Tuesday 29 September 2015

HeroChain - King Sized Bed {Official Video}

Pardon me, are those Manolo Blahniks?


Today's Chainman Banner of the Day is brought to you by HeroChain.com - #BeTheHero

I'm blown away by the overwhelming success Hero Week has received with our chain themed items literally flying off the digital shelves! Keep your eyes peeled and across my social media network for streams of fresh content brought to you by this monumental moment!

Monday 28 September 2015

Have you got what it takes to be a real hero?


Chain artist Dylon Whyte sure believes so with a labour of love that combines applied arts with memes and produce-on-demand technology to create the legendary t-shirts and various epic hero accessories of his latest initiative - Hero Chain - wear you can be the Hero!

"Today, by utilizing a lifetime of technical experience I am able to produce chain faster, lighter, stronger and less expensive than ever before on the computer. POD services such as the Hero Chain Shop on Society 6 afford independent artists such as myself the unique opportunity to represent ourselves authentically by bringing similar ideas from digital canvas to life."

Keep watching for many more unique opportunities as Hero Week continues on Chainman.me

Please feel free to email Hero Chain requests to Mr. B.A. Hero

Dylon and The Founding Chain Fathers!?


Today's Chainman Banner is brought to you by Scrapbook: a story of art - the independently crowdfunded publication that's causing a sensation across the nation.

What the heck is Hero Week!?

With a successful Kickstarter under Whytes' belt - softcover Scrapbook proof in transit and waifu away visiting family - I decided that this is perfect time to unveil some of my latest work. Most of which was created in my so-called spare time - especially HeroChain.com

A unique advertainment project inspired by all the heroes - nameless and otherwise - who have inspired me over the years. Including the founding fathers and every motherfucker who's ever had the balls to fight for independence - even if it meant making peace with themself.

Keep you eyes peeled!

For shits and giggles I've dubbed this "event" Hero Week which runs across our social media network with all sorts of fresh work and flash sales from September 28th to October 4th, 2015 - when I will reveal the most gigantic Scrapbook banner to date!

I'm also using this opportunity to catch up with with much overdue fan request including this piece which comes to us all the way from MemeCenter! Thanks again - I'm sure you know who you are!

Remember - Be the Hero!

Saturday 26 September 2015

Ever had one of those weeks that just melted into memory?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by and Scrapbook: a story of art and delightful euphemisms such as sports entertainment.

What a week folks! Can report that the printer has produced a final proof of Scrapbook - once this has been thoroughly checked we will be ready for our initial print run of 100 hardcover first editions.

Only 50 copies left! Pre-order today to ensure holiday delivery!

Thursday 24 September 2015

Wednesday 23 September 2015

A Condensed Look at the Whyte Family?

This summary is written as part of a present to Andrew Braden Whyte and Francesca Valentine George on the occasion of their wedding. January 11, 2006

The story begins in the Central Highlands of Scotland, in the hills around Loch Katrine, in the early 1600’s. The area was the home to the Clan Gregor.  Anyone born to the Clan could use the surname MacGregor (son of a Gregor).  The Clansmen were a fearless and ferocious lot.  Having had their lands taken by others in a series of failed alliances, the McGregors seemed to spend an inordinate amount of their time stealing other people’s cattle and sheep.  If they were wronged, they would lash out with all their force, sometimes nearly decimating another Clan.  Such a battle occurred at Glenfruin in 1603 (the Valley of Sorrow) when the Clan Colquhoun was massacred by the MacGregors.  The event led the King to deal out his severest punishment.  He proscribed that the surname MacGregor could no longer be used, a punishment that lasted until 1784.  As a result, some of the fiercest MacGregors took aliases (nineteen aliases have been documented).  Among the names were three of the colours of the MacGregor tartan; Red (which in Scottish is Roy); Whyte (spelled both White and Whyte); and Black.

In 1603, King James The First, ascended the throne of England and Scotland.  He was Scottish, from the House of Stuart.  Famous for supporting the colonization of America with the settlement of Jamestown in 1607, King James also supported the Ulster Plantation, a mass settlement of northern Ireland by his Scottish supporters.  In an attempt to dampen the power of the Catholic Church in Ireland, thousands of Presbyterian Scots moved to northern Ireland, amassing in counties like County Cavan and County Tyrone.  These Ulster Scots, or the Scot-Irish, lived in Ireland for almost 150 years until the potato famines of the 1840’s saw many of their descendants begin to emigrate to Canada, the United States and Australia.

