A guy named Austin Kleon takes a sharpie to the daily post and creates poetry that I like more than any other poems I remember ever liking. His website is located at austinkleon.com

In March I did this album cover for Saskatoon’s The Sheepdogs. I made an edition of five 6-colour screenprints, and then one was scanned for the cover. The album was just released last week and is very awesome, so check out their website and pick up a copy.

…turn it into, uh, more paper.

For my 3rd year printmaking class, I’m doing a project that involves making a bunch of my own paper. These scraps will go in it, along with whatever else I can manage to turn into paper. Maybe some cotton rag pulp, abaca (banana leaf) pulp, celery, old t-shirts, some straw, pieces of other people’s prints, who knows…

This (sort of related) interest in exploring the “lives” of resources (as they are found, made into things, and then discarded, and then maybe used again, as is the case with some of the things I’m recycling in my paper) kind of came to me in the last little while, and was a big part of the movie Manufactured Landscapes that I watched the other day.

“I used to want to be a doctor. Then I wanted to be an artist. Now I want to be a photographer…”
-Avijit, 11, Calcutta

I just watched the documentary “Born into Brothels” on The Passionate Eye. Holy. What cool kids in such uncool situations. Makes me want to join in and help others by using art.

And… how come people under 12 tend to come up with the best photographs? I’ve seen it happen several times.

art is just what we decide to treat as art, and that it has way more to do with the person making it and the people viewing it than the actual “it” itself.

Here are other answers to “what is art?” taken from the streets of the USA.

Hey,

So I’m back in Canada and excited about life. This site is finally getting some action, with some new pages with photos of my art.

 Anyone going to Tokyo in May 08 should check out the brightly-coloured and only slightly overwhelming Design Festa, held on the 17th and 18th at Tokyo Big Sight. It’s the largest art and design festival in Asia and is like nothing you would ever see in North America. Held twice a year, there are about 7,000 exhibitors and usually over 50,000 visitors. Paintings, prints, shoes, hair bobbles, umbrella sculptures, music, food… it’s all there.

I went to the 25th Design Festa in May 07 and had a great time. It was amazing to see so many young Japanese designers, creating all kinds of things, but who seemed to have similar influences. So different from stuff here. Everything looked Japanese, and was super kawaii. But the best thing of all is that I left my mark on Vol. 25, in the official website’s Visitors Report.

I know this blog/website is pretty darn stagnant right now, but as soon as I figure out how to post photos and info about my art (and have it look the way I want it to), I’ll have some stuff happening here. So check back every once in awhile. I plan to have photos of all my past work, updates my current projects, and info on where I’m showing/selling work (and how you can give me money for it!).

See ya later.

Hi! I’m sitting in the HUGE Kyoto Station on Luke’s laptop on some sketchy internet connection that he hacked into. So… thought I’d just write a quick post to say that the two of us are having a good time so far. Went to a big, busy flea market today at Toji temple, ate some good market food and ran into lots of other students from my school. Said goodbye to all my friends the other night… bittersweet… sad to leave but happy to move on to other things like Tokyo, Seoul and then going home!

Go look at Luke’s blog for some photos from the baseball game and maybe some others.

Really sunny here today, I think both of us have sunburns on the back of our necks. But now after a little break and some ice coffee we’re ready to go exploring again. Maybe will do the Philosopher’s Walk along a little canal…

I think tomorrow I will go to a place to get dressed up as a geisha. Then have my last dinner and night with my family tomorrow. THEN… off to Tokyo!

Bye!

Japan is so much fun!