By: Andrew Mrozowski
From Jan.12 to Jan.19, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra will run their fourth festival in their composer festival series. This year, the focus will be on Baroque-era composer, Johann Sebastian Bach.
“Bach is arguably the most influential and relatable composer of all time. His beautiful orchestral music and his fascinating life will be a joy for everyone to experience. I do think that Bach is the ultimate composer. He has that perfect balance of musical skill, transcendent spirituality, and human emotion,” said Gemma New, the music director for the HPO.
The HPO has partnered with various venues and amateur orchestras across Hamilton with the goal of teaching the community more about composers’ music and life.
“What we really wanted to do was connect people in the community to a single composer’s work and give the public many different perspectives on that particular composer,” said Diana Weir, executive director of the orchestra and McMaster alumna.
With previous festivals spanning the lives of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn, the HPO has seemingly been on a roll with the popularity of their artist festival series and the community’s engagement.
“We really wanted to do something to see amateurs and professionals work together in other organizations. [Hamilton] has a very strong amateur music scene, so everything must reflect what Hamilton is interested in and what Hamilton needs,” said Weir.
“Music contributes to a person’s sense of wellness and we are committed to explore how to use our artists to contribute to the wellbeing and life satisfaction of the community.”
This year, there are nine different events spanning the course of the seven-day festival. There is an event for everyone in this year’s Bach Festival whether you are an avid fan of this era or not. The Sil has highlighted three events that students may enjoy:
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Redchurch Café and Gallery, 68 King Street East
Inspired by Bach’s coffeehouses in Leipzig, Germany, HPO’s Associate Concertmaster Lance Ouellette is hosting a casual night in conjunction with Redchurch Café and Gallery. Enjoy Bach on the violin accompanied by beer, prosecco, or a latte as well as the current art exhibition, Fell Through by Paul Allard and Jonny Cleland.
Tickets $20
Shawn & Ed Brewing Co., 65 Hatt Street, Dundas
The fan favourite event returns to Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. Enjoy a night of Bach music performed by an HPO trio while drinking specialty beer at this local craft brewhouse.
Bar opens at 5:30 p.m. Music and drink pairings from 6-7 p.m..
Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
FirstOntario Concert Hall, 1 Summers Lane
Concluding the week-long festival, expert Baroque conductor Ivars Taurins and the HPO are putting on one final show featuring the works of Johann Sebastien Bach. At the end of the concert, stick around for the Pro-Am jam.
You can have the chance to perform with professional musicians and conductor Ivars Taurins in this professional-amateur jam session of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by J.S. Bach.
Tickets start at $10
Must purchase a ticket to register and participate in Pro-Am Jam
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This festival is different from other music festivals you may find. As the HPO’s main goal is to break down barriers to access in the community, they’ve aimed to make the events affordable, especially for a student-budget. They’ve also brought the music outside of the typical performance in a concert hall where guests may feel intimidated.
“I really hope that people will feel like they are connected to the HPO and [the HPO] is connected to the community. The HPO is somewhere where people can develop memorable experiences with their friends and loved ones,” said Weir.
So enjoy a drink and listen to Bach at a café, or perhaps go to the library and attend an insightful talk and beautiful performance, wherever and however you experience the Bach Festival the HPO will be sure to take you back to the Baroque-era.
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By: Drew Simpson
On June 26, the McMaster University board of governors, specifically the executive and governance committee, approved recommendation from the senate executive committee to establish the Centre for Networked Media and Performance.
According to the Oct. 18 board of governors meeting agenda, the vision for the CNMAP is “the production, exploration and analysis of new forms of expression, communication and collaboration enabled by networks and networking techs.”
As highlighted in the agenda, the approval for the centre comes as the rapid proliferation of technology continues to outstrip discussions about their human uses and impacts. At the heart of the technological revolution is the advent of “the network,” namely connections such as shared software, online communications and new electronic and data environments.
“Humanities research has a special role to play in this context,” reads part of the agenda.
“Research and research-creation in the media and performing arts offer a setting in which new configurations of our networked landscape can be imagined, actualized, evaluated, and transformed in experimental ways.”
