Melinda Josie

January 16th 2012

2012-01-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

Installation in Progress

I spent a little time a couple of days ago helping out Chris and the other members of Team Macho paint one of their new structures that they've been building at the AGO.

They're creating four separate workspaces in the public gallery in the lower level of the gallery where people can interact with their structures and even create their own work. Each space is based on the four pillars of the universe written about by Canadian writer Northrop Frye. These pillars are the cave, the furnace, the mountaintop and the garden. They've taken these four elements and applied them to each of the structures in context with their own creative process.

Here is a write-up from this past Saturday's National Post on their creative process. They've just finished up an interview with the Globe and Mail this morning, and I'll post a link to that as well when it's been published. Also, here is a link to their article on the AGO website. To follow progress on their project, they've been uploading images to their Tumblr and updating on Twitter.

Their space will be available to the public between January and April of this year.

{ The mountaintop }

{ The cave }

{ The garden }

{ The furnace }

January 12th 2012

2012-01-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

As promised, I'm posting another couple of paintings that both Chris and I worked on before going on holiday in December. This project was a lot of fun!

We'd been commissioned by our friends Celine and Jin to do a couple of paintings collaboratively. They'd mentioned that they'd love portraits done of their two sweet cats; Mea and Mojo. We wanted to take things a little further and include the two of them as well. After some brainstorming, this was the idea Chris came up with, and I instantly fell in love with it! I knew it would be so much fun to paint! Both Celine and Jin have a lot of character, and so do the cats! This was going to be easy.

We asked them if we could come over one afternoon to take quick photos of the two of them. They had no idea what we were up to!

So we worked on it these two paintings together, while taking breaks from all of our other work. We were both super busy at that time, but this was welcome work.

Because things were getting to close to Christmas, and the framing shops were all too busy to take on work to be ready before Christmas, Chris decided to make two beautiful pickled pine frames. He made the pickling stain himself, and I loved them! I want to frame all of our work like that now! (It's nearly white, with a bit of natural grain still showing). So pretty.

We told them we had something to drop off quickly the evening before we left the city. We'd wrapped the pieces up so that Jin got the painting of Celine, and Celine got the painting of Jin. Their expressions were perfect when they opened them!

To see a really sweet blog post from Celine, and to see the pieces hung on their wall in their frames, here is a link.

Thanks for being the most fun subjects, Celine and Jin, Mea and Mojo!

January 4th 2012

2012-01-04T16:08:00.000-05:00

First post of 2012! Happy New Year, everyone.

It's time to do a little post-holiday catching up. It's taking a little bit of a push, but I'm starting to get back in to work mode.

{ Uneasy Rider, Mike Destefano }

Just before the holidays, things got very busy! They always do, but this may have been a record year! I did what started off as one illustration for The New York Times Magazine, and that turned in to six! It was thrilling.

The issue I was asked to contribute to was the final of the year, and was dedicated to those that have passed away during the past year. It was titled "The Lives They Lived". First off, the cover page of this issue was one of the most gorgeous magazine covers I've ever seen. It was illustrated by Mike Lemanski, and can be found via the link above.

Ira Glass, Julie Snyder and Lisa Pollak of This American Life guest edited a section in this issue titled "These American Lives". Included in this section was the article for my favorite of the illustrations I was asked to contribute, "Uneasy Rider", (see image above). The article was heartbreaking, and made me teary the first read through. I really enjoyed painting this illustration, but it was a tough, emotionally-charged one.

{ A Man Walks Up To A Bar, newspaper clipping }

{ A Day At The Ballpark }

{ Wilfrid Sheed, book covers }

I realized while looking up articles to link to them for this post, there is a video on the New York Times website of Hugo Lindgren, (editor for the magazine), talking to Ira Glass, (who hosts the NPR radio show This American Life). I watched it only to realize that pinned up in the background of the video behind the two men is the mockup page of the "Uneasy Rider" article! In the same room as Ira Glass!! Okay, I'll calm down... It was also nice to see Sara Cwynar, an art director for the magazine and good friend, featured as well.

Also in December, I did an illustration for Air Canada's inflight magazine, EnRoute. Here is a link to the article online.

This post has already gotten completely out of hand, so I'll wait for my next post to tell you all about a couple of paintings that Chris and I worked on together recently. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful start to 2012.

December 15th 2011

2011-12-15T09:48:00.001-05:00

So close! Just a few more days and we'll be on holiday until the new year.

I wanted to share a little something, (exciting!), that I worked on recently with Nikole Herriott of Herriott Grace. We came up with a design together that I illustrated for her new holiday wrapping paper, available in their shop shortly! It was silkscreened by Kid Icarus here in Toronto, and will be available in green or gold on white. Also, if you get the chance, check out their website! It's beautiful!

I've also been working on four new illustrations for the New York Times Magazine, which I'm very excited to share. Unfortunately, I won't be able to post them online until after Christmas, but I will when I'm back in the studio!

December 5th 2011

2011-12-05T09:29:00.001-05:00

Happy December, everyone!

The last few weeks before the holidays is always a super busy time, and I'm just finishing up some last minute projects before we can take off for a vacation. Chris and I will be spending the holidays with family, and I've really been looking forward to going up north, snowshoeing playing in the snow, and sitting in front of the fire with hot chocolate. So relaxing!

In the past couple of months I've finished up some fun assignments with great clients. Included in those jobs was one that was just published this morning. I was asked to illustrate the background city blocks of buildings in Fatbox Inc.'s Missed Connector App video, which can be viewed here. They look pretty teeny-tiny in the video, so I've attached a larger image of some of the elements pieced together on one city block, below.

Also, the Kid Icarus 2012 Art Calendar that I'd mentioned in my previous post is now available! I saw it in person over the weekend, and the collection of work in the calendar is pretty fantastic, (and printed beautifully, too!).

There are still a few things in the works that I won't be able to post about until after the holidays, but I look forward to it in the New Year!

November 26th 2011

2011-11-26T10:13:00.001-05:00

This is just a quick update to let you know about a project I worked on recently with Kid Icarus. I've worked with them quite a bit in the past, and they asked if I'd be part of their limited edition silkscreen 2012 calendar. Each page has been designed by a different artist, then silkscreened and bound by Mike and Bianca. They're releasing it at their Handmade Holiday craft show on December 3rd. For more information, visit the site.

November 9th 2011

2011-11-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

It's up!

The snowman that I mentioned in my last post that I designed for the TORONTOLAND charity for Starlight Children's Charity is now on display at Cambell House Museum on the corner of Queen Street West and University Avenue.

I had a little errand to run today, and decided to head out and see it for myself! I'm still planning a trip around the city to see all of them when they're all up.

If you're in the city, and happen to be passing by any of these snowmen, take a photo with your phone and email it to me(at)tosnowman.com or text it to 647TAGSNOW, and the city will donate $2 to the charity for each photo they receive.

