NEWS! THE ARTIST PROJECT AND MORE!

Wow. What a borrrrrrrring  blog post title!!
Gimme a break....it's Friday!
So.....I wanted to share another new piece of art that I just finished for this years 'The Artist Project'.
If you don't have any idea what that is......TAP is:
It is my big indoor art show for the year.....

Hours

Thursday:  7PM – 10PM (Opening Night, 19+ Event)

Friday:  12PM – 8PM
Saturday:  11AM – 8PM
Sunday:  11AM – 6PM

Venue Location

Booth #631 http://www.theartistprojecttoronto.com/

Better Living Centre
195 Princes’ Boulevard, Exhibition Place
Toronto, ON

Cost

Here is a link to get half price on the opening night, $12 instead of $25, there will be drinks, food, music and well, art. The discount for the opening night is good today only.

http://www.teambuy.ca/en/toronto/28144970

Here is a link for $7 tickets instead of $15, not for the opening night. You can buy tickets anytime using this promotion code.

Enter TAPEX13 into the “Promotion Code” field

https://www.microspec.com/tix123/eTic.cfm?code=TAP2013&disc=TAPEX13#.URqE0KU80po

Read more about The Artist Project in THIS POST!
Ok......so here is the latest painting....

"Judgement", 24" x 18", Acrlyic on mixed media.

So....the landscape is of The Evergreen Brickworks here in Toronto.
To read more about The Brickworks check out my blog post about it!!!
The bottom is painted on wood and (although you cant tell in this photo) it is bowed out.
These 3 buildings (Castle Loma, The old City Hall and Massey Hall) are all ones that have been built using bricks from Don Valley Brickworks.
The Quote is from Dr. Wayne Dyer......who is super smart! (And very much alive - unlike most of the authors of the quotes I use.)
And the band at the top is based on an Art Nouveau flowers/leaf pattern.
Ok.....so come out and see it next week at TAP!!

ALSO......I am mentioned in a Q&A on the Spacing Toronto Blog today!!!!

READ IT HERE!
I have a few more things I was gonna share today...but I think that is enough.....I will mention the rest on MONDAY! Have a great weekend y'all!

WW96: CHRISTMASSED!

Hey folks...I know I have been not too great with my posting in the last week......Christmas has a way of gumming up the works........ya know???
BUT..........I give you 5 things I love this week:

1.) Wow. I love this one. Yusuke Oono's amazing laser cut book opens out to reveal a beautiful three-dimensional diorama. He is "expressing scenes from a story in a three-dimensional way using the pages of a book". It is amazing - enbiggen the photos below to be impressed!!!

(Thanks to spoon tamago for this one!)

2.) I made these Christmas cookies.....I realized this week that I REALLY am a terrible baker....thankfully these cookies make it idiot proof!!!!! Melted Snowmen...are delightful!!!

              - make any kind of cookies - then let them cool!!
              - melt a marshmallow in the microwave and drop it on the cookie (5 sec will do it)

              - use mini-cocolate chips for eyes, and a orange jimmy for a nose, and a hat!!!

                (do it while the mallow is gooey) I made my hats from a mini Reese peanut butter cup, and a 

                chocolate looney (also available at the Bulk Barn)

              - heat up royal icing (or buy tubes of pre-made from - guess where - the Bulk Barn!) and pour 

                over cookie...to look like the melting body! 

              - add some buttons (chocolate chips) and two pretzel arms

You can make these super fancy if you are an accomplished baker/decorator - BUT I AM NOT!!

Here are someone else's:

Good for them!

Easy and fun baking for the whole family!!

3.)  Whilst we are in a Christmassy mood....I give you this...yes.....it is a commercial......but I enjoyed it!

Did it make me want to get T-moblie??

Mission accomplished!!!!!

4.) Ok.....here is a great gift idea.......it is a two parter......but totally great.

     Part one.......I make a personalized cover for my phone:

Gelaskins..........great ways to personalize your phone....for me....I got the stickers......of my artwork.....

and then applied them to my phone. You can get a hard case or a soft case OR the stickers.

I like the stickers because they cover the front and back of the phone!!

Now that might seem like enough of a gift......but for me....I am a CLUTZ.

I needed something to protect the sides and such. I went with this:

Look at this iPhone 5 case!!

This little guy was a LIFE SAVER......well....a phone-saver.....

It has great bumpers around the edges, an nice metal looking button covers! 

It doesn't have a plastic back cover, so I am able to see the splendour of my artwork! 

It is simple and effective. It really is a discreet and attractive way to protect my iPhone!

I got mine HERE! And I am thrilled with it!!

Go and check out MOBILE FUN.COM for great deals on iPhone cases of all kinds!

GO NOW!!!! 

And they have more than just cases....they have lots of great techy stuff for EVERYONE on your Christmas list!!! 

