Wexford Collegiate Open House

Posted some pics of Wexford during their Open House as my son, Rowin, prepares for High School. Wexford is a specialized Art School catering to students who excel in visual arts, media, film, dance, and drama. Me and Rowin took a tour of the school and looking at all the cool things it had to offer hoping it will become his next school. 

We had time to engage with the staff and students and really loved how open, welcoming, accepting, and diverse this school is. I felt at home among Artists who, in my opinion, are awesome and eclectic people to be around.

Students work in groups to paint the lockers 

in diverse styles and expressions. How many schools do that...

This is the washroom facility... cool. I like a place 
that understands a toilet is just a toilet and everybody uses it.

Rowin looking at the papier mache whale and 

calf, displayed in the main foyer.

Sirius Black

Back to Harry Potter for more character inspiration. Went completely digital on this one.

Studio Shed

Finally finished my long anticipated Studio Space. It's a point of pride and a thing of beauty. Painting was the most time consuming of all. Love Board and Batten, dislike painting it. Requires extreme patience.

It's becoming the go to place for after school hanging out with the kids and my wife has taken possession of the corner for her crafting table. Besides sharing is more fun, right. Just awaiting Solar Panels and it will power itself. Added more images under the tab, In The Workshop, showing the progression stages for us building nerds who enjoy looking at Framing.

The Portrait of the Artist in from of his Studio Oct 2016.

LOISH'S New Book

Picked up LOISH's new book from my favourite art store, Labyrinth, in Toronto's west end, while adventuring around with the family. I recently came across her work and was very impressed with her digital paint and rendering. Even more excited to find a book of work, It even came with a groovy case. Began reading it once I was home and couldn't put it down. The cool thing about it is the addedtutorial demonstrating her creative process. Awesome :)

Crotchety Teacher

Thought it was timely to post this as Daily Sketch since its Back to School for the kiddies after a nice long hot summer. The glum faces and the dismal expressions reminds me of another long year of school. "Get used to it kids," I say, "school for you guys will be long. High school and post-secondary and perhaps even more post-secondary." Their faces sink even more. Learning hasn't always been exciting for them and my wife and I supplement their education a great deal. Are teachers not inspired to learn anymore? Has stagnation and comfort usurped joy and enthusiasm for learning? I know there are still some passionate educators out and my children have met them but they are far and few between.

Later in my class I share my kid's sentiment with my students, who are much older. Their feedback is imbued with passion and disappointment as they share their stories of public education as a broken system far too great a topic to get into here...

...As for my kids, here's hoping your educators will continue to rise above the doldrums of mediocrity and show the passion for learning and knowledge to be just as exciting as I see it.

Fun with BLOCKS...

Atticus, my youngest son,  being creative with shapes. It all starts out like a big mess of pieces all over the living room carpet. But somehow the mess is all good when my wife and I see the cognitive development being displayed at the end.

Ohh the joys of perception and creativity. I see mess and he sees things waiting to be discovered. I should talk, my studio space sometimes looks like a nuclear explosion of paper, pencils, paints, and several devices running at the same time. It works out being something in the end though or not. It's the journey that's important. Yeah, go with it. That's more of a serene way of looking at it.  No mess, no mess.

HillBilly BOB

HillBilly BOB realized that with every new bank account opened, he's awarded a new gun. It's a deep south AMERICAN thing.  BOB has now opened several bank accounts and collects a variety of guns.     

Evidently, collecting guns is like collecting coins, comics, or stamps. That was cool in my youth. I suppose the gun collector might have a hard time bringing them into show-in-tell for a classroom event.  I personally would be afraid to run into BOB at the local grocery store.

LAURA ANGEL

Today's daily sketch is LAURA ANGEL. Liked the idea of an ANGEL who has seen and been through too much to give a shit. For immortals, their POV of human history would be a history repeating itself over and over again, hamster wheeling for eternity-bummer.

This is my first real attempt at going right into digital without a pre-drawing. I usually have some pencil sketch that I can rely on, but not this time. Really like working with Autodesk's SketchPro. Happy with the results.

I imagined Laura to be fashionable grundge wearing diva  and being more intrigued with her yo-yo than saving humans from their idiotocratic ways. Maybe she was inspired by characters like Jessica Jones, Alias, Aeon Flux, and other ideas lurking in my subconscious.

Hope to include Laura in a project in the future, but like the saying goes, for people like me with busy schedules, "you won't have time if you don't make time," or what was it "schedule time"...lol

until next time...