This brings us to my Great Grandmother, Margaret Noble.  Born in 1838, in County Cavan, Ireland, she married a gentleman whose ancestors most likely came for the Loch Katrine area of Scotland during the Ulster migration.  His name was Park Scott (Sir Walter Scott came from the Loch Katrine area of Scotland and it was his writings that made Rob Roy (MacGregor) famous).  Park and Margaret ran a farm in County Cavan.  They had seven children.  Suddenly, in 1871, Park died and Margaret struggled for three years to keep the farm going.  Fortunately Park had hired a young lad whose ancestors had also come from the Loch Katrine area.  His name was William Whyte.  William was a confident, assertive young man, standing over six feet in height.  He had worked his way to be the Manager of the Scott farmstead.  In 1874, at the mature age of twenty-four, William proposed to Margaret, nine years his senior, that he would marry her and adopt her seven children.  Within a fortnight of their marriage he had the family on a train to Belfast, and then a ship (the S.S. Dominion) to Canada.  The family settled in Toronto, where William became a Sergeant on the Toronto Police Force (it was in Toronto that William changed the spelling of his name from White to Whyte, perhaps to more reflect his Scottish roots).  He lived to the ripe old age of Ninety-Five.  (d. September 25, 1942). I personally identify with William Whyte, as there has been no calendar year for 158 years, that he or I have not been on this earth.

In Toronto, William Whyte and Margaret Noble Scott Whyte had three children of their own; two boys and a girl.  One of the boys was my grandfather; John Alexander Whyte. (b.1878).  John Alexander had many of the optimistic attributes of his father.  He was fascinated with Thomas Edison’s invention of electricity and in his early 20’s he invented an electronic signal system that could be activated from a train locomotive.  What I remember as “wig-wags” which acted like a double pendulum, would alert automotive or horse traffic to an oncoming train at a railroad crossing.  John Alexander gave up a good job with the federal government, and at age twenty-four, started the Whyte Railway Signal Company.  For years the company did quite well.  The family had a chauffeur driven car and their back yard had a miniature railroad where John Alexander could test his inventions.  With the advent of World War in 1914, all government contracts were cancelled.  The company hit the skids, and John Alexander enlisted in what was to be the Royal Regiment of Canada.  He did not stop his inventing.  In Europe he invented the submarine nets that were used to detect German U-Boats from coming up the English Channel to the Thames River.  He even received a congratulatory letter from Lloyd George.  He was hospitalized in France for over a year and while there managed to win a European Chess Championship.  Upon returning to Canada after the war he spent much of his spare time in the 1920’s trying to design an electrical tabulating machine (an early calculator-computer) that could be used to display the odds at the horse race tracks.  Although he did not develop the system that was finally adapted, he patented dozens of alternatives.

John Alexander’s sister, Letitia Jane Bothwell Whyte, was a concert pianist and often accompanied her baritone soloist husband in concerts throughout North America.  John Alexander’s brother, Frederick George Whyte moved to Guelph, Ontario, and was to have a war hero as a son. (more later)

In 1902, John Alexander Whyte married Minnie Evelyn Braden.  Minnie was a twin (John Alexander was a twin as well, but his twin brother, Benjamin, died at birth).  Minnie’s twin sister, Maude Albina Braden had married John Alexander’s half brother, Noble Park Scott, five years earlier.

The Bradens were another Ulster Scot family, who had migrated from County Tyrone a generation earlier than the Whytes.  Minnie’s grandfather had migrated in 1840 with his wife, six children (they eventually had nine), his two brothers and their families, his wife’s father and brothers, and their families.  While their ship was anchored in Toronto harbour, awaiting debarkation, Minnie’s father, Matthew Braden, was born.  The extended families wintered in Toronto, and then set off by wagon train to settle the area known as Braden’s Corners, near Cookstown, (Cookstown was the main city of County Tyrone) about 50 miles to the north of Toronto.  While most of the family were farmers, Minnie’s father, Matthew, was a cabinet maker.

