Deep Sea Diver (w/Acoustic Guitar)

Deep Sea Diver (w/Acoustic Guitar)

10x12inches,acrylic on canvas, framed

$140.00

Here's the second guest to show up at the kitchen party, will be hung at the Press Club Thursday (I think) and if you like em go get em there by, they's go right quick.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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Shay Hahn

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Deep Sea Diver with Fiddle (Deep Sea Kitchen Party)

Deep Sea Diver (w/fiddle)

10x12inches,acrylic on canvas,framed

$140.00

Here's the first of four Deep Sea Divers having a good old fashioned Kitchen Party

I'm not posting the photos in frames, I'll be framing them all when they're done and taking them to be hung at the Press Club on Thursday.

A.Shay Hahn

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Andrew Shay Hahn (the mad craft shoppe)

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Red Fish, A.Shay Hahn, Deep Sea Divers

Looks like Chef David Friedman will be open for business on Thursday the 2nd and you can go to 890 College Str. after 6pm and have some of the best seafood you have ever eaten. Very proud of you Chef David and I wish you all the best.

Expect ALOT of posts to come your way today and tomorrow and the next day, I am finishing about eight pieces right now and they will be hung at the Press Club on Thursday, I'll probably post four more times today about that, so watch your twitter feed and respond accordingly.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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@madcraftshoppe

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Andrew Shay Hahn (the mad craft shoppe)
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Red Fish, life jackets, Press Club Wall by A.Shay Hahn

Life Jacket 1 of 4

24x24inches,acrylic on canvas

$500.00

The life jackets will be hung on Monday at Red Fish 

 " former Fishbar chef, David Friedman, is slated to open in the next few weeks at 890 College Street (formerly home to Mitzi's On College). The new restaurant will be involved in Slow Fish Toronto and will feature an Ocean Wise approved menu." (from blogTO)

Not sure of the opening date, it may be this week, but I get to go for a tasting, I'll get some shots of the interior and I'll let you know the full details as I get them.

You can scroll down and see the other lifejackets, they are available for advance purchase as I don't believe they'll be hanging at Red Fish very long before they go home with some lucky pescatarian.

Here is the Press Club (850 Dundas West) wall as I left it last time I was there, Rayguns! are 8x10inches,acrylic on canvas,framed  $80.00ea or two for $150.00 and all other pieces are 10x12inches,acrylic on canvas, framed $140.00

may as well spill the beans, I'm getting married in about three weeks and every sale helps

take care,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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A Dog On Stilts

Dog on Stilts

10x12inches,acrylic on canvas,framed

$140.00

A while back omeone on facebook mentioned that turkey vultures look like black dogs on stilts and the line just stayed with me, it took some time to get around to painting it since I'm busy doing the grounds for the November show at the Cameron House but I'm also working through some old sketches that I'd like to finish and have nothing to do with the concepts I'm exploring for Popular Mechanics.

I googled "Dog On Stilts" to see if any other artists had approached the concept before and came across a great sculpture by the artist Ron Pippin, it's worth checking out, didn't grab the link, it was just an image search. Our approaches are completely different so I was happy to continue with the concept and get it on canvas.

This will be at the Press Club show (about half older work, half newer) in August if it isn't picked up before then. You can go there this weekend for Press Fest all kinds of great bands for four nights in a row and check out my dedicated wall of art. Just scroll down on the blog to see what's there.

have a good one, enjoy the cool

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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Andrew Shay Hahn (the mad craft shoppe)

CALM Gauges, limited edition

I have four of the above "CALM" dials for sale each is approximately 6x6 inches, acrylic on masonite and framed. $40.00 each. Call this excercise a little advanced fundraising for my show at the Cameron House, "Popular Mechanics" in November.

If the top left is #1, #2 and #3 sold within a half hour of posting on facebook so get them for your office while you still can.

back to work, any questions will be considered by contacting me at

madcraftshoppe@live.com

best,

A.Shay Hahn



"Popular Mechanics" finding my way

In the early stages of figuring of what the show is about, I have a few concrete ideas that I 've begun but I 'm also just trying things and seeing if I like the look, The purples and blues in this piece and the treatment of the "sky" take time to get right, there has to be a balance, and I'm not there yet.

This Harold the Helicopter ride from Six Flags is figuring pretty heavily in the language of the show, love this guy, I may remove the face from this piece, like I said I'm still playing with where the show is going as a whole. There are about forty canvases in the studio that are dedicated towards figuring it out.

