Any Last Words

Man 1 &2, 12x12, acrylic on canvas $160.00 ea.

Final two images for Lost Houses, show comes down the morning of Saturday the 9th, thanks to all.

Andrew S. Hahn

madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

Upcoming News

The Mad Craft Shoppe has allied itself with the "metaball" a very well written on line zine, http://www.metaball.ca My work will be featured monthly in the Creative section with an explanation of the work and a link to the mad craft shoppe so don't hesitate - add the metaball to your favourites. My work will be shown starting with the December issue which will probably be online by the First of the month.

Thursday is the "Rebuild the Studio" fund raiser for Sam Ferrara at the Cameron House, a night of art and drink and song that is not to be missed. Yours truly has contributed a piece to the auction, and you can still see my show there until the night of the 8th, so don't come on the 9th expecting to see my work. Mr. Ferrara will be showing after me - I will keep people posted as to when his opening is.

This Saturday Dec. 2nd is the Buddies In Bad Times Christmas Auction, yours truly has contributed a piece. If you are looking for incredible deals and some amazing Christmas presents, night on the town packages, gift certificates etc. I can't stress how much you should attend this auction. It supports local theatre and you get awesome stuff, and I believe you also can drink for free on the price of a ticket.

And in the world of music, "Okkervil River" are probably the greatest band I have heard in years - check out "For Real" on their site or go to their MySpace site, which is big and takes alon time to sort itself out so I would reccomend the web site, once you hear this song you will die, it's just like The Ring but with MP3's that's how good these guys are. They sound like a more rocking Bright Eyes, without the Elmer Fudd vocals - and I like Bright Eyes.

Hope all is well out there Shoppers,

A. S Hahn
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

Sunday

Woman 1 &2, 12x12in. acrylic $160.00 ea.

It's always a butterfly inducing experience to meet someone you admire, to receive a compliment from them is even more nerve wracking, had an elliptical conversation with Mary Margaret O'Hara - apparently I have the most beautiful hands she's ever seen, thank you.

Thurs, Nov. 30th at the Cameron House "Help Rebuild the Studio "
A fundraiser for Sam Ferrara featuring bands, silent auction and of course - Burlesque!
(Read the article in the Globe and Mail archives, Sat Nov 18,2006, Toronto Sec. pgA17 "Artist Starts Over")

A very, very happy birthday to me dear Mum on this day of the 26th, you're the tops I love ya Ma.

"Lost Houses" comes down on the 9th at the Cameron House

Oh yeah, click on the images to enlarge.

best to all,
A.Shay Hahn
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

Beacons

Insomnia's yield presented above and in the post below and three more in the works that are almost finished. It's been a trial/pleasure to work on this show of paintings - a diary more than anything, I'm just going to keep journalling the work as opposed to planning another new series of paintings, this is the way to go for the next few months. Grab a handful of those 12x12's and go to town on them. I've learned alot about symbol through the process, the drums are love, the paper dolls are guardian spirits, often the houses are yours truly.

When combined with the cleanse, physical and emotional clarity helps me "get" to the painting faster than the slower "poisoned" state my body has been in. As any reader knows, the show at the Cameron will change every Saturday as works are sold new pieces and new narratives will take their place, the small pieces are grouped in 4's that make a square, each tells it's own chapter of my "transition" over the past three months.

According to everyone it looks fantastic, so best get own your horse there Saddle Pal and head on down before the Ninth of December.

For listening

• Cat Power "The Moon" from "The Greatest"
• The Absolutely Blessed Mary Margaret O'Hara "You Give Me Something To Cry About" which has been copied by generations of Toronto Female Singer Songwriters but never trumped (Miss America)
• Anything by the Queen of Hearts Eleni Mandell (if you don't own her first album "Thrill" you don't know what you're missing, on my Top Ten List)
• "Can't Hardly Wait" the Replacements, America's Best band - hush up Wilco fans, you don't know.
• Thanks to Renee,Miles and Lee and God Speed Brian we will hear from you soon,
  
  A.S Hahn
• madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com
  
  above image "Beacon" 12"x36" acrylic on canvas, framed (not shown) $400.00

Lived In Bars,Danced on Tables....

