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The Godshave been Advertising and there are Corporate Robots inhabiting the Park

Today is weird (period). The sun is shining and people are smiling, the market is flooded with spring hormones and stupid fashions and everything appears dandy. It isn’t (period). On one side of things I see life and people growing, there is a lot of positive energy out there. In particular the local Longboard skateboarding shop is teeming with excitement. They are one of the last best things this neighborhood has got. The sport is purely uplifting both spiritually and physically and I must revel in their success. They are opening a new store and while you’d never know it from the appearance of the previous location this one is much better equipped, in a better location and well going to be a success. I a very happy to see this and so is the community. It’s a sport made for kids and promotes healthy living, (Thanks Ryan you are really making a difference!).

However there are also a couple of absolutely hideous things growing here also. The first terrible event happening right before my eyes; the Gods started advertising! Five jet planes started criss-crossing across the big blue airwaves leaving sky written commercials all over Toronto. Now this isn’t really anything new and has been done for decades but the technology is certainly more sophisticated and the impact is the same. Suddenly hundreds ( and that is only what I could see in my peripheral) of people were starring up at the sky at what sort of chemical compound I dare not imagine. I will not perpetuate the advertising by stating the brand title but I will say I feel mind-raped and won’t soon forget it. Not only does the technique require a magically chemical compound but product itself was some sort of cosmetic. Have we really failed to progress past these manipulative parlor tricks, in the year 2011 do people still was there faces with alcoholic concoctions believing them to be a fountain of youth. Obviously we have failed.

The second problem involves the city’s new bike racks. These giant electronic rental stations are popping up all over town. Now to call them the ”city’s” is likely mere confusion as they would appear to be privatized and not really public at all. First of all the one that appeared here in Kensington Market runs the half the length of the parkette and is a terrible eyesore. I’m serious this park is probably only 250 feet long and the rack is at least 100 feet and is using up a lot of space. Secondly the machine is only accessible to people with credit cards which pretty much excludes everyone under the age of 18. Not only is the machine ridiculously cumbersome but the bikes themselves are uselessly designed giant pieces of junk. They are really clunky and have at the most 1 or 2 gears and are not particularly ideal for getting around. Hooray for the environment? Well yes we should be riding bi-cycles but the bikes are eating up our parks and are reserved for people with lot’s of money ( a $250 dollar deposit is required) which means that they will just sit there for the majority of the week. I can’t believe that Toronto doesn’t care about this marketing technique, I mean a company can set up an automated business just about anywhere but they nearly arrested me for selling artwork in the streets!

 

Anyways I ‘d like to add that I’ve spit this all out completely on intuition and have not yet done any research into the matters at hand. I think this is important and I’ll be doing in more regularly because it might be interesting to note my initial reactions before I do either confirm or refute by researching the details. I’m going to look into these bikes a bit more later on this afternoon and add some more commentary after I find out what the newspapers say.

 

“HEY MIKE WHERE ARE THE DRAWINGS?” I’m not drawing nothing maybe not ever again. I am feeling so totally disgusted by the world and all of it’s stupidity that I don’t want to draw anymore, I simply can’t see any point.

Pen and Ink Illustration "Holiday Crowds"

HEY APATHY! Pen and Ink Drawings of People

Stomping feet dressed in red and black casually filled the downtown core on this fine Boxing Day 2010. The bright sun and absent winds helped to combat the brisk winter temperatures and the city came sort of alive with tones of bargain hunting suburbanites. I am not really a shopper, and tend to avoid crowds unless I’m performing, so I had no reason to partake in the bizarre commercial energies flowing through out the city. However the seasonably beautiful weather compelled me to take a stroll and since I’d no personal involvement, I thought it might be interesting to observe the crowds. It’s a lot less stressful when you aren’t worried about you dream product being out of stock or wondering if you have spent enough money in order to save on the deals.

The majority of the city was as quiet as any cold winter Sunday. Kensington was almost closed and Chinatown was barren. Nevertheless when I got down to the main strip there were people in every direction, even some line-ups in front of stores. The crowds consisted mostly of young people all giggling and struggled with hands full of purchases. There was some family activity but mostly teen shopping. Luckily it was cold enough to slow things compared to years gone by, but nice enough to pack the streets to a comfortable capacity.There was a free and friendly stream of pedestrian traffic. Oddly enough I saw  a great deal of festive red colors popping out from all the drab black and dark browns Toronto is accustomed to. It was a joyful and courteous mob, and I was very pleased to see so many happy humans. The sun in our faces and not in front of computer screens, in fact I don’t even recall seeing any cell phones, the peoples were shopping in groups.