Thanks again to Lunch, Narwhal Art Projects and Toronto Tourism for creating such a great project. It was great to be a part of this with all of the other artists involved.

November 3rd, 2011

2011-11-03T11:10:00.000-04:00

Happy November, everyone!

I hope those of you in the north-eastern States have dug out of the snowbanks and are keeping nice and warm. Strangely, it's been unseasonably warm for the beginning of November here in Toronto. Though I'm sure many don't want to hear it, I'm really looking forward to the snow...

I know, I know. But it means being cozy inside with hot cider and cocoa, wooly blankets and short, dark days. By the end of the winter I'm happy for spring, but I do love a good winter's day.

One reason I'm posting today is to let you know that starting today, and until the end of December, I've discounted two silkscreen prints in my shop by 15%. I wanted to give enough time for people to order and have their prints shipped for the holidays. The prints are the Dalahäst Blå and Like A Bear Knitting silkscreen prints, (seen above). If you're interested in ordering and need a shipping quote, please contact me before placing your order.

I also wanted let you in on a project I recently worked on with Toronto Tourism, Narwhal Art Projects and Lunch; the giant snowmen that you may have seen popping up all over the city.

During November and December this year, the city has commissioned artist-designed 8-foot-tall snowmen to be placed around the city. The snowmen were created to raise funds for the Starlight Children's Foundation Canada. Each time someone takes a photo with a snowman and either texts, emails or tweets about it, the city will donate $2 to the Foundation. Their hopes are to raise $50,000 for the charity. Sixteen artists came up with designs, including myself. There are a couple of snowmen up currently, including Team Macho's design in the Distillery District, Travis Lampe's in the Delta Chelsea Hotel, and Mark Gervais' snowman seen at the CN Tower. When mine goes up, I'll be sure and post photos!

To view the TORONTOLAND website, (which is pretty fantastic), click through the link here.

October 23rd 2011

2011-10-23T17:24:00.000-04:00

This will be a quick one!

Since I didn't post anything other than the cover of Grand-Remous in the other day's post, I wanted to show a couple of my favorites.

If you're at all familiar, (and who isn't, really), with this past spring's Royal Wedding, you may recognize the pageant outfits on these two rex cats.

I used one Nikole Herriott's father's beautiful handmade spoons as reference for the one above.

October 22nd 2011

2011-10-22T20:00:00.000-04:00

I realized a few days ago that every time you open the page for my blog, music starts up from a video I'd linked. I think, (so that I'm not annoying readers), I'm going to take the video down, but post a link to it instead. It's such a pretty video, but I would hate for it to detract readers from visiting!

That said, I wanted to post a bit more work that's been published recently.

This past week I received a copy of University Affairs Magazine with an illustration I did of a street scene set in Montréal in 1911. It was a tough one to do! That's a lot of (architectural, eep!) detail! (Click on the image to see it a little more clearly).

I also did another job for The New York Times; this time for the Dining In section of the paper. It was so much fun! Sometimes I feel like I get jobs that were sort of made for me, and this was one of them! I was asked to illustrate the top of a table; to paint some of the dishes that were rendered beautifully in the article. It was about a dinner that the author, Mimi Sheraton, had had back in 1953 on a trip to Denmark. I love Scandinavian food and design, so this was a lot of fun to do!

Here is a link to the original article in the paper.

I'm working on some other things, and will have more work to show shortly. Until then!

October 20th 2011

2011-10-20T15:46:00.000-04:00

Good news! I have copies of Grand-Remous, the children's book I worked on with Mélanie Tellier this past summer. Mélanie is the publisher that I did our previous book, Le Géranium, with, and I was so excited when she asked me to work with her on another project.

Chris and I went to Montréal last week for the fall book launch party for Les Éditions Marchand de Feuilles and Bourgeon, where I picked up a few copies of the new book. I'm so excited to have finished up another project with this publisher, and I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

I just did a draw for a free copy of the book, and wanted to congratulate Dawn Petticrew! Thanks to all of those who entered the draw.

I've uploaded all of the images from the book to my website, and you can view the work here. I will have a few copies of the book available online, and will order more when the book is officially released mid-November. You can order your copy of the book here.

Thanks to all of those who supported me during such a busy period this summer, as well as Mélanie and her staff for having such faith in my work!

I'll be back again tomorrow to add more new work to the blog!

September 30th 2011

2011-09-30T14:21:00.003-04:00

It's the last day of September, (already!), and I have a little bit of news. Actually, a big piece of news!

It's only about one more month until the release of my next illustrated children's book, Grand-Remous, with Mélanie Tellier and publisher Bourgeon. The website has a preview of the cover of the book that I wanted to share (above).

In a week I'll be heading to Montréal for the release party for the publisher's fall editions, so I'll finally get to see the book fresh from the presses! I'm even more excited about the release of this book than I was for the last, if that's even possible.

When I return home, I'll have a giveaway for one of the first copies of the book that I'll send out on the release date. To enter for a copy, please go to my Facebook page post and leave a comment! I'll do a draw and mail out a copy at the beginning of November to the lucky recipient!

September 23rd 2011

2011-09-23T20:10:00.000-04:00

{ VIDEO }

I've been doing a lot of image reference for tilt-shift photography, (it's so simple, but it still baffles me! Everything looks so tiny!).

In the process, I stumbled upon some really pretty videos, and this just happens to be one of my favorites. It's by a film maker named Felix Holderer from Freiburg, Germany. It really does look like a pretty little snowglobe!

{ * It was brought to my attention after posting this video that it began playing every time the page blog page was opened, so I've taken the video down and replaced it with a link to the video. It's a beautiful video, so I hope you'll click through and watch it! And my apologies for the soundtrack on the blog. Oops. }

September 19th 2011

2011-09-19T13:34:00.000-04:00

My hand is cramped. I spent the three days following our Boston trip catching up on some work. I had a fairly rushed job that I finished up late last night, that I can't wait to share. It was a pretty big job, and I'm so happy with the results. I don't believe it'll be published until November, so I'll have to post it when it becomes available.

In the meantime, I wanted to post a couple of images that I'm completely in love with. Back in August, Chris' Dad gave me a book; The Paper Garden, for my birthday. I haven't had a chance to read through very far, but have flipped through the pages to look at the incredible images scattered throughout the book. It's about a woman named Mary Delany, an English aristocrat, who didn't begin her life's work, cutting gorgeously intricate botanical illustrations from paper, until the age of 72. Her work is incredibly deft and accurate, and can still be found at the British Museum to this day. (This is surprising, because she created them during the 18th century, and didn't take care to properly archive her works; delicately crafted out of hand-dyed onion/ tissue papers).

I'm always appreciative of work that is incredibly detailed, so her work really stands out to me. I love her use of deep, ink-black backgrounds. They make her work look so rich.