I don't want to spoil the surprise by saying too much at one go, but you can see the process

over on facebook at "Andrew Shay Hahn (The mad craft shoppe)" in the Works in Progress album.

Also Press Fest is this weekend so head to 850 Dundas West to hear all kinds of great bands, chill out on the patio and check out my dedicated wall.

And if you want to check out an amazing band head over to Youtube and listen to the Paddingtons it's the best rock'n'roll I've heard in years.

cheers,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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Farewell to Constant Companions

If you work at home like I do you may have developed an attachment to certain objects in your home. This coffee cup has sat beside me in the studio for over five years. He was always there for me, if I went upstairs I brought the cup, if I left him upstairs and then went downstairs I would go back upstairs to retrieve him instead of filling another cup. This cup achieved almost totemic importance in my creative process.

 Think of the things he witnessed, the secrets and curses that he heard.

He will be dearly missed, and so begins the quest to find a replacement, yes we have a shelf, a shelf very similar to a shelf in your home where our coffee cups are kept and looking through them today I was only reminded of my loss. There will be a new cup on it's way, it's been added to my "To Do" list, but the cup I find will not truly be a replacement, it will be the start of a new chapter, a new partnership and inevitably, somewhere down the road, another loss.

Thank you Mr.Rooster cup, you were a good friend.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Small Towns Commission

 Here are two works in progress and a photo of my studio assistant being no help at all. He likes to sit right under my chair while I'm working. If you'd like to see a bunch of shots of the work as it progresses just go to my page on facebook Andrew Shay Hahn (The mad craft shoppe) there are all kinds of process shots to click through. Or follow the label (see right side of blog) and you can see Small Towns that I've done in the past - and yes they can be commissioned.

If you're in Toronto, stay cool folks, stuff your shirt with Freezees.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Trends In Toronto Art, Antlers

Work In Progress for "Popular Mechanics" at the Cameron House in November

12x16 acrylic on canvas

Just a quick note/observation/caveat to all those young painters out there who are unsure what to do with their "unfinished" looking figurative work. Please stop yourself before painting antlers (deer horns etc.) on your paintings of young girls. It's been done to death, I've seen it over four times in the past four years from at leastfour different artists - you're confusing people, you're better than that, find your language, sticking horns on paintings of kids may  look cool (sure it looks cool) but what does it really do for you except put you in a group ?

Keep your language pure, avoid antlers.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Vintage Life Jackets

Top Life Jacket #4

Life Jacket #3

both pieces are 24x24inches,acrylic on canvas

$500.00 each

Detail #4 and Detail #3

Here are two more life jackets, I'll be taking a break from them now to work on a "Small Town"

commission and speaking of small towns, congratulations to Eric Coates AD of the Blyth Festival on his appointment as AD of The Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. I worked in Blyth for a few seasons as the scenic artist and it was a great experience, Eric is an excellent choice for the job and I wish him the best.

Holler at me if you want a life jacket, first come, first served.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



"Popular Mechanics" Picking the Palette

The first decision I made working on "Popular Mechanics" was a change in palette and for this show (obviously influenced by the lifejackets I've been painting for Red Fish restaurant) I chose, or rather, the colours chose, Deep Crimson, VanDyke brown, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red, orange, yellow ochre and a new tone in the skies a strange mix of prussian blue, deep crimson, burnt umber and white that has really tied the "ground" colours together.

It is a "daytime" series, not alot of night time adventures for the hooded characters and puppeteers who are now ranging around a landscape that is more reminiscent of a farm or a battlefield than the river's edge or tall grasses that I've been setting my characters in for the past five years.

If you would like to see the work develop just log onto facebook and go to "Andrew Shay Hahn (the mad craft shoppe)" to see. I'm not going to post all the photos here, there are far too many process shots and it's easier to dump them in a fb album.

As I'm sitting working on the pieces one thought (and doubt) is at the forefront of my mind, that this isn't a show about my work - it's about being an artist and what it takes to advance as an artist, not staying in one place, changing things up and taking a few risks. I am very happy with this decision - the doubt is some people saying "I liked his other work better, etc" but there's no time for that. If you buy one of my pieces you are buying a piece by A.Shay Hahn, irregardless of colour, pose, props etc.

This is where my work is now - it's where it's supposed to be.

I'll be sure to let you know when the pieces are hung at Red Fish (expect the final two to be posted today or tomorrow) and as always please head to the Press Club (850 Dundas West) to see my work - all priced within the $80 - $140 dollar range (scroll down to see work on display).

send us an email

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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