Notes on a Saturday Morning

If you're feeling down
Go to YouTube and download Cat Power's latest video "Lived in Bars"

If you're on Queen West
"Lost Houses" paintings by Andrew Shay Hahn at The Cameron House until Dec. 9th.

If you are looking for further images from "Lost Houses"
Scroll all the way down to the archives and click on 10/17/2006.

If you need to see live music
Rock Plaza Central are playing at the Boat on the 24th and yes I will be there signing autographs.

If you're downloading pictures of my paintings without permission
All posts of paintings from now on will be manipulated to prevent image theft, (see above) if you are taking images from this site and can afford it - I really think you should buy a painting, I can understand downloading a song if the quality is the same, but stealing a picture of a painting ? That's like stealing a picture of food and trying to eat it. So clear your conscience and buy a painting or I'll be the one eating pictures of food.

If you need to contact me
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

above image rowboat 12x12 acrylic on canvas $160.00

best to you Shoppers,
A. S Hahn

No One in Their Right Mind...

I thought that with the cleanse I'd have this insomnia licked, but I did have a couple of glasses of wine tonight as a reward for a good day of painting. Big mistake, after so long without the steady stream of stimulants that my body was used to, said body decides to fire itself into an incredible state of upset, mild headache, stuffy nose, stiff forehead/shoulders etc. (it almost feels like an allergy, now that I think of it) so here I am 4:28 in the morning and wide (a-freakin') wake, bad move Mr.Hahn. So most of tomorrow/today will be write off spent feeling hazy minded and trying to recall why I'm standing in the Dominion doing my shopping wearing one slipper, one cowboy boot , a balaclava and no pants.

I'll really have to burn this feeling out of my system ( Dear Lord, how far will I have to walk tomorrow before this unhealthy feeling is forced out of my body- What Lord ? Oakville you say!) but it has left me with much room for thought, since I can't lie in bed I'll jus' set here for a spell. If you know me you know how I feel about beds, beds are made for three things 1) sleeping 2) crosswords with a beautiful warm body in pyjamas helping with the clues and 3) what comes somewhere before 1) and after 2) .

So the cleanse must be embraced with a (cuddly) vengeance, it's interesting how quickly, if you aren't careful you can start slipping backwards and I am committed to not letting that happen. I will be the first to admit that it's hard, after living the past few years with the most aggressive "Instant Reward System" on Earth, that's what working in the Theatre is all about isn't it folks ? Work hard/play hard and don't stray too far from the formula - thank Christ I don't have to deal with that system anymore, I could write a book,( it would mostly be scribbles but if professionally bound and carrying an ISBN Number it would still be a book) in fact it's probably been a year since I've painted a Set, God that feels good, not that I wouldn't paint another if asked, or seek the employ if I had to, but wow - a year.

Random Obs before I try again
1) My anger is subsiding finally, it has been such a long time, years, since I've felt angry, it was strange to be intimate with it again, how often will it happen in this sober lifestyle ? How long was it blunted before or was it just the right emotion for the right time ?
3) How many Irishmen...
4) How long before this Guinness contract really starts zipping along ? (or see Number 3).
5) To be absolutely fair to the Institution of Theatre I was never happier than in my Second Season at Blyth when we'd gather in the Carp Shop in the morning and play Jennyanykind's "Up Early Every Morning" and drink our coffees and dance together, getting psyched for the day - I swear that summer is one of the best in my memory and will probably be a parting thought when I die.


Many thanks to Andrew Cull and Dave Surette wherever you guys are, God Bless New Baby Morgan, the Rev. Matt and Karen , God Bless Ike Reilly, Smokey Robinson, Kasch and Mason
A.S Hahn
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

Thanks to All

Many thanks to all who took the time on a rainy Saturday afternoon to come to the Cameron House for the Opening, much fun was had. The show runs until the 9th of December so there's still lots of time to come out and meet up with yours truly to check out the work.

