I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving. Since leaving home, it's become my Ontario holiday. In university it was because campus got luxuriously empty. Later, with Pauline, it became the weekend escape from the City I had always imagined. We had a really cool weekend in London and I drove us home this way (avoiding the highways) and it was all rolling farmlands, reflected late-day sun, and smooth sailing. I can't promise that the avoid highways feature on Google Maps will work for you. It worked swimmingly for us. ¶ So Billy Van is my next subject in my current series, Visionary Canadians. Born William Van Evera in Toronto, Ontario, Mr. Van created and played almost every character in The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, an innovative children's show produced by Hamilton, Ontario's independent station CHCH in 1971. Pauline is a major fan. I have to admit my utter ignorance of this Canadian gem. I couldn't think of a more fitting example of what I had in mind. Billy Van saw something and built it. That's what we're celebrating here. Thanks for the tip, Mr. Kris.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, SitewayWorld, VisionaryCanadians

¶ 12:38 AM

I've used the open letter format on Siteway before. To nil effect, I think, and yet here I go with another one. Dear Carling Canada Brand Team: I think it is high time you were given more money from Molson Coors to develop a marketing relaunch of this great Canadian lager. Thomas Carling seems to me like an interesting guy. I'd like to humbly propose that we might work together on a project that would perhaps include the look and feel of my portrait of this early Canadian settler. Maybe you'll find this and read it from a Google search. That would be great. Cheers (I'm enjoying a cold Carling as I type this on an early September Sunday). ¶ Please send me your suggestions for Visionary Canadians. This is not a CBC-type of list. I'm talking about real underdog types. Invisible heroes. Anti-heroes. ¶ Pauline and I have had such a big year. There's so much that has happened—between us and the world—it's hard to say with any degree of certainty what it all means. We were recently re-married in my hometown, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and it really couldn't have come at a better time. A timely celebration. It was in part due to my older brother getting married, and as a result, it was something of a major family bonding moment (for lack of a better term). I have had so many successes in 2008, and so much to be grateful for. I typically look back and forward around the fall season because so much of my spirit is caught up in the academic one (or at least my romantic vision of it). I'm excited about some future prospects. I hope you'll join me on these pages for the trip. ¶ Pauline and I are roasting a chicken tonight. I've brined it, which is an exciting prospect. First time. Then we'll be watching Westworld which she hasn't seen and isn't expecting. I look forward to interviewing her afterwards. ¶ I hope you enjoy the new portrait. I mean it about sending me your suggestions!

Labels: Cinema, Family, FeaturedIllustration, SitewayWorld

¶ 11:44 PM

I feel like any day now one of these posts will be the last one to live in this incarnation of Siteway. Fear not dear reader, I will certainly continue some kind of writing on Siteway, but the very structure of Siteway World is changing, so brace yourselves. ¶ The above George Carlin illustration came to me in a nanosecond earlier today. What it lacks in precision it gains in overall comforting composition, and for this I am grateful. Sometimes that's all a day needs: a fine little drawing, however imperfect. ¶ Speaking of imperfect drawings, I uploaded Vera Farmiga to my flickr photostream.

Labels: Drawing, FeaturedIllustration, Flickr, SitewayWorld

¶ 12:04 AM

I first noticed Vera Farmiga in a movie I recommend, Running Scared, but it's not because of her role. Her role is fine, as it is written, but she really shines in another loosely written role, Madolyn in The Departed. She's even watchable when her character is over-conceived, as in her turn as Irene in Down to the Bone. No matter. What I do know is this: Ms. Farmiga is extremely intriguing, technically brilliant, and full of potential. She stars in Quid Pro Quo, opening in limited release, this Friday. ¶ Speaking of Fridays, last one saw me at the Carlu for this year's National Magazine Awards. A windowless gem of a space, it really did play a starring role in my night. Credit also has to go to Daniel et Daniel who catered incredible food served by exceptional staff: beef and yorkshire, shrimp & scallop station, pasta, mini chicken burgers w/ fries. And more. In any case, it was a great night and I feel especially lucky to have shared it with some good friends. ¶ I'm not sure how many more of these posts and updates will happen on this version of Siteway. Things are heating up, work-wise, and yet I feel really close to launching the new sites. I guess I'll have to find the time. If you have suggestions for future Siteway presentations, then now's the time to get in touch. ¶ I have a David Sedaris illustration in Monday's National Post. Arts & Life cover. ¶ We made homemade pasta the other night. Yes. And it was good. More on this later.

Labels: CareerTalk, FeaturedIllustration, Freelancing, SitewayWorld, Toronto

¶ 12:01 AM

I boast the cinematic and I present Harold & Kumar. Ah, hell, I love these guys and dig the franchise. Enjoy.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration

¶ 7:15 PM

With this week's long-delayed feature illustration of Pauline Hare I conclude my latest series, Admiration of Benefit. Pauline, my wife, a woman I greatly admire, makes a great subject. On dates I occassionally sketch her, but I've never before attempted a fully realised portrait. ¶ News: watch for my work in upcoming issues of Meetings & Incentive Travel, Canadian Homeworkshop, and Annabelle.

