The Learning Zone

For all of you who couldn’t make it out to our collage party and film screening in the LZ here are some photos of the fun you missed out on, don’t worry we will do this again soon!

Chris Wiggs, 1^st year Graphic Design student and Maggie Brettle, 1^st year Illustration student were selling buttons in the LZ today.  Here is a bit of info about them and how you can contact them.

What gave you the idea to sell your buttons in the Learning Zone?

We thought students would be interested and this is a high traffic area. We are here everyday that we are at school; this is a nice, comfortable, laid back environment to facilitate this.

How do you promote yourselves?

Though social networking like my website chrismwiggs.com, twitter, facebook and deviantART.

What do you hope to achieve at OCAD?

I would like to gain more experience and learn more about the design field and how I fit into it.

Do you have any great ideas for the Learning Zone?

Get rid of the glass windows to reduce the fish bowl effect. It would also be great to have talks from professionals in the field. This would allow us to get advice and learn what is expected in the field. It would also be useful to have a job fair where local businesses can come in and meet with students. It would also be nice to have something more done with the zine library.

How can others buy your products and how can you be contacted?

My website and Etsy.

LZ: Can you tell us a bit about yourself (program, year, etc.) and the art you create?

MB: My name is Mike Badour and I am originally from Peterbourgh. My major is drawing and painting and I am doing a minor in digital media. I am in my second year at OCAD.

And what about the art you create?

Oh that’s a big one, I do large format graphite drawings, acrylic paintings, installation art, electronics and interactive based works.

What influenced your decision to major in drawing and painting?

That is a hard one. It is easy to say that I have always done drawing and painting but I also feel like it’s one of the more challenging disciplines given its history. I am up for the challenge.

How long have you been interested in art? How long have you known that this is something that you want to pursue as a career?

Since I realized I was a better drawer than everyone else in grade 1.

Where does your inspiration come from? What are you really into right now?

I suppose I am interested in the picture plane and how the audience interacts with it. I give this particular interest about a year.

What is your working style?

If I come up with an idea and I’m still thinking about it 2 weeks later than I know it is a good one and I’ll make it.

What are your favourite tools to work with (brushes, paint, software, etc.)?

My 2 top favourites would be an HB graphite pencil and a laptop.

What is it that excites you most about the material you work with? Is there another medium you would like to work in?

The limitlessness of it, I have so many disciplines so it is hard to be limited. I want to work with watercolour.

Do you set goals for yourself?

Not setting a limit. If I come up with an idea and I don’t know how to execute it I will find the means to do so. I don’t limit myself to my current knowledge. My goal is to not say that it is not possible.

How do you promote yourself?

The Internet, I have a website mikebadour.wordpress.com.

What advice would you give people considering enrolling at OCAD?

If you don’t already create everyday don’t bother going because it is not going to give you passion.

Do you have any advice for first year students?

Take the class that intimidates you most because you will learn the most in it.

What are the most useful skills you have learned at OCAD?

Metal shop and figuring out mechanics. I have also learned how to talk to about my work.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

Alice Coltrane and the new Toro Y Moi.

What do you do to relax?

Afterschool beer with friends.

What are 3 likes and 3 dislikes of yours?

Likes: sheppards pie, bike riding and nice paper

Dislikes: Hawaiian pizza, cat pee and landlords

What is your favourite place to eat around OCAD?

Burger king on Wednesdays.

What upcoming projects can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Interactive gradient paintings.

What is your favourite thing about studying in Toronto?

Nothing, it’s the most expensive place to live in Canada.

What are your plans when you graduate?

I might rent out a cottage in the winter months to do work and then go do my masters.

What is your dream job?

Building spaceships.

Is there anything else you want to share with us, any final thoughts?

If you don’t know about craigslist, that shit blew my mind when I moved to Toronto.

I got so much cool shit:

3 apartments

A ginger tabby cat

A Fender bass amp

A job at Medieval Times

A job at the CN Tower

An illustration job

2 roommates

A Casio keyboard

A bike

And I am sure there will be many, many more. You won’t regret it.

Check out some of Mike’s work:

Come by and check out some of the Drawing and Painting artwork submitted by your talented OCAD peers!  The artists featured in this exhibition are Marianna Boese, Cayla Christiansen, and Phuong Q Nguyen.

This exhibit showcases a range of student talent, expressed through a variety of styles and mediums such as arcylic, watercolour, and crotched paintings.

This Exhibition Runs from Friday, March 25th to Friday, April 8th 2011. Don’t miss it!

We will be having a closing reception on Tuesday April 5th from 6:30 to 8 pm. Come out to meet the artists and eat some snacks!

 

Interested in having your work displayed here in the LZ? Go to the submissions tab on the top of this blog, or click here, for instructions on how to make the magic happen. Potential exhibition opportunities currently available are during the grad show (i.e., the beginning of May), and the summer months (June-August).

The last zine event of the semester!!

The OCAD Zine Collective is putting together one last hands-on, DIY fun-fest before the spring semester comes to an end. We will be visiting some of Toronto’s wonderful thrift stores beforehand to amass a wild amount of colourful ephemera for you to cut up, destroy and re-create into beautiful artwork and zines.

We will also be watching the documentary Beautiful Losers, which will lift your spirits and make you feel good about making art. Join us!

Check out the OCAD zine library blog, Zines for Lunch, for more information on the wonderful world of zines!