September 17th 2011

2011-09-17T21:40:00.000-04:00

Here are the illustrations I did, published this week in The New York Times Magazine Education Issue. This was such a fun job to do! I was asked to do a small series of paintings from an article that included short stories about personal school experiences written by Michael Bloomberg, Wes Anderson and others. You can read the article here.

I got the assignment while I was out at a Blue Jays game with Chris and some friends, then to add to the excitement of the night; we ended up on the JumboTron!

Chris and I just got back from a trip to Boston. It was a great trip away, (we both needed a little break from things), and I'll be sure and post photos when I get my film developed. It was an even more beautiful city than I'd imagined. I'd love to go back some time. Our next big trip will probably be to Iceland in the spring! I want to start planning already!

September 7th 2011

2011-09-07T08:10:00.004-04:00

Last month I was asked by Brooklyn Magazine to illustrate in the style of Adolphe Millot three full pages of the species of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. I've always wanted to do a scientific botanical illustration, so I was very excited to work on it. They sent me a list, which you can view here, of the species to be included. Sharks, pythons, and lions? Really!?

August 29th 2011

2011-08-29T08:49:00.002-04:00

We went to the CNE for the first time this year! I can't believe it's taken me this long to experience it. It was a lot more fun than I'd expected! There was tons of terrible, (amazing), food there, (including burgers made with Krispy Kreme donuts for buns and tacos in a bag), one of my favorite rides; the swing ride, (above), and on our way out of the park, a man being blown out of a cannon. What a great day!

August 27th 2011

2011-08-27T12:04:00.007-04:00

I have a couple of exciting projects to post about today!

I recently did some illustrations for Nikole Herriott of Herriott Grace. She wanted to post a recipe on her blog, Forty Sixth at Grace, and asked that I paint some instructional illustrations, as well as the ingredients needed for the recipe, (cloud shaped ice cream sandwiches!). It was so much fun! You can find her blog post here, with a downloadable PDF of the recipe.

Also, over the past month I've done a few illustrations for The New York Times Magazine!

They were for the "Lives" op-ed column, on the back page of the magazine. The first story I was asked to illustrate was for an article titled "The Secret Life of a Rock Dad". It was written by Clay Tarver, previously of a 90's band called "Chavez", and his struggles with becoming a "rock dad".

The second was for this week's issue, and was titled "The Letting Go", written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, and is a beautifully written essay on the differences between the death rituals of India and North America. Below is pictured the illustration I did for it, of a ganga, or Indian funeral boat.

August 9th 2011

2011-08-09T15:27:00.005-04:00

Success.

Now, that looks better. And so clean! I'm sure it won't last long. It is a studio after all. But I'm so glad I set aside the time to fix this room up.

I just finished a (very exciting!!) new job yesterday, and I can't wait to share it. I think I'll be able to by Thursday or Friday. Yay!

August 8th 2011

2011-08-08T09:32:00.005-04:00

In dire need of some cleaning and organizing, I took some time out this weekend to fix up our studio room a little bit. Okay, a lot. This is what it looked like when Anabela came by for a studio visit last summer:

And some progress after a weekend of painting and purging:

We needed it to be a little brighter, so Chris and I found a nice bright white to paint the walls. We're putting in some new shelves and getting rid of a lot of unneeded things. It's still in a state of upheaval, and looks a little depressing really, but hopefully by tomorrow I'll have a proper work area again. (The work I have to do today may have to be done at our kitchen table instead).

I'll post a couple of photos when it's finally put back together again! It'll probably be the best looking it has ever and will ever be.

August 2nd 2011

2011-08-02T11:23:00.009-04:00

Happy August, everyone. To all of my Canadian friends, I hope you had a nice holiday weekend!

I spent mine up north with family at my parent's house. Aside from being eaten by bugs, it was a beautiful weekend, and I'm back and ready to get back to work again.

It was a nice break after the last couple of busy months I've had. I'd taken a little bit of time off from blogging and posting photos to work hard on a children's book project for the same publisher as the last; Bourgeon. The work was sent off in time for me to take the weekend off and relax a little. It's scheduled for release in November! I can't wait. Above is a little preview of one of the paintings from the book. I used Dre as reference; can you tell? Anyway, I'll be sure and post all of the work on my website when the book's been released.

I'm sure everyone's seen this at some point online by now, but if not, check out the inaugural issue of Kinfolk Magazine. It's absolutely beautiful! I wasn't quick enough to get a copy, (they sold out immediately!), but will definitely be quicker next time! Luckily, you can browse the full issue online, here. Congratulations to Nikole Herriott and Tara O'Brady for their article "In Good Company: A weekday get-together for two", and Celine Kim for her beautiful photo of a cottage in Prince Edward Island on the farewell page of the magazine, as well as to all of the other talented contributors!

June 30, 2011

2011-06-30T17:06:00.004-04:00

Yay Machos!

Recently, a filming crew from Reebok came by Team Macho's studio and did a video of them doing a collaborative painting of their friend Kirk Heron. (For the record, Kirk's been a muse on more than one occasion. He models their shirts on their online webshop, too!).

Anyway, here's a really nicely filmed and edited video of the boys painting and speaking a little about their work.

Another piece of exciting Team Macho news; they've created the most incredible giveaway.

During the month of July, they've decided to give five of their original pieces away, only you'll have to work for it. (Oh yeah, and be local, because it's a scavenger hunt!). They're posting clues, starting at 5pm EST as to the whereabouts of their first painting to be given away. Each piece will be wrapped up very well and hidden very, very well. If you're located in Toronto and would like a piece of Team Macho art of your very own, you'll have to follow their Tumblr and Twitter accounts for clues! Fun!

In the next day or two I plan to post a bit, (finally!), about our recent wedding. In the meantime, we got our photos back from our incredible friend/ photographer Celine Kim a couple of days ago, and I've posted a number of them up on my Flickr photostream, if you'd like a preview.

June 17th 2011

2011-06-17T13:19:00.003-04:00

I've been staring at my palette for the past few weeks. Nearly every single day. It's always at my right, beside my elbow. And I don't usually think there's anything particularly beautiful about it; that is until you take away everything around it and focus on the little bits of light and colour.

It keeps me excited about all of the painting I have to do in the next little while!

I should take more photos of my desk while I'm working. I'll plan to do that in the next few days or so and post it to show you what a mess it is!

June 1st 2011

2011-06-01T15:45:00.003-04:00

Happy June, everyone!

The weather here in Toronto is gorgeous right now, so it's difficult to sit at my desk and listen to the sounds of the school kids out the window playing and the birds singing and not run outside to frolic a little.

But I have a fun project to work on, so that makes it worthwhile. I wish I could show you what I'm working on! But it will have to wait a couple of months. I can't wait.

A friend posted a link to this video on Twitter earlier this afternoon. It's of Mike and Bianca, the couple behind print studio Kid Icarus, and when I watched it, I realized that my Fig Newton print in all it's print stages is at the very beginning! Fun! It's a beautifully made video, filmed by Stillmotion, and so nice to see the wonderfully creative couple talking about their work. (They're the best!). Enjoy!

kid icarus // the screen printing duo from stillmotion on Vimeo.

