May 18, 2012

City Lights, an exhibition of new paintings by Kyle Clements will be on display at Moore Gallery in Toronto from June 7 to June 30, 2012.

The opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 7th, from 6 to 8pm.

I’m really excited about this show. This is the first time that I’ve had enough of an established body of work that I wasn’t rushing around at the last minute, fighting to crank out enough work to display. For this show, I was able to pick a theme, look at my entire body of work, stand back and pick out a number of pieces that fit that theme. In this case, visual abundance – the density of images we come across in our daily lives from advertisements and videos to photos on social media, was something I was thinking about. I selected paintings that were based on collages of images taken from time-lapse photography sequences, where I was literally choosing one or two images from thousands of possibilities and combining them into digital collages emphasizing speed, abundance, and visual density.

 

February 22, 2012
I have a strict rule about not advertising shows before the paperwork is signed, because cancelling a show and uninviting people is a terrible feeling that I prefer to avoid. If you are wondering what happened to that February showing of the DRM Boxes that I hinted at earlier, just know that I am wondering the same thing. Don’t know what happened, but it never materialized. The boxes are done though. Expect some cool videos showing off the project to be posted in late March, when things calm down slightly and I have a chance to put some proper videos together.

The show in June is still in the works. I’m not going to lie, this is easily the biggest show of my career to date, I am very excited, and a little nervous, and I am determined to step it up a notch and produce my best work to date, and looking at the fresh work in my studio, I think I am doing just that! I can’t wait to present this to the world. The only downside is that producing work that is 20% better takes 100% longer…

I am composing this update from inside one of Toronto’s top hackerspaces. A laser cutter is running in the background, and I am doing some preliminary tests for something that will be quite a technical departure from my previous work. I’m not sure where this test will lead me (if anywhere) but it is important (and a lot of fun) to always try new things.

 

January 12, 2012
Happy belated New Year everyone.

Brad and I are putting the finishing touches on the DRM Boxes, since we will be showing them at Open Gallery next month. I’m afraid we are kind of slacking on the organizing and planning aspect of this show, so I don’t have an opening date for you at this time, other than “February”

I have also been offered a very big show in a very cool place, so I’ve been working up a storm in my sketchbooks. I’m not going to be secretive at all about this show, so expect to see a lot of details and behind-the-scenes studio stuff posted within a month’s time.

November 10th, 2011
Digifest came and went. It’s been a busy couple of months; I’ve spend nearly every other week getting ready for a show. Now it’s time to buckle down and get to work. The next show will likely be in February.

 

October 7th, 2011
My SoOnCon presentation at TIFF Bell Lightbox went very well. Brad and I delieved a speach that was very well recieved. The general attitude was that this is a subject that bugs everyone, everyone gripes about it privately, yet no one talks about openly. “Why People Hate Art” is a talk that I would very much like to give again. It’s an idea I want to keep running with.
After leaving SoOnCon, a very tired and grumpy Kyle headed out to see some Nuit Blanche. In my opinion, this year’s Nuit Blanche was a let down. But it was also very informative. I think Brad and I are recharged and ready to put together something appropriate for next year.

The next big show on the horizon is Digifest, which will be taking place near the end of October. More details regarding that will emerge shortly. Take a Picture.

 

September 17th, 2011
The opening of New Biology at Toronto’s  Moore Gallery last week went well. Thanks to all who came out to the opening. It was very nice seeing all of you again. For those of you who were unable to make it to the opening, don’t worry; the show runs until October 1st. There is still time to see it.

I wish I could say that with New Biology out of the way, I can start relaxing, but that’s not true at all. I’ve got a lot more happening this month. Take a Picture will be on display at the TEDxToronto afterparty, which is happening on September 23rd. I don’t have to push this event too hard, since the tickets sold out quite a while ago. After TEDx, I will be giving a 30-minute talk at SoOnCon, the Southern Ontario Hackerspaces & Makers Mini-Conference, which will be held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. I’m really excited about these events. There are some good speakers lined up, and I really hope I get a chance to see some of the other presentations.

 

September 9th, 2011

New Biology, a show of emerging artists being held in Toronto’s  Moore Gallery opens Tomorrow. I am proud to announce that several pieces from my “Urban Landscapes” series (including the one pictured above) will be on display.

