Tuesday, May 31, 2016

A Custom Half Sleeve Tattoo Design


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Custom Half Sleeve Tattoo Design
COMMISSION
May 2016
Pen and Pencil on Stonehenge Paper
10" x 13"


Last year an old friend from primary school and secondary school contacted me to create a personal half sleeve tattoo design. He'd been supporting me online for years and wanted me to put together all of his ideas. I was so honoured that he'd want my creation on his body for life ... what's an intense thought! He had an existing tattoo on his arm honouring a friend so I had to incorporate that into the design along with a family motto and a compass. In order to tie everything together I used a background texture he mentioned he liked and included two of his favourite quotes. In the center, also tying all of the personal elements together, is a map of the Netherlands and two sets of numbers. The clients ancestry is partially from that part of the world and the numbers have personal relevance as well. We discussed the project on and off for over a year and after two basic sketches this final design was created using black pen and pencil. I am thrilled with the results and so is my friend! I cannot wait to see what it looks like on his skin! :) 


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What To Do When Someone Steals Your Work And It Goes VIRAL!? My Indian Bride Facebook DEBACLE!


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Last Wednesday May 25th 2016 I woke up to an artists worst nightmare. I had been tagged in a comment by my client because he had found an illegal use of my artwork. The above image (without my watermark) had been included in an album of work which the poster claimed had been done by an Indian Artist with no hands. The client who alerted me to the post had commissioned the piece as a gift for his wife (pictured in the portrait). They have yet to receive the artwork but unfortunately both of them saw this illegal post and were rightfully very upset by it. Seeing as I'd spent almost a year of my life working on this piece I was upset too. 

At first I didn't panic, I had this issue with other artists claiming my work a few times in the past and usually with a bit of coercion from myself and my loyal and caring fans the poster will remove the copyright material. But this time would be much worse. Because of the inspiring nature of the story (an artist creating such spectacular works without hands) the album containing my painting was re-posted again and again and again by multiple pages, some even newspapers! It seemed that no matter how many posts my fans and I managed to get down, more and more kept popping up. 

It was a rough day but in the end I think a lot of positive came out of it ... 

1) I discovered not all of these pages meant harm
A lot of the pages, once they received my comments and messages, were very apologetic and explained that it was a mistake. They'd either been given the content to post or they simply saw the story and re-posted it seeing it as inspirational. Many of them did admit that they should have checked the validity of the post before using it but perhaps that's a lesson learned for next time. 

2) I learned how to combat illegal uses of my artwork
One of these kind pages got in contact with me about the viral nature of the issue, directing me to other pages that had posted it, but most importantly showing me how to report ALL of the links I could find in one shot. I'd been reporting one link at a time and so, due to the number of reports I sent in, I'd been banned from reporting half way through the day. It was so stressful because I already felt like I couldn't keep up with the viral nature of the post. Thanks to this page I found out how to report as many as I could find all at once and after a full day and evening I felt like I had it under control. 


3) I received a bit of exposure as a result
Some of these kind pages also offered to post a collection of my artwork with proper credit in order to clear up the misconception and promote my work. 

4) I learned just how many caring fans I have
One of the most important things I learned is that there are quite a few of my fans out there who are willing to dedicate time, energy, and emotion to helping me when I'm in a jam like this! You have no idea how heartwarming that is. I know that I did loose a lot of fans that day, which is a shame. I don't often post things that aren't inspiring and positive but I was in desperate need of help. Those who left might come back and if not they're not important. What's important is the love and support that I felt that day. Thank you SO much to all who did their best to help me. It really means the world to me. 


