04 November 2018

staying sane

One way to stay sane

acrylic and mixed-media paintings on paper in my 5x7 sketchbook titled ARCHAEA

when I can't get into my studio

acrylic and mixed-media paintings on paper in my 5x7 sketchbook titled ARCHAEA

is to work in a sketchbook

acrylic and mixed-media paintings on paper in my 5x7 sketchbook titled ARCHAEA

at the kitchen table

acrylic and mixed-media paintings on paper in my 5x7 sketchbook titled ARCHAEA

this book measures 5x7"

acrylic and mixed-media paintings on paper in my 5x7 sketchbook titled ARCHAEA

50 pages, almost filled

21 October 2018

working like mad

I have been working like mad in my studio these last few weeks.

working like mad, mixed-media paintings, blue and gold, oil on panel, artist studio

A spate of teaching looms ahead, which will monopolize my focus for the next three weeks.

working like mad, mixed-media paintings, blue and gold and violet, oil on panel, artist studio

  Being a person of slow shifts, I have never quite got the hang of teaching one day, painting the next, then back to teaching, etc.

working like mad, mixed-media paintings, sea green, oil on panel, artist studio

It'll be great fun to work with the kids again, and afterwards I will return to my studio with a renewed energy.

working like mad, mixed-media paintings, blue and gold, red and silver, violet, oil on panel, artist studio

Until next time, dear Reader  :)

13 October 2018

piece-a-crap kind of day

Tried a new-to-me technique today on an old piece-a-crap oil painting.

trying a different painting technique

Mix a black...
... well it's supposed to be black but I'm out of ultramarine blue so I used prussian blue instead and it went quite green, but OK no problem.

trying a different painting technique

Old ugly painting gets obliterated, ahhhh...  *grin*

trying a different painting technique

Rub most of it off with a rag (this was the new-to-me part).

trying a different painting technique

Draw through residue a little bit with finger in same rag.
Those loose shapes over the precise geometry, hmmm. 
Kinda liking that.

painting circles collage

End of day, glued some stuff to an old piece-a-crap acrylic painting.


It was a very satisfying piece-a-crap kind of day in the studio.

trying a new painting technique in the studio

:)

06 October 2018

Bits and pieces from the studio

Bits and pieces from the studio these last few weeks...

Re-organization and clean-up:

re-organization and clean up - taking it all apart
taking it all apart

re-organization and clean up - putting it back together
putting it all back together

re-organization and clean up - tossing some of it out
tossing some of it out


Framing considerations:

framing consideration - more difficult than painting
this is more difficult than painting!

framing consideration - sometimes it works out all right
but sometimes it works out all right


Trucking along with colour layers on small oil paintings:

trucking along with colour layers oil paintings

trucking along with colour layers oil paintings

trucking along with colour layers oil paintings
none finished yet, but they begin to show promise


Trucking along with colour layers on larger oil paintings:

trucking along with colour layers larger oil paintings
not sure about the (very similar) colours

morning studio in natural light
morning studio in natural light


And in the life:

downtown building with little coloured square windows reflecting
downtown, before the epic snowfall

epic snowfall
front stoop, after the epic snowfall


16 September 2018

Toronto, part 2

Besides working with my friend, I did a few other things in Toronto last month.

I went with several friends to the AGO.

On the 5th fllor, Rebecca Belmore installations and performance documentations.  Her work titled "Fountain" really caught my attention.  It was screened on a wall of water.  Technically wonderful and also very beautiful.
Rebecca Belmore "Fountain"

There were several of her works in the gallery, and I wished I could spend more time with them.  Good thing we have the interwebs, where I found this interview about "Fountain"



Also, as usual at the AGO I wound up in the Henry Moore room.  This room for me feels a bit like a temple.  All the plaster forms; the clean shapes with scarred surfaces.




I kinda wish I could have a sleepover in the Henry Moore room, spend 24 hours in there with all those gorgeous shadowy forms.


Another day, I went with a friend to the ROM.

We saw fashion: 
https://www.rom.on.ca/en/iris

Interactive installations:
https://www.rom.on.ca/en/philip

And spiders!
spiders at the ROM cloak made of spider silk Gil Wizen and Mateus Pepinelli
https://www.rom.on.ca/en/spiders
Above image is of a cape made entirely of spider silk.  It may be the most beautiful piece of textile I've ever laid eyes on.


I also visited the downtown studio of my friend, an artist whom I respect highly.  Here's a link to her website.


I took very few photos of things while in Toronto... I think I am losing my desire for making photographic recordings.  But here is one:

light pattern in subway station
In contrast, I have not lost my desire for making sketchbook recordings of people's faces.  Here are portraits of various friends, acquaintances and family members, in the 9x12 green book.  It's very close to being full now.

