tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240335952012-01-28T22:00:38.724-05:00A visual blog, showcasing my ongoing work in painting, drawing, and photography.Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comBlogger3511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-1417337622614941262012-01-24T21:55:00.002-05:002012-01-24T22:05:47.640-05:00

Since I was in the states, I was able to snap up one of Wacom's much talked about but super late released, Inkling. This device allows you to draw in your sketchbook ( with their ink) and a digital record will be created of the drawing. Furthermore, you can add layers while drawings and convert it into vectors....yowzers, it is exciting. I am pretty happy with this test, clearly I did not

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-36394494537062943412012-01-23T13:21:00.001-05:002012-01-23T13:22:48.672-05:00

Here is another example of photograph I picked up at Gadabout. The inscription on the back identifies the boat as the S.S.Briarwood, which saw action in WW2, damaged but was not sunk. This picture was taken en route to England in 1938.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-67938129657777653012012-01-21T21:27:00.000-05:002012-01-24T21:34:56.773-05:00

I did not do a drawing of Colwyn, the Toronto based artist and recipient of multiple art awards from various government bodies. But I did catch this old coot who was wearing a jaunty angled bow tie and was playing a mean game of pool. I did not mean for Joe and Ilka to look so serious, they were not, maybe it just came out that way as they were leaving early. Whereas this is one of the

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-37030831003428263732012-01-19T12:45:00.000-05:002012-01-20T12:46:57.870-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-72921163795825448232012-01-18T12:47:00.021-05:002012-01-20T13:25:45.011-05:00

OK, what can you say about Goya that has not been said? His etchings are incredible, its even hard to experience them first hand because as an artist you have seen them reproduced hundreds of times before you can examine them in real life. The AGO has tried to help you! They present a folio of the "Los Caprichos which has been hand tinted by a collector, seriously? WTF. This is just silly. It

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-54005405359895729902012-01-15T23:11:00.000-05:002012-01-23T23:13:25.982-05:00

I have a drawing in my 2010 grouping of a male bartender at the front of this restaurant, this is at the back. We were having some afternoon drinks.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-71307304069330492522012-01-14T23:08:00.001-05:002012-01-23T23:10:33.202-05:00

After a late night and a cold walk, we stopped at this place on Prince street cafe for a coffee.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-55519506256605191252012-01-13T14:15:00.003-05:002012-01-13T14:15:00.912-05:00

I love this mad man He has said some keen things about the war in the Persian Gulf He has a wide variety in his work His work is intense and honest I came across a show of his a few years ago at the Bergamot station in Santa Monica, he had just left, apparently he was unhappy with his framed prints so he pulled out a sharpie marker and added phrases in the white space, the gallery was a

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-89751279506319148442012-01-11T15:04:00.009-05:002012-01-11T15:04:00.632-05:00

As you may have spotted before, I love Japanese prints, especially those of the style called Ukiyo-e, which I think is the Meiji period after the Edo like at the end of the Samurai, very Last Samurai without Tom Cruise faffing about- actually he was ok in that film. Personally I love the prints which are a historical record of the Sino-Japanese and the Russo-Japanese wars. Japanese compositions

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-74695109872597139272012-01-08T08:00:00.002-05:002012-01-08T14:57:40.136-05:00

I have been working a little bit in the studio and to get back in the groove and loosen up the arm, I started doing these conte sketches from an old photo album. A friend of mine loaned me this album, I need to get it back to him, but I just fall in love with these images every time I open it up. I need to do some scans so he can get some prints done. These pictures are like 100 years old

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-69639024884443246532012-01-07T14:37:00.001-05:002012-01-08T14:53:43.316-05:00

I'm thinking that i'll upload sketches for the days that I do them on. This was a sketch I did at Jet Fuel using conte with this awesome pen tool/holder my brother got me in Spain in 1992 at the Seville Expo. This guys was on the phone with his hoodie. As far as the Expo 1992 goes, you can find more here yup, it was to be a celebration of the 500 years since Columbus 'discovered' the

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-69915850624167226012012-01-03T15:47:00.002-05:002012-01-04T14:36:25.002-05:00

Here is an image I took this summer, still playing around with these negatives.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-9122744016692931642012-01-02T00:11:00.003-05:002012-01-04T14:36:47.433-05:00

