Friday, December 10, 2010

december dreaming

hey

i have a blog?

yes apparently i do. the girlfriend reminds me every now and then.
alright so lets do this! *cracks knuckles*
how is everyone doing? it is cold here in Toronto. snowing and whatnot.
Christmas crap in every corner, shoppers shopping and
being filled with "holiday spirit" as they honk their horns and shove shopping carts... haha festive! i think i'm too Charlie Brown for the season. oh brother.

so a few things have been going on... here, let me tell you.

the other day while watching Scrooged on tv i decided i should do a nice Christmas drawing or something to make an e-card or whatever out of it... because lets face it its too late for ME to figure out printing and mailing before the date. this is what i came up with:


yea a bit darker than i had expected. hence i will have to make another.

for those of you that have extra money and time kicking around, here is my Wish List for this year. :) on the top of the list is a crossbow.. or a recurve bow. unfortunately there was an incident in the city not too long ago about a murder involving a crossbow, putting a damper on my crossbow excitement. in reality if an individual wishes to harm another individual he/she will do so with whatever instruments are available to them.
eg. Ms.Scarlet with the Lead Pipe in the Billiard room. anyways.... list:

here is a commission piece i did for a talented photographer in California. who just happens to be my cousin. it was a wedding gift for a friend of his.

here is what is going on at Galerie D'Este in Montreal. go check it out.


here is what is going on at SleepingGiant Gallery in Toronto. go check it out. very fun stuff.

also i will be part of the AdventShow again at Fine&Dandy Gallery in Toronto. be sure to check that out as well!

lets see... that sums stuff up yea? i will hopefully snap out of whatever daze i am in soon and get posting... also updating that website of mine... also that facebook page i made.

til then... hope everyone is doing well and having good holiday happy family friends fun time.

peace.


Saturday, October 23, 2010

sleepless rabble 001


once more i find myself facing an ageing clock while hours and subconscious dramas slip past me like poisons through cigarette filters. if not for the fact that i am tired i would be practicing productivity and fulfilling punctual promises. i have been away and i have been busy. i have been absently occupied with another's trivial responsibilities. spending my hours achieving another's dreams for the sake of a few slices of silver. to complain and bicker would be wasteful, for a beggar cannot choose from whose plate his next meal will be scraped from.

its funny to say that i find myself, because quite frankly i feel as lost as usual. the bed calls to my aching body and flustered mind only to be met with a corpse that will not stop thinking. cogs that will not stop turning. constantly constructing partially defrosted concepts without the resources to ever be... and in this moment of make believe and party favors the mind cannot help but turn to the mortality of its master, to the irreversible and inevitable end, and then, and then eyes refuse to close, for fear of a sleep without credits.

to sleep perchance to dream... of matadors and weaponry, of libraries and academic failure. unless of course the sun doth shine inside this depth of mine and i am gifted with thoughts of you. you as you are and you as you have never been. masquerading as another, in transparent foliage... but it is you. i recognize, i know you well, like the back of my hand. oh but how to pronounce layers of skin, meat and bone to convey memories of warm embraces?

without pausing and allowing passage to green lights of criticism one is left flooded in the reality of being awake. unfortunate, and inconvenient are these lines as they will not bring the desired result but rather the opposite. like extinguishing a flame with gasoline and broken fingers i am left burnt and inspired. left in the darkness with a senile clock i have come to call friend.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

floating in space and water

hey,

i have been away. not literally or physically. but... away nonetheless.
some time has been spent doing nothing of importance, some was spent job-hunting yet again. however, i have also been productive. or semi-productive.

i have been lining away at my crew of unfortunate astronauts and going insane in the membrane trying to figure out exactly what to do with them. as i did not want to simply do drawings. been working on collage-y elements and... yea we'll see.

here is a teaser for what i'm up to:

also i have been reading The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. i love this guy. he is seriously one of my top 5 comic writers of all time. he also writes INVINCIBLE which i also recommend.


