News!

Wow, wow, wow, we've been busy for the last few weeks. The blogging has taken a backseat for
a while, so I apologize. What have we been doing? Well after getting back from an awesome trip to London, we've been going full steam ahead with the usual Fall/ Christmas shows etc. AND we moved Angie's (Norwegian Wood) studio from our house to a much larger studio space... phew!

For those of you who missed Expozine this year, you really screwed the pooch! It was jammed packed with amazing small press books/zines and incredible prints from some awesome artists. We had a booth next to talented artists Marc Bell and Amy Lockhart, who BTW, are pretty nice people. And I was very close to my weakness Drawn & Quarterly, where I always unload some cash.

HQ will also have a booth at the upcoming Montreal Comic Con this December. So, if you are nerding it out at Place Bonaventure this December 6th, be sure to come by and say hi!

Also, don't forget that HQ will be hosting our 4th annual "It's Probably Worth More Than That!" exhibit Friday, December 4th. Always a favorite show, it will showcase many local and international artists work priced at $100 and under. There going to be a grip of amazing work so you better get here early if you want to snatch up work from your favorite artists!

And last of all (for now) we've teamed up with Elaine Ho, Furni, Broundoor and Supayana to bring you *Smart Design Mart. This is the first time we've organized a design show and I have to give my respects to all the amazing people who organize similar events like this in Montreal every year (sometimes several times a year). It's pretty tough work.

*smart design mart

a curated showcase of unique offerings from young talented designers

A new kind of design show has emerged on the Montreal scene. Taking the idea of the classic artisan fair and giving it a modern spin, the curators of this event (Furni, Broundoor, Elaine Ho, Supayana, Norwegian Wood and HQ galerie + boutique) have envisioned a show with wide open spaces and some of Montreals finest artists and designers. The show is a blend of seasoned show veterans and fresh from the studio first time exhibitors, creating a dynamic mix in a variety of categories (ie. Clothing, jewelry, furniture, art and the welcome addition of select vintage goods).

Set in the industrial setting of a 15 000 sq/ft garment industry loft (now empty) each designer has been hand picked by the Smart Design Mart curators and has been asked to create a mini boutique within the space. Aisles will be roomy, food and drink will be served and music will be drifting, creating the perfect exciting yet comfortable shopping event. Montreals own En Masse art collective has been invited to create a live art installation in the lounge area (center hall), giving shoppers a moment to recharge, have a drink and enjoy the art.

Saturday November 28, 11AM-9PM

Sunday November 29, 11AM-5PM

5333 avenue Casgrain. Suite 602

Montreal, QC H2T 1X3

www.smartdesignmart.com

Exhibitors

audrey cantwell

betina lou

bijougraphie

bipede

brazen

broundoor

bruxe

camion de pompier

catchframes

chateau gateau

cheap opulence

colorblindmarties

elaine ho

furni

general 54

grandma

harakiri

headquarters

hq vintage

jonathan pitoscia

kevin ledo

la fete

la raffinerie

love, tallulah!

matt forsythe

mauve naif

mes trois soeurs

miasma

michelle maynard

miju

mimi traillette/fabesko

mir handbag

monastriaki

nerdburger

noemiah

norwegian wood

orno

pin pals

poids plume

red sofa

rose & ruby

sebastien kauffmann

supayana

sweet grodnasse

tee-frame

this ilk

tyson bodnarchuck

uranium

worn

yummy pocket

OK, I promise it won't be so long before the next post. Remember, I love you.

t.

On The Road Again

Thanks to everyone who came out last Friday to Kate Puxley's exhibit "On The Road Again: Animals In The City". It was a great night! For those of you who could not make it out, the exhibit will run for the rest of November, so you still have time.

Animals In The City series
Charcoal on paper
$1875. each

Animals In The City series
Charcoal on paper
$1875. each

Sentimental Journey
Mixed media
$650.

Sir Bruno Xavier III
Mixed media
$650.

Dreamscapes
Mixed media
$275 each.

On The Road Again opens tonight at HQ

The show is hung and it looks amazing! Here's a little sneak peek at Kate's new charcoal pieces. Obviously, the photos don't do the work justice, so you'll just have to march that cute little butt of yours down here tonight. (Even if your butt isn't cute, we'd still welcome it with open arms.... maybe it's handsome. Or maybe your butt is a late bloomer. I know, BUTT MAKEOVER!! What am I talking about again....)

I love this piece.
See you tonight!


On The Road Again:
Animals In The City
1649 Amherst (Metro Beri/UQAM)
6-11pm
Music by DJ Garry Vickers

"Wild Things" moves on

For those of you who missed the "Wild Things" exhibit at HQ, you can still see some of the work as it has moved to Pere Ambroise Library (2093 Visitation 3rd floor).




Aww look at those little kids. Don't worry. you guys will be bitter and all your dreams will be crushed soon enough. Enjoy the art!




The show will be up until the end of the month, so catch it while you can!

On The Road Again: Animals In The City

New works by Kate Puxley

On The Road Again: Animals In The City opens this Friday!

Headquarters is pleased to present a new solo exhibition by Canadian artist, Kate Puxley. On the Road Again: Animals in the City is a requiem for the natural world, exploring the role of the animal as myth, companion, jester, and trophy. Confrontations with human hubris are provoked through fore-grounding animals in states of vulnerability, passion, sexual copulation and death. Animalistic impulses are juxtaposed and re-aligned with humanity, challenging human notions of 'separateness' from other creatures on earth. The struggle between life and death is used to question and re-invigorate the serene domestic role animals play in urban environments. Through examining the shades between beauty and traditional notions of 'ugliness', the cloying mythical image of 'the wild' and its self-contained trophy forms, are engaged and challenged.

Using masonite cutouts of animal forms - literally framed alongside humans or tokens of the human world – further seeks to highlight this incongruity and play upon notions of animalism.

We hope to see everyone out this weekend. The opening starts at 6pm and closes at 11pm. And as always, the boutique will be open all night as well. All are welcome so bring all your family and friends.

Closed this Thursday

Well, we're off to London as of tomorrow. So, unfortunately, we'll be closed this Thursday afternoon (October 22). But don't worry, we'll be open every other day as per usual thanks to our awesome HQ super stars, Tahnee and Emily.

See you guys in a week or so,

t&a

A couple more....

Singing To A Wild Thing
Watercolour, ink on paper
Aya Kakeda
$300.

Here are a couple more pieces from the Wild Things exhibit. If you have yet to see the show, you still have time as it will be up until the 1st of November.! I've been pleasantly surprised at how many children have come to see the show. So, if you have kids, bring em' down, I'm sure they will love the exhibit.

Oh Please Don't Go, We'll Eat You Up, We Love You So!
Watercolour, ink on paper
Tyson Bodnarchuk
$300.

Oh Please don't go... Detail

Oh Please don't go... Detail

Oh Please don't go... Detail

Oh Please don't go... Detail

Oh Please don't go... Detail

Crywolf Halloween designs

We just got a box full,of new stuff from our favorite Torontonians, Steph and Rose from Crywolf. These ladies have been with HQ right from the beginning. The first time we met them was in this really scuzzy hotel in the middle of nowhere. It was pretty creepy and the girls were great sports for meeting us there but I'm sure they were getting the no feeling once they entered the abandoned hallways and empty lobbies.... but that's another story. I guess it kind of ties into their new Halloween collection. See how I did that? I was born to blog!... Oh god that sounded horrible. If only there were a button on the keyboard that could undo.. or delete things I typed. Oh what an amazing, fantasy world that would be! But this isn't a science fiction movie, this is real life.

What am I talking about?

More pictures from "Wild Things"

Untitled
Acrylic on board
Jason Botkin
$400.

I am so excited to see "Where The Wild Things Are" this weekend! I had tried to put it out of my mind, so I wouldn't lose sleep over excitement but now it's here! Ooops... I just peed a little.....

Moving on.


So, here are a few more pictures from the exhibit. You may notice I've repeated a few pieces... well that's because my earlier photos were pretty rough. Thanks to HQ artist and pal, Frenchie, we now have some better snaps for everyone. And also thanks to Scott Ferry for providing me with the better pictures from last post as well. Enjoy!

Bonehead
Digital print
Jonathan Reid Sevigny
$35.

Wild Bat
Gocco print on vintage wallpaper
Tyson Bodnarchuk
$8.

Where The Wild Things Aint
Watercolour & ink on paper
Tyson Bodnarchuk
$175,

C'est Dans Ta Tete, Max
Acrylic
Bruno Georget

I'm A Wild Thing
Plushie
Mimi Traillette
$200.

Fallen Crown Necklace
mixed media
Mike Giles
$38.

Monster Creek
Digital print
Jonathan Reid Sevigny
$40.

Max
Acrylic
Fred Caron
$80.

Leaf Rumpus
Digital print
Carl-Antonyn Dufault
$45.

Untitled
Inks
Maryanna Hardy
$300.

Untitled
mixed media
Sara Guindon
150.

Wild & Thing
Inks on panel
Tim Barnard
$200. each

The Island
Gouache on panel
Aaron McConomy
$300.

The window
Digital print
Jonathan Reid Sevigny
$50.

Roaring Terribly
Mixed media
Scott Harber
$300.

Moishe
Acrylic
Fred Caron
$80.

Max
MIxed media
Sean William Dawson
$75.

Playing In The Dark
Scott Ferry
$250.

Hide And Seek
Digital print
Jonathan Reid Sevigny

$35.

Moishe
Gocco print on vintage wallpaper
Tyson Bodnarchuk
$8.

Boats, Wow!
Digital print
Aimee Van Drimmelen
$25.

Let's See If This Fits
Mixed media
Arden Hill
$120.

Wild Things!

Wild Things

Thanks to everyone who participated or came out to the Wild Things exhibit. It was a huge success!

Giant Head
Mixed media
James Kerr

The School Play
Acrylic on board
Frenchie
$400.

The Wild Rumpus!
Watercolour & ink on paper
Tyson Bodnarchuk
SOLD

The Wild Rumpus! detail

The Wild Rumpus! detail

The Wild Rumpus! detail

The Wild Rumpus! detail

The Wild Rumpus! detail

Anatomy Of A Wild Thing
Watercolour on paper
Rupert Bottenberg
$130.

Rumpus!
Naomi Cook
$100

The Wildest Thing Of All
Pastel on paper
Richard Rossetta
$850.

Untitled
Mixed media
Sara Guindon
$150.

Sprout Lamps
Mixed media
Tyson Bodnarchuk

$50. each

Gros Bras
Acrylic on canvas
Valerie Sury
$250.

Grandes Oreilles
Acrylic on canvas
Valerie Sury
$250.

Choumpy-Choumpy
Plushie
Laura Gourmel
$200.

Pack Of Wild Mannequins
Mixed Media
Melanie Garcia
$280.

Untitled
Inks
Maryanna Hardy
$300.

Leaf Rumpus
Digital Print
Carl-Antonyn Dufault
$45.

Untitled
Mixed media
Jesus Bejar
SOLD

I Think I Love You & You Make Everything Groovy
Mixed media
Jennifer Hamilton
$260 each

In Dreams I Walk With You
Mixed media
Jen Storey
$185.

detail

Untitled
Arcylic on board
Jason Botkin
$400.

Untitled
Ink onpaper
Garrett Van Winkle
$150.

Untitled
Ink onpaper
Garrett Van Winkle
$150.

Untitled
Digital Print
Fred Casia
$100.

Fallen Crown Necklace
Mixed media
Mike Giles
$38.

Dancing In The Dark
Mixed media
Chris Tucker
$500.

Let's See If This Fits
Mixed media
Arden HIll
$120.

...And Sailed Back Over A Year And In and Out Of Weeks And Through A Day
Cross stitch and fabric on aida cloth
Samantha Purdy
$200.

Max Hussein
Mixed media
James Kerr
$70.

Friendly Mountain Beast
Acrylic on panel
Laura Berger
$195.

Romp!
Acrylic on panel
Laura Berger
$290.

Wild Bat
Gocco print on vintage wallpaper
Tyson Bodnarchuk
$8.

Moishe
Gocco print on vintage wallpaper
Tyson Bodnarchuk
$8.

Moishe
Guoache on panel
Dale Hayward
$250.

detail

Grrrrrrrrrr! & AHHHHHHH!
Silkscreen on panels
Benjamin Deshaies
$150 for set

There is still a bunch of pieces that I have to photograph. Stay tuned!! Remember, the show runs for the entire month, so if you missed out last Saturday you still have time to see the show.

Wild Things

Our new exhibit "Wild Things" opens this Saturday! Once again I'm blown away by the amazing work that has come in! This show will not disappoint. Hope to see you all out and for those who can't make it, I'll be posting detailed pictures of all the work next week. Sorry but you'll have to wait......

