Happy New Year 2016

Well, here it is, January 1st, 2016. I can still remember 2015 like it was yesterday :-)

I will be starting out this year with another show at the wonderful Mona Lisa Ristorante here in Winnipeg, starting January 3rd. The tasteful and elegant restaurant located at 1697 Corydon, is one of Winnipeg's finest Italian restaurants. They are also huge supporters of the local art scene, and feature the work of local artists on a rotating basis. The restaurant setting is actually an ideal place to showcase art, since the diners get the opportunity to view the art over the course of their meal, allowing them to "bond" with it. I have been fortunate enough to have had my work displayed there every year since 2010, which is coincidentally the same year that I began my tradition of a New Years painting. 

Each year, I start a piece on December 31st and complete it during the early hours of January 1st of the new year. This years piece was created while listening to "Your's Dreamily", the debut album from The Arcs (featuring Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys, one of my favourite bands). The piece is titled "A Little More Time", and is acrylic on 20"x20" canvas. 

A Little More Time
Acrylic on 20" x 20" canvas

Although I didn't paint very much during 2015, I do have a few new pieces that may be appearing at Mona Lisa.

"Out There" and "The Warm Thrill of Confusion" were painted in December while listening to Animals and The Wall, two of my all time favourite albums. 

Warm Thrill of Confusion
Acrylic on 30" x 40" canvas

Out There
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas

"Give It Time" was painted way back in June, during a rare outdoor painting session. The paint dries so quickly when painting outdoors - it's really a completely different experience compared to the indoor painting I normally do.

Give It Time
Acrylic on 36" x 24" canvas

Great start to the New Year

Well here it is, 11 days into the new year. As is typical of Winnipeg for this time of year, the weather is less than ideal, but at least the mosquitos aren't a problem :-).  The frigid temperatures had taken their toll on my wife's car, but with a new battery it's starting again without any problems.

The issues with cold weather and car problems have been offset by a very successful show at Mona Lisa, with three additional pieces having been sold so far in January.  This brings the total for this show to 6 pieces, making this my best show by far.

I've been lucky enough to have replacement pieces available to use for the pieces that have been sold. One of the replacement pieces I brought in was "Transition", which was the piece that I painted for my annual tradition of starting a piece one year and finishing it the next. I'm very pleased to report that "Transition" was only in place for 2 days before it was sold yesterday. I'll be dropping by the restaurant with a replacement for it, and will be dropping it off to its new owners on Monday.

The pieces that have been sold so far this year are:

"Silence Speaks"
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas
Sold January 6, 2015

"Take Two"
Acrylic on 30" x 30" canvas
Sold January 8, 2015

"Transition"
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas
Sold January 10, 2015

Happy New Year 2015

Ever since 2009 became 2010, I've had a tradition of creating a painting that spans the years. This year, I started a painting at 11:30PM on December 31st, and completed it shortly after midnight on January 1st, 2015.
This is the first year that I have created a canvas piece for this - in the past, I've always used 22"x30" CP paper, but since most of my new work these days is on canvas, I thought it would be much more appropriate.
This piece, which I've title "Transition" is acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas.

Transition
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas

That same tradition also has me create my first new piece for the new year. My first piece painted entirely in 2015 is "New Beginnings", acrylic on 16" x 20" canvas.

New Beginnings
Acrylic on 16" x 20" canvas

Both of these were painted while listening to The Endless River from Pink Floyd.

Mona Lisa December 2014

My show at Mona Lisa Ristorante, 1697 Corydon Ave in Winnipeg has been up since the beginning of December. It has been a very successful show so far, with 3 pieces being sold to date. The show runs for the rest of December, as well as january 2015, so there is still plenty of time to make it down for a fine dining experience in an artistic setting.

The pieces that have found new homes so far are:

Isolation
Acrylic on 24" x 24" canvas

Bending The Truth
Acrylic on 20" x 28" canvas

Above The Noise
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas

 

Almost ready for upcoming show

I've been doing quite a bit of painting lately, and it looks like I'll have plenty of new painting available for my upcoming show at Mona Lisa Restaurant here in Winnipeg.

