Under Troubled Waters

This is my first fully rendered digital piece since the summer, when I worked on the stain-glass window designs for the musical Bare. 'Under Troubled Waters' illustrates the will and hard work it takes for a loving relationship to abide, and the challenges and pressure one may encounter when involved romantically with a "significant other". I decided that depicting a scene under water would best suit this idea, with the lack of oxygen (suffocation), and high pressure of deep waters, would push the concept further.

"Under Troubled Waters"

Graphite on stonehenge paper, & Digital, 9 x 12"

Paradise Lost. Book ii. Line 146 (Lodestar)

This illustration is based on a the poet/author, and philosopher, John Milton's quote from the book Paradise Lost:

"For who would lose,
Though full of pain this intellectual being,
Those thoughts that wander through eternity,
To perish rather, swallow’d up and lost,
In the wide womb of uncreated night?"
-Paradise Lost. Book ii. Line 146.

His writings inspire deep contemplation and spiritual thought, which I have used as a conceptual "lodestar" (pun intended), in redefining my illustrations. Essentially, the quote defines the "Human Condition", as the human race toils and crawls to discover self-importance, and meaning in one's life!

(Original painting)
Acrylic on paper, 11 x 14"

"Paradise Lost. Book ii. Line 146 (Lodestar)"
Acrylic on paper and Digital, 11 x 14"

Das Parfum: Die Geschichte Eines Mörders (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

I created this piece for a mock cover of the book "Das Parfum: Die Geschichte Eines Mörders" (orginal German title), roughly translated as "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer", by author Patrick Süskind. Using the motifs, symbols, and iconography of the story, I have created my own version of the book's cover. I plan to eventually add text to further strengthen the composition and overall concept of the illustration.

"Das Parfum: Die Geschichte Eines Mörders"
Mixed Media on W/C Paper and Digital

See No (evil)...

Finally, I have a scanner of my own! I can finally get to posting work again on my blog. So here's one of my most recent works titled, "See No (evil)...". The flying creatures of the night, hover around the figure's head, while he's wrapped in a black blanket of warmth and false-security. I used the expression "blind as a bat" to push the concept forward, in support of the figure's gesture and expression. Hope you enjoy!

"See No (evil)..."
Graphite on paper, 16 x 16"

Ladies & Gentlemen, Dash Snow Speaks!

I found this pretty interesting piece of video footage of an interview, by the one and only Dash Snow! Listen to what he has to say briefly, and absorb the ethereal life that once was Dash...

Untitled (His name is my name...)

Here's a project long over due for a blog presentation. I completed this sculpture this time last year. The concept is simple: Jesus Christ, covered in gold and wrapped in fur, begins to decay and even rot from his once glorified self. The piece has no real titled, however I do feel that I, myself as an aging man, have also fallen from my 'glorified' youth and beauty, and am beginning to decay, hence the sub-title 'His name is my name...'.

"Untitled (His name is my name...) "
Mixed media sculpture: Plaster cast, gold leaf, fur, saliva, wax, paint, dead gnats , approx. 9.5 x 11 x 9"

Until The Light Takes Us

I was recently on appletrailers.com, when I came across an interesting film trailer for a documentary called "Until the Light Takes Us". This film tells the history of Black Norwegian Metal, the people and sub-culture behind the music and it's ideals/'philosophies'. This is interesting because I based an Illustration project on this subject, called "True Norwegian Black Metal (Varg Vikernes and Gaahl)". I'm very excited to see this film and how accurate I portrayed this phenomena.

True Norwegian Black Metal (Varg Vikernes and Gaahl)
Ink on paper, 22 x 30"

Not Yet Titled (Jack of Clubs)

My fellow graduated illustrators have invited me to participate in a show designing a deck of cards. Each and everyone of us received a specific face card, mine being the Jack of clubs, and eventually display them within a gallery. There has been talks of even having these cards published and printed into actual playing cards. Lets hope so!

Not Yet Titled (Jack of Clubs)
Ink and gold leaf on paper, 8 x 10"

Child's Play

Here is a new piece, derived from my map works, titled "Child's Play". I am simply exploring the designs and details used within my map work, on a more basic and iconic scale. Working with a fetal skull stencil, and the use of my own semen on the piece connects these two subjects within the realm of birth, life, and death.

"Child's Play"

Ink, Artist's semen, and glitter on paper, 9 x 12"

The Late Great Dash Snow, we shall miss you dearly!

