...say no more.

A.S.H

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Last Day of the Press Club, rest four hours and resume

Continued looks at the development of two 30 x 30 inch pieces and some trees in early stages.

I like to sketch and plan, it's what I do best. Paint all day and then leave the studio to sketch and write about how I'd like the show to feel and look, how the overall themes and chosen images relate to each other, adding one element (like the trees) to my visual vocabulary, then the next day continue the process.

The entire show at the Press Club was done this way and it was very successful, of course that means that I work a 12 hour day, approximately. And those twelve hour days have added up. I am exhausted, this week I will take tomorrow and Tuesday off, just let the work come if I want to do it, maybe work for three hours a day and spend the rest of the time walking around.

The Press Club show was a great success, the addition of the month of February was more lucrative than one would think. But today we say "Thank you and goodnight". I'll be there from 7-9 pm, no earlier, no longer, no later.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Second 30 x30

Perspective really is everything, as an artist who enjoys representing things in different scales, giant birdhouses, giant chickens, tiny people etc. I'm amazed at how working on paintings of this scale makes everything else seem so small. As I begin these blockins for the work I'm also finishing a commission/request on a 20x20 inch scale, and it looks so tiny. I have paintings arranged in my studio by size and the 20 x 20's used to be the "big stack", well add 10 x10 inches and suddenly a 20 x 20 looks like a pretty small fish.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

the first 30 x 30, let's see who reads this

So it took a few days to do it, but I finally put the brush to canvas on the first two 30 x 30's, I thought I'd begin in comfortable territory and work on the above, "Waiting for the Lake to Freeze" but render the piece with cooler tones, than the previous paintingss in the series, work the clothes differently, give it a cool "black and white" tone palette. I'm going to enjoy just pushing the paint around, there's so much space to use.

I'll start the second block in today, a woman holding a string of lanterns, it only took about three hours of sketching last night to get to where I wanted to be for the second piece. I also did about three pages of sketches of women holding trees as if they were umbrellas, not sure if we're going down that road.

I'm hoping to have six of them finished for the first week of May, I'm pretty confident that once I get going that won't be a problem. As I consider what the show at the Cameron show should look like I see that I'd hang four of them in the room and keep two on reserve for studio visits and sales.

I've been drawing alot of chairs lately, I think we'll start to see a bunch of chairs showing up paintings, trees too, I've started two paintings of trees and I figure I'm making my way through them at a good pace - it's a learning curve. You'd think, "Trees, what's the big deal ?" well you have to find your way there, I've built trees and painted them for Theatre sets, painted drops and scrims of trees, but they weren't A.Shay Hahn trees, they were filler, these are front and center trees, it's just like painting a person - if that person were a tree.

Anyways, the last day of the Press Club is Sunday the 28th of February, I'm going to be there from 7-9pm. I will be available to negotiate prices on the work that is there, volume discountst, that kind of thing, so come on by. I have to raise my prices for the May show. Why am I doing this ? People tell me that I don't charge enough for my work - so guess what, I'm raising it, if you don't like it, blame your peers, it was their fault.

all the best,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

If you do read this, let me know.Always curious, add a comment here or on facebook when this post appears.

Size Matters (cont'd)

So we got up very early this morning, did our stretches and headed to Gwartzmans. Today was the day, after shaking off the nerves we entered the store and asked the nice young OCAD student employed there to, "Go get the Big Ladder".

A hush fell over the store.

(Really the only people there at the time were me, her and Mr.Gwartzman, but hey.)

And up, up, up, she climbed to the top of the rack and brought down two 30 x 3o inch canvases. To give you an idea of how big they are 1) they come in their own bag and 2) I prepared the above demonstration of what scale I usually work in all the way to what I purchased today. From the bottom, 6 x6 , 8 x 8, 12 x 12, 16 x 16, 18 x 18, 20 x20 and finally 30 x30.

I am terrified.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Animals With Day Jobs or Always Be Painting

From Top Left Justice Snake SOLD, Nurse Fox

Bush Pilot Husky, Butcher Gold fish

each piece 8 x 8 inches, acrylic on canvas

$60.00

(there are currently no framed pieces for this series)

I paint, it's what I do, I watch TV while painting, listen to music while painting, I have tried to play xbox while painting but that just doesn't work.

A few days ago the Olympics began, my girlfriend and I have absorbed about 9 hours of it so far, she falls asleep and I paint. A couple of days before the Opening Ceremonies (I paint) two friends and I were joking around at the Press Club and came up with the concept for a web series called, "Justice Snake" about a snake who is also a lawyer/ street vigilante. Having no current ideas in my head while I'm researching/sketching/preparing to start working on some larger canvases (see next post) I decided to paint Justice Snake and see how he looked. Well, as you can see, he looks great, so since I can't control myself I just started painting other animals and giving them day jobs. Yes, one would assume that a husky already has a job pulling dog sleds but that is an insult to their potential and an unfair stereotype.

I occasionally ask people over on Face book to contribute ideas, here is a sample of what came my way within seconds, a fat cat, sitting behind a grand desk, smoking a cigar. Black Labrador Retriever Lifeguard. Pig chamber maid. Owl bartender. Owls who are painters - like wall painters, not artist painters.Construction worker bears. A parrot who is a chef. Mail Delivery Squirrel. Meter Maid rooster. Penguin pharmacist. UPS rabbit.Housewife Dog. Dinosaur Pilot. Cat florist.Librarian eagle. Mouse butcher and a maitre'd horse.Seahorse Lumberjack.octopus hairdresser,lizard priest.cat acupuncturist, there are more but I'll stop there.

