It is often the case that when you find art you dig, you find people you really click with, too. That’s how it is for me with my friends David Hoover and Darryl Wiebe at Compressed Company down on Borden Ave in Kitchener. I check in with these guys to see how their work is progressing and catch up.
I’ve got more for you here, but first: if you read my community-building stories, please support them with your pocket change. The Referrer stats on my blog tell me my work is helping real estate agents, arts orgs, local bars, musicians, academic institutions, municipal govt and tech companies. If you are any of those, kicking a few bucks my way will keep the stories flowing. Ok, now more street art…
Brohemus and I hit The Sign Depot late Saturday afternoon wherein you will find the studio of Compressed Company. One great thing about this crew is that everything, including the imminent show, is a work in progress. That’s my kind of show.
Darryl was busy doing something but grabbed a rag when he saw me shooting this piece. “Wait! Let me dust it off!” I asked David if this piece had been cut on the CNC router, but he assured me it was all hand-carved from foam and coated.
You can buy this piece called “Throw” by just emailing David and Darryl. Love the 3D relief effect and the backlight looks great.
Cold in the studio.
Wondered what was up with this green dust, but first…
Stormtrooper! With the gilt circles and script it sort of knocks you back to the early Byzantine art you studied in school but with a 1977 flavour. Stormtrooper as saint.
About that green dust…
and the model trains: in the street art domain the canvas is often a rail car. So this is a nod to those origins. David tells me that some artists will only “paint on steel”, taking a purist approach.
The trick is to make the loop of track…
come out of the wall and loop around to go out again. David on the hole saw.
Lunch.
Here comes the mantelshelf track bed covered in greenery and some pretty wicked faux foam rocks.
Hey, the guys gave me a framed print of a piece I loved from their last show I shot. Thanks and high-five.
Darryl Wiebe and my Brohemus, Dave White, a painter in his own right.
Portrait time. Mr. Darryl Wiebe.
LED taillights in this new piece.
Throws on vinyl (yes, I know it’s upside down).
Most of this work is collaborative. I asked David if there was a piece that he alone had done and it took a minute for him to find one.
You know it’s a serious show when you’re cutting holes in the wall an hour before go-time.
Deck.
David explained the kick in the work…
and this cool element. A friend and fellow artist “Syris” from a far-away city contributed this tagged miniature train car.
And he wasn’t the only one. So this element of the show reaches beyond Waterloo Region.
Looking deeper into the work, you’ll see familiar architecture and the cranes that have become semi-permanent fixtures of our cityscape.
Not terribly evident from this photo, but a number of the pieces had a glassy resin coating which is difficult to do in a dusty studio. There is a great piece there with maple leaves that you’ll have to see in person for the full effect. The resin gives an interesting sense of depth.
I see the Kaufman Lofts.
More green.
Then tracks.
Even the company logo features the city.
City installed.
Portrait: Mr. David Hoover.
Time to go.
Better let this work…
wrap up before the guests arrive.
Yup. Like a boss.
Construction cannot keep us from the art.
On Borden Ave South, this is Kitchener.
DW
Can anyone just stop by The Sign Depot to check out the work? Nice post, love those train cars.
No, it’s not a drop-in thing. They guys work day jobs elsewhere, Agnes. Probably best to email them at compressedcompany@gmail.com and set up an appointment.
very, very nice work.