Glad Tidings to Share...

Summer has dropped in... from dizzying heights.... bringing heat with HUGE winds and thunderstorms... the "usual stuff" that one associates with summer's bombastic displays. Menacing deer flies during the day and mosquitoes during the night... have replaced the black flies in the field and on my walks... but these daily rituals fill my heart with joy and excite my desire to be "out there" in a new world full of scents... sounds and sights that change almost daily!

Deb is back from her week-long Grand Gal visit to Saskatchewan... heart gladdened by the experience and all the Gramma huggin'... but also gladdened to be be back in the [cleaner]world and life that "We" share...HAHA!!! "She" was overjoyed with my effort and simple gift... as "I" was overjoyed to have her company and laughter... when "I" tease and perform. Simple joys and pleasures like my morning coffee and newspaper delivery to her... our daily cribbage matches in the studio and sharing the daily newspaper crossword rituals are again the order of business... and pleasure at The Paint Box Gallery. Life is good... and "Summer" in my own world ... has surely returned!

More glad tidings to share with those of you who took up my pleasure to support Allison's Chicken Pesto Sandwich entry to that on line Country Harvest Ultimate Sandwich Contest. Her entry was selected as one of the three finalists to receive a $1000 prize for her efforts! A yummy surprise for a young gal conducting her first university summer class in Venice! Thank "You " to all from Allison and "I"... for your daily votes sent in on her behalf ! Another solid example of the power of blogging as a tool to reach out and... simply share! Thank you one and all !

Congratulations to Sherry... for pushing forward with her coloured pencil to overcome the block that "She" was experiencing! Never giving up the ship... always results in saving it! Glad to share your glad tidings read in your last post! When the canoe dumps you our suddenly... stay with the canoe. When lost in the woods. Sit down and think. Get your bearings... make a plan and move on only after the initial bewilderment and fear subsides. Good common sense decisions.... in outdoor adventures ... and in the creation of art!!!!

A very BIG thank you"to Suzanne Berry for Spot lighting "Lost In the Sixties" on her wonderfully rich site (see right hand tool bar)... and for the Lady Bug Brigade Parade! Exquisite summer fare... those Lady Bugs! One of them might just be my own Lucky Lady Bug... Deb! That's what I call her! My thanks also... to those of her followers who left gracious and uplifting comments concerning the piece! Do come on over for a visit whenever you are able!

Today's jpeg featured here in this post is the last (for a while) in the series of acrylics that I "played at". The site is Bateau Channel... a favourite haunt of mine on the inside of Howe Island... where Lake Ontario drops into the St Lawrence River. Access to this island site is obtained only by means of a small cable-driven four car ferry... a peaceful summer getaway from the mainland rat race. Sunset is a particularly serene moment on this picturesque and quiet island retreat... looking westward up through this channel. It gets its name from the fact that the channel was used by the "batteaux", or large rafts made from squared white pine timber that were driven by crews of men who lived aboard from the entry point upstream near Trenton down the entire length of the St Lawrence to awaiting timber ships at Quebec. It was then loaded and taken across the Atlantic to Britain. This heritage piece that harkens the earliest historical beginnings of travel, settlement and industry in this part of Canada.

Happy Summer!... Good painting to All !!

Spring "House" Cleaning....

As I mentioned in my last post, Deb has been away visiting her beloved Grand Gals... Ava and Ella in Yorkton Saskatchewan for a week. I have been "keeping shop"... as promised... here at the Gallery and have managed to get in some good painting time... and of course... to the beat and rhythms of my own play list! HAHA!!

Before departing Deb announced that upon her return... "We"... would be doing a much needed "house cleaning". I knew fully what that mouthful of words would mean! Things that hadn't seen action in the past two years... would be on the way to Goodwill... or the dumpster! I will admit without any hesitation... "I" am a collector - a "keeper" of things sentimentally attached to any person, event or experience spanning my entire sixty-seven years on the planet. I even collect and keep stored things that I find ... and envision in future paintings. The list is endless... and I know... that Deb is pragmatic... and... realistically ruthless in her desire to keep order in her own life... and in mine!

