What I'm doing tomorrow

Wait, there's no painting here!

Just to a quick note to say hello and post a couple of things, this is what I'm doing tomorrow at the Carlu

http://www.canadianstage.com/donorevents

I have been asked on occasion to paint for events, I don't find it too stressful. I was hired by HRDC Canada one summer to paint pictures in the lobby of The HRDC building at Yonge/Sheppard and at City Hall, so I work and people ask me questions about what I"m doing, if I'm starving, point out that I missed a spot etc. and generally vocalise their discomfort with being in the same room as someone in the arts.

If I were to hold an event like this I would have a table of guys who fix your laptop for free, but that's just how I think.

I am looking forward to promoting the show at the Cameron House in May, handing out business cards and doing some painting. I will be sure to take some photos of the event and the Carlu so you can pretend you were there sipping champagne with the Swells.

Here's a link to the Carlu site so you can look around and listen to some smoky trip hop

http://www.thecarlu.com/thecarlu.html

I hung the piece, "Untitled (the Hammer Team)" at the Garrison yesterday, I was going to hold it back from display until the show at the Cameron in May, but I knew it would look really great in the space so I took down the two 20 x20' and put it up, I forgot my camera but will get a shot next week, I've got to sell that baby, it would make everything alot easier until the show in May. I am going to do a couple more large pieces with the globe as a focus, expect them sometime next month.

all the best, buy some work

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Things I'm Doing and Not Doing

Top Selene, Pilgrim with Lanterns,

Middle Pilgrim with Wings II,

Bottom Pilgrim with Wings I

each piece is 16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas

** * Current Pricing, this is new and important, early prices for the work $260.00 unframed, prices will go up at the Cameron House Show in May, so buy now, pay less, buy later, pay more***

I have settled on "Come On Pilgrim" as the title for the show at the Cameron House in May, yes it is another Pixie's song title, yes, Frank Black is excellent at naming things (see, "the Crazies" post below). Why did I choose the title ? This I can answer, it's a new way of looking at these people who have been walking away from you since last June (see Tag, "Silver") , they are carrying things to a new place, they are transporting, light, wings etc. to another land, they are taking the most simple and important things and bringing them with them. I had started to do a piece with a suitcase full of trees, but it is giving me a Heck of a time, have to come back to it.

I have begun, slowly, to raise my prices, I did mention this a few posts ago, so what I'm doing is for the rest of this month, prices will be as listed here, and then start to go up, first the new work will have higher prices, any work that I display at functions will be price adjusted, so don't go by prices here if you're seeing the work somewhere else and finally when I hang the show in May I assume that I'll be bringing in some work from the Press Club Show, "the Wideawake Man" it will be price adjusted (^) then too, so the old prices of $120.00 for an unframed 12 x 12, $140.00 for a framed piece will be no longer available after this month. If you want anything at this price you must buy before the end of March. I need to make a living at this and have no choice, I sell a lot of work, I'd say I sell more "original" art (not prints or reproductions) than any other artist in this city (and I'm not exagerating, ask anyone) but I don't need to always feel like I'm a hustler. So take advantage while you can.

Here is a link to my current inspiration, Theatre Rusticle's, "Birnam Wood" all you need to know is there, this is why I have trees stuck in my head.

$10 performance of Birnam tonight, PWYC tomorrow @ 2:30, regular Friday. $10 and PWYC??!! http://www.artsboxoffice.ca

http://theatrerusticle.org/Theatre_Rusticle/Upcoming.html

and here's a link to the Theatrefront site, Part Three of "The Mill" has begun, this part written by Tara Beagan, you may remember I donated a piece to their fundraising several months ago.

http://www.theatrefront.com/

hope to hear from you, cheers

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Multi Taskers

Deep Sea Diver w/ Guitar, Deep Sea Diver w/ Banjo,

14 x 18 inches, acrylic on canvas

$200.00 each.

from the series, "the Multi Taskers"

Had a great weekend discussing what I do, I don't mean that it was great to be asked questions about what it is that I do, but it was good for me to hear what I think of what I do. That I can articulate my methods, philosophy etc. to someone else and not have it sound unprofessional, weird, arrogant or anything unseemly. Actually, there were quite a few solid conversations that came from a get together that was held on Friday night at a pub in the East End (the where ? Yeah, I know.). These conversations served to inspire the beginnings of the above series, "the multi taskers". We're all multi taskers, these days I guess you kind of have to be to keep up in the world, to maintain your relevance, whether it's social, parental or professional.

