I just took some time to update my portfolio. Below are some highlights that I am super excited to share.
Please check out my portfolio website, christopherrouleau.com, for all the newest work.
May is fast approaching, so here the next installment of my calendar lettering project, 12 in 13 for 14. Go cast your vote now!
I was honoured when the University of Calgary Department of Drama asked me to create a piece of commemorative art for my the retirement of my former professor and mentor, Gavin Semple. From 1977-2013, he worked on 51 productions (!) at the two theatres on campus: The University Theatre, and the Reeve Theatre. The completed piece shown above is hybrid of the two theatre ground plans, overlaid with the names and years of all the plays he helped design. The 30" x 22.5" artwork was printed in black and white on an oversize plotter to simulate the look of a blueprint. The black ink on heavy white archival paper gives the quality of black velvet, which is evocative of backstage theatre drapes.
Congratulations Gavin on the 36 years you've given to the theatre community at the University of Calgary. And a personal thank you for contributing to the artist I am today.
On April 17, 1963, my grandparents were wed. Today is their 50th wedding anniversary.
An asterisk can denote something that requires attention — and an event of this magnitude and impact certainly deserves some attention. The asterisk can also provide *emphasis* to important information amidst fields of plain text. The root of the word comes from the Greek astēr or “star” - signifying hope and light. In computer terms, it’s a wildcard character … and hurricanes are certainly wild and unpredictable.
Wind, the flow of air, is one of the few forces of nature that we can only see by the objects that it touches. Wind can also deliver both joy and destruction. This asterisk glyph was inspired by two seemingly divergent objects that make this elusive, unpredictable force tangible: a hurricane and a pinwheel.
The overall black shape represents the counter-clockwise motion of a hurricane, one of our planet's most unforgiving natural disasters. The spiralling segments are also evocative of a folded paper pinwheel, a memento of childhood that captures the otherwise innocence carried in wind. The hurricane/pinwheel motif draws the eye round and round, while simultaneously holding the 6-point asterisk shape in its negative space (like the eye of a storm).
Like the wind itself, the asterisk can only be seen by the objects that surround it. The glyph is designed to oscillate between black and white, between positive and negative. It is a reminder of nature's complexity: light cannot exist without shadow, good cannot exist with bad, and joy cannot exist without destruction.
Please support the Red Cross and purchase your copy of Font Aid VI: Aster Affects here.
Here is a recent project which combined two things I am passionate about: infographics and personal well-being. This fact sheet was complied by Chris Roberts, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, who offers natural treatments for anxiety. The infographic is designed to educate patients about the importance of relaxation, and offer tips on relaxation techniques.
Please don't hesitate to contact Dr. Roberts to receive your own copy, or if you have any questions about anxiety, stress management or naturopathic remedies.
Last year, I participated in the Sporting Life 10K Run, a fundraiser which helps raise money for Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children with cancer. Last year, through the generosity of family and friends (old and new), I was able to raise $420. I am still amazed, and immensely grateful.
Thank you in advance for your support and encouragement.