The Brule-a painting

 

I have a bit of a fascination with old signs.  I also have a bit of a fascination with the historical figure of Brule.  He was perhaps the first person of European descent to see all the Great Lakes, perhaps the first to touch the shores of what is now Hamilton, and spent much time with the Ouendat (Huron) people in the regions around   Georgian Bay where my family cottage is.  Likely illiterate, he never wrote anything himself and thus he is a bit mystery, appearing only in the writings of a few notable figures such as Champlain and the Jesuit missionaries like Brebeuf.  Some of the things they share are not particularly flattering but none the less we cannot deny his historical significance.

The bar and hotel over which this sign hangs is in Penetanguishene and has been closed as long as I can remeber.  Apparently it has quite an infamous history itself.  Currently the building is under renovation and I don't know what will happen with the sign.  It seemed a good time to try to capture it.  

Doors

One of my favorite #HamOnt artists, Julia Veenstra,  recently tweeted a picture of a purple door in the neighbourhood exclaiming, "I must paint this." I can relate to that sentiment.  I actually went through a bit of  door phase a while back.  They had to be old, they had to be unique, and other than that a door.  I can't really explain why my attention was captivated, but it was.  It does, however, remind me to slow down a bit and to be attentive.  There is so much that we walk by everyday and just take for granted.  But if we begin to look a bit more closely then there are amazingly fascinating things all around us all the time. 

So there they are...doors of Hamilton (except for the red barn door...that is a shout out to Milton!)

Penetanguishene Painting

Here is a quick painting I did on a day of at the cottage.  

Georgian Bay, Giants Tomb (the island in the background ) and a canoe, some of my favourite things.

New Painting

I am mixing things up this week and so here is a new painting on Wednesday.  This is the third and final work in my "gift for my interns" series.

Friday Art - Cigar Box Blues

Here is a short ditty sent to me by my brother.  While on vacation at the cottage he was playing around with a guitar made from a cigar box that my uncle has.  Here is a song that he wrote and recorded while experimenting with it. 

Cigar Box Blues

Friday Art-Iconic Canadian Brand

After seven weeks of serving in Canada, and in particular in Hamilton, I wanted to be able to give the interns who had been with us this summer something to remember the experience by.  I was fairly certain this sign would not be seen very often in Louisiana, Virginia or Malaysia.  It is, after all, very Canadian. Hamilton also boasts the very first location so there is a #HamOnt connection as well.  

I did these sketches based on an incredible photo by George Qua Enoo that was taken while we were out together shooting by the old Motor City Hotel, on Queenston Rd.  

Rachel...yours is still coming!  (Being from Brampton a Tim Horton's sign is not particularly unique, so a Gore Park Fountain is in the works).

Friday Art-18-22 King St E

There has been a lot of discussion of late about 18-22 King St E in Hamilton.  It was going to be torn down, then it wasn't, then fences went up and machinery moved in and then once again it was stalled.  A lot of discussion then turned to the facade facing Gore Park and how much (or little) could be saved to satisfy the heritage question.  I will leave those discussions for others, but will only say that the back of the building is my favourite part.  Above, is a painting that I did a few years ago.  For some reason it was always the architectural features of the back that caught my eye and captured my imagination.  A slightly different, and more shocking view is scene below.

Photo taken from www.raisethehammer.org

Friday Art-Brad Germain of The Dinner Belles

It was inevitable I suppose, although probably a rarity, that a person would make it into one of my paintings.  It is certainly a first.  But when a guitar player shows up in pink plaid while under a giant sea foam green bandshell, who could resist.  Here is a painting of Brad Germain of The Dinner Belles performing as part of the Seven Sundays in Gage at the George R. Robinson Bandshell.

Friday Art-A Georgian Bay Sunset

We have a running joke in our family about "another Georgian Bay Sunset"

photo.  We probably have thousands between us.  Why is it that we always feel compelled to take another ?  It may be that they all seem to be unique and thus every sunset is a new work of art and a new experience.  It may be that every experience is like being enveloped in a brilliant work of art being created in that moment by the Master artist Himself and thus we try to capture that moment.  There is also the reality that no photo can ever fully capture the experience, although a few have come close, and thus we continue to seek after that elusive capture.  

I know I have personally taken photos, written songs and painting pictures and still don't feel that I have exhausted the well, nor quite done it justice.  And so, the effort continues.  Here is a recent contribution   from a few weeks back.  It is a sketch done on a cut off board from a construction project next door, painted at the beach on Georgian Bay.  It now hangs in the Edie Gallery just outside Penetanguishene, Ont...ha ha ( inside joke).

Free Art Friday - Liam Sings

Here is part of a quick recording I did on my iphone while Liam and I were goofing around with the song Hallelujah. 

