Make Good Art

Life is messy. Unpredictable. Beautiful.  And sometimes our best work can be produced in times of struggle. No matter what life brings to the table, you should always make good art. I often seek solace in the wise words of poets, artists & entrepreneurs who get their butt kicked everyday putting their work out into the world. Naked. Proud. Baring all. Neil Gaiman says it best in a 2012 commencement speech to graduates when he says;

“Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do. Make good art.”

“The moment that you feel that just possibly you are walking down the street naked… that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.”

– Neil Gaiman

A lot of my art has been self taught. Constant & often tedious, trial & error. Sweat, blood & tears. It is these works that are the ones I have been most excited about, & I’ve never regretted the long hours (or sometimes days) that I have spend on them. Below is a peek into some of these art works & how I put them together.

1) Hand-printed Toronto Skyline. Using block printing ink pressed onto textured craft paper, from a laser-cut rubber stamp.

2) Laser-cut wooden Toronto Skyline. Cut by machine. Sanded, stained & finished by hand.

3) Laser-cut wooden Vancouver Skyline. Cut by machine. Sanded, stained & finished by hand.

My series of skyline designs are minimalist. This has made them very transferable into different home decor and gift items. I have a number of art ideas still brewing in my head & are yet to be tested. However, before I can put it out there to the world, it’s time to get back to work! In the mean time, I hope that you are also making good art.

Sincerely,

Ave