Thursday, December 23, 2010

One Hundred Birds

So here's my final project for my fourth year printmaking class. I worked on this all semester long so I put a lot of work into it. I started by drawing twenty five birds. I then silk screened those birds onto four different colours of fabric. Then I mentally prepared to get carpel tunnel from sewing 100 birds.


Here's a picture of my make-shift light table a piece of white paper taped to my lamp. Using tailors chalks I traced the birds.


Then I pinned all the white ribbons to each and every bird and sewed them!


Here is where my beautiful and lovely roommate Nicki helped me by turning all the birds inside out and stuffing them! After I sewed all the bottoms closed by hand, which took way more time than I anticipated! I wasn't sure if my fingertips would ever feel the same. Nicki is also an awesome artist! Check out her blog if you're smart.


Then I ventured to school to find my beautiful tree, which I had already picked out before hand.


Thanks again Nicki, who took most of these pictures! My gratitude and love is undying for all your help!


And this is my tree! I really loved the way it turned out! Although I wish it had been snowing on the day of install, because that's how I pictured it. I came back after the weekend on the first substantial snow and almost half of the birds were already gone. They flew away into people hands I think. Which I don't mind at all, its kind of beautiful that people wanted them so much. My christmas gift to the patrons of Grange Park. Happy holidays everyone!

Monday, December 6, 2010

One, Two, Three

Just a quick little update about a letterpress project I did for school. Done on vandercook press with handset type. It is a play on the way I used to send notes in high school, all folded up inside a paper crane. Now that I'm all grown up, I will pass grown up notes.


The ones without colour turned out to be my favourite. They're done in a blind emboss, which is just using the form of the type to make an indent on your paper. Even though that wasn't my original vision and they don't work well with the paper crane idea I still like them best.





Also here's a little preview of whats coming next...






Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Back in Toronto

Hello mysterious internet friends. I suck at all things that require regular updates. Since my last post I moved back from Italy, worked all summer as a camp counselor for 12 five year old boys, and started my thesis year. Needless to say it has been a bit busy.

I'm now approaching the end of my first semester.

One of the coolest, and most time consuming things I did was printing with a steamroller in the parking lot outside my school. It was in conjunction with Toronto's printmaking conference, Printopolis. All the fourth year thesis students picked an established artists image and carved it into lino. We then inked it up outside and printed it with a makeshift bed.

Here is the image Ella Selbie and I worked on. It's by the artist Alexi Vella and called Ribbed for Pleasure. You can see tons more images on the OCAD U Printmaking Website! Other than that I've just been trying to work on my own projects. Most of what I've been doing has been written work but the projects I've done are now up on my website, that I made. Here's a little preview of what's on there.


I will hopefully be updating somewhat regularly again with work on my thesis and other classes.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Primavera

It's starting to get warm here in Florence. The crocus and daffodil are making their first appearances.

Many many things have happened between my last post and now; I've been to Rome for the first time, I went to an amazing art biennale in Bologna, I went to beautiful countryside cities of Assisi, Laverna, Parma and Mantova, and most recently St. Patrick's Day celebrations were wild.

In that time I also changed my whole plan for what I was going to do this semester. Instead of printmaking I decided to do illustrations in pen and watercolour. And if I had told of this when i decided about two months ago it would be a new development to say that I am now going to add some photos into this.

So.

I could overwhelm the blog with all 100 pieces I plan to have in our end of year show but I'll just show you a few for now, maybe add some later. I don't have all the frames yet so it is not mounted yet.





















What I am trying to capture in my work is that simplictis and small is more meaningful and beautiful than anything else. It remains even when large falls short. I hope that I can bring the wonder in the details and fleeting moments that I see to everyone that sees my art.