Happy Hallowe'en

Two Black Cats

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.00

It's Saturday the 31rst and that can only mean one thing, a general feeling of indifference towards Hallowe'en, now don't get me wrong Shoppers, I love the imagery, I love the spirit and the creativity, I love horror movies more than anything, you'd think it would be something that I would throw myself into. I just don't feel motivated to dress up, not for a few years now. A dear friends of mine used to host our yearly Hallowe'en parties, they'd have headstones with our names on them (a la Simpsons credits), they won "best decorated" awards and I think their house was featured on CP24.

Everyone really went all out for those parties, I prefer the memories.

I've had some memorable costumes myself, ones that people still talk about this time of year, Man With A Giant Ass, Baby Shay, Covered In Bats!, being the three most popular. Every year I say, "I'll make something great for this year." and then I don't, there's no shortage of parties and bars to go to, I have a house full of bits of wood and cloth and toys and masks, but I get so busy painting for the November show at the Cameron (which is now December at the Press Club) that I can't be bothered or that I just feel pretty burnt out and find it hard to move my energies into creating a costume.

I love to see photos of my friends kids' dressed up, love to see groups of folks go wandering by, adore the slutty outfits worn by the brave woman who aren't afraid of the weather, etc. etc. So I would like to wish you all a very Happy Hallowe'en, look forward to seeing the photos.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Something Wicked....

Top:Three Black Cats, The Woman Who Built A Fort, Three Witches, They Loved the Moon

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas, $120.00 each

I don't know if it's the fact that Hallowe'en is fast approaching but things at the Shoppe have definitely taken a turn for the ghostly around here. Classical Gothic, none of these images were done to deliberately reference the coming of the 31rst. I've actually been working on them off and on all month and just happened to finish in the past couple of days.

There hasn't been much to report here lately, working on a lot of alphabet shoppe letters right now (see links, the alphabet shoppe) people seem to have caught on that ordering early is the best way to get the work before December. The Press Club show is going to be big and I'm going to be busy, so buying any paintings right now is reccomended, most of the work sold in the first week, even before the Opening Reception (this year, Saturday, December 5th, 7- 10 pm). I will accept commissions for the month of November, but December may be too late to get them when you want them.

I still have to organize my process notes into coherent paragraphs, so bear with me on that one, lots of good thoughts about what I do and where it comes from.

I will also soon be posting a recent commission, that info is still to come.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.S Hahn

The Women Who Fell

Top The Woman Who Fell II, Queen of Birds, The Woman Who Fell 5/1

the Woman Who Fell 3/4
all pieces acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches

$120.00 each, diptychs $220.00

I've been working pretty steadily on a commission, a diptych that I hope to have finished and posted on Friday, it's a larger work, two 20x24 inch canvases, it's coming along very nicely lots of depth. I was originally going to post some progress shots but, I kept changing things as I worked so I thought it best not to post them, it would just look messy and confusing.

The above images became a bit of an obsession, "The Woman Who Fell" she quickly became something I couldn't get out of my head, not sure if it's out of my system yet. The Queen of Birds was another sketch/note from "Silver" (see labels) I did a male version of the piece but never got around to doing a female, it was too late in the exhibition to do it, so here is a 12 x 12 version.

Work is selling steadily so once again if there is something you like, I reccomend that you buy it now.

I have some other thoughts that I'll share next post, notes that I've been scribbling in the moleskines, things about inspiration and process that I'm sure you'll find interesting but I have to get back to the easel.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.Shay Hahn

Creatures and Habit

The Keeper of Lost Books SOLD

I Cannot Tell A Lie II

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.00

I've been home a lot lately, using facebook as my way to chat with folks, I've been going on my walks , but haven't been very social, I've had a couple of great studio visits and a great time at the Cameron House last week, but I haven't been talking as much as I'm used to.

To be perfectly honest, I like it.

Perhaps I'm reflecting on this as this past weekend is normally associated with gatherings of family's, groups etc. Since my family lives all over the globe I don't think Thanksgiving was ever all that important. Currently it's not a holiday that affects me at "work", I don't get it "off" as most folks do. It's just another day that the bank isn't open, but for those who look forward to those gatherings I hope that you had a great long weekend and reminded yourself to be thankful for at least one thing, or perhaps got everyone who was at your Table to donate some money to a charity.

I may take about this when I post later on this evening but I have to say, if you are whinging, if you are not improving your space (whatever space it is, work, life, health etc.), if you aren't trying new things, life is gonna find you and it is going to be cruel to you.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.S.Hahn

Okay, this is working

Prometheus, (They asked her what she them brought them and she said, "Fire")

Athena (She decided to leave the suburbs) SOLD

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas, $120.00

Right off the top here is a link to the Bright Eye's video for "Four Winds", no other song writer ever stood up to the Bush Administration or what the sick heart of America was starting to look like except Conor Oberst, (see his songs, "Landlocked Blues" that Bob Dylan said was one of the best songs he's heard in ten years, and Emmylou Harris sings on it" OR his band Desaparecidos) we seemed to forget pretty quickly when a bunch of D List actors and a horrible hip pop group did the "Yes We Can" video, but that's how desperate things had become, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaV-nGQ5yqw&NR=1 . Today they fire a rocket into the moon and a black president wins the Nobel Peace Prize, if this wasn't really happening I would classify the above statement as one of Paul Simon's more esoteric lyrics.

I don't often reccomend music, I think it's a cheese thing to do, so this is worth checking out. No pitchfork here (and on the Canadian side check out Ross Neilson and the Sufferin' Bastards)

Anyways, enough about me, and more about me,I am very happy with the two pieces above, they both capture the feeling that the strongest pieces in the "Silver" (see labels) shown at the Cameron House seemed to have, a great sense of mystery, violence and power. "Prometheus" was a sketch I did when I was painting "Poseidon" (see Silver) I thought they would be great companion pieces, but I was overloaded with sketches and never got to it, luckily I remembered and did this small version of the piece, I may do a larger version with a more dynamic pose. "Athena" was inspired by a story told to me by a friend who is living in Rochester, NY it was a story of the suburbs that I'm sure is not new, how you have to drive everywhere, there is nothing around etc.etc. but what she said that was so interesting was how amazing being in down town Toronto was, just going where ever with her daughter, stopping for a coffee etc.etc. things that us carless, childless people probably take for granted, so this is Athena, leaving the suburbs.

I have been doing a bunch of new sketches, newer work /ideas and also for a GREAT commission, hope to have some of that work posted by Tuesday for you to see. Also, you'd better go check out, "The Mill" if you are a fan of creepy horror films, ghosts and that strange feeling that you get right before someone taps you on the shoulder in the dark, well, this is the show for you - and the rest of the plays in the series. I'm going to go see them all.

Like I said below, if you want something, I reccomend you buy it now, no ploy for me to make cash, work is selling as soon as I post it, which is great, I am blessed and thankful and I don't want you to miss out for someone's birthday, your own home or Christmas, which is when I am VERY busy.

If you are looking for the image that is on my business card it is in the label "Silver".

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.S.H

The Mill at the Young Centre, Tankhouse Theatre

Top, The Mill poster, performance schedule,

"Our Lady of the Blackbirds", 12 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvas, (shown unframed) available by silent auction at the Theatre

I have donated the above piece to Theatrefront's production of "The Mill" a four play cycle that begins this week at the Tankhouse Theatre, Young Centre. Theatrefront has been working on this project for a number of years and I've followed it's development with great interest, I have included all the information you'll need to get to the show and I highly reccomend checking out the first two plays, "We Are Brody" by Matt MacFadzean, directed by Daryl Cloran and "The Huron Bride" by Hannah Moscovitch, directed by Christian Barry. Find all the information you need about "The Mill" by following the links below.

Tickets available through the Young Centre box office http://www.youngcentre.ca/productions/09_season/Now_We_are_Brody.html#calendaror phone 416.866.8666 to order your TWO PLAY PASS and see both shows for $60 ($35 for students/CAEA)http://www.theatrefront.com

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Current Obsession

I do not hide my love of Dollarama, I always drop in to dollar stores to check on their stocks of plastic farm and jungle animals, I also have an obsession with the small kids letter blocks that are sold at Dollar Stores. I went in to a nearby Dollarama to see if they had any air hardening clay, I was thinking of just having some fun (for once) and sculpting some figures, when LO! what is this ? Tiny wooden airplanes and vehicles for one dollar each ? Don't bother looking for any bi-planes I got them all. The longer part of this story is that a guy I know gave me two large boxes FULL of wooden toy parts and they've been in the studio for a bunch of months gathering dust, what I hope to do is somehow combine these kits with the other bits I have to create some crazy hybrid wooden toys or as the other artists call it "sculpture". (file under; Stay tuned, Peter Pan complex)

A.S.H

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Coffee Dogs and Friends

Top, A Cup of Blackbirds, Gideon (commission), Lady with An Axe IV, Coffee Dogs

all images are 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.00- $140.00

I feel like I've been away from here for awhile, but really it's only been about eight days, I gave myself a couple of days to relax and do nothing (bloody impossible) , I was also down at "the Shop" for a day building more frames for the show at the Press Club in December. I suppose I should mention that this year, things are being done a little differently, I will NOT be having my yearly show at the Cameron House this November instead it WILL be in May, it's been moved due to some scheduling changes that involve everything from Nuit Blanche, to the refurbishing of the ants, and another Cameron House announcement that I'll save for a later date to talk about here. So The Press Club from, I believe the First week of December, (the Opening will be Saturday the 5th, hopefully this won't muck up your Christmas Party) to the end of January, the show will also be hung "salon style" and hopefully every piece there (under the 20" size) will be framed.

We are making great use of the stack of 12 x12's that I purchased some months ago in the summer (July?) there have been commissions for kids letters (see "the alphabet shoppe" in links) and also requested art. The piece "Gideon" is a character from a novel by a local author that hangs in her study as inspiration - very touched to be asked to do this. There were originally three "Lady with An Axe " pieces but this was the only one I liked, I'll have to fix the other two and post them, they will be joining their friends, "the Woman who Loved her Piano" and the "Woman with Wings" on vacation from here for at least at year, just to continue moving forward, I've been working with those images since last September, they deserve a break, unless commissioned of course. Coffee Dogs is a song by Kevin Quain that I woke up with stuck in my head, which was a great relief as I usually wake up with some strange song like, "From A Distance" or "Black Velvet" and then "Cup of Blackbirds" was done just to make me smile.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

If you are interested in purchasing any work or commissioning a piece I cannot stress how much you should do this before December gets here, I cannot gurantee that any of the images you see here will be available for purchase at the Press Club, the displayed work vanished from the walls in minutes. If there is something you can't live without or would like to buy as a gift - buy now.

The Last in the series

Woman with Wings IV

The Woman who Loved her Piano III

both 20 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas

$400.00 each

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.Shay Hahn

Canadian Girl Project, ctd....

Newfound Land Girl,

Canadian Girl, Change in the Weather

Canadian Girl, at the break water

12 x 12inches, acrylic on canvas

from the ongoing series, "The Canadian Girl Project"

$120.00 each

Yes, I know that I write "info to come" more often than not and don't ever return, so once more from the top, "info to come". Expect the flag of Newfound land to appear here soon, it's the only Provincial flag that I really think is visually appealing, there is the Fleur de Lis but...well, we'll see.

UPDATE: Here's the Newfoundlander.

Commission any flag you like by contacting me below.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Angel of Carpenters

The Angel of Carpenters,

12 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas

$400.00

I completed this piece last night, sometime after midnight, I'd been working off and on with it for a couple of weeks, people ask how I paint so fast, the answer is that I don't, I usually have about eight or nine concepts, block ins, backgrounds, sketches etc. that I'm working on all at once, smaller things have a better chance of getting finished first, so if you finish three and post them on the day they are done people tend to imagine you did all three in one day, this simply is not true. A good way to track this (not that anyone cares) would be to follow some of the process shots I post here and then see when they pop up as finished, to make this easier for you folks at home I have recently deleted several of the process shot entries.