The majority of the city was as quiet as any cold winter Sunday. Kensington was almost closed and Chinatown was barren. Nevertheless when I got down to the main strip there were people in every direction, even some line-ups in front of stores. The crowds consisted mostly of young people all giggling and struggled with hands full of purchases. There was some family activity but mostly teen shopping. Luckily it was cold enough to slow things compared to years gone by, but nice enough to pack the streets to a comfortable capacity.There was a free and friendly stream of pedestrian traffic. Oddly enough I saw a great deal of festive red colors popping out from all the drab black and dark browns Toronto is accustomed to. It was a joyful and courteous mob, and I was very pleased to see so many happy humans. The sun in our faces and not in front of computer screens, in fact I don’t even recall seeing any cell phones, the jolly peoples were shopping in groups.

It made me temporarily hopeful to see such kind human spirits. It’s a shame it is only a euphoric reaction to their gluttonous expenditures and pre-programmed inclinations towards fulfilling manufactured desires through the perpetual purchasing of useless, damaging and utterly ridiculous things. The quick sketch above was inspired by my anthropological wanderings and born out of guilt because I didn’t actually do any real work today. Read the Webcomics!

Metropolis Animation Drawings

ALTERNATIVE COMICS Animations

The City is a giant gear spiraling infinitely around and around. At least that’s how it feels today. I’ve been working on an animation sequence involving the symbolic city of gears. This was probably one of the first uninterrupted studio sessions I’ve had in a while. There always seems to be something else to take care of. I took full advantage of the open schedule and have been producing frames rapidly pace since noon. After this short interlude for eating and typing, I’ll put in a few more hours before calling it quits. If I’m lucky I might get 10 frames done. (That equals less than 1 second of film) Each frame is almost exactly like the previous. The image depicts the metropolis rolling around in a gear like formation. The process involves two basic steps, a brief under drawing and a final rendering. This means that after I drawing the whole thing once, I actually have to go back a re-draw it all again. The short loop is going to take at least 200 frames to complete but I am just stubborn enough to enjoy the doing this kind of work.

In fact I more than enjoy the work and have become a bit obsessive about the films. It takes so long to draw a single idea that the ordeal is simultaneously meditative and exhilarating. The animation itself requires immense attention, single ideas remain prominent (almost static) for extended periods of time, yet I can barely think about anything else. I’ve come to this sort of slowed down thought process based around movements equaling 1/22 of a second while attempting to physically transcribe these movements as quickly as possible. Meanwhile my conscious attention remains focused on the gear, each building and how they are going to move in the next few 1/22ths of a second and where they need to be 2 or 8 seconds from now. Occasionally I flash to future scenes or other stories, though through necessity, I rein in those wandering thoughts and drive them  swiftly back to the gear. Sounds all fragmented and crazy, it feels like that a bit too, however when the damned thing starts breathing… well that’s something I can hardly wait to see.

FREE WEEKLY WEBCOMICS



Toronto Artist

HEY APATHY! Toronto Artist

Getting ready for a long winter in the studio.

What a beautiful winter’s day for a stroll. The winds are blowing a white dust around. The ground is slippery and slushy but repeatedly painted white, as was I after ten minutes with a coffee on the corner bench. The computer says it is – 8 with 44 mph winds but it doesn’t really matter I made my way obtrusively through all my chores. These obstructions slowing my route had nothing whatsoever to do with the weather but merely mistakes and poor planning on the part of myself. I made way to the pet store to get crickets for my lizard forgetting of course that they are closed every Tuesday. Half way to the art store I remembered using up my supplies but realized at that moment I’d not brought enough money. I made my way home through the snow and back to for the supplies, another quick coffee and I was settled in the studio by three. I actually enjoyed the mild weather making the travels rather pleasant. I hate being cooped up no matter how productive it can be. At any rate yesterday my face froze in minutes and I couldn’t travel without a protective hood.

The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning and organizing all my upcoming projects. Throughout the pleasant seasons I tend to carry very few supplies and travel around creating work. It is really keep track of my materials this way but obviously affects the kind of work I can produce. Now, as the freezing imprisonment approaches, I find myself working on multiple tasks and all the equipment gets scattered. Today was my third three hour session in three days of tidying and I’ve finally got all this stuff together. When you need a ruler or eraser, it is really convenient to know where it is.