Labels: AdmirationOfBenefit, FeaturedIllustration, Freelancing

¶ 12:38 PM

Vanity Fair is a fine publication, it's true, and while I appreciate their Hitchcockian spread in the Hollywood issue (VF March 2008), I sometimes wish there was a publication just like it that wrapped itself in fine illustration instead of photography. And the photography is beautiful, no question. But it's been YEARS. Why not a Hollywood publication beautifully designed with line and shape? A kind of perfect graphic marriage. Maybe one day. ¶ I watched the Super Bowl at this very chilled bar called the Soft Spot near North 10th on Bedford Ave. It was one of these friendly American bars filled with young patrons chatting about their lives ahead. I like places like that. They ordered in a bunch of wings, there was a three-cheese dip thing, and draught beer was on for two-for-one. ¶ As I recovered the next AM, I wandered down Driggs Ave. On my mind were vintage clothing stores and art galleries. I found this very cool men's vintage store called Houndstooth where I picked up a new shirt and blazer. I also visited gallery Jack the Pelican and it's worth a visit. Monday night I went to Knickerbocker Bar & Grill where I saw some Al Hirschfeld prints in the flesh. Including one of Jules Fieffer. I would see him, and a few more of my heroes, the next night. ¶ I know I've drawn Hitchcock before. He's someone I admire a great deal and I find drawing him tremendously satisfying.

Labels: AdmirationOfBenefit, FeaturedIllustration, NewYorkHareII, SitewayWorld

¶ 2:14 PM

There are soul deaths and then there are soul deaths. ¶ Here's something I've been contemplating lately: I've been engaged with my work, and by work I mean the lines I draw, in an unprecedented manner of late. It's partly because I decided one day that this would be a good idea. And as you're all already aware, being a free agent requires the agent take care of sales, marketing, accounting, office and project management, and even janitorial services. So telling yourself to "focus on the work" is not only simple and comforting, it's rewarding. It's investing in better furnaces for HQ, better equipment at the factory, better ships for your fleet. I'm investing in the lifeblood of my industry: drawing. The drawing action itself has become a relaxing enterprise; an experience that is itself enjoyable, and not just because of the results. The results, the lines drawn as it were, are themselves relaxing, if only briefly. Imagine the ink from an industrial inkjet bleeding into your expensive art paper. It only lasts as ink for half a second. Then it becomes part of the paper. That's what I mean by relaxing. Like the final piece that snuggly fits into the puzzle. The easiest piece of all. And yet, it's rigid, in there, the instantiating unit. In any case, some by-products of this focus: a sketchbook that's not half-bad, some Siteway dusting, continued experiments over on flickr, and more steam in the engine. ¶ It is remarkable that there are few men so well employed, so much to their minds, but that a little money or fame would commonly buy them off from their present pursuit. I see advertisements for active young men, as if activity were the whole of a young man's capital. Yet I have been surprised when one has with confidence proposed to me, a grown man, to embark in some enterprise of his, as if I had absolutely nothing to do, my life having been a complete failure hitherto. What a doubtful compliment this is to pay me! As if he had met me half-way across the ocean beating up against the wind, but bound nowhere, and proposed to me to go along with him! If I did, what do you think the underwriters would say? No, no! I am not without employment at this stage of the voyage. To tell the truth, I saw an advertisement for able-bodied seamen, when I was a boy, sauntering in my native port, and as soon as I came of age I embarked.—Henry David Thoreau, from Life Without Principle.

Labels: AdmirationOfBenefit, Clear, FeaturedIllustration, Heroes, Siteway, Vague

¶ 7:51 PM

It's fashionable but I don't mind saying I'm a sucker for the last man on earth story. Even the empty New York sequences in Vanilla Sky were somehow thrilling, if only in dreams. I'm looking forward to seeing I Am Legend this holiday season. It's a version of 1971's Omega Man (both screenplays are based on Richard Matheson's novel, I Am Legend). The last man is the lone man, the first man. The Robinson Crusoe story writ large. ¶ Why don't you be like your friend Henry here. He's got a nice girl. He's settling down now. He's married. Pretty soon he'll have a nice family. And you're still bouncing around from girl to girl.—Tommy's Mother, GoodFellas. ¶ I think the pleasures of living in Toronto outweigh the pains. For me, for now, I'd rather be nowhere else. I love seeing store owners sweeping their front stoop, green grocer's sneaking a quick smoke, and FedEx drivers jumping in and out of their trucks. I walk through Kensington Market almost every day these days. Maybe I'll tire of it, but so far, I still get my kicks. The city can be summarized thusly: proximity to life; access to markets; accelerating movement. If we all struggle, then at least in the city, you don't struggle alone.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, Vague

¶ 12:56 PM

Problems
by Piet Hein
 
Problems worthy
   of attack
prove their worth
   by hitting back.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Heroes

¶ 3:48 PM

The Dude: You're not wrong Walter. You're just an asshole. ¶ There are so many choice lines and scenes from The Big Lebowski but the aforementioned gets me every time. Like many things I enjoy today, I didn't enjoy this at first. But it only took a few more viewings for me to get into the character of The Dude. He's the unexpected anti-hero for the 1990s. And unlike Hud, the anti-hero for the 1960s, The Dude has apathy holding him back, not pride. With both, though, you're conflicted, and this is part of the fun. And with quite possibly Philip Seymour-Hoffman's best and funniest supporting role, I could watch this noir riff epic many times a year. ¶ I recently crossed the 25,000 views threshold over on my flickr photostream. I've been grateful for the feedback and inspiration I've found over on flickr.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, Flickr

