Viva La Liberte!

My husband and I were just put up against the wall recently with a fully loaded rule book pointed straight at us, and told we needed to abide to said rules or suffer the consequences. Fortunately, Brad has just as much of a rebellious spirit as I do, and we both decided to graciously walk away from the confines that were being laid out before us. Viva la liberte! The situation made me think of so many artists that have been considered defiant because they didn’t “play along nicely”, or theydid play along nicely, just not the way others wanted them to play. Freaks, rebels, weirdoes, devils in disguise….call them what you will, they changed the course of history because of their willingness to go beyond the expectations and break the norms.

Portrait of Marcel Duchamp

Let me tell you a quick story about Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp was an artist that submitted an art piece to an exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in 1917 in New York City. He was on the selection committee, therefore, the art piece that he submitted was signed using another name; R. Mutt. The deal was that anyone could submit art into this exhibition as long as they paid an entrance fee. There was much deliberation on the committee regarding this art piece, and they ultimately decided to hide the art piece from being displayed. Duchamp resigned from the committee. What on earth could the art piece possibly have been, you might ask, to cause such controversy?! It was a urinal. Duchamp went to the store, bought a urinal, changed its positioning, signed it R. Mutt, and submitted it in the show.

Some of you might be absolutely outraged to think that Duchamp would even consider that to be art. Some of you might think he was being facetious. Some of you may think he was brilliant. I am hoping you think the latter and this is why. The people on the committee had a confined (may I even be bold enough to use the phrase “close-minded”?) perspective of what art is, and were forced into a position of thinking and perhaps re-defining what should be considered when art becomes Art. Duchamp simply felt that the urinal had beauty in its form. When not placed in its typical setting, it purely became an object to be appreciated and stripped of its labels. He also argued that just because he didn’t actually make the urinal, does not mean that it’s not art. The placement of the object created new thought, and THAT is what makes it art.

Right now you might be thinking, WHO ON EARTH WOULD CONSIDER A URINAL TO BE BEAUTIFUL?! Who said art had to be beautiful? I have seen enough funny looking babies in my lifetime to know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Who said art has to hang up over your couch? Who said that art has to be “nice” and play by the rules? I always tell my students, you need to know the rules before you can break them. It’s my way of ensuring that they know the foundation of the Arts, and how there is structure and there is beauty in this fantastic world, but that if you just stick with those rules, then you might as well be doing colour by number paintings, because there is no thought going into your work. It is important to push those ideas, even when the status quo may think it’s being a bit too rebellious and shaking their pretty, happy norms.

Picasso hid “Les Mademoiselle D’Avignon” for decades because fellow artists felt he was making a mockery of Modern Art. Cubism became a household name once revealed.

 Monet’s first Impressionist painting, “Sunrise”,  was described as looking like it was scribbled with crayons by a child that was drawing on a moving train. 

Dali was considered to be crooked instead of brilliant when he signed blank pieces of paper before his art work was printed on them (I know I’d much rather have an original signature over a printed one, and they sell for so much more). Banksy is considered a vandal as he spray paints poignant statements on walls around the world.

 And what about Mr. R. Mutt aka Marcel Duchamp? He became the father of “ready-made” art, otherwise known as Found Object Art. He took found objects and transformed them into other things to be used and/or appreciated. Sound familiar? Ever hear of someone turning a pallet into a table, or jewellery being made out of old computer circuit boards? Google “found object art” and when you are looking at all of the beautiful things that are made out of reclaimed materials today, think of Duchamp and his willingness to rebel against the rules to bring concepts like this to you. This art piece is considered one of the most influential pieces of modern art in existence.

Marcel Duchamp

“Fountain”

Glazed ceramic

1917

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

This article was first published in the Northern Sun News, without the pictures because there's never enough room because I always go over my 500 word limit. I can't help it.

Insta-history

When I reflect on my history with photography, it takes me right back to my sister and I sneaking into the cupboard to steal my dad’s 110mm camera to take goofy snapshots of ourselves. Like he wasn’t going to find out that we were doing “selfies” in 1981! That was back in the day when film came in canisters or cartridges and you had to get them developed before you even knew what you took a picture of. There wasn’t a delete button. You got what you got and we usually got grounded. But with those photographs, you also got some interestingly artistic surprises, such as leaked light (sometimes the backdoor of the camera would accidentally open or you’d just have to check to see if there was actually film in the camera!) or sun glares from pointing your camera directly into the sun. Cool stuff!

