BLOG CROXFORD

NEW WORK!!

2012-01-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!
It is Saturday, and I am finally finished my latest painting.
I wish I could work faster - perhaps if I could paint with both hands simultaneously.......
Well....that is something I can work on AFTER The Artist Project:

So this one is slightly different from the others I have been working on....
This one has the same 'poster' look, but it also has a elements from my 'Pin-up Series".

Here are some in progress shots:

I am a rule breaker.
As a rule, you are supposed to paint background to foreground & top to bottom.....
I always start with the lady.
Because she is the biggest challenge for me!!!

In my original drawing, she was riding it like a horse.....with the streetcar between her legs.....

but it was a bit 'unseemly'...

Finishing up her bits and pieces.

BLAM-O. Yes, this is several days later.....
but it still seemed unfinished.....

I tried to make the lady as though she was breaking out of the poster format......

I was happy to find reference for an old TTC ticket (bottom left corner)

I used the "Dymo label" lettering to make it more interesting and to fix the compositional balance by bring the red down to the bottom.

The background is wallpaper-y and has shiny gold pattern to it.

The quote: "Happiness is a way of travel - not a destination" is from Roy M Goodman.

I like what it says, and I like the inherent irony with it - and the reality of actually taking TTC!!!

In the final painting (below) I added trompe l'oeil folds and shadows......and then 'burnished the edges of the canvas to draw your eye into the painting.

Here is the final:

"Travel in Style", 36" x 24", Acrylic on Board, 2012.

What do you think?

Like it??

Remember to come out and see this painting in person on the first weekend in March.

For more details check out The Artist Project 2012!!!!

WW45: MASHED, COLOURIZED AND NOT DULL (but may need his eyes examined)

2012-01-25T06:00:00.024-05:00

Hey y'all.
Well, WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!!
I am working up a new painting despite the fact that my studio is still torn apart!
Here is what my studio looked like on this Monday morning (AFTER the floor was FIXED):

and then post water clean-up yesterday:

AND YET I STILL BLOG FOR YOU!!!!
See how much I care???

OK...let's get to it - 5 things I LOVE this week:

1. DJ Earworm. Yes, You heard me. Do you like that pop music? Do you wish you could hear all the radio hits of today in one song??? Well nobody does it better. I know that mash-up is nothing new, but this guy is super good at mixing songs together. I have been a fan of his since 2009.....Check out his website:

Here one of my favourite of his legendary mash-ups:

Here is the "United State of Pop 2011".....

FUN huh????

2.) Recolouring by swedish artist sanna dull away. She renders iconic black-and-white photographs in colour using Photoshop CS5. She offers a recolouring and restoration service for old photographs, undertook the works-- alongside processing old family photos-- as a personal project. It is, of course totally controversial!! But I LOVE it. I love black and white - don't get me wrong.....I just love the re-invention of the photos through colour!!!

Here is what DESIGN BOON had to say: "It raises questions about "stealing" of culturally significant imagery, as well as the boundaries of what classifies something as art, the recoloured photographs are also technically striking, generally achieving a colour and climate that is not only realistic but also largely consistent with the tonalities achievable or popular at the time."

Anne Frank

‘The American Way’

V-J Day in Times Square’ Alfred Eisenstaedt

Honest Abe

photograph from liverpool's canada dock, 1909, featuring first chief engineer of mauretania john currie

3.) These posters straight from the Library of Congress WPA website! There are HUNDREDS of these and I am just picking a few random ones to show you! The WPA according to wikipedia:

The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects.

These are via Cindy - VIA Retronaut.co

4.) Kim's Convenience. Those of you who know me, know I see very few plays. I see a lot of musicals (probably an unhealthy number of them). So when I was invited to see Kim's Convenience, I was a little worried. When were the people gonna break into song???? Thankfully it was a really good show. Those of you who live in Toronto know Soulpepper theatre....and you know the high quality work they produce there. Here is how they explain the show:

Soulpepper Academy alumnus Ins Choi's hilarious and touching debut play set in a Regent Park Korean convenience store was the smash hit of the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival. The journey of a fractured but loving family confronting the future and forgiving the past is a Toronto classic in the making. Directed by Weyni Mengesha (Soulpepper Academy alumna)

Featuring Clé Bennett, Ins Choi, Esther Jun, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee andJean Yoon

Although it is centred around Korean immigrants who have a corner store in Toronto and the relationship they have with their children...it is about more than that. It was funny and very touching at the end!! I think the themes in it are totally universal and relevant! It runs until February 11th at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill St, T.O., 416-866-8666 or www.youngcentre.ca

Thanks to Shirley for including me in her trip to see this play. It was really appreciated!!!!

5.) I wanted to leave you with a laugh, but I had nothing this week that was funny. NOTHING. But here are 2 clips from Ellen that made my week a little bit better. ONE - I got a laugh from Sofia Vergara (from Modern Family) who is the funniest woman around:

and this clip of Kevin Nealon made me smile too:

So there you go.......

Hope you enjoyed this weeks post!!!

WW44: SHERLOCK, SHOES AND SH*T NOBODY SAYS

2012-01-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

OK....so I am having QUITE A DAY.
I know what you are thinking........
"Rob, shouldn't you be painting? Isn't the Artist Project is only 40 days away!"
YES I SHOULD AND YES IT IS!!
Normally at this point I would be a full-tilt painting machine! Sadly, my studio looks like this:

So......no painting today........NOT TO WORRY FOLKS....

I am fine...all my paintings are fine......but it is a nasty expensive SEWER related mess..........

It is CRAPPY (pardon the pun)!!

BUT I know I have obligations to you, my loyal readers. Yes, I care THAT MUCH!

So here is my Wonderful Wednesday post.......

1.) Ok...so fun fact about me.......I watch A LOT of television. A LOOOOOOTTTTTT! So I consider myself a bit of an expert on...well.....wasting time. I have talked about Sherlock before on WW#24....but I just caught the first episode of the new season. After watching it, I realized something.

So much of the t.v. I watch is worse than the CRAP I just shoveled off my studio floor.....

If you still haven seen season 1...WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR???????????????

I promise you will NOT regret it! There are only 3 (90 minute) episodes in season 1!

I think it is one of the best things I have seen on t.v!!!!

And season 2 has three more 90 minute episodes.......DEELISH!!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!

2.) I also wanted to talk about a t.v. program that I am looking forward to. Now I know, the last time I recommended a show that hadn't actually aired it was DISASTER. I recommended both Pan Am and The Playboy Club. And sadly, they both ended up being a let down. But I am gonna take the chance again and tell you how excited I am about "SMASH".

Why take the chance on something that may be a huge letdown??? Here are the reasons:
a. the cast: Debra Messing, Angelica Houston, Katherine McPhee (from American Idol) and
Megan Hilty (who is a great broadway singer!!!!!!)
b. The plot: "There is more drama behind the scenes than on stage, as the team prepares an ambitious
Broadway musical on the life of Marilyn Monroe." COME ON! Doesn't that sound good??!!!!!!!!!
c. executive produced by Stevie Spielberg! (yes, his friends call him Stevie)
and finally,
d. THIS CLIP:

So let's hope for the best on this one!!! We will have to wait and see it if is as good as I hope it is!!!
It debuts on February 6th on NBC!

3.) Why am I not wealthy? I guess it is good to be Robert Verdi. He requested that Vans make him a few pairs of custom kicks out of his vintage Hermes scarf collection for his personal use. Sadly, these shoes are the only ones of their kind......and I do not own them. SIGH. But I can still admire them (as always click on the pics to see larger versions):

4.) I love this artwork, they are really nicely done! It is collage work by Nancy Goodman Lawrence!! Check out her website HERE! Super good work, huh?

