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.

More about Emily

Interesting that when a person is noticing some particular thing, that that "thing" then starts cropping up all over! I've barely finished with the fictionalized account of Emily Carr's life when it seemed like she was mentioned in many places. Now the Globe and Mail had an article about two photos that have been in separate archives and are now together. Photos of a tennis party, one has a young man gazing at Emily instead of at the photographer, while one taken minutes apart has him, seated, leaning against her leg - which as the article states would have been very unusual behaviour for the time. and then there is a recently published story by Carr called "Stone and Heart" in which she recounts a tennis party and a young man lifting her down from a ladder and kissing her. She went on to say "Soon I found the young man was only flirting with me, but too late, my heart was lost. It took 15 years to pull myself out." Interesting indeed, as I found that a far more realistic "romance",considering the times and her upbringing, than the one in "Forest Lover".There is going to be a new Exhibit about Emily Carr at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, curated by Kathryn Bridge. She is hoping to find out who the man in the photos is before "The Other Emily:Redefining Emily Carr" opens in March. -How times have changed! ---- This photo is the figure I did in the last Sculpture session. The nice contrast with the black against the fired white of the sculpture, was provided by a strategically seated cat!

Back at the Easel

I'm actually working on three paintings at the moment- well- not all at the very same time! One is a large close-up of allium seed-heads - and I'm feeling my way on that one, with pauses between sessions. Another is just a blocking-in of something to have for the next Finn Slough show. The third is *probably* finished. I was working from a coloured conte' drawing from a Life Drawing session. Our model sat on the stand while we were figuring out how we wanted the pose to be. She was just very relaxed and had her feet turned in. It was a bit different, so we decided to go with that pose. I thought it would make a different painting - so here it is. Interestingly enough, while a lot of classical nudes are in major museums and private collections, it is very difficult - at least here on the West Coast- to exhibit nudes --- and even harder to actually sell them.Granted, you might not want one in your living room, but they are nice in a bedroom. Well,maybe that depends on your guests. When my mother was alive, she used to complain, every time she came over, about the nude I had in our bedroom. I still like *that* nude and will post here sometime. And I like this nude too - she has such an impish expression.

Show at Gateway

Monday, My show at Gateway Theatre was hung. It will be there until February 28th and can be viewed when performances are on and also Monday to Friday from 9 to 1 and 2 to 5. (Enter via the box office door.) It is paintings from my trip to the Czech Republic and Rome - plus a few others. This is what I wrote for the "Statement" - European Memories- While I enjoy painting this wonderful part of the world where we live, I also find excitement in painting a different environment. These scenes of the Czech Republic and Italy bring back treasured memories that I am happy to share. I love paint, brushwork and the play of light and colour. the way light hits cobblestones, shines off red tile roofs and creates delightful reflections in water is all very special. While I want places to be recognizable, I edit and emphasize to create a feeling and capture the essence of a moment. This is one of the paintings in the show- Prague Rooftops.

The Price of Everything

"The Price of Everything" is the title of a new book by Eduardo Porter, mentioned in an article in today's Globe and Mail.Mr. Porter says that paying a high price for something actually stimulates the brain. He says, "The price is a signal about you, not about the thing. When you pay something for something you're sending a signal about the quality of person that you are. About the resources at your command." Interesting when you think about the story I've told before about the man in a gallery who was set to buy a painting and had his check-book out - only when he found it was $2,000 and not $20,000, he didn't want it. ...and, yet, a lot of people think art prices are a way too high when they might be $500 for a painting. I guess it depends on the market. Recently, a fellow artist admonished some reasonably well-to-do people that she knew who were complaining about an artist's prices. She told them that they didn't question $70 an hour for a car mechanic, so why should the artist be working for low wages? Another factor, rarely considered is that a gallery takes 50% for their expenses. However, the artist has paid for materials and often framing, so actually ends up with slightly less. Maybe we need to somehow suggest that buying a painting "sends a signal about the quality of person you are." Or - like the advertisement for a Park Avenue gallery I saw recently, "Nothing Enhances the Beauty of Your Home Like Art." Have a cup of tea and consider... the painting is of a copper kettle I don't use but keep by the fireplace. It was hand-made in the old B.C. Penitentiary, bought by a guard and given as a wedding present to my parents.

Reading about Art

In a recent newsletter, Robert Genn commented that he was reading Steve Martin's novel "An Object of Beauty" about dealings in the art world of upscale collectors. Then he added that he- and most artists- don't usually read fiction. The clickbacks now show that lots of artists *do* read fiction and many read about art. I've got 238 pages into "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follet and I'm really enjoying it. I might even end up more knowledgeable about the whole 20th century. Certainly I already know more about coal mining than I did before. However, before that, I finished "The Forest Lover" by Susan Vreeland. I've enjoyed all of Vreeland's books - my favourite is probably "Life Studies", her book of short stories and my favourite novel is"Luncheon of the Boating Party" because it gives such a complete picture of the creation of this painting. However, I had put off reading about Emily Carr as I wasn't sure how I would react to a fictionalized account. I'd read Emily Carr's journals, heard about her and been in children's art classes in the old Vancouver Art Gallery where we were on the floor under paintings by Emily Carr, Lawren Harris and others. She influenced how I saw the West Coast. But, Susan Vreeland did capture her character very well and the descriptions of her trips to First Nation's lands were very well done as was the inner struggle with expressing herself. I could understand the need to invent a character like Claude for the sake of the story - but I really think, given the conventions and morals of the times, that any relationship between a "Claude" and Emily would never have happened. Still, it was worth reading and thinking about the contribution that Emily Carr made towards recognition for female artists. Now I'm looking forward to Vreeland's new novel coming out this January. ....painting here is "The White Gown" which is Iva in a wedding dress - and has nothing to do with reading.