Shoot for exhibition poster in Alliston
Hoping to find my invite image among the series of pictures Michael Lin took, weather was warm, but overcast....So I will need to work on contrast in Photo shop to massage the invite into shape... at this point it will be a single image for the invite and a multiple for the poster.
Big bright skies
Running affords the chance to just get out and look at the sky. There is a school yard close to our place that I run past often and I appreciate the scope of the western sky over that space offering a perfect sunset view.
Swiss group show at Galerie Lilian Andre in Basel
An image from The gallery including 7 of my Runby oil sketches, some from Toronto some from Basel. March 2017
A Drawing...
Thinking of moments and time, the movement of it , how we define it and it defines us.
"moment3:37 pm." charcoal, graphite, ink, on vellum
Finding an urban language
nature and urban infrastructure...
I am naturally drawn to organic shapes, clouds, trees, water ... so working on paintings in these very urban environments of Toronto and Basel is challenging and interesting... seems like I am always looking for ways to subvert the integrity of those very straight and proper structures. Light is my friend, together we dissolve and distort buildings, cars and pretty much anything under the sun so to speak. Light also has a way of giving license to extravagant colour if necessary, candy coloured cities for example.
Swiss 'run-bys' begin
Ran the Basel Marathon 2016 and was a stunningly beautiful day ... now onto my paintings from the experience of that day my time exploring Basel and environs. I am so inspired by the light, reflections, shapes and colours dancing though the Rhine river, it will be a certainly recurring theme. When I display the paintings here the blog template sets them out in such an orderly way, but while working on them I imagine them be in a random array at uneven intervals, interrupted by cut out figurative pieces.
Down by the waterfront, can't stay away....
In these 'dog days' of summer a breeze off the water offers some relief from the city heat. Marathon training in humid summer weather can be challenging but looking at the lake and the expanse of sky is relaxing and recharging none the less... the way scenes change so drastically over a year or a day is constantly engaging. The lake has moods too ... ruffled and opaque or glassy and transparent or reflective, in so many colours so many possibilities....These paintings from my "run-by" series are from Humber bridge to the beaches... in no particular order.
CORE SHOW , some images for the exhibition, Feb 19/2016 - April 8 /2016
'Having some fun running by some pieces from my series of 'run-bys' at CORE Gallery/realty
Tara and Annabelle came to the gallery on the last day of the show and took some pictures of me running by the 'run-bys' . These paintings are based on my experiences running through the city, marathon training in Toronto.
Boat stack , from 'Run by" series
Exhibition prep...
Working towards an exhibition coming up in a couple weeks and it always seems to be the case that the momentum builds as the date draws near. Unlike training for a marathon there is no reason to "taper" my activity, except of course the oil paintings will be wet! So the tunneled-vision-frenzy of wanting to work through ideas just builds.... The house falls apart around me, meals are forgotten, it's a mess and after I catch my breath all will return to normal.
A messy business...
Painting is a messy business, physically and mentally, not to mention the coagulating paint medium, hot cotton gloves inside hotter vinyl ones, punctured oozing paint tubes, solvents... and then the brushes... Yep, a lot of time spent wrestling the physical world when you paint, and not to complain 'cause it's nice work when you can get to it, it's just surprisingly draining. The set-up and clean-up and the struggle in between to make something you like. .... Playing with colour and ideas seem to make it all worth the effort, it can be satisfying and there are no guarantees.
Working title...
This is a piece based on a painting I did called "Helix", and it twists the original notion I had in another direction and works as a variant. Painted purposefully ambiguous while thinking about ; matter, stars, lovers, flux, spirals, flowers, molecules racing around, turning.... Like language I find myself often painting in signs and metaphors.
"Turn" oil on Linen, approx 3'x4'
decisions and choices
There have been some big decisions and choices that have been occupying me, I took that as a theme for this self portrait. Blue is such an infinite colour for me, like the sky , the colour of depth, and so many possibilities. So an introspective portrait searching inside for answers. I haven't been doing much work in oil paint lately so I enjoyed working with the the resistance and viscosity of the oil paint in this piece. "Consider" approx 3x4ft, oil paint.
"Consider" oil on linen, approx. 3x4 feet.
Renew
A new piece almost completed on the idea of renewal.
the studio is built! Long live the studio!
Studio update...
Now the work begins... I have done started in on a commissioned piece while still finding my materials and figuring out where to put everything to try to organize this iteration of the studio more effectively. The space is naturally larger and light is very good l, a beautiful place to work. Now to find that old 'habit of art', always thinking about it, but now to get into the habit of carrying out the ideas, and not just carrying them around.
How has the new space changed things so far?
I can actually extend my easel so I can stand as I work, the daylight spectrum helps with colour mixing, practical, concrete things. Psychologically the commitment is heavier, this space represents an endorsement of value and a serious challenge to meet. Time is the last element and that will be more available soon as well.
Renovations
So I have had this space to work in that has been problematic... 2 small rooms , one quite dark the other lots of windows but cold and drafty in the winter, steamy with windows that didn't work that well for the summer, low ceiling so, difficult to have an easel. Stan and I decided to renovate the space... so the studio, very specifically is getting pushed out in every direction a bit, loosing the dividing brick wall, getting insulation, very exciting.
process
For the month of June, 2014, I have an art work hanging in 'The Howard Park Institute ', window gallery, 2088 Dundas Street West, Toronto. As I was working on this I took pictures along the way to put up on the blog. I hope you find it interesting...
speaking of love
"speaking of love"
I've left the title ambiguous to add speculations to the narrative, as I often do, this is a painting about making the unseen visible, an intimate conversation… warm thoughts of love and springtime after such a chilly solid winter in Toronto….
melt
This piece is about a kind of "sensual thaw", exploring and discovering through words and gestures. A secret shared space
representing work in situ
Now I am happy with the commissioned piece "Tabletalk" so from my perspective it is done, time to install it over at Kathryn & Daryl's place!
I always bring along some touch-up paint in case anything has been damaged in transit a few tools and some hanging mechanisms just in case . We held the piece up against the wall leaving space for it to "breathe" , looking at the negative areas around the piece and trying to get the best height considering lamps, people who will be sitting at the table, angles from another room etc.. As we were deliberating the topic of lighting came up, that amazing creator of mood and revealer of information. We discussed how to squeeze a fuller spectrum out of colours , draw focus and create mood. After living with the work in my studio context it is always interesting to see how it changes when placed in someone else's living space.
I signed the piece while it was on the wall.
Not too pleased with this photo, though I like how it works in the flesh...the colours here seem too far from the original.. too ocher, but you get the idea…a place of honour in a beautiful room.
Jacquie
Kathryn with "Tabletalk" installed in her dining room