May 25th 2011

2011-05-25T10:57:00.006-04:00

I took the night off last night to go to the movies and along the way we stopped somewhere that I've been meaning to go for ages; Little Nicky's Coffee Shop.

I have a new favorite place! I'm in love! They make some of the best coffee and their own little mini-donuts with this fantastic old donut making machine, the 'Donut Robot Mark 1'! I think I need to find more excuses to go down into the Entertainment District more often... that, or find myself a 'Donut Robot' for our home.

May 19th 2011

2011-05-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through".

— Ira Glass, (found on 'The Nouveau Romantics')

May 18th 2011

2011-05-18T13:54:00.005-04:00

Here are those drawings I'd promised. I sent these off to Amsterdam a few weeks back and they arrived safely, in time for the 100 Euro Show.

We were asked to send four original drawings, and I included the sketch for the Little Burgundy cover I just did, the sketch for the first cordyceps painting in the series I did for The Dazzle last summer, and the drawings used for my Woodland and Springtime Tea Party GOCCO prints.

Here is the finished work for the Little Burgundy cover, which is out in Little Burgundy stores here in Canada now,

as well as the inside illustration and some spots I did for them.

That's all for now, but before I sign off; one final thing. Today is the 7-year anniversary of my first date with Chris. Happy anniversary Chris B! (He says the anniversary is reset now that we're married, but I'm going to celebrate both!)

May 16th 2011

2011-05-16T13:17:00.004-04:00

I know... it's been a while. What's that? Nearly two months?? Oh dear, I seem to have lost track of time. But I'm back on track again!

A big part of the reason for my absence is that I was planning our wedding! It turned into a nearly full-time job for a little while there! But we finally reached the big day on Friday, and it was well worth all of the work. It was the most magical day!

At least I've still been drawing a fair bit. I did a couple for reference for the decorations and things to be set up on our big day, see above. I also sent a few off to an upcoming show at Weiden + Kennedy in Amsterdam. It's called the 100 Euro Show, and this will be it's second annual exhibition; this time featuring drawings from a handful of international artists. I'll post the images in a day or two, and explain a little more about the show.

Anyway, I just didn't want you to think that I'd forgotten about you, but I should get back to work! I have some very exciting things along the horizon!

Oh yeah, and here's a little animation that our friend Nick made of us dancing...

March 24th 2011

2011-03-22T12:31:00.005-04:00

Next weekend there will be an art auction, Toronto Hearts Japan, taking place to help raise money for Japan relief. Curator Kristin Weckworth and friend Kathryn Ruppert-Dazai are putting the event on at the Gladstone Hotel from Wednesday March 30th until Tuesday April 5th.

I will be including two paintings in the silent auction; the first, an older painting called 'Sleepy Pon' that was created for the Mittenfists exhibition at Magic Pony Gallery, and the second 'Bonsai', created for children's book Le Géranium.

The opening reception will be held on Friday April 1st on the second floor of the Gladstone Hotel from 7 - 10pm; and a closing reception Tuesday April 5th 6 - 8pm.

March 25th 2011

2011-03-19T09:26:00.005-04:00

It's finally arrived! I received a copy of the new Uppercase 'Work / Life 2 - Directory of International Illustration' in the mail!

I can finally post this painting that I had commissioned last summer. It was painted to be given to a couple that already had a small number of my pieces and were having their first baby. The painting is of their two rex cornish cats; Doug on the left, Lu on the right.

Below is the cover, my spread, and a page that I love of Olaf Hajek's bike with paint brushes strapped to the back. I'd like to thank both Celine Kim and Anabela Carneiro for allowing me to use photos of theirs for my page. Celine took the portrait of me with my Brownie camera, and Anabela took the photos of my studio for her 'This is Where I Live' series on her blog, Fieldguided.

March 19th 2011

2011-03-15T16:03:00.005-04:00

Last weekend I had the chance to finally go to the new TIFF Lightbox Theatre here in Toronto. The past week was Canadian Music Week, and as part of the ongoing events, the festival put on a showing of AN ISLAND, a movie created by filmmaker Vincent Moon and one of my favorite bands, Efterklang.

It was such a beautiful movie. It follows the band around to different locations on an island off the Danish coast, to homes of residents, grade schools and through forests creating music with the sounds around them. The soundtrack of the film included music from their newest album, Magic Chairs.

After seeing the film, we found out that you can send a request to the filmmaker to hold a private screening. They send you a digital file of the movie and set up a time and location to hold a screening for your friends. If you get the chance before the deadline (in a week or so?), I highly recommend you contact them for a copy!

March 9th 2011

2011-03-09T10:40:00.004-05:00

My dear friend Stephen Appleby-Barr will be having his first exhibition with Nicholas Metivier Gallery tomorrow night. The gallery is located at 451 King Street W here in Toronto, and the opening reception runs from 6 - 8pm. If you're in or around the city, the exhibit will run from tomorrow, March 10th to April 2nd.

At the same time Stephen's show is opening, the rest of the boys from Team Macho will be installing a show at an artist-run centre in Montréal called Optica. Their exhibition will run from this coming Saturday, March 12th until April 16th, and will include nearly 150 works.

There are so many exciting things happening for them! Congratulations, Machos!

February 28th 2011

2011-02-28T16:56:00.003-05:00

I haven't been posting much on the blog lately, have I? I apologize. The thing is, I have a ton of work on the go, but until they're released/published I can't post about them! Disappointing. So instead, I've decided to post a few images by one of my favorite illustrators, Brian Cronin.

He's been a favorite of mine for years, and his work keeps getting better and more engaging. I recently found some of his work in a magazine, (I think it was the current issue of Real Simple! I'm embarrassed that I can't remember!), and two of the above illustrations were included in the article.

I'm in love with his palette. He combines colour in unusual ways, giving the images a vintage look. For more of his portfolio - including some gorgeous John Wyndham covers for Penguin Books, here is his website.

February 10th 2011

2011-02-10T23:34:00.003-05:00

It's out! Here is an illustration I did back in December for the first ever Weddings Issue of Uptown Magazine. The article was about "Etiquette for Brides Grooms and Guests: (how to handle those tricky issues like the seating chart, what to give as a gift, should you invite your ex-boyfriend if he's now a friend?)".

Also, a little while back I mentioned the new Uppercase book, Work/Life 2 Directory of International Illustration would be out in print in February, but the date has been pushed back to March. I'll be sure and update when it's out!

February 7th 2011

2011-02-07T12:04:00.003-05:00

While taking a quick break from some drawing this morning, I opened up my browser to find that good friend Celine Kim has a new photography website! It's designed so beautifully, from the layout to the font and new logo. It really is.