so when i'm not thinking about how to prepare for the zombie apocalypse and whatnot i have decided to do some watercolours again. yes itsthat time again. it started with a kid in costume. which then led to odd couples. and then i decided i wanted to maybe try at a story. a children's story but not really. i have no set story or anything of the sort yet. but here is what has been coming out:

this one here scanned with odd colours. but you get the idea. i think i actually like how the next two turned out. will probably do 3 or so more in this direction. i guess the kid is dreaming and shit happens in his dreams. bad things. yea... i have been having odd dreams lately. not that these are based on my dreams at all.
thats it for now folks. i have a bunch more things on the go to blog about. blogging is so exhausting sometimes. by exhausting i mean i want some mini wheats. and i'm off.


Wednesday, August 18, 2010

these days

hey,

been pretty blah these days. various reasons.
been workin on ma astronauts... still need to figure out how to make everything come together in the end. bg and scale and whatnot. also i have been playing with/obsessing over action figures more than usual lately. quite possibly will result in some kind of stop-motion action figure magic. seriously. been making little couches and carpets and hardwood floors... madness.

here are some random shots i made.
also a random sketch from being all blah. whilst drinking my afternoon coffee.


Saturday, August 14, 2010

space cadet

hey,

i am currently sniffling and sneezing like only i can. i am drinking lots of liquids... mostly juice. which is making my teeth hurt. i just can't win. but enough pity partying for today!

not sure if i have already mentioned this... but the space themed show entitled "Get Your Ass to Mars" will soon be upon us. which is pretty great. when people say space i usually don't think of planets and aliens... but astronauts, cosmonauts if you will. maybe its because it was my child-hood dream to fly off into the blackness of space and eat weird paste food. nonetheless thats what came to mind and thats the route i'm-a-gonna take.

trying something different this time.

not to give too much away but this piece here was kind of the jumping point.
so yea... something kinda like this will be what i will bring to the party. except no digital-ness.

good? maybe.



Tuesday, August 3, 2010

dreaming of and with

dear Jessica,

i crawled into bed beside you at around 7am. you were not impressed but not upset. drunk and sore i quickly fell asleep. your alarm woke us two hours later, you had to get ready for school. we exchanged a few words while i was half asleep, i remember being half conscious the entire time. but at the same time i was dreaming... as i often do.
i was dreaming that i was in bed... while you were getting ready. and in that dream i dreamt i was in bed, while you were getting ready, and we were chatting and having good times... conversations and words which then trickled out of this dream and had me talking in my sleep... or at least while half-sleep in my dream.

these dreams went on for what felt like hours.

i was going through your binders and was impressed with how organized you were. you showed me a plasticine Superman you made me. it felt like i had been lying in bed, shielding my eyes from the bedroom light for hours and hours, when in reality only one hour had passed. you shook me at around 10, asking if i could join you for breakfast, i was surprisingly awake and alert. rested. it really felt as if i was in bed longer than i was.

but what i find funniest is that with all the possible realities and scenarios that i was capable of dreaming up, i found myself right where i was. with you in my room, making small talk and laughing before you went off to school.

-----

anwyays, that is what happened this morning and i decided to blog about it in a letter form to my lovely lady. the dream was pretty crazy. but also really convenient because i have had these drawings kicking around for a few days and this is a great way to bring them up on the blog!

not entirely sure what to do with them... an animation of sorts seems like a good idea. i'm sure the concept/characters will pop up again in one of my many projects. what do you think?




fyi they are matryoshka dolls... of sorts.

