Amuse-Bouche De Roi- the Kings Dinner

Queen Elizabeth I
Let us celebrate the Crowned Head of Gastown.

Funny there’s a municipal election going today, and it matters not at all. For on this last Thursday evening in Gastown, a monarch was selected by Amuse-Bouche, followed by a coronation dinner. I mean really, who said democracy has to be achieved by something as mundane as an election. In the City State of Gastown things are a run little differently, it’s Government by lottery. Our head of state is selected by Amuse-Bouche, from among a court of 20 dinner guests. Each guest receives an Amuse-Bouche/Objet d'Art, one of these treats contains a sterling silver Ruckle bean. The Person who receives the Ruckle bean is then coronated, ascending to the position of Ruling Monarch.

THE LUCKY GUEST WHO GETS THE BEAN
BECOMES THE RULiNG KiNG OR QUEEN

Queen Elizabeth I and the consort King Ravi

There are two crowned heads at the table. The Ruckle bean selects the monarch, the monarch chooses who may wear the other crown. On the King’s crown is inscribed this verse, “ Long live our King, lets celebrate, Gastown is a city state. Sing and Feast and Celebrate, Our King is Good Our King is Great. ” The Queen’s crown is inscribed with a very simple truth “However The King may rule The Queen runs the show”. I designed these crowns, first by sculpting components for casting, after the components were cast and finished, I brought them to a goldsmith for assembly and stone setting. The Amuse-Bouche/objet d’art were loaded each with a sterling snowflake from the Royal Canadian Snowflake Collection.

will post more pictures on this one...

Crown Commissioner : Scott Hawthorn
Goldsmith: Karen Morrow
Casting: Jess Sarber
Leather Work: Ravi Pankhania
Photo Credit: Landon Marie

Sheep Graffiti

Ireland is a green place, and that’s been said in different ways by many great writers. Further, there’s been much academic attention paid to the importance of street art and its rise, from late twentieth century graffiti, through to a kind of museum quality death. Perhaps something that’s not been discussed enough is sheep tagging. Farmers used to the history of grazing their livestock on common land, get into branding their sheep in this manner. It makes the sheep easy to identify and reveals a savage beauty; in stark contrast, to all those bucolic eighteenth and nineteenth century genre paintings, depicting country life.

Serious beauty, I was lagging behind my hosts on this walk and saw a lovely cow, grazing on grass which I’m certain had been infused with absinthe. I fell in love here, this land and it’s beauty, the Irish are inspirational. I participated in Clifden arts week. My dear friend Joanna Galloway operates Hair Gallery on Bridge street and she sponsored my exhibition. And so for one amazing week I was able to meet and greet people, read my stories and show my work. In the evenings I went to gigs in the pubs of Clifden and was treated to a musical feast. Electric Jazz, Country, Folk and Irish Traditional, It was truly an honor to participate in this event and I had a super time.


















This is one of the pieces I exhibited, it is a representation of a deer being hunted by wolves, it’s a synthesis inspired by the form lines of pacific northwest coast art, celtic knot work, mathematics and retinal color theory.


















Also for the first time ever, I exhibited the complete collection of scanning electron micrographs, of the worlds smallest book. ‘Teeny Ted from Turnip Town- a success story’ was written by my brother, Malcolm Douglas Chaplin and designed and published by me. I'm glad that I saved the premier exhibition of this for Ireland, as the most significant part of the story happens on Blooms Day.














































































































On the Last Friday of Clifden Arts Week there was a fantastic parade. It's a celebration and the craic is mighty! The parade is a kaleidoscope of color and imagination. I hope to return to Clifden as soon as possible, to stay for as long as I can. Shout out to Joanna, Simon, and Catherine. Word.

An Object Lesson in Macro-Economics

what is this mysterious object ? this sphere of hematite carved by my hand using diamonds and water? The designs are inspired by the backside of a Greenback, American dollar bill and circumscribed with magic text. “Made round to go round”, Something my Father used to say about money. An object lesson in macro-economics, perchance to help with quantitative easing?