¶ 9:46 AM

Elisabeth Moss portrays Peggy, the New Girl at Sterling Cooper, a fictional advertising agency in Mad Men (AMC, Thursdays, 10pm, 9c). This show has a lot of things going for it: stunning design, beautiful costumes, thoughtful writing, complex-enough characters and, best of all for me, it's about Madison Avenue advertising in the early 1960s. Moss' Peggy is supposed to be bright-eyed and green, but there's something very serious and intelligent just below the surface. She's wiser than everyone gives her credit for and this doesn't seem to bother her. It's a source of power for her.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, TV

¶ 1:04 PM

Say anything you want against The Seventh Seal. My fear of death—this infantile fixation of mine—was, at that moment, overwhelming. I felt myself in contact with death day and night, and my fear was tremendous. When I finished the picture, my fear went away. I have the feeling simply of having painted a canvas in an enormous hurry — with enormous pretension but without any arrogance. I said, 'Here is a painting; take it, please.' Ingmar Bergman, from an interview with Charles Thomas Samuels, 1971. ¶ I was embarrassed for myself when I realised I still haven't seen any Ingmar Bergman pictures and the shame was enough for me to add two immediately to my queue. Bergman passed away this past Monday. That evening, on the CBC, they interviewed David Cronenberg (I drew him, too). They asked him some questions about Bergman, about filmmaking, and about being an artist. Cronenberg made interesting points about autobiography inherent in art works, Bergman's dream of being a writer, and of pouring oneself into their creative work.

Labels: Death, FeaturedIllustration, Heroes

¶ 1:11 PM

Siteway began, in earnest, some years after the site was initially online. In the fall of 1999 I purchased my first Wacom (from eBay) and this is when I began to put the Siteway emphasis on illustrations and, later in spring, writing. In those early days I drew many a philosopher and this week I make a return, of sorts. ¶ As students, my friends and I all had philosophers that we conversationally associated ourselves with. For one friend, it was Nietzsche. For another, famously in our group, it was Kierkegaard. For me, save my actual academic interest in Dretske, it was A. J. Ayer. I have always admired his writing style (effortless and beautiful), his mental capability (sharp as a whip), and his self-confidence. He published his classic and famously flawed book, Language, Truth, and Logic, when he was 26. Whereas once I was disappointed that his book contained philosophical gaps, now I'm enamored by it. He acknowledged these gaps in later editions, but never apologized for them. Again, it's that he published it at all that left an impression on me. For those interested in English Philosophy and its impact on British culture, I highly recommend reading his Part of my Life. If you wish to continue on, there's also More of my Life.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Heroes, Nostalgia, Philosophy

¶ 10:27 AM

I woke up to The Dark of the Sun playing in my head and it brought me the sort of sweet morning inner smile I haven't woken up to in about three weeks. Fucking finally! Excuse my expletive, if only because it's out of pure relief and not frustration, for once recently, and nobody is more relieved that yours truly. This has been the toughest chapter change I can ever recall, and only the Third Perspective knows why. Whatever the reasons, I hope they resonated with me somehow and that I'm stronger for it. Hey yeah yeah. ¶ I love, like many others, Francis Ford Copolla's integration of religious and gangster imagery in the Godfather trilogy. Especially poignant is Baptism and Murder, a sequence near the end of The Godfather. It's not so much Good versus Evil that makes this sequence work even if it does trade on that battle. It's the directing and editing restraint that does most of the work here to pull back from the potentially destructive cliché. The sequence places us in the church with Michael as he renounces Satan in baptizing his nephew and then in calm cuts we bear witness to his murderous commands executed in rough and gross ways. It's nowhere near a depiction of glamour—a mistaken distinction between film depiction and what the film depicts—instead it's a restrained interplay between the daily grind of priests versus hitmen. Michael Corleone's character continues to live with me and remains quite possibly the most complex cinematic characters ever. I depict him here as he lies to Kaye about murdering his brother-in-law. "No," he lies, flatly, to her one chance at asking about his affairs. But not merely a monster, he commits evil acts to protect in ways he never wanted and yet he is too weak to understand his greater responsibilities. ¶ I took last week off the weekly Siteway drawing but now I'm back and feeling like myself again and ready for more. The office is coming together slowly but surely and in time I'll have some new pictures up on flickr. ¶ Until next time, I bid you good day from Chinatown.

Labels: Cinema, Clear, FeaturedIllustration

¶ 10:24 AM

Quick post as I'm hungry as sin and working from a cafe. We spent a challenging but ultimately rewarding weekend in Algonquin Park, on Jubilee Lake. Our entrance to the park was near Kearney, Ontario. Lots to tell here and I'll devote a post to it very soon. ¶ Quick big thanks to MK and F-Los for their help moving me into the office as well as PK who self-motivationally helped us drop off the U-Haul. ¶ This week, late but complete: Mr. Clive Owen. ¶ More soon...

