If you have come here straight from the site featuring my artwork then I will need no introduction to you! If you are new to the world of Patricia Bourque, artist, please visit the other pages on my site to give a look/see at what I do. This is where I will be writing and hopefully sharing with you my thoughts and feelings on various issues that periodically drive me crazy or on the 'lighter side of life'.
If you would care to add your own comments just look for the 'comments' places! Enjoy your visit and come back often! You are also able to use the RSS feature on your browser to subscribe to the feed for this page.
Posted by Patricia on 05 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
For those of you who have been unfortunate enough to get entangled in a never ending mess with 3Web/CIA supposedly fast speed Internet service, there’s hope for you. We had a 3 month ordeal with this company - they had our credit card and we were powerless.  Two years later we ended up going to court and we won a $7,000.00 judgement against them.  So there is hope for you.Â
Posted by Patricia on 05 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Animals, Art
We see a lot of stuff today in the media that is quite horrifying but somehow, just when you think you’re becoming immune to it all, something pops up that can just make you sick to your stomach! Guillermo Habacuc Vargas. Remember that name. He calls himself an artist but he’s really a sicko and a possibly a psyhcopath. Take a look at this link http://aspcacommunity.ning.com/group/stopping and see what he considers part of his exhibition. I think what troubles me most is that no other person stepped in to put a stop to it. They just turned their backs to the misery. Costa Rica should be really proud to claim this guy as their citizen.Â
Posted by Patricia on 16 Feb 2009 | Tagged as: Art
We’re often asked by friends and customers,  “so what type of art is selling out there today?” And truthfully I tell them, Fart (Fast Art Real Trendy) is what it’s all about in today’s market.
The Merriam Dictionary defines art as “the concious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects” or “a skill acquired by experience, study or observation”. They seem to have left out the word ‘passion’.
Fart on the other hand is defined: “to expel intestinal gas from the anus.”Â
So how do I equate one with the other? Well, even if you go back to the early cave man drawings and throughout art history, art in it’s most simplistic form, was something that a human being did to leave behind a record of their thoughts, experiences, visions and passions. It came from deep within their sometimes tortured souls, something that drove them on, sometimes through incredible personal physical or mental struggles, to recreate an image that would inspire or shock, like a slap in the face, or even compel people to hand over hard earned income to be able to possess a piece of that passion. Amongst those artists, there were always a few who were lucky enough to find that their vision corresponded with the visions of the masses and very fortunately for themselves, they earned a good living from their work.
But to get back to today’s Fart… if you break down the definition of ‘fart’, the dictionary cites expel as meaning ‘to force out’, intestinal as meaning ‘affecting, occuring’ and gaseousness, ‘lacking substance or solidarity’. And herein lies the twist; today, with money being the new god, people who would ordinarily not give a hoot about art but are skilled craftsmen, are producing or forcing out products lacking in substance, but being labeled art and that has affected the art market worldwide.
However, this is not meant to be a bitter observation…merely to point out that times change…when a big televison over the fireplace mantel replaces a fine piece of art; when people want ‘big’ ‘cheap’ and ‘matching the furniture’ things to hang on their walls, the market must serve and true artists must be prepared to take a back seat. But just like any gas, this trend will eventually run its course and we will see if the market will once again come to value that which can’t be mass produced. Â
Posted by Patricia on 21 Oct 2008 | Tagged as: At the Movies
Interesting movie. Much more sympathetic to George than I expected…however, pretty frightening to see a man so tormented and unable to find himself being expected to lead a country.
It just confirmed that people are so wanting to be lead and are easily swayed by catchy words and phrases rather than common sense.Â
Posted by Patricia on 27 Dec 2007 | Tagged as: At the Movies
 This is a ‘must see’ movie. Touching, informative, heart breaking but ultimately uplifting. It makes you wonder if hell really doesn’t exist right here on earth - it also made me feel ashamed to be part of the human species that can create so much misery even if the good do somewhat triumph over evil in the end.
The actors are excellent, the script well written and although there were a few parts where I had to look away, there was no gratuitous violence involved. It’s important to support worthwhile movies like this one.
Posted by Patricia on 24 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: At the Movies
Went to see it when it came to the theatre. Yes, I had to! But you definitely have to be a Simpson fan to enjoy it. It started with Homer appearing on screen and saying “Ha! Ha! - You’re paying for something you could see for free on TV” and I was hooked.
I’ve seen better, sharper and wittier episodes on televison and a lot of the usual characters weren’t in the movie which was disappointing, but the time flew by, so it must have been interesting. And I did laugh out loud several times. Not often I do that at todays so-called comedies.
Posted by Patricia on 24 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: At the Movies
I was amazed to see that this movie got panned by newspaper reviewers in our area. I think the critics have become too used to the ‘junk food’ movies they’re fed a constant diet of. I mean even if this movie was terrible, it would still stand head and shoulders above any of the mindless garbage that’s being put out there.
I thought the movie was excellent. The costumes, the sets and the photograpy all combined to make it visiually interesting and the actors and the characters they portrayed were superb! I found it very moving to see how courageous and strong this woman was while showing her frailities as well and what a good monarch she was considering the way the times were so stacked against women and the many people that conspired against her.
It’s a must see for people who want to support some kind of quality in movies.
Posted by Patricia on 16 Sep 2007 | Tagged as: At the Movies
A movie worth watching. I saw it at the beginning of the summer, so it’s faded from memory a bit, but I would recommend it to anyone who is desperately looking for a movie of substance.
Angelina Jolie was just excellent in the lead part! And since it’s a story about the beheading death of captured journalist Daniel Pearl I was hesitiant to see it because I’m not a fan of blood and gore. However, there not being a dearth of wonderful movies out there… and while it did allude to his fate, it was mostly about international realtions and the way governments manipulate situations and how they can either be helpful or not. I came away feeling I had learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in kidnappings like these - for better or for worse.
It was fast paced and kept my attention the whole time. I didn’t have to cover my eyes once and the time flew by. See it - support a good movie.
Posted by Patricia on 09 May 2007 | Tagged as: At the Movies
I knew I wouldn’t like it and then we rented it just to make sure. Why oh why did I give that jerk a dime of my hard earned money?! It was even worse than I imagined! Crude, bufoonish humor of the lowest common denominator and if he was trying to make a statement on anti-semitisim, PLEASE! Look to Jerry Seinfeld who proved every week with style, wit and unique humor that beneath it all, people are more alike than not.
Posted by Patricia on 09 May 2007 | Tagged as: At the Movies
Rented it the other night. Couldn’t get to see it in the theatres near us. They usually only take the ’slapstick’ teenage movies. If you want to see anything ‘deeper’, you have to go downtown to the big theatres.
For all the raving it got, I’m sort of ambivelent about it. First, the dialogue was spoken by the actors so quickly that unless you’re fluent in Spanish, you had to spend the whole time reading and no time looking.
Secondly, even though because of the circumstances depicted in the storyline, I was rooting for the women, 2 murders took place and no one was held accountable. I find that kind of a troubling statement on our times. Although it’s always a consolation when the victim deserved to be murdered - still….