My dad must have been tired of spending his money on all of those photos because I got a Kodak disc camera one year for Christmas which just so happened to promise “action shots”.  Mind.Blown. I had my best friend jumping all over the place like a lunatic trying to capture that quintessential frozen, leaping-in-the-air shot. Why that was important to keep, I’m not too sure but I still have a few as a reminder of my curiosity and discoveries.  

 I received my first single lens reflex 135mm camera when I was 14 and my world changed. Suddenly I needed to know what aperture was, why there were different types of films, shutter speeds, polarizers, bouncing light, f-stop. Who knew that such a small little light box could be so complex!? Fortunately I worked at Panis Production (who remembers Panis Productions?!) throughout high school and learned a lot about the subject from some of the best such as Don Nord and Jake Seigel. Conversations easily circled around either the technicalities of the camera, the aesthetic qualities of composition, the power of lighting and so on.

My high school art teacher taught me how to develop my own film in the dark room (we called it “The Dungeon”) and I ran off to university to earn a minor in photography. Little did I know that it would automatically seal the deal on becoming the unofficial leader of the high school yearbook when I became a teacher. Yes, I too used to drag kids into the dungeon to learn the ancient technique of black and white negative and photograph development. But that all changed when digital cameras came in. I remember being a bit of a “kicker and screamer” when discussion arose of removing the darkroom and replacing the cameras with digital ones. I guess I was a purist. How could a computer replace the beautiful quality of a finely printed photograph?! A part of me still believes that, but I’m cool with creative change, and can now say I have whole heartedly embraced the awe of digital photography. Basically, with all of the bells and whistles that allow you to manipulate photographs, it’s pretty close to impossible to take a crappy photo.

I missed the boat when it comes to Photoshop, though. I can putter my way around it and get what I want most of the time, but I’m not one of those people that can click a few buttons and presto, I have a manipulated photograph of my sister with a unicorn horn. *sigh* It could be so much fun. But for now, I have “apps”. I subscribe to a fantastic app on my iphone called “The App of the Day” which shares free iphone applications every day.

Basically every second day is some form of a photography manipulation application. If I want my photograph to look like an oil painting, or a Pop Art print, or look like the edges are torn, or a completely different colour, I just have to press a few buttons and I’ve completely altered my photograph. Who would have thought that possible when I was a fascinated 9 year old learning how to capture memories? Now not only can I capture memories, but make them look awesome in the process. I use Instagram almost daily to record the wonders of the world through my eyes, and I get to share them with people all over the world…literally! In a relatively short amount of time, we have gone from accidentally making leaked light photographs to intentionally pushing a filter button on our iphone to replicate that same effect. We are lucky to have these ingenious opportunities with relative ease! Give it a try, and if you’re interested, you can check out some of my digital photography on Instagram under the username Bobeckman.

Originally published in the Northern Sun on June 11th, 2014.

A Bouquet of Awesome

Ok, I should never say never (because you just NEVER know) but I think I can kind of, sort of, safely say that winter is behind us. I know this because John Miller has put out his annual flowers, and that’s a true sign of warmer weather. They guy knows his plants and he knows his weather! So it’s time to hit the greenhouses, and if you’re like me, you already have. I have vowed that I’m not buying any annuals this year because we are going to be building in our yard and I just won’t have the opportunity to spend my time dead heading. Plus, I’m Ukrainian and I like to eat, so I’m more likely to grow plants that I can graze on while roaming around in my yard.  But at least I can share some thoughts with you about annuals and how you can play with colour theory from an artist’s perspective to help come up with ideas on making arrangements for your outdoor flower pots.

 Colour is probably one of the most powerful elements of art there is. It has the power to capture your attention and leave you staring at one thing in a painting like a deer in headlights. I like to call this “punch you in the face colour emphasis”. You are left shocked by the colour that you’ve been assaulted with. Colour can also stir up a variety of emotions. Sit is a Pepto Bismal pink room for a good amount of time and see how you feel. Get my drift? Colour has impact and you can play with colour theory when composing your flower pot arrangements to get different desired effects and “curb side appeal”.