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Gratitude, WeekendUpdate

¶ 1:19 PM

Over the weekend we built something approximating the desk of my dreams. Since deciding on the office I've been able to take more seriously some work-related ideas I've harbored for some time. Ideas including the acquisition of a large, angled, eight-foot long desktop where I could draw. So, I took a look around. I looked online, mostly, craigslist and the like, and I didn't find anything all that special. I had the idea it might be possible to build this desk in my head, but not being handy makes me dependent on some serious help. The help came, and so did the desk. On Friday we picked up lumber from Copps Buildall. On Saturday we built the skeletal structure and on Sunday we stained, re-constructed parts of it, and then finally attached the linoleum desktop. Seeing it emerge from mere lumber was nothing short of a wonder. Some pictures here, more coming. ¶ This week's illustration is brought to you by private eye inspiration: Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart. Released just over twenty years ago.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, WeekendUpdate

¶ 12:53 PM

I sent out a fairly formal announcement of my upcoming move to an office in Toronto earlier this morning. It links to a version of my most recent Marlon Brando in the form of a postcard. There's been so much happening in such a quiet way here of late that it's sometimes hard to keep it all straight. Anyway, we're definitely ready now. Sailing is coming to an end, I've got one last weekend in London, and soon we will be on our way. I'm trying to take it all in. On balance, it's been one hell of a year here. ¶ I've got a portrait of The White Stripes in today's National Post. AL2, I believe. I haven't seen it quite yet as the delivery person left my paper for Dundas Street to enjoy.

Labels: Brando, FeaturedIllustration, Londontown, NationalPost, TheOffice

¶ 10:27 AM

Brad Pitt is this week's featured illustration. ¶ Last night was our fifth of ten sailing class and it proved to be worthy. The breeze was lackluster but the feeling was positive. My confidence, roughly speaking here, is slowly increasing. I'm convinced that this sort of thing is a private language: my confidence may very well be higher than those that report high confidence. I'm reluctant to overstate the case, however, because of a near infinite number of reasons that exist in the self. Having said that, I'm beginning to see the Matrix in the code, and that's always exciting. My strength is muted: I'm fairly good at everything, I excel at nothing. What's beginning to emerge is the first stages of second nature. Everyone is after second nature. ¶ We saw Robert Altman's Gosford Park last evening. Not only is this a beautifully shot film with enough plot to keep you playing along but it's also quite touching. I suspect achieving this sort of thing on film is not easy. ¶ I'm new to the Judd Apatow world, and, though I rank low on the "biggest fan" scale, I'm enjoying the ride immensely. Most recently in the form of Knocked Up and, as I've mentioned before on Siteway, Freaks & Geeks. It took me some time to warm to Seth Rogen, the actor. Suprisingly, he actually made gains with me in the silly and misguided You, Me, and Dupree. Only a certain kind of Matt Dillon fan can enjoy his silly movies, of which there are plently. If you're going to watch one, I'd say give One Night at McCool's a whirl. This is classic "oh I hated it/turned it off/walked out on it" material based largely on how hard it tried (and, as a result, failed), but to me it's still a fun distraction. I'd rather a dozen of these misguided ensemble Hollywood romps over so-called spoof comedies which peaked when I was in junior high. ¶ Some time ago I had Kavin build me a Flash browser for Siteway illustrations. You can see the beginnings of it implemented here. More to browse soon. ¶ I've put up some pictures of my soon-to-be new office in Toronto over on flickr. ¶ Jake Gittes: Why are you doing it? How much better can you eat? What can you buy that you can't already afford? / Noah Cross: The future, Mr. Gittes, the future.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, Flickr, TV

¶ 10:28 AM

Better late than never, here's Tom Wolfe. Been working on this portrait for some time and it finally clicked this morning. ¶ A near-perfect weekend up at Silent Lake near Bancroft, Ontario was had. I did my best relaxing in a long time. Great weather, great chats, and great food. ¶ I'm back to work, lots on my plate, and keen on summertime. More meat soon.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, WeekendUpdate

¶ 3:33 PM

"If you take drawing seriously, you never quite feel you've arrived. Your ambition is always for something a little better than anything you've yet done."—Edward Sorel, from Unauthorized Portraits, a good book. ¶ Last week was informally pitch week which means I sent out a few dozen e-mail and postal pitches to art directors near and far. It's an absolutely thrilling part of the business, but along for the ride are fear and vulnerability. But hey, that's the gig. ¶ We went to see Disturbia (2007) last week and while I can't reasonably recommend this film, it did get me thinking about Rear Window (1954) (obviously) and from there my thoughts moved to Alfred Hitchcock. One of my favourite films of Hitchcock's is Frenzy (1972) which I think shows how clearly how Brian De Palma was influenced as he began making films. The blood is thick and deep (De Palma favors fire-engine red), clothing stinks of cigarette smoke, hair is matted and messy, and the violence absolutely brutal. It's the kind of movie I would have feared as a boy. Right from the outset, it's a harsh London depicted. It's a London that's the urban cousin of Peckinpah's rural England in Straw Dogs (1971). What I like most about it is the art direction feels like equal parts controlled and organic. It's like a play on the streets. It is, for many reasons, genius art direction. Moreover, the plot and pacing are above average: there's a tie-strangler on the loose and our man Dick Blaney is suspect number one! ¶ This week I illustrate Alfred Hitchcock. I find myself drawn even more to artists like Hitchcock. There's a certain holism to his films which I not only find comforting, but fascinating. I'll keep you posted on my informal study of his work.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, Freelancing, Quotation

¶ 1:31 PM

Recently I haven't articulated where I'm taking Siteway. This hasn't been sincerely an omission since I'm generally more interested, again recently, in showing versus telling. And, indeed, I can't quite promise an exposition here, but I can say that the vision I have for the Siteway sites is coming into focus. Without further ado, I present Coastalmatic. Man on a boat... is the first in a what I hope will be a series of animations. New every Tuesday. ¶ Still can't get enough of the gang in The Office. This week on Siteway, Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, SitewayWorld

