. M I N U S I N D U S T R I E S .

American Gothic & Easy Rider

2012-02-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a while between posts but I've been busy. That makes it okay right? I'm getting married in May so, I've been hard at work on our wedding invitations...

In between planning a wedding I've still been keeping busy with my art. Well, Frank from SIRENS has been keeping me busy. I've worked with Frank on a few projects now and it's always fun. These last two were for invitations to a couple of the different events that Frank is planning. Blues Music + A Fashion Show = FUN! Frank wanted to do a spoof on two very famous images, American Gothic and Easy Rider. I had a lot of fun with these. Pop culture and parody are a huge part of my work and I've wanted to do my take on American Gothic for years...

I look forward to working with Frank more in the future. Even with the wedding just around the corner I am still available to work on any projects that you may have... The sooner you let me know though, the better... as I see this attitude shifting as the wedding gets closer. So until the big day, you can expect these posts to become fewer and fewer...

Thanks for caring!

-Lon

Depeche Mode

2011-12-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

Depeche Mode

2011

Spray Paint + Stencils + Collage on Canvas

20" x 20"

This is the commission that I have been working on steadily for the past few months. Dave got me to do it for his fiancee Melanie for Christmas. They are both huge Depeche Mode fans and they were both blown away by the piece, insisting that it's the greatest thing that either of them have ever seen. I guess Melanie spent Christmas morning in absolute awe shaking her head and saying, "I can't believe it... I just can't believe it..." and looking at it over and over and over again.

This is the hardest that I've ever worked on a piece and has more attention to detail than anything that I have ever done. I've never really went too in depth about my process before and this seems like a good place to start. I put a lot of myself into everything I do and am a bit of a perfectionist, therefore I am overly critical of everything that I do. I work hard at my art and am constantly trying to get better and push the spray paint and stencil medium further and further with every piece that I do. Each project is different. It's a new chance to really push myself and develop a style and aesthetic that is all my own. I take commissions very seriously because it is a fan of my work approaching me to do something specifically for them. I love that. This one was different though because it was a gift for Dave's fiancee Melanie for Christmas so I knew going in that it was important that this piece ended up being one of the best things that I've ever done. It did. However, that was quite a bit of pressure that I put upon my self going into this project. As you can tell from the pictures it was worth the effort and everything unfolded beautifully.

I was lucky that Dave approached me about this very early on so I had a lot of time to work on it. That aspect ended up working in my favour beautifully as I was able to take my time with each step and there was plenty of time for drying and contemplating between each stage. When Dave first approached me with the commission he made it very clear that he wanted this to be a very special piece for Melanie. It had to be grown up and it had to be personal--so much more than hanging a poster of your favourite photo of your favourite band on the wall. I told Dave that we could collage some of Melanie's favourite DM memories and artifacts into the piece. Dave really loved that idea. This is where things got a little tricky and I looked to Dave's guidance a lot.

I know of Depeche Mode and their staggering contribution to music and popular culture but by no means am I an expert or aficionado. It would be very different if I were making a Nirvana piece, but even if I was what may be important to me night not be as significant to Dave or more importantly, to Melanie. So I had Dave provide me with all the photos and imagery that I used in the piece and I had him be very specific about what was most important to Melanie and why. Essentially, I knew what needed to be in the foreground and what could go into the background or be left to blend in and add to the overall richness and texture of the piece. Once I had all these "pieces" in front of me I was ready to begin. I knew from taking with Dave that he wanted everything to be based off the classic DM photograph pictured above. We also established that he wanted a bigger show or conversation piece on canvas. So, I ended up working a little larger than I'm used to at 20" x 20". I really liked working large. It seemed to make parts of the process easier.

The next thing I did was cut out all of the stencils. I started with the main image of the guys which ended up being 4 stencils and I finished with the five stencils for the DM logos and imagery imbedded throughout the piece. Then, I sprayed my first 2 layers and did all the collage work in Dave Gahan's jacket. On this piece I did a few things that I haven't done before. The first was that I limited all the collage to Dave Gahan's jacket and used those elements to really illustrate the texture and the highlights and lowlights of his coat. I really let the collaged imagery speak for itself by being nearly untouched and really separated from the rest of the piece. Before I collaged the images I extensively treated them to the point where each individual piece almost became like a piece of fabric rather than a piece of paper. After that was done I finished the stenciling and did some final collaging on top of the piece. I also stenciled the information from the ticket stub of Melanie's favourite show around the entire canvas. This was one of my favourite touches and something I plan to continue in pieces from this point on.

Given the darkness and complexity of the band and their music I really wanted to layer and intertwine the piece at every level. There were at least 15 different stages from beginning to completion in order to complete the piece. Some of the stages were done in a few days while others took up to a week. I really starting experimenting with light and dark, highlights and lowlights, transparencies, and perspectives. As can be seen in the pictures above and attested to by Melanie, no two vantage points are alike. The way the piece is displayed and lit will change what the viewer sees. I tried my best to photograph and capture all the subtleties and hidden layers of the piece.

I could talk about this piece forever because I know what it means to me and my growth as an artist. I can see my career direction solidify and my defining style beginning to be fully realised. It's exciting. I consider this to be my best work to date and I realise that this brief description of the process cannot do this piece justice. Nor is it meant to. It's meant to give a insight into my work. This artwork can definitely speak for itself. I was honoured to work on this for Dave for Melanie for Christmas and I am glad that they possibly love it more than I do.