Let’s start with the basics; our primary colours. You can’t go wrong with a brilliant shot of red, blue and yellow in a flower pot. Just keep in mind that the eye will go to the yellow flowers first, (because our eyes tend to look at warm colours first) so either evenly place them throughout the flower pot, or put them as the highest or most central flowers. I am picturing a cluster of yellow marigolds in the center of a pot, surrounded by red million bells and finished with trailing blue lobelia to soften everything. It’s like Ernie’s (from Sesame Street) shirt transformed into a bouquet of flowers!

If you want your planter to have a unique edge, then go with the secondary colours, that being orange, green, and purple. The colours will vibrate like a Norval Morrisseau painting! Stick with lime greens such as Creeping Jenny vines, for extra “pop”.

If you want your flower pots to be a bit more subtle, and focus more on the form and texture of the flower, then think monochromatically. Monochromatic colour is based on selecting one colour and tints and shades of that same colour. So, if you pick red flowers, then you can also add deep red flowers and different shades of pink flowers as well, remembering that pink is just red with white added to it. This really makes your planter look unified.

For colours that just look like they were meant to be together, think of complementary colour theory. Complementary colours are made of one primary and one secondary colour that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. So team up any red flowers with green, team up orange flowers with blue, and team up yellow flowers with purple. Now when I say blue, it’s actually really difficult to find a true blue flower, but there are some that are pretty close. The bluest flower I’ve ever seen was in Phil Vinet’s garden. He’s the only person in the whole world that has been able to actually grow a Tibetan blue poppy from seed, and they are a marvel to look at. The thought of blue poppies beside wild, orange tiger lilies is quite the vision!

Finally, if you really don’t care, then go for the Crayola crayon box effect, (which by the way is called polychromatic colour theory) and just throw a mish-mash of flowers of different colours, textures and sizes together. After all, they’re flowers and you really can’t mess up a pot of flowers because, well….it’s a pot of flowers! And who doesn’t love flowers!? But if you want to be fancy-shmancy then think about your arrangements from an artist’s perspective, and play with the amazing colours that Mother Nature has shared with you. I would love to see pictures of your planters! Feel free to email me at funkydoodad@hotmail.com

Originally posted in the Northern Sun News on May 28th, 2014. 

Trashy Treasures

This wedding dress was found at the reclaim station. It will make an awesome Halloween costume. 

Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a dump DIVA! I think it stems back to a childhood trip that we took to the abandoned Pickle Crow mine and town site back in 1977 or so. What an adventurous day! We had to break through tough roads in a Suburban just to get there. Dad pulled out the metal detector and we were sent free to pick through the trashed buildings to explore and scavenge. I recall finding a doll’s brush and thinking that was a really weird thing to find at a mine site.

My dad “oohed and aahed” over everything we found, turning our discoveries into instant treasures. It’s in my blood.And aren’t I a lucky woman to be married to a man that has just as much zest for the trash as I do, and can completely appreciate that many things in our home were found directly at the dump. And now he works there. It’s the circle of life. Hahaha

So before we go any further, let’s break the stigma that is connected to bringing home the trash. Many people turn up their nose to the thought of having something from a second hand store in their home, let alone something that has been pooped on by seagulls and had a bear’s greasy ol’ butt brushing against it. 

Yeah, I’m not cool with that either, but there’s things like bleach or vinegar that can get rid of pretty well anything, including your fingerprints. (Did you know that most of the stuff that you buy at stores has had rats running across it too? That’s because these products are in storage containers and sometimes there are pesky animals there as well…just like at the dump.)  But most of the time, people are throwing things away that are STILL IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. And I mean, people are throwing them away, in garbage bags….not even considering the reclaim station that we have at the dump or setting it to the side for others to take. 

I posted a bunch of free stuff on my Facebook status last week and stuck it in front of my yard and within the hour it was all gone. Yahoo for not filling up our maxed out landfill! And I just put a bug in Brad’s ear asking if perhaps they could “red tag” big ticket items that come in to the dump such as kitchen cabinets, or wooden furniture and have a special spot for them at the dump so that people know it is good for the picking. This stuff isn’t GROSS! IT’S AWESOME! Stop being a poopy pants and get with the recycling, reclaiming program. Can I say poopy pants in a blog?  I just did. 

