The d.j. at the tiny disco I went to in my late teens and early 20’s was very obliging and would sometimes take requests for songs that were virtually undanceable. You’d be getting down to a set of regular clubby stuff when all of a sudden you’d have to figure out how to move to some spoken-word thing (#ohsuperman comes to mind here)……I kind of loved it….. Anyway, one night the floor was in full swing when the beginning strains of Bowie’s “Lady Grinning Soul” came over the sound system and this person none of us had ever seen before appeared in the middle of the dance floor wearing nothing but a black blazer, a pair of stilettos and a shit-tonne of hairspray. She solemnly closed her eyes and began to reverently sway back and forth. As the song progressed the swaying gave way to a slow spin at which point she began to flail her arms around in some kind of interpretive dance move that involved “accidentally” hitting people. When the song ended and the regular beat resumed she promptly disappeared, never to be seen again. Then, as I was going through a suitcase full of cassettes the other day I came across this stray cover for the Best Buy Series edition of “Aladdin Sane” and decided to immortalize the mysterious dancer by adding a $178.00 pleather catalogue jacket…….she’ll come, she’ll go, she will be your living end….ha ha ha!!! #collage #acryliconpaper #gessoonpaper #artaboutbowie #80s #clubbinginthe80s #bestbuyseries #oldcassette #ladygrinningsoul #aladdinsane #interpretivedance #passiveaggressivedancers #inspiredbybowie #80snostalgia #whenthebeatdiesdownandthehandsstarttoflowstayoutofthewayofladyspinningslow

I’m not certain what the original purpose of this thing is, as it has no evidence of ever having been a brooch or a pendant. Maybe (in keeping with its form) it’s for cracking crab shells……..I should take a closer look for rancid butter residue or desiccated cocktail sauce….. #crabclaw #silverclaw #whatsinmydrawers #inspiringstuff #hookhookjabitstimeforcrab

I came across myself in an old encyclopedia…..strangely under J for jetty instead of D for Drew. #collage #contemporarycollage #acryliconpaper #gessoonpaper #galvestonjetties #oldencyclopedia #selfportrait #collageportrait #hackingupanencyclopediatopostmorestuffonsocialmedia

I found this on the beach a while back……all that time and energy spent to get it looking perfect, only to give it away for free! The sea can be very generous. #beachcombing #giftsfromthesea #honeycombtile #seasidescavenge #itryandtrytodobyhandwhattheseacandowithsaltandsand

Finding information about underground culture and music in rural Canada in the 80’s was difficult at best. Magazines (like #theface ) were expensive and often 2 to 3 months out of date by the time they reached the shelves of the scant few shops that stocked them. Then, in my last 2 years of high-school I discovered Brave New Waves, a radio show on CBC FM. Suddenly I felt a lot more dialled-in in a way I’d never dreamed possible! This is where I first heard bands like #einsturzendeneubauten , #laibach , #throbbinggristle , #theresidents and #robertfripp ‘s #leagueofgentlemen . There were also great interviews with the likes of #diamandagalas , #namjunepaik , #johncage , and #laurieanderson . With each new programme I learned about genres of music, fine art, and writing and how they related to culture in broader terms…..all this conveyed by the VERY listenable voice of the shows host #brentbambury (I was only able to hear a couple episodes with the mother of BNW, #augustalapaix who also had a great voice!). One small problem, though: the show started at midnight and went till the small hours of the morning, rendering me exhausted and useless for school! Flash forward to a couple of weeks ago as I was reminiscing about Brave New Waves, and realized I had no idea what Brent Bambury actually looked like. I did a google search (as you do nowadays) and found some images of him as he looked when I was listening to the show, which prompted me to do this drawing in my sketchbook of me nodding off with his voice in my head. I may have barely graduated, but I got an EXCELLENT education in the subjects that actually mattered to me from my REAL high-school teacher, Mr. Bambury…..thanks Brent! #cbcfm #fmradio #latenightradio #undergroundradio #80scanada #flasheonpaper #acryliconpaper #gessoonpaper #sketchbook #cbcradio #paintingsofheroes #bravenewwaves #contemporarypainting #iarrivedatschooltotallyspentbutilearnedatonnefromlisteningtobrent