¶ 4:53 PM

OK so I didn't fare that well during the 30 Rock hiatus! It's back this week though, and so I'm already looking forward to Thursday-as-Friday due to most business slowing down on Good Friday. ¶ Tracy Morgan is one of those comedians that I didn't warm to immediately but now can't get enough of. His stand-up comedy is probably not to everyone's taste. Very explicit, not just because it's blue but because it's honest about aspects of anthropology that we don't generally chat about in our everyday lives. If we're lucky, we'll see Morgan develop into something very special. ¶ Check out today's National Post for my spread of illustrations in The Month Ahead, AL1.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, NationalPost, TV

¶ 12:17 PM

Ladies and gentlemen, a portrait of the late film director, Stanley Kubrick. Out on DVD, Tuesday: Color Me Kubrick. ¶ Lots of stuff to talk about soon, but I'm not quite there yet. I have the rest of my sites to launch, a new site for Pauline to complete, and dozens of illustrations on the go. Stay tuned for the public ones. ¶ I made chicken bizeli tonight.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, SitewayWorld

¶ 12:00 AM

It was one hell of a weekend in Toronto, and I'm writing this with a real tired on. I had a glorious time with my friends, and about the only negative things I can say is that it went by took quickly and I took zero pictures. As always, thank you for the memories. ¶ I was charmed by Andy Richter's new Conan O'Brien brainchild, Andy Barker, P.I. Andy Richter is a funny dude and I like him.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Gratitude, WeekendUpdate

¶ 10:58 PM

About a year in the works, I present the new design for Siteway. I've tried to strip things down, simplify the overall feel, and increase the real estate for illustrations. I haven't updated all the pages on Siteway so there will be some old pages mixed in with new ones. I'm using a font called Market Deco that I believe is freeware. It's quite handsome in this author's opinion. All I can find about its designer, Steve Ferrera, is this comment page. ¶ I promised a friend that I'd launch the new Siteway with a portrait of Shelly Duvall from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. And here she is.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, SitewayWorld

¶ 12:14 AM

Can I just say before getting into anything to do with our trip to New York that we saw The Departed last week and I absolutely loved it. It made seeing Martin Scorsese win (in our totally excellent rented East Village apartment) all the more sweet. It's an amazing amazing film. How good is Mark Whalberg? Very good. ¶ Frank Stella was a New York based painter. We were invited to an Allen Shawn book launch at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller and there were several Stella works for sale (24x16 pieces, $4,500 each). Later in the week, when we were at the MoMA, we thoroughly enjoyed looking at Stella's work. I think I can safely say he's my new favourite artist (despite having known about him for years). ¶ As I've alluded to over on flickr as well as here on Siteway, our trip to New York City was priceless. I marveled, I gawked, I did more people watching than I can remember, I ate, drank, walked, and fell in love with this great great city. We took some photos, and I've collected some in a flickr set. We have a disposable camera to develop in addition to these, but I think they capture the feeling of our trip. Up next: Seeing Conan.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Flickr, NYC

¶ 1:14 AM

I suppose the question of God's existence is an open one. But surely mankind has built heaven and named it New York City. ¶ Watch for this week's feature illustration tonight. I'll be drawing it later today at the New York Public Library. Yes, the Ghostbusters one. Change of plans. Too much to see and do today for an illustration and sadly the library is closed Mondays. No worries. Scorsese will grace Siteway's home page for a little while longer and if I have time, I might add to it or riff on it but otherwise look for a brand new illustration next week upon our return to Canada.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, NYC

¶ 10:23 AM

Got lots to write about, but it's bedtime. I bought The Departed the other day and will be watching it with Pauline this week before we leave for NYC. All the best, Mr. Scorsese. I'll be rooting for you.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration

¶ 11:56 PM

Coastalmatic Chowder
1 table spoon, butter
1 shot, Stoli
1 and a bit cups, water
1 clove, garlic
2 large cooking onions
2 stalks, celery
2 carrots, peeled
4 good sized potatoes, peeled, quartered
1 can, Italian tomatoes
1 can, tomato paste, no name is recommended
4 pieces of bacon
4 filets, white fish, sole is recommended
Dried bay leaf, Parsley, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, pepper, chili flakes
 
Melt butter in large pot. Add garlic, onions, and celery and sauté until tender (or smell awesome). Add chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Be reasonable. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, vodka, heat to simmer, five minutes. Add water, carrots, potatoes. Simmer some more. Add Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Simmer some more. Take a break and have some wine. Now you need to cook up some bacon. Cook it up in a frying pan, drain fat and pat dry. Crumble cooked bacon into pot. Things should be going well and smelling fantastic. After some simmering and more wine (that you're drinking), throw in the fish. It doesn't take long to cook but there's no harm in letting it soak in for as long as you've got. Watch you don't overcook the carrots. Serve with fresh parsley. The wine you've been drinking? Frisky Zebras Sauvignon Blanc (Tetra-pak). ¶ This week's feature illustration is Chris Bosh. Let's watch him this Sunday in the 2007 All-Star game, shall we?