The opening reception is being held tomorrow, September 10th, from 2pm-4pm.
The show will be open until October 1st.
Moore Gallery is located at 80 Spadina. There is a ‘Green P’ parking directly beside the building’s South side.

 

August 22st, 2011
I am proud to announce that the silent auction at Site 3 Co-laboratory was a huge success! The turnout was fantastic, lots of pieces sold, and a good time was had by all. Not bad, considering this was my very first time organizing and running a silent auction. I was fortunate enough to have had a great team behind me. Thank you to all who came out and helped make the event the success that it was.

I can’t believe how close it is to September 10th, the opening of “New Biology”, a group show which I am participating in at Toronto’s Moore Gallery. I can’t wait!

 

July 8th, 2011
I recently delivered a couple of paintings to Moore Gallery for a show in September. I remember going to this gallery on field trips with my high school art class and having my mind blown by the calibre of art that was hanging on those walls. Knowing that my work will soon be included on that list of artists to have shown there is indescribable. I am looking forward to this show.

I will be helping to organize a fundraiser auction at the Site 3 Co-laboratory in Toronto on August 20th. This is a good chance to see some of my work (and the work of many others) and maybe pick up a piece or two at a great price.

I normally try to keep this website more on the minimal/professional side, but I just couldn’t help myself, I was playing around with javascript, and I made an online version of an old program I wrote years ago: An Automatic Artist Statement Generator. I also wrote about this project’s background on my blog, and posted the project to reddit for those who are interested in my motivations behind writing this program.

 

June 1st, 2011
I’ve spent the last few weeks locked in my studio, painting some brand new large Urban Landscapes. I should be posting some new work in the near future.

For most of June, I’ll have six paintings on display at Kwartzlab, along with some of Alex Leitch’s fantastic black-lit acrylic birds. If you happen to be in the Kitchener area, you might want to swing by and check it out. The show seems to be getting some attention from the media; on Monday night, I gave a 10-minute radio interview for “Monday Night With The Arts” on FM 98.5 CKWR.

 

May 13, 2011
Toronto’s Mini Maker Faire was great. Thank you to everyone who made it out last weekend. The feedback was very positive. Watching a person’s face light up a they figure out how our project works makes my long hours and lack of sleep very worth it.

The invisible paintings have been returned to Site 3 Co-Laboratory . If you missed your chance to see Take a Picture at Maker Faire, don’t worry, you can come by the shop any Thursday evening during the open house. Site 3 is located at 718R Ossington, which is on the South-West corner of Bloor and Ossington.

I uploaded 3 new paintings to the Urban Landscapes gallery yesterday. Now that the excitement of showing my work is over, I can get back to producing new art.

 

May 1, 2011
It’s been a while since I written up an official update. Not that much to report, really. Let’s see…I have a massive show in a big-name blue-chip gallery on the horizon, The Discovery Channel recorded a segment with Brad and I showing off “Take a Picture”, and I’ve been invited to show at the Mini Maker Faire in Toronto, where I will also be one of the speakers for the round of Lightning Talks that will be happening Saturday evening.

In the last update, I mentioned a photography-based project that I was working on with Brad. I told you to “expect some news regarding that project to be posted here in the near future.” Then I never posted anything…my bad. Well, Brad and I self-published our first book, a photo book called Illuminated Landscapes”. If you want some details about that project, I have created a website for that project, which can be found here.

In the website maintenance department, several of the older entries in the CV page have been heavily modified All of the images are now displayed on one long page, and I have included some text that explains what I remember about those shows, and what they lead to. If I keep going at this rate, I will never have to do an interview, because anything you’ll ever want to know about me can be cut and pasted from my website or blog.

In the mean time, if you could set your PVRs to record The Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet this Thursday, that would be great. I don’t have a TV, but I wanna see if I made it into the show.

 

February 14, 2011
I have spent the last few weeks working on a photography-based project with Brad. Expect some news regarding that project to be posted here in the near future.

Once again, I have been making some tweaks to the website. The Gallery page has been made simpler and more intuitive, for those wanting a quick glance at my work, everything is up front and easily accessible. For those wishing to dig deeper into my work, clicking “more” will bring up galleries showing my complete artistic output, arranged chronologically.

I am also working on modifying a few entries in the CV section.

