Archive for the 'art' Category

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INTRODUCING : MELINDA JOSIE

Published on September 23, 2008 in art, introducing and local. 5 Comments Tags: , , .

Melinda Josie - Fig Newton Print

Long before I had the pleasure of meeting Melinda Josie, I admired her work. She often participates in Magic Pony’s group shows and I always gravitated towards her pieces. Her fanciful, but realistic portrayal of animals makes me believe in bears knitting and kitty kat picnics. Melinda’s website just went live and I have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get a copy of her new print, Fig Newton the cat. He’s the cutest cat I’ve ever seen! My print arrived on Saturday, hand delivered by Melinda herself. I’m so excited to have it framed and hung up in the shop. I know it’s going to make me smile every time I see it.

When did you know you wanted to be an illustrator?

Melinda: I don’t think I knew I wanted to illustrate until I started planning for college, but I always knew that I’d somehow be involved in some form of art. I still illustrate, but also enjoy doing fine art as well. That’s when I can feel truly creative.

You spent your childhood in the Muskokas, that must have been a big influence on your work. Do you enjoy living in the city now?

Melinda: My parents moved my family up to Muskoka when we were very young and I stayed up there until the end of high school. It was a great place to grow up, and really helped nurture my creative side. I moved to Toronto after college and love living here. It was an exciting change for my artwork.

What is the story behind Fig Newton? I love him!

Melinda: I love Fig Newton too! The real Fig Newton belongs to a friend that used to come into the gallery I worked at. She had posted some adorable photos of her Persian kitten on flickr and she inspired the painting, (which is actually tiny! The original painting measures 4″ x 6″). (On a side note: go to her photostream and have a look at this cat! It’s the best cat ever!).

What inspires you these days? There seems to be a domestic theme is some of the recent work I’ve seen.

Melinda: There are a lot of things that are inspiring me lately. I always try to keep looking for more things that inspire. I collect old books of folklore and children’s stories, (like Little Golden Books!). I love Midcentury and Scandinavian design, and collect furniture and housewares. Our house is full of inspiration! And that’s why a lot of my work lately has been related to all things domestic. I also love going to local galleries and discovering new artists. It’s always refreshing to learn about people who enjoy their work as much as you.

To get your hands on your own Fig Newton print (or one of her other pieces), visit Melinda’s website or Magic Pony.

p.s. Melinda gave me a sneak peak of her next project – fabric designs! They are super crazy cute and I’ll be sure to let you know when they are available.

Melinda Josie

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ADVENTURES OF PERFECT BUNNY IN NEW YORK CITY

Published on September 8, 2008 in art, delicious, hello, textiles and traveling. 7 Comments Tags: , , .

Hi there, it’s nice to meet you!

Some might say that a pristine white bunny like myself should stay at home, safely displayed on a shelf or propped up on a desk. I’m just not that kind of bunny. I love to tag along and see the big world.

New York City was a fun place to visit, though I didn’t see another bunny the whole time! I made you a slide show of the trip to show you all the places we went.

Now that I’ve been to the Big Apple, I’m hooked on traveling. Where will we go next?

xo PB

p.s. I’m not incredibly detail-oriented, so Karyn is posting the specifics below

Porter
What a treat to fly from downtown Toronto, off the Toronto Island Airport. Porter makes flying seem luxurious again with a swanky lounge stocked with drinks, snacks and free WiFi while you wait for your flight. The small planes have a bit more leg room and serve a nice meal and drinks (including wine or beer) out of real glasses.

Duane Street Hotel
A cute new hotel in TriBeCa. The rooms are compact but comfortable. They leave miniature baked goods by the bedside every night. A good location for quick access to neighbourhood restaurants. Next trip we’ll stay closer to the West Village where we wanted to be most of the time.

DELICIOUS
The food is one of the best things about New York. I love French bistro, so New York is the place for me.

The Odeon
145 West Broadway
Classic New York French Bistro in TriBeCa that never disappoints.

Balthazar
80 Spring Street
My all-time favourite place to have brunch which means Eggs Benedict. Balthazar is always bustling, so reservations are a good idea, especially for more than two people.

Cafe Gitane
212-334-9552
242 Mott Street
French Morrocan food in NoLIta. The herbed goat cheese with Pomegranate syrup and baguette is especially delicious.

BROOKLYN
Brooklyn is a MUST and there are so many great neighborhoods to choose from. We decided to check out the new Brooklyn Flea, which was fun but incredibly hot. There was nowhere to escape the heat in the middle of the concrete school yard. The cute tree-lined streets on the walk from the subway were worth the trip alone.

Brooklyn Flea
Every Sunday from 10am to 5pm
A mix of vintage and crafty, but the snacks were my favourite.

