million dollar fix gig poster

Gig poster I did for Million Dollar Fix who play at Costello's on the 23rd. Daywalker will be opening.

For more info check out the facebook event page here.

& ampersand 4 show

event poster by Michael Mateyko and Hans Theissen

The 4th annual Ampersand show is taking place this month, with an opening reception this Saturday, 7-10 PM. The Ampersand show is a group exhibition that celebrates the collaborative process, having all pieces in it the result of 2 or more artists collaborating with each other to create something. This is the third time Sam and I have collaborated on a piece for the show. Come see what we came up with, or make your way down sometime in January/beginning of February. I saw a few of the pieces when I installed our piece, and it's definitely a show worth seeing!

Show curator, Vicki Chau, describes the exhibition here:

"an annual art exhibition that celebrates collaborations between creative minds, where each collaborator brings a different skill, practice and perspective. Collaborations are a unique experience where inspiration, motivation, and different perspectives can influence the works created. The beauty of each work comes from how new ideas emerge, as part of the collaborations, where it would not have happened alone. It is never a perfect process. As you work off each other, you start discovering your own strengths and weaknesses. Either working harmoniously or clashing ideas, by the end of it, you never know how it’s going to turn out. There are 18 collaborative works, involving over 35 artists in all stages of practice and different disciplines. This is the fourth year of &ampersand, which has continued to inspire individuals to work together, creating something new."

Check out more details on the facebook event page here.

cat on a leash

Here's a logo I made for my friend's Cat on a Leash Creations. They're going to be putting on art shows and have a hand in other creative endeavours  The idea is that it doesn't seem natural to see a cat on a leash, and that it goes against art's nature as well to be restricted (or so is my understanding).

style yyc feature in swerve

I'm featured in Swerve Magazine this week! Local fashionista and style huntress Aldona B snapped my photo for her weekly Style YYC section, and came up with a very sweet write up about me. Check it out here.

Big ups to Aldona for making me look good! Make sure to check out more of her great photography on her site here and ladies should follow the blog she keeps with her sister, Beauty By the B!

Your song of the day is Fashion Party by Das Racist (who I'm pretty upset about breaking up) featuring Chairlift  front woman Caroline Polachek:

single serving

Here is an illustration I did for FFWD this week. The article is a funny sad sack story about a single guy (author Gabriel Hall) getting through Christmas alone. Make sure to pick up an issue of Fast Forward Weekly or give it a read online here.

Your song of the day is "Walk Alone" by The Roots:

werewhale gig poster

Here is a gig poster I made for the upcoming Werewhale show. Also performing that night will be, the awesome band, All Hands on Jane, and Mark Mills! The show is at Costello's on January 16th. More info on the facebook event page here.

best of finishing lines in 2012

I blogged a good amount in 2012, over 100 posts! At the end of the year I like to reflect on not what I started, or ideas I had, but things I actually executed, got done, and shipped. Like Mark Zuckerberg says, while he sells off your baby photos to Burger King, "'Done is better than perfect'.....always keep shipping."

Often times as an artist, I think that it is very easy to get discouraged and feel like you're not getting anywhere. Not everything that is seemingly on the horizon pans out, and sometimes potential projects can slip out of your reach. So take a second and think about the progress you did make! The steps you took in the right direction! We all have at least a few accomplishments under our belt this year. For me looking back on my posts of 2012, I was able to work on some pretty cool things this past year. Working with Creative Control and Genesis the Greykid was great, some album artwork, and shirts got made, lots more editorial illustrations, I started my own monthly magazine column, I was a part of Sled Island, I had my first solo show, and I gave a lecture for the first time. Here are 5 of my favorite posts from 2012 that I consider highlights, in no particular order:

- Mother Mother video gets nominated for a Juno

- Arkells video gets nominated for a MUCH music video award

- Look I'm on a billboard downtown

- I direct a music video for Sally Shapiro

- I made a cover for FFWD magazine, with my comic characters

It will be interesting to see what 2013 has in store!

Here is your song of the day: