Pins!

Been really busy and haven't posted in a while. But, I have been working on art, including these pins. The designs are cut paper which are then glued onto the wood shapes, and then sealed with polyurethane. I started making the beaver skeletons a couple of years ago, and then sold them last year as part of a fundraising campaign for the Will Munro Memorial Fund. Been making different variations of the beaver skeleton, and expanding the pin collection with horseshoes, hourglasses, anchors, guns, and human hearts... more to come...

A Space Gallery, Fleeting Face, 2007

Anne, cut-out on vintage wrapping paper, 22x30 inches, 2006 

Napalm, cut-out on Japanese paper, 24x20 inches, 2006

My work used to be more straightforwardly political. I'm still trying to find that balance in my work today. People were really drawn to this Anne Frank piece, and I ended up selling it to an artist who I really admire.

2001 meets King Kong

2001... and a two... and a three..., cut-out on Italian laid paper, 19x28 inches, 2007

My interpretation of King Kong as the dawn of man in 2001 being fed up with his exercise instructor. (Heheheheeeheeee)

Some old pieces (works on decorative papers)

Chewbacchus, cut-out on Japanese paper, 23x27 inches, 2007 

A combination of three of my favourite things: Star Wars, art history, and wine. I love kitsch.

I saw you kiss her..., cut-out on Japanese paper, 16x10 inches, diptych (each panel 8x10 inches), 2007 

This piece was auctioned off at Toronto Timeraiser 2007.

Let's do Pilates, cut-out and collage, 18x9 inches, 2007

Last Supper, cut-out on wrapping paper, 30x20 inches, 2006

All the leaves are brown...

I can't help myself with cheesy music associations with my artwork.

Holy leaf

Anemic, hand-cut paper, 4 layers, 19x25 inches, 2012 

Just finished this. This piece is also in tune with my creation and destruction theme, and fits into both sides of those concepts. I've been trying to optimize the intrinsic quality of the papercut and been focusing on subject matter that consists of lots of lines. I've always admired the beauty of the matrix of veins found in leaves, which subsequently become more noticeable when dried up.

2001: A Space Odyssey Clip - THE BEST! (spoiler alert)

Been thinking about this scene a lot. This sorta reflects how I've been feeling this days...

Old Zeppelin piece/World's Fair series

World's Fair #1, cut-out on vintage wrapping paper, 16x13 inches, 2005/2006 

World's Fair #2, cut-out on vintage wrapping paper, 24x13 inches, 2005/2006

These are very old pieces. My initial cut-outs consisted of two layers. I thought about ways to make it more interesting, and decided to work with various types of decorative papers. I scoured ebay and the Paper Place for weird and striking designs. I found this vintage New York's World's Fair wrapping paper online, and tragic images flooded my head associated with the double entendre of the words "World's Fair."

Led Zeppelin's Hermit

I love that The Hermit also makes reference to Led Zeppelin. Turns out that The Hermit was Jimmy Page's favourite tarot card.

I really dug this song in high school, but then became embarrassed to admit that I liked it later on because I felt that I was so ill-educated in music at that time. Now, after revisiting the song as a result of The Hermit association, I realize that I do quite enjoy it.

"Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there's still time to change the road you're on."

Creation of Adam newspaper cut-out

Creation of Adam newspaper cut-out

This was one of my first newspaper cut-outs. It's from August 2008.

The return of cut-outs on daily newspapers

Hermit newspaper cut-out

I'm getting back into my cut-outs on daily newspapers project where I make a cut-out on the cover of a daily newspaper and replace it back into the newspaper box. I did this one today. It's of The Hermit. I've been really feeling this image of late --literally (people who know me will understand the pun here). I also thought the image would be appropriate with the cover photograph and title. This was my present to the observant people who walked by the Drake today.

Car Crash 2

Car Crash #2, hand-cut paper, 4 layers, 25x19 inches, 2011

Car Crash 1

Car Crash #1, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 25x19 inches, 2011

I started working on a new series last year that revolves around the concept of Creation and Destruction. My first couple of pieces were of car crashes. Then I proceeded to make pieces based on images of the natural (ie. trees and space). I really like these car crashes, but after consulting with various peers, these works seem too constrained in such a broad topic as the opposing force to the vast images which I use to depict creation/existence. Perhaps I should keep the ideas separate for now.

Space stuff

Abysm, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 19x25 inches, 2012 

I finished this at the end of January. I was partially inspired to make this piece after watching 2001: A Space Odyssey at TIFF Lightbox just before the new year. One of my all time favourite flicks.

By the way, MOCCA is currently showing an amazing installation which includes clips from 2001. It's curated by Rhonda Corvese, who I am a big fan of, and not only because she curated/commissioned me in an important show a few years back (yes, I'm boasting). Here's a link to the show:

http://www.mocca.ca/exhibitions/current-exhibitions

Tonight: A Space Gallery Opening

Dipna Horra, Dhunia: Septet, Multi Channel Audio and Single Channel Video Installation, 2012 (photo by Karina Bergmans)

I'm on the board at A Space Gallery. The reception for the current show is tonight, from 6-8pm. Exhibition runs March 8- March 31, 2012.

Here's a link to the show:

http://www.aspacegallery.org/index.php?m=programdetails&id=675

Art delivers

Oooooh, ahhhhh. Curry's online store delivery arrived just now. Look at that space age bubble wrap. After discovering that I've been paying almost double the price for the paper that I regularly use at an undisclosed art store, and in an effort to avoid the awkwardness of buying and transporting larger sheets of paper sans vehicle, I made my first online order with Curry's. I think I'm in love.

ALSO, yes this deserves all caps, they provided me with a swatch booklet for the canson ingres series. I am spoiled rotten.

Another piece

Genesis, hand-cut paper, 3 layers, 25x19 inches, 2011

I spent all last summer working on this piece. Well, not all summer. Summertime tends to slow down my productivity. I can't imagine why. I hated it at first, and was ready to throw in the towel and enroll in a course to become a dental assistant. But, after putting it aside for a week, I looked at it again from a different light, and now it is one of my favourite pieces. I sure took long enough to make it.

A recent piece

Eminence, hand-cut paper, 4 layers, 19x25 inches, 2011 

It's 2:51am on Thurday, March 8th, but the blogger timecode is saying it's still a decent hour. I'll let my new blog-companion assist me in tricking myself into believing that I shouldn't be in bed yet.

As noted in the picture in my header: I like Volcanoes.

(March 11: I finally figured out how to change the time zone on this thing. Oh technology, we'll become friends yet!)

Howdy

Sooooo... yes... I have decided to start a blog for my artwork. My website is prehistoric, and dreamweaver/my hosting service won't seem to allow me to update it anymore. Ergo, a blogging I shall go.

Well, as my extremely long 'about me' explains, I like to cut paper. Been figuring out ways to create photography-inspired images without technology --darkroom or via a fancy expensive printer. My artwork arose from my impatience with the technical side of photography, and due to my lack of access to the equipment needed to print out quality images. While it strained me to fiddle with the different modes of photo creation, I found endless stamina and curiosity with the craft of knife to paper.

Thank-you #11 Excel blades.