My Grandfather said, “ you can’t spend yourself rich” and, “ the next depression would be high priced ”. He was right of course, the elderly very often are. The US government is printing money faster than anyone can spend it. The effect is that it costs more to buy anything. It’s not that things have increased in value, rather that the money is very very cheap. Fiat money never survives long, a symptom of a regime in decay.

This stone is a crystal of iron oxide, yet it will never rust. When Hematite is carved it makes blood red dust. It can be magnetized and it’s hardness is about 5 1/2 on Mohs scale. It is a durable, hard stone, carving and it will remain intact until the sun consumes the inner planets. Metaphysicians believe this stone has grounding properties. With money and metaphysics, grounding has value.

photo credit: Peter Lattimer

Free Range Democracy: Leaf in the Wind

What happened in Vancouver last night ? Our team lost a hockey tournament, and we tore our city apart in angry rampage. A riot, poor sportsmanship and free range democracy, we can only blame ourselves.

And so I present, my latest carving, a ‘Leaf in the Wind’, an individual carried by current, without intention. People are a bit like that and one at a time is no problem. This work was made of basalt, carved by my hand, using diamonds and water. I wanted to create the illusion that hard stone could be weightless, that a leaf could be thin and light and carried by the spiral form currents of turbulence.

Some may pick up a hard stone and throw it through a window, I choose to carve something interesting. Most people are unfamiliar with work like this, it has a production value similar to dentistry. And in the end, I believe it’s more worthwhile than looting and rioting.


private collection: John Taylor
photo credit: Peter Lattimer

Amuse-Bouche De Roi

LONG LiVE OUR KiNG LET’S CELEBRATE
GASTOWN iS A CITY STATE
SiNG AND FEAST AND CELEBRATE
OUR KiNG iS GOOD OUR KiNG iS GREAT

There’s a crowned head in Gastown, and what Royal proclamation would be complete without a crown? Considering Gastown's historical relationship with the colonial Government of British Columbia and the Nation State of Canada, it's hardly surprising that Gastown has succeeded. That the Crown Commissioner of Gastown through his agency, saw fit to have me work upon this project for our King is a blessed miracle! and clearly illustrates the ancient relationship between Divine Right and Artistic License.


We will celebrate the Coronation with Amuse-Bouche De Roi. A festive tradtion for investing the King of Gastown. Long Live The King !

Crown Commissioner : Scott Hawthorn
Goldsmith: Karen Morrow
Casting: Jess Sarber
Leather Work: Ravi Pankhania
Photo Credit: Mel Yap

Political Geography...Somwhere on The Border

Somewhere on the border between BC and Alberta, Bull Moose poses majestically in alpine vista with Grizzly Bear and Bighorn Sheep. If we look out on to the plains we can see a heard of Bison and a sky full of birds in flight. Life here is good, despite a federal election, and I thank the power of Creation that my animal friends maintain a certain kind of respect for Political Geography.

This 40”x 60” brush drawing was commissioned by architect, snowflake sponsor, and friend Gair Williamson. Further, my nature pictures are not cartoons, and so all of my animal friends sport the gifts of creation. Bear has mighty teeth, Birds have wings, and Bull Moose has magnificent antlers.

Photo Credit: Mel Yap

What’s in a Book ? - isbn 978-1-894897-25-9

What’s in a book ? and anyways, why are books so magical ? I've some thoughts on the matter and may at this point share them.

A book is a containment system for knowledge. Whether it be a clay tablet, scroll, codex or electronic application; a book is a compartmental unit of specific information. The information contained may be of any level of importance, everything and anything; understanding modern plumbing, instructions for burning witches, recipes for delicious cakes and pies, poetry, history, nonfiction, and fairy tales. Irregardless of relevance, form or content, engaging with a book is an act of revelation. Open up the covers, and we are in, experiencing the word, entertained, and enlightened.

This wise stuff aside, the book in codex form has another, more inappropriate function. It can be used to conceal an object. This old chestnut... take a big book in hard covers, one seldom opened, commonly the Bible. Open the book and cut holes in the pages , until you have created enough usable space, to hide something important. Place your secret object in the book, close the covers, and place the book on a bookshelf. Excellent! you have successfully hidden the goods in a manner no one will ever suspect.

