The Aftermath....

Video of our display set up at Revive. I was there with
Sandra Robson and Mandana Studios.

Sorry I didn't show up last week... on the weekend I was tied up with the Arts on the Credit Tour, and was completely exhausted by the time it was done. It was a great show, btw. Thanks to everyone who came out. It was awesome to see so many people out to look at art.

A lot of time beforehand was spent preparing. I had to have new work, so there was that, but also deciding on what kind of display, hauling out and cleaning all my display equipment, making tags, making sure my credit card system worked, etc, etc. Needless to say, I've been neglecting other things.

My studio is a disaster zone. I've got my table clear enough that I can work on it, but the entire other half of the space is complete chaos. I had pulled out all my containers of display stuff... clips, lights, drapery, signage... and that is all sitting in the middle of the room. I've got a basket with matted works on paper and another one full of prints, also in the middle of the room. It's always like this after a show. I don't bother to put the containers away until everything over and done with, because I'm just gonna have to pull them out again.

Me, standing in front of Revive
with the Art Tour sign in the
background.

This weekend I got up early Saturday morning with every intention of getting my studio back in order. But then I noticed some crud on the handle of my refrigerator. And that, it seems, was that. I spent the entire day cleaning, but didn't even set foot in the room I had intended to sort out. My kitchen looks awesome. My fridge is clean, even my freezer is clean. I cleaned out the microwave. I scrubbed the wooden blinds. The pull out spice rack has been cleaned and reorganized. All my cupboard doors have been wiped down. Yay me.

I needed to do laundry. I popped into my son's bathroom to grab his towels, noticed that his soap dispensers were empty. So I had to deal with that. And since I was in there, I gave the counters and sink a wipe down. I eventually made it back into the laundry room, grabbed the bucket and sponges I needed and headed back upstairs.... without putting in the laundry. Sigh. Back downstairs.

By the end of the day I was exhausted. I vowed to try again on Sunday to get my studio cleaned up. I did a bit, but ended up painting. I can't let the entire weekend go by without doing anything I actually enjoy. I should have done it on Monday night when I got home from work. I usually take the day after a show off so I can do this kind of thing, but with the new job and all... well, not this time. I'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure.

For those of you who didn't make it out to the show, here are a few photos:

Tour Sign... There is a 2nd studio at Revive that people were
missing, so on day 2 we had someone out there directing them in.

The weather was awesome, so we put some work out on the porch.
These are Sandra's wonderful alcohol ink flowers. You can see them
on her website.

Sandra Robson with her Root painting. She did a series of
these that really grabbed some attention.

Mandie of Mandana studios with her funky, vintage looking
handmade jewellery. I had my eye on one of these rings, but it was a
bit too big for my teeny tiny hands.

The stones are magnificent. I think my fave was the
cultured opal. Somewhat like my interference paints, it looks
a different colour depending on the angle.

The amazing textile work of Lilianne Lear. Yes, I said textile... this is an
embroidery piece. I love these funky fish! 

Boxed In Opening: Video

I wanted to do a better walk around so I could really show off the talent here in Port Credit... but the gallery was crowded (awesome!) and I was late arriving, so it just didn't happen. But what a fantastic show! I am continually amazed by the diversity and quality of the work of the artists I meet here. The work was priced to sell, so I wasn't surprised to see a couple pieces had sold. I actually was surprised that more hadn't sold. This is the kind of show that really should sell out.

In 2011 we had 713,445 people in Mississauga. We have 5 dedicated art galleries, one being the public, city-run gallery, and another being the one at the University. Two of the commercial galleries don't carry the works of anyone local (that I know of... I've been following them for quite some time and have yet to see it, but I could be mistaken). That leaves one... and I've submitted my portfolio and wasn't even graced with a response. We have artist-run initiatives: Imagemaker (not counted in my tally of galleries), who keeps it's doors open by holding classes, Pazan gallery, who survives as a framing shop with a display space for the locals, and Promenade Gallery, which has some interesting events centering around the South Asian community. We also have the wonderful Visual Arts Mississauga, who offer all kinds of artists programs and also have shows in their space. I know there have been other galleries open in the past, but they have had to close their doors. I've often wondered why this is, given the amount of money that resides around here. Houses by the lake go for over a million bucks. Some way, way over. Even a condo will set you back over half a million.  So there are people who can afford to have original art in their homes, yet they do not seem to buy it here. My guess is that they go into Toronto. My son has noted the same thing as a musician. There are very few venues for live music here these days. Most of the young people trek into Toronto to catch a show, because nothing much seems to happens here.