 

January 20, 2011
My painting practice has been on the back burning this past month while I prepare for the third showing of the Take a Picture project.
It will be held this Saturday, January 22nd.
The Toronto Burning Man Group is putting on a big event. Part art show; part party; all awesome. Tickets to this event are $25 at the door, but if you order your tickets in advance, (which can be done by clicking here) they can be had for only $20. (well, $22.19, but it’s still a savings compared to what you’d pay at the doors.) The event starts at 7pm, and goes until 4am

December 19, 2010
Well, my last show, About:Blank at Open Architects was extended through to mid December. If you weren’t able to make it out, My white-on white paintings will be on display at Art Source in Markham, while Brad and I will be showing “Take a Picture” at the Burning Man decompression party on January 22nd.
I’ve also done some updating to this website. Clicking the image on the main index page leads to a gallery showing nine of my most popular images. The old, complete galleries are still there, but I thought I would be helpful to have some of best work out front, rather than having it all buried in menu that’s three clicks away.

 

November 14, 2010
Thank you to everyone who came out for the opening of About:Blank. If you weren’t able to make it out, this show runs until the end of November, you you haven’t missed you chance to see a bunch of highly textual white-on-white paintings, and the invisible images hidden within take a picture.

For a long time, this website has been very one-sided. I publish. You read. That’s it.
No more.
Over the past few days, I’ve been working on a way to loosen those reigns a bit. I’ve added a new section, a photo gallery where you can vote my images up or down. Please, let me know what you like and don’t like by heading on over to that page. You can vote for as many or as few paintings as you would like.

 

November 10, 2010
About:Blank opens tomorrow night at Open Gallery. This is the second public showing of “Take a Picture”, a collaborative artwork between Brad Blucher and myself. Take a picture consists of a series of invisible paintings that only a digital camera can see. This show also features new work by Victoria Fenninger, and some brand new paintings from me. The title comes from the minimal nature of the show. No colour on the canvas, just raw canvas, gesso and white paint, that’s about it.
Come see what can be done with almost nothing!

Opening Gala: Thursday, November 11th 2010, 6-9pm
454 Kingston Road, Toronto, Ontario.

 

November 3, 2010
Something new is in the works.
If you missed your chance to see the first-ever showing of Take a Picture during Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, don’t worry; you will soon be able to see the second-ever showing of Take a Picture.
We’ve been hard at work these past few weeks. I spent a good chunk of time up North in our secret lab, putting together a bunch of new invisible images.

So charge your camera’s batteries, clear the memory cards, and be ready for a new showing of invisible paintings.

 

OCTOBER 5, 2010
I would like to thank everyone who came out and supported us during Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2010. It was a lot of work, and seeing everything come together so perfectly that night made it all worth it.
If you would like to share any of your pictures of our event, please upload them to our Take a Picture facebook page.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys the rough and gritty behind-the-scenes stuff, we have some of that for you. If video is your thing, you can surf YouTube for this stuff, but I have posted all the videos on the Take a Picture Video page. the first 3 are promo spots, the remaining 5 are all instructional or construction footage. I have also been working on some write-ups in my blog, describing what went on in the days leading up to the event.

 

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
It seems kind of weird to have entries from 2008 popping up in the news section, so today, I broke the page into two pieces.
The news section is still there, and it works pretty much just like before. The only difference is that instead of having a lengthy Old News section appear under the latest headline, there is now a link to this archive. The reason for the minimalist design of this website is to keep things simple and fast. I don’t like having to wait for flashy distractions to load. Having the same old entries load time and time again doesn’t really fit into the minimal theme I’m going for. I wanted to cut the fat, and get rid of the info that really didn’t need to be there.
I like simple and fast, but I don’t like having information I might want to access later on suddenly disappear on me, so I didn’t want to simply delete everything. Creating an archive seemed like an optimal solution.
I have made one visible change to the old news section. The personal updates feed now appears below the main headline. This way, you can read the news entry right away, even though the twitter feed hasn’t loaded yet. No more waiting for flashy distractions!

 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche continues to draw nearer. Now that the workload is calming down, the nervousness and excitement is starting to sink in.
I’ve got a new project in the works. Last week, I was approached by a magazine editor. They want me to create a custom artwork within certain (and very loose) parameters. Reproductions of that piece will be appearing on an insert in several months. I’m excited, since I’ve never dealt with reproductions before. I decided to use this an an opportunity to try out some new techniques, and I’ve put far more work into this piece than I normally do, and I’m still not convinced that it’s done. More details to come.