As of its launch this past summer, the CNMAP has been utilizing the networked imagination laboratory and the black box theatre in L.R. Wilson to organize workshops, conferences, interdisciplinary collaborations and other forms of artist-centric research.
According to the board of governors agenda, the centre has interest in hosting an interdisciplinary national sound conference at McMaster in 2019.
Some examples of the ‘nodes,’ or research spaces, that are said to comprise the centre include the cybernetic orchestra, pulse lab, networked imagination laboratory, software studies reading group and the sounds studies reading group.
The the CNMAP also connects these nodes through an online platform aimed at facilitating communication and collaboration.
Some anticipated CNMAP expenses include national and international conferences, server software costs for the online platform and the cost of graphic design and promotion, which can involve hiring undergraduate multimedia students.
Revenues allocated to these expenses include the seed funding of $40,000 by the humanities faculty vice president of research.
In its first semester, the CNMAP was involved with organizing and promoting a number of events, including four free live coding workshops and the “Imaginary Landscapes” exhibition, which occurred in Dec. 2018 and featured soundscape performances, a cybernetic orchestra concert and an informative artist-centric poster demonstration.
Students interested in receiving updates and getting involved with the CNMAP can contact David Ogborn, the centre’s director, at ogbornd@mcmaster.ca and/or follow the centre on Facebook and Twitter.
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Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I just graduated from McMaster with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art. I started in 2012 and had somewhat like a rough start; changed my mind, left, worked in between and then came back. It took me a while to figure out that Studio Art was the right progran for me but when I did I feel like it really paid off and shaped who I am today.
What is “I’m the Bomb”?
I created two, large scale banners that depict two women, one who wears the hijab or a veil and the other one does not. Both are wearing shades and they’re also wearing t-shirts that say “I’m the bomb” in the two pieces hanging beside one another. The piece kind of works on a few different levels. One of the most obvious levels is addressing our innate prejudice against certain groups of people and who is more privileged than others to wear or represent certain things or what kinds of stigma do we attach to certain groups of people versus others. It’s also a piece that, at least for me the way I view it, is empowering for the Muslim community. In the face of radical groups like ISIS today kind of making a claim for Islam and using the Muslim identity to do heinous acts, this is sort of to address,in an unapologetic way, that people have created this idea of who Muslims are based on falsehood. We can’t express ourselves in a way like that without certain questions being raised about whether or not we as just people are safe to be around. A lot of people took this piece in the opposite direction. It infuriated a lot of people and I was aware that it could possibly do that. I was aware that people might think it’s just recycling the image of violence back out there again. But I would claim maybe it could do that if the woman on the left was by herself. She’s not, she’s contrasted with another image, and in that conversation that happens between them is the point of the piece. The last level, at least based on the feedback that I got, was that a lot of people who identify as female are excited about how empowering it is. We don’t often get to say “I’m the bomb”, like I’m awesome, or wear shirts that say that. We often come across items of clothing that have different kinds of messages on them.
“This is sort of to address in an unapologetic way, that people have created this idea of who Muslims are based on falsehood We can’t express ourselves in a way like that without certain questions being raised.”
Can you tell me more about the feedback you received?
The first week that it was up, it went viral on social media and a lot of people thought that it was an advertisement on a subway done by H&M. So, in light of what H&M did in December, they took it as that. So some people got it, some people didn’t, but I was also aware of that when I made it. I knew what H&M had done and I knew that there was a possibility that people would take it that way and that’s okay, because it plays into the dialogue or the conversation surrounding the work. It’s upsetting that people didn’t dig a little deeper, didn’t try to figure out what it really was. Not for recognition or anything like that, but that it wasn’t an act of racism towards anybody and actually there’s a deeper message behind it. That was a tough weekend. I had a lot of hate mail but it was good overall.
Why did you choose to display this piece in the Student Centre?