Portrait of Sarah, oil paint marker and gouache in 9x12 sketchbook
S, simultaneously drawing me
oil paint marker and gouache, 9x12 sketchbook

Portrait of Sarah, oil paint marker and gouache in 9x12 sketchbook
S, engaged in the process
oil paint marker and gouache, 9x12 sketchbook

Portrait of Titus Ogunniyi, Sharpie marker and China marker in 9x12 sketchbook
TO, on his celphone
sharpie marker and China marker in 9x12 sketchbook

Portrait of Margaret Ogunniyi, oil paint marker and China marker in 9x12 sketchbook
MO, engaged in the process
oil paint marker & China marker in 9x12 sketchbook

Portrait of Joe Voorsluys, oil paint marker and gouache in 9x12 sketchbook
JS, conversing
oil paint marker & gouache, 9x12 sketchbook
Portrait of Jason Daling, 9x12 sketchbok
JD, driving
China marker, 9x12 sketchbook

Albert Chou, paint marker and China marker in 9x12 green book
AC, watching television
oil paint marker and China marker, 9x12 sketchbook

Portrait of Lynn Christine Kelly, oil paint marker in 9x12 sketchbook
LCK, reading a book
oil paint marker and China marker in 9x12 sketchbook

Portrait of Talitha Peacock, Pigma pens in 5x8 red sketchbook
TP, playing her harp
pigma pens in 5x8 sketchbook

Returning to Calgary, I was very eager to frame my paintings for the Art Now in Saskatchewan, but had to wait to borrow a framing gun.  Argh!  *laughs*  Well what can you do... work a bit on paper while waiting.

works on paper, A Circle of Sunlight


Below, the paintings going to the Art Now fair, framed at last :)

Five Seasons, Dancing.  original artwork, acrylic on canvas masonite Art Now Saskatoon 2018
Five Seasons, Dancing
acrylic on canvas and masonite panel, 15.5 x 16.5 inches, framed

And one more portrait!  MC, co-founder of Art Calgary.  She came to my studio to pick up my work for the fair in Saskatoon, so of course I had to record her face.
Portrait of Melissa Cole, oil paint marker and acrylic in 9x12 sketchbook
MC, oil paint marker and acrylic in 9x12 sketchbook
And now the teaching cycle resumes.  I'm hoping to amp up my teaching gigs because I could use a bit more income these days.  I'm also hoping to continue being able to get into the studio for some good swathes of time... wish me luck!  *laughs*

02 September 2018

sound and motion

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.

I recently spent some time in Toronto ON, working with a friend who is studying performance and movement arts at York University.  We had seven 8-hour studio sessions booked; here are a few of the drawings I made during that time.

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker on bond paper, 24x36"

A long time ago I did a lot of life drawing, working with professional artists' models who would hold very still for durations of time.  It's an excellent practice, one I would recommend to anyone wanting to hone their drawing skills.

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker on bond paper, 24x36"

Once I'd honed my own drawing skills (a 4-year process of drawing from life models several times a week), I began to be bored with immobile humans.  It's very unnatural for anyone to sit still for any length of time; in fact it's inhuman.  So I stopped.

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker on bond paper, 24x36"

Instead, I drew people while travelling on transit.  I learned that it takes 30-45 seconds for most people to realize they're being observed, at which point the drawing must be finished.  I got really quick at making portraits!  And I've kept up making portraits all these years, mostly in 9x12" sketchbooks.

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker on bond paper, 24x36"

Sketchbook portraits aside, I have done extremely little figure drawing in 20 years.  So it was a very open-ended endeavour to work with my friend, who would be in almost-constant motion.  And I went minimalist, bringing only big paper and drawing tools.  No paint, no brushes!

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker on bond paper, 24x36"

A challenge.  We didn't know whether anything would come of it, so we held no expectations.  I made some drawings of the movements she made, and some drawings of the sounds of her voice & body as she moved through the space.

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker on pale grey mystery paper, 22x32"
portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker on bond paper, 24x36"

About halfway into our time together, some of my markers began running out.  I saw this as an opportunity to procure a couple of hardware-store brushes and a bit of ink.  ;-)

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
various drawing media + ink on vellum roll, 24" x 10 yards
portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
same roll, opposite direction


Mixed in between all this I made a bunch of large portraits.  

Because I can.  Somehow I can draw fast enough, even on a larger scale, to make portraits while a person is moving, and taking on various personas, and talking-whispering-yelling, and generally doing everything but staying still.  

I'm enthralled by the magic of that: a person just being human, and me drawing them.

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker, China marker on bond paper, 24x36"

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker, charcoal, China marker on bond paper, 24x36"

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker and China marker on blue mystery paper, 22x32"

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker and China marker
on pre-painted BFK Rives paper, 24x36"

 portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On. oil paint marker and ink on mystery paper 22x32"    portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On. oil paint marker and China marker on pre-painted BFK Rives paper 24x36"  portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On. oil paint marker and China marker on blue mystery paper 22x32"  portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On. oil paint marker, charcoal pencil and China marker on bond paper 24x36"
oil paint marker, China marker on BFK Rives paper, 24x36"

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker and ink on green mystery paper, 22x32"

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker, China marker, ink on brown mystery paper, 22x32"

portrait & figure drawings of Carmen Paterson at York University, Toronto On.
oil paint marker and ink on black mystery paper, 22x32"

It was really cool to see my drawings emerge as we worked: to see my same basic style from years ago when I worked large scale from models, now augmented by 20+ intervening years of non-figurative art-making.

At the end, we are hoping to work together again, perhaps next year, and perhaps using some different materials.  
Already, ideas begin to emerge.  Wait.  Let them pupate.  See what happens.