The next few months are going to be divided between three primary tasks. The first is more animation. For this I use two pens, two brushes, a light table, one stack of 8.5 x 11” blank paper and another with finished drawings. Because of the magnitude of this project I have (now) a small area dedicated to this production. It is always set up so anytime I feel inclined I need only pick of the pen. The second endeavor is the ongoing weekly webcomic. For these drawings I use the same two pens and brushes but work on larger illustration board. I only do this once a week so I’ve got the boards and long rulers stored in a easily accessible and visible place. The third, and somewhat terrifying, winter project is working on the website. I cleaned out my computer and have all the hard copies, photographs and drawings ready by the scanner. Found piles of unlabelled cd/dvds to go through also. (The picture above is from one of the mystery discs) I’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do. A large portion of my site was built before I even knew what miniscule bits I now understand about the computer. Anyways it should look a bit better than it does now.

That’s enough about my boring life. Probably a little hyper from all the coffees today but I think this little ramble helped me sort out my own mind. Hopefully tomorrow will be consumed less by trivial duties and more with the new animations. In the meantime check out the HEYAPATHY! comics online.

ALTERNATIVE COMICS Surreal Interiors #4

HEY APATHY! Surreal Comics

Alternative Comics Surreal Streets, Buskerfest 2010

I just got in from my second day at the Buskerfest. I'm filthy, exhausted and have been painting for 11 hours. It will probably take just as long to get the black grit out from beneath my nails. The thing was a freaking party, amazing music, thousands of people, 30 foot tall rampaging dinosaurs and the most striking venue I have ever had the pleasure of performing at. Can’t get the pictures off the camera, am to tired to recollect the events any further, and I get to do it all over again tomorrow, good night!

ALTERNATIVE COMICS The Billboards and the Violinist

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

The city is a giant gear propelled by all the strange people moving through it. On the right a large female model is trapped on the face of a towering commercial skyscraper, her billboard belly partially assimilates and annihilates young women by way of a subliminal force. The ominously flickering screen engulfs the mind and bodies of it’s victims intrinsically drawn into a vortex of unobtainable dreams. The gears spins on. Fortunately one potential target has developed an immunity to the advertisements prowess, in a small apartment on the left a girl is learning to play the violin. The music, read from alchemic notations, surrounds her with an indescribably majesty protecting her from the devious destruction of the world and chaos all around… more at http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

ALTERNATIVE COMICS Return of the Hero...

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

After an annihilating battle with corporate masters and an endless barrage of billboard advertisements, the hero was left a mere skeletally deformed weak malformation. However having been reduced to a shamble zombie deprived of his identity and possessions the little decimated hero did not lose himself completely. Lying in an intoxicated stupor in a damp and dark alley the man started to dream. In his dreams he remembered his hopes and triumphs. Not the triumphs that he was celebrated for but an unexplainable sort of light. The trees grew in those dreams and so did the minds of the children and all things seemed free and energized as in the days of his former glory. Awaken by a siren the hero found his haziness cleared and stood up from the ground with an entirely new hope. Beside him lay some disregarded riot gear, an old police helmet and armour abandoned by a squad a few days back. The acidity of the rain and the alley itself, tinted the equipment and altered the colouring. As his flesh had yet to regenerate after the long court room conflicts he decided to protect himself with these strangely unique objects. Now in his weird new protective gear he could continue his fight without fearing publicity. He was burnt, scarred and hideously ugly but never so ready to enter the war for humanity…

more at http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

ALTERNATIVE COMICS A Robotic Romance

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

In this part of world, a strange as it is, there is little room for anomalies and everything is pretty much the same. All the houses are similar, the cars and the schools. And since the library only has online books now a days there is little left to remind us of the past. There is however one odd piece of land north about an hour drive through the suburbs from the city. Up there the whole landscape has been developed into homes with the bizarre exception of a few tiny acres. Surrounded on all sides by new homes and backyard fences sit’s a little farmland untouched and still used. An aging old man gets up every morning and works in the fields as though nothing has changed. He doesn’t care that all our food come from laboratories nor does he mind that he is able to produce very little. It seems that it is the habits and chores that he loves and has stuck to his calling for longer than I remember.

The man rarely leaves the grounds except for a Sunday mass and breakfast. Only a small convoy of trucks have ever entered which transport his goods to the hills. No developer, nor lawman, or even a guest was ever welcomed into his small private land. That is until recently. Lately the farmer has been seen relaxing a bit in the company of a young woman. Rumours have it they met at the diner after church. She was a charmer and apparently from a family of farmers so the old man was taken and took up a friend. Within weeks of her presence the farm started changing, the grasses grew longer and certain area’s turned unkempt. The farmer and the lady were seen more often in town and the eventual marriage came of little surprise.

