studio day in Toronto

May 1st I attended the portrait society of Canada’s open studio again in the studio at Arts & Letters Club Toronto. It’s a great place, painting and sharing with artist peers…I met a new friend there who is also from Kingston! That was a lovely surprise. I get a good workout painting portraiture there. Not to mention it gets me to the city and gives me a chance to see art there too. On the same day that I went to paint at the studio, in the evening I walked up Bay St. and attended the opening for the Ontario Society of Artists show which is on currently at the John B. Aird Gallery. Excellent work in this show, very contemporary and up to the minute…primarily photography, sculpture & installation work.
Here’s my 2nd attempt at Vladimir the model from the day of painting.

Vladimir - oil on linen - 12″ x 12″

A lovely time was had by all

Here’s my friend Barb and me at the opening reception for the show at Gallery Artplus. here’s a few more pics taken at the opening…Brant Cowie did a great job of hanging my work in his lovely gallery.

Gallery Artplus - Belleville, ON

This is the front and the back of the promotional postcard for the show ‘Awakening’. The show features 4 Canadian artists, and if you look closely at the third image and get your magnifying glass, you may be able to see that yours truly is participating in this show! I am delighted to take part in this group show at Gallery Artplus in Belleville Ontario which is located about half way between Kingston and Toronto. The 3 other artists are David Alexander, Edward Carson & Robert Huffman. I am delighted to be included with this group. The gallery is at 54 North Front Rd in Belleville. The show runs for the month of May… if you get a chance to please go have a look, it is a very nice gallery. The opening is Fri May 2nd at 6-8pm.

portraits stage 3

I’ve cooled the shadows in Holly’s face, and worked on the backgrounds though not quite done with them. Still need to study Holly’s likeness a little more…tweak the mouth and the eyes(?) to get the likeness back a little more. Need to wait for it to completely dry before trying that though. Here’s how they’re looking today.

works in progress - oil on canvas - two x 16 x 20″

this evening in my studio

I’m working on some more landscapes…just kind of seeing where they’re going…I want to stay open to what possibilities arise as I go…I’m asking questions, and finding answers. Here’s how they look this evening…I know there is areas that need developing more but trying not to push it too quickly, but consider options.

refining and figuring it out

Today I’ve been working a little more on two portraits. The one of Holly you can see I have refined a little more, but in so doing I have also made her face narrower which isn’t quite right, will have to correct that next session…the portrait of Jeff is coming along, but needs some warm tones on his face, but I cant do that yet, I have to wait a day or two for the bottom layer to dry.I’m trying to show his nature…a bit of an adventurer he is.

she’s a pisces…oh yes she is.

work in progress- oil on canvas - 16 x 20″
I’ve been working on some portraits again which I love…especially when they are people dear to me. This is my eldest daughter Holly… at least it will be when I finish it. She is living in Australia at the moment. I’m thinking about her the whole time I’m painting it…those ambiguous shadows on the face are HARD to do!!! It’s not finished, but here’s what I completed today.

Joe Fafard at the National Gallery

Mon Pere - by Joe Fafard 1972 - earthenware /glazes/ acrylic sculpture
Yesterday I was in Ottawa and went to the Joe Fafard exhibition at the National Gallery with my daughter Jane. It was interesting to me how well he was able to capture the personality and the mood of his subjects…most of them were people or animals close to his heart.
At the moment I am working on two portraits of people I know…i hope I will be able to show the nature of them to my satisfaction.

working out the chemistry

Summer Haze - oil on canvas - 28″ x 24″
I was trying out a new product called Garrett’s Copal Painting Medium. It is a blend of linseed stand oil, copal, gum spirits & turpentine. Larry Seiler recommends it. It leaves the painting with a glossy finish, no varnish needed. I had to make sure to really ventilate the studio, and with it being so cold outside, this makes the studio pretty uncomfortable to paint in. I think I would prefer to use this product in future when painting plein air.
I’m experimenting a lot these days to try and figure out what I prefer as a medium for my oil painting. It seems there are so many different methods and products. It seems the only way I am going to learn is to try working with them.

it’s about the painting, stupid.

An artist can get so caught up in all the periphial stuff that goes with art making…you know, mostly things like marketing the work, pleasing clients, finding galleries, joining artist societies etc etc etc…but when I get a chance to enjoy a solid day of painting…now that is when I most know myself and when I recognize that it’s not about the other stuff, …for me it’s about painting.

My Mother’s Eyes - oil on canvs - 8″ x 6″