Tag Archives: art

Pet Portraits Best Of

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Hey! Remember how I said I was doing pet portraits?  I’m kinda burnt out from this mini project, so I’m going to be taking a break. I’ll probably renew the listing and offer it again in the near future, but that means I probably won’t be adhering to any deadlines and they will no longer be only $65. After completing several of them I realized that for the amount of time alone I spend on these things, I just can’t keep going at this rate. It was fun to garner a bunch of orders and get excited about getting a donation together, and I always knew it wouldn’t be for the long term, so I think now is as good a time as any to move on to other things. That said, I really had a blast with these things. Some were easier than others, some were a total party to paint and some were a CHORE. But I am happy with how each of them turned out, and I guess I can’t really ask for more than that.

Here’s a selection of my favourites:

Chuck

Chuck*

Duke

Duke

Holly

Holly

Izzy

Izzy

Mikey

Mikey

Puddy

Puddy

Sue

Sue

Willow

Willow

Coco

Coco*

(*Totally creeped Dooce and stole some images to paint her dogs. I couldn’t resist. Those tongues!).

And of course, the originals:

Zoe

Zoe

Goose

Goose

Lily

Lily

Gert

Gert

One-Eyed Biggie

One-Eyed Biggie

Without question, the best part in all this is simply how darn happy everyone was upon receiving them. I may or may not have shed a few tears upon listening to some lovely feedback. Thank you so much to everyone who ordered.   I’m always doing something and you all seem to embrace my projects with open arms, and there’s no way I could continue to do this without your various forms of support. It’s totally crazy. Thank you thank you thank you.

What I’ve Been Working On

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To say I’ve had a hard time getting back into the swing of things is a massively embarrassing understatement. I don’t even know how to articulate how I’ve been feeling… overwhelmed & underwhelmed simultaneously, maybe. It might be the switch in the seasons (or a lack-there-of) but it’s like I am just waiting for something to happen. I have plenty of things on the go, but am not feeling as jazzed about completing things as I did as recently as a few weeks ago. There are so many things happening outside of my work and I feel compelled to write about it, I just don’t feel its time yet. On the other hand, there are a number of things I’ve been meaning to share that I haven’t yet found the words. And then of course, there are the things that I feel I should share but don’t in fear of being boring. This is petering dangerously close to being one of those times, but felt I’d been MIA a little too long.

This happens a lot. I will get there eventually, though. May has always been an exciting month for me, so I’m looking forward to that. I’m also turning 27, and I have no idea why but, I kinda like it.

Here’s something I’ve been working on since the end of my last show. Keeping up with the size of things, this one will be just under 5′ x 5′ when its all stretched and done. I am still not close to finishing this just yet, but I feel like I’ve reached a standstill for the time being. Perhaps its time to start something new and give this one a breather.

According to my brother, this looks like “information being directly downloaded into an eyeball”. 

My week, in Instagram photos (part two)

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The last thing I want is this section of my site to become an instagram feed, and my efforts to keep up with a daily post have been failing, but I’m still not giving up. But until then, I don’t have much else to offer, so here’s part two.

I went to Trenton for Easter weekend and spent it with Adam’s parents, brother, and at one point, four dogs including three labs (of every colour). This is Hudson, Adam’s brother’s dog, sleeping on Gert’s travel bed.

Jens suggest I try the last of his 21 year Lagavlulin Rum Cask in an effort restore my taste in Scotch after I announced I was “having a hard time” with it lately. It worked. Good thing, because it was a $300 bottle. Jens is very generous.

Queen Gert.

Guill a top her perch before we left for the weekend.

Oh yeah, I got Vine. It’s lonely over there.

I made a bunch of smoothies; some were pretty good but this one in particular tasted awful, surprisingly. Too much grapefruit juice.

I’m adding artwork to some small metal pill boxes (more on that later), and this is the result of spray-varnishing them on the porch.

Oh yeah, and I actually made it to the studio. It felt pretty good to get back in there and start a new piece.

Not pictured: The single most amazing thing my work has ever done for me, which can’t be resorted to a measly instagram post. It involves the power of the internet, an encouraging admiration, a really supportive set of parents, and the amazing form of communication that is art, I guess, really. But more on that later.

