6/23/2024

Remember what I said about this being my year to make art my life priority? Well I've been accepted into the carpentry program at community college. Hopes and dreams be damned, someone's got to pay the bills at the end of the day. It's been over a decade since I attended any school so I'm plenty nervous about it, but I am hoping that being out of the workforce proper and back in education will somehow, someway, provide me with more freetime for creative endevour.

Yeah right.

-Rob


1/21/2024

The Creative Catalyst program is accepting applications once again so I am presently rewriting my pitch with hopes of bolstering my chances of getting past the starting gate. In other news, I'm looking into an online print-to-order storefront to sell my various sticker designs as well as a couple of t-shirts I've done up. Hopefully something of a higher quality than your typical cafepress trash. Last year I started making moves toward pursuing art as a profession instead of a hobby, and this year I resolve to take a real stab at it while I have the relative stability to do so.

-Rob


12/30/23

I hope everybody has had a fantastic Christmas, and is gearing up for New Year's Eve tomorrow! This is a very quick update to confirm I have not recieved funding through the Creative Catalyst program, my project proposal was rejected. I intend to resubmit at a later time, but life moves fast and I think 2024 is liable to be one of many big changes for me. We'll see.

- Rob


12/9/2023

More site updates! Header and nav bar have been made universal across the site instead of exclusively a simple 1997-ass 'return home' button, I broke the gallery trying to add more than the default six and my web dev fixed it for me, but still with only 6 images so alternatives are being sought, and finally upon evaluating the opinions of some colleagues, I have removed the big 'BUTTONS FOR SALE' splash banner and replaced it with the old illustrations preview. However, it's the Christmas season and in the spirit of said season I would like to remind you all once again that my DEO VOLENTE templar stickers are STILL AVAILABLE at On Paper Books in Downtown Sydney. My eternal gratitude to them for hawking my wares- please find it in your heart to support local business (and me) these holidays!



Regarding the last update, word on the street tells me the shadowy cabal behind the Creative Catalyst program has met and deliberated to some extent so I hope to hear back in relative short order regarding the status of my application. Soon enough I can endevour to have a complete mental breakdown trying to churn out an entire animated short film alone!!

I'm hoping I can get my gallery fixed up sooner rather than later because I have a few new illustrations I'd love to show off here, and I'm thinking I should branch it in two, to separate personal work and commissioned/professional works- but it has to actually function as intended before I launch that particular cart before the horse.
That's about it for this go around. If I'm not talking at you before hand, Merry Christmas and remember,

Keep your stick on the ice!
- Rob


11/17/2023

Welcome to the new and improved website. After nearly ten years of what was effectively a holding page, turns out all I had to do was find someone who knew the first thing about web development. Who would've thought?
Please take into account that this is a very fresh overhaul and there's still some kinks to be worked out. Now, let's talk art.

WORLD OF ARTCRAFT: CREATIVE CATACLYSM

Back in September, I attended a public announcement at the Eltuek Arts Centre in Sydney of the CBRM's new 'Creative Catalyst Program'.
In short; for the first time ever, the municipal government is funding small art grants. The goal being to launch local artists by providing them the means of compensation for a small project to act as proof positive of their capabilities to loan them legitimacy in attempting to accrue funding at a larger scale down the line. Exciting stuff! Of course, I fully intended to apply in hopes of producing an animated short- but I'd never actually written a grant application before. I asked for some feedback at my weekly art club, and got mixed messages from these friends, so the next week I attended Cape Breton University's monthly Artist Gathering and read the group my pitch;


Reading my pitch, with visual accompaniment. Photo by RockPixels

The response I recieved was staggering, I was completely humbled by the support and kindness I recieved from a group that almost always attempts to provide a degree of constructive criticism.
My application was filed ahead of the October 30th deadline and I anxiously await a response. I hope to provide an update sooner rather than later.

Keep your stick on the ice!
- Rob