In need of a Crazy Minute? I am.

So how are you feeling today? Superb? Or just a shade above normal? Perhaps what you need is a crazy minute! 

'Awaiting Crazy Minute', acylic on masonite, 13"x14.5" (including frame)

An aid to getting through the lesser fun parts of life is spending time being silly.

Years ago, I created such a silly break with my youngest sister (who was much younger at the time) called 'crazy minute'. Crazy minute is the last minute of every hour (9:59, 10:59, 11:59, etc...). At every crazy minute, you would do a dance, wave your arms up, do gymnastics, or some enthusiastic variation over the next 60 seconds to recuperate your energy. 

Visually, the panting is made to look tranquil with lighting based on the late afternoon sun beaming in. Typically, it is a lazy time of the day when there's still work to be done and less interesting things seem to happen. Cuckoo clocks are quiet until every minute of the new hour when the silence is abruptly broken. And that is the whole point of crazy minute - it's meant to disrupt stagnancy.

Have tickets to the art fair yet?? If not, click here or the image above to receive a discount on regular admission tickets.  


See you in  just over 2 weeks! Stay creative,

 

-Jono

Huckleberries

Wow! The Artist Project art fair I've been preparing for in Toronto is now less than a month away! I hope you are planning to come. (If you still don't have tickets yet, click the header image above for a discount on regular admission tickets.) 

I want to share another painting I did for the upcoming event with you:

                                           Huckleberries, acrylic on masonite,
                                    8"x10" (image) 13.5"x15.5" (including frame) 

There is a George Carlin routine where he talks about how there is no blue food that isn't naturally occurring. (And YES, he mentions blueberries aren't actually blue. Well, yes & no: they appear blue before consumption, but once you put them in a recipe they turn a distinct purple or a lavender color.) Huckleberry Hound is blue (cyan if you want to be specific), and not actually the same color as huckleberries. I think of blue food as some sort of mythical treat said to exist, but no-one has ever seen or tasted... 

You probably wouldn't have believed me, but the customized ornate frame came after I already completed the painting! 

The frame directly above was the first frame I put it in. I customized it and it did suit the job, but later on I came across the other frame with the berry motif. It was PERFECT - as if it was made for that painting! 

I removed it from the previous frame - after it had already been mounted and everything. I thought it would be cool to show you the difference. Can't wait to show you the painting in person!  

See you next month! Stay creative,

-Jono

Taking responsibility

Here is the final painting of 'Responsibility'. (I finished it up before the end of the year, but had to wait after the holiday to get it scanned.) 

'Responsibility', acrylic on wood panel, 12"x16" (framed)

The subject matter of this painting was inspired by a quote from neurologist and psychiatrist, Dr. Viktor Frankl: 

"Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast." 

Viktor Frankl was also the founder of logotherapy - a theory holding the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose. -

The Peter Pan statue in the painting (which mirrors the poise of the Statue of Liberty) holds a story book (instead of a tablet) that reads 'PUER AETERNUS' - Latin for 'Eternal Boy'. This is also a term in psychology to describe an individual (mostly attributed to adult males, but not necessarily gender specific) who has remained socially immature. -

The more we age, the more responsibilities we inherit. When I think about the fictional character, Peter Pan, I see him as synonymous with irresponsibly in his efforts to protest adulthood due to his residence in a fantasy land where he never ages. This disdain would also counter Frankl's logotherapy theory as one can not learn what our purpose is if we do not give ourselves an opportunity to discover what we can become. The spiraling galleon on the right has sailed from Neverland only to go out of control with the crew's inability to navigate in a world with accountability. 

The painting will be for sale next month at Toronto's 2017 The Artist Project art fair. 

Buy tickets to the event here. 

Happy New Year!

Happy 2017! I hope you and your friends had a wonderful holiday.

I've had a very productive year (2016) and have made what I feel are some of my best paintings to date. (All the images above are new paintings that were made this year. Since it's 2016, I thought I'd do a recap of the best 16 images.) While I do receive a lot of enjoyment in creating art, I retain equal enjoyment in seeing the response my work has on others. Making images is a way I've chosen to communicate with individuals and I'm honored that you're one of them. 

I look forward to sharing more new art with you this year and hope you will join me in February for the 2017 The Artist Project in Toronto.

-Jono

The Artist Project 2017 - painting list

Continuing on with The Artist Project 2017 preparation: compiled list of major paintings I want to complete for it. Looking forward to sharing these with you!

If you would like to know more about The Artist Project, art fair in Toronto, you are an artist and would like to apply for the the 2017 event (it is a juried exhibit), there is still time. The deadline is September 15th.

The Artist Project 2017 - the prep begins

I exhibited in The Artist Project in Toronto earlier this year and will be returning for the 2017 art fair showcase - which will be their 10 year anniversary! The event is 6 months away and I'm already gearing up for it. This panel is 12" wide and 48" in length. It will be a panoramic painting I've been plotting for a while. So excited to share it with you! Details to follow...

