Bi-Plane Birthday Present

In China there is no shortage of cute, little kiddies. Wee Yumi is one 2-year old in particular, who makes you smile, just by being around him. He has extra tiny features, loves music, dancing and taking his seat beside me at the front of the preschool classroom. The kid can even make drooling adorable!

In celebration of his second birthday, I created this 45x45" Classic Bi-Plane in rusty red, to match the sky blue painted in his bedroom. By bringing the wings off of the edge of the piece, it gives viewers the sense that it is truly soaring in the sky. The spinning propeller enhance the notion of movement, while the soft clouds rest listlessly in the background.

Wishing the little man many years of adventure and clear, bright days.

Palmy Balmy Beach

As a kid, my passion for drawing stemmed from the likes of Jim Davis (Garfield), Bill Waterson (Calvin & Hobbes), Matt Groening (The Simpsons) & Walt Disney's every creation under the sun. The art of forgery taught me a handful of skills. By simply learning how to duplicate what already existed, I taught myself how to break down images to their simplest shapes and how the tiniest details give drawings life. The real artist emerges when they learn how to create, but copying does have its place in the art world.

Every now and again, I return to the wonderful world of forgery to help give me a basis for new skills. With so much passion and practice in illustration, it is important for me to challenge myself with life drawing which includes my two greatest weaknesses; hands and landscape. Original tools still come in handy; the breaking down of images into shapes and details but with realistic works these tools take on a whole new level. Shading becomes more intense, outlines soften from the solid black lines of the cartoon image I am accustomed to & what seems like one colour is actually an amazing combination of several that creates an illusion for the eye.

Here I have forged part of a painting by French artist Fabrice de Villeneuve who is known in the art world for his tapestry collections & French vintage paintings. This is one of his rare landscape-type works; Seaside Retreat & stands out from the rest of his pieces where similarities are obvious. The original painting actually has a much warmer, softer feel than it's reproduction pictured above. But the overall feel of the work remains; the open door, empty chaise, soft sand, still water & breezy palm all give the sense of that mid-afternoon peace in the summertime.

Little Ben's BIG BIKE

Pairing little people with BIG artwork always results in cool bedrooms.

Little Ben and his new Moto X bike certainly have a room that is ready for the great transition from crib to big boy bed.

One of the greatest aspects of this room is the amount of time his mom has invested in making this something personal, original and all-in-the-family. Choosing a fun theme is crucial to creating a kids room, but classic keepers are those themes that remind their child of family members and trigger great stories about loved ones. This room is destined to reign as one of my favourites and I am looking forward to seeing the final product.

Viking blue walls are contrasted by strong red & black accents. Vintage motorcyle lamp and pick-up style truck adorn the side table, a bold blue replica of an old-fashioned gasoline pump and black & white family photos of Grandpa's racing cars, Dad's motocross racing days as well as the familys favourite K-9's hang over his headboard.

Ben's Moto X custom artwork from Sweet Pea is based on a photo of his own dad's bike, with a twist in colour to help add to the ambiance of the room, in a funky (and large!) 4x4 foot square canvas format. The Viking blue background to match the wall base, gives this canvas more of a blended feel to look like a mural built right into the wall, but has the advantage of being a lifetime keepsake.

Not unlike the process for the classic train and vintage bi-plane designed for the Grant boys in the 1990's, many pictures have to be collected and graphed out to be sure the proportions are accurate. Loads of motocross bikes (handle bars, wheels, bodies) all with different edges and angles were researched to come up with a good crop for this square piece. To begin, colours are roughly splashed on layer after layer and slowly the images starts to take shape with fine details and highly stylized shading. Spending this much time with your art...makes it really hard to hand over when it comes time for delivery!

Appropriately, I get to deliver this piece on Family Day; hopefully adding the icing on the cake to this beautifully designed bedroom and a happy little boy as he moves from his crib to the trendiest room in town!

It's Baby J's Big Day!

Wonder. Dream. Explore.

It is Baby J's big day! He turned a tiny two years old on February 2nd.

To celebrate, Sweet Pea has painted him his very own set of wheels;)

The earthy tones and strong black shading make the image stand out and will prove to be mature enough as he grows into a little man.

Currently, the scroll is hung from a black rod with arrowhead finials and topped off with a blue satin ribbon. However as Baby J grows, the satin ribbon can be replaced with rod brackets fastened directly to the wall.

Wishing him all the happiness & love he brings to his family and many celebrations to come;)

Happy Day, Baby J;)