Forgot all about these three 12x12 inch paintings from the AWOL square foot show. Yes the work in that things ranges from artwork to insane crap, but hey, it was nice to have a deadline. This centaur seems to keep resurfacing in this body of work, he is something of my totem animal- a mascot but also something that is a representation of the animalistic desires within people. There is a

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-34130564855018180732011-12-23T21:56:00.005-05:002012-01-04T14:37:17.498-05:00

If you are in the east end, please swing by the Rooster Coffee house, at 479 Broadview Avenue, the coffee is great (they also have a great ginger tea for the non caffeine types) and I have remounted much of my 2010 show, Manifest Dream in the coffee shop. When you walk in, you'll spot my large Ladies photograph on the northern wall and beside that, an image of the main square of Marrakech,

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-78885330523515919412011-12-22T23:38:00.000-05:002011-12-28T23:43:08.146-05:00

I happened to catch a few minutes of this BBC series last night on TVO, (props to the government funded arts acronyms!) its called The Private life of {insert artwork or artist here} they featured one on Botticelli's Mystic Nativity which is in the National Gallery in London. It seemed like the history of the painting is really rich and incorporates the history of Florence in the turbulent times

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-49507468297787869652011-12-22T22:47:00.000-05:002011-12-23T23:00:53.731-05:00

Took some time in the studio for this little portrait of Scotty. I have had this seamless around for awhile and I tend to use it more in lengths for painting more stark white paintings on black. For the purpose of painting, its fine, i staple it to the wall and it goes flat. But damn, it needs a ton of help as a backdrop. For these quick prints I did not bother, but I have to blur the

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-53223602401284559952011-12-21T21:39:00.001-05:002012-01-04T14:39:00.402-05:00

You ever tried to kill time by going into a magazine shop? Sure you have but perhaps not lately, honestly you should make the time. We always hear that print is dead and it probably is, but you walk into something as simple as Presse International on College St, and I really thought it was just awesome how many magazines are left, there was some great stuff. Like many people, I get a lot of

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-37070883053103862412011-12-04T20:06:00.000-05:002012-01-12T20:08:43.486-05:00

Drawing from the television, I admit it, it was Californication.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-33375752813412987152011-11-28T23:46:00.002-05:002012-01-06T21:52:26.723-05:00

So I have got back some film that I shot this summer but I did not have a chance to scan the negatives, so basically there is no image to this visual blog... Anyhoo, I was shooting water lillies up north, they are black and white shot with the holga, of course you cannot look at these little water thingies without thinking of Monet and his work. Back in 1992 I went to where he lived and

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-81135288392420218682011-11-25T12:07:00.000-05:002011-11-25T12:07:11.384-05:00

Yes, this piece of mine has made it out of the studio The piece looked great framed and I am happy to say the new owner seems pretty chuffed about the whole thing, for which, I am truly grateful. Sold Work- A momentous occasion, I thought it would be fair to mention the writer Donald Barthelme whose writing was the inspiration for this image and whose post-modern fiction is, well, a real

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-47967726322861265422011-11-22T00:00:00.000-05:002011-11-22T00:00:55.615-05:00

Years ago, my friend from OCAD Margaret had this idea to sell artwork with the couch in mind, I think I was joking and added that you should sell art with 2 cans of paint and a whack of colour swatches, flying in the face of artistic doctrine, but hey it was 1993 and we were wild then, everyone hanging out at the Beverly tavern on Queen St West, watching Steve Anthony come in between scenes on

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-76236833030300206972011-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:002011-11-21T00:01:47.865-05:00

Well, I am not sure what took me so long to send in an update. For the most part, I had nothing to show, so nothing to say. Lately, I have moved some work through the studio and I guess that got me thinking about the visual work that I do, or have done in the past or perhaps will do again - in the world to come not in the post end of days sense, just the world to come as in the future, and

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-90650781812653524132011-08-12T13:37:00.000-04:002012-01-23T13:38:18.299-05:00

I used a reference here, this was just a study.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-34933655627450461842011-07-24T20:10:00.000-04:002012-01-12T20:11:57.988-05:00

