The Cotton Factory By: Gord Barker

      "I see the work of gifted hands that grace this strange and wonderous land."  - Rush, 2112

 

     I can remember my mother once commenting that one of the main drawbacks to rail travel is that, in addition to passenger service, railways also serve industries. As such, quite often one's first impression of a city is it's less than idyllic industrial side. Since that time, when traveling through a city's industrial area I've often wondered if some of the abandoned factories and warehouses could be repurposed for different uses. Enter (quite literally) Hamilton's "The Cotton Factory".

    The Cotton Factory is a collection of creative spaces that is housed in an old, (turn of the last century) cotton mill. It is a collection of art studios, galleries, workshops, music, dance, and photo studios. It is an amazing creative community of artists and craftspeople. I had visited the place about a year ago with my significant other and was determined to write a blog post about it. We went again this year. Both visits were during Hamilton Doors Open.   https://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/hamilton-1/cotton-factory

    The building itself is a photographer's paradise. It is built in the old style wherein the primary source of light was daylight through large windows. That window light combined with the preservation of its old school architectural detail, makes it a great place to make photographs. (Or create almost anything!)

     I was admiring a display of paintings that featured the juxtaposition of interesting things within the hallways and architectural detail of the building itself. In an alcove that led to a stairway, I came across the scene below; 

    

    There was a  lady with a cup of take out coffee seated on the piano bench. I asked if she was the artist who had created the painting and she said yes. I asked if I could take a picture of her which included the painting. She agreed and I took a few frames . Her name is Najmeh Baghishani and up until recently she was the artist in residence at the Cotton Factory.

https://www.najmehb.com/ We had a nice chat about the juxtaposition of things from one's past as subjects in  contemporary scenes.  I couldn't believe my luck in getting to meet the artist who created the work in the very scene depicted in the painting. After that, "juxtaposition" became the word of the day! 

    As we wandered through the complex we found ourselves in an outbuilding called the Mill Arts Building which houses the Mule Spinner, a venue for live music and recording. 

https://www.themulespinner.ca/

     They were just setting up to do a live video recording session when I managed to get this shot of the guitarist from Brown-Hawkins-Stanley warming up and doing a sound check.

 

    

      My last post to this blog was a bit negative. Fundamentally it was about my leaving a photographic group that I had founded about seven years ago. I was feeling a little lost in regard to my own creative journey.    https://refractivereasoning.blogspot.com/2026/03/wanting-better-bygord-barker.html  

    Perhaps a trip to the Cotton Factory was just what was needed. I wanted a chance to talk with artists who put their creative sensibilities out there. At Doors Open, The Cotton Factory, I met and chatted  with artists and craftspeople from many disciplines. From woodworkers, painters and printmakers to sculptors, weavers, pottery and ceramic makers, musicians,  photographers and videographers. 

    The discussions were erudite and informative regarding whatever field with which they were involved. There was a passion and sense of commitment to their creativity. It really provided me with the motivation I needed to keep on cranking out my own stuff. 

I'm gonna keep on keepin' on!

                                        ...more later

        

Wanting Better by:Gord Barker

    

     Perhaps the most interesting aspect of my photographic journey is that I'm never completely sure of how things will turn out. I founded the Paris Photo Collective in 2019.  About a month ago, I walked away from it. 

       I don't feel any direct animosity towards the members of the group. I have always maintained that the group's direction and reason for existence should always be dictated by the group itself. Perhaps I've been wrong in that approach. Although I  offered up the position of administrator of the group on a regular basis, no one else seemed to want to take it on. So without a clear direction for the group to follow, it has stagnated. It really has become nothing more than a social club with a lackluster bi-weekly photo contest.

    Can we get past the smug sophomoric approach to photography which dictates that "I like my pictures and that's all that matters." I think that it's the second part of that statement that irritates the most. I mean, if you don't care how your images are perceived by others, why are you part of a photo group? 

  Perhaps even more irritating is the statement "I don't look at other people's pictures." Why? Are you afraid you might learn something? The acknowledgement of others' work as significant does not diminish the potential for one's own work to be considered valid or even great.

    Furthermore, whenever I have proposed any educational aspect to the meetings, perhaps bringing in a guest speaker or when I have offered to teach a little about basic camera controls, the ideas have been met with vehement opposition. It would appear that I headed up a group that had no interest in expanding their skills or knowledge base.