speaking of dreams... i have yet to see INCEPTION. everyone else has and says good things. i will eventually. but much like the blue faced AVATAR movie, i will probably avoid it just because there is so much hype. nonsense i know.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

inter-view

hey,

so the other day i received an email which led to a visit from the lovely Erin Hogue to my home studio. Erin came with camera in hand, followed by a bunch of questions, thus producing an entry of yours truly in her cool artist and such blog at PUSH.ca

you can see what i'm talking about right here: Erin Houge interview

Saturday, July 24, 2010

quarter century and counting

hey,

so, my birthday past a few days ago. the birthday celebrations were pretty alright. good times were had. whenever my birthday rolls around i can't help but be in a bad mood. not because i am getting older, but because i always try to set some sort of plans/events in motion and they always fall short. 'round my birthday "week" i'm usually quite the diva, i don't mean to be but it just happens... and then i can't shake it off. but whatever. thats over and done with. had fun with friends at Centreville, followed by an unexpected get-together at the gallery, dinner with the family, good times.
unfortunately looking back at what i have accomplished thus far at 25 i can't help but noticed its been mostly eating/spilling on myself, video games, sleeping, and really doing nothing of merit. all in all i have been a slug of a man and need to snap out of it. between this post and the last there are many things i have wanted to say/share but for whatever reason didn't get around to it... so whatever they were, they are now in the yesterdays.

enough of that. here are some drawings i recently coloured. :D

here is the office-y tree character and skull guy again. in this case i decided that i'm the skull headed guy, the girl is my girlfriend. awww... i don't know who that makes the other characters.

not sure where i am going with this one... colour-wise. may just scrap it as colour altogether.

i like how this one turned out. i've never stuck to such a limited palette before. i think its good. like my phony Japanese writing? its just numbers mashed together. haha maybe i should have just researched some kanji. like "strength" or something.

also here is music video for a song i'm looping lately.


more blogging to come. random stuff.


Wednesday, July 7, 2010

had a heart

hey,

so some time ago, when i was off wandering around San Fransisco, a great show took place at Dat Salon called Have a Heart the show featured some great Toronto illustrators that had the heart to donate a piece to the show wherein all sales and such would go towards Sick Kids. it was awesome and i missed it. looking back.... it looks like i failed to even mention it on this blog' of mine! how awful!
luckily a super vide-o-matic recording machine was there to bear witness on behalf of all that missed the show. and yea... here is this awesome video. check it out. just makes me more excited about the Meant to Bee show tomorrow evening!


awesome. hope to sees you guys out tomorrow. peace!

Monday, July 5, 2010

thursday and friday

hey,

i have nothing huge to report just yet. as such i will let you know what is going on this week. short notice yes, but still.

first up is IT'S MEANT TO BEE
a cool group show going on at Dat Salon featuring some lovely Toronto illustrators, including yours truly. the.... rules of the show are that the artists are to use only black+yellow medium + the colour of the "canvas"... so this should be interesting.
411 is as follows:
Start Time:
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 8:00pm
End Time:
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 12:00am
Location:
Dat Salon
Street:
442e Duffrin st
City/Town:
Toronto, ON


next up is a show at SHOW & TELL gallery.
'The Beauty of Failure' a solo show by Anthony Lister.
this guy is pretty awesome. he produces some super great comic-book inspired paintings; raw lines and colours. its stuff i personally find very inspirational... even though i am obviously a failure at describing it.
411 is as follows:
Start Time:
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 7:00pm
End Time:
Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 7:00pm
Location:
Show & Tell Gallery
Street:
1161 Dundas St. W
City/Town:
Toronto, ON


so.. yea. this is what i am up to later this week. that and the usual.
i will try and post some new work soon. also some exciting news about other projects i am working on. yes yes.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

summer stuff

hey,

so it is officially summer. this is good. also bad. it means the year is soon coming to an end. it means that super heat waves of death will begin to wreak havoc over the city. it means that cold Coronas will be served and beaches will be visited.

when i was younger my family would always go camping. at least once a year, usually leaving on my birthday (july19). so many memories of cold lakes, mosquito bites, camp fires, froggies... overall good times. unfortunately the years have not been kind to such family activities. our family, once huge and connected is now old and dispersed. family outings of the sort involving cousins and uncles are a thing of yesteryears.

my younger brother (15) is growing up on summers wasted away video-gaming and tv watching into the wee hours of the... morning. that just ain't right. how is he supposed to break bones or get lost in the woods if he doesn't leave his room?

kids belong outside. thats where life happens.



