soon as we meet. Sigh. I am lonely.

Ice is not safe, ever. I'm glad they warned me. I will think twice next time I order an iced-capp.

Running water. I just can't say enough good things about it.

Ah, it's almost spring, when everything comes around and starts to come alive again. Can't wait.

To be continued...

the temple

2008-10-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from a trip to Sacramento this month, taking in a Youth Worker's Conference (and, therein, finding enough thought to last me the rest of the year. that's always good).

This one is not by me. Lolcats is the perfect waste of an afternoon, indeed.

Some poems I wrote on paper cups.

This is a shoe. It belongs to Carla. Last I heard she found herself a man, and is getting married :D

While visiting Sacramento we found this coffeehouse called "The Temple", which was so good! It was heaven. We visited there about 5 times in 4 days.

This is me, enjoying a fine coffee from Guatemala

This is the story of the prodigal son, told in sand-art. It was amazing seeing the story unfold in sand, the artist telling through shapes. Very interesting.

This is a catholic church in downtown Sacramento.

All in all a great trip.

Take care.

later summer, early fall

2008-09-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hello again, after a long absent of sorts.

I'm spending a lot of time wearing no shoes, I'm becoming more mature (no, really) and summer is slowing closing it's blinds, expecting the colors of an early fall.

I'm looking forward to the feeling of resting before the cold of winter, settling into a new semester at school, working out artistic projects, working out my own faith with great fear and trembling, and pressing leaves in journals to send to friends.

So, here is a small collection from my two weeks of epiphanies and arrivals, a perspective on the closing days of a season. Enjoy.

This is a pitcher I keep around my house, situated, at this moment, next to a bowl of onions destined to take part in a yam soup.

Summer is all about friends.

This is the new journal I'm using.

Some leaves.

If I was a rabbit....

This is where I carry all my journals, and other sundry items.

Some local fare which I shared with some friends.

And the entertainment for the evening.

More to come.

we found our way into the afternoon

2008-08-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a collection of pictures all about the summer. I like to think that summer is a perfect time to travel and experience life. Though, I have not done an extensive amount of traveling lately. This has to change soon, before August closes it's curtain. We'll see.

August 2006. This is a potted flower in my Aunt's garden. (classic picture of the day).

This is me, driving to Seattle to see "The Album Leaf", wearing Jamison's glasses.

This is tea that I really like, that I enjoyed whilst listening to a jazz concert.

July 2008. Some kids and I drove into Seaside, Oregon, in a 15 passenger van. This is one of the small cites in Oregon.

I didn't get a whole lot of time to explore oregon, because I was at this beach most of the time. But I am definitely going back next spring break. Oregon really is a great place to be. If there was an Oregon version of Baywatch it would look like this-

This is a friend I met down by the beach. There were lots of cute girls around, but for some reason hanging out with squirrels seemed more appealing (being shy sucks, man).

Driving home.

... Thus ending my Oregon / Seattle adventure. These are the cups that Starbucks gives you if you buy coffee near Pike Place Market-

Pike Place Market is the place to be.

More to come.

the haystack

2008-06-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

There are some experiences in life that "i'll be telling my grandkids" if it ever gets to that. The first four months of the year sort of melted into one of those experiences, spending three months in europe, and one touring western canada. For today's post, i'll show you some of my favourite moments from the tour.

Here we have Dallas on the harmonica, and I in the back. Dallas only played with us for one night, but his harmonica work was bar none.

This is the first night of the tour, and we're all pretty excited. So much so that here we're pictured right before a monstrous jump. We've got Garret on the left, myself, Dallas, and Andy. Andy was the brains behind the group, and Garret played the drums.

Here we are before a show in Edmonton. Believe it or not, but we only started drinking after the show.

...and later that evening.

Now that you know us a little bit more intimately, here are some of my favourite photos of us from the tour.

Take some time to check out Andy Shauf.

she wasn't lying

2008-06-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

The island of Iona, Scotland is a serene place. On the sunny days, it feels like summer will never end, and the white sand beaches are alive with windy waves and pilgrims looking out into the ocean. On the rainy days, the power of God is revealed through wind and water, both of which are powerful enough to knock you off your feet. Whatever the weather has in store, the island is a beautiful place, that was difficult to leave, and will always linger with me.

can i ask you, about today?