Some folks tried to be supportive by offering an opinion on what I might have done wrong. Many of them suggested I should have put watermarks on my work. The thing is I do watermark all of my online images with my website in a bottom corner. Whoever had posted the original incorrect collection of artworks by the Indian Artist with no hands clearly cut it out of the image. After explaining this I would get the inevitable, "You should put the watermark right across the middle of your work". I know these people only had my best interest at heart and offered this opinion with the best of intentions but it's kind of a silly thing to suggest to an artist who's been working for 7 years. Like I'd never considered this before? I have thought it over very well and I will never post watermarks through the middle of my works. It's ugly, it's distracting, and I just plain and simple won't do it. I've learned over the years that artwork WILL be posted online without any marks anyways and if people really want to get them they will. When you upload to your print shop they have to be un-watermarked. When you're being featured online most sites require un-watermarked images. So it's going to happen anyways. Yes, I want people to know it's my work so I put a little website in the corner which isn't the prettiest but at least it's not overly distracting. I simply will not hinder the viewing experience of my loyal followers because a handful of dishonest people might misrepresent me or use my work without my permission. I weighed the pros and cons years ago and I won't do it. Every artist is entitled to their opinion and I wouldn't judge someone for wanting to watermark through their work, but I won't do it even after this disaster. Because in the end I'd rather fight injustices as they arise and reward my loyal fans with beautiful photos of my work rather than disappoint my online following to protect myself from the occasional threat. 

I also want to mention that some folks felt offended that I would even mention that the Indian Artist has no hands. "What does his disability have to do with your privilege?" some said. Nothing!? That wasn't the topic at hand. I was simply stating the facts of the situation, that my work was being passed off as the work of an Indian Artist with no hands. That's the headlining story that my work was connected with and it's false. It's the false representation of my work and the credit given to another artist (regardless of having hands or not) that was upsetting. We live in a socially and politically correct world right now and I absolutely love that but some folks are just looking for a battle. I want to be clear, the Indian Artist with no hands Dhaval Khatri is absolutely incredibly talented and truly inspiring. His work is gorgeous and I know that this misrepresentation was not his fault. I wish him lots of success in his career. :) 

It was indeed a debacle but in the end everything worked out and I was reminded once again of how many kindhearted caring followers I have. I am truly blessed in so many ways. Thank you again to everyone who cared, helped, and sent me positive vibes. It is greatly appreciated. 



BONUS ~ The importance of posting progress and multiple close ups/angles of your artwork.  
I was able to prove to Facebook that the above image was indeed my copyright material because I had an existing album (published long before the viral post) of my artwork and many close ups. I also had progress photos and videos of me working on the piece. I know many artists find posting all of these too time consuming but having all of this up made the mess easier and much quicker to solve. 



Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Upcoming Solo Exhibitions




Everything happens for a reason ... 

Though I'm definitely feeling better than I was last summer I knew I wouldn't have the energy needed for my usual Outdoor Exhibition schedule. That plus an abundance of commissions and a September wedding to plan meant it absolutely would not happen this summer. I was a bit bummed. It's a ton of work doing outdoor shows but it's so nice to hear people speak about my work in person. Submission deadline after submission deadline passed. I would briefly consider them and eventually realize, nope, not gonna happen. 

But it was all meant to be! Over the past week I've been contacted by multiple different venues offering me FREE Solo Shows in their establishments. So on top of my 2nd Solo Gallery Exhibition (Gallery 50 - November 2016) and my 3rd Solo Gallery Exhibition (Ben Navaee Gallery - March 2017), my ENTIRE SUMMER is booked with two Solo Shows; one at The Kingston Social (ALL OF JUNE) and the other at Living City Health (ALL OF JULY & AUGUST)! I am so excited to fill these awesome venues with my artwork! 

Here's the dates to mark down in your calendars ... 

1) Solo Exhibition @ The Kingston Social
June 1st - 27th 2016
OPENING Reception - Most Likely Friday June 3rd 2016

2) Solo Exhibition @ Living City Health
July 1st - August 26th 2016
OPENING Reception - July 7th 2016

3) SOLO Gallery Exhibition @ Gallery 50
November 16th - 20th 2016
OPENING Reception - Saturday November 19th 2016

4) SOLO Gallery Exhibition @ Ben Navaee Gallery
March 17th - 23rd 2017
OPENING Reception - Saturday March 18th 2017




Monday, May 09, 2016

*^* REversion @ Super Wonder Gallery *^*


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REversion Exhibition
Super Wonder Gallery
Portrait & Figurative Show
April 28th to May 2nd 2016
Opening Reception April 29th 2016


I absolutely LOVE the REversion exhibitions at Super Wonder Gallery curated by the very talented Daniel Anaka. The large gallery is a great venue for such an incredible collection of talented portrait and figurative artists. This was my second time taking part and I could not wait to see the inevitable collection of fabulous artworks in person. The Friday night Opening Reception was such a blast and the work was so impressive, just spectacular! To top off an amazing exhibition, on the last day my "Golden Indian Bride" sold. Though I have to wait five weeks for the payment to come in I am over-the-moon thrilled to have sold my most expensive piece yet. This piece was truly one my all-time favourite paintings I've created to date so I am ecstatic that someone would love her as much as I do. I cannot wait to take part in another exhibition at the Super Wonder Gallery. 