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Recipe

¶ 12:08 PM

PK and I had a great brunch at Insomnia on Saturday and it was such a treat. I had the Hogaareten + OJ mimosa, the Eggs Benedict (which I almost never order), and some black coffee. Time seemed to slow down and I was in the moment. ¶ Later we hit the new BMV and I picked up Vox, Never Mind The Pollacks, The Making of a Philosopher, Tomorrow, The Stars, and Frommer's New York City (2006). They're all pretty much for the NYC train adventure. Sometimes, when I buy books, I regret it. Not this time. ¶ This week's feature illustration is of Quentin Tarantino.

Labels: Books, FeaturedIllustration, NYC, WeekendUpdate

¶ 3:28 PM

So the other week I found out that I didn't get into a pretty sweet animation program called Hothouse offered by the NFB. I was pretty gutted, but at the same time I had pretty realistic expectations going in. The good news is that it was a tonne of fun to put together my application (I made a little booklet) and it pushed me to seriously think of how I'm going to eventually animate some stories I have churning away upstairs. Bottom line: I've been doing animation tests ever since. It's times like these that I'm glad I picked up The Animator's Survival Kit. ¶ I saw Withnail and I many moons ago in Nottingham with some friends. We didn't play the insane drinking game that goes along with the film (drink when they drink). Richard E. Grant is also near-perfect in the dark and fantastic How to Get Ahead in Advertising.

Labels: Animation, FeaturedIllustration

¶ 9:26 AM

Recently decided to give NBC's My Name is Earl a whirl and found it to be a nice little enjoyable treat. My favourite Jason Lee turn is his short-lived character in Tony Scott's Enemy of the State. If you watch carefully you'll notice that the game console they use to transport the video card is a Turbo Grafx-16 portable, the TurboExpress. I owned one of these in high school. I got a rebate for paying a small business loan on time and used that rebate to buy it. It was awesome. ¶ Caught a matinee of Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men on Saturday. It and I were a perfect match, despite it being so heavy (though not heavy-handed in this writer's humble opinion). I notice that Cuarón also directed Great Expectations from 1998. A thoroughly underrated gem, I loved the big bold strokes of that film. ¶ Hey Toronto: thanks for yet another great weekend. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, but you need to feed that heart, and semi-regular visits is just the right fuel.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, TV, WeekendUpdate

¶ 11:49 AM

I had one of those weekends you sometimes yearn for: quiet, calm, inside, productive, and good. We broke out Starfarers of Catan last evening and it proved to be a very satisfying. I spent the bulk of my weekend drawing: for work and for pleasure. I uploaded a David Lynch to my flickr account as well as the making-of to YouTube. Enjoy! ¶ Some of James Caan's best films were underrated. I'm especially fond of him in Thief (from which this week's feature is based) as well as The Gambler. ¶ Don't forget: I've got a Jack Bauer portrait in tomorrow's National Post (AL1). Stay tuned, as always. ¶ Sometimes a day can be made by a mere link on the Internet. And today that link is this one (Jet-set poster archive, via Seen and Not Seen).

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Flickr, WeekendUpdate, YouTube

¶ 10:10 PM

Whatalastcoupleofdays! ¶ Cheers to living good in 2007! My hope is for lots of hard work, satisfaction, exploration, and wonder! ¶ One of my favourite villains in cinema is Louise Fletcher's Nurse Mildred Ratched. Enjoy, and good night.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Gratitude

¶ 11:31 PM

I love Ralph Steadman's art. He puts it all in the work and it shows. Even though I've never mentioned him on Siteway, Steadman's portraiture has been very influential. This week, my tribute to Mr. Ralph Steadman. ¶ Here's another video I recorded of a drawing. These are still very much in the experimental phase.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Illustrator, YouTube

¶ 8:31 PM

Quiet weekend, but it was really rather pleasant. ¶ I've been watching a lot of primetime television lately and one show that has hooked me in is NBC's Heroes. Though it's far from perfect, I think it has carved out a nice little bit of imaginary space in American mainstream storytelling. I imagine the show as pitched was much stronger but that's sort of like wishing your Big Mac was cooked by a bona fide gourmet chef. ¶ Ladies and germs, Masi Oka. ¶ Pleasant dreams.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, TV, WeekendUpdate

¶ 11:02 PM

Bit of a whirlwind weekend... disorienting actually. I'm currently working from Casa Aird and have been enjoying the downhome feeling of his new abode. So I just updated with this week's illustration, Mr. George Clooney. Hope you like. ¶ This morning I also completed an illustration of Mr. Alex Trebek for tomorrow's National Post, AL3. ¶ I'd write more (as I have more to write) but I rather feel like a cat nap. If I can steal a signal on the VIA tomorrow, I'll post again. If not, when I get back to Londontown for sure.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, NationalPost, Train, WeekendUpdate