2008-06-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the pleasure of posting here yet, but I figured tonight would be the night. Here's a quick introduction to my life.

Here I am, Jamison Dick. That's me jumping from a ledge on the night of my 22nd birthday. I'm not normally as scared as I look here.

One of my greatest passions is art. Here I am showcasing some of my creative outputs in Victoria, BC.

I'm a fan of falling in love. I liked climbing trees with this one.

I love smoking, even though I am fully aware of the stupidity of it.

I love trees, nature, sunny days and autumn. All those seem to get wrapped up in this picture.

Now that you have a simple glimpse into my life, hopefully you'll be able to understand the reasoning for the photos I'll be posting on this page. I hope you enjoy them, and hopefully they'll inspire you to take some pictures yourself!

this time last year

2008-06-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

I was searching through the many hundreds of old entries, in my townhouse journal, and I found...

this.

and this.

Enjoy.

this office life

2008-05-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

It has started to get sunny again here in Abbotsford, and I started writing again. Mostly it has been a lot of letters to a lot of friends, with a lot of tea and a lot of thinking. These are a couple pictures from a couple days of writing around my house and around the office where I work now, as a youth ministry intern.

This is a girl that I spend a lot of time with. I think that we are just friends, however.

These are a couple of gnomes I keep in my office. They look like leprechans, but they are, in reality, gnomes.

An earthy pitcher that I found in my office. I use this to store the occasional glass of water.

The pitcher sometimes hangs out with this fake flower.

Some tea my aunt sent me. It tasted a lot like lemongrass.

This is part of Ethical Addictions, a coffeehouse in Abbotsford that I frequent.

These are a couple pictures I really like, though cannot afford to own.

And a couple more likewise pictures.

Some candles.

A couple books that I keep around the house, sitting on my mat that smells like burgamot oil (the stuff they use to make earl gray tea): Xavier Rudd's photo-journal and Jamie Oliver's cookbook about home.

Jamie Oliver's approach to growing potatoes.

Both of these books carry a certain "home" quality about them. More personal, close to the heart of the authors.

Winter is an often overlooked time for being creative with what we eat.

Xavier Rudd playing piano

Some flowers that remind me a lot of this picture.

I really should go for a walk and write today. It is too nice to stay inside.

My guitar seems to convey more beauty in this way, casting shadows on a wall, than in my hands. Alas. This is why I invite my songwriter friends over all the time.

See you later.

she wears bright flowers in her hair

2008-05-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Older pictures:

A mural in Yaletown.

This is a my friend, Megan, from that time we had dinner at a New Orleans style resteraunt.

An another older picture, from that time in Yaletown. Whoa!

Some newer pictures.

I spent my entire last week walking around Nanaimo and Vancouver. Before that I spent a couple days in Kelowna at a businessmen's retreat (never again), then I took to the streets of Vancouver, exploring Kitsalano.

Then I took to Nanaimo, visiting my old coffeehouses, which are still going strong, and my favorite places to eat, all of which are closed (thus is life. I can't complain). These are a couple perspectives from walking around.

I'd like to say the fogginess of this picture is a mystical British Columbian morning, but really it is just awkward lighting. Even so, I could pass this off as an excerpt from a fairy tale.

At the Bible Camp where the ManFest took place there was some JJ Bean coffee. I was very impressed. It made up for a really poor conversation about art I had with some guys the first night.

The next night, while a bunch of men were being all "spirit filled", my friend Brad and I sat in the Caf, having hot chocolate and tea while having a very down to earth conversation about faith. It was definitely relaxing.

I really like this picture. This is "Envy", a surprisingly good green tea.

I wrote this in the sound-booth of the camp's chapel, just to throw off summer-camp-kids, and to make camp-leader-girls sigh. I have an interesting sense of humor.

This is a Banjo, from the Sher/Jer concert.

The concert took place at a place called "Mermaid's Mug", that most people in Nanaimo avoid completely because they host belly-dancing and palm reading some nights. Being artsy is a really scary thing to be in Nanaimo, apparently.

All in all it was a cool place. Really colorful. Mermaids painted on the walls. Fish nets hanging from the ceiling. An ambiguous red veil in the corner, where palm reading is done. I could see myself coming here more often (take that, overly cautious Nanaimo church kids).

