I guess if you're a Canadian painter it has to happen to you sometime. This piece is Seven by Nine Feet Tall!
To have a completed sketch or poster for your band contact A.Shay Hahn at madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com
Lost Man Found Dog 2 , 24 x24 in. acrylic on canvas SOLD
Here are more sketches for bands that are played constantly around the Shoppe, word has it that the incomparable Iner Souster will be playing with the Fem Bots on their new album, check out his blog to see his amazing instruments and other sculptures. The Chicken Pickers commissioned their piece, the Beauty Shop are posting on their site and as usual I'm being paid in toonies and beer. 
Two more sketches of favourite bands, Toronto's own Great Lake Swimmers and the pride of Champaign (sp?) Illinois The Beauty Shop a band I've loved since 1999, if you haven't heard them, hit their MySpace site, you'll be impressed and that's not because their band name ends in Shop either folks!contact the shoppe at madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com
Andrew Shay Hahn
( as always click images to enlarge)
It's Only Rock and Roll, 20x24, acrylic on canvas SOLD One of the most rewarding aspects of showing your artwork are the stories you collect . The Water Towers that I paint never fail to bring out a mad tale of highschool pranks, dares and vandalism. This particular painting was inspired by a story I was told by my friend Tony. The water tower in his home town faced the high school and Tony and a friend bravely ascended the ladder to the top to write" It's Only Rock N' Roll" on it's face. Tony was painting "It's only" while his pal was in charge of "Rock N'Roll" - I'll assume they were in a hurry as his friend forgot the " 'N" and for the rest of their highschool years the Water Tower read, "It's Only Rock Roll".
If you have water tower stories to share please send them along to madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com
many posts and new work to come this weekend, all the best
Andrew Shay Hahn
Commissions are amongst the many services offered here at the Shoppe shown above are two recent pieces that I was hired to do, the first being a composite piece of photos taken by clients on a trip to Malta and the second is a piece that will be a giveaway through the Liberty Boot Co. featuring one of their most popular boots, "Killaz" (of which yours truly is a proud owner). If you would like to contact the Shoppe to commission a piece please contact Andrew Shay Hahn at madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com .
Thanks to all who came out for the closing of "Leather Canvas and Steel" much fun was had, thanks to the Cameron House, the Cameron Family Singers, Tony Benattar, Sam Ferrara, Mimi for the Chili and Col. Tom and Laura Repo for the Guest appearances with the band. If you haven't heard Laura sing "This Train Doesn't Stop in Kingston (paraphrasing the title there) you are really missing out, maybe it's on itunes.
God bless The Coup, Florida State and Dolly from the Divas
Happy Easter to all, send messages and comments we'd love to hear from you!
A.S Hahn
Paper Dolls 1, 24x24 $400.00, Paper Dolls 2,24x18 $350.00, Paper Dolls 3, 24x24 $400.00
Jason Statham and Ice-T wish you a Happy International Woman's Day!
Drum, 12x12, acrylic $160.00For your viewing pleasure in the month of March, Tony Benattar of Liberty Boot Co., metal sculptor Sam Ferrara and yours truly Andrew Shay Hahn are presenting a group show at the Cameron House (see this post and below). Opening Reception 7 -10 pm, Thursday March 15th. Corin Raymond's band "The Sundowners" will be playing their 2nd set and there may be other entertainment to follow. Works from "Lost Houses" and "Small Towns" will also be shown alongside these newer pieces.
contact the shoppe madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com to purchase or reserve pieces,
hope to see/hear from you real soon!
Andrew Shay Hahn
1) Campfire Dolls 1, 16x16 SOLDsee you at the Cameron!
Andrew Shay Hahn
Well here they are, now all you need to do is go get one. If you click on the bottom pic you can see everything just fine, nope after trying that I daresay it's not true, so stay tuned for better photos, these are pretty funny though.
Here are some new additions to the GTAlphabet, the last three being comissions (I have no idea why the last photo is so small). I think "S is for Snake" is absolutely stunning. We are still accepting suggestions and commissions here at the shoppe ,ring us up at madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com each piece is 16 x 20 in. and $250.00.Also in the news ...
The beloved Jane Thompson is taking suggestions for names for her boy to be who is currently still a la womb, you can email her at her usual address. I have suggested Cotton, Captain, Elijah, Batman and Tinfoil so don't bother with those five.