For a while I had been creating work for gallery spaces and museums, and I actually struggled with getting people who were part of a community that didn’t interact with art to view the work. I was creating work for Muslims to view as well as other people and unfortunately, although there’s a move towards the arts in the Muslim community, most of the time the spaces, especially in Hamilton and the surrounding areas, are not occupied by people of color, let alone Muslims or religious people or people who like to create artwork about their religious identity. I knew that if I wanted to reach Muslims and talk about the things that address us and who we are and have that seen by everyone and not just Muslims, I had to bring it into a public space. I had never done anything on a public level before so I thought that since I had my graduating show happening at the McMaster Museum of Art that having it somewhere close by would be a good idea. I liked the idea of it being on display in the University specifically because it’s an institution of education, it’s a place where people are still shaping who they are. So it’s just a great opportunity to educate people in a place where they’re already learning.
“Community projects like this, where learning is happening outside of a classroom and you get to interact with it is a type of learning that’s more accessible...”
Why is this piece important to the McMaster community?
Other than the fact that there’s a big Muslim community at McMaster, I think that, at least from my time here, the arts program itself isn’t really known all that much. One thing that I find is really great about this piece is that if people get intrigued by it and dig a little deeper about where it came from they’ll discover the program. It’s good representation for something that brings a lot of experiential learning to the McMaster community and I think often gets overlooked. At the end of the day, you get a degree and you go to classes and stuff like that, but community projects like this, where learning is happening outside of a classroom and you get to interact with it is a type of learning that’s more accessible and it’s relatable to everybody. It’s that connection between the artist and the viewer that doesn’t necessarily happen in a classroom or a lecture setting for everybody because it just crosses that boundary and crosses hierarchies too. I’m not there when people are looking at the work. I’m not like some authoritative figure. So I’m able to just speak to people without having that baggage with me. It’s a form of experiential learning and I think McMaster can really benefit from having more of it outside of the McMaster Museum of Art. Not to say that what’s going on in the museum is an amazing, it is. But I’d like to see more artwork on campus because I feel like people enjoyed it.
Maria Simmons sat comfortably on bundles of polyester, surrounded by drying fabrics, corn brooms and flowers in her Cotton Factory studio. Unlike the florist she happily shares studio space with, Simmons prefers her flowers in a boiling concoction of natural dye.
Her admiration for natural colours and a bundling technique used to dye fabrics peaked in her third year as a fine arts student at McMaster University. She had previously thought of herself as a painter, but had felt increasingly frustrated trying to force her large ideas into a single painting.
Simmons began exploring other mediums, including textiles, sculptures and ceramics. Two years later, the textile installation artist’s bundles have become a characteristic component of her artwork.
The bundling dye process consists of wrapping fabrics, placing them in a dye pot, then unraveling the bundles to reveal the final product. Simmons found the globular bundles so visually intriguing that instead of cutting the cords, she cut the process short.
“I was always way happier with the way it looked when it was all bundled. There were always unintentional marks left from tying things and constricting something in a certain way,” said Simmons.
“So I started doing that to different objects, sometimes I would wrap things inside of fabric. [I would] explore this concept of constriction, but also preserving.”
Like much of Simmons’ art, the bundles serve as objects that exist in a certain space, but don’t always make sense with the environment. They are meant to evoke the viewer with a feeling of wonder, allowing them to come up with their own ideas and stories of what the artwork represents.
Simmons has been inspired by modern myth, folklore and superstitions through the lens of her Mennonite and Irish heritage.
During the 2017 Equinox graduate show, one viewer took this level of interaction with Simmons’ art to the next level.
“This one woman came and immersed her whole body into the artwork. Nobody knew what to do because it was so bold… she dived right into it and stayed there too,” said Simmons.
The textile installations have a distinctive colour scheme of red, pink and orange hues achieved by natural dyes that Simmons often makes from madder root, pomegranate, willow bark and marigold. The bundles also vary in size and shape.
“It’s this strange process of everything being determined by my arms’ length and what my strength is. So it varies with the different kinds of [bundles] I can make at different points of time. Some days I would feel a lot stronger than others and the work changes based on that,” explained Simmons.