So what does this have to do with art? Everything!!! Artist around the world are using reclaimed objects in new, inventive ways to show you how to think outside the box and not only break your notions about the conventions of art making, but also make you aware of the despicable amount of mass consumption that is happening and the affluence of waste that is connected to it. I can’t help but think of the fantastic website “Inhabitat” whose slogan is “design that will save the world”. Just to give you an idea, this is the kind of headlines that you’ll find at this website;

• ·         Michelle McKinney Creates Delicate and Ethereal Artwork from Industrial Metals
• ·         250 Colorful Pringles Cans Make Up This Working Pipe Organ
• ·         Giant Buddha Statue Made of Recycled Materials Pops Up on Brooklyn Waterfront

Most working artists are working with reclaimed, found materials for a plethora of reasons ranging from the typical cost reductions (Hey, we aren’t called “starving artists” for nothing! Art supplies are NOT cheap!) to the statement it creates, to the exhilarating design challenge that we are given when an object is put before our eyes to manipulate into something new. It is this genuine out-of-the-box thinking that makes what is created unique and desired.  And if you’re really into “keeping up with the Jones” then not only is it practical to buy reclaimed art, but it’s also really “in”.  It’s called shabby chic. La-dee-da.  So, basically, the bottom line is; it’s really cool to not waste, and it’s even cooler to go and get more stuff from the dump and make it into something new again. Then you’ll be the talk to the town. ;)

Creative STERBing

About a month ago it was Canada’s annual Mental Health Week. For some of you, it may have gone by uneventfully. For others it may have been a time of much contemplation. For me, it is a time of reflection; not only on my own mental health, but as an artist and a teacher, on the mental health of others as well. I feel lucky that as an artist, I have a variety of ways to express myself when I’m having a crappy day. Those can be interesting days.....ahem.

  And then I wonder how others that don’t feel comfortable with the idea of a creative outlet “vent”. Hey, trust me. Just because I’m in a bad mood, it doesn’t mean I always pull out the paint pallet and voila, an emotionally laden masterpiece is created that solves all of my problems. (Man, that would be nice though!) Over the years, I have learned the term “STERB” which is an acronym for short term energy releasing behaviour. STERBing is a way of distraction oneself from the reality of a situation, a way of soothing ourselves from something that may be causing stress or anxiety. Some people grab for a beer, some people grab a whole tub of Nutella, some people run 5 miles in the rain so the tears can’t be seen, and some people pet their dog hairless. Everyone has some kind of STERBing going on when things get a bit rough. I think I’ve done all of the above, and then some.

But the dealio is that there is definitely ways to STERB positively, or perhaps more healthily so that STERBing doesn’t turn into an unhealthy habit or addiction, or at the very least, owning a very strange looking dog. And before we go any further, wash away the idea that you have to be an artist in order to vent creatively. There are no rules when it comes to venting, so the first thing you have to do is not worry about what others think of you when you are letting your imaginative freak flag fly. And also eliminate the idea that you have to have a special place to be artistic, or you have to have certain supplies. All of that is baloney. 

Here’s what I suggest;

1.       Find a quiet place for yourself. If you can’t find a quiet place, make a quiet place in your head. Put on your headphones with some music that matches your emotions at that time. Or stuff your ears with Kleenex or Silly Putty. (Just not the ear canals…I can imagine that that’s not a very good idea.) If everyone is wondering what you’re doing and you’re feeling pestered, then go to your bathroom and lock the door. Or go for a walk and sit in the bushes for a while. (I bet every single one of you that is reading this is literally a 5 minute drive away from complete silence in the wilderness. We live in North-West Ontario!) Just find some time and a place to be alone with your own thoughts.

2.       Listen to those thoughts and use what you see and hear in that silence as a catalyst for expression. Our mind is so overstimulated with beeps and bloops from our smartphones, and radios, and people talking to us and refrigerators buzzing that we don’t really get very much time in silence unless we create that for ourselves. When we close out those distractions, we are left alone with pure thought. For some, that might be the reason why you’re STERBing in the first place! You don’t like those thoughts, but if you give yourself the opportunity to quietly act on them on your own, perhaps they can actually be dealt with in a positive way.

