Oolong Originals

Here are some recent pieces I've worked on during the month of June. This month has been a blast, and I am glad to share a bit of that experience with you here. For your approval, ladies and gentlemen. For your enjoyment...
(and don't forget to click on any image for a better view)

"Waking Up On Pandora"

"Fly Into the Unknown"

"Waves of Love"

"Question Marks 1"

"Question Marks 2"

"Question Marks 3"

If you have any questions about the originals or prints, get in touch on Facebook or at derek.sproule@gmail.com. Much love to all you people out there!

T-Shirts!

Summer has arrived, and I'm sure we could all use another shirt or two...especially super-comfy ones with custom graphics! The following are available in mens/ ladies' M, L, and XL. Contact me if you are interested or have any questions- either on Facebook or at derek.sproule@gmail.com.

Click on the photos to seem 'em close up!
Vibes...

Mens- Think Outside the Box

Ladies- Pigeon

Mens- Rose Monk

Mens- Renaissance

Mens- Jellyfish

Ladies- Jellyfish

Here are some better views of the deigns themselves:

Summer Vibes

After a season of incubation and meditation on the manifestation of creation, I have once more begun to take pencil to paper and brush to canvas. Click on the pictures to expand...

I've been thinking a lot about stripes and focusing on color combinations, Frank Stella style. I think this one would make a pretty rad placemat.

More playing with stripes- lots of masking tape.

I thought this drawing would go well on a canvas.


Stoked on how it turned out. I'm not sure what to do with the bottom section, but all in good time...

I have been interested in human dynamics lately. I've been working from some photos I took at a recent dance battle. Should make an interesting series...


Panel one of a triptych I'm working on.

Panel two thus far.

Much love to everyone who is following Enjoy the Process- much love to everyone on earth, mind you...I hope all you humans out there are loving the summer as much as I am.
-Shalom

Random Creations of Late

Here are some odds and ends from the last while..

Portrait of my Grandparents, Neil and Grace.
I worked off a photo they gave me, taken in 1969.


I chased some geese around the golf course with my camera, and got a few good shots of them taking off. I was inspired particularly by the shadows I saw...they can take on so many shapes and be abstracted in countless ways, depending on the light source(s).

I was staring at the original drawing one night before I fell asleep, and decided I wanted to play with different symmetrical compositions.








This one reminded me of a mask...





I saw a strange shape on the stucco ceiling as sunlight was pouring into my bedroom, and decided to sketch it. I decided this one looked like a painter at his easel.


Flipping it, I saw a nobleman with a goatee.




I combined the images horizontally, and by fluke, came out with a pattern that resembles a praying mantis face.

[ETP]

Art of 2010.

Below are some art projects from the first half of this year, along with commentary. Click on the images for a closer view.

Enjoy the Process

"Wisdom in art, or in life, has a lot to do with learning to enjoy the process. The goal may feel unattainable at times, but being satisfied with persistent, passionate effort is key. This piece is a tribute to the ever-evolving process of style. Collaged across all the letters are doodles from the past year, a sort of compilation of random thoughts all heading in a similar direction."

Funky City

"I feel like Calgary is on the verge of- or perhaps has already entered into- a creative explosion. One thing I know for sure: there is an incredible amount of potential in this city, and it's creeping out of the woodwork."

Reflections on a Gnarly Pilgrimmage

"These adventurers have just emerged from the land of Gnar, full of ancient Colossi, jumping squirrels, and massive lizards. A Nautlius Sage guards the entrance to the fertile, green lake country beyond..."


They Hadn't an Inkling...

"This painting is a treatment of the idea that playfulness=wisdom. The octopus looming overhead symbolizes the Eightfold Path. When I snowboard, I feel invincibly at-peace, and free from desire. Perhaps riders on the slopes of Canada are closer to true wisdom than they ever imagined..."

The Cham-Alien

"One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self is more distant than any star" (G.K. Chesterton- Orthodoxy). This old chameleon is searching to discover its true identity, and uncover the paradox that lies beneath: the balance of darkness and light that compose a soul-in-transition.

The Proximity of Hope

"This painting is based off a dream. A stone statue sits in contemplation and despair, gazing across a chasm of confusion at a hope that seems far-off. But she does not realize that she is, at this very moment, being renewed."

Life through Death

This painting is an attempt to depict a strange image that entered into my head last fall. As I was falling asleep, I saw a bee coming out of a dead flower. I took it to mean that life can come out of death, and that sometimes death is necessary for the birth of something new.


Meditations on an Empty Tomb

"Every Easter I am faced with the earth-shaking assertion that death has been defeated. Is it possible that Christ reversed the curse? Did he actually break the awful cycle of decay in this world? This piece is a reflection on the prospect of such a victory."

Blazing Sunrise

"This project was a lot of fun to work on. The original (4x5'), is now sitting in a friend's office. I enjoyed experimenting with this style, and allowing the color composition to come together. It felt so natural to create abstract shapes- maybe it was my aboriginal roots shining through..."

Metamorphosis Triptych

"I've always been fascinated by stained glass windows and renaissance art, and thought I would try and reinterpret those styles in a more modern way. These three drawings are a tribute to the Sistine Chapel frescoes, in which Michelangelo saw humanity going through phases of Creation, Re-Creation, and Redemption."

Tattoo Design for my friend Todd

Longboard Project for my friend Cale

Tribute to Jordan Klassen
Inspired by the song "Harvest March"