Smile

Smile
12" X 24"
Spray Paint Stencil'd on Wood
October 2010
To be auctioned off benefiting United Way

Why are the most powerful smiles are on the faces of those who have the most reasons to frown?

My employer has made a corporate decision to support exclusively United Way.
Skeptics will say that this is one big tax write-off and blah blah blah but honestly, when it comes down to it, I don't personally care about alternate fiscal motivations as long as the people who need the support end up getting it.
That's the only thing that matters.

That being said, I've been asked if I would care to donate a painting to help raise funds benefiting United Way during this year's corporate fund raising effort.

Done.

I've painted one of my dear friends Pierli and a child he met while he was in Kenya a few years ago. When it comes to smiles & hearts, Pierli is a force to be reckoned with so this choice wasn't hard to make. I'm blessed to be surrounded by amazing people in my day-to-day life and he is only one of them.

I can't wait to see how this piece does in the auction. I hope with all my heart it goes for a large amount but in the end, even if it goes for just a few dollars I will be happy because it will have allowed me to do my part and help those truly deserving.

I haven't been briefed on the details of the auction in terms of WHERE, WHEN, HOW. For the moment, only the WHY is known and that's enough for me.

As soon as I know more about this I will be sharing it with all of you so that you can participate [if willing & if possible].

For now, I leave you with a quote from the song "Smile" by K'Naan.

[Smile] When you're struggling
[Smile] When you're in jail
[Smile] When you're dead broke
[Smile] And the rent's due
[Smile] You ain't got friends now
[Smile] And no one knows you
Never let 'em see you down, Smile while you're bleedin'

Trash Boudoir

Trash Boudoir
13.5" X 30.5"
Spray Paint Stencil'd on Wood found in the Trash
September 2010

One man's trash [...]

About six months ago, someone threw out this wood panel.
It's the kind of thing you would see on opposite sides of a window.
My girlfriend found it and brought it home... in her usual "I support you enough to pick up garbage and bring it home to you" fashion.

The original photo I used was taken by Laurent Castellucci.
The model in this shot is my girlfriend Hilary Keithlin.
The picture isn't posted here for privacy reasons.

Derek

I have a new website!!

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

www.kevinmxdermott.com

Thank you!!

Derek - GIFTED

30" X 36"
Acrylics & Spray Paint Stencil'd on Canvas
August 2010

People, meet Derek.
Derek, meet people.

You may know him better as Toronto MC: D-Sisive. He's been around doing his thing for a long time and has only just recently has he gained some well deserved recognition.

When he saw the piece, D's answer was:

"This is super overwhelming. I don't know what to say. It's an honor, sir. Makes me want to cry a little. I love it so much."

As an artist, it doesn't get any better than that. A paycheck pales in comparison to that kind of response.

I discovered D-Sisive when a friend 'shared' me "The Book EP" and "The Idiot: Hijacked Mixtape." Albeit dark, his music was very deep and pregnant with imagery so it was hard to turn a deaf ear. His lyric style reminded me of Buck 65 when he's on that "The Floor" vibe.

Needless to say, when the next album "Let the Children Die" came out I was very excited, but somehow it didn't have the desired effect. Something was missing. There are some definite standout tracks on that album but the whole package didn't do it for me. I reverted back to "The Book" in the meantime and waited patiently for more.

I wouldn't be disappointed. "Jonestown" [a free digital download] and "Vaudeville," his latest efforts, mix both the grim imagery, the crystal clear storytelling and the clever punchline rap very well and display perfectly his progression in all aspects of his writing as well as his vocal delivery. I recommend his music catalog to anyone and everyone, hip-hop fan or not.

You can read more about D-Sisive by clicking here.

You can get it straight from the horse's mouth [his blog] here.

You can download "Jonestown" for free [legal] by clicking here.

The original photo was taken by Tobias Wang. You can check out his Flickr page here.

Enjoy and share!

pockets empty, canvas loaded

In this world of Facebook events happening every 5 minutes...
It's sensory overload and, for the most part, events get a 'maybe attending' and get forgotten...
Then once in a while an event hits you when you're not yet awake and you actually look at it...

Here's an event created by Mary Musyl:

pockets empty, canvas loaded (art show to benefit Sterling schools)

It's happening in Sterling Il.
I have no idea where that is but the idea is dope:

The artist requests that you donate a school supply in lieu of admission. (Markers, lined paper, scissors, and pencils are the items which are most needed, though all donations are greatly appreciated.) All donations will benefit Sterling schools.

So what it's far away... it's a great idea... Period.