The Mississauga Arts Council is aiming to change all that. The Interim Executive Director spoke at the opening, and he had some inspiring things to say. Plans to make Mississauga residents more aware of the local talent we have. Programs to help Mississauga artists actually sell their work here. And combined with the planned conversion of the Small Arms building into a cultural hub, this should be a huge boost to the cultural community in this city. I have high expectations. I hope I'm not disappointed.

Oh and if I've missed something, please let me know in the comments! I love finding new, local spots to visit!

Boxed In: Final Entry

"Secret of the Ancients", 12x12" Mixed Media on canvas. Available.

Done. The final painting. Feels like it took a really long time to get these finished, but I suppose, with stopping to take working photos, and documenting everything in between painting sessions, it added on a bit of time. At least I made it for my deadline.

I'm going to be doing something a bit different for this series. Each piece looks best in a certain direction... in my opinion. But they can all fit together for something different. So to allow a bit of flexibility, I'm going to sign them on the edge of the piece, rather than the front. I will still have to put wire on the back, but that is easily changed if the eventual owner decides they want to hang them in a different direction. The gallery is actually going to hang the show with velcro instead of hooks this time. Makes it easier with so many pieces, and that way they won't have to fill a million holes in the walls when the show comes down. The canvases they gave us are small and light, so it should work well. I can hardly wait to see how the show comes together.... some of the work I've seen posted online is really wonderful.

Excavation series, lined up horizontally. These would look lovely in a hallway... maybe on a white wall? I found another
silver in my stash that was way more reflective (Golden... of course), so I went over the solid silver areas in all
three pieces. Anyway, that's why I have areas that look warm grey in that last photo. That's the new silver
reflecting the light.  I really should rephotograph the other two...

Now that I'm done this series I have a few other things I have to focus on for the next couple weeks. My mom is moving in a little over a week, my son has a million things on the go (some of which require my input), and I really, seriously need to clean up my studio. I don't know how it can go from clean to a disaster in a few short days, but it manages to happen. One misplaced object, and suddenly I need a couple days to put everything back together.

I will post a video of the opening on June 9th... I'll try to keep it short-ish. I'll have to do the walk around and maybe have a little chat with some of the other artists. If I can get that live stream thing happening, I'll let you know.

Boxed In: Project Entry Part 5

the join between canvas 1 and
 two really bothered me...

 I'm back to canvas 1. If you don't remember quite what it looked like, you can refresh your memory here. The image is at the bottom, but it's upside down. When I'm working abstractly, I will regularly flip the canvas around to get a different view. Sometimes it works better in a different direction. It's definitely a good way to check if the image is balanced.

Once I had that dark area blocked in, I saw I
needed to add some interest to the bottom section. 

Stacking up 1 and 2, I can see they don't really meet up any more. It's not too bad, but this area (left) really bothered me. Since I like the top one, and I don't like the bottom one, I decided this was the ideal place to start.

My three Boxed In canvases, all
still in progress. 

I still had that big blocky shape in the middle of my canvas. I don't like that too much, so I'm going to change it. Once that's done, I rework the rest of it to balance out that initial dark shape. It seems to lean heavily to the left here, so I added a few shapes to the bottom section to make it more interesting. I will have to do something to that section on the middle right... don't know what yet, but I can decide that as I go along.

By the time I'm done this session, I've really taken this canvas in a different direction. It looks really different... there are still a lot of areas I don't like, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to spend a few more hours working on this. Luckily the other two are in decent shape, so I have the time to rework this until I like it. I still have a couple weeks before I have to turn the canvases in to the gallery. Of course I have to allow time to finish the edges, apply a layer of varnish, and attach hardware and wire to the back. I can't leave it right to the deadline, or I may end up turning something in I'm not satisfied with. Not my style.

Boxed In: Project Entry part 1

Attempt number one. Ick.

A little local gallery recently put out a call to artists. They were having a special anniversary show, and were inviting artists who have shown there to participate in a small works show. Each artist would be given 3 12x12" canvases, and in the end the gallery would be filled with these little paintings, which would all be for sale for $100. They named the show "Boxed In".

There is a timeline. I have to have the canvases ready by the end of May. I've decided to document the entire project from start to finish.... warts and all. And I'm off to a brilliant start.

This was the start of my mask try... I got
further,but I didn't take any photos.

My first thought was to do something a little different. With the canvases being $100 across the board, and my usual work at that size is quite a bit more, I didn't feel I could do my usual thing. My first image started with collage shapes and paint, and after 3 sessions struggling, I decided that just wasn't going to work. My 2nd attempt was to do one of my journal pages on the canvas. Maybe one of the masks I've been working on. I spent two days on that one. I was struggling.

