A point of View

This painting underwent 2 cuts before I was satisfied with it.  Sometimes I go back to the site of the painting and re-work the piece. I like to do this as it connects me in a special way with the land I'm standing on.

Tribute to Tom

 I have the highest regard for the Canadian painter Tom Thompson. His paintings inspire me to try harder to succeed at my quest to paint well.  This painting had its genesis in the landscape around Manitou Beach, SK.  I haven't had much time to paint outdoors lately, work gets in the way but I try my best!  Hope you enjoy, and for my European and other worldly readers please Google Tom Thompson and have a look at what he accomplished in his short life, you won't be sorry.

The Colours of Autumn

This painting is loosely based on a previously posted image.  It was largely painted with a 12 inch wide drywall tool and finished up with progressively smaller tools.  I had great fun with it and I'm looking forward to doing more with this type of paint application.  Currently I'm looking for a supplier of Oil paint that can sell me quantities in quart and gallon sizes as this technique can really burn up the paint! The German painter Gerhard Richter had a hand in this, my hat is off to him.

On Fire for You

I found myself wondering this morning if there is any noise on the sun as it generates all the tremendous energy that gives life, or is there utter silence.  Silence is interesting me a lot lately. In my studio I usually have music playing or often when I am painting outdoors I will have the iPod playing my favourite tunes but lately I been opting for silence.  I am trying to function in silence, including quieting my sometimes rather active brain.  You know, we all struggle with a noisy mind and isn't it wonderful when we can silence that static and be at peace with ourselves.  Painting in this kind of silence is very meditative for me, I like the results, which often surprise me. I offer the painting above, which I have titled "On fire for You", as a homage to the Sun.

The Silence

The Pond

After quite a respite from plein air painting I finally had a bit of time to get outdoors to paint a few days ago and this is the result.  The scene is a small pond at the head of Wellington Park, here at Manitou Beach.  It was a lovely morning, quiet except for the sound of geese, pelicans and other birds on the move.  What is silence anyways?  It has been said that if a human can get out into the outdoors on a regular basis, and I mean somewhere away from man made noise, their auditory sense expands exponentially. The silence of nature is quite noisy, but an enjoyable noise that has many different levels to it.  Consider how a prehistoric man would react to life in a big city, I am thinking he would go mad.  Unfortunately there are very few places left in the world that could be classified as truly silent.

Shellmouth Group Shot

I came across this great shot of Shellmouth Artist Retreat gang.  Missing from the photo are Gerald Dressler and Miriam Koch.  Can you tell we all had a great time?  The paintings behind us were done by Mabel Mund.  Shortly after the photo was taken we were treated to a musical show that was performed by Jack and Sandra Hollenburg and Jessica Stacey and her group. I had the pleasure of pretending I was performing with Jack, maybe next year I can play some blues with him!

What is Art?

I recently came across a wonderful quote by a kindergarten student.  The teacher asked the kids on the first day of class "What is Art?"  Here is one of the responses.

"Art, oh that's when you make something beautiful out of paint or even recycled materials. Sometimes it looks like what's in your head and that's good. Sometimes it doesn't and then you change what's in your head. If it still doesn't look beautiful, you just take a deep breath."

Antonia, age 5

One of my favourite activities in the spring is going to the Mendel Gallery in Saskatoon, SK to view the K-12 Art display.  Although all of the Art is breathtaking I particularly am drawn to the K-3 children's work as it seems to embody all that is good about Art.  I think that many mature artists long to get back to the child in themselves when creating.  The painting above is a somewhat whimsical piece, I leave the definition up to the viewer!

After the Rain

This oil painting, which was painted at the 2012 retreat in Shellmouth, is titled "After the Rain". I don't think the photo does it real justice as the paint texture is quite pronounced in places. It was inspired by one of my many walks in and around the community of Manitou Beach. I had quite a bit of fun with it and think that it expresses my sentiments on that particular day.  Close friends commented that they saw elements of the late Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. Your comments are always welcome.

Something new from something Old

This painting, which I worked on at the 2012 Shellmouth art retreat, had its genesis as a painting completed at a 2005 retreat at the same location.  I am becoming a bit more brutal about what satisfies me in my paintings, if it no longer resonates with me then it is destroyed or in some cases whitewashed and reborn as another creation. The painting above speaks of a trip my wife, son and I made to southern Utah a few years back, camping and hiking in the sandstone landscapes with their amazingly beautiful shapes and textures.  The textures from the previous painting really came through nicely and complemented the new paint layers. I had a bit of fun with iridescent gold paint my buddy Dean Bauche lent me. As usual, photos cannot do justice to the painting.

Shellmouth 2012

I'm just nicely back from my annual journey to Shellmouth, Manitoba where my great friend Jan Layh hosts the annual Shellmouth Artists Retreat.  It was pointed out to me that this is my 12 session!  Geez, where does the time go?  Anyways, we all had a fantastic time.  There was much merriment, art making, cooking and eating, playing of guitars, banjoes, accordions (thanks for playing Jan).  I had the pleasure of painting beside my good friend Dean Bauche and wife Barb.  We always have such a good time together.  I credit the whole gang that attends this event with my growth as an artist.  It is no wonder that one of these retreats is never enough for us, we need additional fixes so we have organized other smaller events throughout the rest of the year.  It is a great family we have created.  This summer we mourn the loss of two member artists, Mabel Munds sister Joan and Miriam Koch's friend Mildred. May they gently rest. I had the good fortune to sell this 30 x 60 oil on the last day of the Retreat.  I barely had time to get acquainted with her.  The painting is titled "Song of Autumn". At least I know it is in a home that houses many of my other Retreat paintings and is loved for what it is.

Plein Air Partners

Frenchman River

I had company whilst painting this oil. My daughter Sacha and good friends Dean Bauche and Jan Layh all sat out in the glorious morning sun down by the Frenchman River and painted in our own manner.  This was the first time that Sacha painted out of doors with me and I think she did great.  The hills around Eastend, SK are so green due to large amount of rain they have been getting.  I am told by people who travel that this place reminds them of Ireland and Wales.

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. 

Eastend 2012

Well, we've been back from the annual Eastend Retreat hosted by the Bauche's for over a week now. The painting above is a plein air painted at Brady's Ranch looking up at the hills surrounding the place.  It was a great day and a pleasure to be outside doing what I love best.  We all had a great time again, there was fantastic food, music performed by participating artists and collaborations on many paintings.  Can't say enough about the value of this Retreat, going to Eastend is like going home.