I just completed a series of 9 owl paintings just in time for holiday season gift giving.
Each owl is a North American species, depicted as its most graphic elements.
The paintings are 6″x6″ on profile canvas, $200 each. Each is fitted with a sawtooth hook for easy hanging. The profile canvas also sits nicely on a mantelpiece.
Message me or email swizzlestudio [at] gmail.com if you are interested!
Cheers,
Rob
Row 1: Great Gray Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl (SOLD) Row 2: Burrowing Owl, Snowy Owl (SOLD), Screech Owl (SOLD) Row 3: Large Eared Owl, Barn Owl, Saw Whet Owl
Finished painting. Kritterland, Rob Elliott, 30″x40″, acrylic on canvas, 2021. Private collection.
I recently completed this large painting commissioned by a Chicago patron. Kritterland is an anthropomorphic spin on the famous Kiddieland amusement park sign which once stood in Melrose Park, Il.
Kiddieland sign, Melrose park, Il.
This painting was right up my alley. I sketched some urban animals in the same poses as the children on the original sign. As with all my fauna, I was careful not to make them too cute. There’s a feral edge to all my animals. You can dress them up, but maybe don’t invite them inside!
Raccoon detail. Kritterland, Rob Elliott 30″x40″, acrylic on canvas, 2021Raccoon sketches for Kritterland.The grub on the t-shirt is a C for “Chicago”. Skunk detail. Kritterland, Rob Elliott 30″x40″, acrylic on canvas, 2021.Skunk sketchThis opossum didn’t make the cut.Sign sketch, Raccoon, detail. Kritterland, Rob Elliott 30″x40″, acrylic on canvas. 2021
Swizzle Studio kept busy through 2020, despite it being an unusual year. Here are some of my favourite projects, both commercial and personal.
Murals
Alley Cats, Gerrard St E and Rhodes AveChickadee-Dee-Dee! Keele St and Dundas St. W.
I got the opportunity to paint my critters BIG this year. I did the giant cats with my friend Andrew Horne, and the bird on the side of Williams Design’s often tagged storefront.
Duck Story
A page from the children’s book
My friend Andreas and I worked on a book over the winter, with him sending me pages of a children’s story he had written, one page at a time. These installments arrived hand-written on creamy notecards; I would add an illustration to the bottom. We are about six pages from the ending. Something to finish in 2021!
Pizza School NYC goes online
Screenshot of Pizza School NYC’s Vimeo page
My longtime clients Pizza School NYC had to pivot quickly when the pandemic shuttered their cooking school. I worked on the technical and visual side of their new online school. In addition to getting the Vimeo page looking great, I designed labels for pizza mailing kits, and designed a zine to go with those kits. Pizza School is doing great these days, and it was rewarding to be part of this big effort.
Pizza School NYC’s pizza kit with zine.Pizza Ghost, detail from Halloween Maze
Logos
I always enjoy type and logo work. Here are a few I did this year.
Tailfeather Shaker for a series of Zoom dance partiesVintage sellers Williams Design came across this eponymous logo stamped on an 80 year old case of shotgun shells. I cleaned up the artwork for them. Great design never gets old!Logo design for UXG website.
Stickers
I discovered Sticker Mule, an online printing company with some really great products. After signing up to their mailing list, I have been having fun with their promotional specials.
Colouring Pages
Birds Are On The Wing colouring page, Spring 2020
During the spring lockdown, several artists made activity pages that went out the Flying Pony Cafe’s weekly home deliveries. They were much enjoyed by the children of the households who received them. I did several colouring pages.
