Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection at Inuit Gallery

Inuit Gallery presents The 2013 Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection featuring 32 images by 11 artists, including Kenojuak Ashevak, an icon of Inuit art. This collection showcases prints that span the gamut of past, present and future and include diverse subjects such as plants and animals, brazen spirits and items from a haberdashery. The printmakers in this year’s collection have brought back vintage printing methods from the 60s’ and introducing very complex and daring new innovations. Working together, artist and printmaker have succeeded in bringing together a collection that honours the past through new beginnings.

You can view this collction from Friday October 18 to Thursday November 7. Visit here for more information.

Ian Adams at Tees.ca

Tees.ca is never short of featuring the works of local artists. One of Tees.ca newest arrivals is a unique collection by Done Creative, supporting 100% Canadian manufacturing. We decided to pick the brain the talented designer and illustrator behind Done Creative. Meet Ian Adams.

What made you start Done Creative?

I believe we should all give back to improve our communities and the environment. Whether using our time, skills, or money, we all have the ability to make small improvements to the world around us. I’ve always tried to use my art as a way to support organizations that are making a difference. Done Creative formed as the perfect balance: it gives me the freedom to create anything, and the ability to give back to help protect and preserve the world we live in.
 

Can you tell us a little bit about the Ribbon Series and Coat of Arms Series?

I am a West Coast Canadian through and through. After every new country I visit and culture I experience there’s nothing like coming home to B.C.’s “wet” coast.  Done Creative is a way to express how much I love where I live. The Ribbon Series, Coat of Arm Series, and the new ones I’m working on are just an extension of this. They allow me to share what I like about being from one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
 

We understand that your Coat of Arms collection is 100% Canadian made. What inspired you to pay homage to Canada in this collection

I got tired of seeing the same tacky “Canadian” tourist gifts everywhere I went. They all seemed to be about how others perceived Canada and just supported all the stereotypes you’d expect. This inspired me to create something a bit more unique that would capture the new, modern Canada that I see. I sourced out some great manufacturers that produce their entire product in Canada, making this series 100% Canadian made, designed and printed.

 

What creative process do you go through when you are doing the initial sketches for your designs?

I like to use each design as an opportunity to learn more. For the Ribbon Series, I research as much as I can about the animal. I like to sketch while I learn more about the species habitat, diet, size, conservation status, and especially the anatomy. I like to see how the muscles and tendons form around the bones and how the skin, fur or feathers really define the shape of the animal. 

Do you have a favourite design? 

I usually get caught up in what ever I’m currently working on, but if I had to choose I’d have to say the Ribbon Grizzly. It was the first design I created for Done Creative and it really started this whole thing.

You can find Ian’s collection at Tees.ca located at 227 Abbott Street.