We are celebrating our 6th anniversary today... so I thought that I would offer an unusual... but none the less... highly meaningful "gift" - a personal cleanup... before "She" arrived home. In so doing... I would at least have the benefit of ridding my Self of the things that had no meaning to "Her"... or to "Me"... perhaps!

The process began in earnest... with an inward promise to be ruthless and earnest in the process. As I made my way through the boxes stored in the basement... two bedroom closets... and the studio.... I began to share her feeling that perhaps this "collection" of memorabilia... was more an avalanche of dated "art-i-facts" which swallowed up precious space in our living and working environments.

I made two trips the the Goodwill Shop... with items of clothing that ranged from never worn... to worn out... to out of style and other items that had been replaced in our living area. There are a lot of empty hangers now... when the weekly wash day comes along! I ran our shredder none-stop for two consecutive days... filling ten clear plastic bags with expired income tax return materials well beyond the seven year period required... and "personal" keepsakes from high school proms and pictures... of faces that I hadn't looked upon since the 50's and 60's- teen aged girlfriends... who most likely look like their mothers at present! Zip!...Zip!! Gone!... but never from my heart! I remember... and cherish the time spent with each and every one!

I have all of my "treasures" remaining in two plastic boxes... filed according to subject so that I can quickly retrieve what I am looking for... without searching closets... the basement "cubbies".. or my piles. I actually know that I have them... but mostly I feel highly relieved and uplifted by the fact that the avalanche has melted away and that there will be no precarious negotiations necessary between Deb and "I"... when "She" assumes the helm next week! Whew!... What a relief that is!

This epiphany was not limited to just the physical "things". The process also crept inward and I began to cull out... or at least question "old" ideas... old rituals and goals. It was during this period of thinking that I landed upon the notion to work in a new medium... acrylics... just to see where that might lead. I also added some figurative pieces to the mix... and came away from the experience encouraged by my success... and the response of people who work regularly in that very specific and demanding genre.

I have gone back to my sketchbooks... and have assembled some great "possibilities" to be considered for projects in the near future. I also cleansed my computer files... deleting older images that now didn't seem to excite me... or that had multiple files. I rearranged my file which house copies of all of my paintings completed... again reworking colour using my Image Zone program... and eliminating multiple copies or ones with poor picture quality.

During my computer house keeping duties... I came across one experimental project...which then became two... and will now become three in the near future. These projects clearly illustrate what I describe as "imagineering"... thinking creatively... outside of the box we all put our Selves into at various times. These projects are "risky"... because they are so "unlike" us and clearly stand out in a roomful of one's work ... as orphans. A strange word to describe them perhaps.... but as in real life "orphans" are children needed love and attention - a chance to have a regular life... to be loved and cherished. These children are CHOSEN... not born! That... makes them SPECIAL!

I offer as an example of this thinking and working process..." Nine Days This Spring" a 24x24 inch canvas, created in the spring of 2008. The painting began in a purely experimental and random "splashing around" of acrylic greens on a pinkish toned canvas. I then divided the canvas into nine 8 inch squares with black ink marker. The I went out into the field and sat down to drawing with an ink brush...just one wildflower... as they appeared... and as I found them. I took several digital images for each at the end of each plein air session.

I began the painting process... only after all of the nine images were in place. I had actually worked out which flowers and where I wanted them on the canvas beforehand in thumbnails in my trusty sketchbook. The paintings of each flower were completed one at a time... and when all were (more or less) completed... I fine tuned values and details until I felt satisfied that they "read" harmoniously.

The "Idea"... then a painting left the gallery quickly and gave way to the second piece... same format... "Summer In Transition' completed in the summer of 2008." In both projects which began similarly...advanced. The final product ... and the imagined version were immensely different... and pleasantly so to "Me." And now ... several years later my house cleaning has offered another slant... and chance for "me"... to play! Stay tuned....

I'll post a cross section of jpeg images from the sketchbook concept and planning... to the final work to give you a visual impression of the process... and leave you to judge for yourself its merit! I'll close with an excerpt from a book I read and reread constantly edited by Ian Jackman. It's entitled: "The Artist's Mentor" (published by Random House Publishing)... a motivational compilation of wonderful quotes and insights from the lives of major artists... from across the breadth of art history:

"Rather than wait[ing] for [a] creative urge to come, the artist is better served by cultivating it."

