Tag: smoking

Ravine Opossums

March 23, 2013 / Rob

Ravine Opossums, gouache and ink, 12″x14″. Click to view large

I just finished the second gouache and ink drawing for The Super Trash Show. Ravine Opossums was inspired by a block of urban woods across from my family home in Burnaby, British Columbia. We called it Sherwood Forest, and it had everything a kid could want: blackberry bushes, a murky creek, and a rope swing of questionable fitness.

The Super Trash Show
A Group Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Glamorizing Lowbrow Trash CultureSuper Wonder Gallery
99 Sudbury St., Toronto
Friday, March 29, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. (Facebook page)

Boardwalk bumper

July 9, 2012 / Rob

I’ve been using the “smoking aunt and boy in gorilla mask” as Swizzle Studio mascots since 2010. The original drawing was an offshoot of a carnival-themed CD package I designed five years ago. The artwork wasn’t used for the project, but I’ve always liked the figures’ seaside mystery.

Last Friday was a quiet day in the studio, so I used the time to create this “bumper” with Flash and an accordion sample.

Hey buddy, got a light?

July 5, 2011 / Rob

I’m pretty pleased with my latest art book, a 7″ square hardback called “Hey buddy, got a light?” Comprised of 25 paintings of animals smoking, the book will be sent to art directors but is also available to the public. These little books from Blurb have the feel of a children’s primer (indeed, my previous portfolio book was titled “Primer”).

“Hey buddy, got a light?” has its roots in a show of the same title I exhibited at Toronto’s Saving Grace cafe in 2005. The absurdity of all those animals smoking was amplified by the cafe’s close confines, and the exhibition was a near-sell out. Publishing this book lets me to share the aggregate impact of all the pieces in one place again.

I’ve included a handful of sketches in the book as well, where you can see a bit of my creative process.

“Hey buddy, got a light?” is available from Blurb.com in softcover and hardcover versions: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2282755

Art directors: contact me at studio@swizzle.ca to see a copy of this book.