Spring is here, and this month's colourful new logo feels almost as good as going outside
The members of Clear Eyes Collective collaborated on this canvas from opposite sides of the country
Every month, we feature a new take on the CBC Arts logo created by a Canadian artist. Check out our previous logos!
Watching this month's juicy new logo come together is like nothing you'll see in real life — at least for the foreseeable future. But then, "social distance" wasn't the 24/7 reality when Clear Eyes Collective delivered this timelapse video to CBC Arts.
"Working elbow to elbow is pretty common, sometimes even on a large wall," says Adam Bates, 27, who founded the street-art crew with pals Josh Kellett (28) and Darian Poisson (22). All three muralists are based in Hamilton, Ont. — where you can find their stuff on walls and traffic boxes and cans of craft-brewed gose. For this project, though, Bates and Kellett started the canvas while in Vancouver, then shipped it home to Poisson to finish.
"We are just a group of good friends who all enjoy painting and doing creative things," says Poisson. "We all share similar inspirations, too — like plants, animals, music."
Squeezed through a pop-psychedelic filter, those motifs are all over their work — this month's logo included. And though they'd love to be rubbing elbows again, the pandemic hasn't squashed their collaborative vision.
They revealed how they're adapting to COVID-19 while telling us their origin story.
What's Clear Eyes Collective all about? Where did the name come from?
Darian Poisson: Originally Josh came up with the name Clear Eyes back in 2013, when Clear Eyes started.
Josh Kellett: It's an acknowledgement of the gravitational pull toward the things that bring you inner peace.
Adam Bates: The name comes from the concept of staying focused on a goal you want to achieve. To us, having "clear eyes" means you have clear vision of a life you want to see for yourself.
How did you start working together?
AB: We basically all grew up together. We all gravitated toward visual art around the same time, so it's almost as if we've been working together since the beginning.
DP: In the beginning, Josh and Adam were mostly painting canvases and making clothing, while Adam and I were painting walls and murals. We are all fans of graffiti and street art culture, so Josh started painting with us since it is more fun to paint with your homies. Ever since, painting has been our main focus.
Let's talk about your design! What inspired your take on the CBC Arts logo?
DP: The CBC logo was so fun to paint! We all thought doing a spring-themed logo design would be really cool.
JK: The first signs of life are here after the long dark winter, and that definitely inspired this piece.
AB: Much of our style is infused with tropical themes, so elements of that naturally popped up throughout the design as well.
How is COVID-19 affecting your day-to-day lives right now?
AB: COVID-19 has put almost all of our large projects on hold indefinitely. Josh and I were living in Vancouver temporarily but decided to cut our trip short and head [home] because of everything shutting down. We actually started the CBC canvas in Vancouver and shipped it to Darian, which is why the second half of the timelapse is just her.
JK: It's a real mess but we're staying optimistic. Situations like this can stimulate powerful creations and remind us how much we have to be thankful for every single day.
DP: Yeah, it is obviously very hard not to see our close friends and loved ones, but I also think it is important to remain in a positive mind and spirit. I have been using this time to isolate myself in the studio and work on paintings and other projects.
Have you had to adapt the way you work together? How?
AB: COVID-19 hasn't really affected the way we come up with designs. A lot of what we do is sketch individually and then send each other what we're working on.
JK: Really looking forward to the day that we can all get together and paint a wall, though! So if anyone out there has a wall they'd like painted, shoot us a message!
What's the project you're most proud of?
JK: Well, this one, of course!
AB: The project I'm most proud of is a mural the three of us painted for our neighbours down the street. It's a 40-foot wall full of plants and animals. Actually, [it's] pretty close in theme to our CBC logo.
DP: It is a close tie, though, with a wall that we did for Concrete Canvas Festival last July in Hamilton.
Who is the last artist you discovered online?
AB: The last artist I discovered online is 3ttman (@3ttman). He has a really colourful overlapping style that is super playful."
JK: Hannah Webb, a.k.a. @theobanoth.
DP: Rachel Zavarella (@rachelzavarella). [She's] an Illustrator I found through Instagram with a really fun and playful style.
What work of art do you wish you owned?
DP: The painting Collective Vision by Alex Grey.
JK: Anything from Alex Yanes.
AB: I wish I owned a piece by a Spanish artist named Okuda. His work is a huge inspiration for me.
Where can we see more from you?
JK: Check out our website/portfolio at cleareyescollective.com or our Instagram (@cleareyescollective). Much love!