John Alexander Whyte and Minnie Braden Whyte had five children; four boys and a girl. The second oldest son was my father, Herbert Braden Whyte.  Herb was an outgoing salesman with a good sense of humour.  He worked for the Canada Glue Company all of his adult life, but loved drawing cartoons which he would liven up with coloured pencils.  He illustrated a few books, and his cartoons were featured in the local newspaper until his mid 80’s.  During the Second World War he was a member of the Toronto Scottish Regiment and cherished the honour, in 1939, to have presented the Regimental colours to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mum, who was Colonel-In Chief, and patroness of the Regiment.  Herb taught marksmanship during the war and was assigned to the Secret Service.  At one period, he was stationed in Ajax, just east of Toronto, where a Secret Service officer named Ian Fleming was being trained.  Ian Fleming went on the write about the Secret Service in a series of novels starring James Bond.

Three of John Alexander’s boys were in the service, but it was John Alexander’s brother, Frederick George Whyte, who had the war hero son; William “Billy” Whyte.  Early after fighting started, Billy went to England and enlisted in the R.A.F.  He saw action in the Battle of Britain, but it was a mission in May of 1943 that made notoriety.  On May 16, 1943, twelve Lancaster bombers set out from England, carrying one 4000 pound bomb each.  With a daring night maneuver they flew 60’ feet above the reservoirs of three German dams along the Ruhr Valley.  When the bombs hit the water they were designed to skip along the surface (like throwing a flat stone in a pond) striking the dams.  These famous “Dam Busters’ managed to destroy two of the three dams that night.  But of the twelve Lancasters, each with 7 airmen aboard, only 4 returned; 28 men survived, 56 were lost.

Billy went on to make more than 20 raids into Germany.  By 1945, he was the Leader of a Mosquito Squadron.  Less than eight weeks before VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) Billy was killed in action.  His mission that day was to drop 4000-pound bombs almost horizontally into tunnels along the main railway line in western Germany.  Most remarkably, and perhaps with most sadness, Billy was still only 21 years old.

Herbert Braden Whyte married Violetta Mary Saywell on July 10, 1935.  Vi’s father, Arthur Saywell, like his father and brother, were harness makers in Toronto and Oshawa.  Arthur’s father, Stephen George Saywell was born in Buckinghamshire, England in 1850; his wife, Fanny Lunetta Tongue, in Birmingham, England, that same year.  Vi’s mother, Mary Rowney, was born in Dundee, Scotland on July 19, 1878.  She lived to the age of 95.

Herbert Braden Whyte and Violetta Mary Saywell Whyte had two boys; John Arthur Whyte (John: named after Herb’s father, and Arthur; after Vi’s father (or Herb’s younger brother).  I also thought that it was appropriate because with the initials “JAW”, Jack could inherit all of the monogrammed items that belonged to his grandfather, John Alexander Whyte; and George Herbert Whyte (George; named after Herb’s uncle, Frederick George Whyte, or Vi’s grandfather; Stephen George Saywell; and Herbert after his father).  Jack lives on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario and has become a well-known artist, doing pictures in oils, acrylics, and an unusual form of collage.

George has had a varied career, from playing hockey in Europe to teaching, politics, and running a company that specialized in land development and construction.

On June 10, 1967, George Herbert Whyte married Helen Phelps Martin.  Helen was born in New Jersey, just outside New York City.  Helen’s father was a City Editor on the New York Times newspaper.  His parents had come from England.  Helen’s mother was from Belgian stock.  Her mother, Katherine Elizabeth Kiehl had grown up in New York City where her father founded the now famous Kiehl Pharmacy on 3rd Avenue.  Her grandmother, Matilda M. Gylson was from Antwerp, Belgium.  Helen has spent most of her professional adult life as a Town Planner.

George Herbert Whyte and Helen Phelps Martin Whyte had two boys; Andrew Braden Whyte (November 25, 1976) and Charles Martin Whyte (February 27, 1981).  The boys were educated in Canada, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.  Like their great, great grandfather, William Whyte, they had traveled greatly by their early 20’s.

