Ocean view

Back in the 1980s, when I was doing fine art as a sole means of income, I would do a line drawing of an outhouse for each annual show, which we held at our house. These outhouses were always a lot of fun to draw. I was amazed each time, for without fail, this was always the first drawing to sell. We offered a few limited-edition prints of these outhouses over the years, and each time they too sold out rapidly. Even now, twenty-five years later, I see them from time to time, still proudly hanging in bathrooms. It seems this is the perfect art for that location. As we prepare the new limited edition prints for release, we have decided that we will include the beloved outhouse. This one is totally from my imagination. As I considered the ultimate outhouse, I reckoned it needed to have the perfect ocean view. A hilltop would be best, to take advantage of the view, which meant some stairs were required. The beach is suggested by the driftwood and stones in front, and since the door had to face the ocean to take advantage of the view, I couldn’t draw the water. The nautical theme is further told by adding the sailing ship weathervane to the peak of the roof. The name of this piece is ‘Sea Shanty’. Stay tuned for its release very soon…

Tractor two

Until last week, I still hadn’t consistently produced laser art good enough to make me happy. It has been three weeks of draw, test, trash, adjust and repeat. Although I’m sure there will be no end to the testing and learning, I’ve discovered which style of line art reproduces best as a laser print. I’ve tried all kinds of wood and every laser setting possible with a wide variety of results. I’m now working on how to hand-colour the laser work, so it is pleasing to my eye. All in all, it has been a challenging but fun learning curve.

In my free time, I’ve also been out exploring the local area, gathering more photos for inspiration. In the evenings, I have begun working on new artwork that is better suited for laser etching. I found this gorgeous old tractor only three blocks from our house. Last evening, I created the line work, and first thing this morning set up the laser and got it running before I began work in the shop. The result made me smile.

An edition of three

The Sign Invitational, which is happening soon, is a ‘contest’ of sorts, although the contestants are actually really good friends. Each year, Jim Dawson and I invite signmakers and other creatives from around the world to design and build a dimensional sign with a specific theme and bring it to the International Sign Expo to be held on April 8-10 this year. The twenty-thousand attendees who pass by the booth will have the opportunity to admire the signs and vote for their favourite. The reason for the ‘contest’ is for the entrants to create a showpiece for their studios and, in the process, hopefully inspire others to do this over-the-top dimensional work. Being at the show is also a chance to hang out with some of the most creative people on the planet, which is always a whole lot of fun. We anticipate that about fifteen signmakers will answer our challenge this year, which should make for an amazing display.

As one of the organizers, I volunteered to create the awards this year for the entries voted number one, two and three. With my current passion being the creation of limited edition laser prints, this is the perfect opportunity to get in a little more practice with this extremely limited edition of only three pieces. Jason Nale ( http://originaledesigns.co ) did the logo design for the completion a few years ago, which I produced in my style as a line drawing. The toad was added to the top to tie in with this year’s theme. I’ll be adding a little colour and some 23K gold leaf bling - just for fun.

First one complete

After many days of testing scores of different images, settings and types of woods and substrates, I created the first images with the laser that I was happy with. At the same time, I’ve been testing various painting techniques. Tonight, I hand-painted these first two laser images to complete the first limited edition print. One copy I will keep to hang on the wall in the laser room, a benchmark of where this began. The other one I will present to my good friend Dave, who also embarked on a creative adventure as the new year dawned. Now, this creative journey truly begins…

Journey back in time

My career as a visual storyteller stretches back to the 1970s. My distinctive drawing style has its roots in my work as a pen and ink artist.

My fine art has always been infused with a sense of history and locale that is uniquely Canadian. It depicts the humbler qualities of objects, both real and imagined and, at its best, transports the viewer to a place of wonder.

Although our work as theme artists has kept us very busy for over three decades, I’ve never lost this love of fine art drawing. In my travels, I always stop frequently to admire and record what I see - especially the old, rusty relics of days gone by. This past summer, my brothers and I drove back to BC’s Interior to where I spent my formative years. That trip was a journey into my past, and on the way, I discovered I sorely missed the drawing I used to do as a way of making a living. It was an itch that begged to be scratched.

Since then, I have worked up many drawings, starting with the reference material I recorded during our summer trip. This drawing is of an old wagon we saw in Castlegar. My artistic license allowed me to add a tree I had collected from somewhere else.

This coming week, I’ll fire up the laser to create some limited prints we’ll soon be offering. Stay tuned…

A little progress every day

Each wood we test with the laser gives different results. The goal is to get a laser mark as dark as possible while having the background as light as possible with an interesting grain showing through. I’m coming from a place where I know little about the properties of wood and even less about engraving with lasers. But I am learning very quickly through trial and error. Each trial teaches me about what works and what doesn’t. Each test is repeated on various woods and other substrates. The results are analyzed, and adjustments are then made to the line art and laser settings. The best samples are then hand-coloured to test that process as well. Through this process, I am making great progress every day. Stay tuned…

A novel idea

I continue to experiment with a wide variety of substrates and techniques as I test the laser and am seeing varying degrees of success. Peter suggested I slop some gesso on a board and fire up the laser to see what might happen. Moth had some gesso handy, and it didn’t take long to dry. While two or three coats would have been ideal, I decided one coat would be plenty for an initial test. I picked an image of one of the sign concepts, as the bright while gesso would allow for brighter colours when I hand-painted it. The image turned out nice and dark, and the laser cut out the sign perfectly. I mounted it to a refinished panel with some spacers and brought it into the house to paint up after supper. It’s been about twenty-six years since I had hand-painted the transparent inks, but it was like riding a bike. There’s nothing quite like hand-painting, complete with missed spots and bleeds. Even so, the result is magic. There is still some experimenting to go, but the sign series of limited edition prints will most likely be done in this fashion. Stay tuned…

Draw, test, draw, test

Learning to use the laser is a fun and challenging adventure. There are three parallel journeys. I am quickly learning the intricacies of the machine, and various speed and power settings. As each piece is laser etched and cut out I go back to the drawing table and produce another piece to experiment with dark and light areas, concentrations of line work, and the interplay of negative spaces. I am also experimenting with various wood species and substates. So far I’ve produced a lot of scrap, and a few promising samples. Each failure provides a valuable lesson and each success brings me a little closer to what I imagined before this journey began.

