Jero, NEST Collective, #Hashtag news

So over the course of the last two years I have been bouncing around various studio spaces; as a small condo + large format painting and spray painting do not mix. In February I happened upon some like-minded individuals who were starting up a new shared studio space and collective that would come to be known as NEST Collective, and I'm happy to say I settled in right away. While it's been difficult to balance running a boutique (boutique? that's what we're calling them now right?) creative shop and finding time to get out to the studio to work on my own stuff, it's been both a relief and joy to have somewhere to go to decompress and bang out artwork. It's inspiring to come in during the evening and see all the progress all the other talented peeps I'm proud to share a space with made the previous days. On the 13th, NEST will be opening it's doors for a low-key Open Studio event; please reach out to nestcollectivestudios@gmail.com for more info or to RSVP!

I've also updated my website and webstore with new work; the remaining Mesmo Kabuki screen prints from my show earlier this year with Andy Kittmer, as well as some of the pieces I provided for Nadia Lee Papineau's Jero exhibition at the end of October. Have a peep!

Finally, #Hashtag Gallery were awarded the Best Independent Gallery in NOW Magazine's reader poll. I'm super proud of these guys; they've put in ample amounts of hard work to realize their dream and provide local and foreign artists with a venue to showcase their work, and I'm grateful that they invited me to be part of it! Here's to another 2.5 years (at the very least!)!

#Inktober Begins!

Gonna try and keep up with the #Inktober flow here - Day one is below. I misplaced my brush and ink, so for today it's an .8 Copic, because that's all i could find somehow.

Also, lots of new paintings in the works, I'll try to get some good flicks to put up here over the next few days with this #Inktober madness.

Analog

Big thank you to everyone who came out last Thursday to check out the opening for Analog! There was a great turn out, and both Andy and I appreciate all the support. If you weren't able to attend the opening, the artwork will remain on display through April 6. I've posted a few samples from my body of work at the show below. 

There are also hand pulled screen prints available for purchase at the gallery; a triptych in editions of 3 available in two different papers/colour ways. See below:

Mesmo Kabuki // Analog

Looking for something to do March 20th? Swing by #Hashtag Gallery to see a split show featuring the talented Andy Kittmer (artwork pictured above) and myself! Not looking for something to do? Come by and have a drink with us anyway, and check out some sweet art. Among many new works on display, I will be releasing an edition of 20" x 30" prints in a series titled Mesmo Kabuki. Available in metallic gold on one of two hand printed Nepalese paper stocks, there will be three designs in the series. 

I've attached some photos of me and my homie Carson Wong hard at work starting to screen the prints. Big shout out to him for all his help in setting up the station and giving me a crash course in screening! Stay tuned for more details!

WorkSight

Wysp recently unveiled a new initiative called WorkSight, which is a project to facilitate the application of public art on construction hoarding. Along with our partners in the project at the PATCH Project and our printers, we look for the artist who best fits the aesthetic of a given neighbourhood or project and help to fulfill the need for developers to devote a portion (or all of) their safety hoarding to public art. 

We held an event at Toronto city hall last Wednesday, and as creative director at Wysp I was in heaven designing all the WorkSight branding and collateral. I also designed and programmed a simple website for the project. Below are a few pics from the event!

If you're an artist who is interested in being considered for a mural project, a developer with questions about the idea and how we actually implement the plan, or you'd just like to know more about the initiative visit www.worksight.ca or drop me a line!

Life Drawing Dump

Happy Sunday! I just uploaded a heap of life drawings from sessions at Kagan McLeod's studio over the past several months. I posted a few below. To see the other couple dozen, check out my facebook page.

Design dump

Happy New year!

Hope everyone's been keeping busy. I've been occupied moving stuff into my new studio space, with the hope that more space will translate into a greater capacity to put in work. In the meantime, here's a few design pieces I've been working on lately to pay those bills.