Wegway — newsletter
Writing
Wegway is an occasional newsletter of observations on art, culture, writing, and philosophy. It carries on from Wegway Primary Culture, a zine started in 1995 that grew into a magazine giving visual artists a publishing outlet analogous to literary magazines for writers — full runs are held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the AGO, and several university libraries (see the C.V.).
2026
6 postsAug 2
A New Piece
I just finished a piece in my garage-studio. It’s acrylic…
A New Piece
I just finished a piece in my garage-studio. It’s acrylic…
May 28
Sonny Rollins has Passed On
Beauty's Truth — He knew the zone like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Miles…
Sonny Rollins has Passed On
Beauty's Truth — He knew the zone like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Miles…
May 13
Awkward Beauty
May coincidence tell the tale, All the grinding and halting,…
Awkward Beauty
May coincidence tell the tale, All the grinding and halting,…
May 9
I Didn't Choose Art
It just happened — At The Ontario College of Art in the 1970’s, the…
I Didn't Choose Art
It just happened — At The Ontario College of Art in the 1970’s, the…
Apr 26
Nursery Rhyme
The dish was spilled and all is lost, except it…
Nursery Rhyme
The dish was spilled and all is lost, except it…
Apr 10
Love and Fire Crackers
Steve Armstrong — When I was quite young, fire crackers were still readily…
Love and Fire Crackers
Steve Armstrong — When I was quite young, fire crackers were still readily…
2025
22 postsSep 4
The Momentum of Giving
Steve Armstrong — I have been given art for free from all the…
The Momentum of Giving
Steve Armstrong — I have been given art for free from all the…
Aug 28
121 and 222
Two shows in 2025 — I've been quiet for a while because I've been getting…
121 and 222
Two shows in 2025 — I've been quiet for a while because I've been getting…
Jul 19
Jung Nafs
Sufi Wisdom — My name is Steve, and I don’t actually exist in…
Jung Nafs
Sufi Wisdom — My name is Steve, and I don’t actually exist in…
Jun 28
The Toaster
Too late for Father's Day — was a Sunbeam Model T-20B manufactured in the 1950s. This…
The Toaster
Too late for Father's Day — was a Sunbeam Model T-20B manufactured in the 1950s. This…
Jun 6
Art of my Art
The sad tales of an artist — I published “Art of my Art” on a Wordpress blog…
Art of my Art
The sad tales of an artist — I published “Art of my Art” on a Wordpress blog…
May 27
More Romanticism
Wegway issue #1 — In my last post, Romanticism , I settled on the…
More Romanticism
Wegway issue #1 — In my last post, Romanticism , I settled on the…
May 2
Romanticism
PreModernism as PostPostModernism — Consider the dates of these people - they all could…
Romanticism
PreModernism as PostPostModernism — Consider the dates of these people - they all could…
Apr 22
Life During Wartime
Decadence, is the loss of music. It’s all around us…
Life During Wartime
Decadence, is the loss of music. It’s all around us…
Apr 1
Julien Benda
The Betrayal of the Intellectuals — The Duke of Alba took measures to protect the learned…
Julien Benda
The Betrayal of the Intellectuals — The Duke of Alba took measures to protect the learned…
Mar 27
USA Today
Early on, Canada lived under the protection of the British…
USA Today
Early on, Canada lived under the protection of the British…
Mar 25
Arthur Schopenhauer
The Art of Controversy — There is another trick, as soon as it is practicable,…
Arthur Schopenhauer
The Art of Controversy — There is another trick, as soon as it is practicable,…
Mar 18
Tuesday's Quote
Hans Arp — Was there ever a bigger swine than the man who…