So I took it upon myself to contact Mary and get her address so that I could send her some supplies even though I'm obviously not gonna show up... I mean... I don't even know where this town is!

Pictured above is the care package filled with goodies for her kids as well as herself [for being so awesome] she will get in the mail... The jet pack looked like it needed a little soul so I put Buck 65 on it!

Anyway... long story short... I suggest you do the same and mail her kids some school supplies... it's back to school time and everything is super cheap... remember... cheap for you can relate to 'too expensive' for someone else... it's time to give a shout out to less fortunate people who are killing to learn... but can't afford the stuff they need...

Email me at p.summind@gmail.com and I will provide you the mailing address... I figure it would lack friendliness to post her address online...

The bottom line is: making a difference is easier than it looks.

Gerrard

Gerrard - SOLD

[Commission Piece]
24" X 12"
Spray Paint Stencil'd on Wood
March 2010

One of my friends asked me if I could make a custom painting for her boyfriend's upcoming birthday. She said he was a huge fan on football and of Liverpool FC. I'm a big fan of the game of football but unfortunately don't have the time or patience to follow it very much. After a little more sneaky probing she was able to find out that his favorite player was Steven Gerrard. Turns out this guy is pretty well known (I had never even heard the name - my apologies to all football fans - I'd be upset if you'd never heard Mariano Rivera so I fully understand... it happens!).

That being said, I put 2 and 2 together and started work on a piece that would become 'Gerrard.'

I'm very satisfied with the end result and am I was also very happy to find out yesterday that:

1- The dude loved it
2- I now had permission to post it online (since it was a surprise)

So there... if anyone out there has had the idea of getting a custom piece done... remember that I'm always interested in stepping out of my comfort zone in terms of inspiration.

Finally... I'd like to give a big shout out to my cat Speaker for always sneaking into pictures and making the girls go "aaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww!!!!"

I have a new website!!

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

www.kevinmxdermott.com

Thank you!!

CO Exhibitions Presents:
Wings & Teeth: The Art of Doomtree

This is a brand spanking new spot in Minneapolis, MN and for their inaugural event they've decided to showcase art that relates to the hip hop group Doomtree. The show is meant to be a retrospective of everything that has been created for and by the artists of Doomtree.

I feel extremely honored to be able to be a part of this great moment by having 2 of my paintings displayed at the event. When POS came through Montreal with Dessa this past March or April [I forget] I used the opportunity to give them these pieces I made of them. The rest is history [of art?]

Here are my POS and Dessa [click on the names for more info on these amazing artists]:



The original pictures I used are by Dan Monick [POS] and Bo Hakala [Dessa].
They're both very talented and you should definitely check them out!

Also, click here for more info on CO Exhibitions and click here for an article about the event in CityPages.

While we're at it... I'd like to remind everyone [or tell you for the first time] that Dessa will be swinging by Montreal on the 1st of July for a Jazz Fest appearance. Click here for more info.

The Ride to Conquer Cancer

The Ride to Conquer Cancer
Le Cyclo-Defi Contre le Cancer

Here's a link to an intersting contest offered by my dear friends at CISM 89,3:

http://www.cism.umontreal.ca/news_details.php?nID=356

Voici un lien pour un concours interessant offert par mes amis tres chers a CISM 89,3:

http://www.cism.umontreal.ca/news_details.php?nID=356

Also, find out more about my own personal motivation for participating in this event here:

http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Montreal2010?px=2519450&pg=personal&fr_id=1341

Egalement, decouvrez en plus a propos de mes motivations personnelles pour cet evenement ici:

http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Montreal2010?px=2519450&pg=personal&fr_id=1341

Enormous thanks to CISM 89,3 for their help and to everyone who's donated... It's incredibly appreciated.

Merci enormement a CISM 89,3 pour leur aide et a tout le monde qui ont fait des dons... C'est incroyablement apprecie.

Home Studio

Home Studio
24" X 36"
Acrylics & Spray Paint Stencil'd on Canvas
June 2010

This is Louis.
Louis has a home in Montreal.
In his Montreal home there is a microphone.
This makes it a home studio.
Louis also has a friend.
Louis' friend's name is Fabrice Gaetan.
Fabrice takes photos.
Fabrice took this photo of Louis & his microphone in his Montreal home studio.
This is a painting I made called Home Studio.

Louis made excellent microphone-less music.
You can get it for free by clicking here.

Fabrice has taken amazing photos he qualifies as urban portraits (other stuff too).
You can see them (also for free) by clicking here.