YES Art Expo Montreal 2012

06/05/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

The Montreal YES Art Expo held June 3rd and 4th at the Montreal Science Centre was a huge success. With more than 60 artists in attendance and countless visitors the exposition had something for everyone. I had a great time meeting the other artists and seeing what drives them and their style. Business cards, ideas, jokes, emails, and sometimes personal works were exchanged at the YES Art Expo Montreal 2012.

I couldn’t find the time to speak with everyone, but I did have my favourites. Round the corner from my table was Damien Siqueiros the photographer, and on the other side was Andrew Da Silva the artist. Both talented and driven individuals whom I had the pleasure of meeting. I traded with Andrew a piece of my art for one of his and wish I made a lot more trades.

Across from me was another painter named Marion Pynn whose large paintings drew a lot of attention and I believe she said a commission has begun with one of her customers. Congratulations!

Another painter, Stephanie Payne had some large bright canvases which caught the sun just right during the day. Be sure to check out her stuff.

Genevieve Gallant showed me her interesting sculptures. Some looked like pieces of coral and others looked like fossils. Very natural work.

Claire Anderson and Steven J. Woodruff had another table worth looking at. Both glass artists of a very high caliber, I enjoyed our frank discussions about art and life in general. Glass being a medium very interesting and difficult to understand for most, these two know what they’re doing.

After making my rounds I ran into Andrew Johnson. He had a painting of a hawk which caught my eye and it turns out he is soon opening a bike shop. These bikes will be custom made for you out of bamboo.

Here is a tip. If you want anything made out of leather, check out Atelier C2 Workshop. Very hilarious and down to earth people who have a lot to offer.

I could see a giant painting of lips from where I sat. Who painted these? Layla Folkmann did. Have a peek!

Another photographer whose work I saw went by the name Nasuna. Highly talented individual that I did not get to meet unfortunately. She looks at things in an interesting way.

Have you ever had a look at what Jessica Renahan is doing? Her Zombie Bunnies looked good enough to eat.

I do not have enough room to mention all that took place and if I forgot to mention you, tough. Deal with it like an adult and write me a letter. I will keep in touch and hope to see everyone again. Keep on working and congratulations to everyone.

A full list of artists HERE.

YES Art Expo 2012

05/14/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

After filling out the appropriate paperwork, sending in my CV, attaching appropriate samples of my work and writing an artists statement I have the pleasure of announcing I have been selected by a jury of artists to attend and participate in this years Montreal YES Art Expo. Details HERE.

This June 3rd and 4th you can come and see 60 artists of varying disciplines for free at the Montreal Science Center in Old Montreal.

The next few weeks will be very busy for me. The plan is to produce a new piece every day for the rest of the month in preparation for the show. With a high level of exposure and a lot of traffic this expo will be quite a success. I am very excited to be a part of it and look forward to meeting some new contacts. It’s going to be a blast.

Adam Yauch

05/08/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

Most of us have heard that Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has passed away. Also known as MCA, Adam passed away at age 47 after battling cancer.

There exists an entire generation who listened to the Beastie Boys and the words “fight for your right” mean something different to everyone. There are way too many classics to name here and I am sure we all have our favorites.

While in High School, the song “Intergalactic” was on every ones terrible loose sound system.

My first Beastie Boys CD I purchased was “Ill Communication” and always has a place next to my stereo.

So, let us remember this great artist and go stick our collective dicks in the mashed potatoes.

Nods to Blogs

04/08/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

I don’t follow many other blogs. I follow three with regularity. If you have some time to waste, have a peek at these three.

Trackosaurus Rex. An immense blog centered around bicycle and bicycle related topics jam packed with photos and videos. If you can appreciate the art of the bike then you can appreciate this.

The Wooster Collective. This blog focuses on street art around the world.

Fecal Face. A San Francisco based art blog featuring street art, illustration, music, openings, and interviews. They have a weekly drawing contest based upon a theme which I will begin to enter more often. Check out my entry and vote for #7 here.

These blogs are a few out there that caught my attention so far.

Red Fox

04/07/2012 by JM | 2 Comments

It is finished. Layering oil colors on top of one another takes time. I set out to do the red fox in acrylics but things change.

It started like this.

