Pictures from the Show!

There's a little sign with my name on!


This one is displayed in the window at the front of the store, hopefully enticing people to come in and see the rest.


A shot of the interior, and I'm sorry it's so yellow-y. I'm going to get in there with a friend who has a proper camera to get some proper documentation done before the show comes down.



Another interior shot showing the larger drawings I've done.

I'll post a bunch more on my website, including detailed photos of each piece, when I get them done.

It's Sunday!

First of all, I'm sorry I couldn't think of a more imaginative post title, I tried.

Today started out kinda rough (I had a bit of a headache from getting a little drunk on fancy expensive beer last night at a birthday party). I wasn't sure how productive I was going to be after I decided to skip yoga this morning, but I really wanted to go to AWOL Gallery so that I could see my three Square Foot Show pieces in action (I missed the opening). There were so many - hundreds - of pieces there and a lot of them were really, really great. I spent quite awhile walking around, looking from floor to ceiling at all of the fantastic pieces. Mine are spread out - one in the main gallery at AWOL and the other two in the larger space a few doors down - and two of them are right at eye level, so I lucked out in terms of placement. I'll have to be sure to go back before it closes. (I suggest all Torontonian readers check it out!)

After AWOL, I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things so I can make the poor, overworked love of my life dinner when he's done work. Then I stopped at Greg's Ice Cream for a scoop of one of my (many) favourites - pistachio.

Oh yeah, then I came home and did my two drawings for the week, as seen above.

I've taken pictures of my show, and I'll post them soon.

torimaas.com

I'm having some weird issues with my website right now. Which sucks, because all of my business cards have a nice, bold "torimaas.com" right on the front.

For now I've got that website directed here, so if you were looking for torimaas.com, don't fret, you've come to the right place. For now.

If you'd like information about the two shows I'm currently involved with check here and here. If you want to see some of my work scroll through the posts, or go here for my online portfolio.

You can like me on facebook for updates about my work, my blog, and the progress of my website woes.

Any questions or comments? Leave 'em below or email me at tori.maas@gmail.com

EDIT - I've got the new website up and running - it still needs some work, but it's done for the most part. Check out the new torimaas.com!
Thanks!

A Deep Breath

So, the show is up - it's installed, and the reception has come and gone. Now I just wait it out for three weeks until it's time to take it down, and keep my fingers crossed that someone, somewhere likes some of what I do enough to want to hang it on their wall.
The install went well, despite my lingering chest cold, and the reception was great. I had hoped a few more people would come but the space isn't huge, and it was warm, and all of my closest friends were there - what more could I want? I'll post some pictures for all of my non-Torontonian readers soon. And for those in Toronto, go check it out. It's there for three weeks! You have no excuse!

On another note, the busy-ness didn't quit for me on Thursday. My best friend has been visiting since Wednesday. She helped me out a bit with the show and yesterday we spent the day at the CNE. It was so much fun! I always forget what I kid I become around fair rides. I couldn't make my mind up whether to go on The Zipper, The Scrambler, or the Gravitron first. The decision was made a little easier for me when we found that the Zipper was shut down for maintenance. Ahh well, we went on The Scrambler twice.
We then walked through the exhibitions looking at all of the interesting, unique, cheap, and overpriced items on display. There was a dizzying amount of things to see. We rounded out the afternoon with a much awaited trip to the food pavilion where I had a samosa and a hand-dipped corndog, Jaime had a felafel, and we both drooled over beaver tails. We also threw in some Tiny Tom doughnuts for good measure.
Jaime left today after a filling lunch of sushi. Now I have a full tummy, a blog post to post, and an apartment to clean.

As for today's images, I'm a little art-ed out for the time being, so I figured I would post some even smaller drawings I did recently. I mentioned in an earlier post that I was planning to have a bunch of mini drawings at the show as a sort of giveaway. The idea didn't really pan out, timewise, so nothing came of the drawings I did manage to get done. I figured I would scan a few of my favourites for all to see. Here they are:


I also realize that I neglected my little list of inspiring images last week, which has become a bit of a weekly feature for me. I decided I needed a little sunshine in my life, so I figured I would raid my craftgawker favourites and post a few happy yellow-y images.

First are these business cards I found here. I think that stitching on them is a really cool idea and I'd like to figure out some little hand done thing I could do to make mine a bit more unique. I need to order some more and my chosen business card provider happens to have a sale on right now. Hmmm...

Next are these pillows. I want them. I love felt and I love yellow and grey. This picture makes me want to crawl into bed and go to sleep for the afternoon.

Last is this bag. I could only find it on craftgawker. The original website doesn't seem to work anymore.

As seen here, my current bag - purchased over three years ago from the men's section of Urban Outfitters has seen better days and a bright yellow one with a lace ruffle seems like an ideal conveyance for my keys and crumpled receipts.

Well, until next time.

Square Foot!

It's been kind of a rough few days. On Friday I started coming down with a cold that by Saturday morning had me dizzy, coughing, and my nose congested and gross. Not the most conducive to finishing up work for the install on Wednesday. I'm behind and still sick today, and I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed, and not in a good way.
I started a new large piece this morning, one of the three I had intended to finish by Wednesday, and so far it's looking good. Luckily I work fast.

In lieu of posting new five by sevens for the week, I've decided to post the pieces I submitted for AWOL Gallery's annual Square Foot show.





Sorry for the short post, folks, but I'm blogging from bed and I think it's time for some more medicine.