Simmons’ artwork has appeared in solo shows at the Hamilton Audio/Visual Node, better known as HAVN, the Silent Barn which is a community space for artists in New York and, most recently, as part of a collaborative commission for the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Over the past year, Simmons has been inspired by modern myth, folklore and superstitions through the lens of her Mennonite and Irish heritage. She believes that myth has an underappreciated role in modern society and hopes her work sheds light on the stories and experiences around her.
“With a lot of my work last year, it was rooted with marriage superstition, which came out of a personal place because I was engaged and then not engaged very suddenly. So I was reading through all of these historical marriage myths and I found ones that were really interesting to work with,” explained Simmons.
Through textiles, sculptures and a performance piece titled ThreshHOLD, Simmons explored marriage superstitions such as rituals where people would jump over brooms when they would get married.
Since starting her full-time job as a curator at Gallery Stratford, and co-running the Chosen Family Collaborative Group, a print zine and online exhibition spaced based in Hamilton and New York City, Simmons has found herself very busy.
“One of the things that I held myself to if I was going to get a full-time job is that I had to continue creating work. The way I’ve done that is by focusing on more collaborative pieces with different people,” said Simmons.
With her more collaborative pieces, Simmons hopes to do more performance-based and interactive installations. She’s currently building glacier props for a Hamilton Aerial Group show, as well as designing an interactive sculpture made up of organ pipes from her childhood church.
After 27 of walking from Toronto to Hamilton, Abedar Kamgari and her crew of four were overcome by a wave of exhaustion as they dipped their swollen feet in buckets of ice water.
The crew stayed patient and supportive as Abedar silently travelled through concrete jungle, open land and back to the familiar sidewalks of downtown Hamilton. With each step of the journey, Abedar was recalling memories and experiences of being a refugee and immigrant.
Abedar’s 27-hour video, family archives and historical artwork from other Hamilton-based artists make up The Journey West exhibit currently in display at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
The visual artist and McMaster University fine arts graduate had always been invested in social issues. Art became a way of communicating her ideas, starting conversation and addressing issues around her.
“It’s not necessarily from a desire to share my story, it’s more from a desire to address or [critically] think about things that are happening, that affect me and everyone else, in different ways,” explained Abedar.
“If you go into the gallery during that time, there’s nothing happening, which can be kind of frustrating, but I wanted to be honest in that way and portray the duration of it. I felt like if I put cuts into that video, then people wouldn’t understand the physicality of the duration.”
Abedar Kamgari
Artist
The Journey West is a performance-for-video inspired by Abedar’s two-year experience as a refugee in Turkey after leaving Iran by boat and train with her mother. Abedar wanted to address larger social issues by looking inwards.
“It’s not only heavily influenced by my own memories but my mom also kept thorough diaries from that time, I had to beg her to let me read them. A lot of the narrative that comes through is me embodying my own experiences and hers because I felt like my experience as a refugee was so tied to hers,” explained Abedar.
“I was a kid so everything I was experiencing, I experienced through her lens because I was always looking up to her and she was the only person I had.”
The Journey West is a rendition of the refugee and immigrant narrative with raw emotions, passages and recollections of Abedar’s family history. Abedar wanted to capture the entirety of the journey and even included eight hours of darkness as she slept overnight.
“If you go into the gallery during that time, there’s nothing happening, which can be kind of frustrating, but I wanted to be honest in that way and portray the duration of it. I felt like if I put cuts into that video, then people wouldn’t understand the physicality of the duration,” said Abedar.
The journey was physically exhausting, but Abedar also carried the emotional weight of loneliness and fear that refugees often feel, with every step of the way. She recalled that at the time she was in Turkey, her experience felt like a drawn out period of anxiously waiting.
“There were a couple diary entries by mom where she’s talking about her friends in Turkey, and when we were leaving she felt like she didn’t have any genuine connections to anyone and she felt very alone,” said Abedar.
“I was really interested in thinking about that as I was walking, so I wasn’t communicating with anyone, it was just all me walking in that space.”
