We've gone to the zoo

Don't look for me today,
When there's nothing to do.
Don't ask me to play,
I've gone to zoo.

Not Pictured: Cleanliness

I've gone with Dear Lacey,
and Vera in tow,
And we rode on the bus
through Scarborough

We got to the gates
where some bitch made a huff,
but Lacey got in free
and she told us "tough"

The sun was shining bright,
the kids we're in their wagons
So we started in Australia
And Vera humped the Komodo Dragon

The author does not condone the act of humping the Komodo dragon

We saw through Eurasia
as best as we could
but most of the exhibits
were closed, but not for good!
Just waiting til pandas
come and take over that section
(Big stupid bears
that can't get erections)

I got to touch stingrays
Which was quite unexpected
I've always loved those creatures
even though they can be irritated

From there we went walking,
and Vera's dancing was funky
As we spied not just one,
but two types of ginger monkeys!

Then we traveled through Africa
and we saw all the creatures
and we talked and we giggled
about the baboons butt features.

We played and we frollicked,
saw creatures big and small,
from butterflies, to penguins
we saw them all

We hiked through a tundra
and read up on some mosquito lady
And introduced Lacey
to a beaver tail (yummy!)


Is this poem lame?
Yes I think it's so.
But it does make me realize
what I already know

 I love my friends
And there's nothing I'd rather do
Then to take all of them
on a trip to the zoo

Matti Paints - Subject Petty Victories

So it all began when I met Colleen at my friends cabaret.
I showed her my art. She loved it. I asked her to be a part of the project.
And then things got interesting.

I was lead up to what can only be described as a very, very large house in Toronto. There I met Zoe and we went over the details on what we were going to shoot.

I've never done a music video before so getting the chance to create one for a song as beautiful as "Concrete and Rosy Cheeks" was an amazing experience. I'm crazy over their music and I feel really humbled and blessed that they let me create this for them.

I really hope you guys enjoy this video as much as I enjoyed making it for them!

This video was an incredible challenge.
I had TWO canvases to paint in less than ten minutes.
The fact that I even managed it is truly a testament to... something.
Maybe it's the fact that I'm crazy, or maybe it's the fact that I'm overly ambitious.
That being said, this paint style is a lot more hectic than my other paintings. I applied it a lot thicker and rougher than before, but the amazing thing is I actually managed to finish their looks.
Considering the time constraint and how little time there was to do it, I really love how it turned out.
I hope you do too!

Matti Paints: Subject Wes

    Me and Wes have a very giving and loving friendship, so he was the obvious first choice for my art project.

This is Subject Wes: Note that it is Groundhog day again

    Right away, from the first stroke I knew that there was something very special about this experience. Painting on someones body has a magical quality about it that I’ve never felt before. There is a palpable amount of trust involved, and an unspoken yet understood agreement that in the end, they are giving you their vulnerability in exchange for a work of art.
    When I first set out on this project I wasn’t anticipating the sheer amount of feelings that go through you as you begin. We started out joking around about the coldness of the brush, but as the work began to take shape, there grew an almost serious quality to the painting.

After Song 2

After Song 4

Close to the end

    I think it started with his colour choices. What was so interesting about them was they were almost the exact colours I would choose. I’m a huge fan of red and blue contrast, and the fact that he chose them meant that it would create a palate I was familiar and eager to work with. Since it’s been so long since my last painting, I appreciated this. However, there is a significant emotional overtone to the colours he picked.

Note: Colours not colors.

Three warm colours: red, orange and pink; followed by two cold colours: blue and teal. The interesting fact was that orange and teal are about as removed as you can get from each other on the colour wheel, while blue, red and purple are all very complimentary. As a result I knew the green would be the odd colour out, and as a result I am left to wonder if Wes knew he was doing this intentionally, or if it was simply the luck of the draw. I wonder if he even realizes how significant that is. Without the green to contrast the other colours the piece would run the risk of being too boring. With it, Wes showed a dangerous, almost rebellious side that gave the piece a level of interest that would have otherwise been lacking.
    As the painting continued a few really interesting things happened. We became silent. I became obsessed with the painting and Wes became contemplative. I’m not sure if he was being quiet for any particular reason, but at a certain point he really did become a human canvas. The music choices also helped to ease and relax the two of us as I worked.  As the painting continued, the songs became more and more melancholic and I soon realized that it was having an effect on both of our moods and the painting itself. His character began to show through as reflective and pensive. It began to reflect, especially in the facial region.

This was his playlist. The last song to play was "How He Loves". Hard to get more deep than that.

    In the end his character was revealed as vibrant, strong and reflective. A man emboldened with wisdom and a history of pain, but with a resolve to move forward.
This is his portrait.

Wes Response:

"I am most grateful to have had this "conversation" with Matti and the results from the future "voices"and to see how their conversations turn to out... to see the resulting colourful conversation."

"The time and space given for the process was quite meaningful in itself. I can't say I've ever been able to engage in a project as provoking with a friend before, however it is one that will be cherished"

Toronto Blues

So living in Toronto has been interesting. It's been a heart of healing, of torture and struggle, and a period in my life that will go down as being one of the most difficult I have ever faced. But it's been good. Things are progressing, and progress is good.

And Untitled Or Another
by Matti McLean

Last night was that night.
The night you reach out to clutch at the strands of the shroud of turin
Seeking healing from a heart that’s broken.
A one-sided, beer fueled confession of half-truths
and full hurts
That gnaws the insides of our emotional breadths.
I mourn the loss as a beggar
Clutching at the foggy headed memory of two men
Who once did love each other,
and now smile through them.
A heart beats
but is not silenced by the sounds of an acoustic guitar
That plays Landslide and Maria Mena
And other songs of epitome beauty.
Perhaps the world is spinning
Because we’re moving forwards.
We propel the world with unrequited forgotten love.

Not my best poetry, but I really enjoyed some of the lines so I felt I needed to share it.