Colourful Language- The Lighter Side of Strokes of Genius Painting Ottawa (Formerly Smithereens)

Strokes of Genius Painting Featured in this Month's Ottawa Life Magazine

2010-01-19T21:36:00.004-05:00

Strokes of Genius Painting is elated to be featured in the January issue of Ottawa Life Magazine, on stands now. Click the above image to enlarge and read a scan of the article.

(There is also an online version of the story here. In addition to the profile, we were mentioned in a Community Clip about our recent volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, National Capital Region chapter.)

We're excited about the good press and we hope it will help us transform even more homes this spring!

KFC's Failed Attempt at Subliminal Advertising?

2010-01-15T16:11:00.004-05:00

The other night while watching TV, I ~~was accosted by~~ saw an ad for Kentucky Fried Chicken (or wait... was it Kitchen Fresh Chicken?) In any case, although the above image is obviously photoshopped, it does represent the commercial's aesthetic pretty accurately.

Which begs the question: KFC, do you really think that if you fill the background of your ads with iceberg lettuce and raw potatoes, we'll forget that you're trying to sell us fatty, deep-fried chicken and french fries?

So you think you had a bad day?

2010-01-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

To the person who only managed to eat 4 bites of their peanut butter sandwich on the way to work this morning, that parking ticket will just be insult to injury.

Graphic Descriptions: Tomato Intactness vs. Mass Appeal

2009-12-19T16:50:00.006-05:00

Some things in life are just self-evident. This is one of them.

(Credit this one goes to my girlfriend Amy - she came up with the idea the other day when my greek salad came inexplicably full of quartered tomato chunks.)

Ottawa's Strokes of Genius Painting to Help Local Habitat for Humanity Chapter Put Finishing Touches on Green Restoration Project

2009-12-10T20:58:00.011-05:00

It's true that projects like Habitat for Humanity's eco-friendly retrofit home that is nearing completion in Ottawa's west end would not have been possible without generous gifts of time and money from large corporations like Home Depot. But that doesn't mean that local companies shouldn't play their part as well, says one local contractor.

Daniel Smith, owner of Strokes of Genius Painting company, has partnered up with Bank Street Decorating Centre Benjamin Moore and this weekend they will be helping Habitat put the finishing touches on the revamped home that will soon house a family in need.

The home, situated in the Bayshore area of Ottawa at 14 Kevin Avenue, was one of the first local houses built by Habitat National Capital Region in the late 1990s. It recently came available to the organization again because the previous occupant's children grew up and moved out, and their mother downsized to a smaller home.

With an old property on their hands and a long list of families who needed help, Habitat decided to partner up with local volunteers, companies and trades to do give the place a completely Green overhaul.

"We’ve put in brand-new flooring, a brand-new kitchen, an energy efficient furnace and water heater and energy efficient windows," says one of the build's volunteers Bill Blampied. "All of these things reduce heat loss in the house.” They have also made changes to insulation and foundation sealing to further increase the home's energy efficiency.

As the team begins to put the finishing touches on the renovation, working towards a January dedication, local company Strokes of Genius Painting has decided to donate one of their crews to help Habitat volunteers with repairs and paint work in the home.

Strokes Owner Daniel Smith and south end Benjamin Moore store owner Dino Bentivoglio have agreed to supply top of the line, environmentally-friendly paint for the project as well.

"At this time of year, we need to be helping each other out in any way we can and when it comes to finding people who are in need, you don't have to look any further than right here," says Smith. "I think that large companies like Home Depot helping to make these homes a reality is great, but that doesn't let the rest of us local businesses off the hook!"

While Habitat has a great group of local volunteers who help out with everything from foundations to framing to finishing, they always appreciate when Ottawa-based skilled trades step forward to help provide guidance as well as hours of professional labour to help move things along.

"When we go in to the build, we will do whatever we can to provide volunteers with tips and tricks for professional patching and painting that they can use both now and in the future," says Smith. "And of course, since we're providing only low-VOC planet-friendly paint from Benjamin Moore for the job, we will effectively be helping to put a nice Green cherry on top of this eco-friendly Sundae of a reno as well."

A Strokes of Genius crew will be at the Kevin Avenue location on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 11 through 13th.

