My art, t-shirts, greeting cards and more at these fine storefronts:

Tidewater Books
13 Bridge Street
Sackville, New Brunswick

Fog Forest Gallery
14 Bridge Street
Sackville, New Brunswick

Eclection
55 Byward Market Sq.
Byward Market
Ottawa, Ontario

Riverguild Fine Crafts
51 Gore St. East
Perth, Ontario

Ottawa School of Art Boutique
35 George Street
Byward Market
Ottawa, Ontario

And, online at TheKick-AssIdeaCompany.com

July 28 - August 23 at OSA's offsite gallery

"Art Everywhere"
July 28 - August 23
Ottawa School of Art offsite gallery
330 Coventry Road, Ottawa, Ontario

Artist Statement: In this selection of work, I wanted to focus on art as a daily part of one’s life. Whether you’re in your hallway, your living room, or your garden, you’ll be surrounded by colour and creativity. The title of this show also gives kudos to the Ottawa School of Art on their successful ongoing mission to put art in every nook and cranny of the city. At 330 Coventry Road, the local manager of the Canadian Tire partnered up with the OSA to promote local artists in the exit vestibule of the building. Partnerships like this are to be commended and thus the title of this show nods to their vision.

This year's artist roster (me included!) for W.E.S.T. announced

2011 West End Studio Tour artists announced:

Feel free to subscribe to WEST's YouTube Channel.

"Fish and Other Such Madness" show now on!

NEWS FLASH: This show recently extended to August 31, 2011!

"Fish and Other Such Madness" features the artworks of Choleena DiTullio and Wenna Doig. June 19 - August 31, Galerie 240, downtown Ottawa.

Marketing Monday

This week's column celebrates Apple, an incredibly innovative company from advertising to technology to industrial design.
The Evolution of Apple Advertising by LinkedIn.

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current and find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

Old Jewelry Needed for Art Project

Old Jewelry Needed for Art Project: Will pay for or take donations of old jewelry (even clip-on earrings!) for a recycling-based art project. Anyone need to clean out their old jewelry box? Bring it on!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

We don’t need to judge; we don’t need to blame or feel guilt. We just need to accept our truth and intend a new beginning. If we can see ourselves the way we are, that is the first step toward self-acceptance – toward stopping the self-rejection. Once we are able to accept ourselves just the way we are, everything can start changing from that point forward.”
— Don Miguel Ruiz, The Mastery of Love

P.S. This works for EVERY area in life.

Fish T-shirts donated to Amherst Rotary Auction

The Amherst Rotary Auction/Fundraiser is now online!

"How to get out of a rut"

More from Films and comics by Lev.

"Stop it and just DO"

I love this guy's message and animation style. Inspiring.

Films and comics by Lev.

Recycle Runway — fashions designed from trash

Recycle Runway — couture fashions designed from trash. Public Artist, Nancy Judd, educates on conservation and environment by designing clothing from recycled garbage. This is one cool lady.

Above, "Tireless Couture" is made from inner tube tires.

See a public exhibit near you.

June 5th Opening

June 5th, 2-6 PM. Offishial opening of "Fish and Other Such Madness" at Galerie 240, Ottawa, ON. Acrylic and mixed media paintings. Join me!

Fish By Choleena at Arts festival, Ottawa

The annual Orléans Festival is a cultural event borne out of the community's desire to promote local creativity. This year, 45 artists will be celebrated at visual arts and pottery demonstrations as well as in displays throughout the centre and spilling out onto the street. A truly all-encompassing Arts experience, the festival boasts outdoor stages and events that feature a Jazz Lounge, Culinary Arts and Performing Arts. Choleena is proud to have had her work selected for this juried show.

Friday, June 3rd: 12-8 pm
Saturday, June 4th: 10 am-8 pm

Orléans Festival
Shenkman Arts Centre

245 boul Centrum Blvd

Orléans, ON K1E 0A1


http://orleansfestival.ca/visualArts.php

Valley Fishing Show a promotional success

I'm finally back at my desk after a successful weekend at the Valley Fishing & Outdoor Show. The Exhibitor list, fully booked for many weeks, had a last-minute cancellation. I had no idea that I was next in line for a booth. With only a week to get cards printed/packaged, make a prototype of "FishPlant" for orders, and assemble a booth, there was not a moment to lose. I was still painting and building minutes before the doors opened...
Thanks to my team, the fish-loving public got to feast on a healthy serving of fresh fish, Choleena-style. I featured my T-shirts, greeting cards, "FishPlants" (hand-painted wooden hanging planter which comes with 4 terra-cotta pots and a special swivel hook that looks like a fishing hook) and many original artworks. All fish-themed, of course!

Thanks, L&M, for the loan of the coat rack on wheels. Brilliant idea! I think that I successfully turned it into a gallery wall.

The booth at a glance:



Close-up of tank tops (affectionately called "Fish Tank Tops"), "Fish Stick" painting, greeting cards, framed watercolours and designer mirrors:


Close-up on the cut-out "Sunny Fish" greeting card:

Close-up of "Fish Plant", a hand-painted wooden hanging planter which comes with 4 terra-cotta pots and a special swivel hook that looks like a fishing hook:

Booth 57 at Valley Fishing & Outdoor Show!

Join me at the Valley Fishing & Outdoor Show this weekend. Carp Fairgrounds and Arena. Booth 57. I'll have T-shirts, greeting cards, FishPlants and many original artworks, all fish-themed!

I hope to see you there!

Marketing Monday

Double Entendre

Stripped-down advertising, no graphics (or clothing) required. Love it! Proof that good writing is important in an advertisement so appreciate your Writers!


"double entendre" at Wikipedia

Marketing Monday is a column devoted to innovation in the world of commerce. It celebrates companies, products, packaging and campaigns that swim against the current and find creative ways to stand out. Got a suggestion for the column? Send me a comment.

Latest greeting card design now available

My latest card design is on sale now! The design wraps around the back of the card. At right is what it looks like unfolded.

Blank interior makes it all-purpose.

Available online at KickAssIdea.com

Coming soon to stores:
Tidewater Books, Sackville, NB
Eclection, Byward Market, Ottawa, ON

SmartHistory.org

I LOVE THIS WEB SITE!!! SmartHistory.org is a Webby-award winning, free and open educational resource for the study of art history. I stumbled across it through KickStarter.com, the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. SmartHistory.org signed up with them to raise $10,000 to create 100 videos of conversations about art. Take a look at the incredible, already-existing content of their site; it's not surprising that they exceeded their fundraising goal. I look forward to checking in with them regularly to see the rollout of the new 100 videos.

My fish greeting cards and fish t-shirts now on sale at Tidewater Books

Tidewater Books is one of the few independent bookstores left. They have an eclectic selection of greeting cards, books, and now fish t-shirts! Check them out in the heart of downtown Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. 4 Bridge Street.

ROM "travel" ad

To lure the local public to permanent exhibits at the ROM, I proposed a mimic of the common travel ads found in newspapers. I developed the concept, wrote, and designed the ad.