YES Montreal Art Expo starts tonight!

The YES Montreal Art Expo starts TONIGHT (at 4:30 - 8:00pm)! Come say 'hello'. I'll be at booth 30. http://bit.ly/1ENwYbL

YES Montreal Art Expo - THIS WEEK!

Another reason to attend the YES Art Expo this Friday and Satuday: I will bring along with me some folders containing my development drawings that I will flip through with you and show you my process. (I will have many drawings for sale as well.) I look forward to seeing you there! You can find more info here. 

THAT LAUGH! - last laugh

This is an excerpt from my latest painting called 'THAT LAUGH!'. It is a visual feast of terror, laughter and anxiety and I can't wait to show it to you all! Come chat with me at the YES Montreal Art Expo, March 20-21st and to see the painting in person. (I'll post the final painting in it's entirety after the event.) I will have many other works on display and for sale too. http://www.yesmontreal.ca/en/artists/library/1345

THAT LAUGH! - almost done!

So, I'm just adding the finishing touches to the painting 'THAT LAUGH!'. Find out what's so funny when you see the painting at the YES Art Expo March 19-21! Info here: http://www.yesmontreal.ca/en/artists/library/1345

YES Montreal Art Expo 2015!

I've been selected to participate in YES Montreal's Art Expo coming up March 19-21! You can expect to see 60 artists from multiple disciplines selling and promoting their work. I will have prints, drawings and paintings to sell and will AT LAST present the COMPLETED painting of 'THAT LAUGH!'. To learn more about the Expo and see the others artists involved, click here: http://www.yesmontreal.ca/en/artists/library/1339

LAST YEAR'S FEARS - video of the opening

Thank you videographer, Claudel Désir , Galerie Abyss and all artists involved! If you were unable to make it to the opening of LAST YEAR'S FEARS - here is what you missed:

Show runs until Saturday Feb.28th! https://www.facebook.com/events/1540896099516718/1552117668394561/?comment_id=1552124938393834&notif_t=event_mall_comment

TALES OF THE MUNDANE

THANK YOU everyone who attended the opening last night! If you weren't able to make it, the exhibition runs until February 28th at Galerie Abyss.

My piece for the show is called 'TALES OF THE MUNDANE'. The painting is about a life of unseized potential and the dangerous lure of complaisance.

Visually, the piece is an obvious parody of the famous 'TALES FROM THE CRYPT' comic book header. Mundane is not a frightening word ...until you really think about it - mundane is a slow uneventful death. I like how the horror font contrasts the seemingly unrelated text. I had a lot of fun building the textures on the painting and making it look like an aged, frayed, moldy comic book that's been sitting in someone's damp cellar for 40 years. Those textures represent neglect and the inescapable passage of time.

 

LAST YEAR'S FEARS - TONIGHT at Galerie Abyss!

The group exhibition I've been curating called LAST YEAR'S FEARS is TONIGHT at Galerie Abyss, 1520 rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal, 7:00pm -10:00pm! The works are hung the show is looking incredible. You definitely want to see it in person!

Annnnd the final daily fear quote before the show is very appropriate seeing as the event is tonight! What will be YOUR course of action? I present: influential author, public speaker, and educator - Dale Carnegie:
 

click here for facebook event info

Salvador Dali on the topic of fear:

Last Year's Fears - a group exhibition I'm curating featuring 19 artists who have painted something they are afraid of will open tomorrow night, Jan. 29th at Galerie Abyss (1520 rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal)! On the facebook event page, I've been posting one quote about fear per day. Today's fear quote: master surrealist, Salvador Dali!

See you all tomorrow night!

Robert Williams on the topic of fear

Last Year's Fears, a group exhibition I'm curating about the premise of fears, will now open in less than one week! On the facebook event page, I've been posting one quote about fear per day. Yesterday's fear quote is among my personal favorites and belongs to 'low brow art' legend and founder of JUXTAPOZ magazine (and a big influence on a personal level), Robert Williams. (below)

Last Year's Fears opening night: Thursday, January 29 7:00-10:00pm at Galerie Abyss, 1520 rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Show runs until February 28th)

Last Year's Fears - painting preview

Out of the 12 basic colors, one I use the least in my paintings is red. ...But all that's about to change with the painting I've completed for Last Year's Fears ( http://on.fb.me/1xwichC ) Here is a sneak peek. (Wait - is that that mould in the corner?? ewww.)

