MAGAZINE SNEAK PEEKS......and WOTS (with SPACING)

Today I wanted to share with you 2 bits of news.......
First....my limited edition Giclèes have been picked up by Spacing Magazine.
If you don't know them.......READ THIS blog post.......
They are a SUPER magazine that feature really interesting articles about urban living.
I LOVE reading it!!
They featured my art a couple editions ago & now they are gonna feature my prints in their online store.....

But BEFORE they sell them online.....they are selling them at The 'Word on the Street' Festival this weekend! Here are the W.O.T.S. deets:

(I keep calling it TWOTS - but evidently THAT is pretty offensive to most ;-)
So, go out on Sunday to the Spacing booth.....buy a subscription to the magazine......some cool merch.......AND one of my new giclèes!!
I will have more information about our joint merch selling efforts in weeks to come!
You can also follow them on Facebook or Twitter

OK....next PREVIEW.....
I am only giving a preview (so that I don't get in trouble).

I am going to be featured in 2 local magazines.

If you live in the Beach or in Leslieville/Riverdale (essentially anywhere in East Toronto) you may already get a copy of "Neighbourhood Living" Magazine to your door. There are 3 different versions that come out in Toronto -- "East", "West" and "The Beach". Here is the link to their website.

Basically they produce a lovely glossy magazine that "celebrates local people and supports local businesses"! How fantastic is that?
Lucky for me, I am being featured in TWO of the publications!
Two paintings - on two covers! Here is your sneak peek of both:

 

If that weren't enough..........there is also a 4 page interview with me!
FOUR PAGES!
Thanks to Tracey Coveart (whose writing you can follow HERE)
Not only do I love the look of her site....

Tracey and I really hit it off in the interview......and she is just super!!
I don't know why I am always surprised when I find another kindred spirit who really 'gets' what I am about........I think we spoke for an hour or so!
What makes it better is that she didn't make me sound like a big dummy!
Which MUST have been a challenge!  ;-)
I am NOT gonna show you the article YET, because the magazines don't come out until NEXT WEEK! In fact, I don't really have the 'green light' to show you ANYTHING.......but I couldn't hold it in any longer! I am pleased as punch!
Next week I will show you the whole article...and the covers....and probably talk MORE about myself!
(you're welcome! ;-)
Until then, have a great weekend!!!!

ME ME ME MEEEEEE.

Ok...you know how I am a bit shy about self promotion.......well today maybe not so much.
;-)
I had a really nice coffee with Natalie who is a fine artist herself and showed a the Riverdale Art Walk a few weekends ago with me! We chatted (or rather I talked her ear off about myself for an hour) and she is really lovely!! Her artwork, which is mosaic is really nice too....for example this one:

So....back to me.....(hee hee)

Natalie is also an aspiring writer...and wrote a GREAT little piece about yours truly on her blog www.Fragmentalist.com

Take some time to browse her lovely work on her site too....

Ok......GO read it NOW!!! 

Thanks Natalie for the lovely words!!!
I appreciate it!

WW99: SIX STRING NATION, "WHITE FREEZIE" AND GOOGLY EYES

5 things that I LOVE this week....in no particular order!

1.) This one is from husband (via yahoo). These are not great buildings.....just unusual ones.....enjoy a 
     couple I liked the 'best':

This one is EXCEPTIONAL!!!

The entry point of this place....a little suspect. There. I said it!

2.) I love this story. I was really impressed by this labour of love! I like this one because it is 

      both artistic, musical, educational AND CANADIAN! 

Six String Nation is a guitar created by award-winning writer and broadcaster Jowi Taylor. What is exceptional about it, is that it is built from 64 pieces of bone, metal, wood, stone and fabric from distinctly Canadian sources. The guitar was created as "a symbol of national unity, to explore Canadian identity, and to connect people from all regions in Canada."

Over a period of eleven (YES....ELEVEN) years, Jowi collected pieces for the guitar from every province and territory in Canada. It was built by luthier George Riszanyi in his workshop near Pinehurst, Nova Scotia.

The Six String Nation guitar made its debut on Canada Day 2006, where it was played by Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, Tom Wilson, and Stars. It has since been played by musicians such as Feist and Bruce Cockburn.

Following its debut performance, Taylor and the Six String Nation guitar made a 15-stop tour that summer stopping in communities where some of the pieces had originated which, along with subsequent visits to communities and encounters with people across Canada, were chronicled with photos in a book by Taylor in 2009. 

