MFest Poster Voting!

Voting has begun!

Reminder: you need to 'like' the main Halifax Pop Explosion page first before you can cast votes!


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150294089900645.384598.12324630644




xo.
j

These hands.....they body slam!

another collab between myself and Peter Farmer.
killed this live at The Tribeca last week.


xo.
j

Halifax Pop Explosion MFest Poster Entry!

Here's my entry for the MFest Pop Explosion poster contest!



xo.
j

Background Noise Pod Cast Interview!!

Our buddies over at backgroundnoise.ca interviewed myself and Nick Brunt for their podcast on May 26th and it was pretty much amazing.

episode 87: crazy rainbow

check it out!!




DISCLAIMER:

it's insanely offensive.
you have been warned.

BACKGROUND NOISE!!!!!!





xo.
j

Halifax Pop Explosion!!

Great news!

I'm one of 10 artists selected in Halifax to participate in creating a poster for the MFest main stage show during the pop explosion this year!
There was a city wide call out for artists and I found out yesterday I was shortlisted!

The idea is that 10 artists create a poster each and then facebook members vote for their favorite

All the participants get an MFest exhibit AND are included in a group poster exhibit too!

The MFest lineup is: Broken Social Scene, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Surfer Blood, Diamond Rings, In Flight Safety, Hey Rosetta!, Carmen Townsend and Glory Glory

Gonna be an awesome show this year!
Not to mention how badass this poster exhibit is going to be!

Time to sketch!!



xo.
j

Me and Nick!

Nick Brunt and myself from the art show last night!

great turnout!

image credit goes to Jono Doiron.
he grabbed my camera and was all 'im gonna take a picture'
and nailed this one.

nice.


xo.
j

Some Stuff!

xo.
j

Art Show!

BE THERE!


xo.
j

C-C-C-COMBO!

Live piece done by myself and Peter Farmer at The Bitter End some days ago

xo.
j

Moonshine Ramblers Poster!

 

Another show poster I did for the Moonshine Ramblers.
It's their monster tour van.....who can fly......and spit rainbows.

i know,
i know.

OVERDONE.
but i just love rainbow spitting monster vans
who knew they'd be so cliche by now.


xo.
j

An Open Letter to Tim Hortons.

xo.
j

Live Painting!

painted this with Nick and Peter last night at Tribeca.
Turned out rad.
Love that Pete used the show poster of ice cube's face in the painting.

also
check out this video of me staring down Jonathan Brayer's camera
and then at the end
i apparently really agree with something.

http://vimeo.com/20920761


xo.
j

Here. I found this for you!

 

your space kite.

here it is.


xo.
j

Asparagus!

dear costco,
pickled asparagus are the best snack ever.
i pretty much eat them all the time always.

also
they're crazy small now.
what the hell happened to big asparagus costco?

big asparagus.


xo.
j

Surprise Documentary!

Sunday morning I get a phone call from my friend John Dunsworth and he says:
"I'm bringin by Mike Swain. He's a filmmaker. We wanna do a small documentary about your work."

So I said sure, threw on some pants and then opened the door.
It was pretty much that fast.
Within about 10 minutes of that phone call they knocked on my door.
The whole thing was pretty unexpected so I'm a little frazzled in the video I think.
But it was fun!
and turned out rad.

A great Sunday surprise.

neat!

xo.
j

blast off!

originally
i was going to write:

"...but can we still be in love?"

but bailed.

i dig the composition too much to screw with it.

xo.
j

Weekend Offerings.

some pieces from the weekend.
nothin special, just stayin productive.

and for those of you keeping track, and i'm sure there's at least one of you, both of these pieces are boombox and mixtape-less

go team progression!


xo.
j

well today can pretty much fuck right off.

Today was one of those 'hey universe....why you gotta fuck with me like that' days.

so why not paint that shit.

so apparently
a small child in a green snow suit thinks today should fuck off.

agreed, small child.

agreed.

*small side note:
the teeny little mix tape is glued on.
i liked the doodle from another drawing
so i wheatpasted that shit.


xo.
j

Art Trade!

So a buddy of mine, Andrew Wiseman, recorded the audio for my short animated film. As payment for the amazing work done, I offered up a commission.
This is the result:

microphone octopus man!
2 feet wide by 4 feet
acrylic on masonite

xo.
j

SKELETOR VS HE-MAN!

