This is a comic book I am working on based on JD Salingers short story The Laughing Man. It's pretty bad documentation but you can get a good idea of the project. Everything is silk screened. The edition is of 5.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Nostalgia Through Handlebars
Nostalgia Through Handlebars is a handbound book I produced this year. It contains 12 silk screen prints inspired by Vancouver locations and personal memories. It deals with the fragments of memories I yearn to put back together and personal relationships I feel with the buildings I frequent. It's about recreating nostalgia I can struggle to remember. The images here are the cover of the book and the end pages. The end pages are a map of Vancouver drawn from memory and silk screened.
Nostalgia Through Handlebars continued
These images are the first 4 pages of the book Nostalgia Through Handlebars. They are 12" X 15" silk screen prints in an edition of 8.
Nostalgia Through Handlebars (continued)
Pages 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the book Nostalgia Through Handlebars. All prints are 12" X 15" silk screen prints. The edition size is 8.
Thom
Radiohead has been with me forever, through all my music phases. Radiohead has been with me through the Spice Girls and Ludacris, Bright Eyes and Rancid and I could go on but it could get so much worse. Anyways, thank you Thom. I hope I captured youre I've-been-up-all-night-playing-video games-but-if-you-know-me-you-probably-worship-me look.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Postcards from Water for Elephants
Project C Synopsis
My investment in the novel Water for Elephants stemmed from the atmosphere, mood and spirit of the characters. The novel takes place in the 1930’s, a time which was both glamorous and depressing. By today’s standards, it was also quite an offensive time. It was standard to call people freaks and the circus put “freaks” on a pedestal for all to stare at. The circus in Water for Elephants hyperbolizes the contradictions of the circus. Because of this, I became interested in the darkness of the circus and the engrossing characters in it.
From there, I decided to portray the light heartedness of the “freak” characters with some dark aspects. As well it was exciting to feel free to investigate a time where things weren’t politically correct. While it was tons of fun looking at all the possibilities with circus freaks, my list including: the four-legged lady, elephant hands, lion-faced boy, rubber man. I decided on the bearded lady, the two-headed woman, the albino, and the super strength woman. To round out the series I did what could be an ad poster for the event.
I formatted my project into postcards. Postcards make sense with the context of the book as the main character suddenly joins the circus and this is his means of communication with his past. I like the idea of postcards with characters on them because they could also function as trading cards or memorabilia. I used collage with hand paintings to mix realism with whimsy. I am continuing this project to include many more characters and scenes. These postcards are in an edition of 25 each.
Proposal develop Postcard based on Water For Elephants
I am choosing to work with Sara Gruens contemporary novel Water for Elephants. The novel is a narrative story beginning with an old man (in his 90’s) who is in a nursing home, telling his story of working for the circus many years ago. The reader is then sent into a flashback of the young man, studying to be a veterinarian in the 1920s when his parents die and he is left with nothing. He runs away and jumps on a train, which happens to be a traveling circus. When the circus learns he has veterinary skills they hire him to work with the animals. The novel entails his memories, positive and negative, of his experiences.
What draws me to want to bring a visual aspect to this novel is that there are endless possibilities for art projects. The fantastical aspects of the story will lend it well to animated drawings, surrealism, or even abstract artwork. The circus too, filled with wild animals, freaks, glamour and scum wrapped in an aura of excitement is intriguing.
What I will be focusing on is the atmosphere and themes explored in the novel. I am going to mix the obvious idea of the circus with more subtle ideas from the text. For instance, there are many biblical references and parallels that are very interesting. The circus paralleling and juxtaposing religion is quite a huge idea that could work well. A majestic quality and the vivid colours are definitely going to be relevant. For my project I will be veering from a traditional illustration. I’d like to work with the colours, the animals, the circus atmosphere and aspects of the characters to create a set of postcards. I think this text could be translated to 3D and photographed very well as well aspects of collage and drawing. Doing a set of postcards would allow me to use various media and be quite experimental. The postcards could include text on the back as well to add another element. Each postcard will function on its own as an illustration however together they will form a narrative.
What draws me to want to bring a visual aspect to this novel is that there are endless possibilities for art projects. The fantastical aspects of the story will lend it well to animated drawings, surrealism, or even abstract artwork. The circus too, filled with wild animals, freaks, glamour and scum wrapped in an aura of excitement is intriguing.
What I will be focusing on is the atmosphere and themes explored in the novel. I am going to mix the obvious idea of the circus with more subtle ideas from the text. For instance, there are many biblical references and parallels that are very interesting. The circus paralleling and juxtaposing religion is quite a huge idea that could work well. A majestic quality and the vivid colours are definitely going to be relevant. For my project I will be veering from a traditional illustration. I’d like to work with the colours, the animals, the circus atmosphere and aspects of the characters to create a set of postcards. I think this text could be translated to 3D and photographed very well as well aspects of collage and drawing. Doing a set of postcards would allow me to use various media and be quite experimental. The postcards could include text on the back as well to add another element. Each postcard will function on its own as an illustration however together they will form a narrative.
Character Studies for Nine Stories
This next project is based on JD Salingers Nine Stories. In particular, A Perfect Day for Bananafish and The Laughing Man. For Illustrating Literature, this was Project B.
Above are character studies for different characters from these two stories. They are acrylic paintings that are about 18" by 24" on paper.
Book Cover Design for Illustrating Literature
An Imperial Message- Project A
While reading Franz Kafka’s The Imperial Message I was intrigued by the chaos and the idea of literal inability to communicate a message. Reading the story gave me a clear visual of a person trying to move through an impossible space. While this story, clearly about an emperor, kingdoms and class is one that can transcend time. At first, I imagined that this story takes place in contemporary times, but then also realized the essentials of the story (trying to connect with the public but not being able, moving through a space that seems impossible, trying to get through to people not of your “class”) are universal ideas that transcend time. So with my illustration I aimed to have an image that wouldn’t portray specific a time or place but portray the idea of the impossible space and the hopeless journey between the classes.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
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