Hear an enjoyable 30 minute interview (from TVO) with Jowi about the project here:

http://youtu.be/O-7XlUEvm-8

What is also remarkable, is that the Six String Nation project has been developed and executed entirely without direct government support!!!!!  To see where the great travelling guitar is now.....go to the WEBSITE. To help fund the ongoing efforts to get the guitar across the country, they depend on fees from festival, conference and school visits, on occasional cash and in-kind sponsorships and on the individual support of donors like you......so go and DONATE!!!

3.) My sister has a knack for finding and recreating AH-MAH-ZING cocktails. I give you, 
      Patty's Christmas cocktail, or as she calls it 'The White Freezie". Which ironically is
      neither white - nor frozen. It is DEEEEELISH! 

      Banana liqueur
      Red 'Sour Puss'  
      Sprite 

This has festive pomegranate seeds added for extra excitement!!
(and yes, this is a crystal glass....that's how my sis rolls!!!)

4.) Hold onto your hats elderly readers. I LOVE this link: m.flvto.com

     Simply, it converts YouTube videos into MP3s! I know this is not a new thing, but I am just 
     loving it lately, as is has enabled me to turn this (watch out for the "x-rated" language in 
     this video):

     into a pleasing new ringtone!!!
     GO ON! Do it not only for yourself, but to please the ears of all those around you!

5.) You know how I LOVE all things Downton Abbey??? This is kinda mean....but it did make  
      me laugh and laugh.......a site called "edith with googly eyes" amused me for some time!! 
      Here are a couple.....but there are a couple of PAGES of these on the site! Check it out!!

http://edithwithgooglyeyes.tumblr.com/
(Thanks to Dale and Cindy for this one!!)

WW80: CARO EMERALD, HERE'S THE THING and FONT MANAGEMENT!!!

HOWDY!!!
Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday.
I hope you enjoy these 5 things that I am LOVING this week:

1.) Here's the Thing. Ok...granted....Alec Baldwin is a hot head, with a pension for attracting bad press.....but he absolutely has a way of making interesting conversation - from unlikely sources. I LOOOOOOOVE his bi-monthly podcast. LOVE it. You must give it a try!!!!!!!!

"Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin gives the listener unique entrée into the lives of artists, policy makers and performers. Alec sidesteps the predictable by taking listeners inside the dressing rooms, apartments, and offices of people such as comedian Chris Rock, political strategist Ed Rollins and Oscar winner Michael Douglas. Here's The Thing: Listen to what happens when an inveterate guest becomes a host." 

Truthfully, at first glance, some of the people he interviews are NOT my regular cup of tea. 
But they have ALL been FASCINATING!!!!!!!! 
I highly recommend getting the free pod casts from iTunes!!!
(thanks to Cindy for pointing me to this many months ago!!!!)


2.) I love this mural-like installation work. Makes an eyesore much more appealing!! I introduce you to  Martin Heuwold (aka MEGX) of Wuppertal, Germany. This is  “Lego-Brücke”, or “Lego Bridge”- he makes a bridge look like giant lego blocks..and the result is AH-MAH-ZING! The piece took 4 weeks to complete.,,,check it out...and look an his website for more stuff...

http://www.megx.de/#1

...before you check out his site....you might want to brush up on your German! Here's the mural I like:

\

(thanks to Beautiful Decay for this!!)

3.) Caro Emerald. O-M-G!!!!!! LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I have been listening to "Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor"...which took me to the remix album. It is fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I know that is a lot of exclamation points) 
Here are her wiki-deets:

Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (b. 26 April 1981 in Amsterdam), best known by her stage name, Caro Emerald, is a Dutch jazz singer. She debuted on 6 July 2009 with her single "Back It Up". Her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor set a new all-time chart record on 20 August 2010, spending its 30th week at number one on the Dutch album chart. The album has become the biggest selling album of 2010 in the Netherlands, selling over 300,000 copies so far. In total more than a million copies have been sold so far. On 3 October 2010, Van der Leeuw was awarded the Dutch Music Prize "Edison Award" for Best Female Artist.

Ok...here are a couple tunes that are toe-tappingly spectacular:

That Man - cool and retro:

Back it up - also cool and retro!!!!!:

and sorry but this remix........is soooo good.....

AND this cover.....so delightful (it starts a little weird if you don't speak Dutch...but stick with it!!!!!:

4.) Ok...I gots no good recipe/food items this week......but I do have a GREAT app for those of you artists/designers out there who are font collectors - like I am. I use photoshop a lot....and download a lot of fonts for my paintings.....what I didn't realize was  that: 
'every font that has been activated on your system requires the deployment of system resources to applications. This can be an unproductive use of resources, particularly for fonts that are used infrequently. Font management allows you to activate fonts solely for the period of time you actually need them, freeing up precious resources so your system can run more efficiently.'