For more information or interview opportunities, you may contact:

Daniel Smith
Owner, Strokes of Genius Painting.
Contact: 613 697 4711. sogpainting AT gmail.com.
www.ottawa-house-painters.com

Dino Bentivoglio
Owner, Bank Street Decorating Centre Benjamin Moore Paint Store (2446 Bank St, Unit 133, Ottawa)
Contact: 613 733 9220

Donna Hicks
CEO, Habitat for Humanity NCR
Contact: 613 749-9950 ext 222. donna AT habitatncr.com

---

The preceding is the text of a release I have sent out to local media about a charity project we're working on with Habitat for Humanity this weekend. Habitat is a great organization and one I really believe does good work at a local level, so I am glad Strokes of Genius could help them get another home ready for a new family this year. A special thanks to Dino at the Bank and Hunt Club Benjamin Moore, who came through on the paint front and helped us make a greater contribution to the cause.

If you came here via our website and you would like to get back there, click here.

Punching a Hole in Bagel-Cutting Theory

2009-12-08T21:18:00.007-05:00

What they never look like emerging from the bag.

Wondering today: Why do bagels always seem to come cut just most of the way through? It's a pretty all-or-nothing scenario if you ask me. That's all for today, write your congressman.

Graphic Descriptions: How Big a Deal Your Birthday is By Age

2009-12-06T14:36:00.003-05:00

Inspired by the wonderful (for procrastinating) site graphjam.com, this is my own first foray into using the powerful at-a-glance medium of the chart or graph to make a (possibly) humourous observation about life. You decide.

UPDATE: Cross posted this over on graphjam as well, we'll see if I meet their exacting standards.

A (Final) Change of Scenery

2009-11-23T00:36:00.010-05:00

Well you probably noticed that the blog's name has changed. Again. For the second time in a week, it's true.

But I'm ok with it and I hope you will be too. To be honest, Colourful Language came to me today and it just stuck. Compared to Cutting In, it describes so much more aptly what I want this blog to be: a raw peek into my personality and my observations on the lighter, more humours side of life.

And, as a bonus, it still ties in to the painting theme too (which was important to me because I have connected the blog to the website for my Ottawa house painting business, Strokes of Genius Painting to give potential clients a glimpse into the personality behind the paintbrush, so to speak.)

In any case, don't stick around for the name of the gum, stick around for the flavour. (But I promise neither will change again any time soon.)

Going Off on Gassing Up (Rant of the Week)

2009-11-21T11:17:00.007-05:00

Why do gas stations bother to put the price per litre on their signs at all?

I mean let's be honest folks: Gasoline is, for better or worse (hint: it's for worse), the most inelastic of goods - we will buy it until we literally cannot afford to put another drop in our gas tank without losing our homes. Otherwise we would have to walk or bike or something.

So then why even bother with the price display at all? Why even put on a charade and make it appear as though gas prices are somehow governed by market forces or competition or really anything other than absolute oligarchy with a dash of outright dependency?

I hereby suggest a revolution in gas signs. I propose that stations should make better use of the space. Ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere, I pray that one day soon, stations will begin to display the current temperature instead of the current temper-inducing-price-per-litre.

At least then, during our frigid Ottawa winters, these signs will actually display something that will help us decide whether to stop and fill up, or not, rather than just making us even more depressed about the orange light glowing in the corner of the dash, reminding us we don't have a choice.

Then, instead of using the other sign space to spell out something unbelievably obvious like "WE SELL CIGARETTES" (which is mildly better that "WE SELL GAS" but only slightly less patronizing than "WE DON'T CARRY FOOD WITH ANY NUTRITIONAL VALUE"), they could instead address the lack of pricing information with a dose of refreshing corporate honesty:

Signs of the Times: But What Ethicity Is It?

2009-11-17T08:05:00.000-05:00

Baba Haidar Natural Ethic Food: For when you want a meal, not a moral dilemma.

Bonus Observation: The business seems to have gone under, judging by the For Lease sign in the window. Hard to believe, given their attention to detail.

Signs of the Times will be a common Cutting In segment dedicated to the many funny, often stupid signs that I come across in my day-to-day rounds and just need to shaden-share. If you have a sign you think I would find funny, feel free to send me an email (sogpainting at that google email service) and I just might post it. (No signs from other sites please, originals only- honour code.)