After the wedding the farmer resumed his regular chores while his young wife seemed to scold him secretly and spent all her time on the phone. It was a hot sunny morning when the situation had escalated and the whole town had known of the newly weds incredible fight. Witness, and there were a lot of them given the houses around the farm, saw the women running across the fields yelling after the man as he near unconsciously ploughed. She was citing certain legal phrases no one else could understand and the farmer snapped out of his daze looking fearful and angry. That is when the accident occurred. His wife fell forwards and landed close to the plough which caught her hair violently shaking her about. When the farmer pulled her out there was no blood, nor bodily damage but her face had removed revealing a mechanical shell! The wife was made of metal and wires! Nothing more than a machine! Some of the witnesses claim that she even had electric tentacles under her false wig of human hair.

Nevertheless the couple have been in court ever since attempting to sort out the details of their inevitable divorce. It would appear that with out prenuptials the robot women is entitled to the farm though the farmer has taken up arms and refuses to finalize the divorce. At best he may win half the land but these proceedings get quite complicated and his case is a rather difficult one as the laws of robot right are still vague and open to interpretation. But for now the farm is quiet and still sitting in place. The farmer is tending his fields and the neighbourhood is watching curiously and wondering if the new houses destined to grow beside them will be bigger and better equipped than the ones they already own.

visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

ALTERNATIVE COMICS The Employee

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

Today was a rather one of forced relaxation. The news reported a heat alert but I was able to call that one for myself. It was dry, but it was hot and I felt slightly depleted by the time I arrived at the café despite unconscious to walk in the shade. By ,midday it was sweltering , almost to hot to read when I decided to head home for some food a the fan. The fridge was getting low and I’d already went over my weekly salary so I prepared a peanut butter sandwich saving the real food for dinner. It occurred to me that I should probably seek better work but I’ve always despised wearing a uniform and the music they play. That’s when the phone rang, it was my brother who works in the office. The one who is always travelling, well fed, drank wine and perpetually and honestly boasting that I should come work for him.

“Yes” I thought to myself, this time I’ll say yes. On top of starvation and mounting bills, I’d injured my self cycling and could not afford the therapy/ An ambulance drove by with it’s sirens blaring. The sound subsided and an amplified voice ordered “MOVE TO THE RIGHT. MOVE TO THE RIGHT” from a loud speaker. Funny, I don’t recall ever hearing the megaphone before, must have really been something in the way.  “Yes” I replied to my brother’s scheduled offer. The offer always followed his commentary on the sports. “Great come out to the house right away and we’ll get you prepared.”

I took the train out to the developments and was at my brother by 1. I was suited with a blue shirt, trousers and shoes. “I had them waiting for you! Taylor made!” My brother smiled. He looked like a commercial and had that terrible music playing. I got dressed and thought to myself this isn’t bad. I felt proud and nationalistic, like a part of the team. “That will never do, here.” my brother interrupted and then passed me some lifts to put in my shoes. The barber was next, I was trimmed and dyed a solid colour, my hair always intermingled various hues of brown. I smiled at my reflection feeling empowered again. The same terrible music was sparkling in the background.

By half passed two we had successfully purchased a home, a car, furniture and a large screen video screen for me. I signed a whole bunch of papers and made the transaction on credit. “ You’re all set, let’s get you to work shall we.” He turned on my new computer which instantly greeted us with that terrible music I had now become very familiar with. Showing me some tasks on the company software, my brother said I can catch up today on a number of duties though the system closed at nine. “Isn’t it great, you can do you’re work right from home, but tomorrow you’ll have to work at the office. By that time you’ll have the software down.”

“What’s it like at the office?”

“It’s great, you do the same thing as you’re doing now only it’s at the office. At the office you can talk about sports.”

“Do they play this music?”

“Right until lunch that’s how you know it’s time to eat, check the scores. Then it plays again until it‘s time to go home.”