In the past I have painted pictures of peoples pets for them as gifts, I can now say that I probably won't ever do that again unless they give their pet a profession - and then maybe I could be persuaded. If you have any suggestions or would like a picture of your pet hard at work at their day job you can talk to me here.

These pieces (the unsold) are hanging at the Press Club until February 27th, but I doubt they will be there for long.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Size Matters

Cup of Crows IV, Cup of Roosters, Cup of Crows V, Cup of Deep Sea Divers

each piece is 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas, in a reclaimed wood frame

$140.00

at the Press Club until Feb. 27th

I was at my parent's house a couple of days ago for a quick visit to the Dentist I was in the living room with my Mother talking about what was on my mind for the Cameron House show in May, what I'd been thinking about and what I'd like to do. While I am still able to have shows at the Cameron House I have got to take advantage of the height of those walls, the largest work that I have done recently was the show last year, each piece was 20 x20 inches and while the volume, I think I had 17 paintings on display made the work look large this year I'd like to go bigger.

I have been asked by people in the past if I have larger work than what I display, I usually say no, for a reason. When I left my last studio to move in with a friend I took all these huge stretchers/ canvases that I had and threw them in the street (they were picked up by other artists in seconds, don't worry). I don't work in that format because I don't want a house/studio full of giant paintings. You end up stuck with the stuff, I don't want my own work in my home, I want it in your home.

Anyways, I had a more more eloquent post in mind when I started writing this but let's just say this.

There are going to be some big paintings at the Cameron House in May

you have been warned.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

and yes I am getting sick of painting these cups, but just can't seem to stop

All's Quiet in the Studio, why is that ?

Coffee Dogs II $140.00, Cup of Gorillas (the Gorillogy) Commission

each piece 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas, reclaimed wood frame

Things are slowing down around here, I've noticed a bit of a change over the past week or so. The Press Club is still up and work is selling (or at least business cards are being taken and used for filters in record amounts) but I've been working a little less than I normally do. Yes, there is an xbox360 sitting by the television, by I'm so horrible at killing zombies and the like that I rarely play for more than 2o minutes.

So what's up ?

Well, I've given myself a break. That's right I'm taking a little time to just slow down and not worry about producing as much. I've been compiling and researching instead, see I've got the Cameron House show coming in May. so I've got three months to get new work ready. I've got almost three moleskines full of sketches and probably seventy references stored on the computer, and when I'm ready, I'll start.

I'm just not ready yet, I've been trying to picture the over all feeling for the show, the themes that are important, "Silver" held itself together really well as did the original hang for "the Wide Awake Man" and I want to approach this show the same way. I'd like to mix sizes, but I really want to do a few larger pieces than I normally do, I need some freedom of movement.

I'll probably hold back on posting the work too, I'd like to build a little bit of excitement around the show, I put so much work up here on the Internet that I'd like to hold back a bit and surprise some folks. I think I may also invite some Gallery Owner folks to come out to the Opening, maybe it's time that I reach out to them.

The Press Club is up until the end of the month

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Guinness Pigs and a Questionable "Winter" Olympics

Waiting for the Lake to Freeze IV, V

9 x12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$100.00 each

This Little Piggy Loved Guinness I & II

8 x 10 inches, acrylic on canvas

$80.00 (top)

SOLD (bottom)

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.Shay Hahn

February First, Press Club, current layout

PRESS CLUB, FEB 1rst, EAST WALL (back,)

The Woman Who Fell, $140.00

Queen of Birds III, $340.00

This Little Piggy Loved Stiegl $80.00

This Little Piggy Loved 50 SOLD

Waiting for the Lake to Freeze SOLD

PRESS CLUB, FEB 1rst, EAST WALL (back)

Woman With Wings $400.00

Waiting for the Lake to Thaw II, $100.00

Keeper of Lost Books III, SOLD

Waiting for the Lake to Thaw III, $100.00

I Cannot Tell A Lie, $140.00

Hot and Cold Love Taps $100.00

PRESS CLUB, FEB 1rst, EAST WALL (front,)

An Angel For the Carpenters $400.00

Artemis $140.00

The Man Who Loved His Guitar II, $140.00

PRESS CLUB, Feb 1rst EAST WALL (front, ctd)

A Quiet Place to Call My Own, boy $140.00

A Quiet Place to Call My Own II $140.00

A Quiet Place to Call My Own I, $140.00

Assorted Animals $40.00 each

Canadian Girl, Black Flag $140.00

Queen of Birds, White Houses $400.00

The Woman Who Loved Her Guitar II, $140.00

The Man Who Loved His Guitar III, $140.00
PRESS CLUB, Feb 1rst WEST WALL (front)

Girl With Catfish II $140.00

The Wideawake Man I $140.00

The Last Adventure of the Dog Faced Boys $400.00

The Wideawake Man (w/Rooster) $140.00

This Little Piggy Had Good Luck $80.00

This Little Piggy Loved Metal $80.00

The Woman Who Fell $400.00
PRESS CLUB, FEB 1rst WEST WALL (top piece listed first, front ctd)

The Woman Who Slept II $140.00

The Woman Who Slept I $ 140.00

A Quiet Place to Call My Own IV $340.00

The Woman Who Loved Her Piano $140.00

Three Black Cats $140.00

The Book Thief (w/fox) $140.00

Canadian Girl at the Break Water $140.00

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com