Arithmetik - Eaton Center

Arithmetik is a streetwear store representing brands like Diesel and Hip and Bone. I displayed my art for a few seasons in the Eaton Centre branch.

Remembering my times in high school taking the train to go shopping downtown, we used to go to the Eaton Centre to run around more so than to shop. Although my short time dipping into the idea of being ‘mall art’ was not entirely successful, I appreciate the fact that I got visiblility in such a core part of downtown Montreal. Next time I collaborate with Arithmetik might be with my brand Lord Swag.. here’s hoping.

 

Flamingo Mural - Pink Bench

Next door to my studio on Saint-Antoine is a speakeasy hair salon where I've had the pleasure to gert my hair and nails done over time. My feminine side flourished alongside this classy space that showed me the value of presenting well and the standards we can aspire to sport. Kim, especially rises to my esteem as not only the best hair dresser I've had but a visionary and risk taker when given the platform. More than the typical hair salon gab, she has a highly intuitive nature and can offer some serious insights as you get transformed, both physically and soulfully for those open to it.

After the unfortunate tagging of the old facade mural, I was invited to do a female forward mural of my general taste keeping in mind the divas within, of course i decided to do a big pink flamingo in space! We had a great day to night of painting and Lord Swag pop up outside with the neighbours and passerbys.

FERAL CITY

Multi-media painting on wood of a tiger in the grasses and flower with multiple eyes in a pop art freehand style

Bbam! Gallery asked me to do a small show in the middle of the room of some of my current works. It was fall time and a lot of wild energy turning through the air. The exhibit centered around my Ferocity painting on wood of a tiger in the bush. The style is free and chaotic and came to me as my pencil touched the wood. It reflects a time where my feral spirit, wild and free, is frozen into place, postured onto a 2 dimensional plane. The tame of covid had me more feral than ever, only to be trapped at the window.

This was a show at BBam! Gallery

Saturday Swim

I was invited to a contemporary art space in downtown Montreal to showcase a collection of my works and host a night of tattooing as a performance art experience. People were invited to book a tattoo in advance or to spontaneously receive a tattoo during the night from a selection of 3 sketches being or a design of their choice within reason. The tattooing was successful! A number of people participated while others looked on and enjoyed an evening surrounded by my art object/furniture and one of a kind clothing pieces.

BBAM! GALLERY - QUANTUM VOODOO

I had the extreme pleasure of working with the local St-Henri gallery BBAM! Gallery this year. It started with some basic renovations of their new space at 808 Atwater, and ended up being a lovely experience of getting to know these great people and the community that surrounds them. They listened to my counsel and maintained a minimalist approach to their new space, letting the art breathe and allowing for future inspiration once they had gotten to know their space. I topped the design off with a custom concrete sink of which I am very proud, and a solo exhibition they threw me to christen the gallery!

These guys are like family to me now. Fate brought us together and I just know we have a lifetime of mutual love and support.

QUANTUM VOODOO - it’s the magic that happens when all pieces of the puzzle are considered. No longer living in a world of polarity, this is about accepting and celebrating the whole spectrum.

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lord swag

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As it is clear to see, there isn't many things I don't like to get my hands into, from furniture to art to tattoo.  Which is why it should come as no surprise that I found myself interested in fashion design!  As an angsty, anti-brand teenager, I made a lot of my own clothes growing up, in fact I started sewing my barbie clothes at around 8 years old.  So when I finally picked up my sewing machine in early 2016, I was pleased to find it was much like riding a bike.  An exaggerated and wild year with a new group of friends in humble St-Henri, Lord Swag was born.  It started off as a kind of joke, the antithesis to the western world of mediocrity and a thirst to try new things, then soon built into a brand that would bring people together with concepts and imagination, and fly gear.  It is a calling to all weirdos to relish in the gifts of uninhibited action and freeing of the mind.  Let yourself be led into the House of Lord Swag! 

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TERRASSE VERTE

Terrasse Verte was an interesting addition to my repertoire of expertise. I cannot explain the amount of work that went into laying out a 7 layer cake of dwellings, all co-dependent, with 2 parking garages to boot. But in the end, we came to surprising compromises, nay, relationships and each space became a home. The final touch would be an extra hug of green on all the units and an encouraging name, so it was, Terrasse Verte.

Check it out: terrasseverte.ca

A Glam Rock Showcase

This story is about the redecoration of a new condo.  It was definitely a challenging space to work in.  Though polished white ceramic floors might seem like a good idea in theory, I curse the interior designer who lay them down.  Still, for our concept of glam rock superstar, it was definitely the prismatic glass to our disco ball.  Some people might think interior design is just about stuff, but I see it as an experience.  A chance to learn something new about yourself and the world.   Leyla Ghobadi didn't just get a new space to live in, she experienced a transformation.  Since then she has curbed her career to pursue painting.  

SEE THROUGH

Here I am exploring blown glass with one of the best glass blowers in and around Montreal. Pavel at Baba Jaga - babajaga.ca in collaboration with Belinda Lye and Fluide Dynamique to create a one-of-a-kind look chandelier. Reminiscent of animal antlers, these unique shapes are never identical. Adding to the charm of hand-made products. A growing trend, and a necessary trend for life and design to flourish in Montreal. Celebrating organic diversity by adorning our homes with exactly that. The strange. The beautiful.

Work in progress.

Oak Tree Massacre

A few years ago, this guy wrote on Craigslist that if anyone could take this tree off his lawn, they could have it.  So of course I wrote back urgently.  I was the first on a list of 7 interested "lumberjacks" so I quickly got to it!  I arrived on site with a chainsaw and a car thinking I was going home with an oak tree.  To my horror and delight, the tree ended up being 15 feet long by 24" wide at the belly.  I was not giving up.  I came back the next day with a chainsaw , a friend, and a van.  What ended up being a mission of 3 hours getting this thing inside, we finally got it home.  Thanks mom, for letting me leave a tree in your backyard for years to rot to perfection.  It's been an experience to say the least.  I know much more about trees, wood, and working hard.  I hope you all enjoy.

Jungle Loft

I just wanted to share my old loft with you, as a manifesto of how I feel a home is trans formative, as in lives and breathes with you.  It is about bringing life and love to your home in a way that feels at one with your most basic essence.  For my home, it was about that, and celebrating organic movement, not only in form, but in choosing objects and furniture that came to me, that I found, or were gifted.  Just like a bird would use branches from around the nest to build, I used my closest resources to build my space a.k.a. 'Jungle' environment.  It really was more of a habitat than a space.  Home to many adventures, my jungle.