This great app will:

• lets you activate and deactivate your fonts.
• shows you a preview.
• shows you the font name.
• tells you which fonts are missing in a document.

Download it HERE!! It has made a MASSIVE change in my computer wait times....I get the pinwheel a LOT less these days - which means a LOT less swearing!!!!!

(thanks to Warren for installing this for me!!!)

5.) This week we lost a great humorist. Awful when smart people die so early. Here is his wiki-bio:

David Benjamin Rakoff (November 27, 1964 – August 9, 2012) was a Canadian-born writer based in New York City who was noted for his humorous, sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays. Rakoff was an essayist, journalist, and actor, and a regular contributor to Public Radio International's This American Life. Rakoff described himself as a "New York writer" who also happened to be a "Canadian writer", a "mega Jewish writer", a "gay writer'" and an "East Asian Studies major who has forgotten most of his Japanese" writer. On August 9, 2012, Rakoff died of cancer, surrounded by family at his apartment in Manhattan.

So I wanted to share with you this smart little tidbit...it is long...very funny and a bit sad too.....enjoy:

NICE TO BE NOTICED!

Hey - a quick blog entry today.....

Here is a little interview I did about my work for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
It is on the Paint a Lifestyle Blog:
Barb at Paint a Lifestyle asked me all about my work, my piece at the Royal and my future.
Check it out!!

MY INTERVIEW WITH TRISH BOON

Last week, I had the great pleasure of being interview by Trish Boon. She will be leading audiences through Gallery at 129 Ossington, during the Ossington leg of the Canadian Art Foundation’s Annual Art Hop on September 25th. Trish swang...er...swung....(that is why I leave the fancy writing to the professionals) by my "Arcade" exhibition while I was hanging it. It was a super hot day and we went next door for a iced latte. I was a bit nervous, because I tend to speak my mind and sometimes I forget to think first. It is a habit that has gotten me into trouble before! I have gotten out of interviews thinking "Oh, Rob, That was awesome!" and then when I read the article thought..."hmmm....I SAID that???".  Luckily any fear I had was almost immediately washed away. Trish had an easy to talk to style that was both effective and interesting. She shared a bit, I shared a bit. It was very nice. She was smart, and I like smart. She was also an interested audience which was refreshing! It was so enjoyable that when I looked down at my watch and noticed the time, I realized that I had spent over an hour talking her ear off. Thankfully, none of this came across in the blog! I would like to quote passages from it here, but I would rather you read the article, from her site. It is much better than I could have put it! 

On a side note, I have to say how nice it is to have someone really get what I am doing. And how happy I was that I did not come accross as a total BAH-FOON!

What did you think of the article??

CANADIAN ART FOUNDATION GALLERY HOP HOP HOP

Ok, so as you can see it has been A LONG TIME since I have posted anything. Here's the thing. I have been under the gun to get my latest show together. "Arcade" is less than a month away, and I am still getting the work done....I know what you are thinking - "way to leave it to the last minute, Rob".
Well, I can hardly hear you when you speak to me in that tone! Any-who.....so, things are going along swimmingly, and I am right on track for the big exhibition. I thought I would give you a few more details about the show.
The show opens for 'previews' at Gallery 129 Ossington from September 1st to 8th, and then the opening night is on Thursday September 9th from 7-10. We are doing this so that those of you cottagers have a last-ditch pre-school-start vacation on the Labour Day weekend! 
You're welcome! ;-)
Now, for this show, I am hoping to go all out - decorating the walls with an extra-interesting pattern to 'jazz up' the overall look of the show. I want to capture the excitement of an actual arcade. We will see how this concept translates on site!

As an extra bonus, on the 25th of September, there is an event running in the gallery district
"The Canadian Art Gallery Hop". You can have the chance to tour different gallery areas with key critics, curators and collectors—insiders who will introduce you to the artists and dealers who make the art scene tick. For more details, check out their site!

So, if you can't make it out to the opening night on Thursday the 9th of September, try to catch the tour!!


As an exciting bonus, I am being interviewed by Trish Boon who is leading the Canadian Art Foundation's Art Hop through Gallery 129 during my upcoming exhibition. I am meeting her for coffee to give her the skinny - the 411 - the scoop on all things "ARCADE"  and then if I am interesting enough, I will be featured on her blog in September! F-U-N. Having just spent an hour reading on her blog, I was really taken with how in-depth she gets. It was interesting to NOT read just a regurgitation of an artist statement!


So, that is all the news fit to tell! I will have more to say very soon! Just you wait for more!!