Here is nancy's Bio:

Nancy Goodman Lawrence received a BFA from University of California, Los Angeles in 1971.

Her figurative collages are based mostly on photographic portraits of her family, friends and self, and less often on drawings of models placed in whimsical settings.

Maps are an important resource to her work, less for their capacity to represent geographical spaces than suggest the space that human bodies occupy. Lawrence transforms mountains, oceans, and roads into veins, and tree branches into rug patterns, and clothing.

She is fascinated with psychology and resists the temptation to use particular locations that are relevant to the subject or a part of the subject. Her Circle Study series is an abstract variation on her map theme. In each collage the inner circle of each piece is perfectly round, but the circles become more distorted as they spread out.

Her work has been extensively exhibited in Los Angeles.

5.) Ok...so last week's laugh was sh*t girls say.......I found these 2 companions to that series....I hope you enjoy Sh*t Liza Minnelli Says:

and Sh*t Nobody Says:

so there you go!!

Hope you enjoyed this weeks post!!

THE DRAKE HOTEL: HIPSTER PARADISE

2012-01-14T17:34:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!
Well it's Saturday, and yes, I am busily at work.
Before you feel too bad for me, know that I am a workaholic.
Besides (insert condescending tone here) when you love what you do, it really isn't work.
OK. Now that we have all that covered, I wanna show you my latest painting.
I am getting work ready for The Artist Project:

I have already shared a bunch of the new work....but that is sooo last year!
Here is my latest....I did a couple of progress shots:

It started like the others. With a back ground of 'tiles' like Osgoode Subway Station
my reference is below:

I then started work on the 'poster' part of my composition.
This is it before I age it.

Here it is almost done. But I felt it needed something........

I already had a quote from Eric Hoffer:
"When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other"

I LOVE the quote.
As you might have gotten......I am sorta aiming it at the 'hipster' crowd a bit....
I WILL NOT go on a rant about the 'ironic' big glasses and such.....
I WILL NOT DO IT!!! ;-)
Anyways, I felt the painting was still missing something........so I called a friend.
This is the transcript of that conversation:

ROB: Hey, Lady, I am trying to finish a painting that is kinda making fun of hipsters. But I need to paint a an object on the bottom to finish it off and drive the point home. I was thinking of a coaster with a Hipster bar name on it. Is "The Horseshoe Tavern", "The Rivoli" or "The Cameron House" a hipster hangout?

LADY S: How about "The Drake"?

ROB:Ya.... I already have them represented.

LADY S: I think it is the perfect place

(((insert extended conversation - listing EVERY bar in the city and it's level on the hipst-o-meter scale)))))

ROB: (after a long pause) OH!!!! I GOT IT!!!! Cookie Cutters!

LADY S: I've never heard of "Cookie Cutters" is it new?

ROB: (confounded) Whaaaa? NO. Cookie cutters is NOT a bar. I am gonna paint a pair of cookie cutters on the painting....you get it. right???

LADY S: So there is no "Cookie Cutters"? I was thinking I would like to check that bar out.

ROB: (hangs up phone)

LADY S: Hello??

THE END

So, here it is, The final painting - I am pretty happy with it!!!

"The in Crowd", 36" x 24", Acrylic on Panel.

Whadda YOU think??
Come out and see it at The Artist Project in March.
Ok...one last thing.......when I was googling 'hipsters' I came up with these images that made me laugh out loud...and I need to share them with you:

WW43: SUPER-FRUITY, SUTTON FOSTER AND NASAL IRRIGATION - EW, REALLY?

2012-01-11T07:20:00.001-05:00

1. As you know I have become a weirdo-scavenging-type of artist. I am constantly collecting crap for my mixed media works............But artist Sarah Frost takes it to the extreme!! She creates found object and found form sculpture. Her Qwerty Sculptures consist of thousands (and thousands…) of keys from old qwerty keyboards…It´s a multifaceted ScrapHack, filled with any kind of meaning you want it to be. Sarah´s Qwerty work travels the world, a permanent installation can be found @ The James hotel in NYC. I just love it!!!!

Also......here is her bio:

"Sarah Frost was born in Detroit and grew up in Rochester, NY. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Frost’s work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions regionally, and she has her first show in New York in 2010. She has also received numerous awards and grants, including the inaugural Riverfront Times’ Visual Arts Mastermind award in 2008 and grants from Arts in Transit and the Missouri Arts Council. Most recently she won the Great Rivers Biennial 2010, a grant funded by the Gateway Foundation and solo exhibition at Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis. She currently lives and works in St. Louis."

2.) This bookshelf is FANTASTIC!!! I NEEEEED IT!!!! Check out the site for this product at:
www.mebrureoral.com

3.) The Neti pot. Yes. Really. I know you are thinking....REALLY ROB? Nasal douching??? THIS is something inspirational to you??? THAT is the lame-ist thing to LOVE eh-vah!!! Well, let me tell you, dear readers, when you get sick with some kind of nasal pox.....you will think again about this amazing device. Here's the skinny:

In the pot I have you take water (sterilized) and add a pack of saline.....shake it and then tilt your head and pour it into your nose.......then the amazing thing happens.....it goes through your nasal passages......and then out the other nostril. Yes. You do feel a bit like the 'Fontana di Trevi'......but the relief afterwards is remarkable. Here is a picture...

OK OK...that is NOT RIGHT....

This is what it looks like.......

This is the one I bought.......

Anyways, if you have sinus problems.........I highly recommend it!!!
MOVING ON.......to something a little less gross......
......right from nasal irrigation to Musical theatre...BAM.....

3.) Sutton Foster. I know, I know, she has been on this list before. But I just love her. Not only is she is adorable like a spotted puppy....she is a super talented musical theatre powerhouse. Now, I DID blog about her before HERE when I saw her in "Anything Goes" last year on the Broadway. But I am listening right now to her "An Evening with Sutton Foster Live at the Cafe Carlyle"

...which was taped last year, and is SPLENDID!!!!!! Love her. It shows off her 'zaniness' with her big vocal talent.......This live cabaret special she did was to help pro toe her first albumen 'Wish"

.....which is also very very enjoyable!
I highly recommend her music. I wish I could find her singing "My heart was Set on You' (it is my fave!)
here is another thing from 'Wish':

4.) I normally don't condone drinking.......because I am so pure of spirit and crap like that. But I tried this beer.....I KNOW....BEER.....but before you go all "girl....you don't drink beer......you drink Como's....." let me tell you more about it. It is, like, super fruity (which yes, is also my stage name). It is called "Fruli":

It is yummers. (If you like that kind of thing!)

Find it in your local LCBO HERE.

5.) Ok....so that is it for this week!!! But let me leave you with a laugh.....I think this is super funny. It is called "S**t Girls say". It made me laugh...........(maybe because I hear these things coming from MY OWN MOUTH!!!) Ladies? What say you??

ODDIES AT BRUNCH....

2012-01-09T18:42:00.002-05:00

Hello folks.
We'll, it is Monday, and those who follow me on twitter or facebook know I have been sick with some horrible pox for OVER A WEEK.....hack hack.....sniffle sniffle....honk honk.....
(that's my nose - not a car)
However, I did think I was feeling "better enough" for brunch on Sunday.
I mean heck, with Christmas and New Years and all the 'hoo-ha' it had been WEEKS since I had a decent brunch. UNFORTUNATELY, by the end of the day I was not at my best.....(aka a raging b*tch)
But the day started well.....so here are some of the enjoyable things from the good parts of the day:

Breakfast at 'The Ace" on Roncesvalles.
Yummy and new'ish'!!!
I had fresh grapefruit juice = YUM!

Two strangers discussing antiques outside of "Mrs. Huizenga"

Mrs. H has a way of curating her store.
Can't you just see yourself sitting here drinking tea?

Please take a moment to check out Mrs. H on the world wide web.

I wanted to buy this umbrella! But feared I couldn't carry it off!
Teddy bears are the new black.

Loved this too!!!

Inside Mrs H......sensory overload!!!!!

LOVE IT!

Oh Sybil.........I think the hem of your dress is on fire....
couldn't you see THAT coming??

Remember when Ernie got that bad weave from Susan (I think Susan was the black lady, right?)?
Ok...but seriously, the uplighting makes them all look a little serial killer-y....no?

Love this poster. Great colours......maybe a bit homo-erotic.....

I want to know about the weather experiments this girl is doing.......
Girls doing experiments?? What will they want next...equal rights?? ;-)

More great 'stuff' that I did not buy.

An exit sign. That I also did not buy.
(Are you seeing a theme here?!)

Here are some other things I saw that same brunchy day!!!!

You'll notice that they are EXACTLY the same........
now look at the price.......is it racism?
You tell me.

ME WANT-Y.
Sadly, there is no room at the inn for this metal cabinet.
Insert sigh here.

Weird fishing robot guy.

Authentic Mexican chip and dip set.
Fun fact about Mexican people.......they eat right out of their sombreros!!
On your next vacation, just go up to a local and pour chips and salsa right on their heads...
Oh....they love it!!!! Aye Carumba!

The sign at the store said 'no pictures please'

So I took TWO photos!
Way to stick it to the man, Rob!

Am I wrong.....
The "Super ZAP" is a terrible name!
Other bad names "super hair burner' 'amazing shock machine'

Because you CAN CAN CAN!!!

and speaking of terrible names of machines, I give you "The Multi cylinder diesel injection pump with mechanical regulator" other bad names: "the super pump" the 'amazing shock machine'

I really liked this painting.
Insert joke about his nuts here.

Finally, I leave you with this. I am not sure what the joke is.... I AM SICK!!!
BUT, there is something about the bulge in his wetsuit.....and how they have disguised it ....
It is like his junk has its own light source or something.....
It was weirding me out.
Could have just been the medication wearing off!

That's it.
Back to my blankie and Nettie pot!
See you on Wednesday - I HAVE TO BE BETTER BY THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WW42: CONES, PRISON DANCERS AND FANTASIA GLITZ-KISS

2012-01-04T11:02:00.000-05:00

Hey guys!
I am sick with the plague. But I just didn't want to disappoint my loyal readers.
So...here we go with another Wonderful Wednesday.
Five things that I am enjoying this week:

1.) These lighting fixtures. FINALLY someone makes those HORRIBLE enviro-friendly lightbulbs look good!! Check out the other cool stuff on Alex Garnett's website!!! Special thanks to Cindy for this one (via www.laughingsquid.com)

2.) I LOVE this idea. It is from my spectacular Chiropractor!!! I am gonna try taking a photo a day!

3.) I love the work from London based artist slinkachu. I like the politics of these. Super smart, really gross yet kinda 'cute' - LORD HELP ME FOR USIUNG THAT WORD! Here is his bio:

"My 'Little People Project' started in 2006. It involves the remodelling and painting of miniature model train set characters, which I then place and leave on the street. It is both a street art installation project and a photography project. The street-based side of my work plays with the notion of surprise and I aim to encourage city-dwellers to be more aware of their surroundings. The scenes I set up, more evident through the photography, and the titles I give these scenes aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed. But underneath this, there is always some humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the tiny people in my works."

thanks to www.designboom.com for pointing me to this cool artist!!

4.) Ok....so you remember this video of prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson?

well....look at THIS (it is real!!):

(thanks David for this one!! via www.buzzfeed.com)

5.) Finally to leave you with a laugh....here's a fun game to waste part of your day at work......YOU'RE WELCOME

Your real name:

Rob Croxford

Your detective name (favorite color and favorite animal):

Teal Monkey

Your soap opera name (middle name and street you live on):

Allan Norwood

Your Porn Star name (first pet's name and street you grew up on)

Whisky Bancroft

Your Star Wars name (first 3 letters of last name, first 2 of middle name, first 2 of first, last 3 of last):

Croal Roord

Your Superhero name (Color of your shirt and first item to your immediate left):

The Blue Easel

Your Goth name (black and one of your current or former pets):

Black Whiskey

and I found this one on the internet....and it is kinda not for kids.......

Your Stripper name:

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = Chesty
b = Fantasia
c = Starr
d = Diamond
e = Montana
f = Angel
g = Sugar
h = Mimi
i = Lola
j =Kitty
k = Roxie
l = Dallas
m = Princess
n = Heidi
o = Bambi
p= Bunny
q = Brandy
r = Sugar
s = Candy
t = Raquelle
u = Sapphire
v = Cinnamon
w = Blaze
x = Trixie
y = Isis
z = Jade

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:
a = Leather
b = Dream
c = Sunny
d = Deep
e = Heaven
f = Tight
g = Shimmer
h = Velvet
i = Lusty
j = Harley
k = Passion
l = Dazzle
m = Dixon
n = Spank
o = Glitter
p = Razor
q = Meadow
r = Glitz
s = Sparkle
t = Sweet
u = Silver
v = Tickle
w = Cherry
x = Hard
y = Night
z = Amber

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = hooter
b = horn
c =tower
d = fire
e = thighs
f = hips
g = side
h = jugs
i = shock
j = cocker
k = brook
l = tush
m = sizzle
n = ridge
o = kiss
p = bomb
q = cream
r = thong
s = heat
t = whip
u = cheeks
v = rock
w = hiney
x = button
y = lick
z = juice

Mine is Fantasia Glitzkiss - YEESH...how accurate is that???

What is your best name?????

CREEP OF THE WEEK 5: ARTIST STATEMENTS!

2011-12-31T08:24:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!
Usually I show you a place that has been abandoned and shows no sign of life.
I find the old ruins FASCINATING!!!!
I am not sure what it is about it!
BUT
This week I wanna show you 3 art projects centred around abandoned places...check it out:

In 2008, artist Jennifer Marsh revealed her covered gas station, part of her World Reclamation Art Project. Marsh accepted submissions of 3x3 foot squares from fiber artists all around the world then stitches them together to cover a gas station in Syracuse, NY. The project was meant to bringing attention to the world's dependence on oil. She sees this project as a way to get the community involved in both fiber arts and in a movement towards positive change.

Here is a video of the installation and an interview with Jennifer Marsh:

You can also view images of the individual panels submitted for the project right here.

Cool HUH????
Here is another site specific installation:

Dutch artist Marjan Teeuwen creates eerie, unsettling spaces by reclaiming the wreckage of destroyed abandoned buildings and re-assembling it in studios or museums for aesthetic and artistic effect. She also occasionally creates these installations within the abandoned spaces themselves, at one point hacking down an entire exterior wall and bringing the pieces inside to arrange.
The detritus of life is categorized according to function, texture and color. Holes are cut through walls and floors and rooms are no longer recognizable for what they once were. In one installation entitled ‘Destroyed House’, Teeuwen cut out the walls from a post-war apartment block in Amsterdam and crafted sawed fragments of the building’s doors into partitions.

