Spreadzilla

Due to certain circumstances it appears that I will not be joining the ranks as a Graphic Designer this summer. Due to the economic climate and competitive nature of the business world I'll have to wait to flex my skills some other time. It's okay though, in the back of my mind I think this was the right thing to happen. I don't know why? But it is. Call it instinct. And the major thing I learned at Sheridan is to be confident and trust your instinct.

In the meantime I thought I would share a few sample spreads from the new book I made. The book was done for my Narrative class and was themed around the making of my film, ILLUSTRATION: The Drawcumentary. I tried to focus on the Graphic Design element of the book. I had a lot of fun producing my own photography, creating layouts and generally finding a new way to add fun to each spread. It turned out great. I ordered the book through Blurb.com, and the quality was incredible. I recommend it to anyone interested in book making.

On a side note, I was reading Jillian Tamakis Sketchblog and came across these two great lectures(1, 2) by Icelandic Graphic Designer/Illustrator Siggi Eggertson. This guy is something special. Watch the lecture and you'll see why I say this.

C-M-Y-Krazy

These are some research shots and stills from my film. I have a keen interest in black and white photography. I thought that this would be a great medium to use for my film and coinciding book which is about the making of the film. After many hours of experimentation I discovered that filming in black and white didn't suit the aesthetic that I was aiming for. The lack of colour lost a lot of the detail and definition that my camera was capturing -- so I dropped that idea from the film. However, the black and white photography is looking pretty spectacular for the book. My goal is to have the film and book ready for the Sheridan Illustration Grad Show of April 23-24. Progress is coming along very nicely and I'll be posting some video teasers in the weeks to come.

Never Again Greg, Never Again

I wanted to shake things up a little bit in terms of my creative output. Staying true to my interpretive class thesis (portraits), I decided to do a social commentary. To make a long story short, I told my friends one time that my Mom (who I dearly love) told me that I drink too much. Finding this comical we all had a laugh and moved on. Or so I thought. Now whenever I crack a beer one of my friends speaks up, "Greg I think you drink too much." I really had no reason to do this until I found a copious amount of bottle caps at my friends apartment. The process took so long to separate, organize, stuff and stick the caps on. I think it was worth it. It's something different. And it was fun! I need to make my projects more fun or I'm slowly going to wither away into a recluse artist who paints nothing but landscapes and dog portraits. This is just the first piece of the series. I will display more of this venture soon.

"LET'S GO RYAN!"

With my academic career winding down I thought it would be a good idea to see some of the countryside before I leave Southern Ontario. I headed up to Ottawa and Montreal with Ryan and Nimit for a week to take in some of the sights and sounds. I have never been to either city, so nearly everything had a glimmer of surprise to it. Nimit is from Ottawa, so he showed us around. We visited the National Gallery of Canada. I had no idea that Ottawa was home to some of the finest and recognizable pieces of artwork in human existence. Among my favourites were pieces by Monet, Klimt, West and Van Gogh. It's such an extreme feeling to be so close to a priceless piece of artwork. You feel very in touch with history and civilization. For me it's rewarding to see the precise colours, brushstrokes, scale and techniques used to create such beautiful work. Ottawa is a beautiful city. I really enjoyed my time there and would highly consider taking up residence in the area.

Montreal was much different than Ottawa. None of us had any idea where we were or what we would be doing during our stay. We ended up venturing into the heart on downtown Montreal for the majority. The language barrier did not hinder me as I thought it would have. We were fortunate enough to be in town for an Andy Warhol Exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. His work is very unique. I'm not going to say that I absolutely loved his work. He was a Renaissance man in a sense. All over the map creatively. Definitely worth seeing.

It was a very good time. I'm happy to have seen more of my country and experience more culture. Road trips are always fun; however, this one seemed a little more magical because I doubt I will be seeing my friends very often after this school year. It's a sad truth. It was a week I will not soon forget. We weathered the shame storm boys, and came out with quite a collection of bar coasters. I tip my cap to you gentlemen. Now back to reality.