This is my friend, Amy. She is really cute.

This is Sheree Plett and her man, Jeremy Eisenhaur. They tour together around BC, and Canada. They are really good.

I think that there were about 5 people that came to this show, but I think it was all the better because of it. After the show we all sat around talking about life, art, touring, nachos and other things.

5 days later I was home. Somehow it took me 6 hours to get home, after the ferry ride and a 9pm greyhound.

I start work at a Youth Ministry intern next week (yes I do :D), so life should pick up considerably. I am down.

More to come.

BC Ferries

2008-05-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend some youth kids and I spent some time on Pender Island, fixing up an summer camp. These are some pictures of the ferry ride. Vive' le travel!

This is what wind looks like.

One of the ferry terminals. It was really quiet out here, and it felt like home.

A small part of one of the islands, with some cool reflection.

There was a seal playing around this dock while we waited for the ferry to leave (this is one of the 3 stops we took on the way to Pender Island).

The sun was setting, and I almost did not notice it.

Some cool looking stairs. Interesting place to live.

more of the sunset. I took a picture of myself facing the sunset.

We arrived at the Island safely. The next morning I took a picture of a Canadian mainstay: canoes. Though I did not get to canoe this weekend.

Instead we (me and some youth kids) spent the day fixing stuff around the camp.

This is where the boys stayed (I was sitting on a climbing wall when I took this);

And this is where we slept. In a chapel.

Highlight of the day; tearing apart a cabin! and putting it back together! a ha ha. Nothing says manly like hammering a cabin together.

Here is a couple of the boys. Note the sledge hammer.

The next day we left. Here is another ferry berth.

While waiting I bought a salmon burger at a small food stand (which was fantastic). While eating it I sat next to this wall.

Walking on ferry.

This is bethany. This picture reminds me a lot of a picture my friend, Jordan, took. Click on the link "Lighthouse" to your right to check it out.

Here we are packing ye' olde' 15 passenger van to go home.

And here is me, checking out the ocean. I love a good ocean trip.

I'm taking yet another weekend trip to a place called "West Bank" outside of Kelowna, a city closer to the Interior of BC.

More to come.

leaving

2008-04-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

I spent this last weekend near the ocean, and I got my fair share of good pictures. I was reminded how good home is after traveling to places I don't see very often. So here is a day I spent inside, relaxing before the stress of traveling.

I started the day with a fine pot of spice tea, made with my favorite teapot.

Then I thought I would sit in my favorite chair for a little while...

and enjoy the company of a drawing of my favorite chair, from my old roommate.

I spent some time admiring my guitar, which spends it's better days hanging on my living room wall, not being played by me. Alas.

For a day or two I wore my new shoes around the house, because they felt super comfortable at first.

The fun thing about these shoes is the Italian flag on the sole. Now I can take my heritage wherever I go!

Now for some more traveling. Take care.

so far so good

2008-04-11T13:56:00.001-07:00

(The Meadow)

My friend Jamison rolled back into town, fresh from 3 months in Europe last week. This entry is a musical / artistic tribute to him, and the many inspiring conversations about art we will, probably, have for years to come. Listen to this while you check these ones out. Cheers.

This is Jamison (middle) Steve and I (right) captured in the ancient art form of polaroid. If we had a band, it would look like this.

Greg Atkinson and I, consuming overpriced burgers before seeing Xavier Rudd at the Queen Elizabeth in Vancouver.

Brad and I, seeing Lifehouse with Matt Nathanson in Seattle (about a block away from Q-west field, not that I will ever care about baseball). Before the show I was telling a story (to a couple girls from my school) about how I tried to see a Backstreet Boys concert back in the day, but it sold out in minutes.

One of many house-parties at my place with friends.

Last year a couple of my housemates and I drove to THE GORGE in Washington to see Ben Folds and John Mayer. This is, by far, the most beautiful venue in North America.

2006. If I was a guitar, I would look like this.

I performed poetry here, a church in Nanaimo, last Christmas.

And here is a bus a block away from commercial. Artists are weird.

