New Website and Free Desktop Wallpaper

I have a new website that I am pretty damn happy with. Fourth time's the charm, right? 

Head on over to www.hellokirsten.com to check it out. 

And while you're there, snag yourself one of 3 nifty free desktop wallpapers in the 'Free Wallpaper' section (you'll see it in pink type near the bottom on the left sidebar). 

Upcoming Craft Fairs

JP King and I will be sharing a table as Paper Pusher at two upcoming craft fairs this April in Toronto. Hope to see you there!

1. Gladstone Hotel Artists and Fleas (love that font so much...)


April 7 at the Gladstone Hotel in the ballroom. Free to get in. 11am - 4pm. We'll have a huge selection of posters, prints, and cards!

   2. City of Craft


       Saturday, April 21, 2012
      11am-6pm 
 Trinity St. Paul's United Church
      427 Bloor Street West
      (one block West of Spadina)

EYELEVEL RESHELVING INITIATIVE 5

Hey Halifax! You've probably already got your calendars marked to check out the ever-awesome Reshelving Initiative at Eyelevel Gallery - who could resist the heaps of fantastic independently produced artist multiples, books, and zines?

Well, somewhere in that heap is my postcard book, along with 2 copies each of the 2009 and 2011 Papirmasse folios. Links are below :) If you're not in Halifax these little books are available online at Paper Pusher, and in Montreal at Maison Kasini and Monastiraki.

The exhibition runs from March 1 - 31, 2012 at 2159 Gottingen Street in Halifax. More info at http://www.eyelevelgallery.ca

The Eyelevel Re-shelving Initiative is an international biennial exhibition of artist books, multiples, and printed matter, refreshing Eyelevel Gallery’s Bookstore collection with works from close to 80 established and emerging artists.

Postcard book: http://reshelving.ca/kirsten-mccrea/10-postcards

Papirmasse 2009 Folio: http://reshelving.ca/kirsten-mccrea/papirmasse-collectors-folio-2009

Papirmasse 2011 Folio: http://reshelving.ca/kirsten-mccrea/papirmasse-collectors-folio-2011

Patterns for Schwiing

I've jumped into the world of repeating patterns lately, making some all-over prints for Montreal clothing company Schwiing. I'll post a photo of the fabric when I get my hands on it, but in the meantime here are some photos of the prints in action! My little owl made it onto a shirt too :)

Sparkbox Studio Residency

I am spending the month of January out at the incredibly lovely Sparkbox Studio, a residency in a country farmhouse near Picton, Ontario. Kyle Topping and Chrissy Poitras are the resident hosts, and I'm lucky enough to be sharing the house with JP King and Sarah Burwash (whose art I've been a fan of for a long time!). It's really fun. I think it's even better than I was anticipating.

My crummy little snapshots here really don't do this beautiful house justice, so head over to Design*Sponge to see the recent article posted on them (it came out the day we arrived! Exciting).

It was a bit jarring to suddenly be alone in a studio - with nothing but my own thoughts, gasp - after a year spent painting alongside En Masse, gluing along with Cease, and organizing Papirmasse. I didn't realize how collaborative art makes the ideas flow until I had to sift through and sort my own thoughts. But after a week I am comfortably embarked on several projects and sorry that my time here is passing so quickly! I am making pattern drawings, some animal silhouettes, and werewolf ladies. I'll post some more photos as my time here progresses, but here are a few shots of the first few days.

The sketch for a painting I'm starting today. I'm going to make her all pretty and then cover her with hair.

Rico, looking fierce (he is really very friendly, he's just yawning)

The beautiful living room, complete with New Years decorations (we got here just after the big day)

Swirl pattern drawing in lots of colours, drawn on the sunny kitchen table. 

Come check out the Cease Holiday Flea Market this weekend

Come say hi at the Cease Holiday Flea Market this weekend!
180 St. Catherine Est, December 17 & 18, 10 am - 6pm.

