Viewed in a different setting

     Here is  a view of the installation in the View Gallery. It is interesting to see the difference a change in surroundings makes to the paintings, My "Bleeding Hearts" painting especially seemed quite different as I hadn't seen it against a light wall before.  That was an interesting challenge to paint. I have a nice clump that comes up every year so close observation was not a problem. The green was the problem! In the garden, the actual green of the foliage looks good and a nice contrast - fresh and bright. However, translated into pigment, the pink and the green fought to the point where it was almost garish. I kept the pinks pretty well as Nature had them but I had to subdue the greens. In the painting, the greens look quite "natural" but there was a lot of adjustment and glazing to get the colours to work in harmony.
     The Gallery is in the church lobby which has been redone with a wooden floor instead  of carpet - which adds a nice shine to the place!  Barb Bowen does a great hanging job and the adjustable lights really set off the paintings. I felt like I was getting  freshly acquainted with the paintings in their new temporary home.

Artist Statements

     This is "Towards the Meadow" - one of the paintings I'm showing in the View Gallery at Fraserview Church, opening this Sunday. Church service is at 10:30 or you can come after at 12 and I can see you then. There is a coffee bar in the lobby. I had to write a Statement for the show. This is always a bit difficult to do. I know of one artist who said "Why should an artist have to write a Statement - nobody asks a novelist to do an illustration about his book!"
     I thought I would keep it simple- so here it is: " My paintings are about enjoying a time and place by capturing the moment . Light and colour are important elements of my art. I like working in acrylics because of the layering qualities.  "Home" paintings are mostly flowers because a garden is part of the enjoyment of home. "Afar" paintings bring the enchantment of experiencing a different environment."
      Maybe it is too simple - here is a statement from an art competition "The repeated blocks in my work function as confrontational and generative forms that both obstruct and actively construct the space of the painting." or "Painting is a physical and mental process that allows me to deconstruct the subject matter that I am addressing." - and "I am exploring the relationship of heritage and progress in the local context, while engaging with paint itself: its qualities, limits and history."
     The question is - do words make the painting? I think they sometimes do -at least with price and prestige. I would just like viewers to relate to the paintings themselves. We'll see if anyone has anything to say about the Artist's Statement.

He still likes it!

Here is Barbara - he is a male but was given that name because he is such a diva. I thought he was lovely with his colouring and his fluffy coat as he sat by a window in his home. Apparently he likes the painting as he often sleeps by it. He is getting older  but still has a commanding air. It isn't always easy to please a sitter. I think the mental image we have of ourselves is often a few years out of date- so the current reality can be a bit of a shock. There is also a certain tendency to project oneself into every painting- so it depends on whether the artist's style and projection works well with the subject or not. At least animals don't complain to the artist!

Water-soluble wax crayons

This was done recently at Life Drawing - just concentrating more on James' face and arm and just using one colour of crayon. Well, I've finished that sketchbook now - and posted a few on Pinterest. Now I am drawing just in pen and ink for the next few sessions. I find it a challenge to switch into drawing with different mediums- a way to shake it up and bring some variety. But even without changing, Life Drawing is always an interesting challenge. With the water-soluble Caran d'Ache crayons,  I usually just do the drawing "dry" and then wash it with water later on. It is an interesting mix of the linear with the coloured wash. After this  new series in ink - which includes doing some small ones on cream coloured paper- I may try some quick water-colour wash "drawings". I'm posting the small ones onto a cupboard door in my studio - just for a different display.

Sunday in Steveston

This is what I painted on Sunday the 21st in Steveston - just outside Prickly Pear with its red door and flower pots. After my Tuesday struggle with a very small canvas (posted on Facebook) , I was smarter and also kept the subject simple. I had lots of comments and one passer-by even tweeted it.  Lots of nice people and lots of people I knew. Then Mark Glavina  awarded it a prize and I even have a buyer for it! This was part of Mark's Phoenix Art Workshop Customer Appreciation Day. It was fun to be able to pick where to paint instead of being assigned a spot like in the Grand Prix.  Now I need to think of a title for it. = something better than "Red Door"!

Sigmund and cats-

Just did this page for my sketchbook, I looked up images of Sigmund - he was definitely a collar and tie guy - and suits in those days usually came with a matching vest, I just thought it would be fun to put this in my sketchbook when I found that, yes, he actually said this!  Sigmund was the grandfather of the painter Lucien Freud who did such great portrait paintings. Gordon Smith, a former teacher of mine, felt that Lucien Freud was the greatest living painter in Britain - that was said when Lucien WAS still alive, of course. This was drawn in ink, colured with pencil crayons and a blender.

Latest Life Drawing

This was done in about two hours last night at Life Drawing

The pastel paper is a sort of smokey mauve colour - I think it is called "Twilight" or something like that. I drew lightly with a white Conte' crayon to work out proportions. This is actually the second drawing as the other - on the other side, I didn't like the results. Then I couldn't locate an eraser so  I just turned it over. Shortly after, I found *four* erasers - they had become so grubby from the pastels that they weren't recognizable. So now I have cleaned them up a bit - threw one out - and have them in their own little plastic "snack pack" to keep them cleaner. Of course, kneaded erases don't last forever anyway. Then I worked mostly with soft pastels - a little pan pastel in the lower left- and pastel pencils in a linear way- especially on the face. We do a "long pose" every two months and they are  mostly draped figures. Nice to have a longer time to get into it - and to work in colour.