Before the high tech drones that are used today, photographers strapped their cameras to balloons, rockets and even pigeons to achieve their aerial shots. Bernhard Lang takes his photographs from the open doors of helicopters and other small air crafts. From Baltic lagoons and fish farms in Greece, Lang’s aerial perspective is an exercise in pattern, colour and structure, and also provides an eye-popping view of the human impact on nature and the environment. His tulips fields could be area rugs and it’s hard to imagine that all those planes in Boneyard are real. His images are beautiful and arresting.

Shane Drinkwater (great name) covers his canvases in lines, dots, stars, and concentric circles that form a kind of mystical code reminiscent of ones left on blackboards, scraps of paper and cave walls. A fascination with maps, medieval illuminated manuscripts and astrological charts inform his practice. The work is visually intense with so much beautiful detail to absorb. It invites us to focus, hone in on those details, and crack the code as we see it.

When the Cherry Blossoms at Robarts Library are in full bloom I know that winter is well and truly over. They always seem to catch me by surprise, even though I’ve been willing them to open for weeks. This year, droves of people (and their cats and dogs) have come to admire the trees in all their glory, despite the surrounding construction. Oddly, I’ve never seen so many people before. Is it that everyone is embracing Spring with a more open heart? Are there more weddings in the works –– hence all the engagement photos –– after Covid stuck a wrench in people’s plans? That, too. Are people just looking for shit to add to their snapchat stories? Tik, tok, tik. My children have all mastered the art of surreptitiously cutting blossoming branches from trees to bring home to their Mum; goodness knows where they picked up that habit. I’ve been to see the trees a few times; if I squint my eyes and look up, I may as well be on Mount Yoshino.

I always think glazing takes less time than it actually does. Come to think of it, I think most things take less time than they actually do. I’m working on that. You know, slowing down, taking on less. Clay can’t be rushed, and the glazing stage is no exception. It’s such a shame when days of work end up in the bin because the glaze was slapped on in a hurry. I paint on my glazes which is finicky and laborious. There are other techniques –– easier and more efficient ones ––  but I’m stubborn, and that’s what I’m used to. Don’t expect to see a change if you don’t make one. Yada, yada, yada. Another thing to add to the list. Glazing is my least favourite stage, but it’s a stage that can make or break your piece. The icing on the cake, if you will. These porcelain cake sculptures are by Jacqueline Tse. Sweets and skulls –– enjoy!