Monday, June 21, 2010

B&W in SF

hey,

ok so here is what i did art-wise when i was gone for a month.

first of all... i made these little art boxes before i left. with images and bio and some of my new buttons... basically my website in a box. the plan was to drop them off at coolio places that i would gel with.



the following images are some drawings i did while in SF. mostly while watching NickToons! American commercials were most funs. also i saw around 25 movies in the month i was there. which is, in my opinion, a lot.

this is a mash-up. they remain to be finished. some with lines, some with colour.

back. off track.

hi all.

i am back. i was away in San Francisco for a month. visiting family. playing tourist. meeting some family for the first time. it was all goods times. saw many of "the sites", but i'm really a bad tourist and can only be so excited by a bridge or tower for so long.
i bought plenty of tshirts, a few toys n comics. haha. nothing OVERLY hyper amazing. it wasn't what i would consider a vacation. it was a trip. the difference? a vacation suggests escape. whereas this seemed like the same routine except in a different place with different peoples. but yea, glad to be back in the city that i call mine own. it was a good experience, but now its time to get back on track. back to the drawing board. not to say i didn't draw over there... it just can't be helped.

we were out everyday. i ate plenty. not junk food though. which is a shame as it makes up about 30% of my American knowledge. none offense.

here is me and the bridge.

here i am at ShootingGallery. beside some HUSH on the wall.

this is a wicked art supplies store they have. flax. flax tortilla chips are delish as well.

this is my Sonic Popsicle in front of... some Art Palace or something.
here i am in front of the... postcard houses

here i am with some SKINNER on mural. around Lower Haters.

i miss the palm trees most.

Alcatraz.

Alcatraz

new first cousins from both sides! and my brother. oh man those sunglasses did not come off. my face was red from the sun after a while too. its much hotter back here in Toronto. maybe i will catch a tan. get nice and brown. or stay in the AC'd basement. oh yes.

wow. i am a terrible photographer.
also i started a TWITTER account! yes i was bored. http://www.twitter.com/aftertheskyfell
yes this blog post is annoying. but its somewhat relevant. more to come!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

on-board


here is whats going on.

i am leaving to California. mostly to chill in San Francisco, with a sprinkle of LA. should be good times. if not for the terrible missing of my beloved girlfriend. she means everything to me (mush mush) and i will be away for a month! holy potato chips this will be sucks!!

the challenge will be to enjoy myself... at least a little bit.

also here is the skateboard i did for the FREEDOMFIGHTERS board auction.

also i am making/getting new buttons! this will be pretty swell if i say so myself.

also. have any of you been watching Smallville still? season finale eh... whats up with that? if you're reading this Rob.... we'll have to do some Superman chatting over a cold one when i get back. na mean?

this is all for now. expect fun and exciting news from... wherever i is.
Californiaaaaaaaaaa here i cooommeeeeeeeee!

Friday, May 7, 2010

threadless


i have been thinking more and more about making some t-shirts.... well... printing some. i have been told by many people that i am foolish for not having done so thus far as it will be awesome and there will be money and hey... t-shirts are just cool.

i am still in the process of thinking. as i want to approach this from a very serious clothing line perspective and design a name and logo and what-have-you.

i did however upload a drawing onto a shirt on threadless.com
apparently i need ppls to vote on it. good votes. and then it can be a for real shirt and the world can be a slightly better place.


this is an older drawing. i think i posted it on here when i did it. either way. vote!
i will hopefully see some of you at the skateboard thing tommorow...err.. later today.
i need to sleep.