The CEASE Holiday Flea Market is back, bringing you so much amazing local art and handmade goods that you’ll forget all about Santa! Everything from photos and illustrations to knits, tshirts, jewelry and beyond, there are all sorts of awesome things up for grabs this year!

Our philosophy is simple: Gift-giving is nice, rampant consumerism is less so. Why waste money in big box stores when you could instead get really unique and awesome gifts for friends at the flea market, all the while supporting the local arts community?

And this ain’t yo grandma’s flea market – we’re hosting some of our
favorite local artists in one of the best local spaces: Under
Pressure’s Fresh Paint Gallery!

Plus, there will be ridiculously tasty cupcakes being sold to raise
funds for Eleven Eleven Animal Rescue! They’ll also be gift wrapping,
which means you get to give great gifts in beautiful boxes, AND be
lazy at the same time! Plus get a sugar high while you’re at it. Yep,
CEASE has got you covered.

Seriously though, this event not only allows you to pick up cool new
stuff, it also helps support our city’s arts community, the CEASE Art
Collective anddd gives you some bonus karma points via Eleven Eleven Animal Rescue.

So, even if you’re not shopping, just drop in to say hello and check
out the work. We’re offering a serious dose of authentic holiday
spirit! We may even play some Christmas songs.

Oh, and, remember, cash only!

Some new drawings

Here are a few new drawings I did in my recent exploration into repeating patterns.

Puces Pop and Casa del Popolo 'Super Presse Club'

2 fun things happening this weekend (third week of my marathon craft fair spree).

1. Puces Pop. The best little craft fair that could. Don't miss it or you'll miss out on some great gifts! Seriously, I traded the fabulous Sophie of Unik Printshop for one of her sweaters last week and absolutely fell in love (I basically live in it now). It is made of the softest, most wonderful fabric ever to grace a hoodie, and is screenprinted with one of her lovely drawings. The next day I was browsing in mall land. I'm not much of a shopper, and it didn't take long to discover that everything in the mall that costs the same as the apparel sold at places like Smart Design Mart and Puces Pop is about half the quality. I was really stunned at the nasty scratchy fabric that cost the same as Unik's incredible apparel, and vowed to save my clothing money for future events where I can buy directly from local designers.

Saturday and Sunday
December 10th - 11th: 11am-6pm
5035 St-Dominique, church basement between Laurier & St-Joseph
Free!

2. Super Presse Club! Casa del Popolo is being transformed into a pop-up print shop this month. Come score some sweet printed matter by 14 Montreal artists for a limited time.

All December long, from Thursday to Sunday, 12 - 5 pm. Open from Tuesday onwards the last week of December for you last-minute shoppers out there.

Featuring Julie Doucet, Seripop, Popolo Press, Simon Bossé, Jesse Purcell, Tyler Rauman, Jacinthe Loranger, Dominique Pétrin, Breeree, Daygristle Kirsten McCrea and JP King and Nomryn.


Casa del Popolo: 4873 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal

It's crazy-ass holiday fair time!

Life is INSANE for crafty artists at this time of year. It's when we pull all-nighters, giving ourselves blisters folding paper, sewing things, and generally feeling overwhelmed yet nonetheless SUPER COMPELLED TO MAKE STUFF. And you, the public, get to find neat gifts for people that are unavailable at any other time, in any other place. So here, in order of appearance, are the many craft fairs and small press fairs and pop-up shops that I will be at in the next month, all with my trusty sidekick JP King close at hand.

1. EXPOZINE. Aka the happiest place on earth. I love Expozine. I love it so much. Last year I got locked out of my house at 3 am the night before Expozine because I decided in the middle of the night that my Expozine table would be perfect if only I went to my studio to get an awesome shelf. I left my house and lost my keys on the way and spent like an hour walking around looking for them before hopping the fence into my backyard and miraculously getting in to my house. And you know what? THAT SUCKED, but Expozine was STILL AWESOME. Such is the power of 300 small press vendors in one room.

Next week: Smart Design Mart...