Tuesday's Quote
Hans Arp — Was there ever a bigger swine than the man who…
Mar 11
Jacques Vaché
Tuesday's Quote — Art doesn't exist, of course - Then it's useless to…
Jacques Vaché
Tuesday's Quote — Art doesn't exist, of course - Then it's useless to…
Mar 6
The Universal Mind
Confessions of a Mystic — Thought, both rational and daydreaming, is equivalent to riding a…
The Universal Mind
Confessions of a Mystic — Thought, both rational and daydreaming, is equivalent to riding a…
Mar 4
Tuesday's Quote
Demetrius (Greek rhetorician probably First Century AD) — Thus a spirited and vehement expression by being expanded is…
Tuesday's Quote
Demetrius (Greek rhetorician probably First Century AD) — Thus a spirited and vehement expression by being expanded is…
Feb 25
Gizzlin Maxwell
and Canadian Bilingualism — Jean Paul Riopelle, Espagne , 1951, Musée National des Beaux-arts…
Gizzlin Maxwell
and Canadian Bilingualism — Jean Paul Riopelle, Espagne , 1951, Musée National des Beaux-arts…
Feb 12
Leonard Cohen & Sonny Rollins
Who by Fire — This was a performance on an unknown television show on…
Leonard Cohen & Sonny Rollins
Who by Fire — This was a performance on an unknown television show on…
Feb 3
Still Life
With Plastic Cow and Baggage Tag — I was having a pleasant time trying to imagine an…
Still Life
With Plastic Cow and Baggage Tag — I was having a pleasant time trying to imagine an…
Jan 22
Command Drawn
YYZ over the IGA — NAPO-B and I go back a long way. The piece…
Command Drawn
YYZ over the IGA — NAPO-B and I go back a long way. The piece…
Jan 19
Fearless Leader
Our Fate is Held by a Few Men — Our fate is in the hands of a few men…
Fearless Leader
Our Fate is Held by a Few Men — Our fate is in the hands of a few men…
Jan 16
Planetary Alignment
Might be worth a look — All January you’ll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest…
Planetary Alignment
Might be worth a look — All January you’ll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest…
Jan 3
Black Holes
Where Everything Becomes Nothing — Beliefs are confirmed and tailored to suit our dreams. Dismiss…
Black Holes
Where Everything Becomes Nothing — Beliefs are confirmed and tailored to suit our dreams. Dismiss…
2024
38 postsDec 30
Jimmy and Hunter
A "Straight Shooter" — If you peer through the smoke and steam of Hunter…
Jimmy and Hunter
A "Straight Shooter" — If you peer through the smoke and steam of Hunter…
Dec 19
Bay Bridge Fog
10 December 2024 — image: Steve Armstrong, untitled (Bay Bridge Fog), low resolution JPEG…
Bay Bridge Fog
10 December 2024 — image: Steve Armstrong, untitled (Bay Bridge Fog), low resolution JPEG…
Dec 3
Green String and Keyserling
School Days — Walking down McCall towards Queen from the Ontario College of…
Green String and Keyserling
School Days — Walking down McCall towards Queen from the Ontario College of…
Nov 24
Arts Education
Wm. F. Krendall — This is William F. Krendall’s contribution to Wegway 7, Fall…
Arts Education
Wm. F. Krendall — This is William F. Krendall’s contribution to Wegway 7, Fall…
Nov 19
Barbie Toothpaste
The Art of Still Life — Steve Armstrong, untitled (Barbie Toothpaste), low resolution JPEG of natural…
Barbie Toothpaste
The Art of Still Life — Steve Armstrong, untitled (Barbie Toothpaste), low resolution JPEG of natural…
Nov 11
Filter
The Art of Still Life — Steve Armstrong, untitled (Filter), low resolution JPEG of a natural…
Filter
The Art of Still Life — Steve Armstrong, untitled (Filter), low resolution JPEG of a natural…
Nov 6
Something Gentle
Seems Like a Good Day for It — Many years ago, I read a biography of Leonardo da…
Something Gentle