Oh.....here is my phone with the new case and stickers!!!

again....check out this iPhone 5 case

This iPhone 5 case is beautiful from every angle

LOVE IT??? 

Me too!!!!!

5.) Okay, I leave you with this. Beaker ALWAYS makes me laugh.....

YOU'RE WELCOME!!!

WW91: OZ, ANDY RUDAK AND THE LEAP!

Sorry guys!!!! I had this post set to auto publish while I took a brief get-away......alas......not so much....
So here it is.......enjoy!

1.) New trailer and images from Oz!!!! Check out this awesome new trailer and poster from the upcoming Disney film "Oz the Great and Powerful". True, I am not a fan of James Franco.....BUT WOW....need to see this one!!! NEEEED TO! (remember to click on these to enlarge them!!!!)

and here is the new trailer:

2.) Andy Rudak is a London-based still life advertising photographer, and he has created a series of cityscapes made entirely from cardboard. With the help of master set-builder Luke Aan de Wiel, Andy recreated dream-like views of London, New York, Mumbai, Paris and Tokyo. He is also producing a book following the process of construction from start to finish! Super cool!!! I think they are creepy and FABULOUS!!!

Check out Andy's site too!!!!!
(via Junk Culture  - via It's Nice That)

3.) SORRY TO YELL.........BUT THIS IS SOMETHING I NEEEEEED TOO!! Leap represents an entirely new way to interact with your computers. It's more accurate than a mouse, as reliable as a keyboard and more sensitive than a touchscreen. For the first time, you can control a computer in three dimensions with your natural hand and finger movements:

Ah-mah-zing!!!

4.) A little mid-november JAZZ! Not new. But new to me! Maybe new to you??? I really like Canadian jazz vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow. I especially like the album full of showtunes called "The Very Thought of You". It was released in 2007, it features silky-smooth renditions of Nat King Cole's "Almost Like Being in Love," Billie Holiday 's "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," and Mama Cass' "Dream a Little Dream of Me" alongside interpretations of hits from various musicals including Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma!, and Pennies from Heaven....

I also like this jazz version of a Cher classic!!

5.) I HAD to share this with you. (Thanks Cindy/Dale.) It is called emergency complement dot com.
Here was mine today:

Get yours at HERE! (Then let me know what it is!!!)

BONUS!!!!
I decided to add a bone #6 because I was late this week with this #WW post!

6.) If you enjoy the tv show "Community".......and I know there are a few of us who do............ here are a few outtakes:

LIBRARIANS: PUTTING THE "READ" IN FREEDOM!

These have been trying days for librarians.
With the invention of "the intra-nets"......many people do not make it out to support their local library.
But we cannot blame it all on the world wide web!
Recently they came dangerously close to getting their funding cut.
And is it any wonder???
Our (presumedly illiterate) Mayor has no idea who Canadian trailblazing author Margaret Atwood is!!!
I MEAN COME ON!!!!
Ok...that is close to a rant...........so I will stop.....but let me show you my latest painting.
This piece will be part of my "Sign of the TImes" exhibition in October.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON THAT SHOW.
This work celebrates our great institutions!

"One Answer", 24" x 24", Acrylic on Board.

So, the 'poster part' of this original painting is of the library at Queen St East and Saulter St., in Toronto. The Queen/Saulter Branch and the Ralph Thornton Centre have been housed in this beautiful heritage building since 1979 (in the former 'Postal Station G'). The Neo-classical building, built in 1918, was designed by legendary architect Edward James Lennox (he also designed 70 other AH-MAH-ZING landmarks including Old City Hall and Casa Loma).
The slogan "Libraries - putting the 'read' in freedom" is my invention!
The quote is from Neil Gaiman.
Neil is an author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films including the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.
Oh, and his BRILLIANT address to the University of the Arts is really inspirational!! (check it out)
His quote - that I borrowed is:
"Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one."
I LOVE IT!
The quote is painted on a trompe l'oeil library book check-out card/sleeve.
There is also a pair of horn rimmed glasses and a golden Victorian cat-and-mouse bookmark painted on this piece......the background pattern is based on a Victorian wallpaper.
I thought the kind of 'girly' background was manned-up with this very masculine building.
I am pleased with this piece!
What say you?
Come out and see it LIVE LIVE LIVE:

"SIGN OF THE TIMES" & NEW CITY HALL TORONTO

Hey y'all!
Well, as I have mentioned, over and over and over again....I am putting together a brand new show for October......well....here is the invite:

I am getting closer to my crazy-ass deadline, and as such am getting a little worried about the scale of this project......but then again, I seem to work best with crazy deadlines.
ANYWAYS....I wanted to share another new painting....are you ready??