And Finally....

New York-based photographer Gregory Holm returned to his hometown of Detroit to draw attention to the nation’s housing crisis by coating an abandoned house with a sheet of ice. Called the Detroit Ice House, the project was designed to inspire residents of a city with thousands of vacant homes and a foreclosure rate that is among the nation’s highest.

Working with Brooklyn-based architect Matthew Radune, Holm covered the two-story house – its windows broken and boarded-up — with ice that reflects the sunlight and icicles that reach from the roof almost to the ground. At first, the men used rooftop sprinklers, but those froze in the cold mid-teen temperatures. Eventually, they sprayed the house from fire hydrants via hoses.

Holm and Radune picked the house, which was about to be torn down, from Michigan’s land bank. Additionally, they agreed to pay back taxes on another foreclosed house so a Detroit woman can move into it. The Detroit Ice House will be torn down in spring and the building materials recycled.

“This gives them an opportunity to see something different in their neighborhood,” Holm said. “It’s not saying it’s going to change afterward. But it’s a gift. This has been a real test of will.”

also - check out this 360 of the final project - SUPER COOL!!!

So there you go.

The last Creep of the Week of 2011.

I hope you enjoyed it!!!

Happy New Years All!!!!!

WW41: A YEAR IN REVIEW

2011-12-28T18:07:00.000-05:00

Hello all.
As you may know, at the beginning of each new year, I try to take stock of everything that I was happy with and accomplished in the year.
One of the best things I started last year, was my "Wonderful Wednesday" posts.
This is the 41st entry!!!
So, to commemorate the year in WW's, I give you my 5 most favourite-ist favourite things!!!
(in no particular order)

1.) Muppets. Or more specifically - The Muppet Movie. No surprise there, huh? It seems every week had something that I just loved!! Be it the posters or the trailers or the songs OR THE MERCH!!!!
I mean how can you not love this:

Or how about this:

Or this:

cake pops from www.bakerella.com

Or this....

Or this:

or this:

Or these:

Adidas SuperStars !!!!!!

OOOOR THIIIIIS:

OR THEEEESE...OMG SOMEONE STOP ME!!!

ok.....another FAVOURITE - BEST OF THE BEST Was....

2.) JUNK CULTURE - Every couple of days, this website helps me find GREAT stuff to blog about!!!

Thanks to them for great stuff like this:

or this:

OR THIS:

or this....oh...you get the idea:

3.) NEW YORK CITY. I talked about the City that never sleeps a lot over the weeks!!!! BECAUSE I LOVE IT!!!!!! HERE IS WHY:

Read about the Holiday windows here

READ ABOUT MY AMAZING NYC TRIP HERE and HERE

Read about the foods I ate there HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE

Read all about the billboards of times square here

Read about the unused subway here

So my final recommendation. GO. GO THERE OFTEN.

BE A PART OF IT. NEW YORK NEW YORK!!!!

4.) The Civil Wars. I have told you about them ice this year......so I am not gonna tell you again.

You will have to read about this SUUUUUUPER band that opened for Adele on tour this year!!

I can tell you that they have a indie/folky/singer songwriter kinda vibe and the members are Joy

Williams and John Paul. They are not married...but they have great chemistry and a good backstory!!

BLOG POST 1: http://robcroxford.blogspot.com/2011/06/ww-wonderful-wednesday-without-clever.html

BLOG POST 2: http://robcroxford.blogspot.com/2011/11/ww36-two-repeats-green-building-and.html

CIVIL WARS SITE

and here are a couple of songs I haven't featured before:

This one is Taylor Swift FEATURING them:

(thanks again Dale!)

5.) Finally.......this style of poster art I LOVED a lot this year. Thanks to Eric Tan!!!!

You can see his Disney posters on my blog:

HERE

and HERE

Aldo check out his work on his BLOG!!

Ok....so that is my year end wrap up of WW.

What did you think of this years posts?

Is there a favourite that I forgot??

PLEASE SHARE!!!

THE GREAT CIRCUS MURAL

2011-12-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

Happy ALMOST Christmas y'all!

I wanted to share what I have been doing for the last 3 weeks!!!

I have been painting an EPIC mural in a baby nursery.
Some have called it the Sistine Chapel of baby rooms.

Thanks to my good friend Cindy (please check out her other works HERE)

WE just completed a terrific and super fun mural themed around a vintage circus. She is super talented, and I was very lucky to have her!!!

SO.....about the mural......the client didn't want it too pink or too babyish.......I think the final work is some of the best I have ever done!

Here is the progress of the FOUR WALLS of murals in pictures....enjoy:

In the beginning....

...there is reference up on white walls......

I liked this as reference for the mural...

I also liked this perspective....and the colours....

SOMEONE ELSE'S MURAL.....that I liked the idea of.....

Another mural that inspired me......mostly.....

Thankfully Cindy is MASTER illustrator...and all the animals are from her!!!!

The rough computer rendering of one of the walls

The line drawing of the opposite wall

First all the drapery and bunting went in.......

Then we began to work down the walls

I LOVE how the drapery turned out....
it is a bit more subtle than traditional circus tenting!

Fast forward to near the end......I was UNHAPPY with this - the colours were just too hot.....

So I added blues and pinks and beiges on top......

The final wall. (click on it to make it larger and see all the details!!)
AMAZING......NO???

The opposite wall......i couldn't get it all in....I hope to have a better picture for you soon!!!

I love how the little girl welcomes you to the room!!!!

The key to this mural was all the little special details....like the posters on the fence...

I love this poster.....it took a bunch of time to design!!!

Close up of Cindy's characters.....

The flying pig....LOVE HIM!!

Bear on stilts

Little 'Stella'

So there you have it.
Was it worth 3 weeks? YOU BETCHA!
It just goes to show you that a nursery doesn't need to be AWFUL and pink....
What do you think??

WW40: XMAS

2011-12-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

1.) OK......in the spirit of Chrismas, and list making, there are 3 lists I want you to check out for a laugh maybe save one for each of the next few days?.....(#2 may not be kid friendly)

ONE - Top 12 ugliest Christmas sweaters:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/the-12-all-time-ugliest-christmas-sweaters/

TWO - 21 UPSETTING Holiday ornaments!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hgrant/21-upsetting-christmas-tree-ornaments

THREE - 35 Awesome Holiday Album covers:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/35-awesome-holiday-album-covers

2.) “Christmas in America” is Jesse Rieser's photographic exploration of the big festive day! This is a Christmas that is complex and at times, uncomfortable. It’s awkward and sometimes bleak. But it is also sincere and celebratory, colorful and creative. Here is how he explains it:

"Initially inspired by the absurdity of a five story inflatable Santa who appeared to be guarding a tree lot, I have launched this survey of uniquely American Christmas traditions. “Christmas in America” is an unvarnished examination of the ways people mark the holiday’s meaning. "I am excited to share my latest series, Christmas in America, Happy Birthday, Jesus. This new series is an on-going effort which will take place in a different city and region every year. The first chapter takes me to the state of Arizona where my family now resides. Like all personal series, I have collaborated with celebrated fine art photography consultant and educator, Mary Virginia Swanson for my final edit. Click here to see the series in its entirety explaining the concept and themes behind my project."

3.) AS many of you may know, I LOVE cookies. Truthfully, I love ANY kind of sweet.....but I give you a a few cookies that I love this holiday season!

My sister made these ADORABLE holiday mice from chocolate and cherries, a hershey's kiss and some almond slivers! Aren't they adorable??

