We Made a Deal with the Devil

July 30th, 2009

Methinks Represents is a group of artists located in the heart of Kensington Market, whom I have had the wonderful opportunity of working with on their current project. We Made A Deal With The Devil is a travelling art exhibit, based upon the theme of Canadian Myths and Folklore. Its name was inspired by spired by La Chasse-galerie (also known as The Flying Canoe), a cautionary French Canadian tale of a group of loggers who make a pact with the devil. The travelling exhibit features performance and installation pieces, zines, and drawings. I, of course, have submitted some drawings that are now making their way across Southern Ontario. And they could not be more opposite to one another. Let me introduce them and their background…

8 1/2 x 11 inches, Ink and gouache on watercolour paper.

“ The Weendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Weendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody [....] Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Weendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption.” -description from Wikipedia, and originally from Ojibwa scholar Basil Johnston

I really fell in love with the idea of this creature, the punisher of cannibalism in the form of a cannibalistic demon. With the drawing I decided to focus on the creature itself, as one would come across it after gorging themselves on human steak… bloody, dripping, and in a bathe of eerie light.

Crow Brings the Daylight

This one is much more pleasant than the previous, and less deliciously evil as well. It comes from an Inuit myth, Crow Brings the Daylight.  It is an enchanting story in which a Crow is enlisted by the inuit people to travel south and bring the sun to warm them. He does so and tricks the southern villagers into giving a ball of daylight, on a string, to a little boy. He steals the ball and carries it back to the people of his home, although he warned them it could only last half of the year. This image is inspired by the first part of the myth:

“Crow strained his wings and flew with all his might. Suddenly, the daylight world burst upon him with all its glory and brilliance. The endless shades of color and the many shapes and forms surrounding him made Crow stare and stare. He flapped down to a tree and rested himself, exhausted by his long journey. Above him, the sky was an endless blue, the clouds fluffy and white. Crow could not get enough of the wonderful scene.”

I might just illustrate more of this one, since it has the potential for many beautiful visual scenes.

For anyone interested in perchasing these works, they will be on sale at the tour’s end, for $50 a piece. You could also ask Methinks when they come by your area.

For the itinerary, check out: http://www.methinkspresents.org/expedition/itinerary/

They’ll be going through Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Entry Filed under: My Work, Shows