My brother left my new house, since abandoned, for about forty-five minutes before I cracked. I’d everything I could ever want, a huge debt and security, but that terrible music wore my patients like a lifetime of torture. I ran to the train a was home in time for dinner. I made the pasta and salad that I ’d been saving all day and lay there in silence for the firs since taking the new job. A police car sped past the window, no speakers, but sirens though I couldn’t hear anything but the monotonous melody of that terrible music subliminally staining my memory. I lost the clothes, washed out the hair dye and forfeited all my new possessions and credit, yet I cannot escape the endless recital of the terrible music which keeps playing over and over, only not in the back ground this time but permantly stained  in the back of my mind!

visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

ALTERNATIVE COMICS A Heroic Assimilation

HEY APATHY! Alternative comics

Flicker, flicker, the gigantic screen transmits sublimated imagery faster than a speeding bullet. The repetitive yet ever so slight evolution of the messages bombards our homes, the streets and the theatre offering us heroic salvation with each flashing new scene. The superhuman, having arrived from a far off star , brings promise of hope and freedom as he expends his supernatural abilities in the name of justice. As his presence brings joy to the world with each new adventure, the attention mounts tensely and all eyes turn towards the alien.

 At first he was publicized as an enigma, and shortly thereafter mimicked, but despite all his triumphs the man receives no solitude. He had devised a secret home far from civilization but the documentary crew sought it out for use as a stage. Forced to reside in among men of the city, the hero falls upon financial hardship. The monetary rewards for the dispersion of evil were few and far between until the sponsors stepped in. Running shoes, capes, band aids and ice packs and any and every other product under the sun would come to bear his likeness and dignified symbol until the media madness began to take it’s toll. After missing the opportunity to thwart a fascist power due to a photo-op worth millions the hero underwent an alarming change. Realizing that his battles proved far less profitable and that the villainous regime was disempowered just the same, the alien turned towards more commercial endeavours all but forsaking his predestined quest.

Over the course of a few months, several movies and commercials, the alien became fixated on a cola he’d endorsed. Supplied with a life time quantity the hero proceeded to devour first two, then three and as many as twelve cans per day. Oddly enough the reasonably harmless cola churned malice and addiction against the unusual extraterrestrials DNA. At first the consumption resulted in malaise but soon ate away at the soldier’s physique. His skin peeled off in a leprous fashion and his skeleton underwent painful malformations. His abilities subsided as did his will until there was nothing left of the once glorious figure but a zombie-like core. Fortunately for the corporations which proffered him wealth his deformations remain a secret to this very day and no one seems to miss the champion of the future because severak younger and palatable actors have filled his place.

more strange stories at http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

Alternative Comics G20 monsters...

 

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

G20 has passed and left it's intolerable mark on our city and worse than the broken windows and cop cars is our ( the peoples) damaged rights and reputation.... Had there been no riot (which it really wasn't) and the excessive police force becomes a public issue, a few retarded black-bloc-heads and the PM is a world renowned saviour-genius demigod. Not a big conspiracy but certainly the more intelligent party has won. The arse’s causing trouble were really only a small faction of the event but who’s going to remember that when it has been rewritten otherwise by the almighty T.V. And yes I’ve done some investigating here in Toronto. I followed and listened in on some of these masked hoodlums on Saturday and have even identified at least one of the “radicals” as a regular local activist (normally a peaceful one) and I tell you they truly are little more than drunk trouble makers who I suspect are only frustrated because no one ever taught them to read. Yes the world sucks and there are a lot of things worth fighting for but this particular group was uneducated in all but the art of vandalism ignoramus. According to their conflicting signs they wanted to replace capitalism with socialism, communism, anarchy and cool masks.

A little comparison between the black bloc's violent performance and my own brand of more effective social activism, painting picture for people. visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

Alternative Comics G20 is almost out of Toronto

After a long week of random interrogations and a heavy handed police presence the city of Toronto finally hit the protest in the streets this weekend. Though I’d seen nothing intimidating whatsoever from any protestor the imbeciles in black eventually showed up with vagrant and violent force. By Saturday night three cop cars had been ignited and some windows were smashed by small groups of moronic macho imbeciles under the guise of political cause. The television had a field day and I felt like I was living in a war zone, until I turned it off and went to see things for myself. The streets were certainly quiet but the bars were open and people were about. There was shopping on Queen West only a block from the flaming auto. The city was not in nearly as much of an uproar as the images made it seem and I could quickly gather that they were isolated and not reflective of the whole.

 The majority of the crowds were simple, musical and peaceful but the minority of vagrants simply put everyone at high risk. The cops stepped up security rounding up over 600 people who were mildly detained in makeshift prisons for a brief time. ( I bet they are all honoured by the capture and boast merrily about how much better they are than those who didn’t get caught). I saw cops arresting regular partiers as well as peaceful protestors which only helped make the matter more extraordinary in reports. However there was little excitement in the actual streets were most people stood apathetically in jest holding camera’s/ Lokk at the press footage twice and you’ll notice that the aggressive clips total in a number less than 10. Primarily the same two or three incidents were recycled over and over giving the effect of mass hysteria when the crazies were but a few. The other note worthy analysis is that in each scene of violence the crowds are not rowdy only spectators and the cops are nowhere to be seen. For all the billions of dollars spent to irritate Torontonians all week nothing could stop the all-mighty black-bloc-heads. In fact only a single report of the police preliminary actions fruited the seizure of questionable weaponry.