The rest of these are from Bakerella! (check out here site AGAIN!!)

4.) There is NOTHING like Christmas in the city. New York City especially!! Check out these SPECTACULAR 2011 holiday windows in NYC!

Barney's ode to Gaga

BERGDORF GOODMAN'S - "Carnival of the Animals" Windows this year:

Sak's 5th Ave

Or maybe you might enjoy this display on the outside of Sak's

Finally, I give you Macy's!

Thanks to http://www.infofornyc.com for these photos!!!

OK THIS ONE IS NOT FOR KIDS!!!

Sorry A.I.N.B.

(there is excessive swearing!)

5.) Finally....I give you "Twas the night before Christmas". Ok....so it is the "Drunk
History" version......but still, it is pretty festive!! (If you haven't seen the other 'Drunk History' episodes.....treat yourself to THAT this Christmas!!!

WW39: BAGGAGE, STAIRS AND GAGA AGAIN!!!

2011-12-14T13:36:00.001-05:00

1.) I know - it always Muppets and Gaga....but I had to post this one!!! The Lady Gaga holiday workshop - now at Barneys New York flagship on Madison Avenue. Barneys worked closely with Lady Gaga and stylist Nicola Formichetti to design a range of special editions items which are only available for a limited time at Gaga's Workshop. One entire floor in Barneys New York has been converted to hold all of these Gaga-inspired products! You might enjoy a Gaga face cookie, or fingerless moto gloves with spikes and studding...although you may feel the need to buy handmade press on nails (designed by Naomi Yasud - Gaga's nail artist) or perhaps an avant garde boot stocking modeled after Gaga's iconic 10 inch platform heel-less boots! For those of us with less $$ to spend, you can snatch up one of Gaga's favorite books, which includes Matilda and James and the Giant Peach, wrapped in specially designed book covers.
Here are some pictures!!!

Check out more photos at www.buzzfeed.com
(thanks for finding this one Cindy!!)

2.) Do you like that good 'ol rock and roll? The kinda music that moves your sole? Wanna reminisce about the days of 'ol? Try out Memphis (the Musical)!
DANCAP brings the Tony Award winning musical to Toronto until the 23rd of December.
It is a fun and interesting (and high energy) show. I recommend it!!! Here is how DANCAP describes it:

TURN UP THAT DIAL...From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes a hot new Broadway musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, MEMPHIS is about a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves -- filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock 'n' roll.

Here is a sample of the music from the Tony's (written by David Bryan from Bon Jovi) it is toe-tappy:

3.) Hate doing stairs, but love doing roller coasters?? Read about it....and then put your peepers on this:

"This walkable, large outdoor sculpture Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain is currently in construction on the Heinrich Hildebrand Höhe in Duisburg Wanheim (D). It overtops the plateau with the artificially heaped-up mountain by 21m | 23yd so the visitor can rise by more than 45m | 49yd above the level of the landscape and enjoy an impressive view over the Rhine.

The curved flight of stairs inscribes like a signature on the landscape and recruits the nimbus of the classical roller coaster. Having a closer look, the public is disappointed in a disarming way. The visitor climbs on foot via differently steep steps the roller-coaster-sculpture. So the sculpture subtly and ironically plays with the dialectic of promise and disappointment, mobility and standstill. Visitors happen to briefly meet with oncoming visitors on the steep and about 1m | 1yd wide corridors."

Read more about it and see more FANTASTICO images HERE

Thanks to www.boingboing.net for this one!!!

4.) You think you have baggage!? Check out these SPECTACULARLY impractical luggage pieces that are surely gonna be destroyed by Air Canada!!!! Check out their website at http://www.williams-handmade.com/collections.html

5.) Leaving you with a laugh.....as usual. This is a snippet from the new BBC show from Ricky Gervais "Life's too Short"....THIS IS NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY.....but it made me laugh.

Thanks for this one too Cindy!!!

There you go!!!
Hope you enjoyed today's post!

THE COLLECTIVE

2011-12-09T19:49:00.000-05:00

Hey Y'all!!!
I am busy....busy....busy....but not too busy to cram in one last art show before the end of the year!
Come on out to:

The Collective is a gathering of creative artists and artisans for
12 days in December, from December 8 to December 19, 2011
at Triangle Gallery, 38 Abell St., Toronto, Ontario.
Gallery hours 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Come out and see lots of work for $100. or less!!!!
A great little show!!!!

WW:38 - NO MORE MUPPETS!!!! SERIOUSLY!

2011-12-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

This post is late.....sorry folks!! It is a BUSY time for me! I am working on an EPIC mural in a nursery - I will post pictures later in the week!!!!

Also...now that I am re-reading this post, it seems to be a post all about the "-y"......HEY...fun party game.......take a drink of holiday schnapps each time I add a 'y' onto the end of word:

1.) Ok.....I know what you are thinking..... Rob, enough with the GD Muppets already!!!! You are getting a bit stalker-y about them. But, I had to share these with you. They combine 2 of my favorite things.....Muppets and CAKE!! CAAAAAAAAAKE! This lady is a SUPER-FANTASTICO baker! Check out these "Muppet Pops"! AND be sure to check out all the other cool stuff on her blog!! http://www.bakerella.com (Thanks for finding this one Cindy!!)

2.) Sketch Glasses. Ok, if you know me, you know I have several pairs of glasses. No......not in an Elton John kind of way....ok.......maybe a bit Elton-y!! But check these cool designs for specs by masaki komoto

out!!!

3.) Here's the thing. I want to be frank. I am not a fan of the Mayor if Toronto. I do not want to be negative in my blog...and like my momma used to say "if you can't say anything nice........" so before I get all preach-y and political-y I will let these photos speak for themselves!!! Here he is at a football game......

YES. THIS IS REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

not AS real........mostly......

the nutcracker

you're a good man.......

no comment

A brain, a home, a heart, the nerve.

Can an ice hockey rink crack??

4.)This one is for Lisa and Lucy (and also for Mark B) I give you.....the Disney Princesses:

See more of these here!!

5.) To leave you with another bit of happiness........I give you the gift of Lenka:

YOU'RE WELCOME!
Check out her site at: http://www.lenkamusic.com/'

There you go!
I hope you enjoyed these 5 fun things!!!!!!!!
(Sorry it was so late today!)
Later gaters!

CREEP OF THE WEEK 4: BATTLESHIP ISLAND

2011-12-02T09:19:00.000-05:00

This is Gunkanjima, Japan, also known as “Battleship Island.” It once had the densest population in the entire world: 1.4 people per square meter. CRAZY HUH????? Think of it this way......if you were a fatty on Battleship Island, there would technically be another person partially INSIDE of you! Yes. That is science!!!! Ok..but seriously.....

Battleship Island was built during World War II (thus all the concrete reinforcements,) and still stands largely intact to this day. It’s strictly off limits to the public, though sometimes adventurous photographers do sneak into it to take pictures like these, at which point they’re presumably murdered by the world’s densest population of angry spirits.

Here is what Wikipedia had to say about it:

Hashima Island (端島^?, or correctly Hashima, as -shima is Japanese for island), commonly called Gunkanjima or Gunkanshima (軍艦島; meaning Battleship Island), is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself.

The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It has been administered as part of Nagasaki city since 2005; it had previously been administered by the former town of Takashima.