Congratulations to Cloak and Dagger expat Kat for her crucial role in helping to catch a Colossal Squid off the coast of New Zealand, also thanks to Peter Jackson for letting us know where all the giant animals live so that Kat may hunt and eat them.
Girls and Horses 2 is in the planning stages, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, Girls and Horses was the only play I ever wrote that people can still remember, it was about giant flying monsters and murderous mennonites. Hopefully we'll produce the sequel in the summer of 2008 with the original team intact and a couple of new faces.
Kirsten Johnson's new show of paintings CROCKer is at XeXe Gallery just South of Queen and Bathurst and is stunning and humourous and all those things we expect from her, be sure to check it out.
best,
Andrew Shay Hahn
I think I'll do some ink washes on this one to add more depth, but the composition is pretty cool.
( Sorry this came out a little blurry.)
Guess what tomorrow is ? Oh yeah you can click on the image to enlarge it.
I've been drawing alot lately so I thought I'd craft up some more shirts for local pubs that I like. Above are two unsanctioned drawings for Ronnie's (Local 069). Tell me these wouldn't look great on all the boys and girls in the market, start a letter writing campaign today! your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman
Andrew Shay Hahn
madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com
At the top is the brand new mural at the Done Right Inn, a tranquil image of a Dashboard Hula Girl drifting through space surrounded by her little Ultramite friends, if you look closely you can see the model standing on the bar looking at image. Small Towns is up at the Starbucks at Queen and Claremont til the end of the month, damn the pimply barrista wageslave who threw out all of the info cards that I had put there so people could actually contact me about the work, when I get my hands on you I'll Venti you're Grande for sure.
Sorry I forgot to do viewer mail but I'll get to it next post, if you have any questions or want to participate ring me up at the address below.
Contact the Shoppe ! I need the work !
Now I can't gurantee that these will be ready for Valentine's Day but have a look see at the latest designs coming out of the Shoppe. Above is the new T for the Toronto Hardcore/Metal band Murder Squad led by Murder Mike, the gas mask has since changed a little but this gives you an idea of what the shirt is all about. And below that this is the Rough Sketch for the Cloak and Dagger T-Shirt, which has since been completed, I just didn't get a shot of it, the lettering is better (I hate lettering) and she has bigger weapons (hee hee!). Also Small Towns is up at the Starbucks at Queen and Claremont until the 28th of Febuary and it would be great to hear what you think - it's such a cold month a compliment is always nice, cold cash to would be nice.
Just read "The Girls" by Lori Lansens about cojoined twins, it's a fantastic read, very touching, thanks for lending it to me Ma ! We have begun reading Wizard of the Crow by Nguigi wa Thiong'o looking forward to trying to remember his name in conversation.
More viewer mail next entry!
Andrew Shay Hahn
1) Found Dog, Lost Man SOLD 2) Blue Roof Town 3) Red Roof Town enjoy, contact the artist madcraftshoppe@hotmail.com
no more shirtless photos, I promise.
Andrew Shay Hahn
Sorry it's been so long since the last post Shoppers, it seems like it's been ages since we've spoken, I've been working on three or four things at once and finishing some commissions and there just hasn't been time. God bless, Ellis (welcome to the world little man), The Walker/Martins and the drunk guy who got caught in the chimney in Bracebridge
all the best,
Andrew Shay Hahn
2006 The Year In Review mad craft styleHonourable Mentions, The Departed (which I haven't seen but no one will shut up about so it's probably pretty good), Thank You For Smoking (except for that creepy kid whose in every movie these days)
Biggest Let Downs Talladega Nights (not as good as Anchorman, not even by half) Any of the " New Noirs" Black Dahlia or Hollywoodland (relationship destroying films)
Best Music (Songs) The Cold War Kids -St.John, Okkervil River- Another Radio Song and For Real, Be Good Tanyas- One Thousand Tiny Pieces, Gnarls Barkley -Crazy (why not) , The Coup-Laugh/Love/Fuck , TV on the Radio -Wolf Like Me, Cadence Weapon-30 Seconds, Jon Rae and The River-Nothing To Do
Best Album- Cat Power the Greatest - The Title says it all, not a weak track on the record and that seems almost impossible for most artists to achieve these days. This is dinner with a woman, a glass of wine with friends, time spent alone. A wicked achievement, if I had a five disc changer, I'd put five copies of this album in it (two purchased, three copied). Well done Chan Marshall!