Spoiled

This is the image I've come up with for Colleen's charity project. I wanted to keep it simple and feature the text most prominently. Then there's the little bird with a drip of oil on his little head, how sad.
First I'll be getting them printed up, to see how they look, then I'll post them for sale on my etsy. I'll be sure to update once I do.

let me know what you think! The image isn't finalized yet, so any feedback would be a big help.

A quick shout out to Dear Colleen

Another artist and blogger I've been following for a little while now has come up with a great project to help raise some money for the oil spill off the gulf coast. In her words, "I know it’s not the current hot topic that it was but there is still a huge amount of clearing up to do and to have any hope of putting things right we need to keep raising funds." So I'd love to be able to help her out. My first step is mentioning her here, and also posting a link to the cute tote bag she has on offer to help the cause. The second is to start work designing a print or other small object to sell on my own, and of course, donate the proceeds. I hope to have this done by the weekend (because, as we all know, I've got a lot on my plate). I'll keep you all posted!

Down to the wire!

It's only 10 days until I install the show, and I didn't want to talk to much about it on here because I know that repetitive post topics can be boring (I read a lot of blogs). However, I'm beginning to feel the last minute pressure of the walls closing in, and that's the feeling that allows me to be most productive. When it comes to research and essays, I'll start well in advance, carefully following my method of notetaking, drafting, and editing. When it comes to art-making, however, I'm at my best when it's a coffee-and-nausea fueled all-nighter with my body aching and a ticking clock looming over my head. Ahhh, makes me feel like a student again.

I was going to sell some of my greeting cards sets at the show, but I figured that the logistics of doing so would be a little tricky. I've decided instead, to set up a little area where people could donate a couple bucks, or whatever they think is fair, in exchange for some individual greeting cards and postcards, and these (the photo above). I've decided to make 50 miniature drawings (think business card size) and package them in folded paper - as seen above - so that you can't see what the drawing is. People at the show can take them in exchange for a little donation. I figure this will help me offset a fraction of the cost of the show.

My sketchbook project sketchbook arrived in the mail last week! Here's a link if anyone's wondering what the Sketchbook Project is. I only just found out about it a few weeks ago and signed up immediately. This happy little fella now just needs to be filled, following my chosen theme: Great Hopes and Massive Failures.
The library will, at an additional cost, scan and digitize your submission, but I figure I'll just scan it myself as I go along. So, updates to follow! I'll get started when the show is over and done with.

So, til next week!

Just another Sunday

So, as I mentioned before, I've been playing around with a few different packaging ideas for my greeting cards. I've made little paper belts for them, but I'm still playing around with that. I don't think the graph paper contrasts enough. I bought some pretty grey paper...we'll see if that looks better. Also, as seen above, I decorated some envelopes with chiyogami paper to package my 5 x 7 prints in, should anyone want that. They look colourful and exciting, like little gifts.

A friendly reminder, the cards, envelopes, and prints are available to buy online :)


On another note, here are my inspiring images for the week. I've decided to go with a grey theme because It's overcast outside and I'm feeling a little less than sunny myself. Not to mention, even at the best of times, I love the colour grey. It's soft and cozy. Maybe not cozy the same way yellow is, for example, but I think grey has it's own sense of un-flashy, quiet calmness.


I found this little felt business card holder on craftgawker initially, but it had been featured on Try Handmade. I love the felt, and I love the robots. Normally I don't love ric-rac, but I even kind of love it here.

I am sort of in love with this illustration of a shark, done by Sara Broski and featured on Penguin & Fish. It's simple and elegant, grey, and kinda cool.

So it isn't news that I've become somewhat of a design and type fanboy of late. I saw a different version of these that read "ctrl, alt, del" but these mac ones are super cute and I want, nay, NEED them for my couch. Seeing as how, at any time, there are two mac laptops in my living room, I feel it would be only fitting.
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Art post to follow shortly!

[little] update

I made a little update on my etsy - original drawings weren't selling, so I posted everything as prints. Now, prints of almost all of my drawings are available on etsy, including most of the ones I post here.
I'm also working on a few different options for bundles and packaging. Let's see how it all pans out!

6 month blog-verasry!

It's been six months since I started this little project, and since I posted new work yesterday, I figured I'd post some pictures of my workspace - my little corner of the room I lovingly refer to as my studio. I've explained before how I work in a little nest of stuff, all piled around an empty spot I sit in, with all of my pens, pencils, scissors, glue, coffee, etc at reach.
This photo is my favourite, and it includes my favourite piece of equipment - my typewriter. I bought it 5 years ago at Value Village and I've replaced the tape once. Sitting down in front of it always inspires me to come up with something, (even a few angsty poems I wrote after drinking a whole bottle of wine in 2005).


More junk, including my new screenprint squeegee and the boat tin I keep my sewing stuff in. And of course, the empty coffee cup from two days ago.


The thing on top of the black box is the folder where I keep all of my medium bits of patterned paper. Small ones go into a clear envelope, big ones stay in a large, flat paper bag. The other box is marked "fabric" and it's where all the medium and small bits of fabric live. The big pieces have a drawer.


The coarkboard hangs over my desk and houses some recent drawings as well as friend's art show invites and a few business cards.


My scanner! (And old laptop)


My cat Dee Dee, unimpressed at being woken up from his nap with a camera lens inching ever closer to his little nose. He is a constant fixture while I'm working, usually choosing to plop his fat self down on whatever piece of paper I'm trying to work on.
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Well, that's it for now, folks. Until next week! (And here's hoping for another great 6 months!)