Circles and Balloons

These are many of the circular artworks, just 10 cm or 4" in diameter, by over 100 artists, exhibited for the entire month, at  Graven Feather at 906 Queen St W (just west of Trinity-Bellwoods park). There's a huge variety of media - including mobiles and books as well as some more scultural wall-mounted pieces - and subjects and styles. I remarked that the entire installation was like some sort of bespoke wallpaper. Each piece is only $35, so this is a great place to get one of a kind gifts for the the hard to shop for person on your list.



My contribution of 6 works are in the middle of this image, of the east wall.



The sailing ship has sold, but the squirrel, fossils, winged walrus, harpy and dinosaur are still available!

I went and saw the show yesterday with my mother. I also got the chance to drop off Ma: The Horse at Proof Studio Gallery, who will be hosting their Year of the Horse Show for Chinese New Year. I wanted to be sure to submit my prints before the end of the month because I might be overwhelmed after that.

Speaking of which, we're still working on projects for the nursery. RJH made a bookshelf and I'm working on a hot-air balloon mobile.

More Hot Air Balloons

Carved in linoleum, and printed on variety of Japanese washi paper (kozo, or mulberry and chiyogami and katazome-shi patterned paper), Thai paper, screenprinted faux-bois and actual thin wood paper is a collection of hot air balloons in a cloudy sky in the afternoon. This piece employs the techniques of printmaking and collage. I am making a series of these multimedia; each one is unique. This is the third in the series. Dimensions are approximately 12.5 inches by 15.5 inches (32 cm by 39 cm).

The balloons are inspired by some of the wonderfully elaborate balloons by pioneers of flight (or, floating, at least) like the Montgolfier brothers in the late 18th and early 19th century. These beautiful and romantic vehicles were carefully decorated and often included baskets like sea-going ships, to sail the skies.

that deep blue, late afternoon sky

I'm really happy to have a proper place for my paper now. RJH found me an antique map cabinet, so I can store my large sheets of Japanese washi. I have smaller file folders for small pieces of washi (chiyogami, katazome-shi, unryu and so forth) and other papers. I also have some Thai and Nepali screenprinted and batik papers, some Chinese screenprinted papers, French and Italian patterned papers, a little bit of Brazilian marbled papers, and some beautiful paper I brought home from Amsterdam (whose provenance I don't know, since I don't read Dutch) and a collection of ephemera. This piece, for instance, uses vintage sheet music given to me, years ago, by Lady Redjeep and a bit of a vintage book illustration, which was part of a thoughtful welcome package by vintagepaperparade for 'A Spring Handmade Market' a couple of years ago.

More Balloons, Afternoon & Evening

The second in the hot air balloon series is set at dusk.





The third in the hot air balloon series is set closer to noon.

Balloons

This is my first artwork of 2012. I wanted to continue the series of prints with collaged papers, like the 'Unicorn amongst umbrellas' and the sailing ships, and I had the idea of hot air balloons. So, I sought out images, paricularly of vintage balloons in the late 18th and early 19th century. Some of the pioneers like the Montgolfier brothers, built the most spectacular and astounding vehicles. I love that they deemed it necessary to produce elaborately decorated balloons. Many of the early ones had sails and baskets shaped like ships, in order to sail the skies.



I inked my lino block in a gradient of colours to produce the 'key' print of he sky at sunset on Japanese kozo (or mulberry paper) approximately 12 inches by 13 inches (30.5 cm by 33 cm). I printed the balloons within the block on variety of Japanese washi paper (kozo, chiyogami and katazome-shi patterned paper) and vintage sheet music, and collaged them. I am making a series of these multimedia; each one is unique. This is first in the series.

Spontaneous performance art in Parkdale

As I walked home along Queen St W through Parkdale, I passed the helium balloons caught in the telephone wires. The elderly man in front of me stopped. He was wearing a surgical mask and didn't look very steady on his feet, but he picked up his cane and brought it to his shoulder like a hunting rifle. He aimed at the balloons and then mimed the backfire as he shot them with his imaginary gun. One of the street punks said, "Hey old man, you living in the old days?" He pretended he didn't hear and continued on. A few paces along he found something else he thought he'd like to shoot and whipped up his cane, bringing it perilously close to my face. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, but I merely swerved and assured him it was alright. He has the freedom to play make-believe.



The wheatpaste man evolves. He lost his face. His sign has been defaced, and now, he has two bows.











Ever seen the gnome on the train tracks?



I like the sneaker wearing sneakers... fractal footware.








I sort of love the naiveté of the geography depicted. There appears to be a prototypical Frenchman, somewhere approaching Moscow, a Chinese man lost in Siberia, St. Basil's and please-tell-me-that's-not-Stalin are deep within China. Meanwhile, Brazil is north of Newfoundland and Central America didn't make the cut. In a clear indication that we do not live in igloos here, there is an igloo firmly planted in Greenland.


The stencil read:

You have not
yet fathomed
what a creative
entity you are
because you
doubt what you
are when you
sease [ sic] and allow
yourself to
flow forth you
will have your
perfect
instrument
of expression
simply allow you
to be and dont
compare your-
self to
anyone