Honourable Mentions - Rock Plaza Central- Are We Not Horses - This has everything, it's a gypsy, folk, rock, cornucopia kitchen sink concept albumwith hand claps and a children's choir, how you follow this up is beyond me - most would release a shitty Trip Hop Record so let's pray that they don't. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat- Fantastic, with the exception of "Handle With Care" cover that people seem to love, but I think is weak, this is the album Amy Millan wanted to release instead of.... (segueway!)
Biggest Let Down- Amy Millan- Honey From the Tombs- I love women singing hurtin and drinking songs , but this misses the mark and before you bite my ears off Tyson Style let me state that I am a fan of Stars - more songs like"Celebration Guns" and less songs like most of this album.
NEXT SHIT- Cold War Kids- Keep your ears out, "Robbers and Cowards" was an outstanding album in 2006. Corin Raymond - Hardest working man in Toronto, from promoting great bands from Winnipeg to touring all over, great work Corin, let's hear that new record already! Johnny Marr has joined Modest Mouse!
TRENDS (Limited to Three per Category)
Biggest Trends of 2006 - Babies!- These little things were everywhere in 2006 and I think it's great, not those overpriced celebrity babies, I'm talking about good old fashioned middle class babies. Avocadoes- These things were (also) everywhere in 2006 from album covers, to posters and home decor - well done avocadoes! We didn't know how much we loved you until 2006 You Tube- Who the Heck watches TV anymore ? Go away TV we've had enough, we'll make our own.
Biggest Trends that Should Go Away - Goose Down Vests- This isn't Aspen people buy a proper coat already. TShirts With Shit All Over Them- These things just make people dizzy when they try to talk to you so take em off, most of them look like a plate of baby vomit with a bad skull tattoo stuck on top and an eagle wing sticking out of the side. Coffee - Useless, just plain useless, don't drink it for two weeks and feel how much energy your body actually has inside of it and you'll also be at least Forty Dollars richer I have to tell you folks that you are stuck in a vicious cycle (I'm gonna get hated on for that one).
Trends for 2007- Buying Canadian- Let's all get more involved in our local economy from produce, to artisans, to recording artists, we have to get behind this. Also the homeless of Toronto deserve some of our time, we've sent alot of dough overseas for charity, let's take a good long look in our own backyard. Electing the Pizza Oven at Dufferin Grove Park to City Council- It's obvious that local politics could use an actual inanimate object in a place of power, we've had enough pretenders. Art Galleries- These things deserve to be the avocadoes of 2007 - think of the fun we could have if there were more than three people in one of these things at a time!
(Sneaking in Under the Wire - Hot Chocolate ! Go drink some tomorrow it's 2007!)
Man of the Year- Dictators ! These guys really kept us on our toes in 2006, so much on our toes that we couldn't deal with the possibility of more war and hurt so we stupidly gave our time and attention to Jen and Vince, Angelina and Brad, Tom and Katie, Brit and all that shit instead of trying to deal with Kim Jong Il, to that Iranian Guy whose name is too messed up to write, to all those shit heads with children's armies in Africa, Rumsfeld (A Dictator who steps down!) . The Dictators really let themselves be known this year but we were watching E!talk instead.
Honourable Mention- My Dad, Warren Buffet, Sam Ferrara,
Woman of the Year- Pregnant Women !- From eating Activia and dancing in a park together, to driving me to a Wedding, to being on the cover of every magazine every month Pregant Women really represented in 2006! And not only that but then in 2007, a baby comes out! Pregnant women are like a living Kinder Egg, beautiful outside and a toy inside!
Honourable Mention- My Mom, Constance Rooke, The singer from the Pussycat Dolls (That would be amazing if in 2007 she became some kind of pregnant Dictator.)
Best Book- I didn't read a book that was published in 2006 this year, so I can't add to this list, most things I read were published in the 50's and earlier so they don't apply.
Best Sports - Catching more than half of the World Cup Games, the World Cup Kills. Zidane stood up and said, "Enough out of you" I think we all learned something there.
Quite a year, this post will be expanded soon.
