I just submitted 3 works to the Square Foot Show at AWOL Gallery. I'll see if any of them get into the show when I head over there on Saturday. It should be a fun one since there are so many artists contributing. Looking forward to it and try and stop by if you live in the Queen/Dovercourt neighbourhood.

Finger Paint? Yes, please.

I never know when or where I see something that I get really excited about. This weekend while looking at kitchen appliances, Oskar and I stopped in at a home interior shop.

The furniture was lovely, but it was these paintings that really had me going. They made me want to return to my inner kindergartener and take up finger painting. The paintings actually reminded me alot of the aboriginal art that I saw in Australia. I loved the artist's bright palette, the tactileness (is that a word?) of the paint, and the energy created by the playful linear shapes.

This monster print is awesome. It was set up outside in a Kensington Haunted House/Alley Way. No artist name or other pieces near by, but so strong!

TO

Just a few snapshots around TO.
1. A neon green bike spotted in front of Honest Ed's a few weeks ago, already it's been disassembled. I wonder if it was worth anything.
2. A bald man with octopus hair that I almost stepped on my way to Oskar's office.
3. A series of little boy's room art that I saw and loved at an open house.
4. Some layered paper and graffiti in front of a building from my old hood.

Concert

With the impending deadline of baby looming. Oskar and I have been trying to do everything under the sun that our friends told us we won't have time, energy, nor money to do post-baby. So we went to the Mumford & Sons concert at the ACC. I had no idea how popular they were. I'd only heard them on CBC Radio 2 a handful of times. They sold out the ACC! Good for them and they were awesome live.

Around TO

The other weekend Oskar and I walked out to Queen West to get brunch at Sadie's Diner, own of my favourite Huevos Rancheros spots. On our walk home we passed by the skaters, town hall(the ufo building), and the eaton centre for a little shopping. It's so important to get outside and appreciate nature even if the weather is cr*p.

City of Craft / For Keeps: A Mending Show

I just finished designing a the flyer for City of Craft's Event, For Keeps: A Mending Show

Opening event Thursday, December 9th
7-9pm mending circle: bring your clothes in need
of fixing and learn new methods of mending
10pm Owle Bird performance
DJ Teddy the K all night

Cream Tangerine Gallery
1087 Queen St W
Toronto, ON

Sunday's Best

My favourite Sunday activity is scouring the stands at the St. Lawrence Antiques Market. I have to control myself by limiting my purchases to 1 or 2. Otherwise, I'll go buck wild and fill our entire 900 sq ft apartment with "junk". So this weekend's buy was 1, no 2 Mason Jars and this cool glass vase. The Mason Jars are from a factory in Hamilton and the owner of the stand was telling me that depending on the rarity of the markings (crown, lion, etc) and year made, a mason jar can run you up to a 1000 dollars. So I figured I was getting a deal at 10 dollars each.

Fresh Ink: Mergers & Acquisitions

I just received copies of Scott Lanaway's "Mergers & Acquisitions" CD that I did the illustrations for. They look great! I'm really pleased with the final product. Click here to give Scott's music a listen.

Six by Eight: Call for Submissions

The Paper Place is doing a Call for Submissions. All you have to do is pick up the provided 6x8 Japanese Kozo paper, create your artwork and return it to the store by June 25th. Then they will hang it in a group show and should you want to sell it they take 0% commission! It's a great opportunity for emerging artists to get some exposure and best in show wins a $100 gift certificate to The Paper Place.
I just finished my piece called "Raindrops." Update SOLD: to a couple from Denmark!

Parkdale Shopping Bag Submission

Oh La La UPDATE: Just received this email from the organizer of the Call for Entries:

"Below are listed the top 10 finalists in the competition. They are not listed in any particular order.

Havvy Ord – “Parkdale is People”
Erin Candela – “Parkdale Beauty”
John Fernandes – “The World On Your Corner”
Brad Emsley – (Untitled)
Crystal Bretschger – “People of Parkdale”
Ginnie Chin – “Parkdale”
Andrea Stajan-Ferkul – “Everyting Old Is New Again II”
Tricia Johnson – “A Look”
Millie Knaff – “Parkdale Beauty”
Alec Dempster – “Growing Together”

We will announce the Grand Prize Winner at the Parkdale Shopping Bag Design Unveiling – Wine & Cheese Reception to take place on Weds., June 16th at Gallery 1313 (1313 Queen St. West – just west of Cowan Ave., beside Green P parking lot) from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

The top 10 designs will be exhibited at Gallery 1313 for 2 weeks after the opening reception."

