IT has been too long?

Seems like forever and a day since I've had a chance to catch my breath in the midst of immense change for all of Whytes. Our first task started before x-mas with switching apartments - a month-long event of hauling hundreds of loads up and down two flights of stairs that my groin is still recovering front. Completely loving the new space which is a major upgrade - especially with fresh Jack Whyte art on the walls.

Once settled we ended up diving directly into learning "Responsive Site Design" in order to ensure our content remains current and compatible. This kind of dynamic designing has been an ongoing self-education like none other and still hasn't ended - with final edits for both Art of Chainmail and Whytes Online yet to be completed.

Although I'm totally in love with the first draft of the new RSD Art of Chainmail - a resource sure to grow. Something cool about this design is that (like Scrapbook: a story of art) we worked with nothing other than materials we already had on hand and although we later purchased RSD software, the original RSD AOC draft was created for a budget of exactly $0. Yay frugality!

Of course all of this is just build up to working on our free Manitoulin Island Colouring Book and some other secret art projects that we still have in the works.

In the memetime I managed to complete a new introduction banner for my blog and social media network in my "spare time" (see above.)

Chain on!

Dylon

Would you like to know more about this history of art?

A topic that the western world of today is sorely lacking in is art education. So this year - as a holiday gift for everyone - I put together a little educational video on the topic of art history. This was a "spare time" project for me at about 50 hours of labour over the past two months to produce a whopping 1 minute and 5 seconds of sound and images - so let me know what you think - Dylon

It's All Adele's Fault?

Remember last week when one of my t-shirt designs was summarily banned from Teespring - apparently lacking in inspiration when too closely mocking pop-music sensation Adele?

Well, this week a friend noticed the reactionary Warhol inspired pop-art banners across my social media network and requested something similar based on a meme featuring their feline buddy.

This six cat by seven iteration fractal poster was the initial result -

Cat Copy #42

Overjoyed with the results, I asked my friend if his buddy would mind the sharing of his pop art visage via my shoppe on Society 6? His buddy agreed almost immediately - based on the principal of being a complete and utter attention whore.

Sharing a similar passion, I couldn't help toying with different mathematically inspired cat compositions based on Society 6's selection of museum quality print-on-demand merch:

Corner Kitty

Cat of Nine Tales

The Come Back Cat

Cat-a-tonic

Earlene, Arlene, Ilene, Ailene, Darlene, Charlene, Shirlene, Karlene, Celene, Jolene, Gaylene, 
Sharlene - Catness Everlene

The Chess Sire Cat 

Cat Peace in Shower

Cat Man Do 

This is a Catapestry!

Who Let the Bag Out Of the Cat

There Are More Ways to Skin the Cat Than Uno

Am I driving you a little catty? - here's a link to the entire Cat Copy #42 exhibit on Society 6 - with daily discounts and free shipping just in time for the holidays!

https://society6.com/grumbledude/collection/cat-copy-42?curator=grumbledude

P.S.You may notice that the above link contains my Grumbledude Curator ID - as a Society 6 member I don't actually earn from affiliate links to my own art - but that doesn't mean that you can't - sign up today and start sharing your favorite art for fun and profit!

Dude - You're Not Getting Adele?

Small amount of flusteration this weekend with a kiboshed pop art tribute t-shirt lasting barely 10 minutes on the open oceans of produce-on-demand.

Fueled with indignation I was convinced the best thing to do was to pen a vitriolic indictment of all intellectual property bureaucracy...

...but instead decided to create some original digital reproductions based on my own infamous chainman.me photograph...

5 Days Left! Help dylon@chainman.me remain independent and authentic with a swank Andy Warhol inspired digital pop-art t-shirt featuring the one and only face he has the legal right to use,

What is Pionium?

As a rational and humane being I think that love is an often misunderstood concept confused with lust, attraction, mating instinct and a host of other all-too human experiences. 

With so-called true love being the self-sacrifice of caring so deeply that no matter how close you wish to have something you let go of it completely. Because of this the irrational dreamer in me has never given up on a certain cheesy sense of romance.

This meant that when I truly got to know my current partner for the first time during a weekend expedition to Hogtown we were reluctant to use the word "love" to describe the depth of our newly forged relationship. It seemed disrespectful somehow. Other than a mutual, "I never want to be without you again." Coupled to the shear terror that comes with the unexplored territory of new and profound change.

Determined to correct this potential omission in communication we coined a personal term to describe our heartfelt relativity - Pi. Much like geek letter which has come to represent the ratio of a circles diameter to its circumference - the result of which is a seemingly never-ending and yet ever-changing dance number.

With a nod to the Rashomon Effect - objective, subjective and relative reality from different perspectives as explored in Kurosawa's Rashomon and Yann Martel's Life of Pi.  

Anyhow, just we were slowly starting to use this affectionate alternative to all the perceived weight of "love" with sweet nothings such as "I pi you" instead of "I love you" we found ourselves completely unsure of the outcome of our decision to be together until we turned an otherwise unassuming city corner and simultaneously looked up to discover a literal sign from above.

Seriously, across the city traffic, two or three stories up the side of a building was this flipping huge banner sign for some radio station that read, "Pi - 3.14159265359... etc." We froze in our tracks,  completely lost the conversation we were having and sort of just stared at each other like, "WTF!?"

Then, with a huge sigh of accepting what was obviously inevitable we found our relationship cemented with bizarre synchronicity, were married on Feb 29th less than a year later and have permanently inked wedding bands.

Anyway, here is a special sign for all the lovers and dreamers who experience the Ineffable Spirit of Pi.

Plus, a suggestion - watch Space Dandy - best speculative fiction series - anime or otherwise - in ages! We enjoyed the English dub and I'm sure the subs are awesome as well!

Also for your enjoyment - collectible chain print travel mugs are now available at HeroChain.com for only 24 woolongs aka USD!