No Holds Barred.

As you might've guessed, painting for a living (much like any other occupation) has its share of gripes. In this particular case, of course, the issues are compounded by the fact that so many ignorant people seem to think it's a cute little hobby for children, but ultimately something we should grow out of - the ironic part of that being, of course, that the same people make the worst clients because they act like spoiled children themselves. Combine that ridiculous sense of entitlement with bad manners, general rudeness, and willful ignorance, and you've got a recipe for frustration:

• Probably the most aggravating thing is people who offer shitty advice, or pass on leads that are obviously useless, but demand answers and validation right away. Here's a tip: if you give me a lead and I say "I'll check it out," that means I'll check it out. If I have a question, I'll get back to you. If it turns out to be useful, I will thank you, probably both publicly and privately. If it sounds fishy or turns out to be a scam - which it often does - I'll ignore it. Acting like a needy child won't help sell me on it. More than likely it'll make me feel tempted to ignore you in the future, and that's the politest response I can think of. So don't send me frantic followup messages the next day because you need your ego stroked. I will check out your recommendation and either follow it or not. This isn't about you, regardless of how noble your intentions might be.
• If you know somebody who's looking for free art in return for some dubious "exposure" somewhere, point them in the direction of an art school. Maybe some lucky student will learn an important lesson or two about scammers and grifters. Me? I've already been down that road many times, and I've learned what there is to learn.
• Don't be a flake when you're commissioning or buying art. If you've got a project in mind, by all means get in touch. I'll probably ask a few questions, then give you several different options with regards to size and price, and tell you how much I want for a down payment. If the idea of a down payment bothers you, then please fuck off and don't contact me again. It's specifically because of people like you that I ask for down payments in the first place.
• Further to that last point, if you make a business arrangement with an artist, honour it. Don't run away when the project's half-finished. Don't pretend you didn't get messages, emails, calls, or invoices. And don't just assume I'll forget. It makes you look like a flake, an idiot and a scumbag.
• And finally on the point of flakiness, don't offer to help someone out with a reference, a commission, or anything else and then bail out when the time comes to actually help. Especially if the aforementioned bailing-out involves pretending you're sick or out of town.
• If you know someone whose kid would do the job for much less than I charge, hire that kid, or go buy yourself a nice print at Walmart or IKEA. I'm not interested in making bargain-basement art, so don't waste my time.
• If your significant other decides halfway through a project that they don't like it, I don't care. I don't have a business arrangement with them; I have one with you. They have no say in the process at all. And if you have a disagreement with them, it's your problem. Not mine. Don't drag your dysfunctional baggage into my life.
• Shipping is a legitimate charge, not an afterthought or a cash grab on my part. And it isn't an exact science; I don't know all the prices and regulations for FedEx, Canada Post, or UPS. If it costs more than originally anticipated, then it costs more. I will try my damnedest to give you a realistic quote, but I can't guarantee things down to the last penny. Trying to stick me with any additional costs makes you look like a cheapskate.

Wow, that was therapeutic. Any other artists got suggestions for issues I haven't touched on?

Oh, and if you think I might be talking about you? I am.

Paint Therapy.

So I woke up too early this morning, after dreaming of better circumstances, to find myself at home. And outside in the hall, the building manager and the painters he hired were yelling at the tops of their lungs as long-awaited renovations finally took place. (A word of introduction: building management has done almost nothing in the way of upkeep on the building for the last couple years - a long-standing resident manager left under mysterious circumstances, then we had temporary relief managers, then we had a guy in his early twenties who was apparently too preoccupied with looking like a gangsta to actually do his goddamn job. Elevators sat broken for months at a time, lights in the common areas were burned out, homeless people were constantly trying to infiltrate the building, mailboxes and entrance doors and even apartments were vandalized, etc. etc.)

Anyhow, three guys standing five or six feet apart while they all yell to one another simultaneously makes for a hell of a ruckus. Literally a rude awakening after only four hours of sleep.

(In case you're wondering, this is actually going somewhere.)

On top of all this, there have been many, many changes in my life in the past few months, nearly all for the better, but with their own accompanying stresses, of course. Insomnia has come back for several extended visits, the forces of evil seem to be conspiring, money issues continue to rear their ugly heads, people I need answers from are being flakes, and there are days when it's all I can do to just roll with the punches.

Which brings us to today. I was jittery, bleary-eyed, sleep-deprived, and generally feeling like my entire emotional spectrum had been abraded with coarse-grit sandpaper.

And I took a look at some of the new metalflake paintings I've got on the go, and decided they needed a quick application of glass bead gel. Opened the jar, got out a palette knife, and started spreading the gel. Half an hour went by, and I realized a huge chunk of the stress had just... lifted off.

Paint therapy. You heard it here first, kids. I recommend it for everyone, even if you aren't a painter. And did I mention I've got 19 new paintings in the works? That's a lotta therapy.

Metal Flake - a Photo Retrospective.

The Booze Brothers:

Explaining the method to my madness:

First sale of the night:

Talkin' art with Gary from Ontario and Gary from Ontario:

Another sale:

Planning and scheming:

Good friends sharing a laugh:

Having our picture taken:

Twitter friends:

Hangin' out with the ladies:

Overview of the show:

And that's all, folks.

P.S. Photos by John Watson, Gary Bolt and George Smeltzer.

Possibly the Best Day of My Life.

So. As you are no doubt aware if you're following this blog, I had my first big solo art show last night. After the show a couple close friends came back to my place for drinks, which inevitably led to me not saying anything online about the show.

Till now, that is.

The verdict? The show was a blast. First sale of the night went to my friend Patti, who bought the "Power Trio" triptych. Since then three of the smaller pieces were also snapped up, after some heated debate over "Dangerous Curves". The rest, of course, remain on display and on sale at the Tipper till the end of the month.

What really made my night, though, was seeing old friends and new come together to eat, drink, and take in my art. Even writing this now is making me a little choked up. I am a lucky, lucky man.

And the show of support lately has been absolutely stunning. I've been profiled in the Vantage and VanCity Buzz, friends have come from all over the damn place for the show, and everywhere I had a question or a concern about anything, somebody always, always stepped up to bat.

Without further ado, then, the above-and-beyond roll call. These people are permanently in my good books: John Watson, Patti Catroppa, Lori Kittelberg, Dan Udey & Donna Jaggard, Sati from LiveVan, the irrepressible Jonny Warkentin, Ceci Graber, Nic & Todd, Nicola and her mom, Gary and Gary, Colin and Cameron and P.J. from the Tipper (without whom none of this would even be possible), Lindsay B. and K. Myles, Corinna Carlson, Karina Halle, Kelly St-Laurent, Mollie Caselli, Carly Fryer, Mike Watson, George Smeltzer, Ned Tobin... and I know I'm still forgetting people. I'll keep editing this post as the day goes on.

Also, a number of people couldn't make the show but were kind enough to send along apologies and/or encouragement anyway, because they rock: Jeff Hornby, Brendan Moran, Donna Jay, Amanda West, Dilara Litonjua, Adam Carlson, Kate MacDonald...

And finally, the biggest and most heartfelt thanks of the day have to go to my lovely assistant, without whose support this event wouldn't have even been conceivable. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tess McCann. Mere words cannot express...

The Vantage.

Just a quick drive-by post. Preparations for the show are coming along nicely, and people are starting to talk.

This interview, for instance, just went live today.

All my thanks to the lovely Ms. Lindsay B.

Almost Done.

Coming down the home stretch for the show now. Finished this piece today:

That leaves two remaining, and I oughta be able to finish one of them tomorrow.

In other news, today is day 634 of the 1000 Days Project. Ergo, a year from tomorrow and I'll be done.

Then what?

Metal Flake.

So there've been all kinds of big doings going on lately. Arrangements for the big show have been made, and there are only three paintings left to finish (maybe 6 or 7 hours' work altogether).

Now, of course, there's a million other little details to take care of. But they're coming along nicely.

Here's a first look at the promo card/ad for the show:

How's it look?

Experiment in Terror.

I had what we call a "bizness meeting" with my friend Karina Halle today. Which generally means Jack Daniels, food, some talk about art, music, and of course her Experiment in Terror series of horror novels. The third book (Dead Sky Morning)came out recently, and that was the start of my involvement in the project - I drew the map that appears in the opening pages.

Just for fun I whipped up a full-colour version, too:

If you're not familiar with D'Arcy Island (and I wasn't), it was the site of a leper colony for Chinese-Canadians from 1891-1924. A pretty grim real-life story, but worth looking up. The book uses the site and its sordid history as its setting. I'm still reading it, but so far it's really creeped me out several times. Which is a pretty rare quality in a horror novel these days, my friends.

Anyhow, Karina has 5 more books projected in the series, and has enlisted my creative abilities to help with the process. In addition to the map, I've designed a logo:

(Part of the premise of the books is that the two lead characters make a web-TV show about their paranormal exploits, so the logo for the book series doubles as the one for the fictitious show.)

The next project was more involved: a definitive portrait of these characters. It started with this basic sketch:

We made a ton of changes to this, but the basics still made it all the way through the design process. Once we nailed down the basic looks of Perry and Dex in the pencil stage, it was time to do inkwash renderings of them:

I also had a slew of ideas for background treatments for this picture. In the end we used three separate concepts, including one where I made a collage of pages ripped out of the first book, Darkhouse (kind of a weird and surreal experience to take a friend's book and literally tear it to pieces).

Without further ado, here are the three different versions of the illustration, which Karina will be using to promote the books:

So that, is essence, is the beginning - for me at least. We've got a ton of ideas for future illustrations (I'd like to incorporate some photography and sculpture to accompany the more traditional illustration), and I'll be helping out in any way I can when the trailer for Dead Sky Morning is being shot. We're even trying to arrange a trip to D'Arcy Island, which hopefully isn't anywhere near as haunted as it is in the book.

Cheers, then. A toast to creativity, collaboration and chills down your spine.

Creative Minds.

So hey, I've just been interviewed by Franziska San Pedro over at Creative Minds. The results can be found right here.

Thanks for the exposure, Franziska.Much appreciated.

Gasser T-Shirt.

Been thinking about t-shirts again lately, and I thought of another piece of mine that could easily be adapted:

Gasser t-shirts are now available right here. In wide variety of colours, as they say.