In cleansing news we are starting over today as I did have a couple of celebratory scotches and cigarettes last night, oops, feeling it today so went for a two hour walk to get the bad out and force the good back inside. But we are still miles ahead on no coffee or garlic.

all the best Shoppers,
A.S Hahn
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

The Big Guns

Top to bottom, all paintings 24"x24", acrylic on canvas,
1)American Halo (to be shown later)
2) Streetlamp Dolls SOLD
3) Fifteen Homes vs. One Condominium (to be shown later)
4) Road to Goderich, Road to Kincardine
5) Fifteen Homes vs. Katrina SOLD
each piece $400.00

Tomorrow is the Opening of "Lost Houses" at the Cameron House from 4-6 to be followed by the Cameron Family Singers from 6-8pm. So strange that the woman that all of this was inspired by isn't invited.

best to all, hope to see you there,

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

One Week Until the Opening

This will be an extended post starting at 3:05 this aft.
Woke up at 7:15 after another completely surreal nicotine patch dream, honestly if smoking just isn't enough for you anymore - go on the patch and really sort out your subconscious. I immediately fired up the typex and emailed the whole dream to JP, I am thinking of turning it into a short comic or graphic novel for others to read, if I'm on the patch for another seven or eight weeks I should have at least a year's worth of material to sort through.

This has been the hardest day so far, Eight days without Alchohol, Seven days without caffeine, Day Four on the patch and that whole Garlic thing. I'm not tempted by alcohol or coffee right now but I really want to smoke about seven cigarettes in a row and then vomit. My emotions are running up and around the room, especialy anger and I thought that with all this cleaning out, I would have that one licked, apparently this anger I've been feeling for the past couple of months is here to stay for awhile.

Some people think that I'm going a little hardcore with this cleansing (thank you for the support, keep it coming) but if you consider what I've been doing to my body since I was fifteen years old, I think a little of that "tough love" is necessary to effect real change both in my metabolism and my behaviours, which are, of course, linked, unless you subscribe to Descartes and I do not. Also I don't want to back slide or slip up, everything I read says I'm allowed to, but if I allow that-- well I'm just not going to. Discipline, for a time, is to be admired, I have to keep this up for at least a month for anything to really happen inside my body and for new routines to establish themselves.

The jogging thing won't start until at least the 2oth once the show is up at the Cameron and my body is more adjusted to it's new routine. Back soon, Supper Time

9:20
Three failed attempts at three new paintings - the closer I get to this particular showing the more agitated I'm becoming, this one is personal, the others were more commercial, we'll see

Lost Houses, The Cameron House Opening Reception Sat. Nov.11th 4-6 Band 6-8
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com

Best to all,
A.S Hahn

Weights a Minute!

Today at Cleanse Headquarters we are lifting weights for about an hour, beginning a four day a week workout schedule. You will marvel at the miraculous transformation of your host, using the mighty powers of vinyl weights to transform this body from Adrian Brody in "The Pianist" into the stunning physique of Holly Hunter in "The Piano".

Next up Piano Lessons!

And please for those of you with lil' ones, nephews, nieces, friends who have 'em (I'm talking about Children folks) you can visit the Mad Craft Shoppe's sister blog the Alphabet Shoppe! There is a SALE on right now for Christmas!

http://www.thealphabetshoppe.blogspot.com/

UPDATE 9:15 ow,ow,ow,ow,ow,ow,ow,ow.

all the best to you and yours
A. S Hahn
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com
Sat. Nov. 11th at the Cameron House 4-8pm New Paintings "Lost Houses" check them out below!

Is it bad of me to say, This is why Mormons own Houses ?

Look at this folks, here's my "Vice" spending for today vs. one day last week

the coffee shop 2 large herbal teas $3.oo vs. 2 large coffees $4.00
the pub 2 Cran/Soda $5.50 vs. 4 pints $20.00
the depanneur no smokes vs. 1 pack cigarettes $7.50

total $8.50 $31.50

*figures do not contain gratuities

And yes I will be adding paintings to these posts. In further music news, the new Jon Rae and the River album "knows what you need" is a damn fine time, go by Ronnies in the Market and let him know you love it. Also thanks to the folks at Criminal Records on Queen Street for their music dude smarts.

best, still thinking of you
A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com