Monday, September 14, 2009

The Man Who Loved/ The Woman Who Loved



The Woman Who Loved Her Piano III, 20 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas
$400.00
The Woman Who Loved the Classics, 16 x20 inches, acrylic on canvas
$250.00
Will Repost the "Piano" piece after a few more touch ups, that shot was taken "wet" so it's got too much bounce
A.S.Hahn

Small Towns

Small Town (after Seurat)
2 @ 16x20 inches, acrylic on canvas $800.00
from the series, "Small Towns"
To see the work and colours involved in the image, please click on the photo.

I will add some updates and thoughts here in a couple of days but I have three more Small Towns that I would like to get posted before midweek, they take a long time and you can go a little cross eyed while working on them.

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com


Friday, September 11, 2009

The End of An Era, but it really wasn't that long

This is incredibly eerie, after three years of occupying this space on the back patio at the Cloak and Dagger the mural has come down. It would have been great to line up another sponsor to use the wall, as the construction of the piece is quite solid but we were unable to find someone willing to pay the fee. I'd like to thank Guinness for the oppurtunity and C and B for letting me do the piece. It's a little like phantom limb syndrome looking at this photo. You can see the mural if you click on the label "murals".
A.S.Hahn

Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Girl Who Lived...or How I learned to stop worrying and paint anyways



The Girl Who Lived in A Chicken,
The Girl Who Lived in A Robot's Head
10 x 10 inch canvas, in reclaimed wood frame, acrylic on canvas
$120.00 each
from the series, "The Girl Who Lived..."

This is how I cheer myself up.
A.Shay Hahn

Monday, September 07, 2009

Commissions


Top is the finished image, bottom was a process shot
This was a great collaborative piece to do for a client who wanted something specific but also as filtered through my style/subject matter. To contact me about commissions contact me at the address below which may not immediately work so (sorry to keep saying this) copy and paste the address with your email provider and I'll get back to you. This is a great time of year, things get a little crazy around Christmas, upcoming show, higher volume of commissions etc. so talk to me now.
If you're in Toronto I hope your pets survived the stress of the air show.
A.S.Hahn

Thursday, September 03, 2009

New Styles for the Alphabet Shoppe

Here are two new variations on the quilted letters, let's called the one of the left, "Night Quilt" and the one on the right "Spring Quilt" as always letters are sixty dollars each and three for one hundred and fifty available by contacting me here, also go to the links area to click yourself on over to the alphabet shoppe. And believe me, now would be a great time to do it!
A.S.Hahn

Small Towns, Ice and Blue

Small Town, blue roof
24 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas
$400.00
from the series, "Small Towns"

The icy texture of the ground really appeals to me, it informed the more "rough" looking treatment that I gave the piece as opposed to the more "clean" appeal of the others in the series. These remind me more of roughly built ice fishing huts. I also like the unfinished house that is just the rough-in.

A.S.Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Small Towns in the Fall



Small Towns in the Fall (diptych)
Two 20 x 2o inch canvases, acrylic on canvas
SOLD.


This was a ton of work and turned out beautifully.

A.S.Hahn


Fancy Wagons, the return


Fancy Wagons

Two pieces, twenty x twenty inches each, acrylic on canvas

$350.00 ea / Diptych $600.00

A couple of fancy wagons that I did while working on some new Small Towns, stay tuned for more work.


A.S.Hahn


madcraftshoppe@live.com



Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Man Who Loved/ The Woman Who Loved

The Woman Who Loved Writing
12 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas
$300.00
from the series, "The Man Who Loved/ The Woman Who Loved"

The first piece in the series involving, "writng" depicted a man who is leaping into the air, perhaps celebrating by throwing the finished piece into the air and being celebratory, he may have come to a realization what he is working on isn't working and is tossing it to be carried off by the winds or maybe he is trying to grab the initial beginnings of an idea out of the air. With this piece I wanted to keep those many possibilities alive, are the birds in service of the author ? Are they plucking the papers away from her ? Perhaps they represent that chaos in the mind when ideas compete.