Dash Snow (1981-2009)

To those of you who do not know who Dash Snow is, he was a New York based artist who's career was short lived due to a drug overdose. His art consisted of Polaroid photos of his party days, Dada'esk collages, obscure sculpture work, and silent films. However, his greatest contribution to the art world was his and fellow friend and artist, Dan Colen's instalation, "[Hampster] Nest".

He was born into a wealthy family, and took his life into the grungy city streets of New York, where he befriended fellow artists Dan Colen, Ryan McGinley, Nate Lowman, and other contemporaries. Dan, Ryan and Dash were considered "Warhol's Children". Spawning from the same life style and artistic integrity as Andy, they evolved and expanded what Warhol truely had foreseen in the contemporary art world. Dash's work was one of a kind! His early photography was like that of Nan Golden, documenting his life in a click of a shutter. He explained that him and his friends used to get 'wasted', and took Polaroids to remember their adventures the next day. His "Nest" installation was based off of his and Dan's hotel room excursions, where the two would turn on all the taps flooding the room, rip of hundreds of phone books, and drink and do drugs unil the two felt like they were hampsters. Dash truely did live his life on the edge!

When a friend of mine mentioned that he had passed away, I was disapointed. Disapointed because I never had the chance to view his work in person, knowing he was still alive (and perhaps having the chance to have met him). It was also disapointing because he had a baby girl last year or so, who he and his partner Jade named Secret Snow. Perhaps it is odd that I am mourning over a person I did not know personally, however I knew his art work and history. He interested me to no end, and perhaps I even looked up to him as a muse to my own work and life style. He was only 27 years old, and was only on the art scene for three to four years now.

For more information of Dash Snow, visit the following sites:

http://www.viceland.com/int/v11n5/htdocs/hamster.php?source=db

http://www.deitch.com/projects/sub.php?projId=219

http://tinyvices.com/dash_snow.html

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/dash_snow.htm

http://www.peresprojects.com/artist-works/dash-snow/0/

http://www.viceland.com/wp/2009/07/dash-snow-1981-2009/

http://nymag.com/arts/art/profiles/26288/

bare: A Rock Opera Set Designs

Along with the musical theatre project came an opportunity to design the set's Stainglass windows. The story takes place at a catholic school, and thus I was commissioned to design 4 Stainglass window panels.
The concept is very simple: The the first panel represents the fertile Madonna figure, who's diseased hands pray for forgiveness and for a purer world for her unborn child. The panel standing on the opposite end reflects the first Madonna, now with her child born, passes her affliction down to him. It is a conviction that I believe is true amongst our society and that of the catholic church, that we pass our beliefs/shortcomings of our disapproval to that which is out of the "ordinary", and thus continue to live as a "diseased" close-minded society. The two panels in the middle depict a torn Jesus Christ, who's crucified body watches over the garden of evil. On the first panel, we see two Adams (rather than an Adam and Eve), who are represented as the characters fromt he play. The one Adam (Peter) accepts the forbidden fruit of the tree of life from the serpant, while the other Adam (Jason) chastises the serpant. Altimatly, the two Adams' are banished from the garden, seen on the opposite panel.

The windows play upon both moral ideals, biblical tales, and messages from the story of 'bare'.

"The Etheral Mold, and the Dismisive Life" (bare: Rock Opera Stainglass Set Designs)
Mixed media on paper and Digital, 4 x 7 ft. each panel

bare: A Rock Opera Advertisments

Soon after graduating, I received a great opportunity to design and Illustrate for a musical theatre production of 'bare'. The story is of two young Catholic school boys who fall in love with each other. While the one boy, Peter, becomes increasingly aware of his love and sexuality, fights for his right to love the jock'ish and very masculine, Jason, and ultimately their love (like any classic love story) falls in the hands of tragedy.

It was my job to design the posters and mailers of the show, which the cast and myself pasted across Toronto's city streets and walls. I designed two different posters and mailers to acquiesce the public's approval of homosexuality and over all conservitism. Obviously the one poster is a bit more amorous than the other to which was amaimed to attracted a more specific audience.

This is an amazing show everyone. The cast is over whelmingly tallented. The show runs from July 17th - August 1st. You can by tickets at the following link: http://www.uofttix.ca/view.php?id=518 , or visit the website for more information: http://www.watersedgeproductions.net/ .