First test

The new laser is now up and running flawlessly. As expected, the new software is a bit daunting, and my operation of it is clumsy and slow. Thankfully, I can count on the help of my good friend Chris when I get stuck. The results we have achieved so far are better than I expected. The quality of the reproduction as a line drawing is great. Dot gain is manageable - even without the fine lens installed. The finish quality is better than I hoped, considering the substrate is still inexpensive test material - Baltic spruce, which is pretty coarse. My order of better quality substrates is still in transit, and I look forward to darker line work with these new materials, which is my ultimate goal. Stay tuned for the magic that is coming soon…

The laser arrived!

Today I celebrated another in what seems like a very, very long series of birthdays. Turning another year older is not a big deal, and I was pleased to receive a bunch of emails, texts and phone calls from those I love. I was also delighted to get a call from the freight company to take delivery of the shiny new Aeon Laser this morning. We wasted no time in disassembling the giant crate and gently moving the four-hundred-pound beast of a machine into the ‘laser room’ for setup. Although I knew the measurements beforehand, it seems huge. Over the next while, we’ll do the necessary hookups, get up to speed on the operation and begin having some fun that I’ve been dreaming of for a very long time. Stay tuned…

Painting with light - soon

No doubt operating the new laser is going to be a challenging adventure. I’ve been down that road many times before. Tonight I downloaded the machine software and noodled around to see what’s up. As expected, there are many new things to explore, new terms to learn and settings to figure out. I’ll tackle this as I do every project - by jumping into the deep end and learning how to swim. I’ve ordered a whole bunch of sample materials and supplies. Many are already on hand. This afternoon, I received word that the machine is due on Friday of this week, so it won’t be long until I’m painting with light. Stay tuned…

Circus train extraordinaire

The laser machine is capable of both engraving and cutting the wood I intend to work with. I will need to get up to speed on both procedures, so I decided to combine these techniques for one of the first limited edition runs. I drew up the mechanical circus train image a while ago as a triptych (three companion pieces). Last night I decided to create a custom postage stamp border. These will be engraved and cut out on the laser, hand-coloured with pigmented inks and then signed and numbered. Stay tuned to see the result…

Readying The Tech

While I’ve been busy dreaming up and practicing my art I’ve also spent a lot of time readying the technical part of the equation. I’ve been looking at all manners of lasers, studying the operating programs and preparing the space where we will home the laser. The goal is to get this technical part behind me so that once the machine is here I won’t have to think about it any more, concentrating instead on creating the art. We’ve now ordered the machine, installed the venting, readied the room, built the table and started learning the operating system for the laser. Everything is ready and we are counting the days until the high tech machine arrives and we can begin running the first samples. Stay tuned…

The Journey Begins

Every grand adventure begins like a pebble tossed into a pond. The splash is small, but the rings quickly spread, eventually reaching every edge of the pool, no matter how far. Today, a new journey begins. Many years of thinking and dreaming now translate into action. My passion is lit anew as I search for new subjects and spend every spare minute sketching and capturing these ideas. This is fun!

In The Beginning…

Everything has a beginning, and my art career is no exception.

I remember drawing endlessly since I could hold a crayon. In my late teens, I decided to try pen and ink - mainly because my older brother did oil paintings and I wanted to do art differently. I also reasoned that pen-and-ink drawings could be reproduced more easily and at a lower cost, enabling me to market my work more effectively.

I began by doing drawings for family and friends. Like a pebble thrown into a small pond, the rings quickly spread, and it wasn’t long until others were interested. In my early twenties, I was a full-time artist with my work being sold in galleries and frame shops across British Columbia. Private and corporate collectors kept me very busy, producing originals and limited-edition prints.

My fine art career dovetailed with commercial art from the beginning, and in 1984, I accepted my first historical mural commission in Chemainus, British Columbia. One mural led to another, and before long, I was travelling across Canada and the United States, painting giant walls featuring local history. One hundred and twenty-five murals later, I became weary of the endless travel and high scaffold work. And I discovered the wonderful world of theme parks. In the early 1990s, Janis and I formed Imagination Corporation to allow us to take on monumental themed projects. We started small in British Columbia, but it wasn’t long until our fame grew as big as the imaginative projects. Our work is now around the world with large-scale work in Canada, the USA, Dubai and the Caribbean. These days, our son, Peter, has taken over the helm of the creative team, with me playing a supportive role, but still having as much fun as ever.

The drawing never stopped as every imaginative project needed concept art to present to our clients, but because we were so busy, there was no time to produce fine art for private collectors or galleries.

But the itch to do fine art has never gone away, and I have longed for the day when I could do art just for the love of it once again. A while back, as I thought about creating some pen and ink drawings, I broke out some dusty art supplies and gave it a go. In only a few minutes, I realized I had long moved on from the traditional pen and messy inks. I much preferred digitally drawing on my iPad. The drawing mechanics were the same, but I could easily zoom in on details. Corrections and redos were easy. The drawback was that there would be no ‘original’ art in the traditional sense. After much thought, I came up with a unique solution. I would use a laser to create an extremely limited ‘print’, precisely burned into wood panels, which I would hand colour, sign and number. Each would be unique and hopefully be sought after by collectors. This new adventure is now underway. Stay tuned…