                                   ……………………………

Permit me to make three observations about the Whyte men.  Firstly, they are bold, confident, risk takers, and appear to accomplish much in their early life: witness William Whyte proposing to a lady nine years his elder with seven children, and within weeks of their marriage, sailing across the ocean to a new life; or John Alexander Whyte, leaving a good job at 24 years of age and starting a company based on the merits of his own invention; or George Herbert Whyte taking off to hitchhike around the world with Helen at age 25.  (Helen was 23 years of age) on a budget that averaged 30 cents a day; or Andrew Braden Whyte and Charles Martin Whyte taking off to Europe and South America to hitchhike in their mid teens.

A second observation is that there seems to be a gene for longevity in the family mix.  Andrew and Martin’s great great grandfather, William Whyte, lived to be 95 years of age.
Their maternal great grandmother, Mary Rowney Saywell also lived to see 95 years.  And their grandparents; Herbert Braden Whyte and Violetta Mary Saywell Whyte both lived to their 90th year.  Many others lived well into their 80’s.  So if you eat properly, do not drink or smoke, and exercise well, you could have a very long life.

And finally, let me say that after reading and contemplating my uncle’s 253 page 1989 book entitled; “The Genealogical Story of the Scott-Noble-Whyte Family”, I think that whatever you do in life, you probably have a gene somewhere, that will make the task easier.  As I look over the history of the extended family, I see people from all walks of life; farmers, cabinet makers, harness makers, inventors, salesmen, secret service personnel, musicians, artists, businessmen, teachers, air force pilots, newspaper editors, pharmacists, and policemen.  Whatever path you take, someone from the Clan Gregor, or their mates, has probably gone before…….Best Wishes


George Herbert Whyte, January, 2006

Tuesday 22 September 2015

Media coverage for Scrapbook intensifies?


When Jack Whyte started his winter project last year, I don't think he ever thought it would generate the interest it has, let alone generate more than $14,000 from a Kickstarter campaign. The end product is "Scrapbook: a story of art" and it's a gorgeous 456-page, large-format hardcover book

Read the rest of the Sudbury Star article by Island columnist Ruth Farquhar here...

Monday 21 September 2015

Scrapbook: the story continues with...


"Glad to see Jack Whyte reached his goal and the Scrapbook will be made! Thought I would post my original Collage he made for me with my old plane tickets and odds and ends from my travels. Every time I look at it I see something new. Can't wait for the book."

Received this interesting note via Facebook just after the Scrapbook Hardcover Kickstarter was successfully funded - just goes to show that a Jack Whyte collage is not just cut and paste and is something more akin to a mirror image homage in decoupage.

Sunday 20 September 2015

99.9% of you won't this meme?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Samuel Johnson and Scrapbook: a story of art.

Expecting this next week to be quiet with a lot of behind-the-scenes retooling - you won't believe what's coming next!

...or will you?

Friday 18 September 2015

Have you ever had so much to do that you wished you could experience multiplicity like Jamie Madrox?


Today's Chainman Banner is brought to you by Scrapbook: a story of art and Birdman with special thanks to Multiplicity and Jamie Madrox!

Wow! What a week! With Scrapbook updates in motion across the board it feels like our Kickstarter campaign never ended and somehow we still have miles to go!

Today's good news is that the Scrapbook files are now officially in the hands of the printer - which means the hardcover edition of Scrapbook should be shipping on schedule some time in the later half of October!

Upgrades for Scrapbook pre-orders via Whytes Online will also be complete very soon!

Next up - a full renovation makeover for the free-to-read Scrapbook site!

Will the fun ever end? I sure hope not!


Thursday 17 September 2015

Cell in Hell?


If war is raw then savouring Scrapbook: a story of art is peace of mine.

Wow - can't believe we're still in the after math period of our Kickstarter Campaign as the week melts together working on all the tasks required to bring Scrapbook to life. The week started with an update for the hi-resolution digital version available exclusively through Whytes Online. Then immediately switched gears to finalizing the 6.16gigabytes of data which will comprise the hardcover editions printed pages.

Thought uploading would much quicker, then remembered we live in an era when download bandwidth is wide open, but uploads are tightly restricted. How does that make any sense, whatever happened to communication at full duplex?

Thus the delays in keeping up with daily Chainman Banners - such as this one that was supposed to be posted Monday!

<gasp>

P.S. See the full animated GIF here!

Monday 14 September 2015

Hola! What's your favourite running gag from Scrapbook: a story of art?


Mine is definitely "the bull" and guerrilla art. 

Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Scrapbook: a story of art and Pablo Picasso - the man who broke all the rules and paved the way for modern art.

Yesterday was the first day in nearly two months that I missed posting a fresh banner - fortunately the absence was for a good cause as work continues on the final production edition of Scrapbook. We're also in the midst of major updates across the board for the free-to-read version of Scrapbook and Whytes Online.

You won't believe what's coming next!

Saturday 12 September 2015

Come on baby light my fire?



Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Scrapbook: a story of art and Nike: winged spirit of victory.

One neat thing about the success of our Kickstarter campaign for the hardcover edition of Scrapbook is that we're paving the way for other independent artists who someday may wish to follow in our footsteps by bringing their own authentic projects to life.

It's hard to think of  anything more fulfilling than passing the torch and helping emancipate other artists and creative individuals from their shackles.






Friday 11 September 2015

More crazy dreams and schemes?



Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Scrapbook: a story of art and my overactive imagination.

When I was a young all I wanted to be was a famous wrestler like Hulk Hogan or Rowdy Roddy Piper - then life sorta happened and I ended up meandering my way through many ups and downs as a full time IT professional with a side interest in making and teaching the chain arts.

Fast forward 30 years and today, more than telling my own stories, I prefer helping other artists tell their. Much like Scrapbook a project which simply could not have been brought to life without the full time investment of 3 individuals combined with the blood, sweat and tears miracle of crowdfunding.

So no, the wrestling career is just another pigment of my imagination, but Scrapbook is just about as real as you can get with independent artist Jack Whyte telling his story in his own words and images.

How often does that not happen?

Thursday 10 September 2015

Food for thought?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Gandalf the Whyte and Scrapbook: a story of art - hardcover successfully funded on Kickstarter - pre-orders via Whytes Online coming soon!

You know, when I was young back in the 1980's I used to play chess with my grandfather using a set of hand-carved pieces from around the time of the first great war. One day I remember him explaining to me how in only 25 years we would be living in the 21st century - a time of profound technology change.

Well, the millennium may have turned, but the first decade of the 21st century, affectionately known as 'the naughties', was actually pretty dismal in technological terms. Sure, we saw the rise of instantaneous global communication which is ostensibly available to everyone, but the real meat of innovation seemed somehow stifled.

Then something really interesting came along - crowdfunding - the real game-changing and democratizing platform required not just for innovation, but also revolution and maybe even a real second Renaissance. Not like in the past with many lives lost in rebellion, but a future where many lives come together to ensure that ideas, inventions, and great works of art aren't lost.

It wasn't until I started browsing current and successful campaigns on Kickstarter that I truly realized the power of the crowd to decide and I can't help but wonder how different familiar turning points of history might have been had there been such a platform for inventors like Charles Babbage with his Difference Engine or the Avro Arrow or a million other things that could have been.

And finally, just maybe, with crowdfunded success it is starting to feel like the 21st century might be alright after all...

What do you think? What projects would you must like to see funded by the crowd?

Wednesday 9 September 2015

What is the first rule of being creative?



Never Give Up!

Today's Chainman Banner Brought to you by Fight Club, Cinnamon Vox, Crowdfunding and Scrapbook: a story of art.

Looking back over the rise of information technology, the home computer and instantaneous global communication we discover that there was a time when artists faced specifically arbitrary barriers to expressing their own unique taste.

Imagine living in the middle ages when artists were beholden to royal or theological patrons.

Imagine being an impressionist when impressionism was looked down upon because it didn't conform to the fantasy standards of the Salon at the time.

Or imagine being an independent film maker, author or illustrator from the 1960's who longs to create their own original artwork but runs into nothing but marketing decisions from corporate jerks.

Whom, controlling production, distribution and advertising also have the ability to force you as the artist to compromise your own ethos if you want to survive.

Ever heard of the dreaded casting couch? "Sure darling, I'll give you the world, but first you got to do something for me..." Can you imagine not only your career, but literally your ability to eat that night hinging on selling not only your creativity but an intimate relation to your body?

Let's just say that the abuse of creative individuals by a fundamentally jealous system has a very long history indeed.

