Phil Irish

Tomorrow, I install the work at the Toronto Alternative Art Fair International (or TAAFI).

I haven't been in the Kitchener Studio so much lately, because there has been so much to do getting ready for the fair. First off: all of those oil paintings I've been working on need their digital prints installed! It's a laborious process, and with less imagination and sensual delight, than the painting part.... but when the prints are installed in the paintings, they look SO good.

Seeing the work together, I'm very pleased with what has happened in the Kitchener AIR studio. Very gratifying.

So, I'll be at the Drake Hotel, room 206, all this weekend. The whole bed will be transformed into the Cartographers' Lounge (since my usual chairs wouldn't fit space-wise... and hey: a bed is a good thing).

I'll add pictures and stories after the weekend.

For the Toronto Alternative Art Fair International (TAAFI), I installed the Cartographers' Lounge at the Drake Hotel.

Instead of the comfy chairs, I had a comfy bed, with an array of cheery pillows and throws. It was a popular place to be, as people drew maps. Very quickly, I filled the whole back wall with people's stories. I ran out of sticky-tac to put them up!

There were such amazing stories, actually... very moving, many of them. There were even some tears. In a place known to be "uber-hip," it was amazing to see people engage the paintings and the process in such a deep way. There are so many maps I'd love to follow. We'll see what I can do.

For everyone that visited, or drew a map, or bought work: thanks for a great weekend.

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It was great to see the responses to the pieces from the Kitchener residency. Here's another image to enjoy --- "Twas Now.