STREET ART DRAWINGS
A HAPPY BUDDHA!STREET ART COMICS! This Grinning freak first appeared down on Queen west during my summertime performances. Although similar to the destitute Roach creatures which can be found lurking in Toronto alleyways and billboards, these beasts were born laughing. Transmuting the energy of pedestrian excitement and in celebration of fine weather, the humanoid beings are over taken by an inexplicable joy. Sure the world is still a mess and likely a long way from anywhere, but something in the sidewalk sends a sensation up one’s spine. Smiles bread smiles and the city spins on! Enter the Happy Buddha! 30 x 40” Ink on paper, 5 minute Performance drawing, Canadian Painting 2005.ARTIST'S STATEMENTSEarly on in my second season on the street I started creating simple yet intuitively innovative gesture drawings. These poster size ink works were made in a matter of minutes and allowed the audience to witness almost instantaneous creations. Many of these early scribbles featured portraits of all sorts of characters inspired by the enormous and diverse crowds stomping through Toronto. During these studies I revisited many of my older comic characters as well as developing an entirely new language. One of the peculiar developments of these studies was the minute yet strange evolution of the Roach monsters. Technically the re-visitation produced a richer, blacker, creature using a larger amount of shadows. However counter to the technically creepier design each of these new demons bore an unbearable humorous grin. The result in performance, not unlike the case of any smile, being that once the monster laughed, so did the audience.
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