Paintings 2010 up to date

The posted paintings are now up to date - scroll down on the right side of the web page to see the collection from 2010. It is always interesting to review the year's output- and 15 of them - more than half- are figurative. Two are cats. Five are still-life and two are flowers -one indoors, one outdoors. So that leaves only three that are landscapes- a bit of a switch from how it is sometimes. I might paint more cats - but the current residents are pure black and too hard to see all the detail! The painted cats don't live here - one is a resident of Finn Slough. I have some more ideas for pretty well every category but some depends on opportunity- like having a model to paint. -this one is of Nadine and I call it " The Straw Hat". She looks very tropical but actually posed by a heater in winter. I loved the way the hat made such interesting shadows on her face.

Working on an application...

My effort for the last bit has been to put together a "package" for an application...details to follow if I actually get it. I've decided to go with all figurative work and had friends in to vote on their choices. I'm including the one of Marjanka that is "Memories" but we decided against this one of "Prediction" although there are certain things I like about it. The "against factor"? - the knees at the bottom of the painting. One friend suggested I just paint them out, at a future time, and I think I might try that. This is one of those times when what was actually *there* (her knees) becomes a thing that doesn't contribute to the success of the piece. So one of these days, I may be posting the changed version.

New Endeavours...

I just listed myself on the BC Travel page- gobc.ca- as I was looking at another listing and found I could do this one for free. I've posted my snowy painting on it. So that is a new one for me. This week, the figurative show has opened at the Federation Gallery on Granville Island and I have my painting "Little Black Book" in it. This was done last year up in "Gail's Attic" with Helene modeling. We had fun with the set-up - trying to avoid a boring "girl in chair" pose, yet have something that wasn't a strain on the model. We decided to create a "scene" and have her with shoes off. Tanya picked up the shoes and dropped them so they would fall casually and then we also decided to have the book too. I think we had a glass of wine on the table but, in working out what I wanted to paint on the challenge of a different-shaped canvas, I left that out. I had fun painting the shoes. This was a four or five-hour pose and was all painted right then. Definitely the fun way to paint! I probably would choose to paint people over and above most other subjects but I'm waiting to win a lottery so I can afford to hire models all the time. Definitely I would consider portrait painting too but so far have not found a lot of demand in that field.

Successful Opening

The show at Artizen (Jeanette Jarville's) opened last night with a good crowd attending. Everything looked great and the jewelry, sculpture and pottery really added to the paintings. The show goes on for 6 weeks- opening on Saturdays- but not on February 12th. There is also a silent auction that is a fund-raiser for Juvenile Hockey. There is such a nice variety of art. My magazine Art News runs an advertisement for a gallery that always says "Nothing enhances the beauty of your home like art". This show is an excellent chance to see art displayed in a home- which should help people realize how it might look in their own home........ This painting is "Gary's Woods"- one my paintings on display along with the works of 17 other artists.

Another winter ago-

In spite of all the threats that this was going to be a bad winter on the Coast, it has been pretty mild most of the time. Two tiny snowfalls - and lots of rain. It has been really easy getting around- not like two years ago when our street was snowed in and I put on my cross-country skis and skied from our front door up to the dyke, something I've never been able to do before! One of the problems with snow here is that we rarely get to actually enjoy it. Usually it snows with a grey sky and then it turns to rain, with more grey and nothing photogenic or paintable at all. But when we do get snow and sunshine, we really feel lucky. This was one such day. I like the reeds and water along the dyke walk which overlooks Sturgeon Banks. I felt the dried reeds added a warmth to this snow scene. This painting is one of three of mine that will be displayed at Artisan Studio as Jeanette Jarville's salute to Winterfest. There are eighteen artists showing this time, including sculptors. The show opens this Friday evening and will be open for 6 weeks (except February 12th) on Saturdays.