Seems Like a Good Day for It — Many years ago, I read a biography of Leonardo da…
Nov 2
The Monopoly Men
The Purple Pawn — The Purple Pawn has a dignified presence The Red One…
The Monopoly Men
The Purple Pawn — The Purple Pawn has a dignified presence The Red One…
Oct 28
The iPhone Manifesto
Sky with Clothesline — Sometimes I write, sometimes I draw, paint, or photograph. Sometimes…
The iPhone Manifesto
Sky with Clothesline — Sometimes I write, sometimes I draw, paint, or photograph. Sometimes…
Oct 17
Robert Fulford
in CanadaCultureLand — 1978, photo Doug Griffin Robert Fulford died on Tuesday, October…
Robert Fulford
in CanadaCultureLand — 1978, photo Doug Griffin Robert Fulford died on Tuesday, October…
Oct 13
Purity
The Schisms of Art — In art, just like religion, the smallest differences make the…
Purity
The Schisms of Art — In art, just like religion, the smallest differences make the…
Oct 2
Inspiration
Falling Fragments — Writing is getting little bits of language now and again.…
Inspiration
Falling Fragments — Writing is getting little bits of language now and again.…
Sep 18
Maps
Round Earth's Corners (John Donne) — are all-over narratives about an environment like a Jackson Pollock…
Maps
Round Earth's Corners (John Donne) — are all-over narratives about an environment like a Jackson Pollock…
Sep 12
Gwartzman's
Student Days — Gwartzman’s on Spadina, just up the street from the Victory…
Gwartzman's
Student Days — Gwartzman’s on Spadina, just up the street from the Victory…
Sep 4
The Last Big Painting
phase one — I’m about to begin what will probably be my last…
The Last Big Painting
phase one — I’m about to begin what will probably be my last…
Aug 28
The Big Nickel
A Road Trip — We're just back from a road trip into the Canadian…
The Big Nickel
A Road Trip — We're just back from a road trip into the Canadian…
Jul 30
Saul Steinberg and Walter Murch
Find Your Voice — Occasionally, I have the uncomfortable thought that making art is…
Saul Steinberg and Walter Murch
Find Your Voice — Occasionally, I have the uncomfortable thought that making art is…
Jul 23
The Secret Life of an Artist
Part Two — Steve Armstrong, The Infinite Choice of Primaries , acrylic, copper…
The Secret Life of an Artist
Part Two — Steve Armstrong, The Infinite Choice of Primaries , acrylic, copper…
Jul 17
Book Launch
Gathering Thoughts — In the spring of 2020 we both came down with…
Book Launch
Gathering Thoughts — In the spring of 2020 we both came down with…
Jul 10
The Secret Life of an Artist
Part One — There is an abandoned building near Iroquois Ontario that says,…
The Secret Life of an Artist
Part One — There is an abandoned building near Iroquois Ontario that says,…
Jun 25
Lou Beach
The Fate of Collage — I just discovered Lou Beach via a “classified ad” in…
Lou Beach
The Fate of Collage — I just discovered Lou Beach via a “classified ad” in…
Jun 14
Desires
We Don't Get To Choose — I have been cursed with a desire for knowledge and…
Desires
We Don't Get To Choose — I have been cursed with a desire for knowledge and…
Jun 3
Isle of the Dead
All Five of Them — Arnold Böcklin (16 October 1827 – 16 January 1901) was…
Isle of the Dead
All Five of Them — Arnold Böcklin (16 October 1827 – 16 January 1901) was…
May 30
Armstrong's Bin
and The Soothing of Doubt — Just as William of Ockham had his razor, I have…
Armstrong's Bin
and The Soothing of Doubt — Just as William of Ockham had his razor, I have…
May 22
Anger is a Gift
so they say — H. L. Mencken said, “No one ever went broke underestimating…
Anger is a Gift
so they say — H. L. Mencken said, “No one ever went broke underestimating…
May 13
Poetry and Sex
