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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 4h

Everything you make is exquisite. ✨

Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 5d

One reason to be glad I live in Calgary. 😂

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 9d

#Sundaysentence
“Xiao Wang, let me tell you: By the time you’re my age, you’ll realize that everything you once thought mattered so much turns out to mean very little.”

- Cixin Liu, The Three-Body Problem

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 11d

They have time to write that up, but not update the 1985 Alberta Visual Arts curriculum… 🙄

Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 11d

If you haven’t signed this petition yet, please do!

Hon. Thomas A. Lukaszuk @lukaszukab.bsky.social · 11d

Today, #ForeverCanadian brought 230,000 petition signatures to Edmonton. Our volunteers will continue collecting signatures until October 28. We need your signature to reach our 300,000 requirement to keep Alberta in Canada.

#ableg #Yeg #Yyc #CdnPoli

Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 15d

Construction paper collages of orange hands and hearts on a cool colour gradating background.

Construction paper collages of orange hands and hearts on a cool colour gradating background. Phyllis Webstad quote at bottom of display: “Every Child Matters”

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 15d

Inspired by @shinebriteroom401.bsky.social summer talk on collaborative murals at Online Art of Ed Conference & the work of master carver, Hayalthkin'geme Carey Newman, students created positive/negative hand heart collages for tomorrow’s Day of Truth and Reconciliation. #orangeshirtday #arted

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Reposted by Barbara

Dr. Catherine Scott @cataranea.bsky.social · 19d

Canada Post “lost” 1 billion dollars last year?

How about, “it cost Canadians 1 billion dollars to have a national postal service” which works out to costing about $25 a year per person (population of Canada in 2024 = 40 million). Seems like a pretty reasonable cost to me.

Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 19d

"Canada Post is on track to lose money" Hum. Duh. It cost less than a toonie to send a letter across Canada.

"Canada Post is a service and not a business" was common knowledge until late stage capitalism brain rotted most people into think if it ain't making money for shareholders, it's failing.

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · 23d

Thank you for this. I’m originally from Kamloops, grew up around Ponderosa pines… and you captured the essence of the BC interior perfectly. ❤️

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Reposted by Barbara

Theresa Kishkan @fishgottaswim.bsky.social · 23d

theresakishkan.com/2025/09/21/r...

redux: heaven’s door

Note: this was written two years ago and I was already back at the pool. This morning’s lake swim was cool but I’m not ready to give it up just yet. Green clear water, ravens squabbling…

theresakishkan.com

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Reposted by Barbara

Canadian Paintings @canadianpaintings.bsky.social · 23d

Tree of Spirits
Jane Ash Poitras ~ Cree
1995

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 14

After today, I can no longer ❤️ your slug art, as beautiful as they are. 🤩 It would be blasphemous to the bucket load of slugs who met their demise this morning. Looks like hostas are more important to me after all. 🥺🐌

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 9

Still bothering me and I must comment that I feel this is a further affront to visual art education in Alberta. Not that I showed my kids some of the images from here, but, taking the award from my own 1985 high school art teacher home and wondering where culture in AB is headed.

Passage on Hellenistic art from “The History of Art” explaining the period of art where artists strived for realism in depicting a wide range of human experiences and emotions. ISBN 0 60035803 8 1985

Spine of a 1985 History of Art textbook, sitting on a standard vinyl wood veneer looking school desk.

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 9

Thank you! I’m fairly new to dahlias and this is interesting!

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 8

Thank you so much for the share. There are some new titles I’m going to check out! Here are a few I use throughout the year (grades 1-4) Just picked up the game this summer for sub days/filling in the gaps. Have a great school year! 💫

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Reposted by Barbara

Kristin Taylor @mstaylor-art.bsky.social · Sep 7

Some of my favourite art room read alouds for the 1st month of school…ones that help build community, celebrate identity, reinforce proper use of materials & embrace a growth mindset ✨📚🎨 #EduSky

Book covers of art inspired picture books

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 8

They truly do!

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 7

Just writing, that’s all. bwanhill.ca/2025/09/07/q...

Quietly creating, sans images

This morning I was watering the back garden. Ferns fried from the recent heat wave, hostas mangled from the wet summer slugs. And amongst all the disappointment, a few small fronds of oak fern grew…

bwanhill.ca

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 7

Thank you!

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 6

Perhaps this is why the government has abandoned updating the provincial fine art curriculum.

Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 6

When plans go awry,
be flexible and pivot.
Spin, read, spin and read.

Embracing a quiet day.

Foreground: an open book face down with the title: etta and otto and russell and james by emma hooper (2025 Selection Canada Reads). Background: a mug with water and two support spindles with blue and white fibre and a spinning bowl and spinning bowl with support. All on a yellow oak table in the sunshine.

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Reposted by Barbara

Michael Stipe @michaelstipe.bsky.social · Aug 30

I can

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 3

So glad I’ve made peace with the 1985 Alberta elementary Fine Arts curriculum I’ve been using for over 20 years. Looks like the government has more pressing education issues to deal with. 🙄🫥

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Reposted by Barbara

Canadian Paintings @canadianpaintings.bsky.social · Sep 1

September Glads
Alexandrya Eaton
2014

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Barbara @calmspin.bsky.social · Sep 1

A small return to my neglected labour of love. Collecting bread seed poppy seeds from the garden.

To the left: part of a small white bowl with green and black lines decorating the rim. The bottom filled with black, grey and brown specks of poppy seeds. To the right: a dried seed pod bouquet of Papaver somniferum lying on weathered wooden boards.

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