She's such a talented photographer, and it's so nice to see so many of her photos in one place. She also has a blog that's always fun to read, here.

Back in the fall, Celine took engagement photos of Chris and I, and will be photographing our wedding this spring. I can't wait.

Febraury 2nd 2011

2011-02-02T17:13:00.003-05:00

I've been terrible at keeping up with this blog, and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse in the next little while. (So I'm apologizing in advance).

This is part of the reason! Aside from some illustration jobs I'm working on, Chris and I are planning our upcoming wedding this spring.

We recently went up to Tanya Robert's letterpress studio here in Toronto, Snap & Tumble. We had so much fun designing and printing them ourselves! We're putting a lot of effort in to making as much as we can by hand.

I just finished up a fun job, and when it's published shortly, I'll post about it! I have lots of new work to share.

January 12th 2011

2011-01-12T10:28:00.003-05:00

It's the New Year, and things are getting busy in the most wonderful way. Not only do I have a number of jobs starting, but we're also planning our upcoming wedding! So many things to keep me busy!

Winters can be difficult here. They're especially dark and cold, and I often find it difficult to get working after the fun and festivities of the holidays are over. I often find myself getting bogged down with feeling down in the dumps. I feel a sort of romance with the season, but it can be a tumultuous relationship as well. I'm relieved to have so much exciting new work to keep me from feeling down! It's been snowy and beautiful outside, and that always helps, too.

It's always nice to connect with clients who have similar inspirations and ideas as I do. So exciting. I'm so lucky to have a number of these jobs at the moment. As they finish up, I'll elaborate.

Over the holidays I worked on a couple of illustration jobs, including a job for Uptown Magazine NYC, and when they're published I'll be sure and post about those as well. They were a lot of fun to work on. I'm also looking forward to the publishing of the new Uppercase Directory of Illustration, Work/Life 2, which is due to be out in February!

Happy New Year everyone!

December 31st 2010

2010-12-31T00:13:00.003-05:00

It's the last day of the year, and I'm taking the day off.

Some friends are meeting for a nice brunch in the morning, and the rest of the day/night are open to our whims- I can't wait!

I hope everyone has a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December 20th 2010

2010-12-20T16:07:00.001-05:00

Almost there! So close!

As of this time tomorrow I'll be up north in a snowy winter wonderland.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! And see you in the New Year!

December 17th 2010

2010-12-17T16:56:00.006-05:00

{ Herriott Grace }

Only a few more days, and it will be time for a holiday! I've been busy the last little while, and a break would be welcome.

I just finished up a couple of small paintings for Nikole to use for her shop update on one of my favorite online shops Herriott Grace. I think we had many of the same ideas as far as holiday imagery went- I sent her drawings of juniper berries while she was taking shop photos with juniper berries in them! Funny! I'm looking forward to seeing more of her father's wonderful handcrafted wooden things.

I'm also finishing up a couple of jobs and some Christmas presents, but plan to take a nice break tonight to sit by the space heater and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. (The space heater was purchased yesterday to keep me warm at my desk. Our furnace is currently off, as well as the hot water heater, because there was a carbon monoxide leak into our house in the middle of the night two nights ago that caused the fire department to turn them off for our safety. The repair man hasn't been back to fix them yet, and it's gotten pretty chilly in here). Hopefully we'll have heat again tomorrow!

Even with the chill in the air, this was something to make me smile. A couple of things, actually! My dear friend Mélanie, who wrote Le Géranium which I illustrated last year, sent me the most wonderful surprise gift! I was already familiar with Loyal Luxe through Anabela's blog, Fieldguided. Well, one of their kitty chalet's showed up on my doorstep yesterday! It was the sweetest gift, and I've set it up and been coaxing Dre into it for part of the afternoon. He may be too large for it. This is how I found him a few minutes ago.

Another thing? My neighbour across the street finally got all of his lights up.

December 11th 2010

2010-12-11T11:10:00.003-05:00

Anabela Carneiro of Fieldguided posted a nice feature on her blog a couple of days ago. She'd asked some local artists, makers and bloggers to write to her with some of their gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season. You can find parts one and two, (which I contributed to), here.

Above is an image from one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time - A Charlie Brown Christmas. I have to watch it at least once every year, and have the soundtrack on while I'm making and wrapping presents. It's so sweet; I just wish it were longer! The movie was released in 1965, and has such a sweet nostalgic look and sound to it. A couple of other favorites:

- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

- A Christmas Story (1983), which Chris made a new holiday tradition for me, and includes his old elementary school in St. Catharines

- and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

I watch all of this movies every Christmas, without fail!

I'm starting to really look forward to finishing up work for the season and taking off up north to my parent's for a short holiday. I'm going to attempt to get Chris out on some nordic skis and our old snowshoes to go exploring the snowy woods. So much fun!

December 9th 2010

2010-12-06T16:52:00.003-05:00

Busy, busy, busy!

I do love the holiday season, but it's busy.

I've been working on a ton of little, (and some big), projects in the last little while. Assignments for magazines, (which I'll post when they're published), commissioned paintings, Christmas card designs, (as well as our own!), and sending out prints and things. It's been wonderful.

Chris and I got a tree yesterday, decorated it, and made a nice big batch of, (what my family calls), Scrabble. Other people call it Nuts and Bolts. My family always made this over the holidays. Well, I decided to take over and make this year's batch. It was HUGE! It made two giant roast pans full. I hope everyone we know wants some, because there's no way we, and our relatives, will get through all of this.

I found this video while searching online for this band, Tricot Machine. They're based out of Trois-Rivières, Québec, and have a very sweet Christmas album. I'm in love with this video! It's so well done, and the song is very pretty.

I was sent some very sweet mail recently by an illustrator named Sarah Musi. She has been working on a project where she creates a tiny piece of artwork, about 2" x 3" in size, and sends it to her favorite artists, hoping to get a small piece of artwork in return. She even sent a tiny card for me to paint on, and a return envelope. She posted my painting and reply letter on her blog, here. Thanks for the tiny artwork, Sarah!

November 30th 2010

2010-11-30T12:58:00.003-05:00

This is the set of paintings set up at Mjölk. They went up the other day, and should be up during all of December. If you're in Toronto on December 15th, John and Juli will be holding a private party to celebrate their one-year anniversary, the upcoming holidays, and the new collection of paintings. If you'd like to attend, please send me a message through the contact form on my website, and I'll pass on the information.

Today I'm doing a little oil painting. I'm attempting to do it using a little table easel that I got a while back, and it's taking some getting used to. This afternoon I'm looking forward to a tea break with some of my favorite packaged cookies - Dare Maple Cookies! Mm! So Canadian!

It's nice to be at my desk today, because it's really blustery outside. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow a bit, and I'm really looking forward to it. What a nice way to start December.

November 24th 2010

2010-11-24T11:59:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I finished putting work in frames and dropped paintings off at Mjölk. There are six paintings total, 11" x 11" framed.