Kumquat Cupcakery
Sweet little mini cupcakes for $1. I got a 4 pack with Chocolate Peanut Butter, Red Velvet and Strawberries & Cream. Delicious!

People’s Popsicle
They weren’t at the Brooklyn Flea this weekend, and I was totally disappointed. I’d read about their amazing popsicles and was dying to try them.

BLEECKER STREET

Marc Jacobs
There are now three Marc Jacobs outposts along Bleecker Street. A great time to snatch up some goodies is during their seasonal sales, the discounts are generous. They had cute wellies for $29 when we were there.
212-924-0026
403 Bleecker Street

Magnolia Bakery
Usually I’ll line up for these 50′s style cupcakes, but I was already toting around my Kumquat cupcakes. Magnolia cupcakes are delicious with a glass of milk late at night.
401 Bleecker Street

Bonpoint
I wanted everything in this French kid’s clothing shop to come in my size. I wish their website was as good as their shop.
212-722-7720
392 Bleecker Street

Earnest Sewn Co.
My favourite denim brand right now. The shop is a treasure chest of clothing and accessories. I’m promising myself a pair on my next visit.
821 Washington Street

Anthropologie
Urban Outfitter’s older more refined sister. I always get lots of styling inspiration from their shops and catalogues.
375 West Broadway

FABRIC SHOPS
The Garment District will overwhelm you with fabric, notions and trims. This is my shortlist of shops to check out.

B&J Fabrics
Their Liberty of London collection will drive you crazy. Gorgeous fashion fabrics like wools, linens.
525 7th Avenue (2nd Floor)

Mood
Make sure you allow enough time to stroll the aisles here. There are two floors of every kind of fabric you can imagine.
225 West 37th Street, 3rd Floor

NY Elegant Fabrics
Very well priced, large shop filled with home dec and fashion fabrics.
222 West 40th Street

MJ Trim
Trim heaven. They sell a dizzying array of buttons, ribbons, fringe, cording, buckles and rhinestones.
1008 Sixth Avenue (@ 37th Street)

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HOPE

Published on August 30, 2008 in art. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .


Obama X 4, originally uploaded by smallworldpodcast.

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BEYONCE IS MY FIANCE

Published on August 19, 2008 in art. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

I am a big fan of urban art, stenciling and graffiti. I especially love to spot clever pieces, like this one, which is currently in the east side of the underpass on Brock just north of Queen West. The bling-y gold spray paint is the perfect touch for the couple it references.

I was looking up the history on the word, fiancé, and just learned that the phrase ‘Beyoncé is my fiancé’ is technically incorrect. When referring to a woman who is engaged the proper term is ‘fiancée’, the former refers to a man who is engaged. I did not know that.

Will you be in New York on September 6th? You may want to join in on this performance art piece that will re-create the parade scene from Ferris Beuller’s Day Off. Um, how cool is that?

What is it about things that are tiny? Slinkachu works on a small scale, really small. He creates little scenes using tiny people set in our large scale urban setting. The project is appropriately called ‘Little People’. His newer, sister project is called, ‘Inner City Snail’. It documents snails that he as altered slightly (but not harmed) and released into the world. I would love to stumble upon one of these works of art on my way to work.

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INTRODUCING : TANIA HOWELLS

Published on August 15, 2008 in art, etsy, introducing, local and the workroom. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .


photograph courtesy of Tania Howells

As much as I tried, I was never very good at drawing. That didn’t stop me from taking art classes all the way through school, hoping that one day something would ‘click’. The problem was, unlike many of my talented friends in art class, I had no style. There was absolutely no magic in my drawings.

Tania Howells has got oodles of style. Her illustrations are fun, whimsical and overflowing with charm. I wish colouring books had been as cute as Tania’s when I was a kid. I may have to get one this weekend, so that I can pretend that I can draw.

Tania’s first picture book is coming out this fall, called ‘Berkley’s Barn Owl Dance’. Whoo hoo! I have to know what happens at this owl dance.

Did you always love to draw?

Tania: I did- when i was a kid and friends would say “what should we do now?” I always wanted to draw, but we usually ended up doing lego.

Is illustration something you went to school for?

Tania: I went to Etobicoke School for the Arts in high school. Then I went to OCAD, but back when I went they had “interdisiplinary arts” which I don’t think they have anymore. It let me take all kinds of classes including wood, jewellery, ceramics, enamelling, metal, textiles. Mostly craft stuff and oddly no drawing or painting at all. At graduation, I was making mostly wooden shadow box scenes and hoped to use those as illustration work, but it all morphed into drawing as it was easier to market.

What would be your dream illustration job/client?

Tania: I have always wanted to work for Chronicle Books. They do such amazing projects.

Are the characters you create based on people you know?

