Two Hundred and Fifty Posts.

I don't usually just blog for blogging's sake, but I'm just having a bitch of a day. I'm pretty lucky/disciplined when it comes to my time at the easel. Today it just isn't happening, nothing is going as planned, I find myself distracted and bothered etc. So I will go have a bath and then maybe work on some things that are completely unrelated to Any How Town, Pop Goes the Cowboy or anything else, maybe that will dislodge this fist sized tumour that has lodged itself in my head.

Had a hot bath, had supper, went for a quick,brisk freeze my ass off walk, met a friend for a pint, asked friends to send me some random words to construct a drawing around, starting drawing, was enjoying that and just messed the board, this day is a total write off. This kind of shit should not be happening right now.

A.S Hahn

Fringe Kids submissions

This was a pleasant distraction for a couple of days, these were submitted to the Toronto Fringe for their "Fringe Kids" poster contest, which is probably painfully obvious and not worth typing, but I did anyway. Not sure when the winner will be announced. I like them both.

Little People, Large Animals

Untitled (Ostrich), Untitled (Pig) SOLD Ares (third) Desperado SOLD

acrylic on canvas16 x 20 inches

two hundred and fifty dollars

From the series, "Pop Goes the Cowboy" at the Cameron House,

Opening Reception, Wed, April 1rst, 6-8 pm

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Still haven't fixed the email link, so copy and paste in your provider to contact me.

Here's a link to the Rattlesnake Choir myspace page.

http://www.myspace.com/rattlesnakechoir

Col. Tom Parker will also be playing. It's gonna be a party folks.

A.S Hahn

More Liberty ( I like the way that sounds)

from top

Royal Eagle, Sunflower, Opium, Killaz 2, Butterfly '06 2

27.5 x 20 inchesmixed media on illy board$500.00from the series, "Pop Goes the Cowboy" at the Cameron House, March 29-30.

Opening Reception, Wed, April 1rst, 6-8 pm

UPDATE I guess I should note here that these are NOT finished pieces, I've continued working on all the boards for the show so things have improved greatly. The finished boards will be posted at the end of the week before I hang the show. I would not hang any of these in their current state.

Liberty Boots, POP GOES THE COWBOY, cont'd

This was the first piece that I started when the idea of the show was proposed, it feels like an overdone sketch, but really isn't very successful, I doubt that it will be included in the show. It's pretty immature, but you have to start somewhere and since I don't usually sketch this is where I began. I like the lettering and will use them in the next "Killaz" piece, which I"m starting now (5:15am) .That hat, which is based on the "Killaz" toe design looks fucking ridiculous and I'm punching myself in the balls for even conceiving of it.

A.S.H

I can't be happy with the work, until I'm happy with the work, so there may be some big changes to these pieces the closer we get to the date of hanging the show, I thought originally I would do nine pieces and be done, but since I"m working in a different way than usual I have to keep coming back to the pieces and changing them and doing new ones. I had to get this far with the work, in order to break the rules.

Killaz,

Psychedelic Devil

Butterfly '06

27.5 x 20 inches, mixed media on illy board

$500.00

Matchbox Rooster

27.5 x 20 inches, mixed media on illy board

$500.00

Here's four more, read all about it below.

POP GOES THE COWBOY at the Cameron House

Brody Rocks

27.5 x 20 inches, mixed media on illy board

$500.00

Classical Bugs

27.5 x 20 inches, mixed media on illy board

$500.00

The Opening party for "Pop Goes the Cowboy" at the Cameron House will be on April 1rst from 6-8 pm, there will be a band, maybe Rattlesnake Choir and perhaps we'll be blesses with catering by Mimi. Pop Goes the Cowboy is the Liberty Boot Co.'s yearly show of Tony Bennatar's amazing cowboy boots, this year he is joined by yours truly, A.Shay Hahn, I'm illustrating nine or ten different styles of Liberty Boots for you to marvel at.

A.S Hahn

Theatre Series

The Lighting Designer

sixteen x twenty inches

acrylic on canvas

SOLD.

more on this later.

Had to use most of the day to continue touch ups and corrections on the last two pieces from the "Flight" series, there were aspects of both pieces that were driving me batshit and could not let them leave the studio as they were. It's 2:42 and I feel much better about both of them and can now move onto "the Liberty Boot" project which will now eat my entire weekend. So I hope the weather sucks even worse than today so I won't be tempted to leave the house until I have to work at the pub.

A.S Hahn

Best laid plans.

Always feel like a bit of a liar when I post something and then I realize that what I think is possible ends up being impossible, I may have a couple of pieces for Friday, but instead of finishing them all, I started a new piece for the Liberty Show, so that's six on the go right now. I also realize that I originally intended to do 10 pieces for the show, but if I want them all to be at a quality that I am content with I can only do nine.

While I'm throwing myself into this new venture, I would reccomend buying something.