I thinned out the colors with mineral spirits and used pieces of string to paint this renard. An average of two hours per color going from a dark red all the way to white.

Available here.

Jean Charest

03/30/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

A 24″ x 30″ drawing of Quebec Premier Jean Charest. I used burnt paper, ashes, marker, and watercolors.

Allegations of corruption, and his stubbornness surrounding the topic of tuition fees in Montreal, have put this image of him into my mind. Available for purchase.

Student Protest

03/23/2012 by JM | 2 Comments

On March 22, 2012, some 200,000 students rallied together to protest the tuition fee increases in Montreal, Quebec.

The peaceful march took place at 1pm and was greeted with enthusiasm by the local population. All were in good spirits. People cheered from the sidewalks with support for the students and waved red flags from balconies above. Many wore red to symbolize debt. Some children seen painting red squares in their windows were greeting by the students with the chant, “C’est pour vous!” or, “It’s for you!”

Other cries of protest included:

“Crions! Plus fort! Pour que personne ne nous ignore!” / “Yell! Louder! So no one can ignore us!”

“On veut étudier! On veut pas s’endetter!” / “We want to study! We don’t want to be in debt!”

The province of Quebec plans on doubling tuition fees over the next five years to $3800. The main argument put forth in favor of raising tuition is that it will provide better education for students. One does not necessarily equal the other. There are too many countries in the world to list here that provide quality free education. If you are curious about which countries provide it, there is a short list here.

Forcing those who cannot pay the extra cost for their education is wrong. Québec Premier Jean Charest will hopefully yield to the population and make a rare welcomed move in his poor political career. Jean Charest, along with Minister of Education Line Beauchamp, may end up cutting those who cannot afford the extra cash out of the system.

But that’s the point isn’t it? Keep a large group of uninformed and uneducated people?

Of course it is, because the educated are dangerous to those in positions of power.

Students March Part 1

Students March Part 2

Students March Part 3

Fractals

03/21/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

A note or two about fractals. Fractals are

“… typically self-similar patterns, where self-similar means they are “the same from near as from far”

- Wikipedia

Fractals are easily found in trees, coastlines, snowflakes, and leaves. Two years ago I was asked to do a drawing called “Fractal Sun & Tree” for a book cover. I wasn’t about to draw infinity, so instead I connected the sun and the tree in this manner. The author was happy with the result.

I have just finished a second version shown below of that same drawing with minor differences.

Underneath is an example of the Mandelbrot Set fractal.

Once you’ve seen one, you will see them everywhere. Self-similar and repeating patterns are all around you.

Squid

03/14/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

Always willing to try a new style, I started to investigate pyrography. Pyrography is a just another method of making marks on a surface. This method uses a heated metal tool to make those marks. I tried out some heated metal cables, knives, nails, and pins but the first attempts didn’t work out. After a short break I came back and made this squid using a candle, knife, charcoal, and some markers I broke in half to use the ink.

When I begin any new painting of an animal I don’t understand I do research. I read books and watch videos to learn a little more about my subject. At the beginning of the year I picked up a few books written by Jacques Cousteau about the octopus. From there I went on to read more books about the cephalopod. The more I learn about a thing, the more I enjoy it. Have a look at this video of a squid’s chromatophores and enjoy that.

Eastern Bloc

03/10/2012 by JM | Leave a comment

This Saturday started late. If you get a chance to sleep in once and a while, take it.

The main objective of the day was to check out the artist-run centre Eastern Bloc. I did this after walking to ABC Cycles on Avenue du Parc and getting a pedal wrench. Park Tool makes an excellent one.

Eastern Bloc is located at 7240 Clark just off of Jean Talon. Focusing on new media and interdisciplinary art, it is unique in that it caters

“…specifically to young artists or post-graduates in the first five years of their professional career working in New Media and related disciplines.”

(Eastern Bloc Mandate)

I was interested in the audio/visual installations and took a few pictures. The gallery itself was very large and had plenty of space for the large screens in some of the rooms.

I decided that as an illustrator/painter, joining this collective wasn’t right for me. The search goes on. If you are a recent graduate or emerging artist dealing with media arts, make sure to stop in and talk to these guys as they have an excellent set up.