Halo Halo Psych Bike Jam

After working a late night in the studio, who would have expected I’d be chilling with Drake and 40?!?!??! After getting a message from Drizzy that he wanted my new Aaliyah Kaleidoscope T-Shirt, I booted over on my psych bike. We talked shop about music, art, Toronto & Aaliyah. Its so inspirational to know they are homegrown Toronto talent, and its even better that they’re really chill, humble dudes too. Love for Aaliyah.

This past weekend we jammed with our friends at Halo Halo Village in a one-day-psych-bike-factory-marathon. Psychlists, juice, chunes, colour, flavour, homies, footballs, sun tan lotion, Bluffs, shiny things, ponies scraping away time.

Top 3 Functions of a Psych Bike:
1. Anti-Theft
Who needs a a lock that costs more than their beater bike? Psych out your bike and theives are deterred from snatching them when you are not looking. Trust me. Who wants to waste time stripping off a psych bike when they can steal about 10 plain ol’ naked bikes in the same amount of time. Or who would be dumb enough to try and steal my bike? I mean, its CLEARLY my psych bike.

2. Road Safety
Cars go right around me when I am riding my Psych Bike. For real, with fancy wheels like that its like riding a giant reflector.

3. Its looks psyyyyych
I even got props from a cop when I was riding my Psych Bike on Bloor and had Gangstarr blasting in the boombox. book it.

Archived: Process, Happenings, Halo Halo Village, Psych Bike


Iris dubbs Winston’s crown pony with a gold and silver leather harlequin wrap. Sexy.


Irie wrapping an 8 colour deluxe on Isla’s pony


The deer head made it back on my bike, this time on the rear with a boombox! Alex sold t-shirts off a ladder, haawt.


Alex spins out my pony


supplies


Tets took this photo


Tets took this photo of my pony


Psychlists pimp their rydes


To go along with my boombox, I also had a drum on the side. Who needs a bell????


Iris’ leather spread, yummy.


Winston’s psych scraper bike


Natalie’s pony


A bug’s life


The skid benches we made are also good for napzzzzzzz


Keep it raw


door is open, all welcome.


Photos taken by Jesse Milns

 
The Kids Think I’m From S P A C E
7.15.2011Its the best making art with kids. Sounds like a cliché, but I really do love kids art! They are so unhinged and already so invested in the project. I was teaching 3-5 year olds about screen printing and Space at
Children’s Art Studio at the Artscape Wychwood Barns. Its awesome studio run by my dear friend Lynn Jackson.I told the kids I was from Space and that I would get them some shooting stars and we ended up printing a whole galaxy of stars! They were so inspiring to work with, I don’t have to convince them, they are already there with me.’Jeff, how long does it take to get to space with the Space Bike?’ ‘Is it dirty in space that is why your pants are like that?’ ‘Do the rainbows on the Space Bike go to space too?’ Gosh these little martians are brilliant, I love my job.Space is the P L A C EArchived: Screen Printing, Halo Halo Garage, Process, Workshops


Moon Landing


Instead of calling them squeegies the kids prefer ‘Fudgies’. DONE.


Look how cute these little martians are!


On food break the girls tell me about their Justin Beiber nail polish over tea time.


Pull like a row boat!


Overprinting with kids is so hot right now


The kids try on the Space Helmet


The 3 year olds then asked me, ‘Can we paint the Space Bike?!’ How could I say no?


Life of a nomadic printmaker. As I ride off they say ‘We’ll watch for you in space!’

Space is the P L A C E

7.12.2011

Have you ever had your mind read? Trust me, you don’t want to miss this show. My old friend Nicholas Wallace is a professional magician that has been dropping jawshis whole life. He is actually the magic champion of Canada—- no joke! Nick is also is one of the most talented people I know not too mention one of the nicest dudes around.

His latest project is called ‘The Mind Reader’ premieres this Friday for the Hamilton Fringe Festival. I printed up these posters that Nick designed, what can he not do? Like ol’ timey circus posters….

Nick is the only friend I have that has a ‘MINDREADING’ binder on his office shelf. So who wants to go???????

Show times HERE

Archived: Screen Printing, Halo Halo Garage, Shows

Recently I visited Nick at his beautiful home in Grimsby and this shelf in his office always makes me smile.
‘agreements, agreements, durable, fringe, MINDREADING’

N E W C I V I L I Z A T I O N S
6.22.2011This past Saturday we were blessed to have some of Toronto’s best musicians come play a FREE REGGAE show at the Village. Thank you so much Isla, Colin, Brandon, Scott, and Eric for playing in the scorching sun, spreading the smiles and dancing in the streets.The good vibrations sent the feathers out to the neighbourhood folk and we met some new wonderful people. Denissa, her husband Maru and their beautiful children call the place Magic Land and we are going to throw their crazy birthday here in a month or so! What a life…….Archived: Halo Halo Village

All smiles in the sun. Denissa and her kids are from a couple doors over and they call me ‘Uncle Jeff’ now!


Do you have a permit for this Happiness?


Pulling some improv custom stylin with scissors and a sewing machine. I made these custom oversized printed tanks for the band,
email me if you want one, 20 bone$.

Rambo tequila shots while undressing a Slam Dunk
6.21.2011Archived: Halo Halo Village, Found

I made a bar table out of a found basketball hoop and backboard for our Sari Sari Salon at the Village.S-W-I-S-H


Our beautiful Halo Halo resident bartender Karie Liao lets the tequila flow at our Beniffer Showcase on the weekend.

Aboriginal Stylin’
6.21.2011I have been leading a series of screen printing workshops for Aboriginal youth funded by the Ontario Arts Council. Most of the students are artists in the age range of 18-26 years old and some of them are also heavily involved in their communities. Lyndy and Leslie brought in some of the traditional textiles and I was blown away by the patterning and colours. There is a pow-wow this Saturday at Dufferin Grove in Toronto and some of them will be dancing, go check them out.Archived: Halo Halo Garage, Workshops, Screen Printing, Inspiration

Incredible colours and patterning. Check out that bead work!


Leading the workshop with textile artist Alana McLeod and Amanda Strong


Michaela Cruz is one of my past students that I continue to mentor and she also made the delicious food for the workshop.


Printing food cooked by Michaela Cruz: Mixed salads with walnuts, red wine vinegar and sunflower oil. Chicken, red peppers,
onions and mushrooms simmered in balsamic vinegar and rosemary. Pasta with cauliflower, cheddar cheese, goat cheese and celery.