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January 2012
January 17, 2012
Happy New Year, everyone! I mentioned last month that I had a group exhibition I was developing for display in North Vancouver. Now that I've finished putting it together, I can comment on it and finally let it into the light of day.
Yesterday I submitted a proposal to the CityScape Community Art Space, in response to an open artist call I found back in November. If the gallery approves, the show will be exhibited sometime this summer or fall. In the submission guidelines, the gallery explained that it primarily exhibits group shows, so I approached two of my fellow alums from Emily Carr-- Katherine Nielsen and Meghan Leeburn, both of whom were very enthusiastic about the prospect. After hammering out some of the details, we decided that the theme of our show would be Generation Y. This is subject matter which we all feel strongly about, considering that we're all part of the generation. All of us have this feeling that our age group has inherited an overwhelming number of problems from our predecessors-- and this seems to be a feeling that we share with many other Millennials. In recent months, it does seem as if the angst we feel, about being handed broken economies, broken political institutions, and a broken planet, has been boiling over. The Arab Spring and the Occupy protests all over the world are signs of a global demographic of young adults who feel similarly about this burdensome inheritance and the way it has impacted us all. Katie, Meghan and I all felt that, as a result, the biggest commonality among artists of our generation is a calling to use our medium to affect change and force a re-evaluation of the attitudes that have caused and perpetuated the problems in the first place. The three of us each focus on different topics: Katie examines gender roles, and specifically the modern Western ideal of "masculinity"; Meghan explores the connections between civilized society and nature, particularly as seen by the other members of the animal kingdom; and I investigate technology and society's concept of progress. Taken as a whole, the three different bodies of work play off of each other, and form a broad statement about the priorities of Western society.
We won't know if our exhibition has been accepted or not until mid-February. Until then, I'll just continue expanding my portfolio, and you can check out Katie and Meghan's online galleries on my Links page. I'll be sure to let you all know about the verdict when I receive it. Wish us luck!
2023
Archived Years
March 2012
March 28, 2012
Hey everyone. I realize it's been a while since I updated, so I just want to take a little time now to explain what's been happening over the past few months.
I've had a few projects in the air over the course of two months. Obviously the first one I want to address is the one I mentioned back in January, which was a group show with my wonderful colleagues Katherine Nielsen and Meghan Leeburn. We submitted our proposal to the gallery in North Vancouver. I was quite impressed with what we managed to organize. Unfortunately the gallery did not see a space in their schedule for us. I wouldn't say that the group show is totally dead yet-- I'm still very interested in the prospect if we could find another venue that would be enthusiastic about it-- but for now, at least, the project is sort of on the back burner.
What I've been working on most recently is a submission to the 2012IDEA Art Award, a competition jointly coordinated between Emily Carr University, the University of British Columbia, and Vancouver General Hospital. The purpose of the award this year is to develop a piece of artwork to fill a large area of wall space in the front lobby at VGH's Detwiller Pavilion, located on UBC's campus. Detwiller Pavilion is the building that houses VGH's psychiatric branch, and the hospital is quite interested in exploring the therapeutic potential of artwork. To be considered, the artwork had to meet several rigorous conditions. The work had to be calming and emotionally uplifting, steer clear of content inappropriate for the context of a hospital, and avoid usage of the colour red. Over the past two months, I've been hard at work, visiting the site, taking photographs, talking with hospital personnel, and coming up with a suitable concept. This past Monday was the deadline, and what I submitted was a proposal for 4-panel piece called Technirvana. You can see the studies I produced now by visiting my gallery. If my proposal is selected, I'll be producing a series at about four times the size of the studies. The award is juried, so I'm hoping the judges like what I have submitted-- the winner not only gets his or her piece displayed permanently at the hospital, but also a $5,000 cash prize.
And of course, I'm still working on the release of my novel, Even Stars Die. I am just about finished with the editing phase, and I have a copy which, for all intents and purposes, should be my final draft (unless something drastic happens). My primary obstacles at the moment are a technical issue and some legal issues, both of which are present due to my desire to self-publish and distribute the novel in 100% paperless e-book format. As soon as I've got those issues sorted out, I'll be sure to post news and links to my book on the Written page of this website. I'm expecting to be selling my novel by June at the very latest.
September 2012
September 29, 2012
Major edits to the mobile version of the site to report! I finally got the Paintings gallery running at 100%, as well as the Biography, Artist Statement, and a link to my Facebook page. Thank you for your patience while the mobile site is undergoing construction. It's mostly complete now, although I do expect to add galleries for my other artwork shortly.
September 21, 2012
Hi everyone. It's been about six months since I posted any updates, and I just wanted to break my silence and mention a few things.
As to what I've been up to for this long period of time, I've had some personal issues I've been trying to sort out. All I can say about that is, I apologize for the lack of communication and I greatly appreciate your patience and support.
While I've been dealing with issues, Even Stars Die has unfortunately had to sit on the backburner for awhile. The bad news, obviously, is that I was not able to meet the summer release date I was initially expecting. The good news, though, is that most of the concerns I had six months ago have been addressed. I've been discussing the release with a friend of mine who has graciously offered his services as a technical adviser, and based on his advice I'm aiming for a release date by the end of the year.
I've also got a Facebook page now. Check it out!
More updates to come soon, hopefully.
November 2012
November 22, 2012
Hey everyone, it's that time of year again! Just dropping by to announce that I am once again a contributor to the North Vancouver Community Arts Council's Annual Anonymous Art Show! This will be its eighth year, and my third. The show opens tonight from 7-9:30 PM, and runs until December 15. The venue is same as always: the CityScape Community Art Space at 335 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver. Hope you can make it out to see the show!
December 2012
December 21, 2012
Happy holidays! 'Tis the season to be jolly, and it is my pleasure to report that I have plenty about which to be jolly! First of all-- the Anonymous Art Show was a huge success this year, both for the gallery and for me personally. The show was able to display 738 pieces of artwork this year, submitted by over 300 different artists. Of those works, 256 of them sold-- including one of mine! My painting, Belcarra View (which you can view in my online painting gallery), was sold on opening night, within the first few hours of the show!
I'd also like to take this opportunity to invite you all to check out a fantastic show, Collective Habitat 1997-2012 / ART-i-FACT: 88 East Cordova, currently running at the Gallery Gachet in downtown Vancouver. I've been a volunteer at Gallery Gachet since October now, and it's really a privilege to contribute to such a fantastic artistic environment. Collective Habitat is a retrospective show put together with art from collective members in celebration of 20 years as a functioning gallery and 15 years occupying its current location at 88 E Cordova St., in the area between Gastown and the Downtown Eastside. The show runs until February 17, 2013. Hope to see you there!
Of course, it's also that time of year again. Currently I'm back in Florida, having a nice quiet Christmas break with my family. I'll be back in BC for New Year's, after which-- well, let's just say, I expect 2013 to be a very busy and productive year!
So, until then, let me wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Be safe over the holidays, and have fun! See you again in 2013!