3.       Then allow yourself the freedom to act on those thoughts in ways that may be very different then how you’re used to acting on them. It might make you feel silly that you’re standing in the middle of your bathroom dancing to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” all by yourself. It may seem ridiculous that you have this urge to write a poem or song about your love for Nutella. It may be frustrating that you want to draw out the visions that are in your head and won’t come through on to paper.  But just give it a try. It might actually lead you further into creative exploration. For example, this year I decided to post a photo a day on Facebook that represents something that I am grateful for every day. It’s a way of getting me to refocus my energy in a positive way instead of sweating the small stuff, and it’s creative and keeps me away from ice cream….sometimes.

 Finally, remember that your thoughts are your own, and your creative STERBing does not need to be shared with anyone if you’re not comfortable doing so. Just use it as a tool for expression and be happy with that. Enjoy the freedom that expression can give you. 

Anarchy in the Art Room

May 1^st to 7^th was “National Youth in the Arts Week”, and as a Visual Arts teacher, I jumped on the opportunity to do a printmaking workshop with people in the community. There’s something so fantastic about printmaking! You get to use weird stuff like brayers which is a roller that spreads ink. You get to use ink which is kind of like paint, but not really. You get to use meat packing trays, and bubble wrap and chunks of wood, and corks, and burlap and different colourful papers, and so on. In printmaking, the magical, final results are endless because if you didn’t know it by now, THERE ARE NO RULES IN ART which makes for countless possibilities. Wait…let me take that back a little….there ARE rules in art, but after you’ve learned them, you really should spend a lot of time breaking them. Otherwise, you might as well buy a colour-by-numbers kit and have at ‘er.  What fun is that? And more to the point, what did you actually learn?!

 

So that is exactly what I did; I showed these keen printmaking newbies how to roll out the ink properly, how to burnish their print for even ink distribution, how to use a variety of found objects to create different textures, and most importantly, how to clean up after themselves. The rest was a huge fill in the blank of holy cow, this is fun.  And you might be reading this thinking, “Whoop-dee-doo. Printmaking is so removed from my life that even reading this article is a waste of time.” But just hold on, man, and bear with me.  Because Art isn’t just about making pretty pictures, just like reading a book isn’t just about piecing letters together to form words. There is comprehension involved, and thoughts and ideas that are developed and connected to our own personal experiences. We can then take those thoughts and apply them to other areas in our life, giving us those “aha” moments that make our life richer and more meaningful.  That, my friends, is learning and it’s awesome.

Every time you learn something new, you go through a mental flowchart. It starts with A) What the heck am I doing? Do I know how to start or do I need help via Google, or a human that has expertise in this area? (Just a personal side note, human interaction is always better than Google.) B) What is and isn’t working? What am I learning from my mistakes? Hopefully this doesn’t turn into a pity fest and a feeling of self-defeat. Instead you take this opportunity to learn what your weaknesses are and problem solve your way through them.  (Just so you know, I can’t sew worth beans, so when I am desperate, I usually use duct tape to hem my pants. Problem solved, and it works and I’m cool with that.) C) How am I going to incorporate what I’ve just learned into my life so that it has more meaning for me and wasn’t a waste of my time? By the time you’ve gone through this process, you will feel a great sense of accomplishment, even if there is struggle involved. The important part is to follow through with that process so the learning doesn’t stop.

That is what the people in the printmaking workshop did. Some of them didn’t know how to start, and were afraid that they were going to make a mistake, so they experimented on scrap pieces of paper. Some of them wanted their print to have a personal connection, so they had to do some extra digging to find papers and images that meant something to them.  Some of them were happy to just play with technique and asked where they could get these supplies so they could continue to explore printmaking on their own. The Art room was chaotic and messy and buzzing with creativity, and most importantly, genuine thought.  The printmaking rules were learned and then surpassed, as it should be, developing a fantastic crew of printmaking rebels. Yeah!!!! 

In My Own Defense or The Life of An Art Teacher

Someone approached me just recently and said an outright rude comment to me. I am always surprised by rude adults. I don't know why. I just am. It was that old adage, “Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach”.  She was saying that her child is not excelling in my class because really, what kind of an artist am I anyway? I can’t even make it in the “real world”. I laughed at the comment and just quickly said, “Well, I chose to be a teacher. This is what I wanted to be.” It’s so easy for people to judge, is what I remember having run through my head. I smiled and let her continue with her conversation; she was completely oblivious of her own blatant ignorance.