That aside, things continue to be low-key. I sold a painting out of Le Papillon restaurant, so that was very, very encouraging. I’ll be posting something on that shortly. I am heading back there tomorrow to fill the empty space. I am really so lucky to be able to hang my work with them. I was planning on adding my new collection once it was freed up at House of Moments, but the show there has since been extended, which is pretty exciting! So moving forward I may just add work that I make from now on.

Happy Sunday! Hope your Mondays aren’t so terrible.

My week, in Instagram photos

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I’ve been taking a much-needed break from the studio since my show the end of February, in large part due to the old post-show blues. I find no matter how successful or positive a show outcome is, I’m always left feeling incredibly low for days, sometimes weeks after the fact. It’s not uncommon for me to have a good sobby cry after all is said and done. It makes sense, though.   That said, I haven’t found myself to be any less busy. I haven’t been in the studio, but I have been on my couch, working away at custom pet portraits* and releasing a new series of necklaces.

Here’s my week in instagram photos:

From top to bottom:

  1. Trying out new ideas, animal paintings on totebags?!
  2. The giraffe version of that idea
  3. New stamp
  4. …Thus new tags
  5. What salt can do to watercolour
  6. A portrait of CHUCK!
  7. My sweet Gert
  8. New jewels

And to answer your question, no, I didn’t leave the house once. My god my life is boring.

Follow me on Instagram & Twitter: @nervrom

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*I recently decided to donate 25% of pet portrait sales to Toronto Animal Services South, check out their awesome blog here.

Custom Pet Portraits

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biggie
If you follow me on Facebook, or Twitter or Tumblr, or basically anywhere else other than here, you’ll know I’m now offering custom watercolour pet portraits for the next little while. The response has been really awesome, and so far I’ve been able to paint some insanely fluffy cats, a few siamese, a couple pugs, a dachshund, three labs, a yorkie, and a few mutts (I can’t share images of all of them since some of them are gifts and haven’t arrived yet!) This is all very new for me. I’ve never prided myself much on my ability to paint animals, or anything remotely kinda realistic. I’ve always loved to, I just never thought I was that good at it. After preparing for my show last month, I really felt burnt out from working on a huge canvas, and in need of a break from the studio. I’ve always dabbled with watercolour so it wasn’t uncommon to find me sitting on the couch painting with my little travel set.  I randomly decided to paint my dog Gert, and since then lots of people have been asking me if I could paint their pets too!

This came at the perfect time because I’m right in the middle of restocking the ol’ BigCartel store, and this listing seems to be the hottest item at the moment. However, because I still work a full-time day job, I’m allotting myself only what I can handle in the evenings, which right now is just about one portrait a night*. So with all that said, I’m offering one portrait for $65 or two for $100. *

Here are some more examples, click any of them to be taken to the listing.
gert lily goose goosesplit Screen shot 2013-03-19 at 10.19.06 AM

*Portraits are painted with Windsor & Newton watercolours on a 9″ x 12″ sheet of 140 lb cold press watercolour paper. Ships unframed, in a rigid mailer.

*Some people seem concerned that I’m done with my original abstract ‘style’. You people are crazy. I’m addicted to making things, this is a product of that. I have worked really hard the last couple months on new work and finding homes for those new works and now that I’ve built up a bit of inventory,  I’m sort of treating myself to a little vacation, if you will. It won’t be long before you see some new ginormous works from me again.

LE PAPILLON ON THE PARK

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Le Papillon On The Park is a delicious Quebecois restaurant in Leslieville, and lucky for me, conveniently located five minutes from my house. I’ve been there a number of times and the entire experience is definitely something to write home about. (Not to mention: they’re Toronto’s original creperie! They have their own rooftop garden! … That last one is particularly impressive if you ask me).  The food is spectacular, the service is genuine, and its not too fancy, so its my kind of spot.

