Tam Tam Limited Series [9]

Tam Tam Limited Series [9]
Spray Paint on Cardboard
Each 16" X 10"
April 2011

By definition, a stencil is made to be used and re-used until it returns to the earth from which it came. Personally, I have been making it a point to use stencils only once in order to create complex, one of a kind pieces in order to break away from the stereotype and expectations. Of course I have strayed away from my own rule here and there but for the most part have been very consistently abiding by it.

That being said, I've recently made a a limited series of 8 elephants on cardboard that were all different [colors, paint splashes, etc.] while being done with the same stencil combination. They were extremely well received as 7 of 8 were snatched up within a few hours.

Based off the success of the elephant series, I created a limited series of 9 [1 missing from top picture] cardboard pieces depicting the Mont Royal Tam Tam's. They were also well received since 5 of 9 were purchased last Friday. The remaining 4 are currently sitting at Voodooo Ink Tattoo Shop [4148 St-Denis] waiting for someone to come give them a new home [$30 per item].

Keep an eye out, there will be more series coming up during the summer and they will all be available for purchase through here. If ever you want the last remaining Elephant [$35 ship. incl.], please contact me via P.Summind@gmail.com it will be my pleasure to send it to you... or deliver it in person if you're in Montreal.

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Snow Shoes

Snow Shoes

Spray Paint Stencil'd on Canvas
20" X 10"
April 2011

I was walking my dog in the West Island this past winter and noticed something very only-in-Canada-like: Sneakers strung to a wire covered in snow. How winter-gangster of us Canucks! I took a picture for fun but didn't think I'd make anything with it... and yet, here we are...

Also, I just found out that Blogger is offering a stats service that shows me cool stuff like how many people are viewing my blog and what they're clicking to get here and so on and so forth... super excited to find out I have readers from Canada, US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Romania, Switzerland, Italy and Russia!

HOLY FLATTERED!!

It would also appear that the best source for links to new articles is from Twitter and via Facebook... so I really encourage anyone who's Facebook-ish or Tweet-friendly to follow me by clicking the thingy's below:

@KevinMxDermott
Kevin McDermott's Facebook page

On that note, I leave all of you wonderful, international lovers to go on with your busy, busy day of Sunday'ing and stuff.
Enjoy it until it bursts!

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"It's not you, it's me."

I have a new website!!

Please click this link to find more up to date work!

www.kevinmxdermott.com

Thank you!!

"It's not you, it's me."
Spray Paint Stencil'd on Canvas
16" X 16"
April 2011

I first saw Fight Club in theaters when I was 18 or 19 years old and it broke my brain. How the hell did I not see that twist coming throughout the movie when there are so many clues along the way [nice spoiler save... eh?]? In one particularly epic scene, the narrator, played by Edward Norton, is beating the beauty out of a blond Jared Leto and, in voice over, he says: "I felt like putting a bullet between the eyes of every Panda that wouldn't screw to save its species [...]"

I fell in love with the idea that the species being labeled "endangered" by us, humans, has no clue that they are anything but fine and therefore, don't feel any urgency to procreate. It frustrates US that they won't screw to save themselves because their endangerment is ultimately, our fault, and we feel guilty [but that's for another post].

Just recently I thought of these two pandas who are considering mating but then one says to the other in classic lazy break-up fashion: "It's not you, it's me."

This made me giggle all by myself the whole time I was making it. I decided to go with Chinese symbols to make it a little less obvious and also to stimulate discussion.

10+ years later, Fight Club continues to be one of my favorite movies of all time and Chuck Palahniuk, the author, has gained a spot in my short list of favorite writers. My top picks from his ever-growing portfolio are Fight Club & Invisible Monsters [still the only book to give me literal, and not just figurative, shivers]. An honorable mention goes to Pygmy for the amazing consistency of the style in which it's written [it's also pretty hilarious throughout].

So I hope you all enjoy the Pandas. I hope they help open up the discussion of "man playing God" a little or at least give you a quick snicker.

Here's a picture of myself and Chuck from his book release tour for Rant in 2000 something. He was "officially" done taking pictures but allowed this last one. Look how young I look!


On a related-unrelated side-note, for those curious about the Man playing God theory, I strongly suggest reading the books by Daniel Quinn: Ishmael & My Ishmael. Both philosophical novels are similar insofar as they are for the most part a telepathic discussion between a wise old gorilla and a man [Ishmael] or a young girl [My Ishmael]. Both books address from different viewpoints the question of today's world and "how did things get the way they are?" Very interesting stuff.

My people! Sping is here!
You know what that means... no... not leisurely chilling... at least, not before you help your parents set-up their yard and stuff... That's what I'm off to do right now... Gazeebo away!