'bare' posters 1 and 2
Digital, 11 x 17"

'bare' mailers front and back
Digital, 4 x 6"

True Norwegian Black Metal (Varg Vikernes and Gaahl)

This is an Information Graphic Illustration, depicting the map of Norway as a gloomy horrific landscape, mapping of murders, church arson, and even the birth places of the leading figures of Black Metal within Norway, Varg Vikernes and Gaahl the former vocalist of the band Gorgoroth. Norway began the Black metal scene, which incorporates symbols and beliefs based off of paganism, satanism, Neo-Nazism, and anarchy of all kinds. At the bottom of this info-graph, I have developed a typographic time line of these two Metal-head's names. For more information about Gaahl, and Black Metal in Norway, take a look at the VBS.tv website.

True Norwegian Black Metal (Varg Vikernes and Gaahl)
Ink on paper, 22 x 30"


(detail)

Flush the World Away (Pylon Design firm Published Illustration)

Here is the my very first published illustration. Pylon Design firm offered our class a chance to illustrate an image for a particular month for a calendar. Using a quote to illustrate for the month of May, "We have screwed up the air, we have screwed up the water, we have screwed up each other. Why don't we finish the job and flush our brains down the toilet", I was able to develop a new technique. The quote is a little bleak, but I believe I served it justice with my black and white style. You can view more images of the calendar at:
www.pylon.ca.

"Flush the World Away"

Mixed media on Paper

Saving Grace

This piece is based off of a quote used from Pylon Design firm, 2009 calendar. "We would rather be ruined by praise, than saved by criticism". This image was not used on their calendar, however I still liked this concept.

"Saving Grace"
Mixed media on Paper, 22 x 30"

The Battle of Evermore

This is part of the continuing youth culture series. 'The Battle of Evermore' depicts the pre-battle against the elder's who have continually disagreed with our new ways of life. Rather than following their example and ideals of traditional passage into adulthood (school, career, marry, procreate, etc.), we are figuring out a new and perhaps more suitable passage due to our current times. Next we shall see who is the victor.

"The Battle of Evermore"
Mixed Media on Paper, mounted on board, 20 x 16"

Portrait of the artist Terence Koh

I was given the task to paint the portrait of one of my favorite artists, Terence Koh. I believe he is one of the most influential and modern artists of our time. He works in all sorts of mediums of all shapes and sizes, from large installations made of his own bodily fluids covering drum sets, to edible canvases covered in sugar.

The challenge was to bring the viewer into his mind's world, without showing his art work. I wanted to work with the idea that an interviewer had quoted, "A face of an angel, but the mid of a sewer rat", and the concept of a led zeppelin (light versus darkness).

It was an honor to have seen this piece posted on Terence's website: www.asianpunkboy.com, as a diary entree, with a poem. You can check it out at: http://www.asianpunkboy.com/holes/?p=2699

"Portrait of the artist Terence Koh"
Mixed media of paper, mounted on board, 12 x 16"

Miscarriage

During the course the year, I wanted to work with very sensitive and mature subject matter. "Miscarriage" is an illustration which depicts the emotional aspects of a the feelings a women may have due to the loss her unborn child. It was tough for myself to imagine and even feel such a loss. Fortunately with the help of some of my close female friends, I hope I was able to to depict the heartache that occurs during such an unfortunate and emotion time a women may experience.

"Miscarriage"
Mixed media on paper, 20 x 20"

Spit Fire

This image is part of the new youth culture series I have been working on. This piece illustrates the cleansing of our former demons and mistakes of the elders before us, starting a new.

"Spit Fire"
Mixed media on paper, 16 x 20"

Hive Head (Bee Headed)

This piece is the beginning of a series about youth's trials and tribulations. Here we see a child approaching a honey hive, however he risks being attacked by the honey bee's, which ultimately sting him. The essential idea behind this piece is that one must put themselves at risk when pursuing one's desires.

"Hive Head" (Bee Headed)
Mixed media on paper, 22 x 30"

My Burly Protector

The idea behind this piece is the feeling of warmth and security of someone who you hold to and believe will love and protect you. Whether it be a mother, father, friend, or teddy bear, we all have the someone and something that allows us to feel safe and comfortable. The hairiness of the figure symbolizes the association we have to things such as blankets, fur, a mother's hair, etc. We hold dear to these people and symbols, and hope that no matter what, we can rely on them time after time.

"My Burly Protector"
Mixed media on Paper, 20 x 30"