Holiday art roundup
All the art I’ve completed in time for the holidays. Most were commissioned pieces, a few were gifts.
Art school memories & a pleasant surprise.
In a boomer voice “when I was your age I had to take two city busses to get from one side of Oakville to the other side to get to Sheridan. I would be carrying a backpack full of paint on my shoulders, this giant heavy portfolio in one hand, AND a toolbox in my other hand. My toolbox kept all my artist tools in it, rulers, markers, paintbrushes. This is what traditional artists had to do. And living in Canada meant I was dragging the portfolio through blizzards, sometimes the rain and snow we experienced during our commuting fucked our art up. I’d have to walk a mile in the sleet snow to the school doorsteps.-”
So it’s goodbye old friend. You bring me more “ehhhhhh” memories than good memories
A visual timeline: how I explored color from 2017-2019.
For the new people around here that don't know of my early tumblr days and how much my art has visually changed since 2017. You can actually see the points in time when I started having fun with art and color again.
The Creature project pt 2
Super happy to have been invited back to work with The Creature Project again this year!
Drawing through the emotions
So the best way to launch myself into drawing when I really can't is by indulging in something I've wanted to draw for awhile. In this case, I wanted to work on some Danhausen fan art.
Revisiting old ideas & more of the art I don't share on social media.
An endless discussion of the pros and cons of sharing art on social media.
And what I benefit from, by not sharing some art.
Artists without networks and the barriers we face.
It was the strawberry full moon magic that made me type out way too much here. Talking about disabled artists without networking, and some examples of how networking continues my art journey.
NESS-HULK GONNA SMASH the class barriers.
Painting through insecurity
Yes well Everything I was working on at the time got permanently shelved. I felt like the only rejected artist to ever exist-a statement that is overly dramatic and false but, it's how I felt. The rejection hit deep wounds.
Let your soul sing loud & proud
I really don't get excited like that to illustrate anything these days honestly. And it caught me off guard, this burning need to draw these plants and furniture. My soul was singing real loud, everything inside of me vibed with this kind of art in a way that I'm mindful of. I think I'll draw some more rooms with plants again, see how my soul.reacts that time. And to take note if things start gaining traction, if anything shows a green light to pursue that path of illustrating rooms with plants in them.
Sometimes it's just a one time drawing need, never to be revisited again. But like I said, my desire to finish this over everything else, even sleeping (which I love to do) made me realise maybe this piece means more than the others do. Something is different here.
What do you draw for your daily practise? Q & A.
Having survived the incredibly humbling experience that it was to start making art again in my 30s. Especially after quitting art for so long…it makes me want to share my story. I hope it helps other former artists, make their way back to creating art again.
I go on artist message boards across the internet and when I feel compelled to, I will share some of my experiences. Sometimes people relate, and they ask me for more details. I had some great feedback on my latest response, so I felt it's good to share here too.
Punk Rock Gives Back Ornaments pt2
I mentioned in a previous post how thrilled I am to have been invited to paint some ornaments for the PRGB charity. Here's the last two ornaments. They won't be avalIble for sale until Dec 2024.
Making chess game moves so I have constant art being showcased at multiple times and spots over the year. It helps keep my name on people's radars.
Sharing art life experiences
I really want to elaborate how DONE I was with art back then. Like my son didn't know I could draw until he was 5 years old. I really didn't think I’d ever mention the art thing to my kids. I figured if they had a natural inclination to it, I would say I did it at one point. But I really didn't care either way if I never drew again at that point.
Customised Photo Matts
The original inspiration for custom matts came from the many Art shows I’ve visited over the years. It's a popular way to gift someone some original art, without breaking the budget. Many years later, I would be reminded of this and this time I decided to try it for myself. And I love the results.
Embrace Goblincore & reject capitalism.
Photos of isopods, pretty strawflowers, and a rambling conversation about the need for hobbies.
WOODEN PINS IN SHOP!
Ok, so it wasn’t a total surprise, I was expecting these pins to show up at some point. I did order them just over a month ago. I showed off the new backing cards I had made for these already.
BUT! IT WAS ALL NEW. The company I ordered from was new to me-