Van Gogh: Up Close. An Exhibition at The National Gallery Of Canada (Ottawa. 2012)

I learnt from his paintings, from his way of seeing Nature and the energy of life. I learn about the source of that energy through those brush strokes coming from the roots of the trees and plants, from the earth itself. My feet felt their roots, their own source.

Watching Van Gogh's work in this way he became my Butoh master as well.

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"Maman", a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois at The National Gallery Of Canada (Ottawa. 2012)

Araignée "Maman", a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois at The National Gallery Of Canada (Ottawa. 2012), a set on Flickr.

Louise Bourgeois made several of these sculptures during all her life and they are spread all over the world.

The first time I saw one of these monumental sculptures of spiders with its eggs was at the TATE in London in 2007, but it was the end of the day and was very dark, impossible to take any good photograph in that moment; then, in 2008, I saw another one at Ropongi Hills in Tokyo, and this time it was snowing and foggy, the photographs I took resulted totally blurred. This time in Ottawa during my visit to the National Gallery (Musée de Beaux-Arts du Canada) the day was magnificent, sunny and clear, and the sculpture was stunning from any point of view. When I was watching recalled Bourgeois's words about the piece:

"The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother." (Louise Bourgeois)

I enjoyed that "Maman" spider enormously and I hope you like the photographs...

Little Bird and the Changing of the Guard at Parliament Hill, Ottawa(2012)

Little Bird and the Changing of the Guard at Parliament Hill, Ottawa (2012), a photo by Gustavo Thomas on Flickr.