Summer Fields

Summer Fields 10x12 Oil on Board

Another plein air piece for my Summer series of paintings I'm executing for my next solo show. We've had some wonderful skyscapes around these parts of late.

A painting for my Grandson

Its been awhile since I last posted. I have been busy paying the bills using my carpentry skills most of the winter but I have had some time to paint.  This painting of foxes is for my Grandson Cohen to hang in his nursery. I wanted to paint something of interest for him, sort of like "wheres Waldo" with the foxes hiding in the bushes. Unfortunately this family of foxes home is currently being destroyed to make way for some bone ugly tract homes and condo's in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, across the backlane from where Cohen lives. Thats progress for you.  Instead of what do the foxes say we could ask "where will the foxes go?"

Art Forgery and Superstores

No, you won't find this painting at the worlds largest chain of superstores(no need to name names) unless of course this image is stolen by the notorious Chinese art fakers who have been known to supply said superstore and other home furnishing stores with many of their so called paintings, wittingly or not.  Literally thousands of Chinese are employed at Art Factories copying Old and New Masters from all over the world.  Southern China is the world's leading center for mass-produced works of art. One village of artists exports about five million paintings every year -- most of them copies of famous masterpieces. The fastest workers can paint up to 30 paintings a day, for pennies a day. Yes, you will find this original oil painting at my studio, keeping company with many others in the same vein. 

Going to Abstraction

A favourite theme, the former Blue Hotel in bygone days and later a brine shrimp processing plant.  Remember those Sea Monkey ads in comic books many years ago?  They came from good old Manitou Beach back in the day.  This is a pastel and charcoal piece over a heavy undercoat of marble dust and other stuff.

A semi abstract oil painting on masonite, undercoated with orange shellac.  A playful rendition of random thoughts bouncing around my skull.  It works for me. 
We are only 2 weeks away from our annual Spirit of Manitou Studio Trails tour.  Please drop by if you  are in the area, it promises to be a great event!

Somehow this painting explains where my head is at when I am in the "zone". It is a self portrait of me, don't ask me why or how, it just is. Does anyone see the family resemblance?