I chose to begin with the Deep Sea Diver as it is one of my most favourite uniforms, it's an astronaut that walks the Earth, a figure in disguise, but is recognized, a "neutral man". I"ve actually planned three other Deep Sea pieces to accompany this one, but I thought I'd move off them for a day or two to work on another stream of this series that I'm calling, "The Pilgrims" so expect a couple of those to show up in the next day or two.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Untitled (the Hammer Team)

Untitled (the Hammer Team)

30 x 30 inches, acrylic on canvas

$1200.00

I'll write some thoughts about this on Monday, but it's the weekend and I'm taking some time away from thinking. The Cameron House is confirmed for May 2010.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Untitled (the Painter's Assistants)

Untitled (the Painter's Assistants)

30 x 30 inches, acrylic on canvas

$1200.00

Working hard on the second globe piece, so not much to say right now, may put this up at the Garrison tomorrow, will see what the reaction is.

happy birthday to me.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

the alphabet shoppe, the other blog

Happy Robots

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$60.00 ea/ 3 for $150.00

Here is the link to "the alphabet shoppe" which is the blog that has my artwork for kids on it, actually it's not just for kids but the majority of the work has been commissioned/ bought with children in mind. So have a click and have a look.

http://thealphabetshoppe.blogspot.com/

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Get your Brows here, both High and your Low

I have never rented the original George A. Romero directed filn "The Crazies" (1973) which upon reflection is strange since I've seen almost all of his films, ( he shoots and lives mostly in Toronto, he was at the Press Club the month before my show opened, damn.) I couldn't have seen it in the Theatre or Drive In, since I was only a year old when it came out.

I believe that if you're going to give something a name, give it a damn good name and as horror films go the title, "The Crazies" is about as good as it gets. I was sitting in a movie theatre with my girlfriend when the trailer started and I said quietly, "Oh my God, they're remaking the Crazies." .I'm not sure if she heard me, it's weirder if she didn't, I was amazed that after just seeing under a minute of the trailer I knew exactly what horror film it was.

That's the power of a good name, think about it, a movie that I hadn't seen, but knew the outline of the plot from a magazine on horror films I probably read in the 80's, I knew it was the Crazies before the title card that said, "the Crazies" even came up.

I may not get to see this film in the Theatre, my girl wants to see, "Shutter Island" but she screams every time the lady with the thinning hair points at Leonardo DiCaprio on the commercial, so I doubt we'll see that either.

I just wanted to take a minute of your time and talk about a good name.

As a side note I love pitchforks.

Today we'll be working in the bedroom as half of the lights in the studio are out do to an electrical problem, I would've run an extension cord but after looking for mine, I realize it was stolen from a job site.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Thing About Working on a Large Scale

The thing I'm learning about working on large scale works is that they have to feel large.

The second 30 x 30 I was working on didn't have what I knew I was looking for, it was too vague, had no impact. It was like that famous screenwriting teacher says (whatever his name is), "Writing without a plan is like taking your talent for a walk.". So I abandoned that idea entirely and decided to focus on something big, something that would fill the piece and give it the gravity and demand I was looking for.

Yes, this entry reads like a big pun but I'm much happier with this.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Prometheus commission

Prometheus II

20 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas

commission

Here's a commissioned version of Prometheus that I am incredibly happy with, the client and I collaborated on the smaller details of the work, hair, location and she suggested the tiny plants that are around her feet called, "The Devil's Paintbrush" (a new favourite plant, how often does that happen?). There is a second piece that I worked on simultaneously to give another take on the woman carrying her buckets of fire, but it was not as successful, her pose made her look weak, this one is strong and regal. If I fix the other one I'll post it here - but I'm thrilled with this piece.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Tern Art Supplies

Tern Art Supplies has closed it's doors and I'm going to miss them.

When I first moved down town to my Walnut Street studio building Tern was the only art store that I gave my business too. I loved the staff, David, Kathryn Bemrose, Michelle (Oh God I'm sorry your last name just slipped my mind) not only would I shop at Tern, but I'd hang out there, grab a coffee and spent some time chatting. Everyone was encouraging of my career and what I was up to, that was the Queen West that I loved, it was truly a neighbourhood.

Walking between Spadina and Trinity Bellwoods now the stretch of Queen seems so different, some businesses that I love are still there, Neurotica, The Fruit Market, The Done Right Inn, Rotate This,Squirrely's, but many are gone, empty store fronts and Cheque Cashing stores where there was once a more vibrant neighbour hood. The condos didn't help, the rents didn't help, the neighbourhood has moved West, people predicted this, but not to the extent to make this area look more like a slum.

I have more thoughts on this, but I find it's depressing to write them down.

Thank God they didn't raise the rent on the Park.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Small Towns/ The Gulliver Project

Blue Roof I, 16 x 20 inches, Slate Roof I, 12 x 24 inches, Red Roof I, 18 x 18 inches

all paintings are acrylic on canvas

$300.00 each

I'd started these small towns almost a year ago, there were two of each colour, conceived as pairs. As the months went on they remained unfinished here in the studio.

While I was going over some old sketches I came across notes and drawings of figures sleeping amongst the houses, I'd completely forgotten the notes, maybe that's why I hadn't shown them. I do love the Small Towns on their own and had wanted to continue playing with them to see what direction they could go in - to add something new to the image. I suppose at the time I'd started working on the series, "the Woman Who Slept" a series of four paintings of a woman sleeping in a row boat, this was the next extension. I'm working on one more and we'll see what the response is, I'm still tweaking the light on some of the above pieces, but they won't look radically different from their current state.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com