I know that there are pieces that can define an artists career and I know that this is one of my mine. A definite turning point. I'm excited to see where this road goes...

-Lon

newtrail

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was just featured in a lovely article called Handmade Tales. It was wonderfully written by Christie Moncrief and is in this months edition of newtrail, the University of Alberta Alumni Magazine. It features various crafters and shines a light on our local handmade scene here in Edmonton. I was very happy to be a part of it. Thanks Ally! Thanks Christie! You can read it HERE

ETSY

2011-12-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

It's official! My ETSY page just launched! You can now purchase my art online! Please help celebrate this joyous occasion by buying everything! That would be wonderful! A big THANK YOU to my wonderful Meg for setting up and taking care of my new baby!

Speaking of babies, have you seen this one?! She's a beauty isn't she? You should probably FOLLOW her. Who knows what that little cutie will do next? I'll bet Meg knows...

Yes, we had twins. Speaking of twins...

Christmas is almost here. Only two sales left for me:

December 3 10AM-4PM
December 17 10AM-4PM

The NEW LOCATION for the Holiday Markets is at the Orange Hall at 10335-84 Avenue behind the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market.

I'm looking forward to lightening my load going into 2012. So, there will be deals and specials and giveaways to be had.

-Lon

!!! CHECK IT OUT !!!

2011-11-25T14:25:00.000-08:00

It seems as if awesome things come in threes. A lot of very exciting things have been happening to me today. After a lot of work from my wonderful fiancee Megan, I am now officially on twitter. She's also very diligently working on getting my stuff up on Etsy. I'll have more on that as it unfolds.

So shortly after Megan got me on twitter something magical began to happen. As soon as we followed Sandra Sperounes, music writer and blogger for the Edmonton Journal, she followed me! Turns out she is a fan of my Rainbow Series. CHECK OUT the great plug! WOW! Thanks Sandra! This is really something! Thanks Meg! Thanks twitter!

Make sure you check out The Royal Bison on the weekend! It's going to be great!

-Lon

UPCOMING EVENTS

2011-11-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

ROYAL BISON ELEVEN

2011-11-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

This is important! This is exciting! This is awesome! I finally got accepted into the Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair. This is number Eleven so you know I've been trying to get in for a very long time. No hard feelings though. The pure awesomeness of this one is sure to make up for it. If you've never been to the Royal Bison before you are a very silly person and if you have been before then you know how awesome it is! The majority of my Christmas shopping is always done here. You'll find something great for everybody on your list!

Find out more about them and their awesomeness and the great blog they wrote about me HERE. I hope to see you there NEXT WEEKEND! I'll have half a table in the Great Room and it'll be loaded with art and stickers and magnets and prints and stuffed toys! I can't wait!

-Lon

Handmade Mafia

2011-11-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here! It's getting close, and you know what that means! There's lots of great Craft Markets. The Handmade Mafia has a bunch coming up! Check out their full calendar of events HERE.

November 26 10AM-4PM (I won't be at this one. I'll be at Royal Bison!)

December 3 10AM-4PM

December 8 & 9 5PM-9PM (I won't be at these Night Markets.)

December 17 10AM-4PM

The NEW LOCATION for the Holiday Markets is at the Orange Hall at 10335-84 Avenue behind the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market.

These are great opportunities to start, finish, or add to your Christmas shopping! I hope to see you there!

-Lon

Fan Art

2011-11-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

Something really cool happened to me this morning. I received my very first piece of fan art. My Brother-in-law, Shaun Hall, is the Curriculum Coordinator over at Johnny Bright School. He's a great guy and a huge supporter of my work. He bought the first ever Stevens Stuffed Toy and he has him sitting on his desk at work. I guess one of his students was in his office and really took a liking to Stevens. Well, she drew this great picture later on, hopefully not in class "TISK TISK", completely from memory and she gave it to Mr. Hall (Shaun)! Well, now I have it and I couldn't be happier. It will live on my fridge and in my heart for a long time. My fiancee Megan already nixed my plan to get it tattooed onto my back. Oh well!

-Lon

R A I N B O W S

2011-10-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

R A I N B O W S

THE ALBUM COVER ARTWORK OF LON WENGER

ON DISPLAY & FOR SALE AT PERMANENT RECORDS

This is an opportunity to view these works of art as they were

meant to be seen- with the album covers & music that inspired them.

PERMANENT RECORDS

780-988-2112

8126 Gateway Blvd NW

www.twitter.com/Permanentrec

permanentrecords@hotmail.ca

Monday - Wednesday 10am-6pm

Thursday & Friday 10am-8pm

Saturday 10am-6pm

Sunday 11am-5pm

So after a tonne of work, 3 hours of hard labour and a bunch of awesomeness from Clint, Dave and Mike, my art is now hanging on the walls of Permanent Records.It's a great space and my work looks really great there. There are 16 pieces in total and they will be constantly changing as the work sells. This is really how the work is meant to be seen- as part of the scene and movement that inspired it. I couldn't be any happier with how everything worked out. So go check out the great music selection at Permanent Records, admire my art, listen to some great tunes and meet Clint, Dave and Mike. They are three really great guys with a great record store.

-Lon

A Hard Day's Night

2011-07-18T11:52:00.000-07:00