More to come. Eventually.

rainy days and bad church coffee

2008-04-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

(a tree in fishtrap creek- two blocks from my house- before it was paved)

It rained a bit this morning, which is something I always enjoy. I made some coffee that tasted a lot like church-coffee (you know, the stuff made in those big metal cylinders with the vague taste of ground-water). It was bad news.

I thought today would be a good day to sit around and go through my favorite pictures that I have taken in my long 4 or so years of owning a digital camera. These are some of my old favorites I found lying around.

December 2006. This is outside a lake in Port Alberni, on a really stormy day (there is a picture of the lake later on). A couple days later I got to hold hands with a girl.

This is my Aunt and I canoeing the mighty bow river, somewhere near Banff.

I like red benches. And birds.

In April 2007 Ben Wert, Natalie Zipp and I spent a weekend in Vancouver. This is a park outside science world that I frequent.

August 2006. This is a statue in a garden that I found in a downtown calgary mall (try saying that 5 times fast).

August 2006. A stain-glass picture of Ruth in a church in downtown calgary.

This is pine and 9th in downtown seattle.

December 2006. Port Alberni. A Rainy day. 5 seconds later 4 or so kids jumped in the water.

January 2007. I was standing outside in the snow.

Another picture from the calgary mall. In a poem last year I wrote; "I think that all of my best memories have the sound of running water in the background".

Thus concluding my old favorites. The lesson of the day: drink Red Rose tea.

- Adam

walking to the tea store

2008-04-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I took a walk to an old candy store / tea house in Clayburne, which is about a 2 hour walk from where we live. Was I really wearing white shoes then? Arg. Well, at least I wasn't wearing white socks with black pants.

I like to imagine being a person that has adventures on horses. sigh.

Here we are (me, lori, and ben) hanging out in front of a sheep farm. I like sheep.

This is Cale. He writes music.

I couldn't figure out why this fence was chained up. There was nothing but yellowish grass in this yard.

This is the coffee that I am drinking- a roast from Peru. It is sold my a small rosterie on Salt Spring Island- a small island beside Vancouver Island, which is where I used to live... in Nanaimo (whew).

This is a cup from one of my favorite coffeehouses - JJ Bean

Last week some friends and I ate dinner at a New Orleans style place. I took a couple shots whilst waiting for my dinner of half a chicken! never again.

This is Megan, looking at the menu.

And here, again, is me looking like a jazz musician, which I aspire to be someday (I aspire to be a lot of things, really). That is another story.

some real

2008-03-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I hope that at least one or two people actually read this. I would be really embarassed if I was writing to no-one.

This entry is all about home. Where I live, and where I have been walking in the past week. enjoy.

These are some bricks in Yaletown in Vancouver. Hello.

Some friends and I put together a painting project this past year. This is seven perspectives on the planet earth. The piece I worked on was the middle piece.

And here it is. Ah yes.

This is me, taking pictures with friends around Burrard.

We wandered around Granville Island and found some treasures. This place reflects a piece of BC art, and the creative mindset of living near the ocean. It was a really nice contrast to the streets of Abbotsford, where there really isn't a lot of creativity put into building designs.

This was a boardwalk leading to artsy stores.

And this is an example of British Columbian art. I love it.

To change gears completely, this is where I live. This is the "townhouse" refered to in my other journal. Ah ha!

And, my living room has two sides. This being the other one. Note the fireplace where I keep all my artsy stuff (tea, coffee, books) and my wreath on the wall, which is one of my favorite things ever.

This is where I go to school. This is about half the campus. If I manage to find more pictures of this area of my life, I shall share them.

Take care.

we are human after all

2008-03-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hello there. This is my journal of photography, which captures my adventurous life. It would also be your adventrous life if we were married ;)

Alright, so these first photos are of Granville Island, Fort Langley, and around home. Enjoy.

Afterthoughts- the italian love cafe

"we are human after all"

Me considering life over a green tea. This one was taken a half-hour after I painted something. I will post it later.

"me pretending to be you pretending to be me"

my songwriter friends, adam and jeff.

how the king has fallen.

Aslan and I.

This is my new notebook. This one is noticably simpler than other journals of mine.

The narrow road - a farm in langley

Some friends and I drove to langley one day, looking for a fruit winery that sold cranberry, blueberry, and blackberry wines. I was impressed.

Sky Blue Sky

The Drive. Come visit sometime. I'll take you here.

Take care.