Beyond youth’s mirage — In the 1960’s, when I was a sixteen year old…
Poetry and Sex
Beyond youth’s mirage — In the 1960’s, when I was a sixteen year old…
Apr 28
High Noon in Belleville
X-Sky — This is for real, no photoshop except partially straightening some…
High Noon in Belleville
X-Sky — This is for real, no photoshop except partially straightening some…
Apr 12
The Cloud Metaphor
Thoughts on the Poetry of Things — https://www.berndnaut.nl/ When I came across Berndaut Smilde, I immediately liked…
The Cloud Metaphor
Thoughts on the Poetry of Things — https://www.berndnaut.nl/ When I came across Berndaut Smilde, I immediately liked…
Apr 8
The Dark Star
Eclipse Report — We went to our friends’ place on the North shore…
The Dark Star
Eclipse Report — We went to our friends’ place on the North shore…
Mar 27
Double Identity
Another Very Short Story — There was a young man who was duplicated one night…
Double Identity
Another Very Short Story — There was a young man who was duplicated one night…
Mar 16
The Crack
A Very Short Story — Nouns ruin everything and belief is irrelevant, at least that's…
The Crack
A Very Short Story — Nouns ruin everything and belief is irrelevant, at least that's…
Mar 4
Secret Supposes
coming out as a poet — I told a friend, who is also a subscriber, that…
Secret Supposes
coming out as a poet — I told a friend, who is also a subscriber, that…
Feb 20
Necker Cube
The Virtues of the Impossible — This is an interesting drawing, it reminds me of the…
Necker Cube
The Virtues of the Impossible — This is an interesting drawing, it reminds me of the…
Feb 7
Conceptual Painting
and paintings about things — untitled , 11 March, 2000, acrylic on paper, 38" x…
Conceptual Painting
and paintings about things — untitled , 11 March, 2000, acrylic on paper, 38" x…
Jan 30
Occlusions
Vermeer and Cezanne — When we see each other in our ordinary day to…
Occlusions
Vermeer and Cezanne — When we see each other in our ordinary day to…
Jan 21
K8N Collective
Parrott Gallery Show — I’m a member of a three-person art collective called K8N…
K8N Collective
Parrott Gallery Show — I’m a member of a three-person art collective called K8N…
Jan 14
K8N Collective
Steve Armstrong at the Parrott Gallery — photo by Maxine Armstrong, January 13th, 2024 I am part…
K8N Collective
Steve Armstrong at the Parrott Gallery — photo by Maxine Armstrong, January 13th, 2024 I am part…
Jan 3
Let's Make It a Good One
H. G. Wells and The Politics of the English Language — This came out when I was in high school. That’s…
Let's Make It a Good One
H. G. Wells and The Politics of the English Language — This came out when I was in high school. That’s…
2023
21 postsDec 28
Strange car
1931 Wikov Kapka (Czech) A friend sent me this image:…
Strange car
1931 Wikov Kapka (Czech) A friend sent me this image:…
Dec 15
Three Things #6
from the ISTP Executive — an image (untitled, after lunch at the Lakeview in Toronto,…
Three Things #6
from the ISTP Executive — an image (untitled, after lunch at the Lakeview in Toronto,…
Dec 5
The Artist's High and the Click
The Lost Art of Art — untitled (contrails), coloured pencil on paper, 2023 The Artist’s High…
The Artist's High and the Click
The Lost Art of Art — untitled (contrails), coloured pencil on paper, 2023 The Artist’s High…
Nov 21
Three Things #5
from the ISTP Executive — An image (ALPHABETVM ROMANORVM): A quote from André Questcequecest: Ralph…
Three Things #5
from the ISTP Executive — An image (ALPHABETVM ROMANORVM): A quote from André Questcequecest: Ralph…
Nov 11
J. R. "Bob" Dobbs
and the Church of the SubGenius — Around the beginning of 1987 I encountered an advertisement in…