"Laws", 36" x 24", Acrylic on Board, 

So let's dive in.....
The background of this painting mimics the tiles at Queen Station.
Why Queen?
Well.....I couldn't decide between Queen or Osgoode.
(City hall is right in between the two of those stops.)
I decided Queen because I already did Osgoode Station tiles on a piece (see it HERE).
Ok...moving on....the poster part is of City Hall.
I am SUPER PROUD of how it turned out. I think it really looks like an old poster.
The lettering (quote) is from Otto Von Bismark. (Dead in 1898 - German political guy)
"Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made."
I like the quote a lot, and I thought it made a funny point.
Now don't get me wrong I am not comparing certain politicians to a fatty pig.
NO SIR!
The other bits on this painting include a pair of scissors cutting some corporate letterhead from Toronto Services. YES, I know this is very literal for me.......and I am known for my subtlety.
OK and the last piece is a little poster for the "King of Bologna" - I thought the king turned out well.
AGAIN, I am not suggesting that any politician seems to think that they are the king, and may be treating his/her job as a kind of dictatorship. I am also not suggesting that any person in office is full of bolgogna. Finally, I am not suggesting that someone's fatty little piggy fingers need rapped for their blatant ignorance.
I am not the kind to make such disparaging remarks.
Ok...so that is the latest painting!!!
What do you think???
Also, if you have a great idea of a Toronto issue and/or landmark that you think that I could paint something fantastic about.....tell me!!!
So far for this show, I have paintings with:
-The Bloor Viaduct
- Ontario Place
- New City Hall
- The Light Rail Transit
- The ROM
- The Flatiron Building
- The Drake Hotel
- Yonge Dundas Square
- The Public Library (on Queen East)
- The Prince's Gates at The Exhibition
- The Royal York Hotel
But I am ALWAYS looking for more ideas!!

WW81: SOLAR ROADS, 'ECCE HOMO', AND RICHARD AHNERT

It's Wednesday - so let's get going!!! 
Here are 5 things I am loving this week....and you should love them too!!!

1.) SOLAR POWERED ROADS! I Love this one! It is a great idea.....and probably needs a LOT of perfection before implementation.....but still......

An American electrical engineer by the name of scott brusaw has developed a system of solar powered roads as an initiative to change the face of national highways. These 'solar roadways'  re-purpose existing concrete and asphalt surfaces that are exposed to the sun with solar road panels. He is currently introducing the technology in driveways, bike paths, patios, sidewalks, parking lots, playgrounds, before integrating them onto public roads. 

The hope is that in time it will provide sustainable transportation solutions. The roads are capable of directly inputting energy into the power-grid through photovoltaics, which if realized, could power an entire country from the generated electricity!! CRAZY HUH?? These 'solar roadways' would replace coal- and nuclear-powered electricity generation plants by transforming the road into a self-contained energy source!!!!! I hope this comes to fruition!!! It could completely transform North America!

(Thanks to DesignBoom for this one - check them out HERE)

2.) So, I am in the market for a new bathroom........and here is what I am thinking:

(thanks to Cindy - via onebynine.com)

3.) So...art that centres around anthropomorphizing (the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god/animal/object.) seems to be more popular than I thought........You know....like a woman with a goats head.....and such..........

Personally, I really like local (Toronto) artist Richard Ahnert. We have done a number of the same shows together...and I am always impressed by his work. His paintings are creepy and beautiful.....not to mention stunningly executed!!! I stole these images from his site:

GO TO HIS SITE FOR MORE!!! He has a whole site of brilliantly done paintings!

Speaking of anthropomorphizing...I really like these ones......from Emily Burns. They are super good too!!! I wanted her to call this series "Horny".....but she didn't. ;-) Still.....super well done:

Check out her other work too!!!!!

4.) 'Newsies: The Musical' original Broadway cast recording. I KNOW this one is super gay....but sometimes a nice pick-me-up is a bit of tap dancing (not me - the kids on the soundtrack). I saw the show in NYC this year, and thought it was FUN!! I enjoyed the music and the dancing (and admittedly...all the tight slacks on the prancing chorus boys....)

Yes...the music is sugary-sweet,  Disneyfied shlock.....BUT I cannot help but enjoy it. The show is based on the musical movie BOMB from the 90's. With music by Alan Menken (you may know him from other musicals like Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast). If you like a show tune, like I like a show tune...try it out!!

Here is a little taste:

COME ON! F-U-N!! Can't you just picture the tight pants GREAT dancing??

5.) Ok...by now EVERYONE has seen this news item. But for those of you who have been living under a rock.....here is the cliff-notes. Picture it. A 19th century Spanish fresco depicting Jesus titled “Ecce Homo” by painter Elias Garcia Martinez. Now picture an 80 year old woman, with NO ART TRAINING attempting to re-touch a this crumbling century old fresco. Here are the results:

HILARIOUS - sad - but still....humorous! This botched restoration spawned a photoshop meme, in which the ruined painting was edited on to other famous works of art, and pop culture......like this:

And finally I leave you with this one: