Current Press Club Layout

Press Club 850 Dundas

WestBack Wall (from L to R)

The Woman Who Slept III 12 x 12, SOLD

Save the bicycles!, 12 x 12 SOLD

The Woman Who Loved Her Piano, 12 x 12 $140.00

New Found Land Girl, 12 x 12, $140.00

The Woman Who Fell, 20 x 20 $400.00

This Lil Pig Had Good Luck, 8 x 10 $100.00

The Lil Pig Had None, 8x 10, $100.00

(Cont'd below)all work is framed in stained, reclaimed wood

West Wall, (from L to R)

The Man who Loved the Moon, 12 x 12 SOLD

The Woman Who Slept, 12 x 12 $140.00

A Quiet Place V, 12 x24 $340.00

A Quiet Place I 12 x 12 $140.00

Two Black Cats, 12 x12 SOLD

A Quiet Place II 12 x 12 $140.00

A Cup of Crows 12 x 12 SOLD

A Quiet Place III 12 x12 SOLD

The Wide Awake Man 12 x 12 $140.00

West Wall (from L to R)Starting with Largest Piece

Prometheus, 20 x 20 $400.00

The Wide Awake Man, Rooster 12 x 12 $140.00

The Woman Who Wrote, 12 x 24 SOLD

East Wall

An Angel for the Carpenters 12 x 24 $400.00

Artemis 12 x 12 $140.00

The Man Who Loved His Guitar 12 x 12 $140.00

The Woman who Loved Her Piano, 12 x 24 $340.00

Queen of Birds/ Red Houses, 12 x 12, SOLD

Thief of Books w/fox 12 x 12 $140.00

Woman Who Fell/ Little Black Books I 12 x 12 SOLD

Woman Who Fell II/ Little Black Books 12 x 12 $140.00

Queen of Birds II/ White Houses, 20 x 20 $400.00

The Angel Who Could Not Swim, 12 x 24 SOLD

Thanks to all who came to the Preview last night, it was alot of fun. The Opening Reception is Saturday, December 5th from 7-10pm, with the Sure Things as musical entertainment. It's gonna be a great time, so bring a friend, have some food and fine pints, hear the tunes and enjoy the work.

If you would like to reserve work contact me here, if you would like a personal appointment, please do the same. The Press Club Opens at 7pm, seven days a week and is located at 850 Dundas West, North Side, between Euclid and Manning, right across from Cafe Brasilliano and Musa.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.S.Hahn

The Wide Awake Man

A Quiet Place to Call My Own V, 12 x 24 inches acrylic on canvas

$340.00 framed

The Wide Awake Man I, The Wide Awake Man II, A Quiet Place to Call My Own IV,

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$140.00 each framed

So the show is going up on Tuesday, December 1 rst and there is an advance viewing from 7-8:30 pm, I will be there for you to chat with and purchase early, work has been selling steadily online, so much so that I apologize for not updating on the blog what has sold and what hasn't. The Opening is Saturday, Dec.5th from 7-10pm with the Sure Things as musical entertainment, followed by Self Cynic at 10:30. I also reccomend you come early if you want to see the work, it's going to be a great party. I'm still finishing work and posting it so expect this train to keep on rolling until the 5th of December.

Like last time at the Press Club this will be a Salon Style show, so if you purchase work you can take it home with you that night.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

of books and birds and babes...

The Woman Who Loved Her Piano

12 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas, framed

$340.00
The Keeper of Lost Books (Books About the Trees)

The Keeper of Lost Books (Books About the Sea)

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.00 each / $140.00 framed

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Opens the Show, Saturday December 5th, 7-10pm

A Cup of Crows II, The Man who Loved his Guitar III

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.00 each/ $140.00 framed

The Sure Things will be playing the Opening Reception, they're a great local band, followed by Self Cynic who will play from 10:30- closing, I will be long dead by then, so come early when I'm at my best. Once the show is hung I will post photos here so you can see the layout of the show and what I've hung for the first week.

As always the show will change as the work sells, I have created quite a body of work over the past year and will be putting up new stuff each week. The show has a long run, all the way to the end of January, so I'm curious what it will look like then.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.Shay Hahn

I've also been working on lots of commissions and I'll post those once the show is up to avoid confusion as to what is at the Press Club. The Press Club is located at 850 Dundas West, between Euclid and Manning on the North Side of the Street, directly across from Musa and the legendary Cafe Brasilliano.

Hangs the show, Tuesday December 1rst....

A Quiet Place to Call My Own I, III, II

The Woman Who Fell (black books) I & II

each painting is acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches

$120.00 each / $140.00 framed

So we're in full on madness mode now folks, promoting, building frames, picking what to hang first, drinkin beer etc. The show will be up on the First of December, the Press Club will be open at 7pm, folks are coming that day to get first pick of the work before the Opening so come early, no gurantees what you like will be there for the Opening.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.Shay Hahn

Canadian Girl Project continued

Canadian/Armenian Flag with Olive Branch (left), Canadian Girl

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

commission

more to come, swamped with stuff to do.

A.S.H

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Larger works for the Press Club...and small ones.

Prometheus, Queen of Birds, The Woman Who Fell

20 x 2o inches, acrylic on canvas

$400.00 each

The Woman Who Loved Her Guitar

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.00

There will be another announcement, hopefully coming soon, so stay tuned, here are some larger versions of some of the 12 x 12's that I wanted to do, I wanted some more room for colour in the work and variations on the poses. I love the 20 x 20 size.

A.S.H

The Garrison is Open

The Angel Who Could Not Swim

12 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas

three hundred dollars

A huge congratulations to Lee and Shaun at the Garrison for throwing a great opening party, located on Dundas, just west of Ossington, (but what isn't these days) here's a link to their listings http://garrisontoronto.com/ so you can keep up on all the events, gigs and club nights, if you didn't know The Garrison is also the new host venue for "Trampoline Hall" one of the greatest events in Toronto, I'll add a link for them later on when I have some new work to post.

When you visit you can see two of my larger works hanging in the main room, "Jerusalem" and "Untitled (the Titans)" which both look great in the space.

In other news, the Press Club show , now titled, "the Wideawake Man" will be up on the first of December, this may seem like a long time from now, but it really isn't, I have at least ten more images sketched out that I'd like to have hanging for the Opening so we'll just have to stay out of the pubs (unless I'm promoting) and burn the candle at both ends.

y'know I thought I had more news, but I think I'll be doing some more posting later on today.

talk soon,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Three Pianos...insert lame hand joke here

The Woman Who Loved Her Piano, III, II,I

12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

commissions

I adore this image, and will admit that it is incredibly popular. I think it's one of the better of examples of what my work is really about, two or three incongruous and incredibly simple elements that when combined create an image that is memorable, and thereorfore powerful, in it's simplicity. I think that best sums what I try to do with my work, nothing complex, but when the parts are arranged; a woman, water, a piano, they have an impact.

I was asked to do one for a client and decided it was best to do some options for them so I created three of them. I believe that the last two have been sold but I'll have to update this at a later time.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

more cups...

A Cup of Crows, Commission

A Cup of Falcons,

both 12 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.oo

I've been fighting the beginnings of a flu virus for the past couple of days, this is no great shock, I've been working extremely hard on getting a certain number of pieces ready for the show at the Press Club. I have to have at least twenty more than I'm going to hang, and since work is selling at an extremely gratifying pace it is no surprise that my body decided to rebel a little bit.

I have been able to balance things pretty well, commissions and sales and new work are being carefully tracked on paper (paper that is scattered, taped, and posted all over the studio) and looking at my social schedule I'm pretty sure that I will have to vanish entirely for the next two weeks just to get things to a level that I'm happy with. I should probably just have myself bricked into the studio (with several casks of Amontillado and Vitamin C) until the 28 th of November.

"the Wideawake Man" at the Press Club, Opening Reception, Saturday Dec.5th 7-10pm

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

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