Max MacDonald has been showing his work in the sprawling dining room at Le Papillon since they opened a few years ago, but recently they decided to mix things up and have invited me to share the walls with him. Max is an incredibly talented, multi-faceted artist and I’m so lucky to have met him, let alone be showing alongside his amazing work. Right now I have eight pieces scattered around the dining room, but in the coming weeks and months I’ll be switching things up and adding some more recent work as it gets freed up from other galleries and spaces. I am really, really excited about this opportunity, a public place to house my work. The Bigués are so unbelievably supportive of local artists, I could not find a better environment if I tried. If in the next little while you’re looking to see my stuff in person, this is the place to do that (and eat some gourmet poutine).

Here’s a peak at the restaurant after we got together this week to hang the work.

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my favourite of max's

my favourite of max’s

SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSCEDIT: For a price list of the work hanging at Le Papillon, please click here.

HOUSE OF MOMENTS

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It still feels surreal.
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Thank you so much to everyone who made this show possible: Hamid & Sil for believing in my work, Adam for his encouragement, support & frame-making expertise, Fay Ninon, all the musical acts, and all friends, family & fans who made an appearance or sent a kind word, I cannot thank you enough. I am so, so lucky.

Because these works are so insanely large I am finding it increasingly difficult to take an accurate photograph of them. If you’d like to see them in person, they can be found in the corporate room at House of Moments, 386 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto (just north of Dundas) until March 21.

HOUSE OF MOMENTS / LOVE IS FREEDOM

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I definitely intended on posting about this sooner than, say, the day before the opening, but I’ve been so insanely busy in preparation for it I didn’t change my clothes for four days.  So, here we are. House of Moments, tomorrow night!

I have nine (NINE!) new paintings to reveal, and I can’t even believe I am still alive, to say the least. Some of the work is nearly six feet tall, which is exciting in its own right  (for the first time I had to rent a truck to transport it all). I’ve never  really painted with such intensity before.

photo (15)

I am really, really excited to be part of this show. House of Moments is an unbelievably gorgeous space, and I’m just feeling so lucky to have my work hanging there for ten days.  Come say hi if you make it!

P.S. I suck, the gallery is located at 386 Carlaw Avenue.

Love Is Freedom2

Something like Goal-setting, a lot like Desire

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Mostly, I feel like sitting around marathoning TV shows. I am almost embarrassed to admit I long for those times. But as I sit here and think about that, I can’t actually tell if I am enjoying it, because ninety percent of the time I’m distracted by thinking about all the things I have to do. More specifically, all of the things I have created for myself to do. I used to be incredibly goal-oriented, but that was a behaviour that was forced upon me (not that I don’t value that experience) and more or less shaped my youth. Unconsciously, I seem to have become more laid back and accepting of what life throws at me, until I was once again reminded of the power of desire.

To give you an example of how I create most things, I could say (and I would be right) that the last thing on earth I want to be doing right this moment is writing this post. I want to be frying up a portobello mushroom and covering it with butter. I’m marathoning Scrubs as I type. I am writing it because it popped into my head and I wouldn’t let myself do anything else because thinking about it annoyed me so much. This is why I drive myself crazy when I don’t have the tools with me to paint what I want, the frustration in knowing my studio is on the other side of town. They are small problems, I know this, but today is one of those days.

Sorry this post is so pointless. I’m locking myself in the studio after work for the next two weeks, for a show I’m hoping to announce pretty soon. Things are looking up, I have to keep reminding myself that something good always comes from stepping outside my comfort zone. Well, most things, lets be honest. Hunk-o-mania was pretty much exactly as terrible as I’d expected it to be.

Keep busy, if only to keep from annoying yourself.

Happy New Year

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I have been feeling so swamped. So overwhelmed with commitments, I don’t even know what to do with myself. I feel stretched thin. I haven’t been to the studio in three weeks, but I have a few incredibly exciting things that seem to be brewing (though they are still in the infancy stages so I have to wait before I can shout it from the rooftops). Adam has been building me frames, I’ve been restretching canvases, and getting some paintings ready to go to their new homes. I can’t wait until things calm down, til I know a little more, so I can just shift my focus back to the studio and start living more familiarly again.

I am excited to add a “2013″ tab to my Portfolio.

Sometimes I find myself wondering how much of myself I can give to get what I want. It’s true that nothing in life is free, and certainly nothing in this business is free of selling your soul even just a little bit.