The show is scheduled to run during December 2014 and January 2015, and will feature my work as well as work from my good friend and fellow artist Catherine Emile.

Here are some of my latest pieces which are candidates for the show.

58
Acrylic on 30" x 30" canvas

Into The Night
Acrylic on 30" x 30" canvas

Lazarus
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas

Lost In Time
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas

Second Landing of Philae
Acrylic on 24" x 30" canvas

Thaw
Acrylic on 20" x 26" canvas

Winter is approaching

Well, here it is October 5th already, and winter is just around the corner. As the temperature dips, I've found myself wanting to start painting new pieces for my upcoming show at Mona Lisa Ristorante, here in Winnipeg (I'm scheduled to have another joint show with Catherine Emile, for December 2014 and January 2015).

As anyone who knows me knows, I normally listen to music while I paint, allowing myself to get lost in the music, having it guide my hands. I've been listening to the new U2 album, "Songs of Innocence" recently, and these pieces were all at least partially painted with that album providing me with my inspiration.

Above The Noise

The first piece, titled "Above The Noise", is on a 24" x 30" canvas. It started out life with the colours that are still visible in the center, but became surrounded by the blue/white tones as the evening progressed.

Surrender

The second piece, titled "Surrender" is on 22" x 30" canvas. This particular piece is one of those that took shape over several sessions. The original under-painting was painted last year, and then morphed into its current incarnation with U2 guiding me in the background.

Silence Speaks

This third and final piece, titled "Silence Speaks", is on a 24" x 30" canvas. I had started it on Friday evening, listening to U2. I wasn't at all pleased with the outcome, so on Saturday evening, after a wonderful evening with friends, I decided to see what I could do with it.  It was late, so not wanting to disturb, I painted in silence. This piece uses colours that I don't normally paint with.

Evolving styles

I'm not sure what prompted it, but I've been doing a fair bit of painting over the last few days, including an afternoon painting with my good friend and fellow artist, Catherine Emile. I've been trying to push myself, trying different styles, and seeing which direction I'd like to start moving in with my painting. 

For some reason, I'm really drawn to pieces that are monochromatic, especially those with an icy blue feel to them. This first piece, completed on Friday July 4th, is acrylic on 20"x16" canvas. I struggled to come up with an appropriate name, but it alluded me. For the time being, at least, it's being called "Study in Blue #1".

Study in Blue #1
Acrylic on 20" x 16" Canvas

On Saturday, July 5th, I spent the day painting with Catherine Emile. The first piece I did was another piece using a similar palette and a similar technique. Once again, a proper title alluded me, so I decided to call this one "Study In Blue #2". It is on 20" x 28" canvas.

Study in Blue #2
Acrylic on 20" x 28" canvas

After having painted two fairly similar pieces, I decided to break completely from my normal style, and ended up with this next piece, also on 20" x 28" canvas. I'm sure that if you're familiar with my work, you'll agree that it's a departure from my normal style. Originally I was planning on naming this one "Wind from the East", but decided instead on "Bending The Truth".

Bending The Truth
Acrylic on 20" x 28" canvas

Continuing in that same simple style, I painted one more piece completely different than my normal style. I've titled this piece, also on 28" x 20" canvas, "Between The Lines".

Between The Lines
Acrylic on 28" x 20" canvas

I only had three blank canvases available, but after painting those, I was still in a painting mood, and Catherine was still busy on her painting. I decided to pull out an old piece that I was completely unhappy with, and see if I could salvage something from it. I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it, but it is an improvement over the mess that it started out as. This piece is on 18" x 24" canvas, and is titled "Shroud".

Shroud
Acrylic on 18" x 24" canvas

I have no shortage of canvas pieces waiting to be re-used, so I started on one more piece as Catherine was wrapping up her piece. This work in progress is called "Obscured". I was quite pleased with it when the paint was still wet, but as the paint dried, it lost much of it's vibrancy, so I'm afraid that it will probably see more paint before it's considered completed.

Obscured
Acrylic on 24" x 24" canvas.

It's been months since I painted, and I must say that it felt great to be creating once again.