Mona Lisa April 2014

I've always enjoyed having my work displayed at Mona Lisa Ristorante, 1697 Corydon, here in Winnipeg. Not only is it one of Winnipeg's most highly acclaimed Italian restaurants, it is also known for being a huge supporter of the local art scene. They have gone out of their way to provide local artists with an absolutely awesome venue for displaying art. When they renovated the restaurant in the spring of 2013, they went out of their way to ensure that the lighting would be able to highlight the art on display. The result is nothing short of awesome. In a traditional gallery, viewers are exposed to any given piece for a matter of moments.  While dining in an upscale restaurant like Mona Lisa, viewers have the opportunity to fall in love with a piece over the time that they are enjoying their meal. I have been fortunate enough to have had my work on display twice since their renovations, with both showings resulting in sales. I am looking forward to having my work displayed there again in December 2014 and January 2015.

I have been experimenting with iMovie to create video montages of my paintings. Here is one of my first attempts, showing my paintings from the April Mona Lisa show, and featuring original music from the extremely talented Dave Swiecicki. Not only is Dave an accomplished musician, but he is also an amazing abstract painter and one of the most awesome portrait photographers you'll ever find.  He has very graciously given me permission to use his music in my videos, and I'm sure that you'll agree his music is amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N99nw5owXhg


There must be something "in the air" here in Winnipeg, because we seem to have more than our fair share of artistic talent. I've also received permission from the very talented Justin Waterman to use his music for my videos as well. Here's a link to a "Kolidr Marquee" of my art with his amazing music as the backdrop.

http://www.kolidr.com/marquees/17937-blake-mcarthur-art-mona-lisa-ristorante-display