Monday, May 3, 2010

aftermath

hey,

the solo show came and went. it was pretty fantastic i would say. of course i am not the kind of person to ever be completely satisfied with...well... pretty much anything. nonetheless, the least i can say is that it was pretty fantastic.
new friends, new fans, new insights and wonderful conversations, on top of all that i made a few bucks. so really who can complain. it was the first. but very far from the last.
a heart-felt thanks to all those that came out and made it a day to remember.
here are some shots of the installation.... and the back wall i painstakingly painted.


this is me in front of my window. this is my summer hat.

wall.

walls

some people

amazing cake my girlfriend made for the event.

myself, Mr.Elia Morrison and my brother Roberto.

back wall.

fortunately the silence after the show didn't last too long.
i am one of the many talented artists out there to take part in
Another Disposable Art Show

taking place at 52 McCaul
on Saturday May 8th.

here is what it is:
Freedom Fighter Skateboards has teamed up with Well and Good to have this year's Disposable Art show titled "Another Disposable Art show" at 52 McCaul.

This year we wanted to focus on homegrown talent. We are featuring 35 artists from across Canada with over 40 decks being done. This is a silent auction fundraiser to help raise money for Free Skates to help build skateboards for youth here and abroad that would normally not have the means to do so themselves.


awesome?
indeed it is.
more info here: http://freedomfighterskateboards.wordpress.com/
facebook it here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112917608739848&ref=ts


alright. i am out for now. keep in touch though, i like you guys.
which is why i added a messaging thing on the site. its in the about section!

see you.

Monday, April 19, 2010

the end is nigh


hi,

this is not a post about 2012 or any kind of end of the world dealy. its about the solo show of mine that i have been busting my ass on for the past couple o months and then some. its a jump, skip, and a hop away. please come. it'll be sweet.

also i did an interview. check it out here: a la mode
you can learn about me as well as peek into the show! wowzers!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

the show


this is the solo show. i have been working mighty hard and highly recommend you come visit me.
if you live in Toronto you will probably run into one of these. they will be everywhere.
details for the opening are as follows.
click here for facebook event

Start Time:
Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 6:00pm
End Time:
Friday, April 23, 2010 at 12:00pm
Location:
sleeping giant gallery
Street:
789 dundas st w
City/Town:
Toronto, ON

Sunday, March 28, 2010

dance-ing for monies

hola,

here is some stuff that is up.
i have been crazy busy as of late working on more and more for that gosh-darn solo show (apr22). but as always there is other stuff running around the streets of Toronto.

oddly enough they both have same reception date. what a rip.

first of all there 1000 for $10 at hotshot gallery in Kensington market.
it will feature a bajillion pieces of amazing art for 10 bucks a pop. i found out about this event last year. bought a small drawing by Filip Anton, hes pretty great. i will have 40 small drawings and junk. haha good junk! click here to go to the facebook event page.


another thing i am up to is a show entitled inspired by dance at the Pia Bouman ballet school. don't know anything about the artists involved. my good friend Elia works at the school, i myself have wandered around their studios doing miscellaneous handy work. click here to go to the facebook event for this event.


this is the piece i submitted for the inspired by dance show. my source image was a hip-hop guy doing a slide of sorts. somehow it evolved into this ancient ritual looking thing. i think its pretty awesome. whether its befitting a ballet school... that remains to be seen.
i have many more updates coming soon. still haven't made a nice invite and whatnot for the solo show. also some other shows coming up. busy busy busy. also i am currently watching some awesome amazing animated Spiderman from the 90s. very good times. Spidey is a pain in the ass though. he talks and talks and talks!


which reminds me! remember that you know what love is show i was a part of in February? here are some images. missing one though. blaaaaah i hate misplacing stuff and things!!


i am just realizing that this may be the first time you have seen me do work like this. working like i have with mylar has made me really appreciate the fun of transparencies. this work is almost the exact same save for the lack of ink clouds and colours. same trick. different pony.