Recently I was contacted by Rachel Alexander principle writer and co-founder of DMV Culture online magazine. “DMV Culture” stands for Determination, Motivation & Vigilance who’s ideology is to stand behind the morals that support the meaning of artistic integrity with a mission to surpass doubt. In contacting me Rachel admitted she was put on to my work through her friend and business partner Isha Price, who became aware of my work through a buzz my work generated through various social network channels. As a result my work made a significant enough impression upon them that they decided to contact me from Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. to be featured in their online magazine as a future artist to keep an eye on. This is perfect timing because one of my goals this year is to gain more exposure south of the border in the U.S.

As an artist it is always gratifying when your work is recognized by others who see something in it that speaks or connects and even more so when they wish to shine a spotlight on you to let others know that you exist….even if for a minute. This featured article in DMV Culture is my minute in the spotlight and I would like to share it with you.

I’d like to say thank you to Rachel and Isha of DMV Culture magazine for taking time to recognize an artistic voice north of the border. I hope it is affirmation that there is much unexplored talent on the other side of the 49th parallel just waiting for the next spotlight.

Enjoy!

READ THE ARTICLE – “An Artists Imprint”

DMVCulture – www.dmvculture.com

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. It has been a memorable year that saw the launch of our first self-titled exhibit – “DO U ORIGINAL” this past September at Twist Gallery. The show was a great success and we are very excited to bring you a new DUO branded art experience in 2012. Cheers everyone!

This French animation was recently  introduced to me and I founded it to be oddly charming. It was created and directed  by Yves Geleyn for the newly renovated Parisan digital arts centre La Gaite Lyrique (http://www.gaite-lyrique.net).  I was amused by the random childlike wonder of the storyline. It drew my mind to imagine  a world where our subconscious becomes reality and our wildest dreams come to life and I think to myself….What a wonderful world it would be. Enjoy.

La Gaîté Lyrique from La Gaîté Lyrique on Vimeo.

Here are 3 of the 5 paintings I plan to have on display. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see any of these in person before, you now have a second chance. Looking forward to seeing you there – Jason

This third and final installment of our 3-part video series gives you a peak into the world of the “O” in DUO… Jason O’Brien.  Like Kwame’s video in part 2, in this video Jason talks about who he is as an artist and where he is headed with his newest collection, which is called “The Audacity of Purple”.

If you enjoy the video we hope you will check out the opening reception for our upcoming show “Do U Original”, which is on Friday Sept. 9th from 7-11pm at Twist Gallery (www.twistgallery.ca).

Allow us to introduce to you a long time business partner and friend of DUO – Steven Crainford 10 Printing (www.zone10printing.com) and Steven Crainford Photography (www.stevencrainford.com). Steven has produced the beautiful limited edition prints we produce for our collectors for over 5 years now. During this time Steven has proven himself to be a valuable partner for us because of his professional knowledge and expertise around digital reproduction practices and because of his personal candor. It’s not often in business that you are able to strike a happy balance of business and personal equilibrium with people therefore, we (DUO) recognize how fortunate we are to have established such a relationship with Steven. His commitment to DUO has recently become even more evident because he is also one of our key sponsors for the “Do U Original” exhibit we are launching Sept 9. This is an interview we conducted with Steven to provide you with some insight into who he is and what he does.

Interview:
How long have you been in the print industry for?
I have been making inkjet prints for myself and for artists for the last 10 years.

What influenced you to seek a career in the profession of digital reproduction?                                                     In the mid 1990s I was a member of an artists’ group and members began asking me to take slides of their work. This evolved into using large format cameras to make transparencies of art for reproduction companies. When I found that the quality of prints of my work were not good enough I purchased my own printer and began making my own prints. When I acquired a wide format colour printer I soon began making prints for the artists I was photographing for.So, really, my career in reproduction printing just evolved as I responded to artist’s needs.

What range of services do you offer clients?
I provide all the services from the initial high resolution digital capture of art through colour correction and proofing and all the way to making the final prints on paper and canvas. In addition, I also stretch the canvases I print if the artist needs it.

What is one key tip you have to offer anyone looking to digitally reproduce their work?
To get the best digital capture of a painting it is best that the painting be unframed and unvarnished. This allows capture of the maximum area of the work and minimizes the chance of glare and specular highlights.

What is your personal view on where the trends are going for digital reproduction?
I think that we will see higher resolution cameras and finer quality printers that will increase the quality of reproductions. Also, I expect that it will become easier to print on a wider range of media than is currently possible.