 I myself was searched four times but they never found a thing. On top of that the police, as frightening as the tele makes them look, seemed scared, confused, and disorganized bubbling around bothering innocent civilians. Even in their large grouped black line ups of sheild, clubs and helmits, I could see that they were people and some of them appeared baffled. Others seemed over zealous but either way they have a lot of brainwashing to do before these guys can hold their ground with the telepathic observer. Nevertheless the small, insignificant and utterly useless acts of violence have not only turned the politicians into heroes but they have initiated an argument for the induction of a military state. If you are trying to fight the NOW, wearing Halloween costumes and acting like the Prime Minister’s puppet is probably not going to help. In the short time after the cop car burned the arrests tripled and I saw with my own eyes that many of them had nothing to do with aggression or even protests but the detainment of innocent civilians was now justifiable in light of the idiots dressed in black.

visit http://www.heyaathy-comics-art.com/

ALTERNATIVE COMICS G20 mayhem

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

 

HEY APATHY! When I last wrote in (yesterday) the word on the streets and on the television was chaos. I decided not to take everyone else’s word for it a strolled through the downtown core to see what was up. I saw the burning car and several lines of policemen but the crowds were really peaceful and even somewhat apathetic. There was a lot of joking and touristy cameras however the tension was not to comparable to the media description. The bars were all open and their were people in the community pool and the scariest thing around was the cops. I also found it difficult to locate the dozens of stores damaged and though many had been prepared with boarded windows I saw not the slightest sign of vandalism. Any way I wish those idiots hadn't given the news the proof they needed but in actuality the aggression seemed very isolated and not reflective of our city's state.

 

However the fuel provided by the instigators have given police license to arrest any one they want. The count is up to about 550 today consisting of both peaceful protestors, innocent bystanders and villains alike. More and more dutiful citizens are coming to words and actions against the heightened aggression of the cops. But what else could possibly be done for aren't a few hundred innocent arrests a small price to pay for un-shattered windows? The violence has justified a miniscule marshal law. Basically everywhere I've been since yesterday's events tells me that this whole ordeal is going accordingly to someone’s else’s plans.



 The week has been proving progressively totalitarian. It has been near impossible to move freely through out the streets. I have been surrounded, interrogated, searched on numerous occasions. The entire experience has seemed absurdly bizarre. Alas the week was silent but the things are finally revving up. The police cars are on fire, store fronts are being smashed and words like tear gas are happening and all over the television. Amazingly these broadcasts of terror and violence ( I’ve only seen three clips in endless repetition) are frequently interrupted by very civil and proper addresses from the summit. The prime minister is beaming as though the protests have only sweetened his prestige. The streets are full of hysteric proles while the kings have their luncheon and talk of the success of war!




The entire situation is quite perplexing. On the one hand our general rights have been revoked, the fate of the world is being decided behind an enormous fence and guard, and the obvious majority of people in our city today are in protest, but what is all of this going to solve? Judging from the entirely uninterrupted meeting within the convention center it would appear that the hopes of many have no effect what so ever on the power of few. I am proud that people have stood up but in doing so a few have stood out by instigating fires and attacking the police.






I am not a violent person in either thought or deed and can see little advantage to the hooliganism which is at this very moment ransacking small parts of the city. The random attacks have caused little more than small nuisances and the only people who have been hurt appear to be those involved in the protest. I witnessed a tele-capture of Queens Park, a beautiful landscaped university grounds a few blocks from my home, in which a horde of police officers were unloading all of their personal irreverence’s on the face of a young radical. However is there any other way to deal with rallies involving purely violent and aggressive members? Had our streets not been swept so intensely throughout the previous week would the violence not be ten fold? Well the news has only reported one successful seizure verses three annihilated police cars.


 

visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

ALTERNATIVE COMICS WARNING

BB TXTN U ++GOOD

Alternative Comics G20 from the streets...

