It Isn't Easy Being Green. The title of this next solo show at Studio Vogue Gallery in Toronto, came from discovering from a variety of sources that green is considered a difficult color to work with, and that, in fact many people avoid green in their work. This came as a surprise for me given that being focussed on the landscape as my preferred subject, green tends to be the color I play with the most. The show represents a visual diary of my encounters with the planet, but more specifically the forest and the trees. While in the winter I hibernate and paint inside using pictures from previous forays into the wilderness, in the summer time I spend a lot of time hiking, trekking through the bushes or bird watching. I sketch, paint and capture the scenery that moves me and will later become that basis for my paintings. Many places are like magnets for me and I find myself revisiting them over and over again the same places for awhile at different times of the day and in different types of weather. Being an introvert, much of this exploration occcurs when I am alone. I enjoy walking with no fixed goal just for the fun of exploration. Nothing brings as much pleasure as discovering something new in a place I have been visiting for ages... Mostly I enjoy the experience of listening to the forest breathe, listening to it's movements. The sound of the breeze in the trees... the trembling of the leaves just before the storm, he rustle of the leaves on the trail as i walk and the cracking of dead tree limbs underfoot are all part of the experience. Unfortunately, paintings don't come with a sound file... all that is possible is to elicit the right mood so people can remember their own experiences and their own encounters with nature... It Isn't Easy Being Green also is about the experience of being a rural kind of guy living in a very urban environment that is detached from nature... It is my attempt to reconnect emotionally with the planet...

Well a year has gone by and the time has flown away. In summary, I spent the early part of 2012 exploring painting in watercolour. Then after a visit with Joyce Fournier at Studio Vogue Gallery on Avenue Road in Toronto, I decided to change direction as a result of the feedback she provided. I shifted to painting in oils and worked on developping a style of painting in oils that allowed me to express the same issues as my work in pastel. I spent the summer months painting as many small paintings as I could and found myself just experimenting with various styles of paint application. Over time, I discovered an approach that allows me to translate my encounter with nature. Here are a few of the latest examples of this work.

My only talent is being stubborn

I often the perennial remark: "my you have got talent, I could never do that". When I reply my only talent is stubborness supported by interest, I get these incredulous looks. The truth is that when I was 15 unlike many kids who could draw I could not draw a straight line. But I wanted to reproduce some of my favorite comic book characters. My favorites came from the french tradition of comic books that are hard cover. I was raised with Tintin and Asterix and Obelix. I wanted to be able to draw them.

In the high school library, I found a book that promised to teach you to draw through guided practice. If you did the assignments, you could learn to draw in a progressive way. I drew pages and pages of straight lines, vertically and horizontally. Then I learned to put them together to create boxes. I learned to find the midpoint and to practice estimating it by sight and draw it in. Triangle were the product of connecting the corners of those drawn boxes with new lines. I stubbornly did those exercises that many others would have scoffed at and gradually built up skill. What I did not realize was that I was training my eyes and my hands simultaneously. Through continued practice through the years I finally learned to draw. I sketch on vacation, on the subway, on planes, in parks. I consider that doodling is good practice. Sketching has been a part of my life since I was a teenager, even when I was too busy with my work and my family to find the time to paint. Over time I have grown better than I was at drawing, but nowhere near where I would like to be. I am always amazed at the skill level of many draughtman.

A stubborn interest in art has always been a part of my character. At 17, while attending university in Ottawa, I made it a habit to visit the National Art Gallery every two weeks. For a few years I would just amble around in the collections, learning to see and think from the perspective of various artists. I learned to appreciate different styles and approaches.

I am aware that many people who have heard this story directly from me do not believe me. They believe that I surely must have had talent. But my talent is the gift of stubborness.

I am stubborn in that I will redo something over and over till I feel satisfied with the result. In fact, the fun part is the learning that painting and drawing provides. Each picture provides a puzzle that requires a new solution. Many of the paintings that provided the most learning are never sold because they would not find an audience. The children of these paintings are easier to produce... they are more appealing to people... because they are more captivating than their parents...

Once the problem has been resolved it is time to stubbornly move on to another picture puzzle to further the learning.

The Walnut Studio Xmas Show and Sale: reflection

It was twelve hours of standing and chatting with people from every area of Toronto. Friends and family came out to check out the latest productions. It was also a great time to get to know some of the other people that hang out at Walnut... Given everyone is involved differently in the studio, we are all on different time schedules which means many of us never meet. Moreover, it was a great way to see the range of work that people do here... As people produce their work, it often disappears from their easel as fast as it appeared. Most people move their paintings; either to their home, to galleries anxiously awaiting their work or to the dungeon of the storage spac. This is where many works of art hang out together commiserating about the artists that produced them only to hide them in the dark in the basement of the studio.

