ARTence Preview

Here is a preview of a piece I just finished for ARTence, an Italian online exhibition celebrating the "2010 - International Year of Biodiversity." The event will be promoted online throughout 2011 and is intended to raise awareness of how scientific research contributes to sustaining biodiversity.

Check back in the new year for a look at the full image and a link to the rest of the project.

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PechaKucha Night Victoria

I'll be giving a 6.6 minute presentation at PechaKucha Victoria this Thursday, November 25th. I'm calling it "He-Man, Gorillaz and Me." C'mon out to learn how 80s cartoon marketing and an animated pop band can make you a better person...or something. Here's a couple of preview slides.

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The Cowboy's Last Lament

A couple of quick sketches I did for Narwhal Magazine's story The Cowboy's Last Lament.

The beekeeper's widow Passion McPerry:

"Passion McPerry replied, “Don’t put much stock in God, I’m afraid. We been abandoned by him. Look at the horrible things in the world: the floods, the droughts, the killings. And this, too.” She raised her arm to reveal a rabid weasel dangling from it."

The lamentable Cowboy, fanny pack and all:

“Hot day today, huh, cowboy?” she asked, eyeing his rugged, weather-beaten good looks and soulful, shimmering fanny pack.

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Hard to Tell and stUmp available at Studio 6 Print Shop

Hard to Tell and stUmp are now available at the Studio 6 Print Shop. Gallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks. Three different sizes available.

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Hard to Tell

stUmp

New work and website update.

{ } Ok, summer is officially over and sad as I am to see it go its passing is marked by some great changes and, as the weather wettens, a return to the drawing board. So, what's new?

I just updated my site, adding some older design work, a new illustration and an updated T-shirt design I did for the Climbers' Access Society of BC.

The new illustration, stUmp is a tribute to my gradfather, who spent most of his life wandering the woods looking for fresh tracts of timber to deliver to the sawmill in Penticton, BC. Now when I wander the woods and see new trees growing out of old stumps I wonder how those original loggers would feel about the state of our forests.

In other news, I'm moving into a brand new studio in October at the 221a Artist Run Center in Chinatown. I'm looking foreword to working around all the talented kids that occupy the space behind the sliding wall.

More news, work and wonder soon!

Thanks for reading,

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:S:L:P: An interview I did for { justalilhype } online mag including a few elusive pics of my grad project (that I have yet to scan...)(thanks Chaya Bogorad for the pics).

Homeless Sketches

:S:L:P: Just spent 3 lovely weeks in the South Okanagan recovering from 4 years of art school (still not fully repaired...could be sometime before full normalcy is regained, if ever.)

Between working on a couple of commissions I managed to eek out a few sketches.

And here they are...(wow, I'm still in vacation mode, so I shall leave it at that.)

Flawed PalindromE {{Part 5 Process}}

:S:L:P: As I'm still waiting to scan the large scale pieces of my grad project so I can post them on my website I thought I'd bide my time with a little process post. Here's are some progress shots of the 4th and 5th parts of Flawed PlendromE (my grad piece).

This piece started with a memory of a family crest that hung in the front hall of my Grandmother's house in Penticton. You can see a pelican vulning (pulling out its breast feathers to feed it young with blood) at the top of the crest. Thanks to my uncle Rod for sending me pics of the family crest.

::I liked this image of self-sacrifice and thought it would act as a good bookend to my piece concerning of the pitfalls of youth (which I think ends when you discover that which you have to offer the world and begin to put it before your self).

::Watercolour washes on top of light pencils on wet Rives BFK. Burnt Umber, Purple and Cobalt Blue.

::More washes. Fleshing out shapes. Panes grey.

::Adding darks in acrylic to gauge contrast.

::Details.

::Lightend with gouache and acrylic.

::More lightening.

::Flawed PalendromE {Parts 4 and 5} Watercolour and acrylic on Rives BFK, 64.4cm x 60.7cm

The top half of this was separated and framed separately in the final piece.

::You've got one more day to check out all the great stuff at the grad show. Run!!!!

A Sad Farewell to Sophia Books

:S:L:P: Four years ago Sean Cranbury, who was working there at the time, asked me to do the window display at Sophia Books. On the eve of their closure I dug through some old pics and found the documentation I took that month.

You will be dearly missed Sophia.

Moo.Cards.

:S:L:P: Just got three packs of business cards from moo.com. Two on their regular 16pt stock and one on their new 100% post-consumer, manufactured using %100 wind power stock. Both look great (except for some minimal artifacting around the text).

The nice thing with moo is you can change the image on the front of the card. So if you're looking to show off different pieces from your portfolio every time you hand out a card, they're a good way to go.

The weird thing is the size of the cards. They're slightly shorter and narrower then standard North American business cards. That's because moo.com got its start in Europe and apparently they have much more refined and modest business card needs.

Check 'em out if you're in the market for new cards.

Grad Project Update: Panel B

:S:L:P: Another look at my grad project, this time a peek at the unfinished second panel. This is hand drawn on top of a digital print, a process I'm experimenting with for this project.

The countdown to opening night of the ECUAD Grad Show on May 1st is rapidly approaching. The website for the grad catalogue is up. Catalogues will be available this week from the Emily Carr front desk.

