Mish Mash: Plush, Designs, Paintings + new camera!

Here's a shot of my craft table today with 4 commissions in the works. I'm having a lot of fun with these ones. :)



Below are my entries for Matt JOnes (AKA Lunartik)'s Lovely Cup Of Tea design competition. Check out the finalists HERE, and all the entries HERE. It was fun creating a design from a blank template (although I much rather work on a custom in person). My theme for the one on the left was: black + pink, drips and gothic lettering. The one on the right was obviously inspired by Alice In Wonderland. :)



My Mom found a stash of my old art projects from high school, and this one was my fav in the set. I drew/painted this in Grade 11 (mid 90's) for an "album cover" art project. I chose the band "Tokyo Ghetto Pussy" because I was really into their song "I Kiss Your Lips" www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAmN3ji-iVE at the time (haha). I also really wanted an excuse to draw anime-inspired characters, cause I was totally into Asian design. I omitted a "T" in "Ghetto" so the design would be symmetrical. Haha, how "ghetto" is that!!! LOL.



Below was an assignment for Life Drawing class. First we drew the model (I drew her twice because I was bored :P), then using pieces of construction paper, I ripped off sections to block out shadows, highlights and midtones. I did this in highschool (mid-90's). I kinda like it.



And last but not least... my Dad gave me his old 35mm Canon TLb camera (made in 1974)! Wooo hooo! It's got a 50mm 1.8 lens and a 135mm 3.5 lens. I used to shoot with this baby in highschool (yes, I'm that old). It's pretty good. I shot about 95% of my Toronto Graffiti pics with it. I'm really looking forward to buying some 35mm film and shooting with it again.

Photos: Snow + New Year's Eve Bonfire

We had a ton of snow here in Bear River, Nova Scotia. So much snow that we were actually snowed in! It was beautiful, though. I trudged around in the knee-high snow taking pics and protecting my DSLR with an extra hat. haha. This is what I captured:









Below was our New Year's Eve bonfire. The blue flames were made with gasoline... hehehe.. :)

Photos: Toronto

I also was fortunate to swing a 1 week trip to my hometown Toronto! I grew up here, and although I haven't lived there for a while, I will always consider it home. This is what I captured when I was there:

Happy New Year!

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
~ Abraham Lincoln

Wishing everyone all the best in 2010! <3

Photos: Dominican Republic

I visited the Dominican Republic for one week earlier this month, and I had a great time. The water was crystal clear, the beaches were made of white sand, and the sun was hot: around 25-30C everyday! The showers didn't have hot water until after 4pm, so it was best to swim in the ocean during the day (it was so warm), and then shower in the afternoon. The Dominican Republic is a beautiful lush island full of friendly people and signifigant history. It's the place where Christopher Columbus landed in 1492, so there is a ton of old buildings dating back to the 1500's in the capital city of Santo Domingo. A lot of Spanish influence remains on this island in the architechture, culture, music, and of course the language.

BELOW: This pic below was taken on Calle El Conde, the main shopping strip. I fancied it up a bit in Photoshop, using bokeh from pics I took in Nova Scotia. :)



BELOW: The Panteón Nacional, was the last building constructed by the Spaniards (1748) in Santo Domingo.



BELOW: Posh café's in a pedestrian-only area of Santo Domingo.



BELOW: The Reloj de Sol, erected in 1753, is one of the oldest sun dials in all the Americas. It was used as the official time-teller and could be seen from the government offices in the Casas Reales. This dial sits atop a large stone pillar and has two vertical dials or faces. The Southeast face is to measure the morning hours, and the Southwest side is for the afternoon hours. The large metal plate with its raised parts show the hours by the shaded markings.



BELOW: This is the oldest church in all the Americas! Construction on the Catedral de Santa María la Menor begun in 1514 and was completed in 1540. Fronted with a golden-tinted coral limestone facade, the church combines elements of both Gothic and baroque with some lavish plateresque styles as exemplified by the high altar chiseled out of silver.



BELOW: A hotel sign in Boca Chica. Most hotels were lined with barbed wire, and even some residential homes used a smaller barb for their fences.







BELOW: I saw breathtakingly amazing sunsets each and every night. :)

Etsy: SALE!

Everything in my Etsy shop is now on sale until the end of Sunday (tomorrow). Starting Monday my shop will be closed for 2 weeks because I'm going on an early Xmas vacation in the sun à la Dominican Republic! :D

http://www.etsy.com/shop/followthewhiterabbit

Plush Art Show: 2 shows opening this weekend!

I have several plush pieces in a couple of shows that open this weekend...

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The first show is Go Ask Alice @ Paul Cumes Fine Art Gallery. The opening reception is on Saturday, December 5th from 6-9pm. The show runs from Dec.5th to Jan.7th. The gallery is located at 131 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA.



White Rabbit, Alice In Wonderland and Twee + Dee will be in the show! :)



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The second show is Stuff This 3 @ Rivet Gallery. The opening reception is on Saturday, December 5th from 7-10pm. The show runs from Dec.5th to Dec.30th. The gallery is located at 1200 North High Street, Columbus, OH. The preview is up, and pieces are now available for purchase: rivetart.com/preview/get_preview?i_show=31



Cora Bella and the Gingerbread Ornament will be in the show! :D

Photos: Diminishing Light