Claim Map Series

I've been working on a drawing series for the past month inspired by topographic and mineral claim maps.
In my research, I found it fascinating that the geometric forms of mineral claims are imposed over the intricate and chaotic natural landscape. In this series, I am juxtaposing these two worlds and exploring their relationship.
I've been reading some Kant recently, and I got really stuck on his thinking regarding the noumenality of humanity. Kant reverses the direction of philosophy and points out that experience, meaning and order flow from us, not into us.
These drawings are meditations on the systemic order we apply to the natural world. In the event that you're not interested in Kant, I hope you enjoy them regardless.

Timber

SHADOW preliminary

The little sketch that led to SHADOW.

SHADOW

There's something so beautiful about the moment ink is brushed onto paper. The quiet sound of the brush gliding across the page. The simple binary that is created by black on white. You can sit, and drink tea while drawing at a desk or on a wall.

There's also something great about turning Jay Reatard to 11 on your stereo, and going nuts overtop that simple binary with a set of coloured pencils like a drunk 6 year old.

Light Through Leaves

Two drawings in preparation for an installation I'm working on. Through several of my paintings, I explored the physicality of light. As we're all accustom to, light travels quite well through negative space. I'm looking to play around with this pretty fundamental idea. In my paintings, this materialized in pieces such as Ranger and Hung Line. Recently, I've been hoping to work on a sculptural piece that transforms the forms of light in negative space into positive space.
There are a couple projects on my plate right now, so I might not get a chance to start on this for a while, but here are those preliminary sketches:

subterranean life

Sketches of work horses and canaries for some forthcoming work.
Click on image for a detailed version.

Enjoy

Pit Ponies

The Maine Coast

Japanese Miners of British Columbia

Here's a digital sketch I drew up of a painting I'll get to when I get some serious time back in my studio in Montreal. I'll be going on a two week bicycle trip to Boston in the next couple days.
The original photographic reference depicts Japanese miners in front of the tunnel of the Ikeda Bay Mine on Moresby Island. The photo is estimated to have been taken in the vicinity of 1915. Courtesy of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.

I'll post some photographs when I get to work on the painting...

...until then, enjoy:

An Old Drawing - Lucy Satzewich

I've recovered a case of drawings from a couple years ago.
Here's one of Lucy. You may recognize her from a brushes portrait of a similar name.

Das gute Zirndorfer

Dream Homes

Young Guns

To Live is to Fear; To Fear is to Believe

Empty Spaces

One's Future is Another's Past

5

6

(click)

To Live is to Gamble - Reference Drawings

Ignoring Beauty

DETAIL

The High Cost of Ignoring Beauty
written by Roger Scruton

Signs of Life

Hedonistic Nihilism