Abedar choose to put herself in a vulnerable space in order to explore her interest in diaspora, displacement and evolving notions of shared culture heritage. Art is her tool in making connections to not only her own legacy, but the formative issues that impact others around her.
The Journey West will be on display at the Art Gallery of Hamilton until Mar. 18, 2018.
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There is a special affinity for the tactile and tangible within Hamilton’s artist community.
Printmaking in the city is a growing medium that allows artists to share their stories and ideas through manual labour. Whether artists choose screen-printing, intaglio, wood block pressings and century old letterpress technologies to pursue their craft, creatives aren’t limited to one sort of medium to learn or pursue.
The physical nature of printmaking lets artists see their vision through from inception to creation, while making it a much more intimate method of storytelling and artistry. Printmakers are able to define their work entirely by hand and are enabled to manually produce their art in ways that other methods are not subject to.
Hamilton’s printmaking scene is particularly unique. With various mediums to choose from, several accessible, artist-run, print focused centres and workshops in addition to an inclusive community of supporters, independent printmakers are an integral aspect to Hamilton’s growing arts scene.
Printmaking can mean leaving a mark, quite literally. Several artists use their work as a voice in today’s political sphere by sharing stories of their experiences through zines, posters or exhibitions.
Sahra Soudi is an artist, organizer and third-year multimedia student at McMaster. As a member of Hamilton’s Audio Visual Node and the Coalition of Black and Racialized Artists, they try to integrate art with social justice activism using the resources that they have.
“As someone who is black and gender oppressed, having the agency to tell stories about the celebrations of my identities/the struggles of oppression that come with those identities is extremely important to me,” said Soudi.
The differences between printmaking and other art forms as a method of self-expression and storytelling is the durability and physical nature of printmaking, as Soudi notes.
"That sense of accomplishment and respect for the craft really helps one grow as an artist."
Stylo Starr
Local Designer
“Printmaking challenges other art forms as a form of self-expression because it’s harder to erase,” said Soudi. “It’s more of a tangible medium which makes for a more intimate form of self-expression.”
Another Hamilton artist used her work to comment on societal standards of beauty throughout time at her most recent exhibition.
Stylo Starr, a local designer and visual artist, has been involved within Hamilton’s printmaking scene f
or some time. Calling herself a visual alchemist, Starr uses multimedia collaging and screen printing in order to create printed material that transcends modern pop culture.
“Mastering each step and creating pieces that at one time only existed in your mind is a great feeling,” said Starr. “That sense of accomplishment and respect for the craft really helps one grow as an artist.”
Starr’s most recent exhibition, titled 89DAMES, is currently being featured in the Art Gallery of Hamilton’s The Living Room: Self Made series. Entering its final month in December, 89DAMES explores and obliterates the notions of white beauty standards, specifically within the nostalgic and glamorous era of the 195
0s and 60s, by showcasing pop-art style images of black actors, artists and creatives adjacent to Andy Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn Monroe.
“These are the so-called times of Marilyn, Audrey and Elizabeth,” said Starr. “89DAMES seeks t
o break the spell and divert gaze to the magic that always existed in plain sight.”
Alongside of the AGH Team, Starr was able to curate a dialogue that pays an homage to similar techniques and uses of screen printing while confronting blinding notions of typical white beauty standards.
One printmaker in Hamilton uses century old technology to make modern stationary and custom prints.
Sara Froese, the artist behind All Sorts Press, specializes in producing handcrafted, high-quality prints using a human-powered Chandler & Price platen printing press from 1910. The 107-year-old press, equipped with handset type combines the quality of antique equipment and traditional printing with current design.
"You have this idea of what your print will look like and no matter how much you plan for it, the press will give you something you can never quite expect."
Sara Froese
Artists
All Sorts Press
The art of letterpress printing dates back to the mid 15th century when Gutenberg invented printing pr
esses. The process behind letterpressing is time-consuming and entirely done by hand. Paper sheets are placed individually then rotated within the press using a foot pedal, while individual letters and characters are placed together and locked into the press.
“The work is so physical and hands on and requires such an interesting process, which to me is just as great as the final print itself,” said Froese. “You have this idea of what your print will look like and no matter how much you plan for it, the press will give you something you can never quite expect.”