It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from undersea mines. They built Japan's first large concrete building (9 stories high),^[1] a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers (many of whom were forcibly recruited labourers from other parts of Asia) and to protect against typhoon destruction. According to a South Korean commission, the island housed 500 Koreans who were forced to work between 1939 and 1945, during World War II.^[2]

In 1959, the 15-acre island's population reached its peak of 5,259, with a population density of 835 people per hectare (83,500 people/km², 216,264 people per square mile) for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare (139,100 people/km²) for the residential district.

As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it is called Ghost Island.^[3] Travel to Hashima was re-opened on April 22, 2009 after 35 years of closure.^[4]

Ok....and here are some pictures......CREEEEEEEEEPY ONES!!!

ALSO CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO:

There you go...another creep of the week for you!!!!

I hope you enjoyed it!

WW:37 - MUPPETS, MURALS AND JOSEPHINE CLEO

2011-11-30T08:08:00.001-05:00

Hey all.......I am CRAZY busy right now finishing some work for Maple Leaf Gardens, and starting a new mural in a baby nursery..........so I have to keep this one short and sweet.
I didn't want to disappoint YOU loyal reader....so here is a quick Wonderful Wednesday post!!!!
ENJOY!!!

1.) josephine cleo's Holiday Snidings.

Ok, maybe I am biased, but last year Ms. Cleo had a FANTASTIC show in London........it was a night of laughs and tears. More importantly, it was a night full of fantastic music sung by a talented lady! Josephine Cleo returns to the Wolf Performance Hall on December 10th, bringing her powerhouse vocals and signature wit to present “Holiday Snidings”, a night of celebrating the things we all love-to-hate about the holidays! Holiday horror stories (the funny kind), mixed with classic carols, Josephine’s original songs, some great cover tunes and giveaways worth over $500, this is a night of fun you don’t want to miss!

Featuring the immensely talented Zach Havens on the piano, and the amazing creative stylings of guitarist Michael Wismer, this refreshing show will keep you entertained from start to finish! Buy your tickets now to ensure your spot--misery loves company!

So if you live in the London area - or anywhere within a car drive you MUST BUY A TICKET - Heck, buy 10! You wont be disappointed - I promise you!

Here is the hard sell:

2.) The record was beaten yesterday, on the World Guinness Record Day, as the 1,160.4 metres square and 106.5m long painting was unveiled showing a breathtaking waterfall and rocky outcrops in a deep canyon image.

These guys.....3d Joe and Max do really super work....make sure to check out their website!!!!

Here is a little movie about the making of it:

Here are a couple of others 3-d murals that they have done:

3.) I like this dish ware!! For those of you who cannot make up your mind on a china pattern! The Hybrid Collection from the Italian company Seletti is a series of plates, bowls, mugs and cups and saucers designed by CTRLZAK that show the juxtaposition of Eastern and Western porcelain in one piece. Each piece features two styles with a colored dividing line down the center. The collection is quirky and colorful and will definitely be a conversation piece at the table. Read more at Design Milk:

http://design-milk.com/hybrid-collection-from-seletti/#ixzz1f3RnQ3mJ

4.) The Muppet Movie. I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THIS MOVIE. I loved it. Super cute!

I am not gonna give anything away...except this:

If you can't love the muppets......well.....I just feel bad for you!!! ;-)

5.) Last item this week....SEQUINS!!!!!!!!! Or rather amazing pixelated depictions of nature in urban settings by Theresa Himmer created out of thousands of sequins. I think these are fantastic.....and I want one on my house. Or is it too much!!!???? Thanks to

Ok...that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed this weeks rushed....but still interesting post!!!!

CREEP OF THE WEEK 3: ESSEX MOUNTAIN SANATORIUM

2011-11-25T08:35:00.000-05:00

Hello...hello....hello.....
This week I wanted to share another creepy place........
This one is especially creepy!!!
The Essex Mountain Sanatorium opened in 1902 as the Newark City Home for Girls. With tuberculosis spreading through Newark, the site was converted into a sanatorium in 1907, against the wishes of local residents. Its location at the highest point in Essex County was believed to be beneficial and the facility was known for its high recovery rate before it closed in 1977.

MORE HORRIBLE STORIES ABOUT IT HERE!!

It has been left to rot....here are some photos:

and here are two creeeeeepy videos:

or this link to actual footage of the interior of the building do NOT watch it alone...at night....:

http://youtu.be/VmcDCuK_1bI

There you go......are you creeped out yet?????

What do you think of the creep of the week post? LIKE IT? HATE IT?

I wanna know!!!

WW36: TWO REPEATS, A GREEN BUILDING AND THE ETIQUETTE NINJAS

2011-11-23T06:23:00.002-05:00

ok....I am busy working for the man this week.....so I am gonna let the pictures speak for themselves....with some commentary from me.........here we go:

1.) I hate repeating myself......but a week ago I went to see The Civil Wars in concert with Cindy and Dale. THEY WERE F^%&*ING AWESOME. I loved that they sounded PERFECT live. I loved that they were so funny in beween songs. And I loved that they seemed legitimately happy to have us there watching them. I featured them in this post...(go back and read it)

They are an indie/folky/singer songwriter kinda vibe. The duo composed of Joy Williams and John Paul. They are not married...but they have great chemistry and a good backstory. They were solo artists from the same record company - and didn't know each other when the label put them together to write music. The rest is history. They are so GREAT together!!!! I love their album BARTON HOLLOW

Such great onstage energy......dontcha think??

I also love this little cover tune of the Jackson 5 tune...I think I like it better than the original:

2.) This SUPER building that is going up in Milan. I LOVE green buildings...and the idea of vertical environments...but this one is especially amazing:

AMAZING, huh?

"'Bosco verticale', two residential towers by italian architect stefano boeri of milan-based studio stefano boeri architetti within the metropolitan center of milan, italy. the concept of reforestation within the city context intends to minimize the expansion of established urban fabric for additional green spaces while still increasing biodiversity which has been lost during development. the implementation of this project serves as a model for contemporary european cities for linking a building with nature within city limits. "

Those Italians.......insert inappropriate "wood" joke here.

"reaching 110 and 76 meters in height, the four sides of each structure will place over 900 mature trees on display to nearby
residents and onlookers. the facades are lined with staggered concrete balconies which will become the planting boxes for
the various shrubs, plants and trees. ranging from 3, 6 and 9 meters tall, the species of the selected vegetation have been carefully
chosen to withstand the increasing wind forces at successive levels. to place the green spaces on flat land, the necessary amount
of land would occupy 10,000 square meters in a natural forest and 50,000 square meters in a residential setting. "

What it looks like right now!

Thanks again to DESIGNBOOM for this one......read the article and see more pictures HERE!!!

3.) Etiquette Ninjas. This is amusing to me. Check out their site HERE. Here are 2 of my favourites............They BOTH remind me of someone I know......but I don't wanna name names (no they are not the same person):

4.) This table I found really charming. ok.....so many of you are gonna hate on it.....but give it a chance.....it just wants to be loved........like a tender youngster who has lost his parents in the forrest.....
Ok. I give you "the Bambi Table" Go on....I dare you to hate it!! it is designed by Caroline Olsson...oh those crazy Norwegians!!

Sit

up......

......stand!
NO WATCH OUT FOR THAT HUNTER!!!!!!!

Well? Can you 'stand' it? (Get it???) Check out the other cool stuff on her site or check out Emily Forgot's blog for other goodness!!

