Collages for Emilie

I made three collages out of old kids books, comics, and Disney books, some of which Danielle gave me, for her newest baby, with David, named Emilie! I hope she likes them!

Quilt for Andrea

In December of 2016 I started a quilt for my soon-to-be wife Andrea. I got a beautiful vintage ring for our wedding, and she didn't want anything other than the gold band from our engagement, but i wanted her to have a wedding gift too!  Unfortunately other art stuff took precedence, and it was intermittently put on the back burner, but I finally finished it, only a year later!  It's all made from batik fabric, which kind of reminds me of tie dye, which Andrea loves. the back is outer space fabric that she picked out, and I made a label and embroidered it with glittery thread.  Here it is!

Joyce theatre drawing, for Meagan

I went to NYC for the first time this year. I've always wanted to go but never have been able to, or never made it happen. I finally got there, with my best friend since high school Meagan Snyder, who was four months pregnant. We stayed in a great ram shackle hostel in Chelsea and we had the time of our lives. My favourite thing was just looking at buildings and people. One building I especially liked was this theatre right by our hostel that said JOYCE giant neon letters. I drew a picture of it for Meagan, whose Grandmother's name was Joyce, and will be giving her future daughter Joyce as a middle name.

Cream Soda collage

I've been experimenting with more abstract collage styles, using a lot of kids books and graphic novels (my love Daniel Clowes), stamps I got in NYC and small illustrations.

Our Ink, Our Stories for KPL

In September I started my dream job at the Kitchener Public Library, as a Library Assistant (helping people sign up for library cards, check in and check out books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, helping people use the internet, the printer, access classes and resources) at the main branch of the library, which is like a beautiful art gallery as well as being a breathtaking work of architecture, as well as a place that houses a lot of very happy personal memories of reading, learning, art and community, but also at the four community library branches (Forest Heights, Country Hills, Pioneer Park and Grand River) which each have their own distinct personality and populations they serve.

In addition to loving the work, I also love the organization and what they stand for. I also work with and for some of the nicest, coolest, smartest people in the area. I honestly enjoy going to work every day and actually believe in what we do. It's so unusual! Unlike some libraries, the KPL is super progressive and forward thinking in it's vision, and in the last year enrolment has increased by 20%! The library is so much more than a place to get any book, movie, or piece of music for free, but it's kind of the true manifestation of democracy - a non-capitalist town hall - where anyone is welcome regardless of where they are at in life, where people can come when they come as refugees to Canada, when they get out of jail after twenty years, when they don't know how to use the internet, when they have five kids and are about to have a nervous breakdown, when they can't read, when they have a disability, when they want to make art or use technology or make music but can't afford the supplies, and they are all welcomed as our customers. Or you can come use the library if you have everything you could want and need in life, and you'll get more than you could ever imagine out of it. You can borrow musical instruments, toys, try virtual reality, make a 3D print, make a podcast, make a video on our green screen.

As if the job couldn't get any better, one of the people I work with - Meg Harder, is an amazing artist and person, and asked me to help her with a really cool project that the CEO Mary Chevreau asked her to take on, and I've been loving to contribute to it. The project is Our Ink, Our Stories, and it is a blog telling stories of the residents of Waterloo Region through their tattoos (or other uses of ink/paint on their bodies).

Resist Psychic Death banner, Night/Shift 2017

Posing on the banner

the scheming duo, with banner draped on Andrea's car

the banner hanging outside of J&P Grocery

The banner lit up and on display - only sagging slightly - on November 4th 2017 for Night\Shift.

Some explanation.

RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH - Night\Shift 2017

RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH is the title of my project that will be revealed for Night\Shift 2017 in Downtown Kitchener on November 4th.

Inspired by the quilts of my mom, Margaret Anglin, the use of banners as tools of protest by feminist artists such as Allyson Mitchell, and the 1992 song Resist Psychic Death by the feminist punk band Le Tigre, I am creating a large scale (6 x 15 feet) felt banner in bright, feminine colours that reads RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH, and is decorated with hand crafted felt flowers, sequins, rhinestones, and pom poms, that will be hung above the entrance of J & P Grocery in Goudie's Lane. 

RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH is a call to the viewer to continue to think critically and revolt against oppression despite political forces (Trump, Alt-Right Hate Groups & Canada 150 celebrations) that ask us to suspend/silence our outrage. 

It also elevates the use of traditionally female and therefore de-valued art forms, as well as cheap, tacky "craft" supplies to the level of "high" art - ya dig?

So this was the drawing I created to base the banner on, that I pitched to the good folks at Night\Shift. They in all their greatness said, yes - go for it. 

I started with my felt flower garden.

and I made them into monsters using rhinestones, pom poms, googly eyes and discarded earings.

Like this one with a tear drop of breast milk falling from its eyeball.

and this one with vampire fangs and a labret piercing. 

Then I started the letters. This was the longest part of the process because I hand cut the letters, purple zig zags, then stitched them together.


And they were each two feet high - as evidenced by Eric Rumble, creator of Night\Shift, here seen holding the Y from Psychic aloft in the Goudie's Lane.


It took a lot of math to figure out how to make the letters the right size. I hope I got them right!

then one day this crazy huge piece of candy pink felt showed up in the mail. It was a bit unweildy.

But I had some strange creatures assisting me. 

My studio - aka an old formica table in the rear end of our tiny apartment. It does the trick!

Then I glued on the flowers. To quote famed drag queen Ben De La Creme "This? Oh this is all hot glue and desperation!"

Then I added pom poms, because everything's better with pom poms. 

this thing's starting to look really friggin' good and wacky, and we're gonna light it up like the fourth of july! So come see it in all its finished glory on November 4th from 7pm-midnight, hanging in Goudie's Lane (right above the entrance to J & P Grocery!). 

Bald Britney

I painted this portrait of Britney Spears (pictured bald, as she briefly appeared after shaving her head on that shining moment in 2007) as a commission from my good friend Emily Gove. The background is inspired by Gustav Klimt, who I've been in to lately, despite his philandering.

Bald Britney, Watercolour & Ink on Paper, 2017.

The Drawings of Andrea Hawkins

Andrea Hawkins turns crayon wax into magic.

Raccoon, With Ketchup Chips, Crayon on Paper 2016 by Andrea Hawkins

Glamour Mug Shots

Paris Hilton, watercolour, 2017

Lindsay Lohan, water colour & ink, 2017

Wrestling With Flowers

Wrestling With Flowers is a series that I created for an exhibit at a bar called The Grand Trunk in Toronto. Each picture depicts a fellow Canadian artist who mixes gender & art to beautiful effect in their self-presentation.

Fay Slift, Toronto, Water colour & Sequins.

Jackie Shane, Toronto & the US, Water colour.

Champagna, Toronto, water colour & collage.

Max, Toronto, Water colour & collage. 

Michelle DuBarry, Toronto, Water colour. 

Myss Taken, London, water colour & collage.

Nico Lavender, London, water colour & sequins.

Vanessa, Toronto, ink & water colour.

Food Truck Fam Jam poster for Downtown Kitchener.

Apartment Search, by Emily Anglin

Poem, Apartment Search, by Emily Anglin. Illustrated by Ellie Anglin. 

Leaves and Light at Dusk, Waterloo Park

Leaves and Light on Silver Lake in Waterloo Park at Dusk, Photograph, Summer 2017.

Ominous Skies over Waterloo

Photo of ominous skies over Uptown Waterloo, Summer 2017

KW'S ZINE SCENE, The Community Edition

The Community Edition wrote this article about me and other great zinesters in Waterloo Region!

Ze Cats mural, co-created with Caroline Wesley

My mural, "Ze Cats", that I created with Caroline Wesley is currently on display in the window of The Princess Cafe in Waterloo. 

Sadly due to another drunk person breaking their window again. Don't punch windows!

The Cave

The Cave

Living in a cave, dripping grey

with glow worms and lamp light

your neon strobe light 

makes me feel so 

masochistic

spiritually shooketh

weak as a kitten

I can't get over it

spelunking psyches

wandering strange-wise

remembering memories wrong

dancing sideways

measuring years of time

managing hours minutes days

dying somebody else's death

doing it my way