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com


Tuesday, August 18, 2009

I Just can't stop painting this kid.



top, The Boy Who Loved the Water III, The Boy Who Loved the Water II
12 x 12 inches, acyrlic on canvas
$140.00

I am still strangely fixated on this figure in the water, I think of my nephews at our cottage, myself spending my young summers in Muskoka and Hastings. I have powerful associations with the water, from almost drowning while sailing to the fact I swim beneath it more comfortably than above. I can smell that life jacket, I wore one identical to it when I was that age, with a chubby little belly, pushing against the too tight ropes. I see my brother and I leaving the water to get shelter in the boathouse before a storm hits.

I'd like you to tell me what you see.

A.S.Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Monday, August 17, 2009

Canadian Girl

Canadian Girl
12 x12 inches, acrylic on canvas
commission
I would like to thank T.Pelletier for sending this to me via Fb, these are her thoughts on,"What is a Canadian Girl?".
"A Canadian Girl is proud to be vulnerable.For if there is one single thing she feels certain about,it is the certaintly of uncertainty.
A Canadian Girl seeks comfort in change.For she knows to stay stagnant would deny her of her independance.
A Canadian Girl is a dreamer.For she understands the nature of her restlessness.
A Canadian Girl wanders.For she has learned that taking risks satisfies her wonderous yearnings.
A Canadian Girl reaches out.For it is in her nature to nurture.
A Canadian Girl politely declines her label.For a branding would undermine her integrity.
A Canadian Girl picks up a 'Timmies' on her way over.For she knew that you were a 'double double' the first day you met.
A Canadian Girl will replace her bedhead with her multi coloured toque.For she'd prefer to share a pint and a smile than time in the mirror.
A Canadian Girl knows that carpets will get dirty...and will also get you down a snowy hillside.For she is playfully realistic.
A Canadian Girl will grasp a paintbrush in one hand and a hammer in the other.For her multi-culturalism has lead to great multi-tasking.
A Canadian Girl appreciates the 'little' things.For it is her sensitivity which breeds her insightfulness.
This woman loves her country and all within it .
For growing up a Canadian Girl...She is Free."

To commission a Canadian Girl of your own, contact me here,

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com


Four People with Hammers





Four People with Hammers
series of four, 12 x16 inches ea. acrylic on canvas
$250.00 each, set of four $800.00
I had originally thought of doing a "Four Seasons" piece, something that I've been struggling with for some time, I believe one of the "process" labels goes to an entry where I was designing a "Four Seasons" series, anyways, it never succeeds. Instead I thought just doing some tone work with linking clouds would be enough and of course to give everyone a hammer.
I think as a foursome they look incredible together either in a line, or perhaps hung two above, two below.
A.S.Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com


Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Man Who Loved...vertical

The Man Who Loved Writing
12 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas
$300.00
from the series, "The Man/ The Woman Who Loved"

When I was buying the loads and loads of 12 x 12's I also purchased other variant 12 x sizes (16, 24 etc.) I had planned on using them for horizontal triptychs, of course that still will happen but I thought I would, for a little while at least move into a more vertical format and see what I could do with that. Friends have asked me to design a 12 x 36 or 18 x 36 piece for their house and I hadn't come up with anything, working in this format should help with that conundrum (we hope).

A.S.H

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Woman Who loved....

The Woman Who Loved Her Piano II
12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas
SOLD
available by contacting me
enjoy the weather,
A.S.Hahn

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

News, Announcements, links etc.


We are currently exhibiting some work at Fleur de Lis Interior Design which is located at 294 Eglinton West, near Avenue road, if the name is familiar it is the firm owned by Peter Lunney and Eric McClelland whose work and advice frequently appear on City Line.
Here is a link to their site
Here's a link to a "view it.ca" site that features one of my murals as a selling point to rent the apartment, who knew. Thanks to Sarah Uyede for the link
A.S Hahn
more to come

Sunday, August 09, 2009

The Man Who Loved...cont'd

The Boy Who Loved Airplanes
12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas
$140.00

