So, it's been a while since my last post. Not exactly the pace I was thinking of, but whatever. I have a very good reason which I thought I would have talked about by now - my new studio space! It's great. It's in my building so I don't have to go across town. The last tenant painted everything dark green. So dark it reads as black in most lighting conditions. He painted everything his brush would reach - walls, ceiling, floor, outlets he didn't need, the list goes on. I guess he liked things dark. I, on the other hand, like my rooms bright and filled with as much natural light as I can get into them. Needless to say, it's been a long haul of ripping out floors and I'm still not finished priming! I will post some before and after pictures soon. First, I have to get to the after part.

In the meantime, I'm putting up this picture which I just finished...finally. Altogether, it only took about 10 hours, but that's spread over a month since most of my free time has been spent trying to get the studio space sorted so I can feel inspired to work on my art when I go in there. Well, it's almost at that livable stage which is why I was able to focus on this painting enough to get it finished. I'm quite happy with it, though I still don't have a title other than what it is...three vessels on a black shelf. I could get into the why's and wherefore's about this piece, but it's been a long day and I have to rest my weary head. For now, it feels good just to put it up on my site. Gives me a sense of completion. And that's always a good feeling - especially on a piece I almost thought I'd never finish. I should go toast myself now and crack open that wine. Until next time...

These pots were designed by Jack Luck for WearEver in the 1940's. They're gorgeous and fun to use. They're our favourite pots and hang above our stove, ready at a moment's notice.

And remember...

For finest cooking, get best-looking WearEver Aluminum utensils!

I thought I should have a special page to post new works as they get finished so one doesn't have to sift through my Portfolio of Works pages trying to find them. This new page will hopefully serve that purpose.

I've been hard at work on a new series of still life oil paintings. These are groupings of vessels collected over a number of years and more or less scattered around my home - and when I say scattered, I really mean carefully placed. I refer to these paintings as sight-specific in the sense that I don't go out of my way to set up a "still life" per se, but rather paint the objects where they're situated - whether it's on the stove, a shelf or above a cupboard. I love old things - including the building I live in. There's something about the character and architecture of an old interior - like the way a corner turns, or the irregularity of the wall surface - that is hard to find in contemporary buildings. I like seeing how a piece executed from one era can meld beautifully with a piece from another era - good design is timeless. I also love the way the light comes in the room at different times of day and affects the way I look at the pieces. So, this body of work is as much about the character of the room as it is about the objects in the paintings. Over the years, the collection has grown quite large. Over all, these are works from about the mid 1800's up to about mid 20th century. We think they're gorgeous and instead of crowding them together or packing them away for safe-keeping, it seemed a much better idea to celebrate them for the sake of their own unique beauty and level of execution. Having worked in clay - hand-building, wheel throwing, glazing - and far from being an expert at it, I have a great appreciation for the time and effort it takes to make this type of work. The execution employed by the artist, whether they're a ceramicist, glass blower, or wood worker, can be quite sophisticated and I can only hope through my careful observation that my paintings do them justice. 

As the series develops, I'll write a bit about the pieces in each painting to generally explain what is being portrayed and why I like seeing them grouped together. Other times, I may just like an area of a room for whatever reason and paint the effect I'm responding to - hopefully those will be a little more self-explanatory since it's more about atmosphere and mood. All new paintings or drawings will be posted on this page as they are finished and will also be found in their particular category in my portfolio collections - Still Life, in this case.

Thanks for visiting.