HEY APATHY! ALTERNATIVE COMICS

Today was a very quiet one in the neighbourhoods and main strips of downtown Toronto. The G20 has reaped a previously unheard of force of police security and surveillance through out the streets. Over the past few days I’ve encounter and been interrogated by numerous bike police. There are unmarked vans circle around all the parks and cop cars every few minutes. The city has really slowed down as both noticeable decrease can be scene in both pedestrian and automobile traffic. Today however was entirely uneventful. I strolled around and read in the park and not once did I witness or encounter any signs of official intervention.

There was, of course, for the first time this week a scuffle resulting in one of the most grotesque slapping noises I’d ever heard as a fist flew sluggishly, yet all powerful, into the face of an unsuspecting target. The two had been play fighting but the game obviously had escalated. It appeared to be over when the hard cheap shot came. Admitingly I’d taken alarm to these folk nearly an hour earlier but assumed that local security would get them first. I also knew half way through the fight exactly what was going to happen when the playing was done. These guys wreaked of trouble, though not in any relation to the protests of the summit, but alas there wasn’t a sole cop to be seen. I suppose the rally got out of hand because the foot patrol so demonously overwhelming Kensington and surrounding areas patrol of late was clearly called to another location…

visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/

ALTERNATIVE COMICS Web Comics and Stories

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

 

HEY APATHY! Is an ongoing artistic investigation into the metropolis, the monsters, people and the mechanics of being. In the earliest artworks the city is announced as an ominous gear spun by an endless sea of faceless denizens. . Since that time I have executed an unconventional interview using street art and public interactions to uncover the true nature of the urban landscape. The online catalogue follows my seven year quest featuring illustrations, comics, murals, performances and animation strung together as a narrative adventure. As a result of my experiments the story of the gear has grown and changed much. Today the metropolis is still rendered as a giant machine, only now it is all the different characters, not anonymous cogs, who fuel the machine!

MONSTER COMICS is a web comic following my misadventures on a freelance assignment for a strange mystic named Weird Blackbeard. Blackbeard is a patron of the arts knowledgeable of all things unusual who commissioned me to do some surreal portraits early last year. The job proved extraordinary nearly costing me life, limb and possession but it was worth the fiasco to get all these cool drawings….

SURREAL COMICS is a collection of illustrated stories and correlated strips featuring tales of the unknown. Morphologically relevant satirical dreams regarding alien encounters, distorted monsters and the sudden appearance of rooms which should not be.

ALTERNATIVE COMICS Castle G20

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

CASTLE G20

Today was a very unusual day in the city of Toronto as twice I found myself by questioning patrol officers in pack of ten or greater during my routine morning coffee and sketching in the park. There had been two people protesting the recently constructed and gated G20 Palace Castle in our city. Prior to my own encounters I witnessed the group of officers oversee the removal of a large artwork which the twp protestors had sprawled out across the park. They then proceeded to confiscate the PVC piping the extremists had planned to erect their message with. For the record it was a 20 x 30 foot painting of a waterfall surrounded by nature.

Following the mild incident the police decided to then interview me as I also looked hideously suspicious with my books and sketchbook. I was , as always dressed entirely in black, a device which keeps this ink artist from the perpetual and obvious destruction of my clothes. At any rate these apparently totalitarian bullies turned out to be quite human. It took only a few quick responses to ensure them I was of no threat (pretty sneaky). The crew surrounding me then starting to take notice of the image in my sketchbook which I have posted above. “Wow” one said and several other compliments followed so I shared with them my explanation of the comic. “The city is built like a Castle and the sewers are the surrounding moat” I said and the officer leaning in closest replied “oh yeah and there is all the people, the sheep being herded to work” . These officers then told me that the people with painting weren’t really any trouble and asked me if I’d noticed any other activity of note over the last few days. I hadn’t and they left friendly but possibly determined to find some of the fabled violence which is expected this week in our city.

Not five minutes later a second sector of the same crew arrived but having seen my discourse with their colleagues were far less inquisitive. In fact, in one of the most surreal moments of my existence, the entire circle of officers rode up on their bicycles, looked at my drawing and in unison all leaned back with exclamations like “Cool” or “look at that“. In was just like a crowd of kids on the streets only they were all six feet or larger and in uniforms of black. These guys enjoyed the story and made jokes that I should be commissioned to do a portrait of the of the officer who had the most obviously jested expression and large spaced buck-teeth. As they prepared to ride away another pointed to the creature and asked if it was the mayor?

So intrigued by the unusually aggressive presence of the police I thought it might be interesting to stroll around the city. The streets all seemed normal and the security only above average. There may or not have been more official vehicles but the Banks were visibly guarded by security which I have never noticed before. I went to the art store located beside the A.G.O. (enjoyed the giant Barbara Krueger Piece on the gallery’s exterior) and set out through a different park on my way back home. Here once again I was halted by a large crew of police.

