LEGO as a muse? Seriously? How could a designer, or any creative professional, possibly find inspiration from a simple plastic toy brick? Creative Blocks & Coloured Bricks will feature a blatant disregard to traditional creative process tactics and focus on playful techniques for smoothing out the speed bumps of creative blocks. We all love the thrill we feel when an idea forms, a project takes shape, the imagination surges, and a client smiles. I look forward to sharing how one particular playful process not only brought back the fun of creativity, but also serendipitously re-awakened essential design principles and practices. Work should be fun. Let’s play.

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Johnathon Vaughn Strebly has decades of experience and involvement in the creative industries, generating positive results for the people and organizations he works with. Committed to encouraging growth as well as change in the creative and applied arts, Johnathon is a past president of CAPIC Vancouver and currently sits as President of the vibrant GDCBC Executive. He is a founding committee member for Creative Mornings Vancouver and a contributor to local design institutions. Johnathon was the Program Coordinator for three design programs at Langara College, where he directly influenced the growth of young designers by teaching them the tried and true principles of design while balancing the difficult challenges of today’s design environment. Due to a lifelong obsession for fine food and drink, Johnathon is the co-creator of Gourmet vs Gourmand, a video based celebration of food culture. Johnathon is an old school punk rocker turned design professional. The mohawk may be gone but he still stands by its ethos: Create change from the inside.

Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School is what happens when a simple question is asked: why can’t figure drawing be sexy? Part art class, part cabaret, join us on the third Tuesday of the month at Hot Art Wet City for 3 hours of drawing and decadence! drsketchyvancouver.com for more info. Join the Dr Sketchy’s Facebook page to keep up to date and see pics >

Interview with Vancouver illustrator Pandora Young
MUSIC: “Detroit” by Podington Bear
INTERVIEW, VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

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Interview with Vancouver artist and designer Emma Lehto
MUSIC: “The Haze” by Spuntic
INTERVIEW, VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

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Interview with Vancouver poet and painter Gabryel Harrison
MUSIC: “The Scene” by Spuntic
INTERVIEW: Alex M F Quicho for Winsor Gallery
VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

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Interview with Vancouver artist Victoria Sieczka
MUSIC: “Uncle Remus Arcade fire” by krackatoa
INTERVIEW, VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

In 2010 Emily Carr University introduced its new illustration major, anticipating little interest. It received over one hundred applications for only twenty spots. All that passion gave rise to Rain City Illustration, by far the largest artist group at Emily Carr, which boasts over one hundred illustrators bringing a range of styles and visions from all over the world. The collective holds semi-annual gallery shows and events, aspiring to show Vancouver just how much talent this city has. raincityillustration.com

Artists for this show include Alana Palahnuk, Alice Cool, Andrew Tavukciyan, April Milne, Ben Hawkins, Charles Tan, Chelsea O’Byrne, Christel Chan, Ciara Prithipaul, Cole Pauls, Coral Patola, Dan Brown Hozjan, Daniela Ivanova, Darrien Pearce, Deniz Bilgin, Diane Quach, Eden Cooke, Flavia C, Francesca Ciccone, Francis Bantayen, Hayley Muir, Iris Yao, Jane Q Cheng, Jazz Groden-Gilchrist, Jesse Coons, Kaitlynn Rogers, Kathleen Gros, Kirsten Hatfield, KyuRi Lee, Lyndsey Paramo, Madeline Kloepper, Melissa Soleski, Michele O. Miguel, Min Joo Kim, Mint Sanpruksin, Natalie Schnitter, Rachel Wada, Tasli Shaw, Tim Bauer, & Yongming Xie.

