As a freelance illustrator in Toronto, Canada I try to keep busy making images with various people. I am a member of the illustration collective called “Not An Octagon” (notanoctagon.blogspot.com) and we organize art shows in Toronto throughout the year to promote our new work and to have fun.

Bison

Our most recent show: “The Side Show” featured the carnival-themed work of nine Toronto illustrators and was up for one week. Before that was “The Good Show,” a one-night opening that focused on the idea of neighbourhood: people, art, music and of course good food and drink. My contribution to this show was a series of six tree portraits based on the places I walk by everyday. Doing work for shows is liberating because it allows me to do personal work and I can explore ideas without an agenda.

5-horned Goat (The Side Show)

My professional work is an extension of my personal work. I enjoy collaborating with other creative people. In the past year I have done work for a local folk band, Peirson Ross and the Wilderness, from sketching the band while onstage with my collective, to designing posters and album artwork.

Queen & Glen Manor (The Good Show)

I also enjoy working with environmental groups, such as The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation; GreenThumbs/Growing Kids and The Beehive Design Collective where illustration can be used for education as well as for visual interest. For me the most important part of making images is collaboration: connecting and sharing ideas so that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.