¶ 3:58 PM

For some years now I've been meaning to try my hand at slow cooking. We received a slow cooker as part of our wedding gift registration, and today (Sunday) was the day. A few days ago I picked up a boneless shoulder of New Zealand lamb (from the underrated 24 hour A&P at Adelaide and Cheapside). I defrosted it on Saturday night in the refrigerator and on Sunday morning I placed it inside the crock pot with: some tomato paste, a little water, a bit of honey lager beer (that's another story), two medium-sized onions, and four cloves of garlic. Oh, and I rubbed some Italian spices, sea salt, and olive oil on the meat. I turned the cooker to 'low', and watched the recent remake of The Omen (not bad, but somewhat unecessary). This was at 10:30am. I had it in my head that 10 hours would do. I based this on some research, but in all honesty, it was a guess. After five hours I placed some roasting potatoes (again, with salt and spice and olive oil) and feta cheese in the now-bubbling sauce. Five hours later Pauline and I tucked into my variation of a Greek classic, kleftiko. Oh, and I also put together a somewhat Greek salad. It's hard to articulate but: I didn't think it was going to work until the minute I ate my first bite. What can I say, some of the time it just works out. ¶ I picked up a suitcase of Lakeport Honey Lager in cans on Friday from the nearby Beer Store. I placed 23 of them in the fridge. The 24th was... nearly empty. It was sealed, to be sure, but it had about the amount of liquid you might expect from 'an empty can'. I decided to take action. Impressively, they took the freak can and in return they offered a cold 750ml can of Blue. Hey, it's not my favourite beer but I left with a smile on my face all the same. ¶ I hope you enjoy this week's feature portrait, the late talented Christopher Wallace.

Labels: Cooking, FeaturedIllustration, Londontown

¶ 12:16 AM

I updated the Seth illustration above by adding some subtle animation. I'd like to do more animation, but so far I haven't found the best way, from a time management perspective, to accomplish this. I think it comes down to illustrating every new Siteway portrait all week every week instead of one day a week, every week. ¶ National Post portrait in the Wednesday, October 11, 2006 issue, of George Strombo, AL2. ¶ This past spring, when I was working part-time with Mouth Media, I designed some in-store graphics and the logo for GoodHealth Pharmacy. Currently their only store is in Ottawa, on Preston Street. ¶ Popphoto.com (digital arm of American Photo and Popular Photography) has a very good piece on portrait photographer Platon. Here are two excerpts that I particularly enjoyed: "Al Hirschfeld, the legendary cartoonist, had his picture taken by Platon a few weeks before he died, at the age of 99. 'If you had one wish?' Platon asked. 'Ah, to be 90 again,' he replied." and "On Christopher Walken, in the understatement of the night: 'Now this guy is weird.' Walken showed up for a shoot at Platon's house an hour early (unprecedented), alone (un-heard-of), and wearing black elastic pants pulled up to his armpits (what do you expect). He walked through the studio, straight into Platon's kitchen and started going through the cabinets. Platon, a little confused, asked him if he was hungry, and could he get him something to eat? 'No,' Walken replied, and kept opening cabinet doors. His advice on life? 'It helps if you drink.' The only way he would let Platon shoot his portrait? 'You're going to say 'Chris' and I'm going to look at you and then I'm going to look away.' 'We did that for two hours,' Platon says."

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Freelancing, Heroes, NationalPost, Quotation

¶ 3:26 PM

My gratitude, my gratitude. Like free will, I definitely believe it exists, but I'm always up for an excuse to test it. I hope all your Thanksagiving weekends were great. ¶ It's taken me this long to illustrate a portrait of my favourite Canadian artist working today. Ladies and gentlemen, Seth.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Gratitude

¶ 11:19 PM

The place is really coming together now. I've enjoyed the process a great deal, even if it is sometimes very difficult to figure out where things should go, you know the deal. I'm looking around the room and I'm liking what I see. I think I'll have a Redbreast before bed. Enjoy the Emily Haines portrait. ¶ I illustrate Michael C. Hall in tomorrow's National Post. AL2. ¶ Here's my piece on display at the Beaver, Uncle Paully wants a Sausage.

Labels: ArtShow, FeaturedIllustration, Londontown, NationalPost

¶ 11:51 PM

It's Edward Woodward, star of the original Wicker Man (1973) and TV's The Equalizer (1985-1989). I'm not familiar with either of these works, but I've long been intrigued by Mr. Woodward.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, TV

¶ 1:06 AM

Can't say enough about the kindness and support we received tonight. I hope you enjoy "Robber" and if you were at the auction tonight I hope you had a good time. It was a real treat.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Gratitude

¶ 11:56 PM

I drew Wayne Coyne from the band The Flaming Lips in June for a wedding gift for a couple that got married in May. When I dressed up for Hallowe'en as my older self (dyed white hair plus fake ponch) I was told I looked like Coyne. Having studied his face for the above portrait I can say confidently that we do not have similar faces. ¶ Speaking of weddings, we went to a great one this weekend. It was in London, so we had ample opportunity to tell new friends and old about our upcoming move to the Forrest City while simultaneously celebrating a couple doing the opposite. We met some great people from Arizona, Japan, and down the street. It felt good, but it also felt very real. ¶ Have lately been boring people with: talking about Grizzly Man, sharing stories from Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything and Michael Crichton's The Great Train Robbery. Thanks for humouring me. ¶ Today was a near-perfect conclusion to the weekend. I lazed about by the pool, read, drank some beer, and then cooked up some sausages before heading back to the big smoke. For a moment it felt like I was on vacation and it was great. ¶ Good night. Here's to the meat of the summer.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, Londontown, WeekendUpdate

¶ 9:58 PM

Had the pleasure of attending a Q&A session at the AGO with Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg yesterday evening. There were about a dozen bloggers who were there to take photos, write notes, ask questions, and, in my case, sketch. He was at the AGO to celebrate the launch of the Andy Warhol exhibit he guest-curated subtitled Supernova: Stars, Deaths, and Disasters, 1962-1964. Much thanks to Matthew Ross over at the AGO who was good enough to make this happen. ¶ With all that in mind, may I present my portrait of Andy Warhol.

