Month: April 2016

Reaching the Summit

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Last week I returned to work on the tyvek installation, and managed to get through the last few inches to bring it to completion. As I reached the end I felt like putting on Eye of the Tiger and doing a few laps around the studio as I waved my hands triumphantly the air. Woo hoo!

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It didn’t occur to me until I was almost at the end to count the number of circle designs that made up this piece. At that point it was thirty-three, and by the end it was thirty-eight. I went back and added two more to bring the number up to forty.

No wonder this piece made me so crazy. It’s a piece of work made up of forty individual designs, and each one was a whole lot of work. I’m glad I did this, and I am happy with the result, but I will never take this approach to something on this scale again.

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This piece will be part of an upcoming exhibit in September at Circle Craft Gallery, titled Hammer, Cut, Stitch, Repeat.

Circles, Repetition, and Pattern

In taking a break from working on the cut tyvek installation I went on a bender of repetitive drawing and suddenly I had started a new series.

I feel these are a continuation of the tiny drawings I was doing around the same time last year on circle cut pieces of black card stock. While those were around 3 to 4 inches in diameter, these latest ones are 10.5 inches in diameter on 12″ x 12″ square acid-free paper, and drawn with metallic gel pen.

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Repetition of tiny circles

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Repetition of a leaf shape

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Repetition of double half circles

This work makes me feel crazy, and frustrated, but I love where it gets to in the end. I can probably say this about all of the work I do…

Repetitive Drawings

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Two weeks ago I set aside the tyvek installation because it was feeling stale to work on, and did a little side trip into drawing again. I decided to do a series of repetitive drawings using metallic gel pen on black paper. To date I’ve made three of these on 12″ x 12″ black paper, and I have plans to do one or two more.

I experimented with shooting short process videos using my iPhone while working on two of the three pieces. For the top one I held the phone in my left hand while I drew with my right. That was awkward and felt unnatural because I normally use my left hand to rotate the paper as I draw. With the video below I used the Hyperlapse app to do a timelapse version of me drawing, and attached it to a lamp instead of trying to hand hold and shoot. Both videos are mesmerizing to watch because I love the smooth motion of pen on paper.

I’ll share the drawings themselves in another post.

Kirigami Workshop at the Vancouver Art Gallery

On Sunday you can find me on the fourth floor of the Vancouver Art Gallery teaching people how to create kirigami paper cut work. I’ll be there as part of the Family Weekly Program in conjunction with Mashup: The Birth of Modern Culture, the current massive show occupying every floor of the VAG. This is a drop-in activity for all ages.

Kirigami paper cuts

Kirigami paper cuts

Kirigami, The Art of Folding and Cutting Paper
Date: Sunday April 17th, 2016
Time: noon to 4pm
Cost: Free with admission to the gallery
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street

Scenes From A Paper Cutting Workshop at Opus

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It’s been almost a year since I last did a demonstration of paper cutting techniques at Opus Art Supplies. I was feeling a bit nervous before I started because I was going to try something new, and more hands-on this time. In the past it’s been a demonstration only, and this time it was to be a workshop with people making things. I decided to use Japanese and Islamic patterns as printed templates to guide participants through the paper cutting activity, and I was a little worried this wouldn’t be interesting for them to work on.

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It turned out to be the best thing for the amount of time we had for the class. I went through my information, did a quick paper cutting demonstration, and then got everyone working on a pattern paper cut selected from the printed templates I provided. It was interesting to see everyone choose a Japanese design over the Islamic ones. I suspect this is because they are perceived as easier to work with.

I had a fun group of participants in the class, and they seemed to enjoy and get inspired by everything I taught them. There were many converts to my beloved Olfa art knife, after each of them compared cutting with it versus an xacto with a #11 blade (they are the worst!)

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Above are some of the work-in-progress by participants in the class.

This group was a pleasure to teach, and I left afterwards feeling inspired and incredibly satisfied with a teaching job well done.

Art Supply Giveaway 2016

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It’s spring cleaning time in the studio, and this Sunday I will be part of an art supply giveaway with a group of artists in Strathcona. Drop by 800 Keefer Street to browse a selection of unwanted (but still viable) supplies. I think this is the fourth year in a row my friends and I have held this event.

art-supply-giveaway

Everything is free because we just want someone to make use of the materials. At this time I have no idea what supplies will be available from each artist so come see for yourself. There’s always something for everyone.

Paper Cutting Workshop at Opus Art Supplies

I am teaching a short paper cutting workshop at Opus Art Supplies Hastings Street location this Saturday, 11am to 1pm. The demo costs $10 to participate and you must register by phone (604‑678‑5889) to reserve a spot as space is limited.

Work in progress - pattern paper cut

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I’ll be doing thorough run down on knives, paper, techniques, and different ways to use paper cut elements in artwork. Participants will also get the chance to work on their own paper cut pattern to take home, like the ones pictured above. Visit the event page for more details, and to read the materials list »

Opus Artist Demo: Creative Paper Cutting Techniques
Date: Saturday April 9th, 2016
Time: 11pm & 1pm
Cost: $10
Location: Opus Art Supplies, 100-207 West Hastings Street

Start With Art at Seymour Art Gallery

I’m thrilled to be part of this kid-focused art exhibit. I’ve contributed six pieces to the show, including collage and altered books I hope the kids will enjoy.

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Join us for our 12th annual Start with Art exhibition at the Seymour Art Gallery. This truly unique exhibition focuses on engaging, inspiring, and encouraging children to appreciate, collect, and curate their own art collection. With an added emphasis on motivating children to create art, participating artists offer advice for budding artists, share childhood memories about art-making, and frequently spark the idea in kids that one day their work could be shown in a gallery too.

We’ve assembled a fantastic group of established artists who work in a diverse variety of media. The artwork is hung at “kids-eye-view” and is priced in a kid-friendly range, making Start with Art truly kid-centric.

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Participating artists: Kristian Adam, Rachael Ashe, Michael Binkley, Yvonne Hachkowski, Andrea Hooge, Shima Itabashi, Julia Keutz, Meghan Parker, Anne Love, Ron Love, Monique McEwen, Kim O’Brien, Robin Reid, Sarah Ronald, Mary Anne Tateishi, Liane McLaren Varnam,

Start With Art
Seymour Art Gallery
Opening reception: Sunday April 10, 2pm to 4 pm
Dates: April 6 – May 7, 2016
Location: 4360 Gallant Avenue, Deep Cove

Hot Art Card Trades From CARDED! at Hot Art Wet City

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I love how The White Rabbit reproduced as a tiny artist trading card. I love it. This is a paper cut piece I created a few years ago for an Alice in Wonderland themed show, and I entered a cropped photo of it in CARDED!

The White Rabbit as an artist trading card

Art Cards

The bottom photo are my favourite cards I manage to get in trade. Boris and I hung out at the opening for an hour and a half, chatting with people, and trading until we got the art cards we wanted. We’ve attended this show many times, but this was the first time I participated as one of the artists. It was so fun to trade away my own card, especially when people liked it enthusiastically.