A study for the AWOL gallery 12x12 show.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-14165329655512196582011-06-07T21:29:00.000-04:002012-01-22T21:30:22.398-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-75458678908420346542011-06-07T21:28:00.001-04:002012-01-22T21:29:34.795-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-51957501177270710732011-06-07T21:25:00.005-04:002012-01-23T12:51:29.279-05:00

Astronaut jumper suit

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-52290255513540035472011-06-07T21:25:00.001-04:002012-01-22T21:28:13.573-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-17938757347371363752011-05-17T13:50:00.001-04:002012-01-06T21:50:26.777-05:00

Howdy! Just a brief mention but all the same, our Loop gallery show was mentioned in the National Post on the 14th. I also like that I am in the same list as Joan Rivers(!), click here to get the article.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-83094879493795703202011-04-25T14:03:00.003-04:002011-05-03T22:13:32.542-04:00

Well, Larry and I are getting ready for our show at Loop, and as anyone knows, before a deadline you go a little crazy. Actually, I cannot speak for Larry, but for me, I make a hell of a mess. This morning its taken me 2 hours to get ready to do any work. Looking at this first picture, the studio looks better than it really is. Stuff is everywhere, sure you have your copies of Penthouse

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-76764336638046627652011-04-24T20:36:00.002-04:002011-04-24T20:36:29.199-04:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-29060619846970323682011-04-02T19:54:00.000-04:002012-01-12T20:06:43.533-05:00

A study for my 2011 Life Lessons show, ultimately I was unhappy with the painting and it was not included for the show. This study came from a Masami Teraoka painting in his ukiyo-e style.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-70341194659325833762011-03-31T20:08:00.001-04:002012-01-12T20:10:14.649-05:00

This makes me think of Helmut Newton.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-61687718962148282592011-03-30T18:12:00.001-04:002012-01-04T14:51:03.454-05:00

I thought I would just include this shot from my phone of the wall opposite where I am painting at the studio, it is a bit of a wall of inspiration, its a bit of an 80s phenom true enough, but hey, Avedon's house was full of walls that had things pinned to it, and if its good enough for Richard Avedon... So as you look across this mess, you will see your obligatory amount of postcards, there

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-16821935372915496622011-03-29T23:42:00.000-04:002011-03-29T23:42:37.538-04:00

So I have this show coming up, here are some really lo fi shots from my sketchbook. These images are continuing on a theme of entering adulthood and fantasy. Hey, I said Lo Fi. Anyways, after much trouble, I was able to set up a facebook page so that I could invite people to this opening. I know, a monkey can do that, but for some reason it took me awhile and Scott's explanation to

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-81880032920831790912011-03-15T12:12:00.000-04:002011-03-15T12:12:25.114-04:00

So as the deadline to the new show approaches, there was a mention of it in Toronto Life this week. It has a grotesque photo of some sandwich meat...I eat beef and it looks gross to me. Anyways, the pressure is mounting so I hope you can make it to the show, I think its going to be great, my exhibition partner Larry Eisenstein were talking about it, we are really excited to see how the work

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-38185435423298100522011-03-09T23:23:00.000-05:002011-03-09T23:23:54.755-05:00

I'll take a break from ranting about Gaddafi for a moment to look at some old drawings that I found in the back of my excessively heavy flat file, again, years later, I thank Mike Bell for helping me drag that f'n thing up the stairs to my studio. As some of you know, I have referred to myself as the Art Monkey, I feel that the Artist is a monkey who must respond to the needs of his/her

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-42578175865276040532011-03-07T22:55:00.000-05:002011-03-07T22:55:03.464-05:00

Hey don't get me wrong, I want Charlie Sheen to win over Gaddafi, 100% of the time, you can take that to the bank. But, we do not need Muammar to get a Twitter account to know what he has been up to or what he would do if he can maintain power. So the question remains not what the crazed despot will do next, we know that already (torture, maim and kill- all with total disrespect for the

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-19667728756405201112011-03-01T17:14:00.001-05:002011-03-01T22:01:51.711-05:00

Yes, Mr. Gaddafi, your people love you. Yes, you are proving each day that they lay down their lives as you mow them down. No matter how much of an insane megalomaniac Gaddafi seemed in the 1980s, he is outdoing himself in the present. What really irks me with the SNL send up of Gaddafi recently is that they just straight mimicked his Africa pin rather than making that in the LIVEAID