Original Post: I just submitted a 1-colour illustration (see below) to the Parkdale Shopping Bag Call for Entries.

The chosen design will be printed on 5,000 re-usable shopping bags manufactured by Hey Jute and will be given out for FREE by PVBIA volunteers at local events including Nuit Blanche 2010 and Queen West Art Crawl 2010. On top of all this great publicity the winner is awarded 500 bucks! Pretty Sweet.

Inspiration: On my morning listen to Q on CBC radio, I learned of a new graphic novel based on the notorious Toronto bike thief, Igor Kenk. Sounds like an interesting read into the life and times of Kenk leading up to his arrest in 2008 for the theft of 3000 bikes. Check out KENK for more info.

The Octopus Project - Art Opening this Saturday

This Saturday's art opening hosted by The Octopus Project is the second time that I will be exhibiting with this artist-run organization.

"The OCTOPUS PROJECT provides an outlet for artists to continue making art by offering a challenge to create. The challenge is issued as a spark —an idea or image— sent out every eight weeks for interpretation by the artists." (Quoted from their site www.octopusproject.ca)

When I asked Catherine, one of the founders of The Octopus Project, how she and her co-creator Melanie came up with the name and concept of this organization this is how she replied.
"We were having a dinner party with some good friends and I told Melanie about a dream I had in which she was the main character. I dreamed she was swimming in a black ocean, with a single light on her as she swam to the top. A giant fuscia octopus came from the depths and started pulling her down in a serene way, like she was meant to go under with it. It was such a striking image we starting talking about what it might look like if I created something with it. That turned to the idea of how interesting it would be to have artists of various disciplines or styles create something based on that image, and so the Octopus Project was born! We always also say that the amount of double chocolate cake we ate that evening may have sparked us quite a bit more than usual to follow through on our idea :)"

This cycle's spark was "ladder". My piece that I created for the show is entitled "Nature's Ladders" and can be seen below. I've found that having a "spark" when approaching a project really gets me focused.

The show will be held this Saturday 12-4pm at:
55 Mill St. Bldg. 74
(Case Goods Warehouse)
Studio 410 - 4th Floor

Artwork hanging at Savoury Grounds

You can see my artwork that is up now at Savoury Grounds new location, at Queen and Parliment in Downtown Toronto.

Prints Selling at Function 13

Great News.
Some of my silkscreens and etchings are now for sale at Function 13. Function 13 is a one stop shop for design, art and technology and it was just voted #1 Design Store in Toronto by NOW Magazine.
They've been open for a year and already are making waves in the Design scene. Check them out at 156 Augusta Ave. Their hours are Mon-Fri : 12-7pm and Sat/Sun : 11-6pm.
For more information about Function 13 visit them online at www.function13.ca

Back in North America

I'm back in Toronto.
Oskar and I have been shopping around for apartments in downtown and have pretty pleased with what we've seen. You can get alot more bang for your buck here, as opposed to New York. Our favorite so far is a basement apt. in "the financial area" of downtown. A block from 2 subways and 2 trams, convienent walk to Queen West (where the galleries are), and in an authentic loft building 3 stories high(no skyscrapers for me).
Its over 900 sq ft, nicely finished, over 12.5 ft ceilings but the catch is its a basement apt. So our windows literally start 12 ft off the ground and continue 4ft. up. We see legs walking by our window, its a bit disorienting. The positive side to that is that it's a live/work building and so I can have my studio in our apt, clients walk through the building, and place artwork in our windows (which is great advertising, since its at a busy corner). I'm very excited at the prospect of this apt, so I will keep you updated.

Looks alot like the guy is playing hockey

I guess Oskar's Canadianism is wearing off on me.
Only 1 piece of 18x24 paper left. Then I have to work on 11x14 or 8x10 paper. I'll be leaving Palma a week from Sunday. I'm satisfied with the trip; I got to practice my spanish, research Toronto's art scene, and create a solid body of work. Hopefully I'll be selling most of it at shows and art festivals this summer.