An artist profile of Patrick Kyle
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Describe your process of creating a piece. What materials do you normally work in?
I have a real comic book sensibility when it comes to making pictures. Generally, I do a pencil drawing, go over it with brush and ink, and then add colour.
Colouring them is a little more complicated though. I make Xeroxes of my ink drawings and then use acrylic matte medium to transfer them to other surfaces and embed paint or bits of coloured paper in between. I don’t really have to be as meticulous or precise with this method as I would be if I was painting them traditionally.
What projects are you working on? What do you have coming up, any shows?
I have a show at Board of Directors opening August 20th called “Suicide Pact” with my Wowee Zonk pals Ginette Lapalme and Chris Kuzma. The Three of us also have a show with a few other OCAD Illustration graduates at The OCAD Student Gallery in early September. I have a number of pieces on the go for those two shows and I’m also trying to work on the second issue of my comic book “Black Mass” at the same time. I’m hoping to get it finished and have some kind of launch party for it in the fall.
When are you most productive?
I’m not totally sure. I like the idea of getting up early and getting a lot of work done before noon, but I don’t always accomplish that.
When did creating art become something important in your life?
Drawing has always been a big part of my life, but I think I became really passionate about it when I started attending OCAD.
What are some of your favorite spots in the city? Some favourite places to go, eat, drink, bike ride?
I like the Cloak and Dagger on College near Bathurst. It’s really dank and pleasant and they have a lot of great beer on tap. Despite the poor lightning, I’ve drawn a lot of comic pages there. As for eating, I like Phil’s Original Barbecue and Caplansky’s Deli inside the Monarch Tavern. There is also an indian restaurant down the street Called The Jodhpore Club where I like to get a take away curry when I don’t feel like cooking.
What are you currently obsessed with? Any blogs, pod casts, films, artists?
Recently I’ve been interested in John Bauer, a fantasy artist from Sweden. He illustrated a bunch of Swedish folk tales about Trolls. They’re really something. I also watched The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth a while ago and I’ve been really inspired by the fantastic characters and the obscenely complex puppets.
What are your thoughts on the Toronto art scene compared to everywhere else you’ve experienced?
Toronto is first city I’ve lived in since moving out of my parents house in the suburbs, so I can’t really compare it to anywhere else. But, I think Toronto has a great community of artists and a lot of happening events. There are some great opportunities here for young artists.
What is your survival food? Cheap eats for the starving artist?
I love to eat, so I don’t really mind forking out for good food. The best food though is a really simple sandwich.
Any last words?
Check out Suicide Pact, August 20th to 30th at Board of Directors, 1080 Queen Street West, and visit woweezonk.com.
