Postcards from Québéc City

A shark rearing to chomp up a Fleur de Lys on a fishing line

Whenever I go somewhere new, I'm always lookout for street art and graffiti.  I think that you can learn a lot about political and social situations, as well as get a sense for a places humor through street art that you stumble across.  It is a way to visually connect with people from a place that is foreign to you through signs and symbols. In a way, these messages can help you make sense of an environment that is strange to you.  On my trip to Québéc City, I was quite impressed at the amount and the quality of street art on the old fortress walls of Old Québéc.  Québéc street artists create large, colourful pieces that appear to be stenciled or free handed onto walls.  I noticed that the use of text and words is abundant, and often acknowledges social situations in the area.

Shifting Scapes

Shifting Scapes is a stop motion animation film that is describes the pulsating, interconnected, and continuous nature of the natural environment.  The Canadian landscape serves as inspiration for these vibrations and changes.

The music is from the band Summer Heart and the song is I Wanna Go;  I have a post about them here on this blog.

I made this work, and I value your feedback on it!

Please enjoy in full screen for full effect.



Shifting Scapes from Christine McKeating on Vimeo.
A stop motion animation about how landscapes move, shift, and change over time.
Music by Summer Heart - I Wanna Go

Chris Gentile

Artist Chris Gentile intersects surfing and art in his work.  In this video, he speaks about his process and inspirations in his artmaking.



Chris Gentile from The Scout on Vimeo.

Jarek Puczel

An interesting look at intimate distance, with no defined lines.  "Lovers" is a painting that encapsulates intimacy as a shared action, blurring the lines between two entities.

I have been researching this line between intimacy and seperate/blurred entities, and this painting exemplifies that.

Chris Natrop

I have been looking at artists who utilize literal shadow and light concepts in their work lately.  Chris Natrop's work catches my eye.  I would really like to visit one of his installations.  They seem so ethereal, and layered.  Or maybe I could construct a Natrop-inspired mobile over my bed...

All Photos are taken from Chris' website: http://www.chrisnatrop.com/

Yamantaka/ Sonic Titan

I realize it had been ages since I last posted, but no time for excuses, let's get back into it!

I was at an artist talk done by the lead singer of Yamantaka/ Sonic Titan today about her film work for their music videos.  Yamantaka/ Sonic Titan is a band that is also a collaborative art project based out of Montreal.  They create new instruments for their music, and their own story lines and installations for their band sets.  The lead singer, Ruby Kato Attwood, creates the bands music videos.  She utilizes many different film techniques to create the videos, from stop animation, live action film, and slow motion film, to drawing, painting, and installation-making.  In her presentation, she described that many of the costumes and sets used in their shows are made from found objects or very cheaply sourced materials.  However I think that their work has an almost high brow or rendered look to it, and this information from her presentation makes their work even more interesting to me.

Bandcamp:

Music Video for Hoshi Neko:


I found their work to be refreshing, fun and psychedelic.  Let me know what you think!

Maxime Ansiau

I love how some contemporary ceramicists use the kitsch element of traditional plate ware to create irony in their works.  Maxime Ansiau is a great example of this.  His work crosses architecture with ceramics in a way that takes an unexpected turn - into the kitsch - with pleasant results.

What do you think of this method?

All images are from Maxime's website.

James Roper

James Roper has been the inspiration for many of my pencil drawings lately.  I love the way that he seamlessly mixes the visceral with the mechanical, but makes the combination seem so natural and unquestionable.  Take a peek at his website and tell me what you think!