 I remember that pivotal moment in university, thinking of whether I wanted to pursue my Masters in Fine Arts or become a high school teacher, and I chose the latter. I really just didn't know what I would do my masters on yet. I was only 22. I didn't really know very much about anything at that time. I was still figuring shit out (and continue to as a matter of fact!) There were definite pros about going off to university for my masters; I could continue to explore who I was as an artist, take the next step to dive into the work I was developing in my thesis year, continue to live the bohemian lifestyle of drinking, smoking and never sleeping and being completely free with my thoughts and my paint brush. It was so attractive. I really enjoyed being “artsy fartsy”.

But I also knew I was a “people pleaser”. I liked helping others and enjoyed being a part of the community. I loved the small town life and missed my family and friends. I liked being able to just hop into the bush at a moment’s notice and be completely secluded from the world. I also really respected a few teachers that I had along the way, at all levels of my education, and they were inspiring. They showed me that there were endless possibilities for learning, and I appreciated that. I could see myself being like these people and that was cool to me.

My dad was all for me going to school to be a teacher, because how would I make money as an artist? Understandably, his concern was that I would be mooching off of them for the rest of my life, but I did pay for my university all by myself. I just paid off the rest of my student loan not too long ago to prove it. Many people of my dad’s generation believe that happiness comes with financial stability. And my dad was a banker, so money has always been pretty important to him. I get it. But that wasn’t the reason why I chose teaching. I remember after my first year of teaching I did the math and figured after everything was said and done, (all of the extra time that was put in to prep work, marking and report cards on evenings and weekends), I made about $7 an hour, and that didn’t include “summer pay”. I got paid zilch for the summer! But I enjoyed the connection with the kids, and seeing those light bulb moments, and having incredible conversations every day with brilliant teenagers about art and life and creativity. And I revel in their growth. It’s fantastic.

And I’ve grown as an artist too, but have basically kept it to myself.  I guess this woman didn’t know that I have my Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours degree from the University of Manitoba, with an “A” in my multi-medium thesis under the tutelage of Diana Thorneycroft. I have a Bachelor of Education degree.  I have my Honours Specialist from Queen’s University in Fine Arts Education. I have taken countless professional development courses across Canada on both an educational level and artistic level for the last 20 years. I have enhanced my skills for myself, for my students and for the benefit of my community. I have a complete artist’s resume full of the stuff that I’ve done as an artist and teacher that Ms. Rude Poopy Pants doesn’t know about and I wouldn’t waste the energy telling her about. First of all, I don’t brag. Second of all, she’s not worth my time. And finally, I am a certified, qualified teacher and that is all that should be important to her with her child in my class.

It is only now (and not because of people like that and their comments) that I’m feeling the pull in the other direction, and that I’m really yearning to go off and be more of an artsy-fartsy artist. I guess that’s why I found this woman’s conversation so funny albeit disgusting. I haven’t even made an attempt to just “make it” as an artist because I haven’t wanted to. And how does one “make it” as an artist? Is there some form of certificate that I will receive in the mail that says, “You are an artist”. Is it a popularity contest on Reddit? Is it having my work in certain gallery? Or do I have to wait until I’m dead like another old adage about artist notoriety? Yeesh.  I’m 41 and just learning to find that balance; to be a bit of a teacher, a bit of an artist, a bit of a mom, a bit of a wife, a bit of a gardener, a bit of a friend….a little bit of everything. It takes time to do this.

So ultimately, she got under my skin. She pissed me off to the point where I guess I felt it’s time to explain myself in case there’s anyone else out there that wonders why I haven’t “made it” yet.  She made it seem like the last 17 years of my teaching career have just been “fill in time” and that I struggle after the bell rings at 2:35pm to work hard to become the artist I’ll never be. It’s just not true. I want everyone to know that just because I’m making life changes and starting to pursue challenges outside of the school system, it doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in teaching and being connected to kids and the community. If anything, I’m looking forward to making stronger artistic connections in the future with both myself and others…with time. And this person’s child is welcome to join in… any time, without judgment.