I made this illustration for an upcoming group show with friends at Keep Six Gallery in Toronto.

The show is called: “Happily Never After”

Happily Never After – Opening June 10, 2009 at Keep Six Gallery in Toronto.

Artists

Greg Hill
Alexei Vella
Nataly Kim
Rey Ortega
Tessar Lo
Jenna Russelle
Mike Wandelmaier
Jessica Fortner
Christian Rosekat
Chris Brett

Happily Never After

What makes a ‘Fairy Tale’? We all know one when we see it. They are stories, usually brought to us in the form of an illustrated book or lavishly animated film, that we may remember as our first true moment of escapism; the first moment a childish dream was given form. And yet, fantasy never felt so familiar, did it? Whether as moral indoctrination, or simply as a means to entertain, the Fairy Tale is something both shared by and bestowed upon us by a previous generation, at the core of which lies an inherited system of symbols, meanings, and values.

Some might even say that Fairy Tales are most people’s first experience of modern mythology. Morality could never be more clear, evil so hideously obvious or goodness so modestly endearing. Sympathies lie with downtrodden heirs and valiant heroes, the distressed damsel, a charming prince … and so on.

In a world where the validity of convention and tradition remain dubious at best, we turn to different kinds of stories, those of forgotten eras, cultures, and in so doing we uncover ‘tales’ that the principle distributors of social convention finds too obscure, too strange, or too morally ambivalent, to popularize in films and on the sides of lunchboxes.

In Happily Never After, these ‘forgotten fairy tales’ are explored by works from an eclectic group of illustrators. Employing a diversity of media, styles, and approaches, ranging from commercial sensibilities to retro forms both novel and haunting, the exhibit offers pieces that explore not only the gamut of forgotten myths and stories, but of styles and mediums. Whimsical photographed sculptures tell their tale beside the moody, antiquated textures that tell another. Through each individual exploration, these tales of morality and amusement, mythologies telling an era’s fears as well as their hopes, find rejuvenated voice in Happily Never After.

Eshwin Dhir
Contributing Artist

This illustration titled “Squidface and The Meddler” was originally made as a submission for AWOL Gallery’s Square Foot show, here in Toronto. I wasn’t completed in time for that show, but I finished it now for the launch of my new blog with artist Jessica Fortner.

Ruffled Feathers. 12.5×20. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008.

I made this piece for a self-promotional mailer that I’m currently designing.

This piece was made as a submission for the open call to artists for Beasts! Book Two.

Tailypo was a beast from a ghost story I knew as a kid that turned out to be widely known in North America. The story tells of a hunter who comes accross a strange creature in the woods and takes its tail as a souvenir after nearly killing it. The fierce creature returns to take its revenge and reclaim its tail which it calls it “tailypo”.

Fashion Fauna. 12.5×20″. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008.

Little handbag dogs were the inspiration for this illustration about animals as fashion accessories.

Something Fishy! 20×12.5″. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008.

A band from the dark depths of the ocean.

Clippings. 8×16″. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008

This is the latest illustration in a series about hair, mostly inspired by a recent home trimming.

Ika. 8×16″. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008.

I’ve always loved Japanese woodblock prints and have been waiting for an opportunity to work their style into one of my illustrations. This piece, which belongs to a series of illustrations about hair, is a tribute to Utamaro’s ukiyo-e.

Bailar Con Los Muertos. 8×16″. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008

I visited a Day of the Dead celebration this weekend and couldn’t help but copy some of the sugar skull deigns for this illustration.

Winter Jess. 8×16″. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008

I’ve started on a series of illustrations with a “hairdo” theme as a personal project. Here’s the first in the series, inspired by a our first real day of winter here in Toronto.