behind the scenes

From a recent shoot outside of Banff, Alberta. Featuring Wilkosz and Way. The story will be published in The Globe and Mail on January 14.

miss laRue

a fun project that i am working on with an amazing special needs teacher, talia. she teaches at a private school for kids with autism in toronto and agreed to let me create a fun activity for her kids. i borrowed this "i spy" idea from jody sugrue, who handed out disposable cameras to all the kids who attended her wedding. i customized "i spy" lists and cameras and packaged them in stencilled camera bags.

i went into the class today to hang out and watch the activity in action. more to come...

oh snap

some late-night crafting for a project happening this week and next... more info as it unfolds!

movember

It's the last few minutes of movember and so this post is particularly timely... a friend of mine found himself at odds with his 'stache ... He is usually a pretty clean-cut guy and compared his furry accessory to "a houseguest who has overstayed his welcome." I created a happy stash to help him get through the final moments.

a portrait
This is my uncle Scott. He lives in Ottawa. He is an amazing artist and chef.

random screen grab

From a brief stint art directing Report on Small Business Magazine for The Globe and Mail.

happy engagement photos,

Alexis and Jay!

Today, my best friend Alexis and her partner Jay are getting their engagement photos taken. I wanted to do something special for them ... so I made them this tote. My process was pretty simple: I hand-drew lettering, made a stencil, and then spray painted! The whole project was inspired by a brilliant portrait by Max Wanger (http://maxwanger.com/), however, the phrase also has a special meaning to Alexis - she always says this to Jay! See more of their adorable engagement session here.
Bag Photo credit: Jason Priest, Engagement photos by Jenn Stark Photographers

Jaclyn's Bachelorette Jars
I've been so lucky to be involved in my two best friends' weddings. This past weekend, we celebrated Jaclyn's bachelorette. My friend Alexis and I were tasked with styling the hotel room for the pre-drink. We decided on a Mariah Carey "glitter" theme. Although I love the glitter tops and that each attendee had her own personal bejeweled jar, my favourite part was that we glued Jaclyn's Mariah-ified face to the bottom so that you saw it when you took the last sip of your drink. Ah, the little things.

alberta

More to come.

typography
I have been asked by a few friends lately to design some party necessities and I am starting to see a trend: type + simple lines + blue tones! My own little mini-trend ...

Low-fi goodness
I was recently asked to create a 3-second piece based on one lyric of a song "Even still, the sum won't be paid." I thought the sentence carried a desperate tone, so I wanted something that depicted both worth and desperation. I thought the analogy of a spinning coin was beautiful: it spins out of control until finally it stops for good. I shot a number of spins with my iPhone to make a quick animatic, and then ended up loving the low-fi quality. I also shot footage with a better camera, but somehow, I couldn't capture the same sad beauty the iPhone footage had. So the final clip here, is a combination of 2 iPhone videos, composited, colour corrected and time remapped in After Effects. This clip will be part of a music video for an up-and-coming hip-hop artist. Stay tuned for the full music vid.

Some HipstaPrints from this weekend.

Before I lose the light...

Stepped out just before the sunset this evening to take advantage of some magical light.

Icy

It's pretty cold this morning, but I couldn't help taking advantage of my first day of mini-vacation with some icy, beach shots.

Chicago

The Set:

The Cast:

The Rest:

Virginia Beach

Was in VA for a wedding this weekend.