Artist At Home Portraits

Having been a concert photographer for the past 15 years here in Vancouver, I have been fortunate to have been in the unique position to be able to get to know a number of our city's finest performers. In mid-February of 2015 I had a desire to refine my portrait photography after traveling and photo documenting Southeast Asia, India and Nepal for eight months over 2013 and 2014.

It wasn't until after I had photographed the first few artists in their homes, that I happen to be friendly with, that the notion that I was on to something special really sunk in. It was at that moment I decided to dedicate myself to this endeavour. I don't believe that a project of this scale and subject had been undertaken in this city before.

So many things came together at the right time for this project to work. Despite having an established network of potential subjects, chiefly, people had to say 'Yes' to having me come into their living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, staircases, kitchens, closets, bathrooms and for some with alternative living circumstances, a sailboat and even a storage locker to photograph them. This fact has never been lost on me and I am forever thankful.

While I was already friendly with many of the artists included in this project, for most, I had never been to their homes, for others we may have only recently met or had never met before I was at their door. Interestingly, many of the artists that had known each other for years had never been to the others homes either.

I was inspired to make this project as inclusive as possible, to not only include musicians, but to include dancers, writers, actors and of course videographers, and photographers and thus it became #ArtistAtHome. At its peak I had posted a new artist portrait and write up every day for 106 days and have featured 135+ artists to date. continued below.....

Dear Rouge

Jon Bryant

Katie Rox

Desiree Dawson

Matt Layzell

August Wiled

Ben Rogers

Logistically, many times I would have to arrange two photoshoots a day to provide a buffer, to give me some days off and time to recruit more subjects, while still posting new artists. Timing was on my side as most portraits were taken before the summer festival season thus providing artist availability. I have been over to Vancouver Island, Whistler, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, The West End, Coal Harbour, Kits, Oakridge, Yaletown, Shaughnessy, Strathcona, Mt. Pleasant, Gastown, Commercial Drive, and Hastings Sunrise to capture these images. I have never spent so much time in East Vancouver in my life, and I have been constantly amazed at how many fantastic areas there are in the city. The hospitality I have received has been truly amazing. Many times I left homes a little wobbly, with a full stomach, but always happy.

When you ask yourself what do you want to do in your life and the answer comes back – I am doing exactly what I love to do – that is a pretty fantastic realization. Every day working on this series has been awesome. Every day, I was able to spend quality time with some of the most interesting, talented, and inspiring people in the city. Overcoming the mental inertia of all things you tell you yourself why something won't work is the hardest part. The crazy thing about it is, literally, you just have to start doing it. I have made a concerted effort in my life to do this and it takes vigilance to remind yourself to go for what you want.

For me, #ArtistAtHome became much more than just a taking a cool photo. It was getting to know people, away from the chit chat that usually occurs out at a venue before or after a performance. There is something unique about being in someones home, photographing them. If I was a relative stranger when I came in, I felt like I bonded through the process with every single person and when I left I had a new or strengthened friendship. I think sometimes Vancouverites might not appreciate how many talented people we have in this city and it has been my absolute pleasure to celebrate these people and share them with everyone I know. It has been amazing to watch the reaction and the outpouring of support the photos and stories have received from their friends and family. To have people believe in what you are doing is a pretty great feeling.

continued below.....

Louise Burns

Matt Rhode

Kendal Carson

Shawn Hook

The Artist's stories – your stories are fascinating. From inspiring to tragic to really funny. One thing I have noticed amongst most people in the series are the sacrifices and the struggle that comes with a life of pursuing their dream. Not everyone is going to be a mega star, although, I believe anything can happen. The definition of success at its core is personal. For most, their drive comes from the love, and the need to express themselves through the doing of 'it' whatever their craft. Canadian star Steve Bays of the band Mounties told me the reason he works so many crazy hours is the fear of having to do something he didn't want to be doing for somebody else, even if it means working twice as much.

In theory, this project could go on indefinitely, as there are always more new and talented people to bring to you and that, is a good thing. This of course will have to wait until it is safe to do so. I have a huge heartfelt thanks to all of the Artists that have let me into their lives and homes. Time spent on this has been very special to me and one of the best experiences of my life.

