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