Labels: ArtShow, Cinema, FeaturedIllustration, Flickr

¶ 11:11 PM

Last week I went to the dermatologist because over the last year I developed a spot just below my left eye. It's basically red (see above) and it wasn't bothering me, but I thought it might be best to see what it is. So my doctor referred me to a dermatologist (in, of all places, the building where I used to work) and off I went. This place had free internet in the waiting room. A huge plasma television. All the equipment was almost futuristic. It was a bizarre experience. Oh, and my spot is harmless, I even forget what she called it, but I'm still glad I had the professionals take a look. ¶ So this week's illustration is obviously a little different. I'm going to be experimenting with new kinds of portraits in the coming weeks, so please bear with me.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration

¶ 7:22 PM

I'm writing this from our hotel room in Sudbury, Ontario. Lovely spot. We drove up this morning. There was an accident just outside of Parry Sound which required us to detour. There was a nice gentleman on a motorcycle directing traffic until, I suspect, the OPP made it to the scene. We checked in, ordered room service, and I got down to work. Jimi Hendrix! First ever Siteway Weekly illustration not completed in Toronto (some of the original Siteway illustrations were completed in Nottingham, UK, but I started doing a weekly in Toronto in January 2005).

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, SitewayWorld, UK

¶ 8:46 PM

Early this morning a group of about twenty folks received an e-mail from yours truly letting them in on the preview site of Siteway Select. For those of you who are curious: Siteway Select is an online store I'm developing that lets people select, design, and purchase real-life art prints that we ship in the post. As of June 18th, 2006, users will be able to browse a select choice of my illustrations, paint them according to their taste, choose between a variety of sizes and formats, and ultimately purchase them. Each print ships unframed but included in every purchase is a PDF framing guide for helpful guidance in the framing process. This is definitely the biggest online undertaking I've been involved in so wish me luck! ¶ Ladies and germs, Mr. Larry David! Here's to June!

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, SitewaySelect

¶ 10:39 AM

Here I am in my on-site office at 9:42am and my body can't believe it. Last evening Pauline and I had a warm meal at Mitzi's Sister and then afterwards I began to draw Mike Wallace, my fictional character Avery Hutch, and then at the last minute I switched to Raymond Carver. As a result, I didn't have time to upload any of my camping photos, but keep your eyes on my flickr account this week. Legs hurt but my soul is well. And the coffee I'm drinking is warming my inner kore. ¶ Toronto's photoblogger extraordinaire Rannie Turingan has a photo in today's National Post. Cover of Arts & Life, lawn bowling.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Flickr, NationalPost, WeekendUpdate

¶ 9:42 AM

Ladies and germs, my cultural hero of 2006, Mister Karl Pilkington. Roll over his mouth, alright. ¶ New Avery Hutch episode coming soon.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Vague

¶ 12:32 AM

Just in case you thought I'd lost the ability to render clean lines in the classic Siteway fashion. I guess I needed to remind myself too.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration

¶ 11:48 AM

They don't know what to think about us, cutie. We'll be the heroes of the sidewalks in our town. ¶ After much (justified) procrastination, I was urged today to fix my glaring thumbnail problem here on Siteway. I had thought that the calendar would be used in this capacity, but I totally understand how it's just part of a myriad of ways people can navigate through Siteway. The problem really is that I don't really have much of a gallery page. That is, until I decided to start to fix the problem. Here's my work-in-progress page of illustrations. ¶ What? No love for Jon Stewart? What? HAHA. Just kidding, dear reader. First off, Mr. Koczij and my father both responded positively to him (my fishing is to be taken in jest). Look, some drawings get a reaction, some don't. Some are good, and some are bad. And they aren't always paired up. That's the way it really is. But for the record let it be known: I'm very proud of my portrait of Stewart. Not only was it an enjoyable drawing experience but in many (privately) profound ways, it gave me more confidence than I've received in many moons.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Lyric

¶ 12:11 AM

Concert films have been on my mind lately and the other week I picked up a DVD I'd been looking to aquire for some time. It was Martin Scorsese's concert film, The Last Waltz. I watched it last week. On Friday afternoon I went to see Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Two amazing films by two amazing directors about two amazing cultural phenomena. I've always enjoyed Robbie Robertson, especially in the film, and it was a pure pleasure to illustrate him this evening. ¶ During the first act of the Oscars this evening Pontiac leaned over and asked me if we could spend the first chapter of our marriage watching nothing but great films. I smiled ear to ear, in part because I adored the sentiment, but also because that would be something I'd be totally keen on. You did good tonight, Jon. You were funny, professional, and best of all, classic. Congratulations.

Labels: Cinema, FeaturedIllustration

¶ 2:26 AM

I've finished the eighth philosopher portrait: Arthur Schopenhauer. One more to go! After that I will be concentrating on the Matchstick eComic. I've also made slight changes here and there so make sure to clear your cache.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, SitewayWorld

¶ 8:05 AM

Britney Spears releases her second album today. I publish my first caricature of her today.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration

¶ 9:11 AM

In a blatant soul-selling move, I have decided to illustrate a caricature of pop phenomenon, Britney Spears. Ms. Spears, whose new album is released this month, will soon share Siteway pixel space with German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Here's hoping the search engines pick up on my new additions.

Labels: FeaturedIllustration, Illustrator

¶ 5:19 PM