Oooone Mmmmore Time!

Welcome to Oakville, well at least the view of Sheridan from my seventh floor balcony. I'm very excited to be back in the creative community. After one week of class I am already immersed in a plethora of projects. Catching up with friends is always good. I was in Toronto to take in some local culture. By "local culture" I mean seeing Evil Dead: The Musical. It was incredible, stupidly funny, profane and the amount of blood used was truly impressive. It's a good time to be an illustration student right now. I have a feeling I will be posting like a madman in the weeks to come. Stay tuned.

5 O'Clock Shadow

I was a little bored at work today. So I decided to wear a bear costume to amuse myself/co-workers. Some thought it was funny and some wonder why I get paid. The important thing is that I represented Thunder Bay the best way I knew how to. So next time you think of the City of Thunder Bay, remember . . . we work hard to keep our city pretty, damn great.

On a different note, my gallery showing at Calico Coffee House is going quite well. I've had plenty of great feedback and have even sold a couple pieces. Also, I was interviewed last weekend on LU Radio's program "This is Canada", regarding my gallery show and also about the Prostate Man campaign I worked on recently. Big thanks to Dean Burke who hooked me up with the air time. You can listen to the podcast here.

Just Floating

What a week of patriotism and celebration. Canada Day, Quebec's 400 anniversary and today being Independence Day for the Americans. In the midst of the barrage of fireworks and the many, many pitchers, I found time to sneak away with my camera. I was feeling nostalgic, so I went back to my old high school. It has been closed down for two years now. It's a shame how an institution with so much history and integrity can be shut down and swept under the rug. The year is half over, summer is half over, and I am kind of just floating right now. More or less waiting I suppose. I'm starting to feel that patience is over rated just a bit.

Saddle Up

It's on! I'm back in the Bay and pretty excited about it. Lots of really exciting things are going on for me right now. Among the highlights are: Co-op begins tomorrow, secured two big commissions, working on a proposal for a public art project, starting to illustrate a kids book! and I have an insatiable need to paint some sort of wildlife. I took my camera out the other day and shot some local scenery. Lots of rapids, water, trees and trails. Going to paint one photo that I will not show you now. It's a secret. Trying to stay with the whole "confrontation through nature" theme I started last summer. I'll try to post some progress shots eventually.

AND FRAMES! I found out that Thunder Bay is a goldmine for old antique frames . . . . that nobody wants! I'm hoping to have all my pieces framed for my first show in June. Around 20 of them. I have been doing a lot of planning, no real artwork as of late. Some sketchbookisms. Lots to do!

Sheridan Illustration Grad Show 2008 + Good Times

What a busy two days of walking, standing and general monkey work. It was a pretty good time though. Helping out at the fourth year grad show makes me really enthusiastic and excited for next year at Sheridan. This years show was great. Great work, great crowds, great people and great food. I brought my camera and had some friends take some pictures. I think the pictures accurately represent how the show went. All the grads seemed very happy. Here is a list of some graduates (in no particular order) who I look up to and have great respect for. Their work really rocks, take a look:

Vicki Nerino, Chris Brett, Britt Wilson, Matt Danko, Jack Shepherd, Alejandra Diaz, Josiah Gordon, Laura Caccamo, Roben Nieuwland, Pete Ryan, Paulo Carvalho, Ian Herring, Hyein Lee, Elise Trinh, Mark Cabuena

So this is my last weekend in Toronto and then I am off to the Bay for four months. I'm excited and sad at the same time. There is only one thing I need to do before I go. . . . . . . . . . ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI!

Workin' on the Night Moves

Nimit got a new camera. So naturally he calls me up around midnight and we head down to take some photos near Oakville harbour. Ryan and Irma came too. It was like a midnight photography field trip. We took some real . . . . interesting photos? I'm still getting used to the different functions on my camera. "Night Portrait" being one of them. The distortion of light and movement looks quite surreal. In broad daylight these photos would be a lighthouse, some boats, a bridge and different places along the harbour. But at night, they're magic!