Nick Brunt and I went to the bar.
painted this.
I did Skeletor.

fuck yeah.

xo.
j

Daft Punk!

last night Luchador Proper painted at a Scientists of Sound show
they were doin covers of Deadmau5 and Daft Punk.
SO
thats what we painted.

I was responsible for Daft Punk

xo.
j

Moonshine Ramblers!

Commissioned cross Canada tour poster for the Moonshine Ramblers!
Great band! If you see em in your town you should go!

xo.
j

Short Film Mouth Chart!

more short film stills to come in the next few weeks.


xo.
j

Charity Art Show Pieces!

 some 5X7s I painted up for a charity art show tomorrow night!

xo.
j

Luchador Proper Interview!

http://thecommoner.kingsjournalism.com/?p=6074

A neat little interview we did at the beginning of this week!


xo.
j

Luchador Proper Press Release!

February 16th will be the next appearance of Luchador Proper!
We'll be painting at a benefit show in Halifax.
Here's the official press release:

HALIFAX, NS – For the second year in a row, local artists will donate their original paintings to give back to the global community. The paintings will be a part of Art For Tomorrow, a creative fundraiser supporting the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association and takes place Wednesday, Feb.16 between 8-11 p.m. at The Paragon Theatre.

“Throwing art into the mix is very much a 'value-added' characteristic. The general public are more apt to attend fundraisers if there are walls of color and good vibes rather than a crowd of beige and uninterested people,” said Justin Lee, an artist involved in Art For Tomorrow.

Well-known maritime artists donating pieces for Art For Tomorrow include Jono Doiron, James Farrell and Mark MacAulay. Guests of the event will also be able to watch live art created before their eyes as ‘Luchador Proper’, a group of painters including Nick Brunt and Justin Lee along with ECMA Visual Artist of the Year nominee, Peter Farmer work to the live music of SoHo Ghetto and Town Heroes.

Donated paintings will be displayed at the Art For Tomorrow event, allowing guests to browse the work of Halifax’s seasoned and emerging talents. The paintings will be sold in advance by purchasing a ticket for $10. Ticketholders will find out which painting they will take home on the night of the event.

The fundraiser is gaining momentum and creating buzz in the arts community. “We anticipate having over 100 donated paintings this year,” said Kristen Herrington, volunteer event coordinator. Those interested in donating one of their own paintings can contact Herrington directly at kristenherrington@hotmail.com. Submissions must be on a 5” x 7” x 1” canvas.

Admission for Art For Tomorrow is $10 at the door or $5 for ticketholders. All proceeds go to the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association.

For 25 years, the NSGA has worked with West Africans and Canadians to build healthy communities in The Gambia. Through education and health promotion initiatives, NSGA staff and volunteers have become a major force in youth and community education in West Africa.

heck yep!

xo.

j

Luchador Proper Debut with Kid Koala Footage!

This was sent to me from friends over at Background Noise!

xo
j.

Luchador Proper Debut with Kid Koala!

Nick Brunt, Peter Farmer and myself debuted our painting trio last night at The Paragon during an INCREDIBLE Kid Koala set!

We live painted for roughly 5 hours on a 30 foot by 10 foot canvas. I was responsible for the giant octopus.....thing...:

Bonus: James Farrell in the foreground

Luchador Proper with Kid Koala





xo
j.

Painted Tables!

Nick Brunt and myself collaborated on a few tables at the paragon this week:

major toms in space!

beard shake!


xo
j.

Rick Simpson Concert poster!

Poster I made for the Rick Simpson medical marijuana benefit concert happening on the 27th in Halifax!

xo
j.

Kid Koala featuring Justin Lee and Nick Brunt!

January 21st 2011!
10pm!
The Paragon!
Halifax Nova Scotia!
Kid Koala!
Live Painting by Justin Lee and Nick Brunt!

Get there early because it's gonna fill up fast!



xo
j.

Spectrum Show!

Spectrum was quite the success!
everyone brought their A game
the pieces were great!

 all the pieces lined up at The Seahorse bar in Halifax
which, when taken out of context, looks like a terrifying dungeon.

not a lot of people caught on
but the 2 red shapes in this piece line up to make a heart

ta da.

xo
j.

David Bowie

For a tribute show/fundraiser where the theme was David Bowie.
Everyone played Bowie covers and this piece was up for auction.

Great show!

xo
j.