It was wonderful to see the range of work produced in the last 6 months displayed and to get a better appreciation of their struggles, their interests and their progression.

It is always good to hear the feedback and the interest of people who enjoy your work.

All in all a good time was had by all.

The Walnut Studio Holiday Art Show and Sale

"The Walnut Cracker: A Holiday Art Show & Sale"
When: Saturday, November 26th
Where: Reception - 7pm to 11pm – DJ, food, refreshments
Open House - 12pm to 6pm – coffee and cookies
How: Purchase Art-by cash or cheque
... Location: 83 Walnut Ave. 3 Blocks West of Bathurst. 1 Block South of King at Wellington and Walnut.

Directions: TTC –King West Car to Niagara/or Ossington Bus to Strachan ave.

Walnut Studios presents a holiday group show of over 40 Toronto Artists in an open house event, located in King West Village.

Local community and art enthusiasts are invited to attend the Seventh Semi-Annual Art Show & Sale, exhibiting original art works by a dynamic group of independent artists.

A variety of distinctive styles are presented in a contemporary collection of paintings, drawings, screen prints, sculpture, glass, photography, film, jewellery, fashion and mixed media, with the opportunity to meet and support local artists, and find that special, unique holiday gift!

This event offers a rare occasion to purchase original works of art directly from the artist in an open concept, inspirational environment.

Transformed from a turn of the century canning factory, Walnut Studios has evolved into a unique studio setting that is raw with emotion, informal and free-spirited.

Tour the studio and emerge yourself in the vibrant Toronto art scene; choose your favourite piece and take advantage of the opportunity to own an original work of art by local emerging artists.

For further info, visit:
www.walnutstudios.com
contact@walnutstudios.com
647-919-7336

Discover Stacie Seuberling

I was reading The Artist's Magazine today and found myself entranced by the amazing work of a fellow pastellist. Stacie Seuberling... She paints pastels of landscapes on paper using a tonal exploration of her subject that is then complemented with color. She produces atmospheric landscapes that are evocative and produce strong emotional responses. Mood paintings reaching deep into your soul to elicit a recognition of a time and place. I hope you will visit her website and read the article about her work and discover how the subtlety of her touch is so powerful.

http://www.stacieseuberling.com/
http://dev.artistsnetwork.com/medium/pastel/stacie-seuberling?r=tamchar081511&lid=tamchar081511

To Landscape Or Not No Landscape

I am always amazed as I peruse through the work of fellow artists how diverse the interest areas tend to be. Abstact painters tend to paint abstract pieces and they often have preferences for certain forms and certain color patterns... Some people's work is saturatted with red or blue while others prefer charcoal as the main protagonist in their work.
I am focussed on the colours and forms present in the forest and streams. I am particularly interested in the way sunlight creates highlights certain forms and underlines others with shadows.
Where does the motivation to paint a stream or a brightly lit path through a forest come from? I am not sure. However, I spent three hours wandering with my camera and my sketch pad yesterday in the middle of a gorgeous sunny fall day just soaking in images. The main question on my mind was how I would paint that patch of red leaves framed by the dark blue of the lake in the background.
Yesterday, I set out to try and capture the great egret that I spotted earlier in the week. I planned to get closer and try and get close up shots given it is not camera shy like the great blue heron. In fact as birds go, I would suggest it actually enjoys showing off for the camera. I did spot it but from a distance and in a location that I could not approach. I gave up on the egret and I found myself entranced by the beautiful fall colours mirrored on the pond. Three hours later, I woke up and realized I had been wandering from one spot to the next... sketching a crook in a tree, birds basking in the sun on a log, and taking multiple pictures of one thing and another.

I have always been captured by nature... I have always talked to the trees... I have always sketched mushrooms and rocks and trees and mountains... It is this strong connection to nature that comes out in my painting. It is the desire to capture these moments of visual pleasure and share them that interests me. I am further attracted to water in all of it's forms... calm and reflecting the world around it or churning rapids ripping through everything in it's path. I struggle to decipher the dancing of sunlight through the various layers of water. Water offers a variety of views simultaneously. A lake presents a mirror like reflection of the trees in the distance while simultaneously allowing a transparent view of the rocks soaking on the shore at your feet.
I paint to express this feeling of amazement about the wonders of the world around me. I don't expect it to change the world. I hope that my paintings allow people to experience some of the feeling of amazement present when I first encountered certain places. Maybe some can enjoy the pictures for a moment and forget about the hardships of everyday life.