5.) I am gonna end in a repeat too....I KNOW I SUCK....but here is why I repeat.....why I repeat.....I mentioned this guy early on with his "how to steal like an artist" column......read it HERE.
But this week I wanna feature him for his ongoing project "De-Signs". Writer and artist Austin Kleon created a series of iPhone snapshots of signs redacted into clever one-liners. Austin explains, "I really think of myself as a cartoonist: a writer who draws. Words and images aren't separate for me. I actually think we're all wired to see pictures and words together." It is super clever!!!!!!!!! Check out these:

See more of them on his blog HERE - some of them are just fantastic!!!!!
Thanks to Junk Culture for leading me to this guy!
So that is it.
Hope you enjoyed yourself!
Later gaters!

DAY JOB

2011-11-21T15:50:00.007-05:00

Hello all....
I wanted to share some photos of the work that I am doing during the days right now.
Normally I am very blessed and do not have to work on other work that isn't my art...........
but this opportunity was irresistible.

I am helping to ready the Maple Leaf Garden Loblaws......for those of you who know nothing about this project - read this article from The Sun for the details of the build.

Currently I am helping a friend finish the "wall murals" in the parking garage.
I know - GLAMOUROUS!!!!
It is long C-O-L-D hours of manual labour - but the good news?
CARDIO!!!
I am super grateful to be a part of turning the Gardens into an overpriced grocery store!
Here I am ready to paint!

Here is one of the walls before.....

I cannot show you the after until the store opens.......or I would have to kill you........

Here are some arty shots (thanks to Cindy for letting me show these!!!)

and here is a shot of one of the hallways......OOOOH GLAMOUROUS:

Ok.....that's it!!
Oh except this picture of me....in a harness holding the WORLD'S LARGEST BALL OF TAPE!!!!!!!!

You can see the fruits of my labour in December of this year!!

Come for the murals......stay for the frozen foods!!

SUBWAY ENCHANTMENT

2011-11-18T11:23:00.000-05:00

OK!!!!!
Another new painting.
It is similar to the last 2....read about those awesome paintings HERE and HERE
Here you go.......

This time, I decided to take my inspiration from the TTC subway system.
The poster part is inspired by this photo of the The Bloor Viaduct in Toronto, ON.
(officially it is called the Prince Edward Viaduct) here is the wiki-description:

The viaduct connects Bloor Street East to Danforth Avenue on the east and spans the Don River Valley, crossing over (from west to east) the Bayview Avenue Extension, the Don River, and the Don Valley Parkway. The roadway has five lanes (three eastbound and two westbound) with a bike lane in each direction. The subway level connects Broadview Station in the east with Castle Frank Station to the west.

NOT SO Fun fact about the viaduct.......

With nearly 500 suicides by 2003, the Viaduct ranked as the second most fatal standing structure in the world, after the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. At its peak in 1997, the suicide rate averaged one person every 22 days. This prompted the construction of a suicide barrier in 2003 called the Luminous Veil.

The poster kinda pokes fun at the fact that "the views" that can "only be seen by Subway".....as you may know - this is one of the few places that has ANY view from the underground subway system. And it is kinda terrible that the sight you see is also a 'suicide bridge'.

YOU MUST read this VERY COOL article about the building of bridge.
(Don't worry - there are lots of pictures with it!!)

http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/09/the_birth_of_the_bloor_viaduct/

Ok...back to my painting......again, I tried to make it look like an old travel poster.

The background this time is tile from Castle Frank Station:

The quote "Distance lends enchantment to the view." is from Mark Twain.

I think it works well on this piece!!

So there ya go!!

Another piece ready for The Artist Project 2012!

http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/09/the_birth_of_the_bloor_viaduct/

WW35: 7 MINUTES IN HEAVEN, FLYING HORSES AND A NEW BRAIN

2011-11-16T06:03:00.001-05:00

WELCOME ALL!
It's wednesday.....(actually it is the Saturday BEFORE Wonderful Wednesday as I write this.......way to get ahead of things Robbo!)
Anyway, here are 5 things that I LOVE this week....
(or that I will love - when Wednesday actually comes along!)

1.) This week's artist the I am wowed by is Maurizio Cattelan. He is kind of a big-time artist for me to feature......but this installation at the Guggenheim is just so.......WOW. That is all I can say!!

Here is his bio:
(b. 1960, Padua, Italy. Lives and works in New York and Milan.) Maurizio has exhibited at Skulptur Projekte, Münster (1997), the Tate Gallery, London (1999), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2003) and the Museum Ludwig, Cologne (2003), and participated in the Venice Biennale (1993, 1997, 1999, and 2002). He was a finalist for the Guggenheim's Hugo Boss prize in 2000, received an honorary degree in Sociology from the University of Trento, Italy, in 2004, and was also awarded the Arnold-Bode prize from the Kunstverein Kassel, Germany, that same year.

It is like the worlds largest and creepiest mobile!!!!

Enlarge this one to see the lady holding her boobs.

Yes....a real taxidermic horse.
REAL!!!!!!!!!

Yes....the real taxidermic Pope.

Yes......the real taxidermic Pinocchio.
(ok - that is the last time I use that joke)

MIRACULOUS.

Thanks to DESIGNBOOM for this one......read the article and see more pictures HERE!!!

2.) For your home.......I like these camera lights. I like anything retro...but these are neat! Dan Riodan (Chicago) has created these LED-powered table lights......

There is a waiting list....because they are pretty cheap too!!!!!!! GET ONE HERE!!!

3.) Ok. So to keep myself working I always have my music on. Often I am listening to show tunes. I cannot help but LOVE a musical. I am not ashamed of it. SO THERE. Here is my musical loving suggestion........PLEASE NOTE....this is a suggestion for the 'hard-core' musical lover. I mean, it is great music...but it ain't "Joseph and the blahbity blah Dreamcoat" easy......ok so it is a little show called "A New Brain". Here are a couple samples:

Here is what it is about:

A New Brain is a musical with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Finn and James Lapine.

Though many of Finn's previous musicals were to some extent autobiographical, A New Brain dealt directly with his own harrowing personal experience with arteriovenous malformation and the healing power of art. The hero, Gordon, worries that he may not live to complete his work. Finn wrote many of the songs soon after his release from the hospital.

Gordon Schwinn, a talented young songwriter, works at his piano to meet a deadline. Gordon is irritated because he must write a song about Spring for a children's television entertainer who dresses as a frog. He takes a break from his writing and meets his agent Rhoda at a restaurant for pasta. During lunch, Gordon clutches his head and falls face first into his meal. Rhoda calls an ambulance, and Gordon is taken to the hospital. He learns that he has an arteriovenous malformation. Gordon needs an operation, and if he doesn't have it, he could die or never regain the use of his faculties.

While in the hospital, Gordon contemplates his situation. His greatest fear is dying with his greatest songs still inside of him; and so from his hospital bed, and while in a coma, and all throughout his ordeal, he begins writing the songs. He also has several hallucinations that involve various people whom he has encountered. In particular, a homeless lady that he met on his way to get pasta with Rhoda continually pops up.

Gordon eventually has the surgery and recovers completely. The creative block he was experiencing before his ordeal lifts, and he gains new insights. His near death experience encourages him to re-evaluate and better appreciate the people and relationships in his life.

Sounds depressing - but it isn't. It is supra good. Oh...and did I mention the soundtrack features the incomparable Kristin Chenoweth...it also has Norm Lewis....who is pitch perfect in that 'sailing' song also the remarkable Malcolm Gets and Mary Testa as the crazy homeless lady....LOVE IT......LOVE IT!!!!!
Ok...one last clip - but only the biggest, most HARD CORE musical-files will like this clip from the original cast (Malcolm and Kristin are in this clip):

4.) OK...normally I don't like to show you 2 things that are similar - but this is also for your house....YOU MUST LOVE THESE:

Egg carpet = GENIUS.
Just image waking up some morning - still hungover and trying to eat this carpet.