Love to all,

Christopher

JP Maurice

Sadie Campbell

Shaun Verreault

Ashleigh Ball

Jay Senetchko

Well it was a bit of a night last night hanging out with today's #ArtistAtHome. I can tell you not only is he an instructor at Vancouver Film School teaching life-drawing, perspective, composition and history, author of visual art textbooks and adult storybooks, a gifted painter and part of the Phantoms in the Front Yard figurative collective, but he pours some hella fancy drinks. I was greeted with an Espresso Boulvardier 1.5 parts bourbon, .75 campari, .25 sweet vermouth, 25 coffee, bitters (dash) a pinch of smoked hickory and finished off with a twist of lemon rind ! All stirred over ice and poured into a nice glass. Please meet my gracious host Jay Senetchko. I had met Jay at one of his art openings several years ago after being invited by our common friend Pennylane Shen and was really impressed with his grand canvases. In fact, one of his coolest exhibitions I have seen a couple of years ago called 'Industry and the Sleepwatchers' he built a replica of the prairie farmhouse depicted in his paintings on the empty lot down at Concord Pacific to house the show ! The series is a story about his grandfather's involvement in the Alberta oil patch and the positive and negative aspects of how the oil and gas industry affect domestic life. I had never heard of an artist purpose building the gallery for a show and then dismantling it all afterwards to be will be used by Sole Food Farms as packing sheds. Very neat. We had a great night listening to movie soundtracks on Vinyl starting off with Star Wars. In my opinion you can't go wrong with that one. It inevitably led to a discussion of the movie themselves and that's when the trouble started. Jay seemed not to care about the importance of showing how Anniken Skywalker turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader. Shocking ! I know. After that he put on one of his favourite soundtracks - Conan The Barbarian. Honestly, I have seen the movie a long time ago and the only thing I really remember about it was the sound of the head that Conan throws down the steps. It sounded like an old boot flopping down. Good Times ! Jay has been busy putting together new works for a show in the fall and currently has some pieces in a Phantoms in the Front Yard show at The Cultch. For more info on all things Jay Senetchko check out his website www.senetchko.ca ! Many thanks to Jay for a most excellent evening!

Noah Walker

Melody Mangler

Steve Bays

Cobra Ramone

Craig Northey

David Roberts

Shirley Gnome

Jasmin Parkin

Dustin Bentall

Wil Mimnaugh

So yesterday's #artistathome ended with me being over on Vancouver Island with Shawn Hall. Well, being the good guy that he is, we loaded his car with my gear and he drove me up island 45 minutes to Qualicum Beach,, to the home of today's featured artist - Wil. If the name of his website doesn't give you some indication of how hard he plays the guitar, then nothing will. 'ibreakstrings.com' Known for his amazing live shows ,he had just returned from a tour opening for the legendary Burton Cummings, so the timing of this island foray couldn't have been better. It was pretty cool to introduce these guys to each other, as they had never met before. Honestly, it was great to just sit back and listen to these two amazing musicians banter about familiar venues and life on the road. Although he wanted to stay, Shawn had to get back home to his boys, but it was hard for him to leave as we were having such a great time. Wil and his wife Caroline, who is also his manager, were so kind to me. The beers were flowing as they prepared a lovely steak dinner, and we eventually got around to taking some photographs in his studio room. It was decided early on, that since there was little time to do the shoot and make the last ferry, that I would just stay the night in their guest bedroom and they would drive me to the ferry the next day. I was so appreciative of their hospitality, not to mention the chance to talk and get to know each other on that level was awesome. I have always respected his amazing talent, and it was quite something to be in the space where he actually records some of his demos. I even got to preview some of his new songs and some of his commercial work. Wil not only had the official song of the Calgary Stampede's 100th anniversary but his song 'Roam' is used on the award winning ' Travel Alberta-Video' that has over 4 million YouTube views and continues to be shown on TV. It was pretty close to 2am by the time we shut it down. We got up, had some great coffee and breakfast and continued to talk about everything, not just music. One thing that struck me, was when he told me about the toughest interview question he felt he was ever asked, which was something like ' what does it feel like to be carving out a living in an industry that notoriously has the majority of it's odds stacked well against you especially nowadays? ' And he told me that it kind of caught him off balance, as he never actually thought of it those terms before. It's a labour of love, there is no certainty; of fame, of money, of anything really – I am just in it for the ride (with my gal, of course). It’s bloody scary and thrilling, dark and bright, wondrous and wicked. It’s a roller coaster ride. That’s why his latest album is called El Paseo – it means ‘The Ride’ in Spanish. Many thanks to Wil, Caroline, and Shawn for a weekend I will never forget.