Pairing the quality of antique technology with modern designs, Froese’s use of letterpress creates unique and tactile prints that make for a different finished product than other printing techniques. In Froese’s work, you can often feel a physical imprint whereby the letterpress carved the paper, lending to the overall quality of the piece itself.
“Letterpress printing to me is also about preserving a bit of history. This method is so beautiful and unique, I feel it’s important to keep that practice.”
Hamilton is chock-full of artist-run printing spaces that enable artists, both seasoned and beginner, to practice and perfect their skills in any medium they choose. From workshops to studio spaces, these facilities are enabling Hamilton’s artists to become involved within the local arts scene while honing their skills as artists.
Centre3, located in Hamilton’s “art district” on James Street North, is one of the most dynamic artist-run print and media arts centres in Canada, offering facilities for printmaking, including lithography, silkscreening and intaglio among others, in addition to state of the art digital media facilities. As a not-for-profit centre, their programming aims to bring art education and community arts to the greater Hamilton area.
“Hamilton is so lucky to have this [Centre3 as an] incredible resource,” said Froese. “Having access to a proper studio is so crucial as a printmaker and this gem of a spot makes it easy and affordable to do so.”
In addition to Centre3, Hamilton has several artist-run centres that focus preserving contemporary art while providing professional development workshops to artists in the area.
Particularly, Hamilton Artist Inc. sets out to facilitate a national dialogue that surrounds issues in contemporary art through exhibitions, publications, performance, education and outreach programs, engaging community arts programming and educational initiatives that represent the cultural life in our city.
"Having access to a proper studio is so crucial as a printmaker and this gem of a spot makes it easy and affordable to do so."
Stylo Starr
Local Designer
These initiatives and communities support artists by providing opportunities to practice their skills while developing as professionals within Hamilton and beyond. The collaborative nature of Hamilton’s arts scene ultimately allows printmakers within the city to fit in quite naturally, contributing to the city’s growing community of artistry.
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When we interviewed Scott Helman three years ago, he was a young Torontonian on the rise after the release of his EP, Augusta, and his major label debut. There were a few consistent themes from then that persist to today. His inspirations such as Leonard Cohen, his enjoyment for songwriting and his talent all remain.
One of the most curious things since our interview three years ago, however, is his development as a person. It is obvious that Helman has grown in a positive way and matured over the years leading up to his first major studio album, Hotel de Ville, released on May 12.
“At the time, I felt like everything was given birth from art. I felt that art was the starting point of everything. I know I’m being super conceptual, but I felt that art was the point and that everything was the result of it.”
These larger concepts are continuously on Helman’s mind when looking back at his development.
His main inspirations have continued to lead him towards the history of music and its influence over the decades, and ponder what songwriting means to him and the world as a whole. This internalization of ideas and the perspective he has as a successful artist has changed his thoughts about music and the industry as a whole.
“Now, after having been a songwriter and artist for enough time, I feel like it’s the other way around. Life happens, then art is the byproduct, and that’s when art is beautiful is when it is the soundtrack and not the focal point.”
This comes through in his newest album. While most of the tracks are upbeat and enjoyable to listen to no matter what the mood is, there is almost always a double meaning or hidden depth to it. It works with a strong balancing act. He incorporates his own life and uses art as a way to process it, think about it and work through it. His continued idealism feels natural in his songs despite these larger, heavier considerations.
“If I make a song where those things exist strongly, I feel like I’ve succeeded. ... I definitely feel like that is a central focus of my music to make that a reality.”
Over the years, he has received Juno nominations and success on a national scale across Canada, but seems to remain grounded. He has been involved in an organization called The Global Class where he talked with students in Durham, Zambia and St. Petersburg, Russia about music’s influence around the world. His microsite called Solve the Solvable continues to promote the exchange of ideas on how to take local action to contribute to global issues no matter how big or small they may be.
Despite all of this, the music will always be first.
“I think music is always there for you, and that’s why it’s so beautiful.”