This park was much larger and proportionately protected. Like giant black flies on bikes the cops were buzzing all around so much so that you couldn’t look off in any direction without seeing them. And sure enough they surrounded me and began a similar enquiry to the one I’d heard back in Kensington. I explained to them, in good spirits, that I’d already been through this once and that I lived in the neighbourhood, was shopping, and not of any consequence. The officer figured me out in an instant and relaxed apologetically. He told me that wearing all black or the color red throughout the palace summit would attract unwanted attention in the parks. They where all to be heavily patrolled over the next week or so to ensure that no protests developed out side if the regulated zone. Isn’t that nice we have a regulated zone for protesting. Anyways I told them that I had no intention of causing any trouble and that I hoped they would not have to deal with any. The entire troop of at least 20 officers thanked me sincerely and I couldn’t help but sense they were really surprised and honoured by my concern well wishing.

I marched around a few more streets before heading home including my old spot where I performed on Queen Street West. The only peculiar thing around and about the city seemed to be that the shoppers were out in full force. There is a definite energy changed in Toronto because of palace politics but it would appear that we have channelled it into a commercial frenzy. I expect I’ll have more experiences to share about this tomorrow….

ALTERNATIVE COMICS an artist's statements

HEY APATHY! Surreal Artworks

Another attempt to explain what I do in 500 words or less, okay it's late and I'm bored but I think this will still prove valuable...

HEY APATHY! Is an ongoing artistic investigation into the metropolis, the people, and the mechanics of being. Using a combination of fine artworks and popular mass media I have developed a visual vocabulary expressing a stern yet optimistic warning towards future days. The entire project, initiated in 2001, reads as an extended narration involving ink drawings, murals, gallery installations, comic books, publications, street performances, video and animation. By way of this interdisciplinary and increasingly public process I’ve determined a vehicle for discourse suitable to both the gallery connoisseur and viewers of all ages. The validity of my life’s work will be examined through a brief analysis of the project’s history, cultural significance and current explorations.

HEY APATHY! Alternative Comics

In the initial drawings (2001) the city was announced as an ominous gear powered by an endless sea of faceless denizens. At that time I was working out an introverted artist’s studio and envisioned the metropolis as a nihilistic conglomeration of misdirected superficial and commercial ideologies. In order to better understand the phenomena in question I developed a uniquely extroverted artist’s process through which public presentations, performances, interactions and interventions would help resolve my inquiries. Since that time I have used the public forum to initiate exchanges with peoples from all over the world and of all walks of life. With each passing year I learned more of architecture and others as reflected in the ultimate progression of my works. Today the city is still rendered as a giant gear, only now it is fuelled by all sorts of strange individual rather than anonymous cogs in a machine.

Urban Arworkst and Large Murals

The primary objective of the “HEY APATHY!” artworks is to produce a commentary simultaneously intellectually provocative as well as accessible to viewer of all ages. In order to best achieve a dialogue amongst broad audiences I have assimilated various technical approaches. Equal attention has been given to the development of sustain studio artworks and to the production of multi-media and accessible artworks. By experimenting with various presentation techniques, and one on one interactions my artwork delves into humanist themes introducing unsuspecting pedestrians to alternative ideas usually reserved for gallery walls. Through the inclusion of street performances, animations, and comics, HEY APATHY! is capable of communicating to an inclusive audience of all ages, races, and walks of life.

HEY APATHY! Public Exhibitions and Street Art

To the artist interested in initiating mass dialogue the possibilities of multi-media artworks facilitates necessity. In my most recent studies I have developing a series of videos, comics and art books suitable for both online presentation and gallery exhibition. I am currently creating a new hand drawn animation sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council in which over 300 fully rendered stills will be compiled on film. The idea being that the finished artworks will be prepared as a wall installation to accompany the film. The unique and extensive project travels through 13 short vignettes recounting the evolutionary narrative expressed throughout my art works including imagery developed between 2001-2010. The completed project will not only extend my technical vocabulary but will further my attempts to reconfigure popular culture, fine artwork as a sophisticated yet accessible conversation. The “HEY APATHY!” endeavour continually exposes a humanist ideology crossing the irrational barriers which segregate one man from another retaining much significance universally and decidedly Canadian. (Damn 541 words but close and better luck next time!)

HEY APATHY animation sample from FLIES HOLES AND ROACHES 2002

visit http://www.heyapathy-comics-art.com/