Barry McGee

Californian artist Barry McGee makes ambitious installations that incorporate his illustration work, his sculptural work, as well as his graffiti work. What makes these truly amazing though is how he incorporates iconographic items that populate our urban milieu: the cargo van, the cube van, the public bathroom (all favorites amongst street artists) and the street artists themselves as sculptures. I am a big fan.

From top to bottom: An image from www.subaquatica.com of McGee's contribution to the Beautiful Losers exhibition in Milan (2006). Beautiful Losers is a collective that McGee is affiliated with; Three images from his Deitch Projects exhibition in NY (2005).

À l'écoute

Kate Bush's The Red Shoes (EMI)
This is Kate Bush's seventh album, released in 1997, her last one before returning to record store shelves with Aerial in 2005. The Red Shoes is a very direct album, caught somewhere between world music and the higher artful early 90's art-pop records like Roger Water's Radio KAOS. It's direct in the way that it's actually played and not as studio as her previous work. The line-up contributing to it is extensive (Jeff Beck, Prince, Stuart Elliott, Eric Clapton to name a few), yet the record remained a true Bush affair.


Justice's Self-titled (Ed Banger)
Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay's project Justice fits real well with what I'm up to at the moment. Yes a bit late getting into these guys but I've been dancing while painting and it's their fault. This record is great. Energetic, loud, colourful and giving. If you don't have it, go and get it. I discovered them through their music videos which you can find here: Stress / D.A.N.C.E / DVNO.

Cindy Blazevic

I was helping Cindy choose images to support a grant application she is putting together. From the selection were these shots from Belgrade (Serbia) taken this past summer while we were there working on the project.

From top to bottom: Advokat (2008); Belgrade Night 1 (2008); Belgrade Night 2 (2008); 19 And Bored (2008).

Work In Progress v5.1

Progress and detail shots of the mural.

Work In Progress v3.2

Progress on the shelling series.

Valérie Belin

L'artiste Française Valérie Belin takes obsessive photographs of obsessive subjects. She's also interested in multiples of something assembled together either in one complete photograph or a series. The resulting images are perfectly composed—cropping, content and tonality—which brilliantly intensifies what we are looking at. Take a detour to her site. Lots to see.

From top to bottom: from the series Michael Jackson, 2003. (Michael Jackson impersonators).

Work In Progress v5.0

I'm painting a large mural for a client on Camden Street in Toronto. It's my second time doing this location—Nicole and I had painted it two years ago. I was asked to paint it again after the owner resealed and repainted the building. Here are progress shots:

Sketch for the background. The whole surface is approx. 82' wide.


First pass for the blue breaks. I have to work at night, the space is used as a parking lot during the day.


Sketch studies for the lettering spelling out "Mon Petit Chou".

Wanda Koop

Magenta (Publishing for the Arts) is launching an extensive book showcasing 192 Canadian painters this Saturday at the Museum for Contemporary Canadian Art. The launch is paired with an exhibit that features 30 of them. I'd like to highlight one: the great Wanda Koop. Shown above are recent canvases that she painted in 2007 and early 2008. More here and here.

From top to bottom: Untitled (Shoal Lake) 2008; Untitled (White Bands) 2008; Untitled (Pink Landscape) 2007; Untitled (Bright-yellow Horizon) 2007.

Ivo Parac in Rome

Ivo Parac is one of the funniest persons I know. Pair him with photographer Mladen Saric and you're guaranteed to pee your pants. Ivo just sent me these pictures of him taken by Mladen while they were visiting Rome. I had to share them.

Douglas Coupland

Vancouver-based artist Douglas Coupland probably needs no introduction. Most people know his work—his large-scale photo montages, art installations, sculptures, novels or picture books—but if you don't, then here's where you can get the full briefing. Further, here's a great clip with Coupland discussing plastic.

From top to bottom: Security Blanket no. 1; Security Blanket no. 2 (modeled); Security Blanket no. 2; Security Blanket no. 1 (detail). All 2008, and from www.coupland.com

Isidora Bojovic

Shown here are the photos of Serbian artist Isidora Bojovic. Bojovic re-creates absolute scenes with the help of close-friends and collaborators (in this case Magdalena Klasnja on wardrobe; Natasa Prica and Ivan Kirincic as models) where she then photographically narrates her stories.

Tradition is often where she'll start building her work's aesthetic from—such as Yugoslavian 1960's and 70's films, or in other series, classic neo-Gothic painting—but sure enough the shots emerge emitting a total contemporary-feel—a look that flirts with fashion or glossy/high-end magazine photography. Here are links to see more of her work.

From top to bottom: from the series B. Breht (2007).

Craig Costello

New York based artist Craig Costello (aka KR) is mostly know for his 90s creation of the then home-made, but now internationally-renown and loved graffiti ink, Krink. KR would package the precious silver ink in small pop bottles or bingo dabbers, fulfilling friends' requests.

Today, the Krink brand still caters to graffiti artists (markers, dabbers, apparel, etc.) but Costello's personal art-style (largely derived from being an excellent ink maker) furthered the scope and elegance of the brand he still champions. His work is internationally curated, published and recognized.

Above are commisioned works done by Costello. Here, a video of him at work, and lastly, follow this link for everything Krink.

From top to bottom: A large blue and yellow drip work done in Prague (Czech Republic); A large yellow drip work also done in Prague (Czech Republic); A large silver drip work done in Vancouver (Canada); A full frontal work done for EyeBeam Atelier in New York (USA). All were produced in 2008. Images courtesy of KR.

Work In Progress v3.1

Last July I started new paintings of shelling images that I had photographed in Croatia (see this previous post). Shown above is a smaller study (the grey painting) and two large-scale works in progress.

Eine

Here are roll-up doors painted by UK-based artist Eine. We were there a few weeks ago and caught a handfull.

He started painting these without the consent of the shop owners but quickly found out that his efforts were appreciated. So Eine continued with granted permission and often a requested letter.

More can be found here and here.

Ben Long

Here are large-scale, finger drawing by British artist Ben Long. He does them overnight while the trucks are parked and left unattended. I guess it's goodbye to the ever famous "Wash Me" slogan. More on Ben Long's work can be found here.