   I want to talk with photographers who want to expand their potential within this medium. I truly want to see their vision. I have been making photographs for over 57 years and I still want to learn more about the craft. Someday I hope to get good at it! 

    If I am to be a member of a photographic group, I want it to be a group that wants better!  That's all.

         ...more later

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First Blog Of 2026 By; Gord Barker

     Wow! We're almost at the end of January already. (It's January 29th as I'm writing this.) Earlier this year, I decided to return to my old schedule of publishing a blog post on the last Saturday of every month. The vacation from publishing at least once a month has been nice, but I really need to return to some form of creative discipline. It really is about getting the work, (photographic or written copy) out there. 

     

    The truth is that I'm the world's worst procrastinator. Without a hard deadline, self imposed or otherwise, I really don't get much done. That being said, here's the first blog post of the year, created during one of the coldest, snowiest winters we've had for a long time.

 

    It can be hard to make photographs outdoors in harsh winter conditions. If I'm not moving, I'm freezing and photography often involves waiting for just the right conditions,

lighting, action etc. to make a decent shot. Generally, you need bare hands to operate a camera. The thinnest of gloves will help, but still do not always successfully allow working camera controls.

 

    Winter can also be a terrible time to be the proud owner of a pro grade metal bodied camera. Metal at -25 degrees C. is no fun to handle and don't even think of working with analuminum tripod! Batteries, the elemental power source for all digital cameras, are not nearly as efficient at sub zero temperatures. I always have spares  and try to carry them in an inside coat pocket. 

    But, it can be fun to do cold weather street photography. People generally are not expecting to see someone out making photographs when the weather is chilly. 

  

     Then again, maybe this guy has the right idea. Just stay inside and play a good game of chess!

                                        ...more later

    

 

      

     

Art Appreciation and the Human Connection, The Play "3 Hours, 10 minutes"

     In July of this year, I was in Hamilton, Ontario and had the pleasure of attending three performances that were part of the Hamilton Fringe Festival. https://hftco.ca/hamilton-fringe-festival/ 

    Of these performances, the one that had the greatest impact on me was a play, "3 Hours, 10 Minutes" written and directed by Raymond Beauchemin.   https://www.raymondbeauchemin.com/

    I recently attended a repeat performance of the play presented as part of the Art + Music + Food Festival at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. https://www.artgalleryofhamilton.com/ What can I say about this play? I liked it so  much, I saw it twice!

                         With Playwright/Director Raymond Beauchemin,  "3 Hours, 10 Minutes" at the Art Gallery of Hamilton

    The essence of the play revolves around a New York Times article which challenged the readers to spend 5 to 10 minutes looking at a piece of art rather than the usual average of about 15 seconds. A man, responding to this challenge, becomes so engrossed in a piece of art, In this case, the Lawren Harris piece, "Grey Day in Town" that he spends 3 hours and 10 minutes looking at the painting in a gallery. He is eventually joined by a woman who starts viewing the painting as well and they strike up a conversation. 

Actor Mark Gamache, "3 Hours, 10 Minutes" with the painting "Grey Day in Town" by Lawren S. Harris, at the Art Gallery of Hamilton

With Actor Melissa Murray-Mutch "3 Hours, 10 Minutes" at the Art Gallery of Hamilton

 

     I don't think that I'm giving away too much  when I say that the conversation transcends the discussion of a painting and becomes very human. The appreciation of the painting, in a way, becomes analogous to our appreciation of one another as humans. 

      At the Art Gallery of Hamilton presentation of the play, there was a discussion and q&a session complete with the original painting in the room. Before the session began, Raymond Beauchemin (playwright and director) and Melissa Murray-Mutch (actor in the play) were discussing a detail in the painting and at one point Raymond had his hand out pointing to said detail. I should have had my camera ready! It would have been a cool shot!

    I laughed as I said to them that after writing and directing the play, as well as performances and endless rehearsals, they should know that painting better than any two people in the world. Yet here they were, still discussing details about it! I'm not sure if this was a case of art imitating life or life imitating art!

      The play hit home for me on a number of levels. In one way, I could almost consider myself it's target demographic. I mean, as a photographer and creative, I present my vision in both digital and printed form. As both a creator and consumer of content, I'm more than well aware of the attention span of most people looking at images or reading written copy in this digitally deluged world.

