Thankfully I’ve been quite busy this year and haven’t had a chance yet to post everything.

I have therefore put together previously unpublished work for clients inspired by the return of spring, since it’s around the corner already.

Enjoy!

Due to the success of my “European Vacation” piece, I was invited to do another design for my clients at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. The theme with which to work was based on their current promotion with Transat Holidays as “wedding specialists”. We began with various themes of a tropical nature and tossed around a bunch of ideas.

I’m very passionate about what I do, and am constantly pushing the envelope out of my comfort zone, trying to use a given medium in a way that makes the most of its advantages. Until now in my window art I have been using a linework/color fill process that works best for maximum impact, but have missing out on the nature of painting, using colors against each other to create an interpretation of the subject with light & color shapes as opposed to outline.

While thinking about an idea I identified that the agency is not selling a trip, or a ticket, but an EXPERIENCE, and came up with the idea of snapshots. The snapshots are designed as if they were sent in by happy & grateful travelers, and allowed me the perfect opportunity to work out my new process.

Wow! Very intense. The paint dries too quickly for any blending, (a medium to fix this makes the paint too transparent) and of course I’m painting entirely backwards, in a necessarily reversed process. Basically instead of adding layers to something that’s there, I’m building layers based on what will be there later. Since I can’t even see what’s under what I just painted I have to visualize the whole piece (backwards)like a blindfolded chess player. I learned so much about what I do and have an entirely new artistic sense of perception.

Let’s throw in at this point that I’m working in windows on a busy downtown street, with everyone watching and sometimes interacting. No pressure…

While I still used a few black lines I ended up with a very satisfying piece, and now have a whole new technique to push even further.

As an add on they came up with the idea of painting “frames” made out of shells on their door that would allow them to insert & update current individual travel flyers.

An extreme challenge thoroughly enjoyed!

This was the commissioned piece. I spent hours sketching out clothing and branding elements already in use, not to mention how to paint them backwards!

This piece was commissioned by Carlson Wagonlit Travel. They had recently moved from a location they had occupied for quite some time.

The problem that arose once they had moved was that no one knew where. Under the shadow of a large bank, the general traffic didn’t realize a travel company was right under their noses.

Having seen my work for the Canada Games, they took advantage of their prominent large windows on Barrington St and commissioned me to put up a design themed on their upcoming European travel package promotions.

Researching their promotional material & the internet we chose the iconic images and the universal symbol of the traveling red dashes. I took advantage of the long narrow configurations of the windows to set up the icons as bookmarks in a meandering narrative.

The bright red X has done a lot to let people know where the door is.

This work was commissioned by Philip Holmans, owner of World Tea House on Argyle St in Halifax, N.S.

He runs an absolutely first rate house of teas, and has strong values in terms of the environment and an involvement in communities both local & worldwide.

His problems were that this message was not getting across coupled with a lack of stand-out visibility.

I worked out designs to address these issues, working with a bright yet earthy green that is in accord with his branding, choosing a more natural brown instead of the usual black to outline a leaf pattern that is alive and not static, moving in forms associated with life, caring, and organic growth. These designs support the symbols of the green man and recognized organic & fair trade logos.

Philip was great to work with and has had a lot of positive feedback from his windows, and I now know where to get the best tea in town.

Holiday Window time again!

I do this every year with local businesses. It’s a great way to stay in touch with clients and bring fun visibility to their establishments. It’s fun, gets my work out there, and brings in the traffic.

These are the spots along the parade route I did in time for the event. Tons of spectators staring at your windows all day is an excellent opportunity to produce works of art that work for you!

Click here to see the video!

Scott Colwell, owner of Certainly Cinnamon is continually supporting both my business & local events.

In this case it’s to help promote the buskers festival 2010. The acrobat with the hoop is my version of the buskers logo, while the juggler is a reference to one of the images making up the promotional poster.

Gatsby’s, under new management, had been doing a lot of work & promotion for the world cup, even being mentioned in Maclean’s magazine. They did not, however, wish to be typecast as a sports bar as they have live music & fine dining as well.

The annual Jazz festival window competition was the ideal opportunity. Having already worked with Gatsby’s & having already won the competition once we were a perfect match.

I put together a window design, and we got a bunch of old records for which I designed labels from my jazz greats portrait series. The result looks fantastic, and with live patio jazz they’ve completely relabeled themselves as much more than a great place to watch the cup!

One of my clients wanted to spruce up his windows, and is an avid supporter of local events. I got in touch with the event coordinator and established the correct mi’kmaq version of “welcome” and designed a dancer that relates along with the font to the membertou 400 design concept

I was commissioned by one of my clients to paint a window for a contest put on by the jazz festival. I got four other businesses to participate, and put together a mural commemorating the evolution of jazz. The piece works from dixieland to big band, then bebop on to present day. The piece includes portraits of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Dizzie Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, and the Shuffle Demons respectively.