Saturday Update: It's great having a short break to look at the six pieces, I am confident that I can finish one a day for the next six days (starting Monday) and have them posted, then work on the next three. This is the best route that I can take, luckily each of the six is more than halfway completed so I should be able to get through them in fine style, it's the lettering that kills me, and the layers, they kill me too. Stay tuned for some hot cowboy boot action.

A.S.H

Lots of news...cont'd.

Hey folks, hop on over to my online comic "Any How Town" to read about why I'm even bothering to do an online comic. See the links section.

best, A.S Hahn

Oh and I almost forgot, click the One Thousand Fiances Tag, I forgot how much I love those paintings until I put them in a row together, someone should buy the remaining three as a set.

MY EYES! OH GOD, MY EYES! or 4:34 pm

It's usually around this time Shoppers that I have to get up from the easel for a good long walk. I usually sit/stand for about seven hours a day when I have a series to work on (with a short break for lunch, coffee refill, run to the store etc.) sometimes I'll go longer if things are going well, it's the eyes that get strained. Not my back, not my neck, no real head aches, but my eyes start to dry out and feel a bit like a rubber band about to snap (or any cartoon simile equivalent.).

I have five of the Libery Boot pieces on the go and am enjoying their development immensely. It's a stylistic choice to do them more as posters than paintings, requiring finer lines, more thin layers of colour than I am used to, and a straight graphic plan as opposed to the organic form that comes to me so quickly with painting.

My intention is to have five of them finished and posted for your gandiferous praise by Friday barring any physical interruption (working for someone else) or spiritual deflation (cheques not arriving when they should).

So we'll talk soon,
A.S Hahn

From back in the day

Below is a link sent by my buddy Sammy, back in University (and I mean way back in the Winters Residence days) I was doing the occasional comic inspired by things me and my crew, "the Abjeerks" said on pub night, here's the link, bear in mind I was doing this over twelve years ago, in a pub surrounded by my pals. Who are still my pals to this day. I'll write more on this later...

http://web.archive.org/web/20030501143040/www.globalserve.net/~ratpack/Abjerks/abjerks.htm

Upcoming Events

Woman with Wings

twelve x twelve inches, acrylic on canvas

$120.00

Man and Woman with Hammers (Dyptych)

each piece eighteen x eighteen inches

dyptych $600.00

Hey there Shoppers, I have some dates for you

First up in for the month of April we will be at the Cameron House (Queen, 1 bl. W of Spadina, building in covered in giant ants, how could you miss it ?) with the Liberty Boot Co. show, "Pop Goes the Cowboy". No date for the Opening but I assume it will be the first Saturday in April, The Cameron Family Singers will be playing, no doubt. If you scroll here you can see, works in progress for the show and there's a link to see the Liberty Boot Co. website which is a great site to zip around on.

For the month of May the mad craft shoppe celebrates it's 4 year Anniversary with a SALE at the Press Club (850 Dundas St.W ) the party will be Saturday May 9th, from 7-10 get there early as work will be leaving in quick fashion, check the Tab, "Fables", "Ladies of the Flowers" "Sets" to see what is available for purchase. Eventually I'll put up a posting of work and the sale prices but that will have to wait a day or two.

Sunday, this Sunday from 4-10 I'll be slinging ale at the Cloak and Dagger come by to see Banjo Frank and his Bluegrass Troopers, (I just made that name up, except for the Banjo Frank part) , it will be a party

I don't know what's up with the link to my email, but if you need to contact me it's still
madcraftshoppe@live.com but clicking on it won't get you far.

all the best,
A.S Hahn

Flight, commissioned project

Top "The Blessing at Kittyhawk"

bottom "The Offering"

each piece twenty four x twenty four inches

acrylic on canvas, from the series "Flight"

Here are the last two pieces for the commissioned series "Flight", it has been a great pleasure for me working on this series, as I'm sure I've mentioned before flying and its many aspects features very prominently in my work particularly in the "Fables" series. These four pieces use a good bit of the "language" I used in Fables, the masked figures and red airplanes have been featured in my work since probably 1997, the giant women of "The New Dress" and "The Tea Party" (as seen above) from Fables occurs again, the above image startles and surprised me as a concept, incredibly happy with the surreal element of the piece.

Originally I'd intended the four pieces to have a continued narrative, I am very happy that I changed my mind, after much sketching and deliberating and discussion, and just stayed with the concept of "Flight" as the unifying idea behind the pieces.

All four are framed in walnut stained "Floating" frames that look quite sharp. The next step will be hanging the work in the client's house, which we are going to do together to pick the best location (s) in the residence.

A.S Hahn

Lost Man, Found Dog #4

Lost Man, Found Dog #4 ,

from the continuing series "Small Towns"

Twenty Four x Twenty Four inches

four hundred dollars

I haven't posted a Small Town in a quite a while, people ask if I still do them, the answer is yes, commission one from me today, but first buy this one, they look great in pairs.

madcraftshoppe@live.com

A.S Hahn

promise to fix this link this week, contact me via your provider.