And don’t forget about:
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2010
October 2nd
Levack Block, 88 Ossington, Toronto, Ontario

 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
After going through my photo collection, I found several landscape paintings from 2009 that have been missing from the gallery. Since I was updating that section anyway, I thought I might put up some the the new 2010 paintings as well.

 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
The largest project I’ve taken on to date, Take a Picture for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2010 is a wrap.
Brad Blucher and I have completed all the etching, drilling, soldering, and testing. I am proud to announce that the project has exceeded our expectations. The finished pieces actually work better than the prototype. It’s a great feeling to see such an involved and time-consuming project come together. Its gone from being a crazy idea of mine to a physical reality, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to present “Take a Picture” to the large Nuit Blanche audience.

Answers to questions you might have about the project can be found in the Take a Picture FAQ or in our video interview.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2010
October 2nd
Levack Block, 88 Ossington, Toronto, Ontario

 

AUGUST 6, 2010
I’ve had a very busy spring/summer so far.
That art/music thing I hinted at in the last update ran into a few snags. It’s still happening, it’s just going to be happening 5 months later than I had hoped.
In the spring, I spent some time just North of Toronto, where I had shows going on at Connors Music and Kat’s Gallery, as well as several pieces in a silent auction.
In June, I returned to Toronto, where I had a show going in in the East end of the city. It’s a new gallery space hosted by Open Architects, called Open Gallery. The day after that opened, I had the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition at Nathan Phillips Square.
I’ve made a few fairly big behind-the-scenes changes to this website. Hopefully everything is back up and working the way it should be.
Brad and I are working on several projects in the background. Manfred Says Go is not yet in a state where I can give details, but it’s going to be a lot of fun to work so far outside of my normal skill set. We’re also working away on our Scotiabank Nuit Blanche project, Take a Picture. It’s taking longer than expected, because I also have some work in another show that is opening this Weekend.

On Saturday, August 7th, between 5-7pm, Arta Gallery, which is in the Distillery District, is having its summer group show. I will have two pieces on display; so please, head down and check it out!

 

MARCH 31, 2010
I’ve been working away on a new project, combining my art with music. No, I’m not talking about painting on stage while people play jazz in front of an audience. More details to come. (Yes, I am being intentionally vague right now)
Oh, and I’ve also updated the New Landscapes section with some new stuff.

 

FEBRUARY 28, 2010
The twitter feed has been acting strange lately. I’m not able to see any of the updates on my end, but some friends tell me they can see them just fine, while others can’t see anything. Weird. I guess I will have to return to posting real updates like this one.
The April 17th show in Keswick will be a showing of some new music-based scrape paintings. You can see a video sneak peek of those paintings by clicking here

 

FEBRUARY 19th, 2010
I’ve been neglecting to update this section for far too long. The twitter feed above is so much easier. Some new additions will be posted shortly, and I’ve got a show coming up this April 17th at Connors Music in Keswick, ON. Check it out.

JULY 27, 2009

The twitter feed is back up. If you don’t see it, make sure javascript is enabled.
I have been working on some videos focusing on my artwork, and interviewing some local, Toronto based artists. The links are coming soon.

 

JULY 15, 2009

The Toronto outdoor art show was a lot of fun. Lots of positive feedback, handed out a few hundred business cards, made a few sales, and I even had one fellow blog about me. 
In other news, navigating through some of the older images in the CV section should now be a little easier.

 

MARCH 13, 2009

The CV section is now updated. Clicking an entry on my CV will bring up a gallery of images from that show.

 

FEBRUARY 11, 2009

After three very long days of work, Brad and I have finished a new piece for our show in London Ontario. I am very excited about this one. If you do enough searching on the internet, you may be able to find a sneak peek somewhere.

 

FEBRUARY 4, 2009

Alright, I have loaded three sections to the gallery, feel free to take a look. I will try to upload one new gallery each day over the course of the next week, until all of them are up, then I can get working on the CV section, which is going to take me a VERY long time. I am not looking forward to it. What I am looking forward to getting this website out of the way so I can get back to painting.

 

FEBRUARY 1, 2009

Ok, ‘shortly’ may have been a poor choice of words, 5 months have passed and there isn’t a whole lot of change on this site yet. I’m still working away, behind the scenes. Updates are on their way. I would like to thank my good friend Lilly for all of her help. Please check out her site, which can be accessed through my ‘links’ section.

 

~Kyle Clements