It's been a marathon day in the studio, actually the entire weekend has been wonderful. Lots of work coming quickly and feeling great as I lay it in, the being said I do have to tweak the head on this guy a little bit, but no big deal. There is also a second, "Man Who Loved Guitars" that I thought I could finish but his suit and pose was driving me to distraction and a very complicated 12 x 36 with many figures that is going to take some time. Grey suits, summer weight seem to be on my mind, it was one thing I wanted to buy for myself this summer, a nice weight summer suit, with beige shoes, but that money has since been allocated to other purchases, and this summer has been the dogs breakfast, so maybe next year.
I've been taking my breaks and going through a recent purchase which collects all of Norman Rockwell's covers for the Saturday Evening Post and looking through his sketches, photos of his second studio and getting into his work, not for the subject but I do dress my figures in 30's - 4o's styled clothes for the most part. Of course I gasp at the detail in the work, but consisitently remind myself that the average size of his work was around 48 x 36 inches, and he had lots of room to paint every dint and scuff on a leather shoe, where the average size of a man's head in my paintings is 1 inch. So maybe I'm asking for some sympathy after these long days.
Tuesday, I'll have some more news and info about where you can see some work in Toronto.
enjoy the storm,
A.S.H


The Man Who Loved/ The Woman Who Loved




The Boy Who Loved the Water,
The Woman Who Loved Her Piano,
The Man Who Loved Guitars SOLD
each image is 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas
$140.00


This titles for this series occurred to me awhile ago, prior to the Desolation Row project, it doesn't take much to get me started when I want to paint, I do get stuck sometimes but when I ran into the concept of "The Man who loved...." or "The Woman who loved..." I just started writing down titles, I was sitting on the wonderful back patio at the Press Club surrounded by grape vines and a pear tree and I thought, "I love this...I love these grape vines..." and that was all it took.

I may be posting one or two (perhaps three) by the end of the day, I began working on this last week and then each day noodle around and let the images come out, I did do a prelim for the Guitar series but after that it was just research to find the right guitar.

If you've been familiar with my work since I began this blog you'll recognize the boy in the lifejacket as he was part of my visual vocabulary about four years ago and featured prominently in several paintings, I thought I'd bring him back to participate in these paintings.

I'll be adding a couple more links this week, keep an eye out for them, great blog sites to follow with your morning coffee.

best,
A.S.H
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Monday, August 03, 2009

The Wolves, The Sun, Words Pt.II & III




The Wolves


from the tritych, "The Sun, The Moon and the Wolves"
each piece 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$160.00 each / $400.00 for the Triptych


info in the previous post.

A.S.Hahn




Sunday, August 02, 2009

Words.




The Moon, from the Tryptych, "The Sun, The Moon and The Wolves"

acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches

$140.00 each. Tryptych $400.00


Taking a short break from the "Desolation Row" series to explore some other recent thoughts. As always I return to my Theatrical background - over the years as a scenic artist I painted many back drops and scrims, I always loved the more artificial aspects of the Theatre, large props, backdrops, heightened costume so I thought I'd spend some time here indulging that love, most contemporary Theatre I did was just "brown wash" work, I probably made new wood look like old more times than I care to count - it's what most strongly identified to the audience that it was a Canadian project - it was brown, usually involved a secret from the past and there was a joke every three lines of dialogue or so, Daniel McIvor wrote a short piece crucyfying this mode, though I forget what the piece was called.


Recently Curry's had a huge sale, spend $50.00 get $10.00 off, I cleaned out the Queen location and the Dundas location of their 12 x 12 canvases as it's my favourite size, (see top photo) this is where they reside. I posted a photo on Fbook and was contacted by a friend in Vancouver who said to write her name on the back of the 10 th and the 18 th canvases and when I got to them I would mail them to her. This, I think is a great way to do business, so feel free to request a number. It also led to a new extension, which is popular on some blogs that illustrators frequent called, "Illustration Friday" where a word is given and then people illustrate and post to the blog. I don't participate as I have never been one to join anything, this sometimes is a disadvantage, but I prefer just managing my own blogs. If you would like a word illustrated, similar to the above image you may contact me here with the word, it will be painted in a different alphabet, but it will be our secret. Each piece will be $140.00, triptychs $400.00
enjoy your long weekend,
A.S.Hahn
as alwasy copy this email address into your email message, as I still can't get it to work, balls.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

50 Posts in 50 Days, #30, A Field Story Pt.II The Trial

A Field Story, Pt.II The Trial
series of six 12 x 12 inch canvases, acrylic
$700.00
I'd been wanting to do another "Field Story" series, not only was the response to the first piece immediate and overwhelmingly positive (sold the day I finished it also) I very much enjoyed the concept. A month or so ago I tried to do another, but realized I had no idea what it was about and scrapped the plans, after recently spending some time hanging around in a law firm the idea came quite quickly, take the last field story (see tags) and try to advance what had happened, vague as that is.