Finally, in un-my-art related news, check out this amazing photo essay from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, currently making a bit of a stir.

Mitchel Press Studio

:S:L:P: My studio at The Mitchel Press Building where I'm working on my grad project. You can see two out of the five pieces on the left and right along with lots of sketches and texture paintings.

I'll miss this place when I have to give it up next month.

Grad Update

:S:L:P: Here's a look at the first panel of my grad piece. The other five are coming along nicely and the process of merging the digital prints with hand drawn figures is working nicely. Check back for more updates soon and mark May 1st on your calendars for the Emily Carr Grad Show!

In other news, the second mounting of the Carded Show! opened last night and will be up until April 20th at the Ayden Gallery in Tinseltown. Check out all the great work!

Finaly, I've been listening to a great podcast on illustration called Big Illustration Party Time. Kevin Cross and Joshua Kemble geek out weekly about all things illustration, interview awesome illustrators and cartoonists, talk shop and fill your ears with tons of behind the scenes tidbits. Check it out!

Awwww, Carded! again!!!

:S:L:P: Carded is back and bigger then last time. This time it's at the Ayden Gallery in Tinseltown and the original card artwork along with other works by all the artists will be up for all to oogle at (oogle, by the way, is Googles little red-headed brother).

Opening Party & Card Trading Action
Saturday April 10, 8pm-midnight
Ayden Gallery (@ Tinseltown)

Grad Progress

:S:L:P: Here are a few pages of sketches for my grad project. It's the biggest project I've ever undertaken and if I can pull it off in the next 6 weeks I will be a very happy camper.

The project itself deals in the imagery of youth and the many transitions one goes through on their way to adulthood, or where ever we end up. These days it feels like youth and growing up is a 33 year long process.

I'll be posting occasional updates over the next 6 weeks documenting the progress of this piece. Any feedback on what you see is always welcome and muchly appreciated.

Enjoy.

Lost Basterds

:S:L:P: Well this post is a bit late, but its still cool none the less. Last month Upper Playground hosted a benefit for The American Red Cross to help the victims of the Haiti Earthquake. It featured many Juxtapos regulars interpreting the visuals of Tarantino's Nazi bashing opus Inglourious Basterds You can check out some of the work here. Some really amazing stuff (though a bit violent for this kind heart...what a sissy).

Listen to the new Gorillaz album at NPR!

:S:L:P: NPR has a North Americian Preview of the new Gorillaz album "Plastic Beach!" Check it out!

SKYLERPUNNETT.COM up and running!

:S:L:P: My new website is up at www.skylerpunnett.com. Lots of new work. Let me know what you think!

Carded! Pics

The Carded! show at the Jacana Gallery was a big success. Tons of happy folk trading their hearts out to collect their faves. What a great way to get to shake off the usual pretence that swarms about most gallery openings. Thanks to Chris Bentzen and Jim Hoehnle for putting on the show!

My Carded! Top 5 (l to r, t to b):

1} The Parnell Collective's "Bear Dreamer"

2} Soizick Meister's "Where Is the Bird"

3} Joseph Swan's (Matt Bowen's) "Rodeo Clown"

4} Matt Watson's "Untitled"

5} Shwa Keirstead's "Gentlemanly Anguilla"

A warm frenzy of trading.

John and Matt hone their collections.

Jenny's stash.

It's the little things that count...

Switly by Ceci Velasco

Here's my good friend Ceci's amazing animation from the Shane Koyczan We Were Here live show. It's nice to see it getting all the attention it deserves. Way to go, Ceci!!

You can check out more of her work at her blog.

The Beast With Two Backs

:S:L:P: Here's the piece that's been on my drawing board for the last week. It came from a thought I had about the following phrase:

This modern-sounding phrase is in fact at least as early as Shakespeare. He used it in Othello, 1604:

Iago:
"I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs."

Shakespeare may have been the first to use it in English, although a version of it appears in Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel, circa 1532. This was translated into English by Thomas Urquhart and published posthumously around 1693:

"In the vigour of his age he married Gargamelle, daughter to the King of the Parpaillons, a jolly pug, and well-mouthed wench. These two did oftentimes do the two-backed beast together, joyfully rubbing and frotting their bacon 'gainst one another."

Check back in the coming weeks to see the finished work.

Kung-fu Plant Attack Squad

:S:L:P: Another Pentel brush pen sketch from sketch night with Matt and Tom. This time its the Kung-Fu Plant Attack Squad. I'm not sure if the plant is their leader or archenemy. Actually I'm not sure about a lot of things in this drawing, for instance, the man in the tweed suit who appears to have a clitoris for an Adam's apple. I guess that's just what happens when you draw with guys like Matt and Tom.

Shane Koyczan Videos

:S:L:P: the videos from last years Shane Koyczan show We Were Here are finally up on youTube. Have a gander a let me know what you think!

Jason Bionic

For the Woman...

Thoughts

Carded!

:S:L:P: Mark February 27th at 8pm on your calendar for 2nd annual Carded! Show at the Jacana Gallery at 2435 Granville Street. Its a great way to get to know some local talent. Purchase a pack of cards and then start trading with other gallery goers for your favourite pieces. Try to collect all 50!!!

You can see my piece for the show bellow. Hopefully all the kids will want it!