Many years ago, my grandfather, Bill Love gave me the best bit of advice I have ever received, and that was, "find something that you love to do, and you will never work another day in your life".  I took it to heart a few years later when I started Brokenhead Studio, and have had the great fortune to do just that for about 8 1/2 years now.

Sometime last year, I was lamenting the fact that I wanted to push myself a bit more, and produce more creative and sculptural work that better showcased what I could do, but how to make that happen was a challenge.  Some say that this sort of work can't fly in Manitoba, a province sometimes best known for it's thrifty ways-but I disagreed.  Show people what can be done, and they will embrace the notion.

Fast forward eight months later, and the Giant Robot is my travelling sample of what can be done.  

Based upon the tin toy "Smoking Robot" from the 1950's, the sculpture to me represents a bit of a throwback to an optimistic time when anything was possible, and the future looked so bright.

That same spirit is still abound-at times we have to seek it out, and other times it's more a matter of putting it out there to remind people that things aren't so bad...

The process of producing a sculpture such as this involves many steps, and a massive amount of help-I would like to thank the following people:

Vanda Toews for lending me her 12" tin toy smoking robot.

Darren Piwniuk, Brandon Piwniuk, Gerald Young, and Glenn White for the foam, foam cutting, routering, coating, welding, and overall mad skills.

The Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Kevin Erin for a hand with some photography.

My friends and family for their continued support.

If you are considering adding some WOW to your business, and you are not sure what to do, give me a call or send me an email-I would love to hear from you.

Recently, I completed some work with the Wizard's Lacrosse Club, (http://www.wizardslacrosse.com/) who are playing out of the Garson Arena this summer.  They had a great logo, but wanted to spread that image around a bit within the arena to start, and out into the community.  One of the tasks at hand was to paint the logo on the cement floor of the arena.  There were many challenges with this, which included, durability as the floor is covered in ice for half the year, and when that ice is thawed, the floor would get a LOT of traffic from lacrosse players.  The other challenge was the time-we had about 3 days to paint, prior to an open house where 150 or so kids would be making use of the arena! 

After a considerable amount of research, we opted to use a two part tinted mastic paint for the logo, and protect it with a 2 part urethane, which acts as a sealer.  The court lines were also part of this procedure, and the volunteers that came out to measure, tape and paint were terrific.

In the end, the arena looks fabulous, and the kids have another great place to spend some time having fun, and staying fit...

Special thanks go out to Wizard's President, Dave Gill and everyone from the Wizard's Organization who stepped up and helped out; Vern at JVS Welding in Beausejour for the loan of a diesel heater which helped the paint cure, as well as to Marvin, John & Chris down at the Arena who were once again most accommodating...

Beausejour's Last Grain Elevator

The Beausejour Beautification Committee asked me to make a scale model of the town's last grain elevator this spring, and I got busy doing some research into things. The last of three elevators is to be torn down this summer, and I was fortunate to be able to take some photos and measurements in order to produce a decent model. A trip to the library provided some older photos, and I set off to produce a model that would look like the elevator has back in the 1950's. Along the way, I spoke to a number of people about the project, and Art Linke was especially helpful in providing some of the details that you can't find in books or photos. The model was a lot of work, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Once a significant piece of our local history is lost, we have to find ways to share that history with the younger generations, and I was honoured to be a part of that important process...

New mural

My son Simon who is 7, is constantly drawing up a storm, and has a passion for tigers. He recently discovered some Calvin & Hobbes books, and ever since that time, it has been a clear cut case of life imitating art. He saved up his allowance and bought his own stuffed tiger, and the two are inseparable. It was no surprise when he approached me about painting a mural in his room, of his favourite thing...The mural was a fair bit of work, and the artist behind Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson, was quite talented with pen and ink as well as watercolours. I admire Watterson, who refused to sell out-and this is why you don't see any Calvin & Hobbes products out there. In doing so, he has kept the characters intact, and each of us has their own unique take on what we read when we open up one of his books...

Flowers must mean spring is coming...

I recently completed work on a giant Gerbera Daisy for Floral Decor, a florist shop in Stonewall, MB. The daisy portion of the sign is approximately 48" x 48", and is hand carved from super dense carving foam, and is also hand painted.

This job was a tremendous challenge to carve, but was also a tremendous joy to work on.

If you are in the Stonewall Area, drop by at 411 3rd Av S or give them a buzz for some flowers at 467-8825...

More form the Archives...

Here are a couple of mural projects that I quite enjoyed...

The first is a reproduction of a Coke ad from the early 1950's. (size is approx 8' x 17') This mural is featured on the Murals of Winnipeg Website http://www.themuralsofwinnipeg.com/ which is an amazing website featuring just what you would expect it to-the murals of Winnipeg-you will not believe how many murals the city has...

The second mural featured is of Clint Eastwood, at he appeared in the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western, A Fistful of Dollars. (size is approximately 8' x8'). Here you can see the mural in progress on my Western Themed Saloon, which in truth is more of a summer cottage, with a western theme.

There is a reason that the Rolling Stones have kept their logo all these years-it works. They took an idea, and the logo represents that idea to the public at large. You cannot think of one without the other. Would they have made it without the logo? Sure they would, they are the Rolling Stones, but were they more successful because of having a logo? The answer is yes.

There is no shortage of talent out there when it comes to music, but making it in the business is a grind-you practice and practice, you invest in gear, you search for the right group of people, and work hard to produce something new, you hit the studio, and get schooled in just how much there is to know when it comes to creating that magic, and you hit the stage to share that gift with the audience and have a great time. It is a huge investment, of time and money. Lots of bands rely on selling merchandise at their shows to make ends meet, and even then it's hard.

So what can you do to make the journey a bit easier? As a sign guy, my advice would be to create a logo, or identity, and keep it consistant wherever you advertise, be it on your website, myspace, cd's, shirts, etc. You want people to know who you are, and connect you with the great music you play. A kick drum decal or a banner for your band can help. I see so many people at shows, taking photos, and sending them to their friends or posting them on facebook or Twitter, you might think you are just playing a small club, but before the show is over, your image might be seen by people all over the world. Why not tell them who you are?