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-25042301609359243362011-02-27T23:52:00.003-05:002011-03-01T22:17:27.155-05:00

Good Lord are the Oscars worse than ever! Anne Hathaway is getting the over zealous nerd-jock role down pat, James Franco is just seeming invisible. We caught a glimpse of Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin dancing together but the Academy switched screens to focus on Penelope Cruz for a super long shot. And lastly, everyone is kissing the Academy's ass. What happened to the days of a native woman

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-89419892013658163152011-02-22T23:06:00.005-05:002011-02-22T23:57:28.018-05:00

Sure, when you think of Die Hard the late 80s action film opus, you think of the last of the archetype villain who is German, Hans Gruber. Within a year, Lethal Weapon 2 would be released and the villains were no longer Germans, our post war animosities were put to rest and now it was the South Africans, with Apartheid, who were the baddies, trading Krugerrands on the streets of LA. Of

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-11394432068391662792011-02-21T21:26:00.003-05:002011-02-22T23:12:03.054-05:00

You know, this guy has always been a piece of work, not the least reason being that it appears that his form of plastic surgery/botox was some treatment where they hold a blow torch to your face, Yowzers Kaddafi (as he was called in the 1970s) burst on to the scene in the 1970s and looked relatively normal This would be exhibit A if you will, contrast that to this footage, it looks like he is

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-79652566336873892102011-02-20T14:47:00.000-05:002012-01-04T14:48:06.246-05:00

In Buenos Aires, near the Chacaritta cemetary, there is this crazy warehouse that is absolutely loaded to the rafters (I should know, i was in the rafters) with Wallpaper. When you hear about this, you picture ancient beautiful Argentinian wallpaper, loaded with toxic chemicals but vintage and yet the reality ? The place has thousands and thousands of remaindered rolls from the USA in the 70s and

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-18376573785157946202011-02-19T20:12:00.000-05:002012-01-12T20:13:09.543-05:00

Not sure where this was drawn....

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-46034702601941680882011-02-18T16:54:00.000-05:002012-01-12T16:56:25.997-05:00

A live band at the milonga

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-35255870989883752592011-02-16T12:30:00.012-05:002011-02-19T06:22:56.083-05:00

These are a few sketches of the very popular tango scenes down here, I liked watching all the people on the sidelines- a real interesting assortment of Lautrec to Bruegel types if you catch my drift.These dance halls are interesting as you have some ancient creepy cronies and young people, a real mix.I didn't think it was too fair to sit near the front, it would afford me the best view but would

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-2400330095319630482011-02-15T13:48:00.001-05:002012-01-20T14:04:02.144-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-43869180589084794832011-02-14T17:57:00.010-05:002011-02-20T22:59:11.051-05:00

working in the sketchbook on some ideas for an upcoming show at Loop. Here are just a few of the things I'm playing with at the moment. These sketches are my thoughts and creating the type of short hand that my new work will come out of in the next few weeks. With these pictures, I was thinking of British-Portuguese artist, Paula Rego. Her work about childhood and her handling of materials

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-31436705524595507862011-02-13T13:44:00.003-05:002012-01-20T14:03:37.733-05:00

These are fast moving people so its a tough gig, let me tell you!

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-88492957654713206772011-02-11T02:30:00.007-05:002011-02-11T03:09:58.290-05:00

I was thinking maybe sung to the tune of Victoria by the Kinks, at least that is the song I think it is. I hear that guy from the Kinks singing it anyways. Well, while I'm up I thought, why not post a few more pictures, indeed. As with my previous if ancient post, I was working on this jacket project, I have finally completed those 12 paintings, thanks to Myles for his generosity in lending me

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-59767043566865168382011-02-09T20:13:00.000-05:002012-01-12T20:14:46.260-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-33146630651375373582011-02-01T16:53:00.001-05:002012-01-12T16:56:56.931-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-31082761185323577622011-01-05T21:42:00.000-05:002012-01-22T21:44:27.560-05:00

These people were like hippie tourists selling braids and crap like that. You could smell people did not wash, camped a lot and thought the rave scene in The Matrix 2 was HOT...Yikes, tres yikes.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-55884759508274183612011-01-05T21:39:00.000-05:002012-01-22T21:41:33.997-05:00

I would like to show the whole thing at once, but it is just too long. You ever at the studio, remind me and I'll show you.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-72827775046232313822011-01-05T21:36:00.001-05:002012-01-22T21:39:19.999-05:00

Here I moved to the area where people sell dreadful paintings or photos. On the left a tourist lady, on the right a aforementioned artist, this guy was from the States and was talking about Alien landings.....

