Best Art Blogging!(?)

Gian Lorusso from the art Blog ArtSediments sent me an email last week saying that he was adding my blog to his list of "Best Art Blogs." It's nice knowing that someone out there in the blogging world appreciates my posts. Lorusso states on his blog that:

"Art Sediments deeply believes that creating art is a human necessity, as love and friendship: art is in the nature of everyone of us. And Art Sediments deeply believes that art, as love and friendship, needs to be shared with others."

I'm happy to be included in a list with that kind of mandate!
Here is a link to the list of his best art blogs:
http://artsediments.blogspot.com/p/art-blog-list.html

Yesterday I headed over to a friend's daycare in Winnipeg to do an art session with some of the kids there. The plan was for them to tell me a story while I drew it. I supplied them with the bare bones of the story, sort of mad-lib style and they filled in the descriptive details for me. It turned out to be a really fun activity. I don't get to draw with younger kids anymore, I always work with high school students. We ended up with a drawing of an alien dude named Mr. Bob who wears a leather jacket and a speedo. His best friend is a dog named Stinker who has eyes on his ears, pogo sticks for legs, and has always dreamed of going to Catopia. Mr. Bob and Stinker live in a garbage dump, eat smelly cheese, and sleep under a giant mushroom. I didn't think of bringing my camera, so I don't have a picture of it, but I was very pleased to work collaboratively with the kids. Finally, people who like weird drawings of things!

Here a couple of recent drawings I did this week. I suddenly realized that the deadline for the Sketchbook project is coming up in only about two weeks, which means I have to have my moleskin sketchbook all filled up and ready to be sent out very soon. I think I have about 14 pages left, so I'll have to work hard at finishing it in time. Here are a few pages from the sketchbook. By the way, the numbers correspond with my ongoing image a day project that started at the end of August.

#114 I have cold hands. Collage with watercolours and ink



#115 Coffee Collage with watercolours and ink

Refreshing Winds: Art vs Photo

I am happy to announce that two of my photographs have been accepted into the juried art Show Refreshing Winds which opens January 21st, and runs until March 5th! I submitted a several photographs to the show at the Mennonite Heritage Gallery, and was very excited to hear that two photos were accepted. The show coincides with a conference at the CMU campus with the theme Here in this Place.

Some black and white pictures I took in London this past summer were accepted to the show. I sometimes forget to mention on this blog that I am a photographer. I tend to separate photography from art in my mind, because the process of each is so different. I love both, and actually have this fear that I am a better photographer than artist. Or rather what I mean by that is that I think my photographs can sometimes be more accepted than my artwork, and I kind of wish it were the other way around. I sort of happened into photography by accident. I was hired to teach a photography class before I had ever been a photography student, and thus spent one summer in a photo crash course covering black and white, colour processing, and digital photography. Thankfully I ended up loving it, but this is a recent development for me. I honestly sometimes forget to associate photography with myself because it's like it hasn't made it's way into my identity yet. Art though; painting and drawing has always been a part of my identity, that's why I still think of taking photographs as second fiddle to painting and drawing.

For the MHC exhibit artists were invited to submit works using the following statement as a guide:
“Our goal is to recognize the importance of context and culture in our worship, to explore and understand how culture impacts us, what culture means in our theology and how worship is embodied in location.”
The photos fit this theme more easily than any recent paintings, and I am really happy to have somewhere to display them especially within the context of the show.
I will include more details about the show closer to the date.

On another note, December finds me falling behind on my image-a-day project. I have the next two weeks off, so I'm hoping to do some much needed catching up on creating.

No Plastic Seeves

I had a welcome break from my day job today (one of the absolutely maravalous things about not having a full time contract), and I began researching artist promo mailers. I came across the website NoPlasticSleeves, which is a site devoted to artist promotional materials. It is mainly photographer and designer based, however includes some great visuals and ideas that is presented in a much more appealing format than many other sites that will pop up if you do a search for such a topic.

They featured the artist Jesus Galiana's promo piece: Here is screen shot of part of his image.

He is an illustrator and hand typographer based out of Madrid. He has some really great hand-done typography and some pen work that makes me happy.
Check him out here:
http://j-galiana.com/tag/pen-drawing/

Collage Drawings!

# 97 Take Flight Collage Drawing with marker wash.


#99 Lost and Alone in the City. Collage Drawing with marker wash.


I realized I really like the idea of incorporating text into my drawings. It's interesting cutting up other people's words, rearranging them, and making them a part of something that I make. It's also interesting searching for books whose purpose will be to cut them up. The local MCC book/Cafe Sam's Place by my house has a great selection of old, strange and discarded books, and all for a very low price. It's funny how with some collages when I finish them, not only do I like to look at them, but I like to touch the texture of collage pieces over the rest of the drawing. That makes me happy.

My friend Sarah is insisting that I start writing children's book with found text. I like the idea, and am considering it. I feel like it would have to be a series of short stories, that might fit my way of working a lot better.

Sheer Ashtonishment

Painting, Drawing, Collage.
I tried painting on drawing vellum because a recent Illustration instructor(Craig Terlson) said that he loved how the ink sits on the vellum. I found I love it too, except that when I went back in with yellow ink, it was too wet for it, and wanted to curl up a bit. Nevertheless, I still like how this image turned out. Part of the image was cut off, because my scanner is only so big, but you get to see the main part of the image. I'm going to try out more vellum paintings, but might stick to just using black India ink on it.
In other news, the Beautiful Mercy and Other Works opening reception was tonight, and the show runs until this Sunday. It's always nice to visit some art. It's an eclectic show, and there are some nice pieces on display. Check it out at 200-75 Albert street.