Mad Craft Shoppe visits Hawaii...

We are everywhere baby, everywhere but getting around to fixing the email link, so contact us through your provider. Many thanks to Tyson for sending theses photos along.

More to come this week, but I will also be taking the job of Sunday bartender at the Cloak and Dagger, which I have promptly changed the position to "Celebrity Bartender". Once we're on our feet we will inform you of all kinds of Sunday Afternoon events, that I will be organizing.

all the best,

A.S Hahn

Liberty Boot Project, Cont'd.

Top are the Sunflower's done in a beige tone that I quite like will probably do a pretty straight ahead cowgirl theme for them.

The style below are called "Butterfly '06" and they are incredible to behold, for the image, since the boot will be displayed beside it, I decided to do a different take and have the "monarch fairy" perched on the boot, this piece is coming along but doing all that plotting on the lettering to give it a Grateful Dead vibe is going to be exhausting.

The show will be hung at the Cameron House on the Twenty Eighth of March, I think, here's a link to the Liberty Boot Company, don't be alarmed when the music player starts, to turn it off click the red button the amp.

http://www.libertybootco.com/default.aspx

have to get back at it,

A.S Hahn

I haven't fixed my link yet, so email me through your provider for the time being

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Second Piece for "Flight- commissioned project"

A Message

twenty four x twenty four inches

acrylic on canvas

commission

This is the second finished piece, many folks sent in comments as to how emotional they found this work while it was in development. I agree, as a man who spends quite a bit of time in the pubs I know that sometimes my girlfriends would get quite angry or feel ignored when I was out with the lads. This woman chose to exit on a stairway of birds. That's what I pick up from the image.

A.S Hahn

Lots to come this weekend...and Gateway Drugs

Mission to the Moon

twenty four x twenty four inches

acrylic on canvas

from the commissioned series, "Flight"

Also, added to the links section is a gateway to "the alphabet shoppe" my blogsite for kids art for all ages. Keep dropping in over the weekend, there will be all kinds of things to see.

Also we've just created the "Any How Town" blog site, (See Links) which is the online graphic novel and other comics created by none other than (see below).

A.S.Hahn

Commission Project

A long time ago, (Sat, July 19,08) I started to post prelim sketches for a series of four commissions, now so many months later I've begun to do the work, here are the block ins for three of the four pieces, expect these images to keep popping up here as the work progresses hopefully to be finished in the next two weeks if I just put my head down, stay out of the pubs and work diligently and don't make too many missteps. Each image is based around the theme of flight, there will be flocks of birds and airplanes, Icarus wings and all sorts of things.

Above you can see the images are progressing nicely, these shots are from a couple of days ago. I hope to have "the Ground Crew" painting finished for tomorrow, it's a favourite, the new working title "Mission to the Moon" ever since doing "Last of the Airmen" for the series "Silver" I just can't get the concept of the jet pack out of my head. I was asked why I chose "Flight" as a them for these pieces, the answer would involve a quick survey of the work I've done in the "Fables" series, which is predominently about flight, escape, travel. It doesn't carry as much into "Silver" which was a very grounded show. (More to come)

A.S Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Theatre Project

Here are the rough block in and sketches for a new series about the Theatre, from the top there is the block in for "The Read Through","The Set Designer" "The Costume Designer", ""The Playwright", "The Critics" and "The Lighting Designer.

At the bottom is my prelim sketch for "The Playwright" and the image that inspired me to start the series, Guy de Pene DuBois' "Cafe du Dome" a wonderful and deceptively simple work. I'd been considering doing some Theatre based work for many years but didn't have an "in" to the series, even after working in Theatre for over seven years as a Scenic Artist and having several plays produced in Toronto, Vancouver and Picton and a great working relationship with the Blyth Festival as both.

I left the business due to a lack of work and money and the ridiculously long gestation periods of play development, but love the business dearly, attend often and contribute to fundraising auctions in Toronto regularly.

I think alot of these chosen images appeal to me for the simple reason that as collaborative a project as theatre is, the creators and designers spend much of their time alone and then bring work to the group. I may after the initial twelve look at other aspects of Theatre, but starting with these "departments" which are those that I am most intimate is the best way to start this particular project.

I do want to add, "The One Woman Show", "The Collective Creation" and several others, but I think it would be wise to get through these first. I should commit to adding anecdotes to each piece as it gets completed since I've been very deliquent with that aspect of blogging, I think it will be easier to tell stories about this work than about work from "Silver" which was personal, but also, I believe rather self explanatory and that was it's strength.

This will be a series of Twelve pieces, each one is 16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas when they are finished I will definitely have a showing.

A.S.H

madcraftshoppe@live.com