Memories of childhood.

I grew up in a small town in Northern BC near a small lake. One winter when I was young there was a quick freeze. It can get to minus 40 below there, and to be an animal outside in the cold of winter the boundary between life and death must be a thin one.

I was walking outside along the shores of the lake, on the ice. There was a disturbance of colour on the white (it had snowed), and as I approached I realized what must have happened. A swan, trapped by the ice one night would have been a strong fighter for a good period of time before being overcome by cold, fatigue and determined opponents. There was blood and there were feathers, and the mess of both was strong enough language to tell a vicious story. I didn't linger, then. But the elements of that narrative have stayed with me long enough to evolve somewhat with this drawing.

Artist Statement Revisted

I have just applied for an exhibition at the ODD gallery in Dawson City, Yukon. This required a revisiting of my artist statement (every artist's constant work-in-progress) with particular application to the project i wish to show. Here it is...

"  As an artist, I tend to work most in drawing and print-making. And while ultimately this type of production is grounded in a love of storytelling, I remain somewhat conflicted between a belief in the powers of myth and history, a desire for truth, and a distrust of documented 'fact'. While not mutually exclusive, these elements must be woven together with some caution and critical awareness.

However, I remain entranced by the heroes and anti-heroes of our Canadian past and present, the struggle and beauty of life on this land, and the cycles of human endeavor and emotion that recall us to humanity. I often refer to old photographs, nature encyclopaedias, community journals and history books for inspiration and information. These sources, however, allow for much that is unwritten, unphotographed, and untold to be imagined.

Ambiguity then, as well as mystery, history, issues of land, isolation, and the suggestion of a supernatural North are central themes in a scattered attempt to pin down fragments of a collective story, an elusive national mythology. It is my story, but also perhaps it is the story of a uniquely Canadian experience or memory; a journey of sorts toward identity and meaning and culture.  "

Wild Is My Love 
December 5 2013 - January 4th 2014 at Graven Feather

Of course I was late posting this, but here it is now...photos of my show in December. What an intense beautiful experience it was, making and showing this work.

I'm working on the development of a show for December at Graven Feather in Toronto. Essentially a love letter on the subject of identity, identification, and reflection, the pieces will be a mixture of sculptural objects, printmaking, and drawings. There will even be some audio involved.

I'll be documenting some of the process over the next month, starting tonight. The title of the show is My Heart Is A Pinecone. Appropriately, here are some drawings to get things going.

Bears in compassionate positions

Sketches for future endeavors.

What I should have written.

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Novel Consorts

 She sings a crooked song......

Poem in a forest.

My heart is a hard dark seed hidden within the pattern

And the trees are vast 

There are so many...

Count them as you stand in the middle 

And they feel like forever

Giants

But the life of poems is filled to the brim with blaze and beauty 

Only the mountains know how quickly it all burns

They see everything and remain 

When all is gone they might remember 

My green forest will be as black dust 

Bared to the great many toothed maw of the sky

Chilled by clouds of cold and greedy starlight 

And I ... broken open, might be lifted by your breath.




e.e.c.

Maple Leaves and Rainbows

I did some drawings on Canada day this past year (2012) and it happened to also be Gay Pride weekend. Therefore, naturally, maple leaves and rainbows were the order of the day. Have a look (if you can) at the titles below. They tell a story. :)

Good Things......!

I started drawing Magpies for my friend Kelly Sheppard's book.

Working on creative projects for a living is absolutely meaningful, challenging, and fun for the most part, but people sometimes forget they require a great deal of time and effort without much in the way of outside feedback. That's why it's all the more EXCITING when you get a little bit of positive public recognition!

My colleague and business partner Pam Lobb and I have been positively glowing lately as a result of some good press our studio Graven Feather has been getting this past month. "In like a lion" they say, and this March lion has been positively roaring with pride. Last Saturday, March 9th, Toronto's Globe & Mail featured a small review of our show in their Twitter Critic section. And last Thursday, we got a great shout out from Blog TO, listing us as #6 on their page of Best DIY Workshops!!

All the more reason to keep updating this blog with work! I'm really going to try and be more consistent with my updates here this year. And I'd like to feature other people that I find inspiring too! So stay tuned!!....and to all of you creative crafters, artists, musicians and work-at-home people....YOU ROCK!! You deserve a star! 4 stars!! Keep it coming and don't look back!

Speaking of which: Check out Danielle Kryssa of Jealous Curator fame, from Vancouver, BC. Her blog is fantastic and inspiring, and she's a cool artist as well. Roa-a-a-a--a-r!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been digging out old prints and re-working them with new colour and ideas...yay!

Currently working on...

New scene for an old bear.

Currently working on....

Just something i started recently... Any suggestions for what else needs to be found at the bottom of the Pacific?

My French Dad

These drawings come from memories and stories told to me in my youth. They were done quickly and with a great deal of enjoyment; simply pulled from my head and delivered with a brush to the page.  I hope, if you can, that you'll come to see all the images at Graven Feather Studio & Gallery. It's in Toronto, ON at 906 Queen west (northwest corner of Crawford). They will be up through the month of May, 2012.

Show MAY 3rd-30th at Graven Feather Gallery

From the series Empty House at Graven Feather Gallery: 906 Queen St. W, Toronto ON, M6K 2V2

I'm having a show in May!
Come see the work at Graven Feather Studio, and if you can make it Thursday May 3rd (5-10pm), you'll hear some amazing stories by writers and performers on the theme of Home (7:30pm). The address is 906 Queen west, Toronto ON, M6K 2V2.

Adieu, Layton...

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.



-- Dylan Thomas