He plays at Club Absinthe on June 8.
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By: Hess Sahlollbey
Whether you’re a Trekkie, an aspiring cosplayer or simply hoping to meet others who share your interests, this weekend belonged to the fans as they took over the downtown Toronto core. Punisher, Batman and Superman all have big releases this month and made their presence known from the moment I got off the subway and headed to Toronto ComicCon. An annual convention, Toronto ComicCon takes over the city center for a three-day affair full of comics, cosplay and everything in between.
What some fans may not realize though is that attending these conventions could result in your passions and hobbies one day becoming a career. That’s how it went for Michael Walsh, one of Marvel Comics’ biggest rising stars whom I had the pleasure of interviewing at the convention. We talked about his career, what he’s working on next and what knowledge he’d most want to impart on those who want to create comics for a living too.
While Batman’s home may be Gotham City, one of the biggest rising stars in comics actually calls the Hammer home. “I almost went to McMaster,” Walsh first tells me when I introduce myself to him having noticed my press badge and white McMaster T-shirt. As an alumni of OCAD, he’s familiar with touring the whole portfolio circuit when he was first trying to get published.
With a heavy, murky use of black ink, his art is difficult to describe. His substantial use of blacks is interlaced with cartoony elements. While the style may look simple, on a deeper analysis one can quickly surmise that it’s a stark juxtaposition to the emotional weight that his art carries.
While others on the Toronto ComicCon floor had booths rammed with books, art-prints, merchandise and T-shirts, Michael Walsh sat behind his desk with his portfolio of black and white art in front of him. He quipped that he doesn’t like travelling with his books, referring to all his illustration work that fans are always eager to buy straight from the creators at conventions. “They’re too heavy and I don’t want to lug them around, I’d rather put my art on full display.”
It’s that same art that has made him so prolific in all of Hamilton’s comic book shops. Whether it was Comic Connection, Big B Comics or Conspiracy Comics, the staff at all the stores held Walsh in the highest regard, eagerly describing his art style with all manner of positive superlatives. Walsh is also equally famous among his peers for his down to earth personality and eagerness to meet fans and talk shop. Even the staff at Mixed Media, an art store on James St North, pitched paintbrushes and inks to me by saying they’re the same ones Michael Walsh uses, long before I had the chance to make his acquaintance.
Walsh first work was Comeback, a comic that he looks back on fondly. Written by Ed Brisson with art by Walsh, Comeback told the story of two criminal agents, who could undo the untimely demise of a loved one, for a large nominal fee of course. “Comeback was my first professional work, it always gets compared to Looper, because of the timing of the release, but they couldn’t be any more different. Yeah they both had time-travel but Comeback was more sci-fi street-level crime. It was bad timing, but I’m always happy when it makes a Comeback [editor’s note: pun is Walsh’s own] and a fan brings it for to me to sign,” said Walsh.
These days however he’s one of Marvel Comic’s most prolific artists. His first job at Marvel was Hank Johnson: Agent of Hydra — a one shot that came out late summer. “Right now, I’m doing this X-men series, its called X-Men: Worst X-man Ever and it’s a five issue mini-series.”
Walsh’s next project will be a collaboration on The Vision with another rising star at Marvel, Tom King. King is a former CIA counter-terrorism agent and has been writing an ongoing based on the eponymous member of the Avengers. Filling in for art duties, he praises his collaborator, saying, “If you haven’t read Tom King’s work its so good. You need to check out his other work because I’m so happy to be working with him.”
His charisma and passion for talking about comics is easily contagious. Before he could get any work in comics however, Walsh was creating posters for concerts. Now he’s happily looking forward to what the future holds.
“I’m in such a good place right now, if I went back and I did something differently back then who knows where I’d be. I went through some really hard times with being unhappy with my output and thinking that my work was just not of a high quality,” he said.
“If I could impart one thing of advice on those that are coming up it’s that you won’t always be happy with what you’re doing. But to be at peace that you’re not always going to be happy with the stuff you’re doing but know that you can get better so keep striving and working for greatness in your own work.”
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