Local Musical Talent

Somebody That I Used To Know - Walk Off The Earth (Gotye Cover)

Five people singing and playing one guitar...needless to say this is pretty awesome!

Guy Laramee

Canadian multi-disciplinary artist Guy Laramee from Montreal, Quebec is making some absolutely breathtaking artist books. I would love to see him work!

Check out his work at www.guylaramee.com

Levi's - Representin' Printmaking!

Way to go Levi's! Representin' Printmaking! Badass!!!

Creating Printing Plates with Laser Toner

Bill Ritchie, from Halfwood Press demonstrates how to create an image transfer by using a laser print on silicone-backed label stock, which is a shipping label paper. The interesting thing about his technique is this specific paper that he is using for his transfer, since the backing of the label stock paper can then be re-used later for the back of his plate as an acid resist.
In part 2 of this video series he works back into the image with a scribe, burnisher and scraper to make it less photographic and more like an original drawing. The transfer is etched lightly so that it may just be used as a starting point. In my opinion this is the way that all photo etchings should be treated. Simply duplicating a photographic image within a print medium seems like a bit of a waste of time, and sort of stale.
I have posted both parts of this video just in case you are interested in seeing him continue working on this plate, but it is only part 1 that I am really interested in, because it is this paper he uses in creating the substrate that intrigues me. These and many other Halfwood Press videos can be found on YouTube.

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Gocco Printing

The other day I was craft-gawking and saw that someone had made some "gocco print" journals, and I had no idea what they meant. So I Googled it and found that it is this neat little printmaking machine from Japan that was super popular in the 80's and is now making a come-back...like all things 80's and awesome! You can only create an image that's about 4x6", but it's a pretty cool thing to have at home for making invitations, cards or small-scale editions. I've seen some people use it for making zines on-the-go which is a really awesome idea! Although, seeing as it is a somewhat rare product, which is only found in Japan, I'm not sure how easy it would be to order the special inks, bulbs, or exposure sheets that this machine requires. Never-the-less it's a neat little toy and if I had one I'd probably use it quite a bit. 

Check it out! I've posted 2 different video tutorials

Watch the short nerdy Etsy demo video

OR

Watch the hilariously cheesy in-depth demo video from the 80's

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Kirk Demarais - Film Family Portraits

I caught a glimpse of these portraits at the bottom of a page from Cineplex Magazine back in 2010, with a tiny article titled The Art Of Film. I tore it out and it's been stuck to my bulletin board ever since. I am having a love affair with Kirk Demarais' series Film Family Portraits. What an idea! So clever! And they're so simply and perfectly executed in just pencil crayon alone. Why didn't I think of this first?! Koodos Kirk! I really want one! Perhaps a family portrait from Snatch?! Badass!

The Torrances, inspired by The Shining
I want this one. *Hint Hint Mr. Demarais!*



The Johnsons, inspired by The Jerks



The Hoovers, inspired by Little Miss Sunshine



The Huxtables, inspired by The Cosby Show
Two originals commissioned. One by actress Kristen Wiig. This one by comedian/actor Nick Kroll



The McFlys, inspired by Back To The Future


Check him out at http://www.kirkdemarais.com/

Vicki Nerino

Toronto-based artist Nicki Verino "makes things from stuff". Very obscene things most of the time! The obscene-ery isn't really shown here but check out her website if you wanna see lots of flabby vaginas and abnormally long soft dicks in some awkward situations! Gotta love a free spirit! The girls got talent though! Super imaginative and humourous narratives. I love the heavy scribbled style and punches of red tones throughout.

Here's a few of my favourites from this awesome up and coming local artist.

Check her out at http://www.vickinerino.com/

Or visit her blog at http://www.vickinerino.blogspot.com/

Smoking Lily

I've saved this snipped article from an Elle Canada mag-azine about West Coast screen-printers Smoking Lily for the past 10 years. I didn't want to let myself forget how awesome these Canadian entre-preneurs were. Their designs are simple but in-ventive, aesth-etically pleasing and often humorous. Their accessories and housewares are my particular fav-ourites. Not to mention the screenprinted recycled furniture as well. It's inspiring to see artists turning their craft into careers, and it gives me hope for the future!

If you're not in the B.C. area, check out Smoking Lily's beautiful website and blog at www.smokinglily.com/

Photoshoot With Mom

A few weeks ago my mom and I had a fun mini photoshoot together to capture the perfect portrait

to send to my Grandfather in Quebec for his wall of family photos!

Here's a few that we managed to take in between giggles!





My Favourite



The Winning Photo



Gregory Crewdson

In my first year of University I was introduced to the narrative photographic works of artist Gregory Crewdson. His work has resonated with me over the years and he has overwhelmingly become my favourite photographer. Within my own narrative works I have felt that it is the most minute details that can make the difference between holding intrigue or falling flat, being believable or being forgettable. It is these small nuances that I obsess over. Crewdson is the master of this obsession, spending sometimes months working on the most elaborate sets in order to capture that one perfect photograph.His attention to detail, and use of lighting alone are impecable! Every photograph is like a still from a movie. A strange, dream-like moment, heavy with narrative.

View the entire series of photographs in the following slideshow

Cardmaking

A night of cardmaking with my mom, to make cards for our family in Quebec. I love craft nights!

Snap Downtown Toronto - Feature

As Coordinator for OCAD University's 27th Annual Book Arts Fair, I invited Snap Downtown Toronto to join us the day of the fair to photograph the event and they graciously accepted. The event has just been featured on their website and will be featured in the free printed January/February issue of Snap Downtown Toronto Magazine. Keep an eye out for it!

To view the article visit Snap Downtown Toronto

Thank you to photographer Laura Pop for joining us, and for being so warm and enthusiastic!

A HUGE thank you to all the wonderful people at Snap Downtown Toronto, and I look forward to working with you all again at next years event!