The first series implies that there was a murder of some kind, a sinister incident that took place in the country, observed by one character, who was titled "The Witness", there was an investigation of some kind, and now "The Witness" occupies the top panel of the new series as, "The Accused".
This idea appeals to me greatly to do an almost episodically linked series of works, so now I am eager to begin the next "chapter" of the series. Stay tuned.
A.S.Hahn

Sunday, July 19, 2009

50 Posts in 50 Days #25-30, A Field Story Pt.II, "The Trial

















The Deliberaion, the Argument, Justice, The Accused, The Press, The Judge

from the series, A Field Story Pt.II "The Trial

each image 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

set of six

$700.00


info to come.

A.S.Hahn









50 Posts in 50 Days, #24



My schedule has been full of events, meetings, trundles around town, lots of busy painting and one heck of a summer cold, so I am back after two weeks hiatus. Two things about the above photos - someone mentioned to me that they noticed a lack of a male presence in my recent work, not 100 % accurate but something that should be addressed so the above will be an all male triptych, three 20 x 20 inch panels.
I also wanted to include process shots as I work on this piece as I think it will be interesting to watch it evolve over the next couple of weeks.
more to come,
A.S.Hahn

Saturday, July 04, 2009

A Breather

We are giving ourselves a break from the "50 Posts in 50 Days" project. A serious summer head cold has severely gummed up the works.

a la prochain
A.S Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Friday, July 03, 2009

50 Posts #23, Thomas Pynchon - weekend sale


Cover Illustration for Thomas Pynchon's "V" by Mark Penberthy, 1990.

The above is the cover of Thomas Pynchon's "V" one of my favourite books, I used to read it every summer along with,"To Kill A Mockingbird" but haven't touched it in about five years, it's time to get back into that habit. I posted the cover to compare it against the work that I've been doing since, "A Field Story" and "Silver" up until now. I hadn't thought of the book in a couple of years, even though it was sitting almost directly in front of my easel in the book shelf. There is something about the simplicity of the cover, the pose, light and application - it's left a great impression on my work. Ages ago I'd titled a painting, "The Whole Sick Crew" I never finished that piece, maybe I'll try it this weekend once I shake this cold out of my head.
Also for the weekend ALL of the Above 12 x 12's are on sale for $100.00 each unframed, instead of the usual $120.00
Will be posting more movies reviews tomorrow, Sissy Spacek in "Katherine" and maybe one more if I can stay up long enough tonight to finish it, it's something about F.Scott Fitzgerald.
We are down at Grateful Head, thank you so much Lysa Fina, we will be hung at Fleur De Lis next Tues. I believe, stay tuned for informations abouts thats.
best,
A.S Hahn

Thursday, July 02, 2009

50 posts #22, more Book Thievery


The Book Thief 3, The Book Thief 4
acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches
SOLD and on RESERVE
If these posts seem to be coming quickly all of these pieces that I posted today were begun on the weekend, it's only now that I get to finish them and there are three more works to come which I can hopefully finish by Saturday.
"Love is Forever" was a made for TV film starring Michael Landon as a photojournalist secretly sending articles on abuse by the Laotian Gov't to Western news agencies, he is caught, forced to leave but decides to return to rescue the woman he loves. Who goes with him even though her family will no doubt be killed, the actress who played her used to work in porn, so they changed her name so know one would now - thank you IDb.
This film looks almost rotoscoped the transfer is so horrific, it also stars the guy who played "the Equalizer" , Edward Woodward, as his friend who teaches him how to scuba dive and Priscilla Presley - what her role is in this film I can't tell you, she's just around for ten minutes of it or so.
The villain is played by Jurgen Prochnow, who has played this role in many other films, he wants Michael Landon dead, so they go into a ring in front of thousands and kick box each other - no joke.

