Last year I blogged about being stranded in America with only one pair of holey shoes, and the $5 Urban Outfitters sneakers that came to my rescue... Well, one ill-fated rainy day splashing around in puddles later, I had $5 tennis-ball yellow sneaks dotted with muddy grey water. Oh well. But in the spirit of Looney Toons and other such cartoons of yonder era, I figured -- if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. "Them" being the puddle marks, of course. And so, one art jamming session later, the more successful canvas probably isn't the Picasso/cubist/Tetris-inspired illustration of my dog... but the sponge-painted sewer streaks and rose petals on my sneakers. I think.


Okay, the Loretta-bot sort of told me that both are ugly, but what does she know? It's not like she can paint the creepy exact likeness of our dog, or anything. Except...


Oh and for any sticklers for detail, Foxy usually does sleep with her back legs splayed outwards a la Superman.

ETA: Like so. Photo courtesy of FashionGeek.

Remember how I said that the downside to Art Jamming is not know what to do with your finished work? Well I guess Art Jam saw the post because this week, they are inviting all past participants of Art Jamming to bring in their masterpieces and have them made into tote bags. I must admit I’m very tempted to bring in that painting I’ve got hanging over my wall since 2007 and making it more usable. After all, we all need a tote bag no? Especially now that we don’t get plastic bags (which is a pet peeve for another day.) Anyway, the only criterion for participating in this Art Jam Tote Bag event is to have your old intact painting. And if you’re hitting yourself on the head for passing up on all those opportunities to Art Jam, no worries, for HK$280, you can create your own painting that day and have it made into a tote. More details after the cut.

Art Jamming is always fun to do with friends and, with the help of a couple glasses of wine, the perfect opportunity to indulge in your inner Picasso. However, I’ve heard many a complaint from participants as to what to do with their masterpieces. After all, there are only so many you can hang up in your apartment, give to friends, present to your parents, trade in for food etc. Now I’ve discovered something even better than Art Jam; Random Art Workshop (RAW), a living room space where you can create your own arts & crafts. Why the excitement? Firstly, the location. It’s smack in the middle of Causeway Bay next to Island Beverley. Perfect for a little artsy project after a day of shopping. RAW offers many different kinds of workshops including scrap booking, blinging up accessories, collage and jewellery making. RAW also provides gaming consoles such as PS3 and the Wii, for the boyfriend who doesn’t want to make jewellery perhaps?

Random Art Workshop: Unit1203, 12/F, Island Beverley , 1 Great George Street, Causeway Bay

I love the concept of Art Jam. Just chilling with several friends at a studio and painting whatever you want. Best part is that you don't have to have any real skills in painting in order to enjoy this. (I cunningly turned my field of flowers into an 'abstract' piece when I realised I painted the flowers before painting a background and if I wanted to keep the flowers, I would need to repaint the whole thing so in a fit of rage I splattered paint onto the canvas) Art Jamming doesn't come cheap though. Expect to put out close to $500 for the smallest canvas. This is why I was super excited when I saw the following promotion:

THIS SUNDAY come for an intimate open air artJAMaLAMa event
Outside of CAT STREET GALLERY, 222 Hollywood Road

5th April 11am-3pm
Come and feel the flow
$200 per person
Includes 55X55cm canvas and free flow acrylic paints
All proceeds go to Sowers Action
Enjoy the CAT STREET GALLERY’s exhibition “coexistence” by Hugh Dalton.

Coffee and muffins catered by Graze café
Canapés catered by The Press Room
Drinks will be served

I hear they will be doing more ArtJamaLama events at Delay No Mall soon. Can't wait. Now the question is, do I start giving these masterpieces away for presents as I absolutely won't have room to hang up all the works? Or will this simply drive all my friends away?
Image: Art Jam