Haunted Hillbilly Hootenanny! Monday June 26, 2010

SideMart Theatrical Grocery of Montréal presents:

Limited edition giclée prints of illustrations from Derek McCormack's books "Haunted Hillbilly" and "Western Suit" (both designed and illustrated by Ian Phillips) will be available in a raffle at the:

HAUNTED HILLBILLY HOOTENANNY! A night of Country Music Splendor!!! Monday June 26th at The Dakota Tavern 249 Ossington Ave, Toronto 8 to 10:30 pm $15

Featuring: Justin Rutledge Afie Jurvanen Doug Paisley Derek McCormack Chelsea P. Manders Matthew Barber and more!

A fundraiser, in support of the upcoming production of HAUNTED HILLBILLY A musical adaptation of Derek McCormack's novel, on stage at Theatre Passe Muraille Aug 6th - 15th part of Summerworks Theatre Festival

(The silkscreened Hatch Show style poster for the musical was also designed by Ian Phillips)

Tracy Walker's Unplugged Studio

Tracy Walker "unplugs" in warm weather and retreats to her backyard studio for some painting, sketching and contemplation. The studio was built with reclaimed materials from Habitat for Humanity, the local junkyard and neighbours (and still looks more design magazine worthy than my house). With our world becoming so "plugged in" (the "electronic cottage" Alvin Toffler predicted in his book Third Wave), it's important to find the balance and return to the tactile and physical world from time to time. Luckily, the virtual workplace seems to be allowing more of us to find that work/life balance. With the lush, serene surroundings of Tracy's studio and garden, we can understand from where Tracy gets her inspiration.

The metal sculpture is from made from "reclaimed" materials as well - from an African Artist Co-op

Inspiration!

Tracy's unplugged studio.

Still LOST-Ian Phillips Lost Pet Posters will be part of the "Do You Love Me?" show at the Tom Thomson Gallery

Visit the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound Ontario this summer to see some of the Lost and Found Pet Posters Ian Phillips amassed through a mail art exchange he ran throughout the 1990s. Also on display is some of the merchandising developed with the launch of the Japanese edition of his book LOST. A dog house video installation also chronicles some of the media frenzy that abounded at the time of the book's release. For $50 you can own your very own limited edition print of any one of the posters from the exhibit. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Owen Sound Animal Shelter, a no-kill facility. Prints are available for purchase through Ian's website.  The show runs June 25th through to September 12th.

Ian Phillips in 3X3 ProShow No. 7!

Ian Phillips has placed in both the Gallery and Self-Promotion categories of 3x3 ProShow No. 7. The listing of all ProShow winners is currently on the 3x3 blog. The actual issue won't be out until the fall - but below is a sneak peek at Ian's winning entries. Also involved in the 3 x 3 International Student Show No. 7 is Thom Sevalrud , another i2i illustrator and teacher at Sheridan Institute. Thom is one of the judges for this year's competition. (winners to be notified mid-June).

From Ian's Carnival Series -Peanuts and Popcorn placed in the Gallery Category.

Fancy in Space placed in self-promotion      49 Smiles placed in self-promotion

Playful Packaging by Sarah Beetson

Wild Strawberry Fairy                                   Sweet Apple Fairy

Juicy Watermelon Fairy                                 Black Cherry Fairy

These recent illustrations of Sarah Beetson's could be packaging for fruit drinks or equally fun in a Children's book. How about lip balm labels? My daughter's class would buy out the store to get their hands on these illustrations regardless of what they appeared on!

Sarah's Studio

Not all illustrators work the same - another illustrator, a very different studio. Sarah is currently working out of her studio on a farm in the Gold Coast region of Australia.

Virtual Studio Tour

You've heard of "Food Porn" and "House Porn" - those gorgeous glossy magazines that make everything look so good! Now we have "Studio Porn" - check out John Webster's  picture perfect studio.

Doug Martin illustrates for St.Martin's Press Mystery Series

Some more options for the summer reading list: Doug Martin recently illustrated the covers of two of Elizabeth J. Duncan's mystery novels, published by St.Martin's Press. Doug Martin illustrated the paperback release of The Cold Light of Mourning, the debut novel where we first meet Penny Brannigan, a Canadian manicurist living and working in North Wales who investigates the murder of a friend. The second novel, A Brush with Death, is the follow up novel in which Penny inherits a cottage and mystery in Llanelen, North Wales.

A Great Summer Read for Tweens

Just in time for the summer of the 2010 (Year of the Tiger), Anne Horst has illustrated the cover of  Alison Lloyd's debut novel, Year of the Tiger, published by Holiday House. The story takes place during the Year of the Tiger in ancient China during the Han Dynasty. Two boys, Hu and Ren,  develop a friendship across class divisions while practicing for an archery tournament- their skills and friendship aid them when their city is invaded by Barbarians.