See photos from the show on Flickr >

Image by Chelsea O’Byrne

Boobies & Wieners is back for a second year with an even bigger (and longer) show! With tons of art from 100+ mostly local artists, this show features immature, crass, explicit, cartoonish, odd, dirty, and sexy art featuring nude subjects. Viewer discretion advised. See photos from the show on Flickr >

Artists include: Two Dimes, Rhandi Sandford, Ken Gerberick, Janis Corrado, Katy Springer, Alicia Eisen, Liang Ding, ARGH!, Nicole Stishenko, Michael King, Natasha Broad, Antoine Marchildon, Kelly Baker, Pippa Lattey, Colin Mitchell, Yolanda Mason, Greg Glover, Joni Taylor, Kathryn Lancashire, Pierre Leichner, Stephanie Arnot, Anna Bu Kliewer, Alexandra Dewar, Carl Parker, Hailie Beaulieu, Mika Senda, Ashlee Marcus, Caroline Dahlmanns, Trevor Jansen, Marina LeClair, Laura McIntosh, Andrea Hooge, Mass Produced Art, Jane Q Cheng, Cheryl Carpenter, Mike West, Desireé Cassidy, Jules Bussey, Vanessa Lever, Carmen Ostrander, Natalie Schmidt, Emily Galloway, Julie VanOyen, Nomi Chi, JW Tatum, Sahar, Tamas, Kirsten Hatfield, Cole Pauls, Mandy Lau, Scott Peace Miller, Anastasia Watson, Roxanne Gagnon, Karla Monterrosa-Morales, Sheri Alexander, Kathleen Lim, Louie Yan, Maritza Louis, Matan Berson, Jennifer Ho, Ari De La Mora, Francine Delgado Alvarez, Luis Gadea, Lera Nyukalova, Stephen Wimbush, Vince Hemingson, Suite Charlie, Amelia Garvin, Rachael Stableford, Brent Haddow, Matt Redway, Devin Rosychuk, Patricia Klobchar, Sean Karemaker, Dana Statham, Michelle Bruton, peg leg, Klaus Pinter, Joel Rich, Jennifer Chernecki, Erin Gibbs, and Aaron White.

In addition to the main exhibit, we also hosted three mini-exhibits:

Art or Bust, curated by artist Jenn Brisson, turns breast casts of breast cancer survivors into works of art. The cast will be sold in a silent auction with 100% of funds given to Rethink Breast Cancer. Artists include Andrea Hooge, Alison Woodward, indy, Jenn Brisson, Jesse Schilperoort, Phresha, Sean Karemaker, Troy Steen, and Wendy Sexsmith.

XOXO: Art Love and the Internet, from DuJour Marketing and Fang Ling Lee, is an erotic art exhibit with a focus on the sensuality and seductiveness of the female form and how it has helped shape and mold the Internet landscape. Works from Aaron Tsuru, Aaron Tsuru, Katlyn Hubner, Guillem Rovira, Meghan Willis, Zhamak Fullad, Boo Weed, Stormy Ent, Steve Prue, and Gracie Hagen. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Rethink Breast Cancer.

Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School will be showing a sampling of the sketches created by our art monkeys, based on all the sexy Vancouver burlesque models we have drawn in the past 7 years! Featuring Ed Chee, Aaron White, Vincent Smith, Lynn Falconer, Maritza Louis, Mike West, Jenn Brisson, Shary Contrary, Megan Majewski, The Tooninator, Arwynne O’Neill, Francine Delgado Alvarez, Thomaz Magno, Jim Newton, Ricardo Osuna, Andrew Poole, Dino Pai, Bob McAfee, and Alicia Eisen. Artists of all skill levels are welcome at our events, and with poses ranging from 1 minute to 15 minutes, a variety of erotic and funny artwork has emerged from the dark corners of our sketcher’s minds. Dr Sketchy’s Vancouver, hosted by Shary Contrary, happens on the third Tuesday of every month at Hot Art Wet City. Plus a special edition of Dr Sketchy’s on October 25 featuring Bruce Wang as Penis Satan!