Now that I've given you the background information, this is what you are looking at. A book, a medal, my latest publication: The Robert Reid Medal, to be precise. The medal was commissioned by the Alcuin Society and named after Robert Reid, a pioneer in Canadian book design. Presented nationally, the Robert Reid Medal celebrates lifetime achievement in book creation. The design was carved by my hand then cast in bronze at the studio of my colleague Jess Sarber. After the medals were cast, each one was hand finished by me. This work was completed in an edition of 25 with 5 artists proofs.

Regarding the revelatory and concealing power of books, it seemed most fitting, to encase each medal in this manner. Within this context the medal becomes a dimensional illustration, and since I've taken to publication as an act of contemporary art, it would be reasonable to assign an ISBN to this project. The book itself consists of an essay written by Yosef Wosk, regarding the value of a life spent in creation. The typography was designed electronically, burned into polymer plates, then printed and bound at Black Stone Press. A purpose built and published work to simultaneously protect and reveal a lifetime of excellence.

photo credit: Peter Lattimer

robertchaplin (at) lightspeed (dot) ca

The Royal Canadian Snowflake Collection

The Royal Canadian Snowflake Collection came to me in the vision of a flurry, wind hustling silver snowflakes, swirling, dancing, everlasting. Every snowflake in the collection is sculpted by my hand, then permanently cast in sterling silver. The collection is produced exclusively through sponsorship, like discovering a new star, sponsors get to name their snowflake.

Sponsors receive the first snowflake cast, to keep or give to a friend. The first snowflake is signed and delivered, as a pendant or lapel pin, it's name engraved on the back. The pictorial collection is updated periodically, each snowflake pictured includes the name of the sponsor and the name of their snowflake. We are all Royal Canadians and sponsoring a snowflake is easy, to find out more please visit. http://royalcanadiansnowflake.com

photo credit: Peter Lattimer

robertchaplin (at) lightspeed (dot) ca

-© Robert Chaplin admmx. copy cats are dirty rats
* Hats off to Wilson Bentley, for inspiration and a life well spent.

Faire Dodo, perchance to dream... in sterling

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have heard it said that, “faire dodo” means nighty-night in french.

Regarding the sterling Dodo, at some point I published ‘The Last Dodo’, complete with cast sterling medal, isbn, rhyme and dedication. The text portion of this work was reproduced in ‘Brussels Sprouts & Unicorns’. Here’s a taste of the medal for your perusal, The model was first carved in hematite, by my hand using diamonds and water, it was then cast in sterling , hand finished, then signed. Each and every dodo is slightly different, an original work of art, to be worn as jewelry. Own one, if it pleases you...

for $180.00 Canadian Dollars
* shipping included

Word to Ralfe Whistler, Happy Belated Dodo. Eighty is a grand age indeed, to be riding bicycles, chasing our favorite Romaphile, and hunting dodo's. Well done!

photo credit: Peter Lattimer

robertchaplin (at) lightspeed (dot) ca

-© Robert Chaplin admmx. copy cats are dirty rats

Bull Moose in Alpine Space: Magna Carta du Canada

Magna Carta du Canada. Let the free and wild peoples of this nation reign supreme. Let the majesty of wild lands blind all suburban vision. Let taxation be paid directly to the land which sustains us; to the mountains, plains, forests, rivers, lakes, streams, and seas. Let the seed of legend be planted in wilderness, that we might hunt together and build a society, which is as elegant as the trees, and as happy as my animal friends.

This 40”x 60” brush drawing depicts Bull Moose in Alpine Space; it is the result of a conversation I had with my friend, patron , and colleague, Peter Lattimer. You may notice this picture has a lot of wild space, and that it has been populated with my favorite Canadian animal friends. Beaver is sitting on his lodge, Grizzly mother and cub are taking the time to reflect, Mountain Goat is overlooking the entire vista, while the birds migrate left. Complete with teeth, antlers, horns, and tails, my animals are anatomically correct; after all this is fine art, which means respect has to be paid to naturalistic representation.

Photo Credit: Mel Yap

robertchaplin (at) lightspeed (dot) ca