Tania: Not really. Although some look like me. They are usually based on a small child in the way that each character will have an innocence and optimism that you tend to see in little kids.

What’s your biggest influence right now?

I am really exited about the poppies blooming in my garden, checking out what everyone is doing on flickr, Jeu de paumes books, reading and knitting on the porch and visiting the workroom! {note: how sweet!}

I just found out that Tania designed the logo for Buddha Dog on Roncesvalles, which makes me want to go there even more. I really really love hot dogs.

Tania will be at the Kids Trunk Show at the workroom, 1340 Queen Street West on Sunday August 17, noon – 5pm

If for some reason you miss out on Sunday, check out Tania’s etsy shop and pick up something to make you happy.


photograph courtesy of Tania Howells

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INTRODUCING : ZEESY POWERS

Published on August 12, 2008 in art, introducing, local and the workroom. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

Zeesy's watercolours

It used to be that having your portrait painted was the only way to have your likeness live on. Before the camera, there was the portrait artist.

I’d really like to recommend the experience of having your portrait painted and if you’re lucky, having it done by Zeesy Powers. Zeesy has been at the last two trunk shows at the workroom, painting portraits of a steady stream of eager subjects. Her watercolour artworks are small, cheery and something to cherish.

I asked her how she got into doing these watercolours. She said, “I started doing drawn portraits to meet people and make some money for lunch. I got a pile of free watercolour paper, all small pieces, and it seemed like a nice way to practice portraits and watercolours, two things I had been thinking of taking classes on. It made a lot more sense to just combine everything and just do the portraits for $10. As a side note, I am leaving the country for at least a year this September, so this is probably the last chance people will have to get a live $10 portrait from me in Toronto in the foreseeable future.”

Take a peek at her website to learn about her other projects, to read her insightful relationship rules or to arrange a portrait of your pet. My favourite is her version of ‘Lost in Translation’ as a 20-second monologue.

Zeesy is a clever, talented lady who will also tell you what she thinks of you for $5. Don’t let her leave town without saying, ‘hello’.

Zeesy will be at the Kids Trunk Show at the workroom, 1340 Queen Street West on Sunday August 17, 2008 from noon – 5pm

Zeesy Powers

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OLD SCHOOL

Published on August 7, 2008 in art, i heart, local, the workroom and vintage. 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .


overhead projector, originally uploaded by the workroom.

It’s pretty clear that I love vintage things of a certain style. Industrial, wooden, metal and grey seem to be common elements. Yesterday when I bought this overhead projector from a girl off craigslist, I realized that “Old School” was probably the perfect classification for my obsession.

What is it about all this old stuff? I just can’t resist it. The massive reclaimed church globes (from Post & Beam Reclamation), the battleship grey stools (found by Becky, even the workroom’s space is pure vintage with the vaulted ceilings and the gorgeous front glass windows. A month ago, I had to forcibly stop myself from buying a huge vintage chalkboard on wheels from Smash. Really, how many chalkboards can one girl have? (Jill – I’m still a bit sad about not getting it!)

The overhead projector does have a purpose though. It was purchased because we’re starting to get technical at the workroom. This fall Kristiann, will be teaching beginning pattern drafting classes. We’ll be learning about slashing and spreading and other fun things, so it is necessary to have some serious classroom equipment to facilitate serious learning.

Speaking of Old School, Upper Case Gallery is hosting a show AND doing a book on just that. Good lord, I could eat it all up. Please watch this ‘educational’ video about being quiet in the classroom. It’s classic. It also reminds me that I’ll have to hunt down an old school pencil sharpener next.

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ART IN THE UNDERPASS

Published on July 14, 2008 in art and DIY. 5 Comments Tags: , , , .

Bloor Street Underpass
Bloor Street Underpass, originally uploaded by the workroom.

Things like this make me smile on a daily basis. A huge and detailed mural was recently painted on the south side of the underpass just west of Lansdowne on Bloor Street West. It’s really quite pretty, mixing wallpaper imagery with trees, leaves and pine cones. I’m assuming that this is a sanctioned art piece, as it was put up gradually over a couple weeks, during the day. I walk along the underpass everyday and I think this is a brilliant way to improve a some-what unpleasant piece of the urban landscape.

I’m obsessed with the graffiti artist, Banksy. I wonder how much of this article is true. {via NOTCOT}

Also – Ellie told me about this a while ago, I really want to try it. I think this would be a good project for the workroom’s garden.

p.s. It’s my day off and it’s sunny, so I’m spending the day outside!

{AN ADDED NOTE – I did my research on the underpass artist, it’s Richard Mongiat. There is a great posting here about the project. Read through to the comments, I was really disappointed to hear people’s negative reactions to the lack of colour in the mural. I personally think that’s why it’s so refreshing.}

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