Not that challenges aren't vital for the evolution of creativity and the arts, just that there came a day when "desktop publishing" became a thing, then digital video editing and eventually more and more tools for "professional amateurs" to express themselves without permission of the "big guys."

Then something even larger came along - the Internet. Artists were now armed with the ability to circumvent everything traditional and connect directly to your audience.  Finally - big-badda-boom - everything traditional is shaken to it's core with crowdfunding - the world's first truly democratizing platforms - where anybody can be a backer and transparently support creative entities* directly.

*Plus technology and a million other social entities who have been waiting to flourish outside capitalistic antics.

So, what's all this reminiscing about? Well, from the artists point of view I'd have to say the direct abolishment of tyranny and slavery when it come to individual creativity.

Is there any wonder that today artists like myself and my family would fight tooth and nail for the freedom to be authentic and independent?


Tuesday 8 September 2015

Have you ever had a dream (meaning ambition) worth fighting for?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Scrapbook: a story of art - hardcover 102% percent funded on Kickstarter with Whytes Online pre-orders coming soon and haters.

If you don't like my content then please stop looking at it!

If you have anything negative to say about our project then the only thing I can imagine is that you haven't - had a dream worth fight for. If you had then you would know exactly why you never ever stop fighting for what you love.

Or maybe you once thought you loved something but weren't able to follow through with your dream for various reasons? For that you have my empathy - really - I've been there - the years and years and years of struggling.

But that's exactly what it takes to create miracles these days - not the invisible hand of an omnipotent creator (whom I suspect is too busy painting sunsets to answers our some mortal asshole's prayers) - but thousands and thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears fighting against insurmountable odds for what you want.

If you don't have what it takes to fight with every ounce of strength for what you love and are filled with only resentment for those who succeed you will never learn that thanks to democratizing crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter your dreams are closer than ever - all you need is the follow through to make it happen.

Seriously - if a monumental fuck-up like me can accomplish something this monumental - anybody can do it!

Monday 7 September 2015

The Final Countdown?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1961131186/scrapbook-a-story-of-art

Picking up good vibrations?

Read David S. Rose's answer to Will my crowdfunding campaign succeed? on Quora

Read Chrys Jordan's answer to Will my crowdfunding campaign succeed? on Quora



The perfect time to place your Scrapbook pre-order to ensure holiday delivery?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Scrapbook: a story of art which with 15 hours remaining on Kickstarter is officially 100% funded! Pre-order your copy today to ensure delivery!

Don't have a lot of juice left after a nail-biting Sunday, but wanted to offer special thanks to all our backers, from the ones who believed in us since the beginning of first campaign on Rockethub all the way through the last minute angel investors who flooded Kickstarter at the last minute to save the day like Gandalf arriving at Helm's Deep astride Shadowfax and everyone in-between!

We really couldn't have do it without you!

Sunday 6 September 2015

Will my crowdfunding campaign succeed?

Hi, my name is Dylon and I am artistic spectrum - which means that the world I inhabit often doesn't make very much sense to me.

A few years ago a close friend of mine who was a gifted musician jumped off a very tall bridge attempting to get a similar point across - it didn't work.

After this I decided that I wanted to help other artists and creative individuals who might not be heard in this turd of a world. But, as an archetype starving artist myself - who often can't make head nor tail of the system - I didn't know where to begin.

"How could I help others if I couldn't even help myself?"

After many failed attempts I finally realized that I simply didn't know enough and set out to educate myself.

This turned out to be a difficult task and I became very disoriented and lost.

Then in the autumn of 2014 my father, multimedia artist Jack Whyte, came along and suggested that I help him with a winter's project to in his words, "help stave off cabin fever."

At first I was somewhat resentful, like surely there must be something more important I could be doing to help keep my family warm - hunting mammoth maybe? Then I recalled some old wisdom that when you can't build your own dreams, you should help somebody else build theirs.

So I swallowed my pride and we got to work. Spending almost every day for the better part of a year crafting a Scrapbook based on his sixty plus year career as a professional artist who has worked in just about every medium imaginable.

Unlike any project we had collaborated on in the past - and there have been many including 7 previous titles - this Scrapbook had no rules except that it would be formatted so that it could be read for free online, potentially printable and would cover the evolving story of my dad's interest in art and the creative process.