Actually I did that because I'm pretty damn sure those paintings were crap and I would just destroy them anyway, I destroy alot of my work, it doesn't upset me in the least, I keep the ones that are good, I'll keep them for two years or so, I'll even negotiate the price, but I refuse to be one of those painters with a house full of old work, if it isn't a success I'll kill it off or donate it to a theatre auction.

I'm not worried about, The Angel of Carpenters, it will sell, probably by the end of the week. That's not bragging, but what do I know, I've been awake for twenty hours.

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Email works, contact me to purchase/order. I have no idea who reads this thing anyways.

Oh yes, if you read do this and are also on facebook feel free to join my group, "The mad craft alphabet shoppe" and you can just look at the pictures and not have to be distracted by all this naughty text.

Canadian/ Colombian Girl and some tiny red airplanes

Three Red Airplanes,

acrylic on canvas, 22,5 x 1o inches

three 6 x6 canvases in reclaimed wood frame

$100.00

Canadian / Colombian Girl, 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas, commission

from the ongoing series, "The Canadian Girl Project"

Good Morning Shoppers it's 4:30 am and I'm wide awake. Let me tell you something, if you don't know me personally, for the past four years I've been a morning person, I will gladly and happily get up at 7 am if it means having more hours of good light during the day to paint and go for my daily walks. The night life holds little interest to me, I've been out and done that, I'd rather be working or going to the Theatre, or catching a band in the early evening, that's just how I am, no fighting it.

So I should be thrilled to be awake at this hour, correct ? Wrong , what accompanies getting up early is going to bed early and that hasn't happened yet, not without a couple of (failed) attempts. Tonight, I failed "sleeping", that has got to be bad news.

Recently there have been a couple of changes in my life that have skewed my schedule, personal things that I won't get into here (go to my links section and read the blog, "Adventures in Schnooville" if you want real emotional honesty) my problems are like that game you played during the obstacle course on Play Day in Public School where you'd put your fore head on a baseball bat and spin around in a circle and then have to run in a straight line, but imagine that there is a phrase written on the ground that I read as I'm spinning, I'll let you guess what that is. I had no other choice but to change something, it made me look like an a** to someone but better now than later when it will really hurt or worse, it remains a situation that drags on and does not change. I'll take my lumps and be referred to as a bad person, it's not the first time that's happened (ask anyone) , this was the right thing to do, no amount of talking would change it, like I said before, that's the way I am, no fightin' it.

Anyways, the above image of red airplanes would be great for a kid's room, (I am now playing interior decorator and telling you where to put things in order to speed Sales along - on that note, the long"Small Towns" would look great beside a dining room table above the sideboard or whatever that piece of furniture is called where stuff for the table is kept) and the new "Canadian Girl" was a commission from a friend for his daughter's first birthday, she is Can/ombian, I love the primary colours of the Colombian Flag they really pop and I think it will be great for the child's room, I also imagine this is an image that will stay with her as she grows up, I'm sure of it - and that makes me very happy. Please don't make me explain "commissions" again.

A.S. Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Woman Who Slept 1-4

The Woman who Slept 1-4

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$140.00 each/ set of four $500.00

Notes to come, but I have got to get back to work.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Small Towns, the march to myopia

Small Town, Red Roof /Yellow Roof

2 @ 18 x 18 inches, acrylic on canvas

$400.00 each/ diptych $700.00

Small Towns, Cobblestones,

2 @ 12 x24 inches, acrylic on canvas

$700.00

from the series,"Small Towns"

Small Towns, Blue Roof

2 @ 12 x24 inches, acrylic on canvas

$700.00

from the series,"Small Towns"

To really see, with clarity, the colours involved in each piece, I encourage you to click on the image.

These are an incredible amount of work, no scenic artist tricks, every mark hand applied and every colour hand mixed, nothing from straight out the tube.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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

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

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.S.Hahn

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

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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

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

madcraftshoppe@live.com