His neighbour might have discovered fire, but this caveman has a greater invention to try and explain...one that probably still puzzles many in today's digital age. If it puzzles you, don't feel embarrassed! This new blog has got you covered: http://www.unleashyourtaste.com/2014/02/opening-day.html
Premier Kathleen Wynne stands, looking smug with folded arms, surrounded by highlighted headlines, each telling the tale of a time when her Liberal party failed the people of Ontario, Canada. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/03/a-time-for-change-time-for-courage.html
This caricature displays the connection between food and art. Has 'fine dining' been completely replaced by 'fine art'? To be culturally relevant and classy do we have to eat our meat red and almost raw, spread out on a plate like paint on a palette in small dabs of harmonious textures? Or can we enjoy a well done roast and not feel barbaric? The extravagant settings of celebrity chefs and restaurants sell art on a plate, as the ornate gold frame does cheekily here. But can cooking be brought back to its roots without losing its sensory appeal or class or beauty?
Once again I have drawn my father. But this time he is not posing with monkeys and/or challenging the status quo of journalism. Instead, he takes on a new role, one balanced between years of experience and new found artistic excitement. As the in-store chef of a supermarket challenging what you may think about supermarkets, he plays with flavours both familiar and foreign, topping plates with passion and serving up joy that satisfies all the senses. In fact he may be challenging the status quo of chefdom. http://www.unleashyourtaste.com/2014/03/chef-mystic-of-title.html
Once again I have drawn my father. But this time he is not posing with monkeys and/or challenging the status quo of journalism. Instead, he takes on a new role, one balanced between years of experience and new found artistic excitement. As the in-store chef of a supermarket challenging what you may think about supermarkets, he plays with flavours both familiar and foreign, topping plates with passion and serving up joy that satisfies all the senses. In fact he may be challenging the status quo of chefdom. http://www.unleashyourtaste.com/2014/03/chef-mystic-of-title.html
The art an artist creates is always in some way influenced by the random, strange, unpredictable circumstances the artist experiences and is emotionally moved by. That being said, I've had my fair share of inspiration. But none so far match the absurd threats made by lawyer Rachel Slingerland of Martens Lingard LLP.
In her youth and lack of experience, Slingerland has made the mistake of thinking that because I contribute caricatures to the blog Mayorgate that I am somehow responsible for the content of the written articles that appear on Mayorgate. She claims that one article in particular, "Seniors Languish In Intimidation" (published January 15th 2014) has defamed her clients, and she has threatened both Alexander Davidoff (my father and the author/publisher/owner of Mayorgate) and I with legal action. Though, contributing caricatures to a website/publication does not make me responsible for the written content of that website/publication and in this case, I did not even contribute a caricature to the article "Seniors Languish In Intimidation." Also her use of an illegally obtained document in the first threat against my father and the retraction of any mention of that illegally obtained document in the second threat should put into question this desire to silence Mayorgate in the first place.
In her bio on the official Martens Lingard LLP. website Slingerland states that she enjoys snowboarding. So I have drawn her snowboarding, without protective gear, coming down mountains of sarcastically titled books. This caricature is in every way possible influenced by the random, strange, unpredictable circumstance which is Rachel Slingerland's threat of legal action. It is my response to her insane and false accusations against me. It is my way of telling her she does not scare me.
In her youth and lack of experience, Slingerland has made the mistake of thinking that because I contribute caricatures to the blog Mayorgate that I am somehow responsible for the content of the written articles that appear on Mayorgate. She claims that one article in particular, "Seniors Languish In Intimidation" (published January 15th 2014) has defamed her clients, and she has threatened both Alexander Davidoff (my father and the author/publisher/owner of Mayorgate) and I with legal action. Though, contributing caricatures to a website/publication does not make me responsible for the written content of that website/publication and in this case, I did not even contribute a caricature to the article "Seniors Languish In Intimidation." Also her use of an illegally obtained document in the first threat against my father and the retraction of any mention of that illegally obtained document in the second threat should put into question this desire to silence Mayorgate in the first place.
In her bio on the official Martens Lingard LLP. website Slingerland states that she enjoys snowboarding. So I have drawn her snowboarding, without protective gear, coming down mountains of sarcastically titled books. This caricature is in every way possible influenced by the random, strange, unpredictable circumstance which is Rachel Slingerland's threat of legal action. It is my response to her insane and false accusations against me. It is my way of telling her she does not scare me.
"How much can a Koala, bear?" is the classic Australian response to situations in which the sentiment "enough is enough" usually comes to mind, situations that test the coping limits of the human body and mind, situations one cannot just simply grin and bear. The story of St. Catharines Regional Councillor Andy Petrowski is full of such situations. So here he is, morphed into a koala bear. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/04/how-much-can-koala-bear.html
"In the Zimbabwe context a powerful and related argument for rhino is that they are great preservers of the wilderness and other animals." - Stephen Long of the Bhejan Trust.