They're all Dala Horses; a take on some previous work, Dalahäst Brodera and Dalahäst Blå, (as well as my newest print). John and Juli, owners of Mjölk, wanted a small collection of these paintings to display during the holidays. Chris made the beautiful frames for them. I want all of our work at home to be framed the same way! They're in pickled pine frames with a semi-gloss finish. So pretty. I'm really happy with the finished pieces!

If you're in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, please stop in and have a look. (The shop is certainly reason enough to visit!). It's located at 2959 Dundas Street West.

November 21st 2010

2010-11-21T11:19:00.004-05:00

It's a Sunday, (and I love Sundays), and it's snowing outside, (and I love snow), so I think it's going to be a good day.

I finished a pair of mittens a few days ago that I'm really excited about wearing. It's been chilly, (and now snowy, too!), the last couple of days, so I've been wearing them, and they're very cozy. And pretty cute, too. To make the same pattern, use this one by Norwegian designer Wenche Roald on Ravelry.

I've finished the paintings for display at Mjölk over the holidays, and hopefully gotten most of my grant writing out of the way, so it's on to a couple more jobs. I've got a commission and illustration job to do in the next couple of weeks that I'm really looking forward to.

I think it's time to go make some tea with honey and settle in at my desk for some work! Happy Sunday!

November 15th 2010

2010-11-15T09:29:00.005-05:00

I'm working away at my desk today. This time of year always gets really busy, just before the holidays. But the last week or so has been especially hectic.

For one, I'm applying for a couple of artist grants this winter, and I always have a difficult time writing about my work. I think many artists have the same trouble. I can paint, but I'm not a writer. I have lots of ideas and concepts in my head, but they find a very difficult time making it to paper in word form. Luckily, I have a very similar set of ideas for this year's proposals that I did last year. I've been working toward a solid collection of oil paintings for well over a year, and I'm excited to keep developing them further.

I'm also finishing up a small collection of paintings for Mjölk. I'll post all of the paintings when they're finished and ready to take in. They'll be up over the holiday season.

I have another couple of projects lined up, which I'll write about another day.

In the meantime, I thought I'd post a few photos of the gents from Team Macho. I was going through some image reference on my hard drive and found some funny old photos of TM.

Below are some photos by Richelle Forsey, (top and bottom). Richelle has been taking portraits of the boys since their first show with Magic Pony back in 2005, (and she never fails to capture the magic)! The other was taken by the boys of some puppets they created of themselves for display in a miniature igloo fortress at Sid Lee in Amsterdam.

They currently have an show up at Narwhal Art Projects, titled Hibernation Sickness. It's their first exhibition in nearly two years, and contains some of their best work to date.

{ photo by Richelle Forsey }

{ the boys in miniature }

{ a very handsome portrait of Chris, taken by Richelle Forsey }

November 5th 2010

2010-11-05T14:38:00.004-04:00

I have to apologize for the short hiatus from the blog. Chris and I have been traveling!

We went to Montréal for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards (Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse), on November 2nd.

We took the train in to the city and stayed at the Queen Elizabeth, which was a beautiful hotel. We had just enough time from our arrival to shower and get ready.

I met up with Mélanie, the wonderful author and publisher of Le Géranium, in the lobby of the hotel. We hit it off straight away. She was very sweet, and very helpful; (I was hurriedly trying to squeeze in some last minute French speech pronunciation with her!).

We proceeded to hop into a cab to the Canadian Centre for Architecture. It was a beautiful building and we were able to walk around some of the exhibit that was on display before the cocktail party began. There were some amazing hors d'oeuvres, but I was so nervous I could barely eat a bite. Then came the announcement; we were to go into the theatre and give our speeches and listen to Marie-Louise Gay, last year's laureate, speak. Luckily, we were the second presenters out of five to speak, because I was very anxious. Mélanie graciously took over for a good part of it! The presentation went on, and I picked up as much in translation as I could. It was really nice to hear the other authors and illustrators speak about their work. Finally, we heard the juror's verdict.

When we were getting ready to leave that morning I checked to see how my (old) vintage heels looked with my outfit, went to put them on, and snap; the strap broke on me. So the only other pair of shoes I was able to wear with the outfit were the shoes I got to wear on our wedding day next spring. (No more surprises, Chris! Sorry!). But they must have been good luck shoes, because we won!

We finished off the evening with dessert, spoke to jurors and other participants in the evening, then went out for dinner at an amazing local restaurant. It was the most incredible night. We met so many wonderful people and got to see parts of Montréal that we may not have known to visit. I can't thank everyone who organized, and was part of the night, enough.

Below, I've attached a clipping from the Montréal Gazette that showed up in front of our hotel room door the next morning. Exciting!

Also, for more photos from the trip, please visit my Flickr Photostream.

Lastly, I want to thank Mélanie Vincelette for having me be a part of this project. I had so much fun illustrating this book, and I look forward to working with you again!

October 23rd 2010

2010-10-23T17:31:00.007-04:00

As expected, I have the best time up at Tanya's print studio! I wrote yesterday that I'd won a giveaway through her blog, Snap & Tumble, that allowed me to take her letterpress curiosity workshop. It was even more fun than I'd imagined!

I learned how to set lead type into the chase, (see diagram of the anatomy of the machine below), mix ink, apply it to the ink disc, and register my stationery on the platen of the machine. I probably printed about 100 cards with "FROM THE DESK OF MELINDA JOSIE", (what? I'm old school like that). I'm so happy that I was able to use one of Tanya's personal designs; the set of three little flags, as well.

I got to use her new press; the Chandler & Price pilot press. It was amazing. I want to invest in a press so badly now. (I'm sure Tanya's given the local printing press shop, Don K Black Linecasting, up in Scarborough a lot of business!).

Thank you so much, Tanya, for a wonderful intro to printing!

{ image via Matt Borghi's Flickr Photostream }

{ image via Don K Black Linecasting }

Also, I forgot to post yesterday about the Masanori Oji exhibition at Mjölk. It was beautiful! For some photos of the opening, visit Mjölk's blog, Kitka Design, and Celine Kim's blog, Bonjour Celine. I'm madly in love with the brass faceted pendant light. It's perfect in every way.

October 22nd 2010

2010-10-22T15:49:00.004-04:00

I'm getting really excited for tomorrow. I realized this morning that tomorrow at 11am I'll be up in Scarborough at Snap & Tumble, Tanya Roberts' letterpress studio taking her curiosity workshop. I recently won the class as a(n amazing!) giveaway on her blog.

I've had work printed for me, but I've never used a press myself! Chris and I plan to print our own wedding invitations in Tanya's space, so it'll be nice to familiarize myself with the workings of the press, mix some inks, and print away! I've had friends that have taken the class as well and loved it. I'll post my results afterward!

