April 23, 2011

Where Are We Going? Exquisite Corpse


I'm in the upcoming Poplar and Pine show at Latitude 53 in good ol' Dirt City (Edmonton Alberta). Last year's show asked artists to visually answer the question: Where are we from? This year P&P asks: Where are we going?

To help illustrate (err...literally) this idea, P&P is putting together a map in the style of the exquisite corpse. Each artist was invited to make a tile for the map. The only protocol was that we stuck to the four indicated exit points, so that all the maps join up nicely when tiled together.

Can't wait to see the whole thing! Here is my contribution. Where are we going? Clearly down a path of excessive gluttonous consumption...or, in a less metaphorical light: yum! Cake!

This map image is just a taste (boy, I'm on a roll here) of what's to come for the show. Every artist is also making a poster that answers the question. I'll post mine in the coming weeks, and of course if you're in Edmonton, you will for sure want to head down to the show to check out all the entries in real life.

DIY Pipe Desk with Salvaged Door



I've always wanted a really long, thin desk. Somewhere to pile my mountains of pens and paper. A few months ago a door on the street caught my eye. I dragged it home and, with a little inspiration and help from Apartment Therapy and Mary Bicycles I built this beauty using pipes from the hardware store as the base. It's really sturdy and more than big enough to hold my mountains of paper scraps. All told it cost less than $100. If I ever find a great piece of wood I might swap out the top, but I'm really happy with it now.


You can see in one of the photos that one of the legs is a little crooked. Well, one swift kick and it straightened out. I'm sure that's not the proper way to do it, but it worked...


If you want to do this yourself it's really easy. The instructions on Mary Bicycles are great. I bought the pipe at Home Depot but got it cut down and threaded at a smaller plumbing store (I would have bought the pipe there too but they only sell it in 21-foot lengths, and most of the standard sizes from HD worked - it was just the four long pieces that had to be cut from 24" to 18").


April 13, 2011

Expo Baronesque

My art on nice granite walls!

The beautiful room.


I was at the vernissage for Baronesque, the exhibition to celebrate the first-year anniversary of Baron magazine, last night. It was great! I think it was hands-down the most beautiful space I have shown work in, and definitely one of the best group shows I've been included in as well. All the work was top-notch and very inspiring. A really nice mix of mediums too.

Julien Vallée, Alice Jarry, Marc Dulude, Karine Fournier, Mike Patten, Guillaume Simoneau, Guillaume BD and Josée Lecompte shared the walls with me.

The show is up until May 21st, from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and noon - 5pm Saturdays. It happens in the Maison du Conseil des Arts de Montreal at 1210, rue Sherbrooke Est (the beautiful building with huge columns on the corner of Beaudry across from Parc Lafontaine).

April 7, 2011

Upcoming Shows in April

There's a lot going on this month! Here's a quick rundown of where I'll be showing my work in the coming weeks. In all cases it's in the presence of several other talented artists who I feel honoured to share a wall with.

April 12: Baronesque

I am really excited to see who else is in this show. Local art magazine Baron celebrates one year of operation by putting on an exhibition of local contemporary art. It opens Tuesday, April 12, 5 pm - 7 pm at the Maison des Conseil des Arts de Montréal, 1210 rue Sherbroooke.


April 14 - 17: Papier 11

Papier is an art fair featuring works on paper. It is a rare opportunity to catch most of the city's major contemporary art galleries under one roof, and is, in my opinion, a not-to-be-missed event. I will have never-before-seen original drawings on display at the Maison Kasini booth, where I will also be displaying Papirmasse. If I get a chance I'm going to run off to the Galerie Pangée booth to paint with En Masse.

The Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC) will open the 4th edition of PAPIER at the Place des Festivals, right in the middle of the Quartier des spectacles (coin Bleury & Maissonneuve), from April 14th to 17th 2011.


April 16: Machine Wash Cold/Tumble Dry Low


I can't wait for this one! MWC/TDL is the annual event where the super awesome screenprinting company Moniker puts artist designs on shirts, tote bags, and posters. This year the launch is bigger and better than ever, going down in a fantastic warehouse space in Griffintown. I am putting a free Papirmasse print in 50 tote bags, so make sure to arrive early if you want one! The day kicks off with a free family-friendly portion from 2pm-7pm, and then swings into full party mode from 9pm-3am. April 16th, 2011 at L’Espace Griffintown - 1314 rue Olier in Montreal. $10 after 9 pm, 18+


April 22: No Sleep Till Brooklyn

With less than a month away from their show in Brooklyn, New York at Rouge 58, Montreal based artists Alan Ganev, JP King, Tim Barnard and Regimental Oneton are putting an art show together at Underworld skate shop to raise funds for their upcoming trip and promote their latest artworks in Montreal. I'm putting a few pieces in the show too - probably some never-before-seen large format prints. No sleep 'Till Brooklyn happens at Underworld, 251 Ste-Catherine Street est from 8:00pm - 3:00am on April 22.

And last but not least...

Papirmasse is having an exhibition all month long at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in Vermont. The show is up right now, and we will be hustling on down to Burlington for First Friday on May 6, 5pm - 9pm. If you're in Vermont please come say hi! It'll be a fun chance to check out Papirmasse and get a taste of the affordable art project. I am looking forward to eating ice cream, which as far as I know is a mandatory Vermont tourist activity. Check out an article on the show here: http://www.7dvt.com, and let me know if there are other fun things I should check out while I'm down there.

As always, if you come to one of my shows and we haven't met - please come say hi! I love meeting new people and haven't bitten anyone in a long time.