Tyler Bancroft

David Vertesi

Well I know there are nearly 3,000 people out there that know who this rather fine if not a little 'grumpy' looking gentlemen is judging by his Instagram followers. I am of course speaking about Gary (@hisnameisgary) the cat. Seen here with a member of his staff who is responsible for all of the routine housekeeping chores and whom Gary, from time to time, indulges their (clearly failed) attempts to entertain him. Looks I caught one of these moments! I had a chance to visit Gary in his East Vancouver home a few days ago but due to the language barrier I gradually just ended up talking with his employee David Vertesi. David tells me that Gary is pretty nice but doesn't pay that well, so he has to play in band called Hey Ocean, have a solo career, manage other bands and be one of the chief organizers of the best charity concert event in Vancouver the past 4 years in row called SingItFwd, in support of the Saint James Music Academy. David is just really passionate about making our city a better place to live and fundamental to this idea is instilling the passion for music in young people. Children then grow up to have a greater appreciation for the arts, making it easier for people to have careers in the arts. We also chatted about other related topics like the limitations of the current - direct to artist grant model and how it might be more helpful to artists to provide funds to the support infrastructure (venues, recording studios, etc) that would allow artists to reduce their costs to access these services. It is a pretty complicated topic to say the least. Another really interesting initiative that David is currently working on is the creation of a 'Mural Festival' along the Main Street corridor that would combine the arts in the style similar to RIFFLANDIA FESTIVAL - Having a main stage with top headliners for a free show on the Science World grounds and then having all of the many venues in the area host shows. The dream is to bring it to reality in the summer of 2016 and I think this is an awesome idea! Two hours went by so fast with chatting that we eventually got around to taking some photos. Many thanks to David and Gary for the excellent visit.

Chin Injeti

Well, it took a long time, a couple of months in fact, of persistently circling back with this #ArtistAtHome to find an opening in his schedule to make this happen. When you are an ultra-talented producer with Two Grammy Awards, a multi-instrumentalist and founding member of a JUNO winning band you are in demand. He has worked with the biggest names in music like Eminem, Pink, Nas and Busta Rhymes. He is constantly on the move between his studio in downtown Vancouver and New York and L.A. It really came to down to the wire on this one as we were only able to get together this morning for this shoot. I am super proud to have such an amazing talent to feature for the 100th consecutive day of #ArtistAtHome. Please meet Chin Injeti ! I was fortunate to have a long discussion with him after he recently spoke and performed at a special music themed PechaKucha Night Vancouver at The Vogue Theatre. What was amazing about his talk was that he didn't get up and talk about all of the awards he has won and all of the superstars and 'up and comers' he has worked with. Instead he spoke of 'Gratitude' and how truly thankful that he was for the life he has. It has not been an easy road, having been born in India and contracted polio which left him wheelchair bound for most of his early life. He was grateful to his amazing parents that moved their lives to Canada to give him a better life and chance for treatment. Lessons learned in the struggle to overcome his illness have suited him well being an artist. He learned anything is possible if you work hard and he credits that work ethic as instrumental to his successes. We chatted about the struggle and the sacrifices we both have seen in the lives of people pursuing their dreams. It isn't easy and he says he gets anxious if work slows down. He wants his kids to have the same opportunities as the children whose parents have regular jobs and it drives him on. I have talked to many artists about what it is like to be opening for a major act, and he told me a funny story about getting to tour with James Brown for three weeks when Chin's trio, Base is Base was still together. Despite being the opening band for Brown, they had yet to meet him and it was nearing the end of the tour. They actually had to call somebody to arrange a meeting. As he tells it, when the time came for them to meet James Brown, they entered a room filled with Brown's band on one side and a bunch of women on the other side looking very disinterested. An assistant walked the length of the room to where James Brown was sitting, with hair curlers on, under one of those domed hairdryers getting his nails done. 'Mr. Brown – the kids are here to meet you. ' The kids ? He replied. 'Oh right -yes...The Kids.... send them over ' (Kids being Chin and his bandmates who where in their 20's) Apparently, Brown got up with curlers in hair, said hello to the three of them, exchanged a few pleasantries and says 'let's do a picture !' With curlers still in his hair the four of them posed for a shot. No sooner had camera clicked when Brown says ' Ok – get the F@ck out ! ' Such can be, these brushes with superstars. Many thanks to Chin for squeezing me into his schedule! For all things Chin Injeti check out his website at www.chininjeti.com