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Art by Two Dimes

Conceived by Jim Hoehnle and Chris Bentzen in 2004, Hot One Inch Action is the original, one-night only show of button art and social interaction from Vancouver, BC. The tiny art of fifty different artists is reproduced on one inch buttons. These limited edition buttons are displayed on the gallery wall and the audience is offered the opportunity to buy randomly selected buttons in mixed bags of five for $5. Didn’t get the button you want? Trade with the people around you… how bad do you want that button?! That’s when the hot action starts. hotoneinchaction.com

Artists include: Aaron White, Alison McLeod, Amy Tom, Andrea Hooge, Anne Emberline, Antoine Marchildon, ARGH!, Arinn Westendorf, Baby Bear, Brent Haddow , Cang Nguyen, Carelle B Dunn, Carla Bragagnini, Celia Chung, Chad Murphy, Chelsea O’Byrne, Christel Chan, Daniel G Poggenpoel, Danika Dunn-Rydh, Doug Savage, Emily Szabo, Eugenia Leung, Flavia C, Flavie Dufrenne, J-Ray, Jackie Klobucar, Jenn Brisson, JL Martin , Joel Rich, Jon Moretta, Joni Taylor, Kathy Lea Moyou, Kazimir Simpson, Kelli Rule, Kimberly Parker, Kirsten Hatfield, Kris G Brownlee (KGB), Laura Bonnie McIntosh, Lauren Corrado, Lori Dean Dyment, Mandy Lau, Mark Atomos Pilon, Megan Majewski, Mika Senda, Nancy Vo, Phresha, The True Peg Leg, Tina Dee, Vivian Huang, and Winnie Won Tsuen Yiu.

Bringing street art inside! A group show featuring local wheatepaste and stencil artists iHeart, Joy, Slingshot, Wrk(less), and MW Bowen.

See photos from the exhibit and opening night on Flickr >

M W Bowen is an illustrator, painter, and street-artist living and working in Vancouver BC. He is interested in examining and dismantling social norms that hinder our progress as an inclusive society and world. “I have always bristled at art that needs a thesis to explain what it is trying to say. A great deal of art I see in galleries seems to be a winking-match between artists and I believe strongly that this kind of work ostricizes the general public. I want to make art that is all-inclusive, and that’s why I love street-art and why I am honoured to be a part of this show.” mwbowen.com

iHeart was born somewhere in western Canada, sometime in the late ’80s. Given the nature of what he does, iHeart, remains anonymous and claims he is “just a boy with ideas, opinions and a whole lot of aerosol.” iHeart’s social commentary establishes a dialogue with the viewer that asserts his populist ideals. iHeart’s work has been seen in Chicago, New York, Portland and Seattle and has been published in Ion Magazine, The Province, VancityBuzz, The Huffington Post, The Source, Le Monde Libertaire and Freewriter Magazine. iheartthestreetart.com

Joy studied fine art at the Trois-Rivières University in Quebec, Canada, graduating in 2001. His work is utterly for fun and is therefore full of joy! Each canvas or street art piece contains a door open to multiple interpretations. His canvas becomes the medium for full and free imagination. In the same vein, he uses a mixed technique to avoid being forced into my work. Applying layers with anything that he can get his hands on, spray paint, wax pencils, china markers… The brain is a muscle and an immense playground that asks only to be used. He does not want to be put in a box. He wants freedom of imagination, free to use any medium and have no bar. The joy of creating! fb.com/aka.the.joy

Jenn “Slingshot” Brisson is new to the street scene but not so new to the local scene, having shown her art in homes and galleries across Canada and the U.S. for most of her life. Slingshot’s love for the macabre and eerie along with an art career in Classical Animation for over 13 years became the perfect formula for her mischievous dolls and curious creatures to come to life. Keep an eye out for them… cuz they may have an eye on you around town, too. jennbrisson.blogspot.ca

Grandson of a talented painter and son of a kick-ass rock and roll guitarist, Wrk(less) fell in love and awe with art and pop culture at a very young age. Blame Star Wars, artists, directors, writers and comic book gods. He honed his skills in the dark of his room, laughing all the way. Later he discovered hip-hop and house, the streets and graffiti. It soon became time to add his own expression. Today he creates multimedia work with a camera, spraypaints, paper and photoshop. He rips pages from books, creates collage with texture, only to finally go and wheatepaste a bizarre and sexy character over the whole thing to confuse and titillate. And sometimes, like a superhero without a clue, he goes out into the night to create what some call vandalism. Others call it street art.