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-47222100226137525042011-01-05T21:31:00.001-05:002012-01-22T21:36:04.458-05:00

Using the Japanese fold out Moleskine, I sat at the San Telmo antique market and ink sketched a long flowing record of a few hours, as people walked in front of me, like this woman's butt, they just got added into the record.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-5217764854126647962010-12-07T06:44:00.003-05:002010-12-07T07:04:22.741-05:00

This painting is something that I am working on at the moment at the studio. There is so much that I can say about this Jacket and the others like it that have been graciously loaned to me, but suffice to say that I am really interested in trying to capture something in my painting, something at odds with the tangible of this object. I started with an old piece of Fabriano paper, that I probably

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-18760231785929904522010-11-09T23:28:00.004-05:002012-01-04T14:41:09.860-05:00

I found the time to make it to the AGO, in truth, we went to Frank the restaurant, the snacks are great, the mixed drinks are too sweet for me. Anyways, speaking of art, we stuck around long enough to check out the Julian Schnabel retrospective, a superstar of art, according to the AGO. Really interesting to see the work, still after all these years I don't really get the broken plate

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-60482882456849124972010-10-26T20:02:00.007-04:002010-10-26T20:18:38.161-04:00

Hey, have not made a post in a long time, and guess what this one is about art, more specifically, my art, again. Loop Gallery will be there, the wit, the banter, the 29 of us, a seething mass of artsy types looking for cheese and wine, hide your pinot grigio- the 11th annual Toronto Art Fair is in town!!!Yes, art officanados of every stripe will be there with every look from a Jon Waters to a

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-33573557486624827672010-08-12T23:29:00.005-04:002010-08-13T00:04:30.221-04:00

SO, we decided that tonight was the night, the Perseids Meteor shower would be seen in the city. We saw nothing, nada, bubkis. We looked in the right direction, we looked in the wrong direction, zip. Instead, while standing around Central Tech listening to loud mouths, well, mouth off loudly, we spotted this cut out of Guantanamo darling Omar Kadhr, dressed up like the traveler, Waldo (or Wally

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-61096020692801411092010-07-23T04:38:00.005-04:002010-07-24T19:40:51.886-04:00

My show has just gone up at Loop Gallery and yet, what is the next thing I'm working on?A few things I guess. One, is a group of photos I took when we were in Buenos Aires in January of this year. We were staying near the Once (pronounced ON Say) district which is the Jewish part of town. For those who don't know, Buenos Aires has a massive thriving Jewish community and has one of the last daily

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-39640106018229732912010-07-18T21:09:00.003-04:002010-07-18T21:26:20.108-04:00

The show opened at Loop Gallery and we had a large number of visitors, children and the odd hobo who strolled in. If you missed the opening, fear not, the show runs till August 8th, you have 3 weeks to catch show, please do.This is one of the pictures you'll see at the gallery. I shot this in the desert of Morocco last year. I was on this insane desert tour of the salt route which was also known

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-69239716846397597932010-07-16T23:21:00.004-04:002010-07-16T23:32:41.475-04:00

I have been so busy I almost forgot to mention that my show at Loop Gallery is opening tomorrow and will run for about 3 weeks, so please come and see the work. This will be the first time I formally show my Dream Series photos taken with a Holga camera and these prints look awesome, large images. The title of the show is Manifest Dream, a Freudian term to describe how we see our dreams, perhaps

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-80350907392041112892010-07-14T22:56:00.006-04:002010-07-18T21:16:26.581-04:00

There is this picture/advert that says so much, so mush about things that are so wrong. Yes, you are looking at a sandwich comprised of two deep fried pieces of chicken, processed cheese and bacon in the center with, i think, mustard/mayo sauce. I immediately thought of Patton Oswalt, and his KFC bowl routine. Check it out here. "America has spoken,....we want a failure pile in a sadness bowl"

