Stromprah's Practice

Here's another rough taste of Stromprah's talents.
On paper?! Yes.  For now at least.

Pattern Recognition

Here's a page that started out as an exploration of woven patterns sparked by a section in Amarina's fashion illustration textbook.  It was the link stitch that started the party then on to cheetah spots and crocodile skin naturally becomes reptile lady.  The crystal is inexplicable as are most crystals.

Studies in Lewdness and other portents NSFW I guess

Some sketches done from Dian Hanson's: The History of Men's Magazines, Vol. 1, I believe.  These books are great for reference of variety in the female form and face.  You really can't tell what you're going to find on the next page.  Well I guess there are some safe bets.  It's all part of my research and development.  Things coming out of Cyclops & Owl can get a bit steamy but maybe that's not quite adequate.  Maybe there needs to be some C&O goods in unmarked brown paper sleeves.  Tucked underneath the counter.

Coincidence for Sale at Monastiraki in Montreal

So we went on a glorious trip to Montreal. We killed it! We thrive on adventure and particularly roadtrips.
Thanks to design sponge's amazing Montreal city guide we spent a whole day on bixi bikes be-bopping around Mile End, a fantastic neighbourhood with an amazing independent art scene.  A place that wasn't on the city guide but could not escape our curiosity radar was Monastiraki.  When we arrived it was Billy Mavreas, a wicked artist in his own right, at the helm.  Monastiraki is...well their description is perfect...

Founded in 1998 Monastiraki is a hybrid curiosity shop/art space. We host openings, book launches and micro-concerts, support a myriad of local and international artists, boast a huge selection of silk-screen prints, carry small press and zines, overflow with paper ephemera, have a fitful relationship with antiques and collectibles....and is a magical place sure to enchant the curious.

We bought plenty.  A few comics, some vintage maps and a few old photos.  One of which is shown here. This party scene was irresistible.  So much going on and it's all so drunk.  But the sheer drunkenness of the photo is not the ultimate feature.  Not even the guy on the left who is, clearly, on boner guard duty because smiley-poppy-dress girl is within make out distance. The real point of interest appeared MONTHS after we had returned from Montreal.

A friend noticed the picture for it's drunken bliss and then noticed the similarity between the ringleader of the drunk pic and the unsuspecting fellow from my piece "Breach" which I had painted 2 years prior to getting this photo and yet it seemed as though it was post-inspired by it.

What was the real kicker was that we had the photo sitting directly next to "Breach" for MONTHS completely unaware.
So in conclusion, go to Monastiraki if you're ever in the area, especially if you like getting goosebumps, from amazing art and ephemera and some inspiration for your present or past self.

Stratos-fierce! #2

Call it a consternation constellation.

The rest/future pieces can be found HERE

Stratos-fierce! #1

Here's the first piece of a new collection. Goddesses floating around in a nebulous void with varying degrees of serenity and tension.  Certainly not devoid of risqué curves or a sense of humour as per usual.

(Sharpie shown for scale.  Many initially assume my pieces are much larger.  I like that.)

Things are in motion

...as will she be.

Stromprah's coming...

The Sketchbook 2011 Project

Well It's been a while since my last post, to say the least, but thankfully not for lack of postables. There was the Movies and Makers Show and the night before that there was a group show I was in at 1254 Art called A Hidden Place, a gallery beneath where Amarina and I first lived together. Both were a joy and I learned quite a lot. And now it's a whole new year and momentum is in our favour most certainly.

A lot of momentum came from The Sketchbook Project, one of Art House Co-op's many amazing projects. Arthouse Co-op is like if Amazon.com sold participation in international art projects. Anyway, you get a sketchbook that you fill with artwork based loosely on a theme chosen from a list. You send it back. Simple. But there are sketchbooks from 94 countries and over 28,000 artists so you get an overwhelming number of interpretations on the themes and what a sketchbook actually is. They then go on tour through:

Brooklyn, NY Austin, TX San Francisco, CA Portland, ME Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Washington, DC Winter Park, FL

After the tour, all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Art Library, where they will be barcoded and available for the public to view. When anyone checks out your book you receive a notification of your choosing. Text message, email, etc. Neat!

It was a fantastic project and I managed to finish it between Dec 20th, 2010 and Jan 12th, 2011 which really got the creativity churning. I'd been so accustomed to drawing meticulous illustrations over the past year that it was nice to unleash and do some drawings that were a bit less strict.

I chose the theme of Dirigibles and Submersibles, which ended up being more like Things Seen From Dirigibles and Submersibles and the majority of the drawings were from the latter. They will be scanned and put on the Art House Co-op site (assuming that the book didn't get lost in the mail which I'll be fearful of until further notice) but I did my own scanning for the time being.

ENJOY!

LADIES OF MYSTERY - the main collection

"Planetaria"

13.5" x 16.5"
Spray-paint, Sharpie on plexi-glas

Maybe this isn't my first collection per se but it certainly feels like a milestone. It's the first time I've had the opportunity to reveal so much of my work at once. With these pieces as well as the Slims [1] [2], Bitch in the Sky, and the Avianettes [1] [2] [3] [4] I was able to give a wide view of my world. A world where women are crazed and cunning. They make no apologies for their passions and never turn a deaf ear to the voice of their curiosity. Role models, basically.

"Pearl Poachers"
13.5" x 16.5"
Spray-paint, Sharpie on plexi-glas

"The Brazen Peek-A-Boo Ladies"
9" x 20"
Spray-paint, Sharpie on plexi-glas

"Tea Maiden"
13.5" x 16.5"
Spray-paint, Sharpie on plexi-glas

A side note to this one: Rarely but sometimes it's hard to find the right reference material. In this stellar age of knowledge at your fingertips sometimes you still need to know what something is called before you can look it up properly. I couldn't for the life of me find a picture of whatever these tea vessels are called BUT, I DID remember that you briefly see one near the beginning of The Exorcist when Max Von Sydow is digging around in Iraq. I pull out my copy, which I hadn't watched in ages, and lo and behold, about 4 minutes in, Max at some sand-blown cafe and we see, for barely a second, a fellow pouring tea from a contraption like this girl is using. It felt invigorating to be searching for something and actually track it down without the net. Not this time, Google, I got this. Pause Button!

"Rapt"
13.5" x 16.5"
Spray-paint, Sharpie on plexi-glas

"It Was Never Yours"
13.5" x 16.5"
Spray-paint, Sharpie on plexi-glas

"Admiral Nautiluscia"
9" x 20"
Spray-paint, Sharpie on plexi-glas

Now that the show is complete I'm taking time to get reacquainted with my old love, animation. More Cyclops and Owl moving pictures! One primary goal, THIS hushed project which is overdue twice over.