New Graphic Prints: Around The World - Batch One

In 2012 I started a series of original 12x12 paintings as a fundraiser for the 10X10 Photography Project. The fundraiser was called ‘Around the World In 30 Days’, in which I would paint 30 paintings in 30 days for 30 people and the funds raised supported the photographers of 10x10 and its accompanying book. Over the years, I continued to work in this size and format and have amassed a catalogue of cities.

Now, for the first time, I am releasing a short run of graphic prints of these cities. This first batch includes: Amsterdam, Arles, Budapest, Canberra, Detroit/Windsor, Ho Chi Minh City, Merida, Montreal, and Paris.

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Amsterdam

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Arles

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Budapest

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Canberra

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Detroit /Windsor

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Ho Chi Minh City

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Merida

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Montreal

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Paris

Each print is 12x12 inches, on Hahnemuhle paper, signed and numbered in editions of 25. Click here to order one for yourself or for someone special. These make a great gift for those who love to travel or have a special affinity for one of these cities.

New cities will be released in the coming weeks. If you have a city request, please feel free to send me a note here.

Happy travels!

Art Hop: Cats Rule the Internet

As if we need more convincing that cats rule the world, the 2022 POPCATS festival happened last week in Chicago and there’s an upcoming presentation, part of an OCADU Speaker Series. Cats Rule the Internet is a free online talk with Naomi Kritzer, Cadie Desbiens-Desmeules, moderated by OCADU’s past President Dr. Sara Diamond. The discussion will centre around artificial intelligence and machine learning as it relates to art making and design. I expect there will be cats memes.

You can watch the free event live online on Monday April 11, 12-1pm through OCADU’s LIVE broadcast, or register here.

Thanks to my friend John Rubino for sending me this link to the event listing on Akimbo.ca

Humpday Art Hop: Issue 3

Welcome to HUMPDAY ART HOP, a weekly post of art, tech, architecture and design things I’ve found around the web. I hope this gives you a little serotonin boost to get you through the week.

HERE’S THIS WEEK’S ART HOP:

The weird and wonderful world of Shary Boyle is on show at the Gardener Museum in Toronto. ‘Outside the Palace of Me’ is a multiple-sensory installation that uses drawings, ceramic sculpture, life sized automatons, two-way mirrors, and coin operated sculpture. You can read Sue Carters’ Toronto Star review or attend one of the many events planned including free public virtual and in-person tours with the curator and the artist planned later this month.

SIMPLY VICTORIOUS! Designer Micheal Smith has done up Shonda Rhimes’ New York apartment with some Brighton-inspired flare. The writer and television producer recently did a video tour of the newly finished space with Architectural Digest. Spoiler alert: It’s Gorgeous!

FEELING ALONE, TOGETHER. A retrospective of the work of Mathew Wong is opening at the Dallas Museum of Art. If you have a chance to see this exhibition, please go. I saw ‘Blue View’ at the Art Gallery of Ontario and it was incredibly moving. Blue View is on until May 15th in Toronto and the retrospective opens in Dallas later this year. Read more from ArtNews. If you can’t get to the show, the newly published book of his work is well worth it.

WHAT’S GOOD, CHICAGO?! Expo Chicago is coming up on April 7th-10th. This year marks its in-person return since 2019. An event addition to the Expo is the inaugural Directors Summit which brings together a diverse group of emerging art museum leaders from across the United States for a three-day program addressing the shifting dynamics of museum leadership today. Joining this years Expo are 140 participating galleries from 25 countries. You can see a full list of exhibitors here.

THE FLYING GAME. Are flying cars and van life the wave of the future? Two recent DEZEEN interviews with staff at Hyundai would lead us to think so. Chief Executive of European Operations, Micheal Cole, talks about Hyundai’s partnership with Uber for flying taxis set to launch in the second part of this decade; and head of global design, SangYup Lee, predicts our vehicles could become our living spaces in the near future. They are in early stages of development, but this is something to keep your eye on. Read more…

That’s all for this week.

Stay arty, I love you and you’re gorgeous! Mwah.

Humpday Art Hop: Issue 2

Welcome to HUMPDAY ART HOP, a weekly post of art, tech, architecture and design things I’ve found around the web. I hope this gives you a little serotonin boost to get you through the week.

HERE’S THIS WEEKS ART HOP:

MEET ME IN THE METAVERSE. Art Dubai kicks of this week and along with it is the 15th edition of the Global Art Forum. This years summit is entitled ‘This is the Picture’ and features over 20 speakers who will examine digital artifacts, crypto-economies, and Web 3.0 worlds. Here’s a list of this year’s scheduled speakers.

‘OH WOW, THIS IS GREAAAT.’ There’s a new play running in London about the star crossed paths of contemporary art titans Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. It has sites set on Broadway in the near future. Read more…

LESS WAR, MORE ART. The curator and artists of the Russian Pavillion at the Venice Biennale have resigned and the Pavilion will remain closed this year. I hope it becomes a site of intervention for other artists and visitors. I feel badly for the artists, but they are doing the right thing. You can read the full story from designboom. Read what was planned for the pavilion here.