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-22062823687070952502010-07-13T22:40:00.016-04:002012-01-04T14:44:03.957-05:00

I was looking for something on my phone the other week or more and I found all these pics I shot in NYC that I forgot all about. OK, this one is really the best but I will start here. This was at the New Museum in the Bowery ( is it safe? is it safe?) Technically, i am in violation of the copy right for this image but I had to take a snap of this sculpture, I thought it was maurizio cattelan

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-91858996876150136392010-05-20T20:50:00.000-04:002012-01-22T20:51:51.665-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-4442752019515605542010-05-20T20:46:00.000-04:002012-01-22T20:47:16.210-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-5824124610623177692010-05-20T20:35:00.003-04:002012-01-22T20:45:56.763-05:00

This sketch looks like I was looking at the El Greco painting, perhaps in the Frick collection in New York. It is an amazing gallery, around the corner from Central Park, the Neue Gallerie, the Guggenheim, all that good stuff. This is just a detail, I like the way the painting is essentially done monochromatically then the reds yellows, etc are added in washes. I always wanted to see this

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-31384502969298573532010-05-20T20:34:00.001-04:002012-01-22T20:35:47.681-05:00

I have no idea where this is drawn, may even be the shitty Irish bar.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-44582332598404058712010-05-20T20:31:00.002-04:002012-01-22T20:33:34.995-05:00

I wrote "Shitty Irish Bar in NYC"....yikes.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-10729166989151811862010-05-20T20:30:00.000-04:002012-01-22T20:31:54.786-05:00

Not sure what possessed me to make this naff drawing of the bartender.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-6907157399885680512010-05-20T20:22:00.000-04:002012-01-22T20:30:29.251-05:00

This place is great, food is good and the people watching is fantastic albeit dimly lit and difficult for drawing. You can check out this place when you are next in the Nolita area of NYC, here is a review with terrible pictures from the New York Magazine

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-20965710438173402722010-05-17T16:58:00.006-04:002012-01-26T13:56:30.405-05:00

Did these sketches of George Walker at TCAF, this was during a lecture on artist books. These are some simple sketches at 10 am on a Saturday morning. Its not me, I did not try to make him look like Elvis Costello, he looks that way-honest.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-83749851774232567572010-05-10T23:02:00.003-04:002010-05-10T23:23:03.833-04:00

This is one of the most insane images I have ever seen. This picture is part of an amazing show at the Japan Society in New York. I'll elaborate on this later, its a late night and I have to get some shut eye. It is a good lead in to the recent TCAF, toronto comic art fair which had amazing artists like Seth and ClowesBut for those who likes things a bit more old school, here is another image by

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-55885718288914622032010-05-10T22:38:00.004-04:002010-05-10T22:51:28.783-04:00

Meanwhile, walking past Madison Square near the Hotel Chelsea, you notice thisAnd to be honest, either this picture was taken the day it was 'revealed' or these people are all tourists. New Yorkers did not seem to care that this famous British sculptor had decided to go global with flashing/exposing/exhibitionism.On the whole, the sculptures that you could see at a distance on rooftops seemed the

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-6813591066955289652010-05-10T21:37:00.008-04:002012-01-23T14:03:31.312-05:00

OK OK, I have been meaning to make about 10 million posts but where does the time go I ask you in the most rhetorical fashion? A few weeks ago, I went to NYC via the Megabus, and frankly, meh is my pronouncement on this cheap way to get down there. But when it comes to New York City, unlike much of life, it is not the journey but the destination that matters so don't worry about the crappy bus

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-4546102117986401632010-05-08T20:16:00.001-04:002012-01-26T13:54:35.270-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-38265444373640999012010-02-18T13:44:00.002-05:002010-02-18T17:10:28.565-05:00

This is a Holga photo I took in Buenos Aires, Recoleta cemetery. The place is full of all sorts pomp and circumstance, proclaiming the glory of blah blah blah. Ideas of honour and sacrifice, it would be great if it was just about sculptures. But sadly, it is about young people dying. I really felt this feeling staring at this monument to the glorious dead over here. The young face of this boy

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-32402064338887543652010-02-10T14:07:00.005-05:002010-02-10T14:22:10.709-05:00

