February 2017 – Page 2 – The beaver is a proud and noble animal

National Flag of Canada Day is observed annually on February 15 to commemorate the inauguration of the Flag of Canada on that date in 1965. Amid much controversy, the Maple Leaf flag replaced the Canadian Red Ensign, which had been, with various successive alterations, in conventional use as a Canadian national flag since 1868. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Lester Pearson, resolutions recommending the new flag were passed by the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, and by the Senate two days later. The flag, designed by George Stanley, was proclaimed by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on January 28, 1965, and took effect “upon, from and after” February 15. National Flag of Canada Day was instituted in 1996 by an Order in Council from Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, on the initiative of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

Pop Culture Postage is part of Clark Orr’s design portfolio. In 2001, Orr’s guidance counselor asked what he was going to do with his life. He didn’t know, so he started toying with the idea of making designs on the computer. Later that week, he started. Rock n’ Roll as his influence, he jumped head-first into design: “Since I couldn’t play guitar, I figured I could be a part of the punk rock scene by making show posters and band shirt designs”

Soon after, a chance spotting of a show poster Orr designed, brought an up and coming clothing designer to his door. This chance meeting turned into a nearly decade-long partnership with the clothing brand Johnny Cupcakes, where he was head designer: “Since I have been a designer, I have created more t-shirt designs than I can count. It’s in my blood, and what I wake up everyday to do. My name is Clark Orr, and I’m an artist”.

I’ve drawn, created, and invented ever since I was young. My dad is a sign painter from the old school, so I’ve been around his artwork since I can remember. At a young age, I was way into toy packaging/graphics: TMNT, Transformers, Madballs, and most of all, The Real Ghostbusters. In middle school I collected comic books, skated, and spent hours every month looking at cd covers in record stores. It became more evident that I was more interested in trying to replicate comic art and eyeing the newest deck designs than I was in reading, or landing the next hardest trick. I distinctly remember in sixth grade, my homeroom teacher asking us what we wanted to do as a grown up. I said a skateboard designer. In high school, I started proper graphic design.

As far as what drew me into art goes, I guess being creative is a very human-connective, spiritual thing for me, it resonates when I’m on point with it. I just ended up with the visual arts side of creativity as my passion. I’m very attracted to art and graphic design, probably in a similar way that a musician is attracted to rhythm and harmonization or a writer is to words and storytelling. I had a knack for art and composition, so I went for it and haven’t looked back since.