If you are an artist and would like to apply for the the 2017 event, there is still time. The 
deadline is September 15th. Details here: http://www.theartistproject.com/application-package/

If you are a patron of the arts and would like to know more about the event: http://www.theartistproject.com

CKUT 90.3FM - The Friday Morning After, Feb. 26, 2016

A follow-up interview on Montreal station CKUT 90.3FM, Louis-Bernard St-Jean, Denise Buisman-Pilger and I did yesterday about our experience at The Artist Project in Toronto and upcoming upcoming involvement in YES Montreal's business conference on March 14th.

You can listen to it here: http://archives.ckut.ca/128/20160226.08.00-09.00.mp3 (starts @ 35:42)

The Artist Project 2016 - already over!

THANK YOU, The Artist Project team and volunteers, art collectors who attended and new admirers of my work for making the event such a fun time!

The painting of mine above, 'Cereal Siege', is just one of the images I sold during the event that has found a happy new home! Below are some shots of the fair and my booth.

The booth, the whole booth, and nothing but the booth!

Something's missing... that's because it SOLD!

The event was well attended and attracted a big crowd. 

  

Explaining my process and influences to some admirers.

Global TV, Monteal - Feb. 15, 2016

(Click on the image above to watch the video.)

 Big thank you to Paola Samuel and Global Montreal for yesterday morning’s live interview with Artist Abroad - Denise Buisman Pilger, Louis-Bernard St-Jean Art Contemporain and myself, about our participation to the upcoming The Artist Project Toronto art fair and how we met through YES Montreal back in 2014.

CKUT 90.3FM - The Friday Morning After, Feb. 12, 2016

Here is an interview conducted yesterday by Christine Claire Deita of CKUT 90.3FM radio show, The Friday Morning After, between myself, along with artists and friends Denise Buisman Pilger & Louis-Bernard St-Jean discussing the upcoming The Artist Project, an art fair in Toronto we're exhibiting in next week! 

You can listen to the interview here (starts at 34:04)

The Artist Project - tickets!

Hurray! I received some complimentary tickets which I'll be sending off soon and my move-in badges from Toronto's upcoming The Artist Project art fair yesterday! The event is just ONE WEEK AWAY! Hope to see you there!

 
 Have your tickets yet?? Use this link and embedded promotion code and save: https://www.microspec.com/tix123/eTic.cfm…

Celestial Hands - all done!

Here's the final version of the newest painting I completed called 'Celestial Hands' (acrylic on panel, 8"x10"). It will be for sale at the upcoming The Artist Project February 18-21.

Still don't have your tickets yet? Here's a link with a promotion code where you can get premium pricing.

Celestial Hands

I'm working to wrap up one last painting for The ArtistProject (now just 2 weeks away!). This painting is called 'Celestial Hands'. It is an alternate narrative on why cartoon characters wear gloves. 

My favorite reference to this is from Bobby in 'An ExtremelyGoofy Movie':

Timing Charts - all done!

'Timing Charts' - one of the new paintings I created for the upcoming The Artist Project Toronto next month is now complete and will be for sale. (Acrylic on wood panel, 20"x16".) Animation friends and fans will likely get the reference of the painting's title and iconography in the right hand corner.

                                                            "What are timing charts??"

Here's a great video I found by Echo Bridge that explains them and their use.

 See you in Toronto in 4 short weeks!

The Artist Project - ONE MONTH AWAY!

 The Toronto art fair I've been preparing for, The Artist Project, is ONE MONTH AWAY! You can find me at booth #922. You can view my profile on the official website here.

Planning to attend? Use this link with a discount code to save yourself on ticket prices: https://www.microspec.com/tix123/eTic.cfm?code=tapt16&promo=DOIRON16

Timing Charts - tonal block-in

Here is the tonal block-in for my latest painting 'Timing Charts'. Another new painting I'm creating for The Artist Project in Toronto, February 18-21.

Creating A Monster - all done!

Happy New Year, everyone! 'Creating A Monster' - the last painting I completed in 2015 shortly before the end of the year - is all done! the original will be for sale at the upcoming The Artist Project Toronto from February 18-21.

Creating A Monster - block-in

The block-in for the new painting 'Creating A Monster'. One of the new pieces being created for The Artist Project happening in Toronto, Feb. 18-21, 2016.

Timing Charts - drawings

Here is the final rough and line drawing for the painting 'Timing Charts'. One of the new paintings to be exhibited in The Artist Project Toronto February 2016. ‪

Tight rough drawing.

Clean drawing. This is what I will scan and blow up the size of the painting surface I will work on, and then print out. The purpose of the cleanup is so the lines are decisive - I don't have to guess which is the lines I want to keep.

Creating a monster...

This is the drawing for the painting on the round wood panel I'm creating for The Artist Project Toronto called 'Creating a Monster'. It was inspired by Gumby, playing with Play-Doh as a child, monsters, special effects animation, and the movie 'The Thing' (even though I've never seen the movie).