Hallelujah

Friday Art - Upcoming Gig

A number of years ago my friend Liz was working as a kindergarten teacher at a local Christian School.  One day she was telling me a story about one of her students who was recounting a bible story about Jesus and his "Recyclers."  It made me laugh right out loud and I thought to myself, "that would make a great name for a band."  Here I am a few years later and I find myself starting a work in Hamilton in which I spend each Monday morning on a street corner, ministering to guys who go through recycling boxes looking for recycleables to return to the Beer Store for deposit.  I am not Jesus, but they are definitely recyclers, and I do think that Jesus is there with us each Monday morning.   Well, I am happy to announce my first gig under the band name "Jesus and the Recyclers."  A few friends will be joining me on May 11th for an acoustic set during which I will be playing some songs that have come from the streets of Hamilton.  We are playing at a fundraising event for a non-profit organization named Student Open Circles here in the city.  Below is a link to the organization with details about the event.

May 11th Fundraiser.

Friday Art-New Painting

This was just a quick painting from the other week. I think I may be coming to the point where I have worked the Bunt Sienna brick walls out of my system-maybe.

Friday Art - Thinking About Creativity

Christianity Today just recently posted an article by Makoto Fujimura entitled My Top 5 Books on Creativity.  I thought it might be of interest to any of you who may be invested in the creative process or interested in thinking about creativity.  You can find the link below:

My Top 5 Books on Creativity

Friday Art - Good Friday, 2013

Here is a link to a song that I wrote for Good Friday 2011.  I had started with just the words, writing in a deliberate hymn like mode before going back and adding music.  The recording was done in one take from the living room of the McGibbon Zoo, then located in Milton, Ontario.  It is a bit rough around the edges for sure as any zoo recording is bound to be, but you can get the flavour and hear the text.  Enjoy.

Yes, This is Grace

Friday Art-Photography by Caroline

My oldest daughter Caroline has been taking a class on photography. Here are just a couple of images she has produced thus far...

Friday Art- Voice Work

Unfortunately, I don't have a link to post this week but, for all the Canadian peeps, if you are watching TV and see a Lindt Golden Bunny commercial, TJ provided the english voice over for the young girl.
Have a good listen and tell me if you see/hear it.

Friday Art - Brad Fordham portrait

Here is another of the art pieces hanging on the wall of my grandfather's apartment.  Again, it is done by the artist Mark Fordham and it is a portrait of Brad Fordham.  This one is a bit of a double dose art piece as Brad Fordham is an amazing artist in his own right with a long an influencial career as a stalwart bass player in the Austin music scene.  Along with his wife Lisa Pankratz on drums they have most recently been the driving force behind The Guilty Ones, supporting Dave Alvin. 
This portrait is of an early Brand Fordham.

Another family style Friday Art!

Friday Art - a portrait of my grandpa

My Grandma passed away last year and since that time my grandfather has moved into a retirement residence.  My first time to be able to visit him at the new place was at Christmas.  He made sure to take me on a tour of the facilities, visiting the piano lounge where he daily entertains the other residents, the dining room, the pool-table room and finally ending at his personal room.  The room is a small unit with a office area, sitting room, bedroom and a bathroom.  By this time he had been in the facility for a few months and so it was decorated.  Maybe it was because the room was a bit smaller than the house he had been living in, or maybe the change of context just refocused my attention but, despite the fact that all of the art was the same from his home I was taken by it.  What was most intriguing to me was the fact that everything, on every wall or shelf, was done by one of his children (with a few contributions from grandchildren in there!)  I was reminded once again about the unusually creative family into which I was brought; artists, actors and musicians, of whom I am among the least accomplished.  It is inspiring and humbling all at the same time.
While I am away this week, I am sharing a picture I quickly took with my iPhone while in my grandfather's apartment.  Below is a portrait of my Grandfather done by my Uncle Mark.  It was framed and behind glass so you can see my reflection...and a lamp...but I think the beauty of the work itself still shows through.

Friday Art

Well, it has been a while since I have posted any art related things on a Friday. This past Monday was a holiday here in Ontario for Family Day, and it afforded me a few hour of painting.
This painting is of an old building down one of the alleyways in my neighbourhood. I was reminded of it by an instagram photo that someone took and posted to Facebook. I used that photo as a rough guide.

Friday Art - Waiting

With the arrival of the Advent season I thought I would post a link to a song that appears on my first album, and on my web site, called Waiting.  It is based on some reflections on the world as it was waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, as well as seeing the parallel to our present time as we await Jesus' second coming.

Waiting

Feel free to check out other free music at the site

www.jasonmcgibbonproject.com