I understand that you are also a photographer enthusiast….has your knowledge of printing techniques influenced your photographer’s eye?…if so how?
I think that it is actually the reverse! My work on my own photography and the techniques I use to extract the best from my images has given me skills that I bring to making the best reproductions for artists. I have often been stimulated by the paintings I have the privilege to work on to find new subjects for my personal work and new creative ideas.

Who are some of your artistic influences?
One of the photographers who has influenced me most is Minor White. In my abstract work I try to follow his dictum. “ One should photograph something for what it is, AND for what else it is.” (emphasis mine).
Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Brett Weston and John Sexton are all photographers whose work I love and whose ideas have rubbed off on me.

What are your subjects of interest for photography?
Currently my photographic passion is making abstracts in which the reality of the cameras record is blended with the pure abstraction of colour and form. I am experimenting with Intentional Camera Movement to bring more abstraction to the photographs.

How can people contact you and where can they purchase your work?
Anyone interested can view all my work on my website: www.stevencrainford.com. They can purchase unframed prints directly on the website or contact me for larger print or work on canvas.
I will be exhibiting at the Queen West Art Crawl on September 17-18 at Trinity Bellwoods Park and will be holding a WYSIWYG studio clearance sale for several weekends in November and December.
My phone number is 416-701-9292 and my email is steven@stevencrainford.com

This second installment of our video series gives you a peak into the world of the “D” in DUO… Kwame Delfish.  In this video he talks about who he is as an artist and where he is headed with his newest collection, which is called “Follow Upstream”.

If you enjoy the video we hope you will check out the opening reception for our upcoming show “Do U Original”, which is on Friday Sept. 9th from 7-11pm at Twist Gallery (www.twistgallery.ca).

Let us tell you a little bit about DUO!

This first installment of the video series gives you a glimpse into what DUO is all about, as well as the “Do U Original”.   It also gives you a peak into how we plan to bring it all to life at our upcoming show at Twist Gallery.  The opening reception is on Friday Sept. 9th from 7-11pm.  Hope this video inspires you to come check it out!

On Friday September 9th we will unveil our newest collections at “Do U Original”, the inaugural self produced art exhibition for DUO!

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What is “Do U Original”?

“Do U Original” is as much a process as it is a culmination of artistic works. An important component of the DUO brand is celebrating the differences between its artists. Although we have come together to showcase our talents through collaborative events, we still offer individual artistic styles and statements through our work. “Do U Original” is about two artists starting from a singular point and going off in their own artistic directions. The process commenced with the creation of a diptych canvas piece (one piece comprised of two canvases) painted by both of us. We each painted one side of the piece and that will mark the beginning of the journey to create a personal story.

You can learn more about the “Do U Original” show, as well as our collections, through our 3 part video series entitled “Do U Original”.  A new video will be posted each week!

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Exhibition Details:

Opening Reception: Friday September 9th, 7pm – 11pm

Exhibition: September 1st – 29th (visit www.twistgallery.ca for gallery hours)

Location: Twist Gallery, 1100 Queen Street, West

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Thank you to all of our sponsors!

Gold: www.zone10printing.com , www.kpwoodstyles.com

Silver: www.itsrandom.ca, www.iamwhatshot.com, www.koldasice.com

www.KwameDelfish.com, www.jasonobriengallery.com

We’ve all heard the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words”. In a nutshell it refers to the idea that the depth and meaning behind a complex setting, person, emotion, issue, etc., need not always be explained through words … it can also be conveyed through a single still image.

The Image Interview is a website that is a true example of that adage in action. The site’s founder, photographer and webmaster, Joel Yum, has come up with an innovative way to conduct interviews; he uses pictures, only.

At the heart of his work is a belief that an artist’s creative output is an extension of who they are. So he attempts to capture that by photographing artists doing what they do best, creating their art, in their creative space. He uses his pictures to dive deep into whats at the core of his subject. And he also invites them to write down whatever they’re thinking during the session, unaided and unprovoked.  This gives him the opportunity to amplify his work with timely, uncensored narratives, from the artists themselves.

Our very own Kwame Delfish was a recent participant in The Image Interview. If you’ve never met Kwame yourself this is an opportunity to get a candid glimpse into his creative mind. You can see Kwame’s interview, along with many others, on www.theimageinterview.com.