Fun and games for the whole family.
I am sure it does not lead to smashing lamps and such!

I assume this carpet doesn't come with the bikini girl or the other 2 losers!

More carpet munching goodness. Yes. I said it!

Check out these other ridiculous carpets.

5.) I thoroughly enjoy "7 minutes in heaven"....not the game.....ok...the game too....but the clips from Youtube. I laugh EVERY time!!! Mike O’Brien has been an SNL writer since 2009. He and a fellow writer are the clever bastards responsible for the brilliant Juggalo-parodying Kickspit Underground Rock Festival sketch. O’Brien debuted a new web series called 7 Minutes in Heaven, in which he invites famous people into his makeshift closet for a title-defying four-and-a half-minutes. It’s super-ass funny!!!

IF THAT DOENT MAKE YOU LAUGH......I do not know what will.

I feel terrible for you...and your overwhelming sadness. ;-)

So...there you have it for another week!!!

Comments are always welcome!

THE ROYAL TREATMENT

2011-11-14T07:59:00.013-05:00

Hey!!

Well, I got a complaint last week that my post wasn't funny enough.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???
Damn it, I'm an artist not a clown!
Ok...I am a bit of both.
So I am gonna try to dazzle you today with a dazzling display of humorous happenings!
As you may know, I have been showing a piece in the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair art Competition for the past 3 years. Each year I try to do something that is distantly my flavour - but that really stands out in the sea of water-coloured cow, horse and chicken paintings.
(Not that there is anything wrong with a lovely pig painting or still life of Ontario produce -
it's just not my speed!!!)

So...here are my observations from The Royal this year......enjoy....hopefully it amuses you!

Here is my piece - read all about it on THIS BLOG POST

LOVE this piece by Cindy Scaife!!

look beyond the blurriness......in the foreground The Royal Art Competition......
The net booth over........"art" that can be bought 3 for $99.00
AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS THIS IS A BIT INSULTING???

Ok...normally I avoid the "The SuperDogs" show.....but I was with a group who were keen to see the show. Majority rules. SIGH.

Ok....am I crazy.....or is it a bit disturbing that people/dogs
enter from between a dogs legs?

For those of you who have somehow gotten through life without seeing it.....it is really.....well..... something.......

These next pictures are terrible....but you get the flavour of the show!

A dog jumps......

...a dog jumps higher....

...dog jumps highest.
THRILLING!!

OK.....so here's the thing.
I am not a super fan of animals. I am not really a dog lover.
I am also not a fan of small children kicking me in the back and screaming in my ear for 30 minutes.
I know, I sound like Scrooge.....or the Grinch....but....that's how I roll.
The only thing that made the show worth seeing for me was the announcer - each year he would have a crazy suit......BUT THIS YEAR HE WAS NOT THERE!!! I was very upset!
I decided to do my best Jessica Fletcher...........when I got home I googled him to find out when he was fired!!!!! I was expecting scandal.....

NO ONE wears lamé quite like this!

Alas.....not so much.
His name is Herb Williams and he was not only the announcer.....but the FOUNDER of "The SuperDogs" show!
And he retired. Here is why I was amused by him:

Herb had natural style.....

....had panache.....

...could appear in a puff of smoke.....

......knew how to wear sequins....

...and was generally SUUUUUUUUPER.....
(ok this one isn't Herb.........or IS IT?

Here are some more photos of big fruits:

Nothing like big melons!

Try carving THIS one!!

This looks more like a papasan chair to me.....EW!

Cool looking....

Mutant carrots....

Something purple....

GROSS LOOKING WARTY PUMPKIN!

YOU KNOW HOW I LOOOOOOOOVE BUTTER SCULPTURE....

Here, a butter artist at works.

Sculpted by an Ontario College of Art and Design student.

Yes, I believe there is a WHOLE COURSE dedicated
to butter sculpting at OCAD!

After a long pause at the butter, I move on to this booth.

There is always a section of the fair dedicated to farming and the products that use farm produce:

One of these things is not like the others!!!!

This made me VERY uncomfortable.

The Farmers Feed Cities Booth......it is blurry.....
as I was in a hurry to get to this booth.....

Baked caramel apple. YUUUUUMERS!

Ok....so also at the show, we spent a bunch of time with the animals:

I know this is terrible, but the first thing I thought was
"oh man, that would be a stunning carpet!"

Lamb fashion!!!

The seldom photographed invisible goat.

The hairpiece rodent.
JUST KIDDING......it is a Guinea Pig...or "Cavy"

The "Santa beard" Cavy.

Another ridiculous animal!
I went to high school with a girl whose hair looked like this!
I WILL NOT NAME NAMES!

Insert funny comment here! Like:
"my home sweet home"

I like how this donkey is like
"oy...what a day...."

I was really DISTURBED about this!
It looks like a sheep Klan meeting.
YIKES!

There were lots of other things that disturbed me......

Really? The Pizza Pizza petting farm?
I tried ordering a pizza with chicken, goats cheese and Llama....

I don't like this at all.
Chocolate puck sounds kinda like bathroom humour.
SORRY!

Not sure this Robert Kincade painting isn't copywriter infringement!

In the men's bathroom - there is some kind of communication
between the flat face robot and the urinal!

So, that is the big trip.......at the end we stopped at the Antiques section of the fair before leaving:

I LOVE THIS!!!

I love these too!!!

What do you think? Looks like fun, huh?
As always, I love your comments!
Until Wednesday.......see ya!

WW34: RETRO LIGHTS, NEW YORK AND THE SUPER PAC

2011-11-09T10:49:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all......I really like the stuff on this blog today.....enjoy!!!

1.) This SUUUPER cool lighting. COME ON!!!!!!! the first 4 are taken from a great blog called

Recylart - check thier blog out! All 5 are made from cool recycled materials!

reverbere.blogspot.com

Skinflint Design

2.) Cat Power. I heard this really awesome version of "New York, New York" (the Kander and Ebb tune) in a movie - although I forget which movie! ;-) AND I LOVE IT! It is cool and spooky!! She has an album of cover tunes (called Jukebox)......but then also has a new album HERE!

3.) THIS is FONT-ASTIC!!!!!!!!!! (click on it to make it larger)

http://www.behance.net/gallery/MEKKANIKA/2335016

"Mekkanika is a typeface inspired by old mechanics technical drawings, the steampunk visual world, and modern machinery, mixed and merged all together to form letters completely made by these elements, creating a mechanical look like typeface. All based on the letter shapes of the Din Alternate Black font. And it's the direct sequel to an old work of mine, THE MATRIX STEAM. "

4.) Kawahara Kazuhiko - is my artist of the week. He does cool photography...there is a little write up

after the pics...(click the images to make them larger - you really MUST!!!! And read the little blurb

about the whole concept (and check out his website!)

Kawahara Kazuhiko is a Japanese Architect and photographer along with the Vortograph photography movement. Vortograph is the first completely abstract kind of photograph, it is composed of kaleidoscopic repetitions of forms achieved by photographing objects through a triangular arrangement of three mirrors. Alvin Langdon Coburn, a member of the Photo-Secession group and a pioneer in nonobjective photography, invented vortography in 1917 and remained the principal advocate and practitioner of the technique. Check out his website where he goes under the name of palla. www.pallalink.net/

5.) Let's end today with a laugh..........maybe not for youngsters............

Stephen Colbert makes me laugh my arse off usually - but I have never seen him go 'andy-coop' and

have a laughing fit!