"A true full-colour memoir as it were." 

This meant that we were free to create the story he wanted to tell. Each night he would write and sketch out what he wanted to add the next day, photograph art and artifacts and I would help him assemble pages and edit text as we went along.

"Then it came to me like a bolt out of the blue!"

I was finally helping an artist find their voice and in doing so I was able to add to my own repertoire by learning how to see as they saw - the closest thing I can related this to is a Vulcan mind meld from Star Trek.

With how to let creativity evolve, knowing when to stop and how to literally create something from nothing by working without constraint being just a few of the skills imparted.

It was like learning ancient secrets of transmutation as our project took shape almost magically and dad jokingly started to refer to me as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. For those who know his story there is a wonderful running gag about "Mickey Mouse" experiences being carried on here.

As I mentioned, previous works used to be much more meticulous - such as cleaning individual pixels for print reproductions - an almost ridiculous task these days.

Dad also kept a journal of our progress, which is included in Scrapbook as a story within the story. Like the time I arrived at his house one spring day only to find that it had almost burnt down in the night thanks to a rogue icicle working it's way down the wall into a live electrical socket.

Or how I eventually convinced him and my lovely wife, Ashely, who spent those barren winter days minding our family gallery and cultural gift shop at the Harbour Centre on the Gore Bay waterfront, to run a crowdfunding campaign for the production of a hard cover edition. Not a difficult task after we received the gorgeous Scrapbook prototype from our local print shop.

Of course we had no idea what we were doing and our first campaign on RocketHub was a complete flub and despite all our efforts we are still only 35% funded with 32 hours to go on Kickstarter.

So, will our campaign be a success?

You decide...

Scrapbook: a story of art on Kickstarter

This is not intended as an advertisement or spam - you can read the whole story for free at scrapbook.whytesonline.com and follow our content across most social media networks with the hashtag #JWScrapbook


If you agree that we will succeed then please share, repost, ask questions, become a backer or do whatever you are capable of and we thank you in advance. 

Time to start biting out nails?


Today's Chainman Brought to you by the Scrapbook Party After Math and Scrapbook: a story of art which with just 35 hours to go on Kickstarter is 35% funded!

Friday 4 September 2015

I have no idea what I’m doing, but I know I’m doing it really well?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by the Spirit of Adventure and Scrapbook: a story of art -  Kickstarter 32% funded with just 3 days to go!

Time to start biting our nails! Will Scrapbook be an epic success? With crowdfunding the outcome really is up to you - that's what we call democracy in action!

Thursday 3 September 2015

What is it like to grow up in an artist's home?

Growing up our home was constantly changing. During one period just about every surface was covered with decoupage including my bedroom, the floors, ceiling, our stove and more.

Yesterday a friend shared their experience of visiting this wonderland...


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Here's my Jack Whyte story: Many years ago, when I stopped by Jack's house for a visit, a question...not sure what, I noticed his "tiled" kitchen floor. Jack had cut and glued down paper in 12" squares for his floor. I really liked the idea and the effect, so I asked him how he did it. I had recently bought a house and needed to finish a couple of the bedroom floors. So my sons and I collected all sorts of posters, National Geographic pictures, maps, and Bridgehead calendar pictures...all ones they liked because I was going to do the floor for Lucas and Graham's room. They helped me decide where to put what, and I got down on my hands and knees for a few hours here and there, laying things out. Once I'd glued the pictures in place and varathaned the whole thing several times, we were happily amazed at how it looked! We didn't want to put furniture in there and cover any of it...but of course we did. We got many, many compliments on that interesting, unique floor. I always gave credit to Jack for inspiring me.

Kate Thompson

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This version of the Jack Whyte introduction has been  queued to a pan of the original floor in question just before it's inevitable destruction.


Will you be the one who makes all the difference?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by Strong Arm Tactics and Scrapbook: a story of art - with just 4 days to go on Kickstarter we are scouring the Cosmos for patrons and/or angel investors for one of the most amazing books ever written.,,

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Are you familiar with the Story of Emeliano?

As I have mentioned numerous times one of the most rewarding aspects of the Scrapbook project has been recovering stories of the art's adventures. For today's tale I asked a long time Jack Whyte fan, collector and extended family member to share Emeliano (one of my personal favorite from Dad's acrylic paintings known as "rips") and they agreed.