Here's some appropriate gazeebo-panda music courtesy of Joe Beats:

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Voodooo Ink Tattoo Shop presents Choose The Art of Kevin McDermott

Voodooo Ink Tattoo Shop presents
Choose The Art of Kevin McDermott

Friday, April 8th 2011
7pm to 10pm
4148 rue St-Denis [corner rue Rachel]
Metro Mont-Royal

Grab your friends and come check out some cool art, a new tattoo shop and chill out with good people... it's the perfect jump off to your weekend!
Tell your mom... she will definitely want to know about this!

I look forward to seeing you all there!

Here's the Facebook event page for more info.

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Evan & Rachel

Evan & Rachel
Spray Paint Stencil'd on Canvas
22" X 28"
March 2011
SOLD

Hello again all you wonderful readers out there. It's spring time once again and for those of us [like me] who live in Quebec, that means a bunch of stuff we haven't done in a while due to the snow and cold. For me, this means a few things but mostly biking & long boarding [with my dog Umaa of course]. What else does spring mean? It means that summer is around the corner and for a lot of people [not so much for me] that means one thing: Wedding Season.

My cousin got married about 3 years ago to his wife Rachel. This year, for her birthday, he's commissioned me to make a painting of the two of them from their wedding day. Now, I haven't been in contact with this particular cousin since I was young enough to go see Return of the Jedi in theaters, so of course, I was surprised, honored and super excited. It gave me a chance to touch base with him and also to create something that will live with him and his family forever.

Evan and Rachel live in Whitehorse, Yukon with their 2 kids Nigel and Decland and I wish them all the best.

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Ryan Gosling [Gus-ling]

I have a new website!!

Please click this link to find more up to date work!

www.kevinmxdermott.com

Thank you!!

Ryan Gus-ling
Spray Paint Stencil'd on Canvas
16" X 12"

March 2011
SOLD

Here's a little something I threw together today.

It's my version of Ryan Gosling if he had been a child born with the "sickness" from the graphic novel series Sweet Tooth by Ontario resident Jeff Lemire. The series is still ongoing and I'm finding it quite entertaining so far although it may not be everyone's cup of tea. In a post-apocalyptic rural world, kids are born with various degrees of animal mutations and the main kid character Gus is born with deer features. I will leave it at that for now and let everyone check out the series for themselves.


What I do suggest to everyone though, graphic novel lovers or not, is to pick up the Essex County trilogy which almost brought me to tears on more than one occasion. In fact, first thing tomorrow I think I'm gonna start reading it again.

Here's a link to Jeff Lemire's website where you can find info about him and his body of work as well as a link to his blog.

It's bicycle season again people... let's make some green love!

DISCLAIMER: The title of this post was such a cheesy play on words that I simply had to do it... bad puns are the new good puns!

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The Number 7

The Number 7
Spray Paint Stencil'd on Skateboard
December 2010
SOLD

Here's a piece that was made custom at the end of 2010 [I had to wait to post it because it' was a gift]. Madeleine, the girl who commissioned it wanted a soccer player with the number 7 to give to her brother on his birthday. She told me he is a die-hard soccer fan and used to wear the number 7. It also turns out that her boyfriend had previously purchased one of my first ever decks a few years back. It was a very basic image of Mickey Mantle. She wanted something similar in it's look and simplicity.

So I fired up the ol' Google Image search and found this guy Bastian Schweinsteiger. I don't know anything about him except that now, our lives are forever connected in this painting I've made of him exclusively because he plays soccer and wears number 7. I hope he's not a player that people really hate or anything like that!

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Custom Table Top

I have a new website!!

Please click this link to find more up to date work!

www.kevinmxdermott.com

Thank you!!

Custom Table Top

Spray Paint Stencil'd on Wood
24" X 48"
March 2011

We've had this perfectly good table in our living room for a while now and my girlfriend has been bugging me to get a new one to replace it. I've refused multiple times based on the fact that I don't think it's a good idea to spend hard earned money on stuff that isn't needed. After some back and forth, she gave in to my reasoning but it wasn't without a counter offer: Paint it!


To further entice me she took 2 days to strip it and reveal the great wood grain that had been suffocated under brown paint for who knows how long and from then... while she was at work I put on some movies and started the taping, cutting & spraying...

Before I knew it, I had watched Trainspotting, Watchmen, V for Vendetta and The Losers [instead of music sometimes, I like to put on movies I've seen before and listen to them while I work] and we now have a brand n'used table just waiting to be re-varnished... but that's not my department! Gift ideas much?

Take care folks!
Things could be worse...
All my positive energy goes out to the good people of Japan in their time of need...

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