THE VERY LAST "ARCADE" POST

This is the last time I will be posting about this show. No, REALLY! I know you are just sick sick sick to death of hearing about this show. The truth is, when you work so hard getting an exhibition together, you just have to keep shoving it down peoples throats! All in the hopes that you are noticed, and perhaps even bought!! For me, I tend to feel a bit sad when it is over. I get a case of the Post Exhibition Depression. It is kinda like the feeling a bride gets after all the presents are opened, and the honeymoon is over. WAAAA. So for me, once the show is done, I usually get the P.E.D. Which means I am expecting this to wash over in me in a few days. So, before the tsunami of self-pity hits, I want to share a couple more of the pieces in this exhibition.
I have talked a lot about the mixed media pieces in this show. Infact, I have gone on and on about the pinball machines made of repurposed materials with the flashing lights. They were the real show-stoppers. They were a BOATLOAD of work, and truthfully, I am not anxious to do more of these right now. So today I am gonna focus on the 3 paintings that I did for the show.
#1 - Sassony Arcade, 36" x 48"

The back story on this one is that it is taken from a photograph of an actual arcade in Los Angeles. I took a snapshot of this building in Google Maps for you:

As you can see, I took a whole whack of 'artistic liberty' with it. Now don't get me wrong,  I think it is fabulous in its current state of....well.......disrepair. But for this show, I felt it needed to be a bit more glossy and new looking. I worked up a bunch of different photoshopped versions, and the angle just worked!!


#2 "Scarlett Women". Which is 25.5" x 21.5" This one was a lot of fun. I love the colours on this one. Pink is a terrific colour to use. Yes, there is a lot of innuendo in the text on this! I know. Dirty. Thankfully as a gay guy, I can get away without being called a pervery misogynist! It was a lot of fun to do. I got the idea from old ads. 

You see, the pinball manufacturers used to send out ads to their clients whenever a new pinball machine came out. (I guess to make sure that they had all the latest machines??) So EVERY machine ever produced has a flyer-like advert for it. Cool huh?? Here are a couple of examples!

Do you love them or WHAT??

I love the 1950's "Eager Beaver". It is so simple and nicely designed. 

On the other hand the "Cactus Jacks" was obviously a more modern example. I like the high-rise jeans on the ladies.....and the size of the melons in this. RIDICULOUS!

#3 "Rocket Ride" 25.5" x 21.5". This is another large scale version of these ads. The colours in this one are some of my favourites. Teal with red and yellow. YUM!!

So folks, that is all she wrote. That is all the fat lady wrote. I hope you had a chance to come out to Gallery 129 Ossington. If you didn't, you have a few more days:

"Arcade" - runs to Saturday September 25th, 2010

Gallery at 129 Ossington (located at......get ready for it......129 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON)

Gallery Hours: Wed. to Sat. 12 - 6pm or by appointment

And if you can't make it, remember, the unsold work will be there for a few months. You just have to ask to see it! Thanks to everyone for all the positive support on this show. I was really pleased with the work, and I hope to do more work like this in the future. Just not for a few months. WHEW!