This drawing gives artistic form to Stephen Long's words. Balancing the globe on his horn, the rhino stands at the mercy of man. With every slice of greed, we're not only causing pain to a species that deserves to live as much as we do, we're slicing off a part of the world as we know it. The alarming slaughter of the rhino has increased from a record of 13 in 2007, to 668 in 2012, and 1,004 in 2013. Rhinos are killed not for food, but for their horns. Demand of the rhino horn comes from China and Vietnam, where the horn is believed to have medicinal benefits and aphrodisiac properties. However, the rhino horn is made of the same substance as human fingernails! I don't think anyone could argue the nonexistent medical qualities of slipping one's nail in one's mouth and biting down when sick or uninspired in bed. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/04/earth-has-its-residents.html
This drawing gives artistic form to Stephen Long's words. Balancing the globe on his horn, the rhino stands at the mercy of man. With every slice of greed, we're not only causing pain to a species that deserves to live as much as we do, we're slicing off a part of the world as we know it. The alarming slaughter of the rhino has increased from a record of 13 in 2007, to 668 in 2012, and 1,004 in 2013. Rhinos are killed not for food, but for their horns. Demand of the rhino horn comes from China and Vietnam, where the horn is believed to have medicinal benefits and aphrodisiac properties. However, the rhino horn is made of the same substance as human fingernails! I don't think anyone could argue the nonexistent medical qualities of slipping one's nail in one's mouth and biting down when sick or uninspired in bed. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/04/earth-has-its-residents.html
Rachel Slingerland of Martens Lingard LLP. strikes again. Joined in this caricature by both Ronald Martens and Peter Lingard themselves, who are both well aware of the situation at hand, she's pulling her hair out in a frustrated pose, legs crossed, trying to maintain her posture. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/05/mayorgates-reply-to-defence-to.html
The Emancipated Monkeys of Mayorgate don't only stir the pot, they push and kick until the pot falls over. Happy fourth birthday Mayorgate! http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/05/four-years-old-four-years-young.html
Ontarians hit the polls on June 12th 2014. In the meantime, the three main contenders, Kathleen Wynne's Liberals, Tim Hudak's Conservatives, and Andrea Horwath's NDP, are all out trying to promote their visions for a better Ontario, hoping for the voting public to throw their support toward their respective municipal representatives. However, the city of St. Catharines has a problem and here's my response in coloured pencil. Jim Bradley, the Liberal incumbent MPP looking for re-election, is sitting in his seat, chuckling. His two opponents are to the right, Conservative Mat Siscoe and NDP Jennie Stevens. Siscoe, shy and reserved, holds a sign that reads, "Why not VOTE for me?" to match his unobtrusive presence. Stevens appears in a speech bubble, a cheeky nod to the answering machine message she would rather forget. Who deserves a vote? It's not easy to decide. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/06/election-caravan-of-2014.html
Debbie Zimmerman, Regional Councillor for Grimsby (Ontario, Canada) runs after the Emancipated Monkeys of Mayorgate, with an AK-47 in hand and her hurt feelings ready to burst. But the monkeys aren't easily intimidated. Daring her to come at them with more than threats, they're throwing papers in the air like confetti. Their faces are full of life and laughter and Zimmerman isn't pleased. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/06/debbie-zimmerman-attacks-mayorgate.html
Joined at the ankles, St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan and his lawyer Christopher Bittle run toward the courtroom spotlight, with a reminder of their previous threat hanging above their heads within a thought bubble. They've tried it before, and they're trying it again. But you know what they say about history and repetition.... http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/07/mayor-brian-mcmullan-opens-pandoras-box.html
Who is Fred Bracken? A "...a well publicized and licensed video reporter”? A "civil journalist"? A simple, harmless guy who likes pointing a camera in people's faces? He claims to have broken via twitter the story of St. Catharines Regional Councillors Brian McMullan and Debbie Zimmerman's affair. Wow, he displays such talent, breaking a story without discussing or providing backing evidence and crafting insightful statements under 140 characters! #sarcasm Read the article that explains why Bracken's tweet did not break the story: http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/10/plagiarism-flattery-or-simply-theft.html
A caricature to celebrate the 2014 St. Catharines municipal election, featuring candidates Peter Secord (left), Jeff Burch (center), and eventual winner Walter Sendzik (right) in their campaign colours. http://mayorgate.blogspot.ca/2014/10/chasing-you-vote-municipal-elections.html
Does this caricature disturb you? It should. As a visual representation of 2014's graphic display of violence - from the slaughter of countless Palestinian and Ukrainian civilians, to the abduction of innocent girls in Nigeria, to the Lindt Cafe hostage situation in Sydney, Australia, to ISIS, to the unbelievable injustice of Ferguson, Missouri - an innocent child teething on a gun puts things into perspective. While violence is part of human nature, in no other short period of time has it become more evidently gruesome and widespread, occupying almost every news broadcast on every television screen. Have we gone backwards? Have we forgotten the beauty that we are capable of creating, the inventions we are capable of sharing, the kindness we are capable of feeling?
We must not forget. We must look forward and hope that our actions, no matter how individually small, contribute to a more peaceful, a more fair, a more tolerant world.
Illustrations copyright © 2014 Alexandra Davidoff. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, editing, displaying/redistribution of these illustrations without permission is strictly prohibited.