Shawn Hall

Every once in a while you come across an amazing story of true inspiration and community amongst musicians. To make it even better it is wrapped up in one of the most memorable experiences I have had since beginning this #ArtistAtHome project. Now today's feature artist has been a supporter of my work since we met a couple of years ago, and he is a dynamite harmonica player and singer and the other half of the duo The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer. His name is Shawn Hall. He had not only just returned from the JUNO's after their album ' A Real Fine Mess' got a nomination for 'Blues Album of the Year' but also sat in with Colin James for shows in Vancouver and Nanaimo where Shawn now lives. When I asked him about the doing the portrait I mentioned the only way it was going to be feasible would be for him to pick me at the ferry and take me back after the shoot and he replied immediately and said 'yes of course no problem'. He picked me up off the noon ferry with his boys and took me for lunch at his partner's cafe 'The Bees Knees' in Nanaimo where she makes delicious sandwiches and baked goods. While setting up for the shoot at his home, Shawn shows me this worn vinyl album by Sonny & Browne and says 'This record is the reason why I am a blues musician today' Years ago he soaked up everything to do with that album and I mean everything including who co-produced it. This knowledge would later set up a magical experience many years later when HarpAxe was playing the Salmon Arm Blues and Roots Festival in the summer of 2013. It was midnight in the lobby of their hotel when Shawn overheard a gentleman trying to check in and it was overbooked. Mo Rogers was his name and Shawn turned around to say ' THE Mo Rogers that produced the Sonny & Browne Album in 1973 ? It is because of that record that I am here playing this festival today!' It was the start of an amazing weekend for Shawn hanging out with Mo picking his brain about the blues. A month later Shawn received a personal copy of that album from Mo with the following inscription in marker, on the inside sleeve " To Shawn. Blues is truth and you are a part of a great tradition. Sonny inspired you and now you inspire others. This is the power of the Blues. Peace, Love and Blues. M. Rogers 8-29-13" Now if that isn't F@cking cool then nothing is! Stay tuned to find out how the rest of my time on the island turned out. It was pretty awesome too. Many thanks to Shawn. Peace Love and Blues !

Rick Buckman Coe

Lola Frost

Tom Landa

Zach Gray

Colleen Rennison

Scott Smith

Well Friends - I honestly can't believe it has been 90 straight days presenting at new #artistathome everyday! It has been such an amazing time. Everyday, spending time with great people and getting to know them better. Getting to know YOU better. Thank you for inviting me into your homes, without you letting me into your lives there would be no project! It is fitting in many ways that today's #artistathome harkens back to some of the first shows I photographed out here and one of the starting premises of this endevour- To capture artists away from the venues we are accustomed to seeing them. I have photographed him several times over the years playing with Rich Hope, and he is stellar guitarist, a true ringer for lots people around town including Barney Bentall & The Cariboo Express, Ridley Bent, Leeroy Stagger, and Bocephus King. He has been touring as the band leader for country star Aaron Pritchett and makes everyone he plays with sound better. Please meet Scott Smith. As he tells it he is one of 5 Scott Smith's that are on file for renting gear at Long & McQuade - Vancouver. So everyone - this is THE Scott Smith I was able to catch up with him, just a couple of hours before he was heading out to play dates in the interior and Alberta. As you can see his basement wall is a roll call of show posters of bands he has played with over the years. We chatted about longevity in the music business and he seems to be in a happy place with a combination of live shows and studio sessions. His schedule allows him to spend lots of time at home with his young boys, who haven't quite caught the musical bug, but when they do, they will have an awesome teacher. It was a long time in coming but Scott finally put together a truly solo project ' Just A Season' a couple of years ago. I haven't had a chance to check them out live but gave me a copy of the CD and I have listened to it several times and it is great. I have a real soft spot for music that is part twang, rock, folk and country. He brought in many of his favourite awesome players to bring it to life, several of whom I am happy to say have been featured here including, Kendel Carson, Geoff Hicks, Rich Hope, Erik Nielsen, and Michelle Faehrmann. Many Thanks to Scott for the excellent visit ! Check out his stuff at www.justaseason.ca.

Kuba Oms

Dan Moxon