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A Celebration Of Love


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"A Celebration Of Love"
March 09 2016
Oil Paint on Canvas
11" x 14"
COMMISSION


This artwork has so much meaning to me. Here's the story ...

~  I had wanted to be a Teacher since I was 12 years old. I worked my butt off all throughout Secondary School and University, doing an extra year of courses, completing extra qualifications, and even traveling to Ecuador to volunteer. When it came time to get the job I'd worked so hard for it turned out there were none available. Greedy Universities were flooding the teaching market with new teachers to the point where I couldn't even find a volunteer position. How insane is that? I was devastated. Thankfully I'd started my Art Career part time and was seeing some success. I had never allowed myself to put much hope into a full-time Art career because for some reason it just never seemed like a realistic option. But hey! My realistic option certainly didn't pan out so, thanks to the support of my selfless and loving fiance, I decided to leave my dream of being a teacher in the past (and the broken heart that came with it) and fully immerse myself into my TRUE dream.

~ It took some folks a while to get on board. I don't think many of my friends took me very seriously. But I think out of everyone it was hardest for my Grandparents to accept. Living in Toronto meant I didn't see them very often, and maybe because of that they didn't quite see how serious I was about my new path, but every time I'd see them they always asked about teaching and how sad it was that I wasn't a teacher. But as the years went on and I became more and more successful I think it became clear to them that Teaching was no longer on my radar and that despite the odds all artists face I was making a living doing something I was very good at and that I loved. Having this experience made this commission extra special to me. My Mémère and Pépère contacted me last year in order to commission this 11" x 14" wedding portrait of my Matante Fran and Duane as a gift for their 10 yr anniversary. It felt really amazing knowing that they not only trusted me with such a special item but also that they wanted to support my new career path. It really meant a lot to me.

~ Creating this custom portrait was also very special because, like I said, it portrays my Matante Fran and Duane on their wedding day. When my Matante Fran received her official wedding photos after the big day she was very disappointed. They didn't have the professional look since the photographer hadn't used any backdrops or lighting. Can you imagine how devastating that would be? Not having a nice picture of the most special day of your life? This always made me so sad so it was very exciting creating something beautiful for her. Something they could proudly hang on their wall to commemorate that amazing day. It was such a challenge. I was working from the aforementioned not-great photos and on a very small scale. I swore to myself I would never do anything like it again! Haha! But in the end it looks stunning and I was very proud to hand it off to my grandparents here in this photo.

~ Also, as many of you know my Papa Gilles Prud'homme Master Carver is a professional artist part time (along with a full time job as an Electrician at one of Sudbury's local mines) and was a big artistic influence for me throughout my life. He still inspires me with his incredible skill for detail and his belief in me that I can achieve my dream of making a comfortable living as an artist. But what some of you may not know is that my Pépère was also a part time Carver! A talent for the arts really does run in my blood. So you can imagine my Pépère has been an inspiration to me as well. On top of being an amazing artist I have also looked up to him in other ways. I love this man very deeply. He is so soft and kindhearted. And, like me, he LOVES to laugh! I have so many happy memories of him taking us fishing, teaching me to play pool, but most of my memories are of him laughing. He’s got the best laugh! Haha! It was cool making this piece for him and hearing that he was impressed with it. I just love that he passed down his knack for capturing realism through the generations to me. Such an amazing thought!

~ Lastly, I love my Grandparents very much and it was really nice to have this moment with them. I don't get to see them very often and we don't often take nice pictures together because both my Mémère and Pépère dislike taking pictures and are shy about smiling in them. It's always a struggle let me tell ya! Haha! But I really do think this photo turned out beautifully and I'm definitely going to cherish it.

See more close up photos on Facebook HERE.


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