Art Log

How do you know when a painting is finished? That the question that one of my third graders asked me years ago. Paintings go through so many stages that when I near the end, I need some time and distance to make that final decision. I hope that I capture the dazzling light of Greece in this painting and the playful experience of visiting the islands. Please let me know your thoughts.

We had a great turnout at JoJo's Cafe for the opening of my show. Many thanks to my supporters! I thought it was time to approach landscapes, so I poured through my travel photos and found these little Greek boats I spotted on the coast of Patmos, Greece. At the time, I hadn't thought seriously about painting and here they start to emerge from the canvas while attending Sandra Albo's landscape painting class in Osoyoos. It's a work in progress so there's corrections to be done yet.

There is something exciting about multiples of anything, including crabapples and jalapenos. My apologies about the spelling of jalapenos--I can't find the tilde!

Both of the paintings are 36 X 36" on canvas. Crabapple Harvest is a deep gallery wrap canvas--no framing required.

Hi,
I've been busy painting some large canvases so I haven't put the word out to you. The images will be forthcoming. Please share my joy that I have received Active Status with the Canadian Federation of Artists. This entitles me to exhibit my work with the FCA at that level. Please leave a comment on my Guestbook when you visit! I'd love to hear from you.

Painting an image begins well before the brush ever hits the canvas. Foremost for me is the composition: arranging and re-arranging items for a still life, playing with shadow effects, trying different backgrounds, different views of the subject, macro views. I look for compositions that display strong value contrasts for the way I am painting at this time. Before the image is transferred to the canvas, a type of romance has begun, with all the uncertainties of a courting ritual and just as many twists and turns of real-life relationships in their initial stages. In this case, instead of the question, "What shall I wear? followed by all the "What if's?" it's choices of colour palette, brush strokes directions and sizes, background colours, and should I proceed in acrylic or oil? The questions can be endless, but in the initial stages, I generally know whether a project is worth pursuing or not. It's later, that I'm not sure sure, when I'm invested of time, materials and interest, that the quandaries loom large. Perhaps that's why I really enjoy works in progress. There's still time for a salvo, an interception, there's hope. And that's why I'm attaching these two works in progress for your viewing and reflection on your own process. Do you love any type of works in progress more than the finished pieces? I'd love to hear from you.

I've been working on 6" square boards for a long time so it's freeing to be using a big brush and painting on a large canvas. I photographed these peppers at a local market last summer thinking I'd tuck them away and paint them in winter. The time has come.

The poster is a little misleading--the show goes from Feb. 27th--the night with the opening till the end of March, 2016. I'm thrilled and I'll be even happier if you come! Please see the show anyways--53 of my paintings.