Fashion POP

I know this is a little last minute but I just realized I hadn't yet mentioned Fashion POP here on the HQ blog! Fashion POP is the newly added fashion design competition (this is the second year) component of the POP Montreal music festival, and I'm super excited to be one of the designers competing this year!

Made possible by Le Chateau, this juried show features the work of 6 hand-picked up-and-coming fashion designers, each presenting a 6 look mini-collection to a panel of judges working in the industry. The winner will receive a prize of $1000 as well as a $500 gift certificate from Le Chateau and a feature in Worn Fashion Journal. All attendees will be entered in a raffle for 2 gift certificates of $250 courtesy of Le Chateau as well as 2 subscriptions to Worn Fashion Journal. This event will serve double duty as the launch party for this year's Puces POP!

Here are the deets:

Designers: Emily Brunet (La Fête), Rachel Chan (Contradict), Charlotte Eedson (girlfriend material), Marie-Eve Emond (Betina Lou), Angie Johnson (Norwegian Wood), Flavie Lechat (Le Chat Clothing)
Date: Wednesday September 30th, 8PM (doors at 7)
Venue: Espace Reunion (6600, Hutchison Street)
Free and open to all!

Here that? It's FREE!!!! Which also usually means "get there early if you want a seat"

Hope to see you all there tonight!

xo
Angie

Contest winner!!

Thanks to all who emailed me with the answers to our Jim Henson contest. Amanda Moss was the quick draw McGraw! So, she wins a gift certificate and 2 little watercolour drawing of my favorite Jim Henson monsters! If there's one thing Amanda doesn't hesitate on it's shopping, she used the gift cert. to pick up for of the lovely knitted necklaces from Mes Trois Soeurs!

Sesame Streets "Frazzle"

"Doglion" from The Muppet Show

Chatte Bottee Tonight!

Just a quick reminder that we're hosting another lovely Chatte Bottee vintage shoe party tonight! Come by early to get first pick of the amazing boots Nika and Carole and picked for you ladies, or to scoop up the larger sizes which always seem to go quickly! We've also just received TONS of new NEW fall stock from Valerie Dumaine, La Fete, Anastasia Lomonova and many more!

xo
Angie

HQ and Bettina Lou!

For any of you who read the blog regularly, you've probably noticed that Tyson has been blogging a LOT more than I have, he's such a good store owner guy! Working on my own line has been taking up more and more of my time, but I'm still trying to pop in here and post as much as I can!

So I thought it was HIGH TIME that I posted about a wonderful new line we're carrying at HQ, called Bettina Lou! Marie-eve (the designer of the line) has been a regular customer at HQ for awhile, and I didn't realize she was also a designer extraordinaire, so when she came in the first day to show me her styles I was so confused, but then very happy when I realized the stylish shopper and designer I'd been chatting with via e-mail were one and the same!


Marie-Eve cites her inspirations as having roots in the style icons of the fifties and sixties, visual arts, nice fabrics, vintage fashion magazines, musicals, creative people and girls with great personal style. The Betina Lou style is one that doesn't go out of fashion, they're the staples of your wardrobe! Feminine silhouettes are influenced by the elegance and sobriety brought forth by the great french designers of the middle of the twentieth century.


The best part? The entire collection is designed and manufactured exclusively in Montreal. I can tell you from seeing these clothes up close and personal, the quality is AMAZING, Marie-Eve knows her stuff! After working with Soia & Kyo and Mackage over the past few years, Marie-Eve has really honed her skills and is producing some really precise pieces, so when she says the designs will last, you'll know that the quality will be right there along with it, allowing these pieces to be staples of your wardrobe for many years to come!

What's next for Bettina Lou? Stay tuned in my next post, I've got the scoop where you can get your first peek at her fall collection!

xo
Angie

Topshop EDIT and Norwegian Wood!

Sooooo, I haven't really mentioned this on the HQ blog yet, but the thing that's been taking up 95% of my time lately is a project that started about 6 months ago.

I received an e-mail to my Etsy account, that I thought MUST be a joke. It was a message from Topshop, asking me to be one of the designers for an in store pop up shop called EDIT that they launched for the first time last season, and had decided to bring back for another season, this time including accessories as well as clothing.