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Dear Dylon, Ashley and Jack and Sue.

I am honoured to share my story of Emeliano.

We have had Emeliano in our lives for more than 30 years. 

He is over 6 feet tall in his huge Mexican hat.

I don't quite remember exactly how we came to own him, but I think it was in exchange for a couch and some mushroom-shaped stools that were manufactured for our Waterbed store, "Here and Now", in Toronto.

When we moved to Gore Bay, and were building our house, we stood him in full view of the workers, so as to act an an Inspector - ( after all, he had the "presence" and the gun !)

One Monday morning, we found him with his face to the wall, so we decided to mount him in the tiny main-floor (doorless) bathroom , where he remained for 28 years !

When we moved to Guelph because of Klaus's failing health, Emeliano was the first painting that we installed. 

He stands guard in our Rec. room, where he greets me each time I head for the Laundry.

I always feel comforted when I see him, and am proud to own this wonderful painting !

Greetings to you allllllll
XOXOXOX Auntie Donna

What would you consider a good investment?



Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by the marvels of this cosmos including Scrapbook: a story of art - hardcover Kickstarter officially 30% funded!

Bring up the word "investment" with potential patrons quickly jumps to talk of the financial, but like Gilda once observed, "your thought associations are very revealing" and for my family this project isn't about the money. It is about laying a foundation for the care and preservation of the art and culture we love.

The artists we collaborate with all know how to work with what they have on hand. For example Scrapbook was crafted with nothing but the tools we had combined with a lifetime of memories that truly would have served no other purpose but to collect dust.

It just natural for artists to record and reflect their world as it changes and in this capacity Scrapbook is priceless - encapsulating more than 75 years of art and history within its 456 full-colour pages.

If art then is based on the ephemeral or intangible, why are return on investment calculations for art almost always based on a financial reward?

I guess I'm just a maverick in this sense, but my existence has been all about taking the action figures out of the boxes, comics out of their sleeves, collectible cards out of their packages and actually playing with them.

Is there no joy left to be found in simply experiencing a work of creativity?

Especially a purely original and inspiring story?

Well if not - consider this - for just $169 you can own a luxurious signed limited hardbound edition of Scrapbook: a story of art which literally contains more art per square inch than any previous Jack Whyte work - if that's not the very definition of a great investment I don't know what is!

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Note : Found this definition of "fine art" on Reddit - Great Works of Art - Fine art for our subreddit will be defined as "Visual art considered to have been created primarily for aesthetic purposes and judged for its beauty and meaningfulness; specifically painting, sculpture, drawing, watercolor, graphics, and architecture."

One of the finest works of art that you are ever likely to encounter - Scrapbook: a story of art contains all that and much, much, much more!


Tuesday 1 September 2015

What was the first fantasy world that you escaped into?


Today's Chainman Banner brought to you by the Dungeon Master and Scrapbook: a story of art - hardcover 27% funded with just 6 days to go on Kickstarter!

Neither RPG nor Fantasy, Scrapbook is still a grand adventure to sink ones teeth into - plus contains dozens of running gags and Easter eggs for eagle-eyed adventurers to uncover - what more could you want from a hardbound lover?

The latest Scrapbook Story revealed?

Good day. 

We spoke yesterday at your gallery. I was hoping that I could maybe get some background information from the artist about this piece. I adore this work and would love to know more about it. I can send more photos if needed. Thanks for any help you can give me. 

Thanks. Sandi


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Hi Sandi,

 I spoke with Dad and this is what he related to me:

"Sugar Bush - This painting was created as a Christmas present for my parents sometime in the 1970's. I'm not sure of the exact date - but it may be written on the painting. It hung in their home into the mid 1990's when it was purchased by the Sauls of Spring Bay - from that point I'm not sure how it wound its way through time

I'm pleased to hear you take joy from your painting - it was very personable to my parents who enjoyed it as well."

As you know we're currently running a Kickstarter campaign and were wondering if we may share your photograph and story?

Thanks in advance,

Dylon

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Absolutely!  Please do. Thanks for the information. It is a painting that I adore and it garners a great deal of conversation. Thanks for your help. Sandi

Go big or go home. 

Scrapbook: It's Whyte outta site!