I had a great mail day today. (Actually the last week has been pretty great). But this morning I received a copy of new Toronto-based magazine PLAID, with an article written by Navi Lamba, the newest issue of Uppercase Magazine, and a Mystery Loot Pack from Kid Icarus and My City Lives full of stationery, prints and wrapping paper! So many fun things!

October 21st 2010

2010-10-21T14:27:00.004-04:00

It's raining outside and I'm in my warm studio room painting away.

I'm going to try to get a fair bit of work done this afternoon because I plan to take tonight off to go to Mjölk to see an exhibition of Masanori Oji's work, titled Life on the Floor. If you're in Toronto tonight, I highly recommend coming out to see his work. He's also visiting from Japan, so you can meet the artist himself.

Some of my favorite objects from Mjölk are those designed by Oji, including the Kami Mug, Butter Case and Kake Tosaka broom. His work is so perfect and so simple.

Also, here is an article recently published on the HGTV website on the couple, John and Juli, that run Mjölk. They're so well spoken, and you can tell they really love what they do by how they speak about it. That's always inspiring.

October 16th 2010

2010-10-16T10:19:00.005-04:00

I'm getting really excited for Team Macho's upcoming show at Narwhal Art Projects. Chris has been working like crazy to finish pieces and frames for their show on Thursday, October 28th. I notice that all of their pieces are getting more and more painterly from show to show. I can't wait to see everything together!

Here is the statement from the Narwhal site :

"Narwhal Art Projects is pleased to present Hibernation Sickness, a solo exhibition with Toronto collective Team Macho. Hibernation Sickness marks the collective's notable return to fine art after a two year sabbatical dedicated to their individual pursuits. A term used to describe the side effects associated with awakening from a period of suspended animation, Team Macho related similar type symptoms when returning to their group practice. Although their creative environment has remained virtually unchanged for the past six years with all members continuing to create out of the legendary shared space, the dynamic within the collective altered as each member developed their individual practice. Embarking on solo projects ranging from classical oil painting to collage to airbrush and woodworking, the collective dedicated themselves completely to a specific practice allowing for a deeper understanding of both themselves and their techniques. Team Macho return to their communal fine art practice with five unique sets of sharply honed skills and a renewed passion for their shared creative dynamic. Steadfast in their loyalty and mutual appreciation for contemporary cultural references, Hibernation Sickness is an homage to rebel fighters, and celebrates the continued evolution of the Team Macho brotherhood.

Comprised of members Nicholas Aoki, G. Stephen Appleby-Barr, Christopher Buchan, Lauchie Reid and Jacob Whibley, Team Macho occupies a large studio in Toronto, where their collective efforts are focused on developing an art-making practice that spans the worlds of both fine art and illustration. With a penchant for using unconventional materials and subverted narratives, Team Macho playfully juxtapose styles and motifs ranging from the crudely rendered to the classically painted. Working with a wide range of media, Team Macho’s diverse offerings convey a decidedly unorthodox and individual approach where figurative painting, drawing, airbrush, collage and sculpture find harmony within the group's infinite reserve of inside jokes and prolific banter. Team Macho have exhibited at Magic Pony and Narwhal Art Projects since 2005, with Friends for Life (June 2005), Team Macho is a Tough Man (May 2006), Fancy Action Now (May 2007) and Kitschy, Gay, And Over In a Second (September 2008). Magic Pony published their first monograph in 2007, entitled Fancy Action Now: The Art of Team Macho."

For a sneak peek at the artwork for the show, visit the artwork page on the Narwhal site. To RSVP for the opening, visit the event page on Facebook.

October 14th 2010

2010-10-14T13:21:00.005-04:00

The last day has been so exciting. I received a package in the mail from the Canada Council this morning including a sheet of 'Finaliste des GG' foil seals to stamp on to the cover of my books! (Look how lovely they look with the seal! Growing up, I used to think that books with those foil seals must have been very special books, which makes this feel so surreal).

I want to thank everyone for all of the kind words of encouragement over the last day. It's been pretty overwhelming!

October 13th 2010

2010-10-13T13:36:00.002-04:00

I got some incredible news this morning.

I got a call from the Canada Council for the Arts to inform me that I'm one of five finalists for the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Book Illustration! I'm ecstatic. I never would have dreamed of such an honour.

For the press release, follow this link.

October 12th 2010

2010-10-12T15:04:00.007-04:00

This is just a quick note to thank everyone who was able to make it out to the gallery walkthrough at Narwhal this past weekend. It was lots of fun! I was surprised that so many made it out, even during a holiday weekend. So thank you for that.

There will be a closing reception for the show on Sunday, October 17th, including the launch of the catalogue for the exhibition! I can't wait to see it in print. There was so much amazing work in the collection. I'll be sure and post a link to the event here and on my Facebook page when it becomes available.

October 7th 2010

2010-10-07T13:24:00.005-04:00

In the last couple of days I've finished a commissioned painting that I've been working on for some time, received my invitation to the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award gala and booked our transportation and hotel in Montreal. So many exciting things happening!

I also found out this morning that My City Lives posted a link on their Facebook page to the Kid Icarus mystery loot bag giveaway, (one of which will include my newest print!). To enter for your chance to win, simply click 'Like' on their page, and leave a comment in the 'Promotion' album! Winners will be announced Monday, October 11th. (Also, here is a post from Mike and Bianca on the Kid Icarus website about the new print).

{ via Kid Icarus }

This coming Saturday, October 9th, I'll be taking part in a gallery walkthrough at Narwhal Art Projects to discuss our ideas behind the work in their current exhibition, The Dazzle. Other artists in attendance will be Nicholas DiGenova, Shannon Gerard, Jennie Suddick, Katie Bethune-Leamen and Carly Waito. I'm looking forward to being able to explain the reasoning behind my recent collection of paintings.

To RSVP to this event, follow this link to their event page.

Oh, and I nearly forgot! There was some very exciting local news circulating yesterday... Yes, that's right; there was a unicorn sighting in the Don Valley. (There's even video evidence!). To see the article and video for yourself, (including the emergency unicorn hotline! haha!), follow the above link. I don't even know what to say. Toronto; I love you.

October 1st 2010

2010-09-30T18:27:00.006-04:00

I brought them home yesterday; my new silkscreen prints! Mike and Bianca did a wonderful job! It's called Dalahäst Blå, and they're now available on my website. Please email me for shipping costs.

I also found out that the new, and first print issue, of Plaid Magazine was released today, and features an interview I did with writer Navi Lamba!

September 30th 2010

2010-09-30T09:30:00.003-04:00

Above is the video taken while working with Mike and Bianca at Kid Icarus on my new silkscreen print. (There is even a sneak peek of it in the background!).

The video was taken by My City Lives, an online video database dedicated to showcasing local citizens, public spaces and businesses. They approached Kid Icarus to feature what it is that they do in their silkscreening shop. Since I was planning on creating a new print with them, they asked that I be a part of the video and talk about how, as an artist, I can bring them my work and have editions made. This is my third print with them, and I'm very excited to release it! (I should have the prints this afternoon, and will have then online in no time!).

