Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how bubblegum companies have stepped up their game when it comes to packaging? While chewing some Wrigley's 5 the realization hit me that gum packaging has undergone a serious evolution. From just plain wrappers and childlike graphics, packaging is now stylish, sophisticated and costly.

Take the packaging for 5, which is constructed of luxurious heavy weight matte black stock, and features pretty much every special printer effect possible. Spot gloss, complex die cuts, embossing, foil graphics...it's all there. To round out the sophistication, each stick of gum is removed from the package like a cigarette. Like every other product out there, gum has caught up, and now expects you to be making a lifestyle statement by whatever brand you flaunt.

Fueled by his outrageously entertaining temper, along with his appreciation of the perfect dish, Chef Gordon Ramsay has lambasted his way into the hearts of millions of tv viewers. His fiery Scottish emotions within the context of food television seem to provide the perfect combination of coarse language, abrasive humiliation and not to mention, good food. Viewers all over the world tune in weekly to see one of his many shows including Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and Master Chef.

While he runs his kitchens like a drill Sergeant, Ramsay's oft witty remarks and constant smile peeking out from beneath his glare, lead me to believe he's actually a really nice guy. In painting him, I wanted to capture a bit of this inner warmth, lurking behind his tough guy exterior. As the rough sketch developed, the folds and wrinkles of his face began to take on the quality of a cuddley Shar pei and I began to see him in a new, faithful ol buddy kind of light. But a subtle sharp knife and some flames somehow made their way into the painting...it just seemed...fitting. Yes Chef!

In a bit of a portraity mood, lately, I've been flipping through the work of some of the great artists of the past, hoping their individual methods of dealing with subject and background would provide some inspiration. A figurative artist who I've always found both impressive and expressive, in a style all of his own, is Egon Schiele.

A controversial character from the the early 20th century, Schiele trained with Klimt in Vienna before earning gallery level recognition of his paintings and works. He caused a stir in the art world for his exploration of sexuality and was even briefly imprisoned, before dying at a young age of the Spanish flu. His large body of work in the figurative realm provides a glimpse into his emotional mind, with loose drippy brush strokes, twisted limbs and distorted figures and haunting self-portraits. Each portrait seems to capture a unique quality within the subject, while maintaining an open-minded treatment, helping to demonstrate the importance of painting not just what is seen, but also what is felt.

After I've taken a bit of break from major creative projects, I find that cool loooking things and inspirational colours can start popping up everwhere. Not that they don't always exist...colours, shapes and textures are always right in front of you, whether the mind notices or not.

I like to keep a bit of a mini sketchbook to keep track of these random bits of collaged papers and leftover paint marks that one might come across through the course of a day. It comes in handy now and then, and also lessens the amount of leftover paint that goes to complete waste. If you've never stopped to look at your workstation or palette after a painting or two is finished up, there's no time like the present. The intoxicating blend of scientific colour theory combined with random brush marks and splatters is a visual experience like no other, and a masterpiece in its own right.