Well first thing, I changed the name of the show at Jet Fuel, no biggie really. It communicates more about what these things are and how the relate to a life. Here is an excerpt of the diatribe:These pieces evoke a sense of nostalgia: perhaps not for the items themselves but for the time and place that they come from and for the way the user viewed themselves at that time. They had some sense of

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-33596501168949041412010-02-09T13:00:00.004-05:002010-02-09T13:27:09.508-05:00

Well the show went up, and nothing has crashed on anyone's head which is terrific. We had a grand opening, despite someone nicking my bottle of Gin and my friends trying to get a beer for nephew who is obviously a minor. Yup, there was some press even, well ok, a blog guy. He does a blog on people's fashion, figures I was wearing my brother's Valentino jacket, now I can hear about how great that

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-25492568146356408842010-01-27T00:20:00.006-05:002010-02-02T13:22:56.762-05:00

Collective Memory was a show I had in 2006, images of my personal and work spaces were mirrored with my family's penchant for collecting and saving items of dubious beauty. Starting in February, I will be building a new installation, at the Jet Fuel. This will be using the "stuff' that has always sat in the basement at the family home and constitutes a life. This idea stems from a series of

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-75982296678900984232010-01-18T20:36:00.007-05:002010-01-19T13:20:49.346-05:00

Well, as promised, here are a few more watercolours from my recent trip to Buenos Aires coupled with a year old series I did on the beaches of Cuba. This above image was done in the Plaza de Mayo, the red haired guy on the left was Federico, I think he was the producer of aforementioned TV series, he seemed to be a bit of a ring leader. As an aside, you see a great deal of people with red hair in

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-37697794098809348032010-01-18T02:31:00.004-05:002010-01-18T03:09:04.242-05:00

With my days in Buenos Aires winding down, I headed to the main square to do some painting. This place is known for protests but not much was going on this day, I think it was a Sunday? Anyways, instead of a protest there were a group of people shooting some sort of revolutionary recreation type thing for TV. Go figure. If you look on the left hand side of the image, you see the television crew:

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-83796710891887762642010-01-16T22:46:00.012-05:002010-01-19T13:19:22.922-05:00

These are a few of some recent watercolour sketches I made while in Buenos Aires over the holidays. We went to the horse track, the Hippodromo to be exact. These Jockeys had incredible satin outfits and I had about a minute to paint them before they go on their horses and took off. I was taking a picture of these Jockeys and guards stopped me-saying no photos. I pulled out my watercolour set and

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-36150909443119071282009-12-29T07:32:00.005-05:002009-12-29T07:52:56.471-05:00

Well, I guess I should not be surprised but that old windbag Andy would still be pretty amazing over time. Here in Buenos Aires, there is a show of his work and the museum has these raws screen tests that were made over a period of years. Sure they are fascinating because you have people like Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Salvador Dali, Allen Ginsberg, Nico, Yoko Ono and Marcel Duchamp (and more) staring

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-87837520097798108112009-12-22T10:15:00.004-05:002009-12-22T10:27:45.375-05:00

After a long delay, I decided to finally sit down and write an entry. I have been thinking about making a blog entry for weeks, beyond a month for sure but, well, anyways...I scanned this old negative the other month, this picture of Allen Gardens was shot in the spring of 2004-2005? I guess it kind of surprised me as it made me start thinking about constructing panoramas as a multiple exposure

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-56946764718838947862009-09-29T22:03:00.003-04:002009-09-29T22:22:52.052-04:00

The Cabbagetown Nuit Blanche will be here on the evening of October 3rd, where all should come to the park and help us find the fabled Cabbagetown Monster- not seen since 1979. Last seen, Ernest said he had glowing red eyes...who is Ernest? come to Riverdale farm and check us out, we have torches to help find the critter. here is some places for more info:Cabbagetown Nuit BlancheMain Scotia Bank

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-54704151995694012862009-09-29T21:56:00.004-04:002009-09-29T22:03:22.802-04:00

Hey if you have a second, check out November's copy of Style at Home magazine. In the High/Low section, you'll see two of my paintings, of mushrooms....what do you want from me, it pulled the room together.I'll put some images of that up soon.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-45560648418121742672009-08-26T19:41:00.003-04:002009-08-26T19:47:34.721-04:00