The next film was,"Project Kill" starring Leslie Nielson as a Jason Bourne type leader of a ring of Gov't assassins who takes off to get out of the life and they chase him down and....kill him, yes, they kill him, the lead dies in probably the first, "Blow to the nose cartilage into the brain" action ever done in Western film.
Leslie used to be a serious actor (this film works both as action and a comedy- though clearly not planned by the film makers) Leslie can incapacitate two guys at once with a double Karate chop (amazing.) and spends every minute of the film, when he isn't fighting looking off into the distance at something we can't see ( inner peace, lunch table).
This film also has "mystical mind control music" because the assassins of "Project Kill" are all on injections that make them slaves to the Gov't and if they go off them they go crazy and make Naked Gun films.
These are the early days of action films had karate sequences without anyone actually knowing Karate, every woman you met wanted to bone you and instantly falls in love after a night in the sack and men in polyester slacks were dangerous to know.
A.S Hahn


50 posts #20, Studies for a Larger Work


Woman on a Crow,
Woman on a Red Tailed Hawk SOLD
12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas
$120.00 ea.

These two pieces are studies for a commission, my sketches turned out nicely but I wanted to get warmed up and have my own painted references for the work to refer to - expect to see it in a couple of days.

These were finished watching (I say watching, but it's mostly listening) to a film that actually SHOULD be remade, "The Swiss Conspiracy" (1976) is a pretty fine thriller involving blackmail at a Swiss bank. W.P Hassenstein's music is fantastic, there are some great cars in the film and just enough sex and intrigue to keep you guessing up until the end - I should actually watch the ending again as I"m not really sure who did it - but one guy does fall off a mountain, which is always a great audience reward.

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com


50 Posts in 50 Days #19, I surrender!

Canadian Girl (white flag)
12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas
$120.00

It seems I've fallen behind in the daily posting, but things have gotten complicated around here, my usual faith in people is being dismantled like a lego wall, brick by bright and shining brick. So today and for the next few days I will be here at the easel getting caught up on finishing work and trying to maintain my lego like confidence in the human race.

I recently purchased, "Star Power" which is a collection of 20 old films on DVD, the above piece was finished while watching the Frank Sinatra Classic, "The Man with the Golden Arm" this was back in the days of film when a guy could be named, "Frank ie Machine" and no one thought it was strange. Here are just two quick things to look for in the film, the performance of Kim Novak as "Molly" oh Golly, she's a vision and of course easy to run to when Machine "the Dealer" finally turns his back on his cloying and annoying wife Zosch. Comedic actor Arnold Stang kills it as "Sparrow" Frankie's right hand man servant, who gets all the great idiot savant lines, think of him as a dirtier, faster , street wise version of Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man". Finally Ol' Blue Eyes strikes at our very hearts with a modern dance piece where he is going through withdrawl and flips and rolls around a hotel room that he's locked into, unfortunately it is so choreographed that it looks like some of the modern dance I saw in my student days at York University. The Bernstein score is fantastic.

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Get to the Fringe Festival!


Tuesday, June 30, 2009

50 Posts in 50 Days #18, EAR SLAUGHTER!


Meant to get this up yesterday, but just didn't have the time (lots to do around here). Murder Squad are going on tour folks, and not just any tour, the Ear Slaughter Tour! Phone call goes something like this,
"Hey Shay, it's Murder Mike, I meant to ask you yesterday when I saw you but I forgot (musicians) and I know it's short notice but can you do a poster ?"
"Of course man Id' love t- "
"Great! Okay, what I need you to do is the skull faced cat guy you designed (see above and in Tshirt tags) smashing a guys head in with a Flying V Guitar, cuz the tour is called Ear Slaughter"
"Okay, I'll get it to you on Mon-"
*click*
And here it is, I don't have the finished artwork, I added lots more chains and shading to the figure, tried to push the high contrast, what looks great is that the dreadlocks seem to turn into chains. You know why this is so damn cool ? I'll tell you, this is my Eddie, (Iron Maiden's mascot, c'mon people) this guy up here who is quickly becoming a way to identify , Murder Squad by TShirt and Poster is my design and he's evolving as Eddie evolves, I'll probably do another couple of drawings of him for the band for that same reason. This will also be a TShirt, not sure when the printing will get done, but I'll post a photo of my Mom wearing one soon.
Expect a couple of posts today, things are nearing completion
A.S.Hahn

Friday, June 26, 2009

50 Posts in 50 Days #17, Love Taps

Hot and Cold Running Love Taps
these can be ordered any time, I have two left,
$80.00 each
3 - 6 x6 inch canvases in reclaimed wooden frame

People just love them, a great addition to any bathroom. But if you buy one you have to pay me on time, unlike everyone else on this planet.

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com