Standing by the River

Standing by the River (Autumn in Algonquin)  / 16" x 20"

“I want to stand by the river in my finest dress. I want to sing, strong and hard, and stomp my feet with a hundred others so that the waters hum with our happiness. I want to dance for the renewal of the world.”

-Robin Wall Kimmerer

This piece was inspired by a remarkable afternoon sitting beside the sparkling flow of the Oxtongue River last Sept during my residency in the park.
The painting will be exhibited as part of a group exhibition at the Algonquin Art Centre entitled "The Spirit of the Group of Seven" which will include original paintings from the Group of Seven in celebration of the 100th anniversary of their first exhibition at OAC. It is such an honour to be part of this show which will be on exhibit from June to October in Algonquin Park.

Green

An aptly timed exhibition as the tender green buds of Spring burst forth with life!

A road trip to Cooperstown, NY brought me and my paintings to the delightful and well established Smithy Gallery. Three floors of artwork exploring Green as a secondary color with secondary meanings.  

A Summer Collage

Collage 

is a word that comes to me often lately. I move through time and space seeking images for my work, even following them as they lead me from one adventure to another. 

Every single place, person and moment is offered up as material for translation into paint.

Life and Art fuse.

 

Strength in Vulnerability

"Dance when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free."  ~Rumi

The other day I drew the Hanged Man card from the Tarot deck and it felt appropriate. Twenty months ago Loss was the price I had to pay for a great Love in my life and Walt was worth every tear. 

Recently my heart started to beat with love and life again. I could feel the blood start to flow anew as I recognized the first feelings of longing again. I didn't think it was possible. Slowly, tentatively I felt eros stirring inside, I couldn't believe it...and then just as I started to move towards the beckoning my heart was promptly shattered. 

Grief flows in mysterious patterns.

We Appear in this World for a Brief Moment / 40" x 60"

The Hanged Man represents an inward seeking.

The true quest is seeking within, not without. The fresh wound of loss was ripped open,

Radiant Absence

Radiant Absence / 40" x 60" / acrylic on canvas / 2015

Upcoming Exhibition:  Radiant Absence

Galerie Espace
4844 Boul St Laurent
Montreal, QC

Vernissage: Thursday, March 31 / 5 to 7pm
Exhibition continues through to Sunday daily noon to 4pm
or by appointment.

The truth is I would rather not be exhibiting right now as I feel raw and vulnerable from the recent loss of my beloved Walt, however I am unable to cancel the show which was scheduled a year ago. That being said, a "radiant absence" fills my days and this show will be a reflection of this profound transition and transformation at work in my paintings and my heart.

Squamish and The Chief

After a great visit and dinner with my cousin Shannon in Whistler we headed for Squamish. Fortunately for us  this is where

Chaos Breeds Creativity

When I enter the studio I shed all my quotidian duties and enter the realm of the imagination. This is the place where rationality and pragmatism have little worth. My mind is allowed to slip into chaos, where everything is fresh and new and waiting to be born for the first time. In the summer I paint outside but I also take endless photos of everywhere I go...photos of colors, textures, shapes. I often leave these piles of photos lying everywhere.

 I have tried to organize the photos but they always end up in piles and boxes littered all over the studio. I use them as reference but not just one, all of them! It is their strewn presence that evokes memories, smells, sights, sounds and even tastes for me as I paint.

Sometimes I sketch from them and have many of these sketch books lying around as well. They are like notes to myself, or notes of a song that has yet to be written. I like having them around me as partially resolved ideas for paintings, nudging their way into my consciousness as I work.

Painting from Inside the Roar of Autumn

This Autumn has been extended for me by traveling South and following the changing colors into New England. It has been a glorious time of replenishment for the senses. 

 I now look forward to a winter of hibernation in my Montreal studio where I will release all these images onto canvas!

 

Fire Forest / 48" x 36" / acrylic on canvas

Forest Incantation / 28" x 22" / acrylic on canvas