I have WAY too much stuff, so I rarely buy anything these days (particularly online!), but this little guy said all the right things so I had him shipped to my place. Thanks @dustragvintage , great shopping with you! #porcelainfigurine #miniatureporcelainfigurines #blancdechine #europeanporcelain #isaidtomyselftoomuchstuffontheshelfbutwhatstheharminsomeoldworldcharm

The bedroom I sleep in most weekends has white painted particle board doors that have been moulded to look like they’re chamfered. I often don’t sleep well, so one night a couple weeks ago I lay in bed obsessing over why the doors weren’t just smooth, and that they were a lame, half-hearted nod to old-world craft. Then (when I FINALLY fell asleep!), I had a dream that they came to life and told me I was a neurotic snob…..ouch! The room does not have wallpaper, but I figured this was a good opportunity to use this stuff. #chamfer #chamfereddoors #particleboard #dreamsaboutdoors #antiquepaper #japanesepaper #artdecopaper #paperhoarder #miniaturedoor #collage #acryliconcardboard #gessoonpaper #contemporarycollage #assemblage #youknowyouvegotnorighttosnorewhenyoureberatedbyadoor

I didn’t know what this thing was when I first acquired it……I just liked it. As it turns out, it’s a spinning top from Japan (aka. koma). I’ve never been able to get it to work (even though I’ve watched ENDLESS videos and made a number of attempts), so it just sits on a shelf looking a bit like part of a Frank Stella painting, which makes me happy. #koma #woodentops #japanesetoy #woodentoy #lookslikefrankstella #asatopitsaflopbutasastellaitsbella

It’s been ages since anything much has happened around here, so in an effort to shake things up I went through my drawer of ruined book bindings. One of my favourites was “Psychoanalysis: A Brief History”, but unfortunately it didn’t like the glue I use and the top part (the bit with the title!) promptly disintegrated leaving me with nothing but this tiny bit of gold patterning…..change of plan. Keeping with the theme of the binding’s original purpose, I made this “mechanical-toy-mirror-thing” and used the last bit of spine as a tunic. The mirror’s handle was once part of a vanity table. Happy 2023 everyone, let’s hope it’s a bit more productive! #jung #karljung #persona #eminencefront #oldbookbinding #assemblage #collage #acryliconpanel #inspiredbyjung #shadowself #artaboutpsychology #kineticart #artaboutpsychoanalysis #artaboutpsychology #iwassomuchmouldierthenimjungerthanthatnow

I was recycling a bunch of flyers the other day and found this ad for a great deal on a weeks worth of chicken dinners but all I saw was knuckles…. #sketchbook #collage #gessoonpaper #skinnedknuckles #groceryflyer #acryliconpaper #winnerwinnerchickendinner #awhiteknuckleridewithsauceontheside

I’m fairly certain that the person who made this thing had no idea it would end up wrapped around someone’s head…..big thanks to JSJ for the support, on and off camera. #flowerhead #pillowface #vintagepillow #velvetflowers #flightofthebumblebee #nikolairimskykorsakov #redandblack #flowerpower #vintagevelvet #lesfleursdumal #asflowerstheyrereallyabitofabustasalltheysmellofismildewanddust

I was at a diner eating a solitary breakfast. Suddenly I became aware of someone drumming a galloping tattoo in the booth behind me. I turned around only to see that the “equestrian” was hidden behind a convenient newspaper and was showing no signs of stopping, so I choked back the rest of my omelette, paid and left. Of course it irritated me all day (and into the night), as I plotted ENDLESS revenge fantasies, one of which featured me slowly pouring syrup all over him and his newspaper. Then I remembered this old booklet cover I’d glued in my sketchbook. #drummingfingers #dinerbreakfast #dinerbooth #tappingfingers #syrupjug #syrupdispenser #revengefantasy #sketchbook #collage #acryliconpaper #gessoonpaper #omelettusinterruptus