Progressions

Hello again!

First off, I'd like to share a few exhibitions and other events which I'm feeling excited about, in my most recent newsletter.  

And now on to some of my studio explorations.

At the encouragement of a friend, a couple of months ago I was playing around with watercolours, perhaps my least favourite painting medium.  *laughs*

First attempt: rather heavy-handed, 

although the silver bits are alluring.

Second attempt: getting better perhaps.  With gold bits!

Perhaps in a previous life I was a magpie...

Third attempt: actually managing a bit of transparency.

No metallic bits, though  :=(

I used w/c tube paints, and also w/c crayons and Inktense pencils.  Although I enjoyed exploring the materials, I've not picked up the watercolours since these attempts.  Perhaps in future I'll give them another go.

Last month I went on a field trip to the Weaselhead Flats with 42 third-grade students, 3 teachers and 5 adult chaperones.  It was a wonderful field trip, and I completely forgot to take any photos of the charcoal drawings we did after our nature hike!  The kids - and adults too - seemed to really enjoy the various charcoal techniques I showed them.

"Who knew you could do all that with the lowly black stick?"

*laughs*  oh the delightful eye-openings.

My own sketches were made from this tree,

on the hillside above the river near our house.

The kids and having fun with shadows at Weaselhead Flats.

Back in the studio, I'd been itching for a bit of oil painting, so I pulled out some small paintings made long ago on MDF panels cut to various sizes, no two alike.

First colour layers over the old paintings.

Laid them in a drawer to dry out of the way

Subsequent colour layers.

Maybe finished, maybe not.

Remember the Fragile Planets work I made a couple of years ago?  There were some extra plates & prints, and I've been thinking whether they might be worth framing.  Here, playing around with random materials... not sure I like this aesthetic though.  Candace Larsen at CKG may have some better ideas.

So, there you have some of the "other work" I get into, besides the stuff that makes it to the galleries & exhibitions.  What fun, eh?  

I love being an artist, and am so grateful that I'm able to spend my time this way.

Thanks as always for reading my blog posts!

June newsletter

​Good morning!

I hope this day is off to a fine start for everyone.  Here in Calgary it has rained quite a lot lately, which is great for our garden, and sometimes leads to a rainbow.  Today the rain has stopped, the sun is shining, and I'm appreciating some indoor rainbows cast on the wall by a prism hung in the window.

A few new things have been going on with my art practice:

First, I am very pleased to relate that I have recently been accepted into Christine Klassen Gallery here in Calgary.  It has been some time since my old gallery, AXIS, closed its doors, and now I'm glad I waited to find a new place which seems like it will be an excellent fit.  Christine Klassen, Hilary Knutson and James MacIntyre are a great team with some out-of-the-box ideas on promoting the gallery and artists, and the gallery space itself is absolutely gorgeous.  I feel honoured to be working with them!

There is an introductory exhibition at CKG of work by myself and Calgary artist Mike Binzer; we are both new to the gallery.  The exhibition runs from July 10 to August 22, 2015.  There will be an opening reception on Friday July 10th, from 5-7pm, and I will give a brief talk about my work at 6pm.  Please come out and celebrate with us!  The exhibition will include selections from the Multiples series, and from the most recent Ellipse paintings which stem from an experience I had during an Artscape residency last November.  To view images of the work, click here.

Secondly, I have a 3-D piece accepted into "This House Is On Fire" at the New Edward Gallery", an alternative gallery space also in Calgary.  It's an exciting opportunity to make and show work which lies outside my usual studio practice.  This event, which includes visual art, music and food, opens on Wednesday, July 1 from 6-11pm.  The art will be up for 3 days only, from July 1-3, 2015.  Join us for the opening celebration or stop in to the gallery to view the artwork while it's up!

Thirdly, in May of this year I had another super fun creative opportunity: to alter and paint 3 hard hats for the groundbreaking ceremony of cSPACE Projects at the old King Edward School in Marda Loop, Calgary.  If you'd like to see the hard hats I did and learn a bit more about this cSPACE project, click here.

Finally, the AGA's Travelling Exhibition "Eye And The City" will be hosted by the Onoway Public Library from June 24 to July 22 and the Mayerthorpe Public Library from July 29 to August 26, before moving on into the Medicine Hat region for the next leg of the journey.  "Eye And The City" is an exploration of urban landscapes through artworks by Russell Bingham, Gordon Harper, David Janzen, Paul Murasko and myself.

I hope you are enjoying your day and taking time to pause for rainbows - literally and/or figuratively!

Until next time,