J. R. "Bob" Dobbs
and the Church of the SubGenius — Around the beginning of 1987 I encountered an advertisement in…
Oct 31
Three Things #4
from the ISTP Executive — An image (from a set of 52 NFT’s minted at…
Three Things #4
from the ISTP Executive — An image (from a set of 52 NFT’s minted at…
Oct 25
Three Things #3
from the ISTP Executive — An image (untitled, “one-piece collage”, 1984): A quote from André…
Three Things #3
from the ISTP Executive — An image (untitled, “one-piece collage”, 1984): A quote from André…
Oct 18
Three Things #2
from the ISTP Executive — An image (moon shadow): A quote from André Questcequecest: Writing…
Three Things #2
from the ISTP Executive — An image (moon shadow): A quote from André Questcequecest: Writing…
Oct 16
Three Things #1
from the ISTP Executive — An image (Tuscan sky): A quote from André Questcequecest: Heraclitus…
Three Things #1
from the ISTP Executive — An image (Tuscan sky): A quote from André Questcequecest: Heraclitus…
Oct 8
The Elderly Fellow and the Ocean
by Steve Armstrong and Ernest Hemingway — Around 2010, when I finished The Communist Manifesto in English…
The Elderly Fellow and the Ocean
by Steve Armstrong and Ernest Hemingway — Around 2010, when I finished The Communist Manifesto in English…
Sep 24
The Annunciation
Morandi, Giotto,and da Vinci — Leonardo da Vinci, The Annunciation, c. 1472-76, oil and tempera…
The Annunciation
Morandi, Giotto,and da Vinci — Leonardo da Vinci, The Annunciation, c. 1472-76, oil and tempera…
Sep 1
The Elevator Speech
and the Complexity of Simple Answers — I found this in the driveway. Isn’t it beautiful? In…
The Elevator Speech
and the Complexity of Simple Answers — I found this in the driveway. Isn’t it beautiful? In…
Aug 16
Minimalism and Toilet Paper
Steve Armstrong — This is an extraordinary painting, everything stopped for a big…
Minimalism and Toilet Paper
Steve Armstrong — This is an extraordinary painting, everything stopped for a big…
Aug 9
Box Paintings
A Faux Artist Statement — In 2001 I had a show of box paintings at…
Box Paintings
A Faux Artist Statement — In 2001 I had a show of box paintings at…
Aug 4
My False Biography
A Large Language Model (LLM) annotated — Wegway 4, Fall 2002, Cover by Agnes Denes A couple…
My False Biography
A Large Language Model (LLM) annotated — Wegway 4, Fall 2002, Cover by Agnes Denes A couple…
Jul 31
On Re-reading Sontag
S. E. Armstrong — My yellowed copy Forty years after my first reading, I…
On Re-reading Sontag
S. E. Armstrong — My yellowed copy Forty years after my first reading, I…
Jul 23
Cat Philosophy
S. E. Armstrong — Mike I used to enjoy a cigar from time to…
Cat Philosophy
S. E. Armstrong — Mike I used to enjoy a cigar from time to…
Jul 12
Schopenhauer and Pataesthetics
copiously illustrated — S. E. Armstrong Alfred Jarry I need to start wth…
Schopenhauer and Pataesthetics
copiously illustrated — S. E. Armstrong Alfred Jarry I need to start wth…
Jul 3
Anemic Cinema
Rotoreliefs — S. E. Armstrong Marcel Duchamp made a number of Rotoreliefs…
Anemic Cinema
Rotoreliefs — S. E. Armstrong Marcel Duchamp made a number of Rotoreliefs…
Jun 27
The Institute for the Separation of Theory from Practice
Historical Preamble — Historical Preamble Wm. F. Krendall Charles Harrison said, “There are…
The Institute for the Separation of Theory from Practice
Historical Preamble — Historical Preamble Wm. F. Krendall Charles Harrison said, “There are…
Jun 14
Dangerous Minerals
Artists are intensely interested in their medium – how it…
Dangerous Minerals
Artists are intensely interested in their medium – how it…
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