Also, I'll be posting another link to this video next week. Kid Icarus, in conjunction with My City Lives, will be running a giveaway of Mystery Loot Bags and one of my new prints! So if you'd like to get your hands on a new print, I'll post the details of how to do so in the coming week.

September 27th 2010

2010-09-27T10:07:00.004-04:00

Some beautiful oil paintings from Christer Karlstad.

I stumbled upon his work on Booooooom! this morning. I'm always drawn to realist portraiture, especially including wildlife associated with the north. I was raised in mid-northern Ontario, (and returned for a visit this weekend), and often come back to that theme in my own artwork. There is something very melancholy and quiet about the north. It's a nice place to get away when I've been in the city for a while. It's especially beautiful this time of year.

I took some photos of some great reference out in the woods this weekend, which I'll be sure and post when I've uploaded them.

September 24th 2010

2010-09-23T19:15:00.003-04:00

I had an exciting day yesterday.

Part of the afternoon was spent at Kid Icarus here in Toronto developing a new silkscreen print with Mike and his partner Bianca, as well as filming a small project which I'll be sure and go in to detail about when it's online.

The silkscreen print will be my third printed by Kid Icarus. I keep returning to them, because they do an amazing job. They're able to mimic the effect of watercolour through layers of transparent silkscreen inks. It's remarkable how close to the original they're able to get. Here are two previous prints printed by Mike; the first, Fig Newton. (The original painting was only 4" x 6")!, and the second, Like a Bear Knitting. I can't wait to post the new print in the next little while!

I wish I could head to New York to see this in person.

September 15th 2010

2010-09-15T16:03:00.004-04:00

I haven't been posting much in the last few days because I've been under the weather. But regardless, I'm slowly working away on some fun projects, including some commissions and an illustration for the upcoming Uppercase Work/Life 2 book.

I've been drinking a lot of tea to make my throat feel a bit better, so I was so excited when Naomi gave me this adorable tea cup last night! She found it at the St. Lawrence Antique Market, and it's beautiful; painted with stylized clover in pretty blue and gold leaf. I love it! (You can just see it in the photo above).

It's also getting cooler here in Toronto, so when I take some time away from my work, I've started knitting a cozy fall sweater. I'll have to post a photo of my progress on another day. It'll be lovely if it works out!

The cool weather's been making me want to cook comfort meals and curl up under a blanket in a comfy chair. Maybe that's just feeling under the weather, though, too. I feel like I'm finally coming to terms with the fall approaching. I had a hard time letting go of summer this year.

Finally, I read on Jenny Gordy's blog today, the release for a new Lines & Shapes book, Brooklyn Diary, is due out in a month. The book looks like it will be another beautiful publication from the Journal Series. I can't wait to see more.

September 10th 2010

2010-09-10T13:24:00.002-04:00

the dazzle at narwhal
Originally uploaded by fieldguided

Last night was the most fun!

The show looked fantastic, and the gallery was crowded with friends, old and new, family and colleagues all evening. The work worked together so well! It seemed to me that each artist has a sense of the collector in them, and so that was brought out in each piece of work.

Anabela posted some beautiful photos on her blog, Fieldguided and Flickr. If you click through the above image, you can see the full set of photos on Flickr.

I just want to thank everyone who was able to make it out last night, and those well-wishers that I heard from before and after the show. It was a wonderful evening, and I'm thrilled with the exhibition.

The show will be up at Narwhal until October 17th, so if you're in the area and weren't able to make it out last night, you have some time to go and be Dazzled.

September 9th 2010

2010-09-08T12:52:00.005-04:00

The show at Narwhal Art Projects opens tonight!

I'm getting very excited to see the collection of work that they've curated for this exhibition. There is a very good mix of artists of all disciplines and it will be wonderful to see how they all come together.

These are the last three pieces that I created for the show; Great Horned Owl, Silver-Haired Bat and Snowshoe Hare.

I hope that if you're in the area, you can make it out for the opening of THE DAZZLE tonight, starting at 7pm! Narwhal Art Projects is located at 680 Queen St. W in Toronto. For online previews of the show, (until 5pm this evening), please contact the gallery at contact {at} narwhalartprojects {dot} com.

September 1st 2010

2010-08-31T16:45:00.007-04:00

Happy September!

I'm going to make more of an effort this month to update. It will be a lot easier now that the work is in to the gallery. I'm working on an animation of one of the paintings coming together, that I'll post on here in the next little while.

I've given myself a bit of time to go through some favorite art and design blogs lately. It's nice to catch up and see what people have been working on.

I've had my eye on the work of Will Cotton for a little while. He creates the most wonderful portraits of girls in dreamy, candy-coated landscapes, (like above; the cover for Katy Perry's newest album). I've only been familiar with his work for a short time, but it's love. It makes me want to make an attempt at portraiture with oils next. That will be a goal before the year is up. Paint a portrait in oils.

He's also got a temporary bakery set up, full of beautiful confections at Partners & Spade in NYC.

*****

A good school friend contacted me this morning. It's been a while since we last ran in to each other, so it was so nice to hear from him! His name is Jeff Garcia, and he's been working on a lot of different projects in the last few years. He silkscreens and creates 3D and interactive work. One of my favorite projects he worked on in the last year was a video for one of my favorite bands, Ohbijou. I believe I've posted it before, but I'm posting it again! It's really beautiful.

He also sent me a link to the installation work he created on a recent trip to Japan, which is really wonderful. I love this set of photos.

I've been working on a couple of commissions, trying to catch up after finishing my last set of oil paintings. It's such a change working in watercolour again! It's sort of refreshing to switch back and forth. I'll be sure and post those when they've been safely delivered.

August 27th 2010

2010-08-27T09:09:00.005-04:00

I dropped off the rest of my work at the gallery yesterday, (yaaaaaaay!), and am back to work on some commissions and fun side projects. It feels really good to have those paintings done and safely delivered.

A couple of days ago, my friend Nikki sent me this video and, just like during "Where the Wild Things Are", I got a little bit teary. I love this video! It's so, so sweet!

Finally, thank you to Meighan O'Toole at My Love For You is a Stampede of Horses for the feature yesterday! I'm planning on posting the other three paintings when this show opens on September 9th, but if you'd like a preview, please contact the gallery.

August 16th 2010

2010-08-16T09:33:00.007-04:00

I'm nearing the end! Only another day of painting, then a few constructing frames and varnishing pieces, and I'm done!

Here's another painting from the series, titled "Red Fox". There are three other paintings, which I'll post after the show has opened at Narwhal on September 9th. The second image is of the under-painting of the fox. I completed each painting in two parts; a finished painting of an animal, and another of the ornate, white cordyceps.

(I love the postcard invite for this show, which is themed Cabinets of Curiosities, or Wunderkammer).