For those of you not familiar with Topshop, it's a chain of stores based in London (England you silly folks, NOT Ontario!) with the UK flagship store being the Oxford Circus branch, which is where the main EDIT concession will be located, with a small version featuring 3 designers in the New York store which opened last year. Around 25 designers in total from around the world are involved in this edition, and I'm the first Canadian! Some of the other designers include: KTZ, White Trumpet, Nakkna, Diana Orving and so many more, coming from a diverse mix of countries, including Sweden, Hong Kong, Germany, the UK, the US, Iceland, Italy, etc, etc, etc...

So I received that initial e-mail, started hyperventilating, called Tyson and screamed for a bit and then wrote them back and said yes. After going back and forth for a few months we decided that my grouping would include the following:


- Fringe necklaces in 4 colours (including a new grey/black/white combo exclusive to Topshop)
- Feather necklaces in 2 colours
- Leather cage skirts in 3 colours exclusive to Topshop. The leather cage skirt is my collaboration with Marc Simard of Broundoor and for those of you who know Marc and also have been to a Topshop you will appreciate the awesomeness that is the thought of Marc Simard in Topshop.
- Panelled leggings in 5 colours, all brand new for Topshop!
- "Road Warrior" elastic harness in black, but also in an exclusive pearly fringe version!
- A brand spanking new panelled t-shirt design in black and white

Sooooo, if there are any of you out there who's been disappointed with me for not coming to a party/event, not e-mailing back quickly or not calling you back at all, this is why! Blame Topshop! The first grouping of the concession is available NOW! My stuff is in the second grouping, from Oct. 25 right up until Christmas, so if you're in London, get down there ASAP, these clothes are just too good to pass up!


Another exciting aspect of this project is that I was finally able to work with the amazing Paule Trudel, an illustrator from our own fair city of Montreal who recently graduated from school in New York. She contacted me shortly before Topshop did, saying that we should do a project together. When the Topshop thing came up, I knew she would be the perfect person to do illustrated custom hangtags to go on all my designs. They've just been sent to print now, I'll keep you all updated when they arrive and do a whole post on the lovely Paule Trudel so you all can love her work as much as I do!

Obviously I could not miss this opportunity to see my designs hanging in a major UK store, so Tyson and I have decided to take our FIRST vacation together (Wpg doesn't count) and head over to London at the end of October. It will be my 5th time there and Tysons first, so if you have any suggestions for us throw them in the comments, we'll be there for 8 days, so we'll have lots of time to check out many, many awesome things!

xo
Angie

Jim Henson

Well, it's September 24th and that means it's Jim Henson's birthday! He would have been 73 today... if he er, wasn't a corpse. Which is a pretty big bummer because not only was he the guy behind The Muppets, The Dark Crystal, Sesame Street, The creatures in Return of the Jedi and Fraggle Rock but the guy was a super solid dude....unlike some of the creators of other childhood favorite characters, who were complete pricks and will remain nameless (fuck you mickey).

He was awrded the "Courage of Conscience" award back in 1992 (two years after his death) for being a "Humanitarian, muppeteer, producer and director of films for children that encourage tolerance, interracial values, equality and fair play."

Just try to read the details about his death and funeral (from his Wiki page) and try not to get choked up... seriously, I read this a few months ago and was crying like a baby...

So to honour the creative genius of Mr. Henson I'm giving away 3 small watercolour drawings based on my favorite Henson Monsters and a gift certificate for $25. here at HQ.

The first person to email me the names of the following characters wins:

1.
2.
3.


4.5.
Email me at HQgalerieboutique@gmail.com with Jim Henson as thew subject line.

So, have a good day and let's all try to be a little cooler to one another today. If you find yourself in a confrontation just think "What would Jim do?".

I love you.

La Chatte Bottee

This Friday, September 25th, the ladies from La Chatte Bottee are having another ginormous boot sale here at HQ. Come down from 6pm-9pm for a free cocktail and check out hundreds of pairs of boots and shoes. It's cash only, so make sure you hit an ATM on your way down.

See you there, dudes.

Jen Storey

"Walk In The Park"
woodcut print on Japanese paper

Old chum and Montreal artists, Jen Storey has her website up now. If you are unfamiliar with her work, she does amazing woodcut prints on Japanese paper. Her style has a fairytale like quality to it that is dreamy and creepy at the same time.

Another thing about Jen is every time she gets a cold, I get it a week or so after. Even if I don't see her! I mean, what gives, man? I have a feeling she sneaks into my house and uses my toothbrush. That is so like her!

Anyway, go here to see more of her awesome work and possibly catch a cold:

http://jen.theypf.com/

"Steam Dreams"
Digital collage