So much for doing something completely different. I need to approach this the way I usually do.

Here's my thought process...

Theme: Boxed in

I hate that phrase. Nothing I dislike more than the feeling of being confined. I may put confines on myself, but if anyone else tries to do it, I rebel. And since that is who I am, that is exactly what I am going to do. 

Reversing the theme: Instead of Boxed In, I will Break Free.

Things that break out of their confines? Volcanoes, explosions, babies being born, birds hatching from eggs, air... in the form of balloons popping, popcorn, water bubbles.

Things of value trapped within their environments that are freed somehow: pearls, gold and precious metals, oil, gemstones... of course the value is assigned by humans, and it doesn't necessarily have any inherent value. But that's beside the point.

So. My shapes will be formed from things breaking out of their confines. And my colours will be silvers and hues of purple and blue, very light, reminiscent of ice or diamonds, and I'll use my lovely mother of pearl iridescent paint to accent areas. Because pearls. Here's stage one. Wish me luck.

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New Abstract Painting : Flightpath, part 2

"Flightpath | 2" 9x9" Mixed Media on paper.

There were two butterflies, a small white one and a monarch. Together they danced among the flowers. It was a beautiful blue sky day, warm, but a large cloud was threatening rain. There was a breeze… the leaves rustled and the birds sang.

Can you see all that in there?

Inspiration can be a tricky thing. And "explaining" a piece of art even trickier. I am, at the moment, trying to write an artist statement for this new body of work I'm starting... and yes, I'm pretty sure this is going to turn into a body of work. I'm 6 pieces in and I've got 4 or 5 more started.... I've got so many ideas for potential subject matter flying around in my head that I feel compelled to keep going. And that's how it always starts. It's a good place to be. But I digress...

Hilarious, right? You can read more of
these "statements of the Old Masters" at this link. 

So, an artist statement. Have you ever read those things? Usually I get about one paragraph in and my eyes glaze over. Everyone tells me I have to have one... I have to explain what I'm trying to achieve or the curator/collector won't even consider my work.  I will fail to qualify as a "serious" artist. But honestly, I never got the hang of artspeak, even in University. Most of the time it just sounds like a bunch of pretentious drivel that no one really understands. My hat goes off to those artists who can write an honest, decipherable artist statement that still fulfills enough academic standards to qualify. I've tried... really I have. With every body of work I've done, I've tried to distill it down to one idea, and present it in some kind of academic sounding blah, blah, blah. Some are more successful than others. I'm not sure how I'm going to approach this one. I'm thinking of tossing the whole academic approach out the window and going with something that is a bit more authentic to who I am. Yes, I may be a thoughtful artist, but I speak plainly and directly (as you know, if you've read even one post on this blog) and don't go in for big, convoluted expressions. Let's see how that works out for me. At this point, I'm not seeing that I have a whole lot to lose.

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If you happen to live in the GTA (Toronto/Mississauga and area), I will be participating in a live painting event next Saturday afternoon during the Port Credit Buskerfest. It's always a really fun event... this is the first time I'll be anything but a spectator. Myself and 3 other artists, (Lisa Irvine, Christine Newman ( a newbie... straight outta school) and one other yet to be announced) will be working on a collaborative piece at imagemaker gallery on Lakeshore. I haven't done any collaborative work before, so this is a totally new, exciting adventure for me. If you're around for Buskerfest, pop in a see what we're up to. Hopefully it will turn into something fabulous, but even if it's a flop I'm sure it will be fun.
We start at 4 pm, and continue into the evening until about 8.

Culture Days Givaway

The Art Gallery of Lambeth (London, Ontario) is raffling off some artwork during its Doors Open/Culture days event. This piece of mine is available to be won. Tickets can be purchased at the gallery over the weekend, and the winner will be notified next Monday. Good Luck!

This 5x7 original painting is being raffled.

The Summer Sizzler

Opening of the "Summer Sizzler" juried show in London.
My piece is hanging in the window at the back.

So this weekend required a trek out to London for the opening of the "Summer Sizzler" juried show, at the Art Gallery of Lambeth. I was there early to help out... Not the norm since I live so far away, but I had the day off and leaving early meant missing that awful rush hour traffic. When I went to unlock the door, I was caught a bit off guard to see that there were actually people waiting out in the parking lot! I usually get there about an hour after the doors open, so this was something I've never witnessed. But it was a lovely evening, and what better way to spend it than looking at art, listening to music and having a little wine.

I did the initial rounds to say hello to people I had met before, (the London arts community is very supportive and many attend whatever event is going on) before getting out my camera. I only got to snap a few pics before the batteries in my camera died. I didn't even get a shot of my 3 dancer paintings that were hanging directly in front of the door. I'll have to be a bit more prepared next time and make sure I have my back-up batteries fully charged.  I believe the gallery is going to be posting photos of works juried into the show on their Facebook page over the next couple weeks. Interested? Head over to Facebook and check it out. And be sure to "like" them... that way you won't miss anything!

The entertainment, Ben Brown, gave the gallery goers an evening of nice acoustic music. By the
end it was a bit of a sing-a-long... not something I've ever seen at an art gallery. Fun. 

Miniatures

In preparing for this show at the theatre, I neglected to look at my upcoming commitments for the galleries I was already a part of. At the last minute, and after repeated reminders, I pulled out a couple miniature paintings I had done last year and submitted them to the Art Gallery of Lambeth's juried miniature show. The opening was this past weekend. Good turnout, as always, and quite a few pieces sold, one of which was mine. For an added bonus, I got an honourable mention (and a lovely ribbon). The juror was Madeline Lennon, an Art History professor from Western University. That was a lovely surprise.

"Syncopate II"
Mixed Media on paper

Limited Editions Now Available

Two of my images are now available as limited editions on various products, through Rubens and the Bard Online Art Gallery. "The Baseline" and "Take Five" are both available on various products, from laptop sleeves and bags to phone cases. Eventually there may be more images, and possibly available as prints on stretched canvas. If you are interested in checking out what is available, head on over to Zazzle and take a look.

My painting on a laptop bag.... how cool is that?

It's Gotta Swing!

the main exhibit wall
in the Meadowvale Theatere...
there are also many
other walls to be filled.

A couple days before Christmas I was notified I was accepted to exhibit in the lobby of a popular local theater. I had applied in the spring of last year, not really sure what to expect but figuring it was worth applying for, even if it didn't amount to much. 

When I got the notification I was excited and a little panicky... I have been painting like crazy this past year but my work has also been selling, so my inventory is a bit on the low side. But there was no point in panicking until I knew what I was in for, so I put it on the back burner and got to work. Well, this week I went by and took a look at the space. It's huge! As the curator walked me around and showed me all the spots to be filled I was trying picture how what i had available would fill the walls and how much white space could possibly be acceptable. I figured I had better spend every available minute from now until March with a paintbrush in hand. And I'd better go buy a few pre-stretched canvases in sizes bigger than what I've done to date. The bigger they are, the more space they fill.

It's Gotta Swing!
Acrylic on Canvas 24x30"

So, I'm back to the dancers. I'm sure I'm not finished with the musicians just yet, but the dancers are calling to me so that's what's going on the canvas. I really don't have time to question my instincts. I found a great photo of swing dancers online and figured I could use it for reference, using the music as a guide to the feeling. I think I got it down pretty well... the music has so much energy my foot was tapping the entire time I was painting (actually, I was dancing around in my studio, as much as is possible in such a small space). My goal is at least 1 painting/week until my hanging date at the end of Feb. It might not work out quite like that, but I've got to start somewhere.

New Painting, New Gallery

Chasing the Gypsy
Acrylic on Canvas
16x20"

My little world is expanding. As of next week, my work will also be at the TAG Art Gallery in downtown St. Catherines, Ontario.

Escaping: A Group Show at the AGL

My painting made the paper!

The show that I have been working towards for the last couple months has finally opened at the Art Gallery of Lambeth. When I dropped off all my work a couple weeks ago, I have to admit I was just a tiny bit concerned... they were doing renovations and the place was a disaster zone. I shouldn't have worried. They managed to get it all pulled together in time and the place looked fantastic.

I like what they've done there. They opened up the entire back section to make room for some new, bigger classes, and they've put in a counter so the desk, computer and big sinks are partially hidden from view. This will double as a bar during openings and private viewings, when they will be serving food and wine.

I think the evening was pretty successful, even though it was held on the Friday of the Thanksgiving long weekend. They maybe would have had a better turnout if it was next weekend, but there were still a fair number of art lovers who showed up to see the new works. And some of the new work is really beautiful. If I could afford it (and if I had the wall space), there were a few things I would have loved to bring home with me.

The wall with my paintings. You can see my two little bird paintings on the side wall.
There was a real photographer there so I'm hoping he got some better shots...
these don't look great, but you get the idea.

The long wall filled with all new work

Enjoying the ambience

A musician adds to the atmosphere