Well, Teddy is gone. His image both young and old is all over the television. These paintings are some sketches from various points in his life.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-64673844968329530822009-08-25T06:37:00.007-04:002009-08-25T06:49:18.832-04:00

While staying in this hotel room, i actually have a TV for once. To clarify- there is nothing on TV worth watch, NOTHING. Having said that, I noticed these two southerners being interviewed last night. On the right, Jimmy Carter who was on the CBC show, The Hour with George. Still articulate, he talked about a bunch of other things. On the left, Dolly Parton, who was on this show that has not

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-68215918383159453042009-08-24T00:24:00.005-04:002009-08-24T00:36:04.224-04:00

Ok, well with the Yoga Festival wrapped up, that means its time to get ready for the Cabbagetown Art and Crafts sale. My work will not be in the park, mind you, but I think I will put up some of my prints in front of my house for sale as the entrance to my place is a natural red brick walled gallery. With an ice cream shoppe nearby, an added dimension. So, if you are in the hood around Sept 11-

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-70629456469936873622009-08-09T12:51:00.009-04:002009-08-09T13:30:57.740-04:00

This is a South African artist who is I guess a draughtsman who films his ever changing charcoal drawings and creates incredible films from them (shot on the same sheet of paper). I believe I watched this one in Chicago in 1997 and since I was just there, here is that film. Much of Kentridge's work relates to Apartheid and the treatment of people, there are always modern articles in his work (

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-84782592300425816782009-08-08T13:46:00.005-04:002012-01-04T14:52:15.747-05:00

This is some older paintings that I found in the back of the hard drive-this was when I was obsessed with GIJoes of the 1970s. At the time, I was just taken by the way these toys all looked similar but maintained an individuality due to what 'life' had exposed them to, despite having come from the same mold. Incidently, for those who are unfamiliar with my work or not equally obsessed with

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-67749892567497062202009-08-04T10:23:00.004-04:002009-08-04T10:41:44.267-04:00

I was going through some old emails and found this picture my brother sent me of a painting I did for him in like 1995 or 1996. Part of the fun with this image was that I had to mail it from Toronto to San Diego and went to my local post office which, at the time, was the oldest post office of Toronto, the office of old York. Anyways, they do not have anything modern there, that is part of their

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-51242105092888396302009-08-02T11:15:00.004-04:002009-08-02T18:15:14.168-04:00

Later this month, August 21st-23rd to be exact, there will be a Yoga throw down in Toronto. A yoga art throw down to be exact. My friend, Maggie O'Connor, yoga lady cabbagetown maven and the Union powerhouse, asked me to contribute art which would aid in contemplation-ish like practices, I chose this Holga image from Cuba from January of this year. I was standing on the beach after a storm and

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-90328029647926869572009-08-01T20:46:00.000-04:002012-01-12T20:46:47.203-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-8144215729776463482009-08-01T20:45:00.000-04:002012-01-12T20:46:02.278-05:00

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-55649230784934740962009-08-01T19:29:00.000-04:002009-08-07T14:59:33.690-04:00

I thought I would log in an entry while the workers next door bash the crap out of the adjacent apartment, ...serenity now. I decided to put this picture up on the blog, I drew it in 1994 0r 95. I say drew as it is oil stick on top of oil pastels on paper. I suppose it was to be a study for a another piece but it was rather large and the other drawing/painting was never completed- instead this is

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-72030999284270621442009-07-31T18:28:00.000-04:002009-08-07T15:00:47.545-04:00

Its great to be in a town where you can pick up a copy of the Onion, I admit it is like Vice magazine for people who read, but hey, once and awhile right?There were no copies in this box just a hand drawn note that said "Shut your Fuck...Please"See, grandma was right- politeness goes along way.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24033595.post-73013497603111279262009-07-31T10:03:00.000-04:002009-08-07T14:57:15.737-04:00

While Toronto kids had no outdoor services due to the strike, Chicagoan kids in this water park were having the time of their lives!This massive glass monolith had projection screens in-bedded into the glass brick and would display video images of children smiling and eventually "geysering" water onto fellow children...that sounds weird now that I look at it.

Art Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275958003956719884noreply@blogger.com