THINK PINK! The New Institute in Rotterdam, The Netherlands is getting an addition to its building ahead of the inaugural Solar Biennial slated for this September. The addition includes a giant staircase that leads to an observation deck. All of it it will be neon pink! To know me is to know I love pink, so I’m all for this. I do hope it is wheelchair accessible though. You can read about the firm overseeing the addition here.

photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud

BEST IN SHOW. ArchDaily has release the 15 winners of the 2022 Building of the Year Awards and the work is breathtaking. From large projects to new residence, each of these buildings is uplifting and inspiring.

That’s all for this week.

Stay arty, I love you and you’re gorgeous! Mwah.

Humpday Art Hop: Issue 1

Welcome to HUMPDAY ART HOP, a weekly post of art, tech, architecture and design things I’ve found around the web. I hope this gives you a little serotonin boost to get you through the week.

HERE’S THIS WEEKS HOP:

LESS GUNS, MORE ART. Pavlo Makov, the artist representing the Ukraine at this year’s Venice Biennale, opens up about selling his art to buy guns to help his country defend itself from invasion from Russia. This is a heartbreaking example of direct action by artists. Read more…

SMART DESIGN FOR A DUMB PHONE. Space engineer Justine Haupt has designed an anti-smart phone that features a rotary dialer. I’ve seen videos of GenZ confused by this part of old phones. Somehow I find this comforting. I wish it also came with that long curly cord. Read more…

Photo: Getty Images

HE’S NOT HEAVY, HE’S MY BRILLO. A new series on Netflix based on Andy Warhol’s Diaries will feature Andy Warhol’s voice recreated by Artificial Intelligence.. If it doesn’t include his infamous ‘ uh, yeah.’ and ‘ That’s so great.’, I’m not buyin’ it. Somehow I think he would love this. Read more…

SO MUCH COLOUR, SO MUCH LIGHT. An exhibition of work by the late Ad Reinhardt has opened at Pace Gallery, in New York. What’s interesting about this exhibition is that its curated by installation and light artist James Turrell. This is sure to be a contemplation on colour. Read more…

GO LIKE YOURSELF. Artist Jane Sawyer made a ‘Thumbs Up Michine’ for a Tiktok video that sparked an avelanche of requests for one. Instead of cranking out orders, she posted how-to instructions on her website so fans of the toy can make their own. You can now send likes or fuck-yous to your family and frenemies. Read more...

That’s all for this week. Stay arty. I love you and you’re gorgeous. Mwah!

New Work: CANBERRA

Here’s another painting in the ongoing series of capital cities that I started a few years ago. Limited edition prints are available here. If you are looking for something bright and cheery for your home, click on one of the images below to see a full section available items.

If you are interested an original city painting, please complete a commission form here and I’ll happily get back to you with a proposed map and custom colour palette.

BAR CODE

It’s been a few years since the Intergenerational LGBTQ Artist residency, where I cast the first stitches on ‘BAR CODE’. To date I’ve completed 64 different coloured hankies, each embroidered with a corporate slogan that is carefully matched to a fetish or sexual preference according to the Hanky Code. These serve as reminder of the subtle role corporations play in the erasure of sex positive aspects of queer culture. I’ll be continuing this series and will update my blog regularly with new additions as they are finished. For now, you can see all the completed hankies and the hanky code here. Each is an edition of three and are available for purchase here. If you have a suggestion for a corporate slogan you think would make for a good fit with one of the hankies, please leave it in the comments.

New work: Paris In Pink

Being part of a birthday, anniversary, or holiday gift is always a special thing. This pretty in pink painting of Paris was bought as a gift for someone special in Ohio. Its amazing how much the feeling of a city can change based on colour palette alone. This marks my 12th painting of Paris.

Paris In Spring, 22x30in., acrylic on paper, 2003.

I’ve come along way since this abstract painting I did in 2003. The palette is based on the background colours I associated with Looney Toons’ Pepe Le Pew. I’ve often thought of returning to this. There was such freedom in the work. My work has become refined and sometimes I find it restricting. Perhaps I could loosen up a bit and change the size and scale to see what happens.

If you are interested in getting a city painting done for yourself or as a gift for someone special, send me a commission request.

New Work: PARIS AT MIDNIGHT

Three years in the making, this 6x6ft. painting of Paris captures so much of what the city has to offer. If youve travelled to Paris, you probably have memories of a certain place. I’ve created a special limited edition print that is 36x36in. There are only 25 available. As of this post, there are still a few left. Each is hand embellished in gold paint with over 200 new features and landmarks. Would you like that special place marked on the map? I can do that too. They are available here.

New Work: GREENWICH VILLAGE, NYC

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NYC. 16x16, Acrylic on canvas, 2019

This brightly coloured painting of Greenwich Village is one of a series of small paintings celebrating LGBTQ neighbourhoods around the world. Twelve paintings were shown in Toronto at Window Gallery on Church Street for Nuit Blanche, and as part of the 2019 Pride Toronto celebrations. They were also shown as part of With Love From at Carbon Gallery in Picton, Ontario. You can see all the Gaybourhood paintings here and this painting is also available in the shop.