Last Year's Fears - opening in 3 weeks

Happy 2015 to you all! I hope you all had a healthy and happy holiday.

Coming up fast (just 3 weeks away) is the group exhibition I'm curating called 'Last Year's Fears'. 19 artists will face their fears via original new paintings. I have seen some of the incredible works so far and the artists involved have not restrained themselves. Join us for the opening January 27th!
(Exhibition poster in post below.)

Last Year's Fears

Something to look forward to in the new year! VERY excited about this upcoming show I'm curating that will take place in January 2015.

Each artist will paint something they are afraid of - a personal fear they wish to overcome

And the laughter continues...

Hope you all had a great weekend! Here is more development from the 'THAT LAUGH!' painting still in progress...

KICKFLIP - exhibit up till end of December 2014

  Just a reminder, all the works from KICKFLIP, the skateboard art show at Galerie Abyss, will now be on display until the end of this month. Several of the works are still available. You can also view the whole show online here: www.galerieabyss.com

This is a photo I took of the underpainting during the process of the クッキー·モンスター (Cookie Monster) skateboard painting (left) and printed digital color mockup (right).

XXI (21th Century) art auction at IEGOR

Tomorrow night, I have two works in an auction called 'XXI' (21st Century) at IEGOR, international auction house, featuring only contemporary works. You can join us and 'get your bid on', or check out all the available works from the show by clicking the image above.

Also, I'm sending out a new newsletter tomorrow. If you want updates before anyone else, you can sign up here: http://bit.ly/1vauKPv

Hidden cookies...

Thanks so much everyone who took the time to suggest their favorite cookies (from a  facebook post back in October) for the Cookie Monster painting that's now finished and on display in KICKFLIP at Galerie Abyss. I thought it would be fun to show you where the suggestions went and all the hidden cookies inside the painting. Enjoy with a glass of milk.

Cookie Monster painting

So here is the final skateboard painting I created for the show KICKFLIP (show runs till mid January): http://on.fb.me/1t6X0fS
In this painting, the Cookie Monster fights ANOTHER cookie monster - a Godzilla made entirely out of cookies!

 

Complete with chocolate chips and cookie crumb lettering.

 

I'll make a future post about all cookie types the Godzilla character is made up of. He's malicious AND delicious! (Look for it soon.)

"RUN!!!"

Painting this skateboard for the show made me miss the days spent skateboarding with my friends. It was a big part of my youth.

クッキー·モンスター (cookie monster)
acrylic on skateboard
8"x32.25"
$700

The piece is currently still available. Contact the gallery if you're interested. www.galerieabyss.com

Yoda says...

So here's something I can share with you all now: this past Sunday November 9th, David, one of my best friends growing up, married the woman of his dreams. I was unable to attend the wedding in person in Australia, but I DID send this little doozie half way around the world to the newly wed Star Wars fans.

 Although it resembles an internet meme the piece was actually inspired by famed Illustrator James Mongomery Flagg's famous 1917 'I WANT YOU' United States army recruitment poster. (Yoda's quote also seemed like suitable advice for any married couple.)

James Mongomery Flagg's famous poster. It has been a VERY popular subject of parody over the years.

THAT LAUGH! - more laughter

I've been concentrating all my efforts on the 'THAT LAUGH!' #painting once again since I finished my piece for the skateboard art show next Saturday. Here is more of the daunting detail:

Kickflip, skateboard art show date change

The skateboard art show (Kickflip) coming up at Galerie Abyss in Montreal is now Saturday November 15th. 

*Please note* There has been a date change of the opening by the organizer, which was previously this coming Friday. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Hope to see you there! Click here for facebook event info.