    I liked how the play made the connection between art and humanity. While 3 hours, 10 minutes may seem like an excessively long time to spend gazing at a painting, it may well be what it takes to really come to know and appreciate the piece. Similarly, it requires more than a quick glance and a   passing acknowledgement to come to know and appreciate a fellow human being. Perhaps the way that we appreciate art has a direct correlation to our appreciation of one another.

    If you get a chance to see this play, I'd definitely recommend it. It may change the way you see and appreciate art. Hell, it may change the way you see and appreciate humanity! In the words of "the man" character in the play, "It's really something!"

                   ...more later 

  

    

    

Remembrance Day 2025

    It's been a while since I've written a Remembrance Day blog.  The last one I published was in my old blog, Multifarious Musings, https://multifarious-musings.blogspot.com/2012/11/remembrance-day.html 

    It was a cold grey November morning as I put the trash and recycling boxes to the curb. Then, I remembered, it's Remembrance Day. It's my day off. Did I really want to spend a good chunk of the day standing in the cold at the local Cenotaph? The short answer was an emphatic "No!" I even almost convinced myself that one of the things my Dad fought for in the Second World War was the freedom to choose to not attend. But I try to make a point of attending when I'm not working.

    After mulling it over, while enjoying a second cup of coffee, I finally ended up giving myself a much needed psychological kick in the butt.  After a quick cleanup, I grabbed my camera bag and went out the door. 

    The main street in town, Grand River Street, has been under construction for quite some time. As I made my way up the street, I noticed that the construction workers, in their neon yellow vests, had stopped working and were making their way up to the Cenotaph area. There would be no construction noise during the service.

    As I got to the Cenotaph the weather got worse, there was a cold wind and flurries of wet snow. I wandered about the area and made some photographs. Of course, fool that I am, the camera that I was using was not one of the weatherproof ones that I own. No matter. When I wasn't making photos, I shielded it from the snow as best I could with my arm and wiped it with a cloth that I had in the camera bag. It, like me, survived the inclement weather.

   

  And maybe that's what it's about. I'm always amazed at Remembrance Day services. The people, everyone from elderly seniors to young school children, will brave the invariably bad November weather to pay homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It's kind of symbolic. In paying tribute, we endure an hour or so of adversity  so that, ultimately, we can appreciate the freedoms of our existence. It's part of being a Canadian. We always have to say thanks.

    We will remember them.

    As the Remembrance Day ceremony ended and those in the parade were leaving the Cenotaph area, a flight of Canada Geese lifted off from the river and flew over the crowd. 

                           

    It doesn't get much more Canadian then that.

                                        ... more later

     

Thanksgiving Colour At The Dam by: Gord Barker

    I've got it pretty dam good right now! Okay, a bad pun is probably not the best way to start a blog post. But, here's the thing. I live ridiculously close to Penman's Dam in Paris, On. The Penman's Dam area is beautiful all year round, but in Autumn, it is one of the most beautiful spots in Southern Ontario for fall colour photography. I know this to be true. I photograph it a lot. So much so, that it has become a running joke within my photography group, The Paris Photo Collective, to claim that I own the spot!  Okay, I don't really own it,  but, as a photographer, I'm clearly not above taking full advantage of my proximity to it! Due to a very warm dry September, the colors haven't really peaked yet. Stayed tuned! I think it's going to get better!

      It has become a tradition for me to post "Autumn At The Dam" photos every year at Thanksgiving. After all, living so close to such a beautiful spot is one of the things for which  I'm very grateful. So without further ado, here is this year's crop.

     

     

 

 

    

                                   

     While I do feel a profound sense of gratitude for being able to live so close to such a beautiful spot, what I am most thankful for is the love and kindness of family and friends. They truly allow me to live a life of fulfilment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

                ...more later

The Blog

     I've been writing blogs for quite a while now. I wrote my first post in  "Multifarious Musings" in October of 2011. For the past several years, I've been publishing a post in "Refractive Reasoning" on the last Saturday of every month. 

   Sometimes it has been difficult to write a post to a set deadline. Sometimes I feel that I'm just cranking out content to meet said deadline and not creating good content about a subject about which I'm passionate. 

      To remedy the situation, I've decided to do away with the "Last Saturday" deadline as well as not making every post photography related. This will probably result in fewer posts but hopefully better content about a wider range of topics.

     I'd like to express my gratitude to the loyal readers who read my posts at the end of every month. Rest assured, I will still be writing blog posts and sharing my photos but, hopefully, in a much better way. 

        ...more later 

             ( Yeah I'm still keeping that tag line. )