Good Painting... and Creating to All !

Beating the Block!... or... Inspiration Comes Through Perspiration!

All of us who are driven by an inner passion to express our Selves... no matter or art form or genre... face fallow periods... and not surprisingly... because creating is such a personal process... we come down hard on our Selves because of this situation. We assume that our "Mistress"... has left us.... forever!

It is a painful process... and in visiting a number of blogging friends sites, I have recently discovered a fair number of folks who are suffering from this affliction. Perhaps this feeling is driven by the slowing sales in the art world all over... or perhaps simply because we spend so much of our time seeing many other artists... who (supposedly) by their almost daily postings... are always "on top of their game."

If one looks carefully at those artists... one can readily discover that they share one thing in common. They are not trying to paint a "master" piece. They are quite simply...painting! They simply find something(s) close at hand in their immediate environment... and set down to paint it. That's one strategy to overcome the dreaded "block"!

Other artists connect with other blogging friends to create thematic challenges... throwing down the gauntlet to their friends to take a stab at a common theme... let's say... "Camera". In so doing ... they create a group enthusiasm and creative spirit by responding to an "Idea" that wasn't their own. It works for them and great things come out of that exploration... for everyone involved.

Other artists sign up for a workshop with someone they admire to add new ideas and instruction to ignite their flagging enthusiasm... and usually they come home vaccinated against depression and withdrawal with a good "shot" of new possibility to suppress despondency. Another great strategy!

There are countless ways to approach this very ordinary creative occurence , but as with all hurdles we face in life... it is the individual themselves who must think and act to create their own solution in the end. Each of us is different... unique in our needs... our process and our goals.

I would like to share some insights into my own strategies for keeping this demon at bay. When I feel drained... artistically impotent,,, unmotivated... looking for my next "Idea"... a number of strategies come to mind. Obviously... working en plein air is my "magic bullet." It never fails to revive my spirit. Simply put: ... "beside still waters... it restoreth my soul." But weather... or at this time of year black flies makes that an impossibility for allergic ol "Me"... so on to plan B !

I slip into second gear - change medium for a spell. During the past week... I have worked in acrylic instead of oil. Boy... that approach sure created new thought and perspiration... believe it! But after my third piece... I was over the top... excited and refreshed. As well... I REALLY shuffled the deck... and changed subject matter... going to figurative work... definitely not my forte. Astonishingly... to "Me"... there was an epiphany moment in that genre for "Me". That moment would not have happened... if I had stayed on my usual... safe... and well-travelled landscape route. I will not become a convert to figurative painting... but it did inject new enthusiasm... and create an awareness in "Me" that I was not limited to just painting landscapes.

Yesterday I took three separate views of a wonderful Charlevoix, Quebec site... and with scissors in hand... "cut n' pasted" an entirely new and "virtual" subject. How freeing it was to create... first with scissors... then with acrylics... on a new painting surface (I'll load that story for you on another post). The result was nothing short of the feeling one gets... standing at the foot of "David"... towering 25 and a bit feet over you. Get the picture?

And did I mention? Deb is away with her Grand Gals in Yorkton Saskatchewan for a week... a well-deserved and necessary shot in the arm for "Her." She unconditionally supports my family members and "I" in every area of our lives... every day 0f the year. Travel is another way to support a positive and creative spirit. Our trip to the Barbados was just that in early April.

I will mention (gleefully) as well... that as the sole person manning the Gallery... I am in charge of the daily play list for a whole week! My diet yesterday... Diana Krall... Forest Music... James Taylor... Gordon Lightfoot... Andrew Lloyd Webber... and... The Jersey Boys!!! How good does it get! Boy...did I "cut the carpet"... all day around the studio. Back n' forth to the easel... just being sweet sixteen again... "Me"... my Self... and "I"!!!

No... I'm not at all manic -yet! But "I" am full of energy... vitality... and productive! I could run on at the mouth forever... but I'll leave you with this food-for-thought... from God (only) knows where on my journey. But the idea comes from a source we all know and understand intimately in our common pasts:

"We could all learn a lot from crayons. Some are pretty. Some are sharp. Some are dull. Some have weird names and they are all colours.But they all live... in the same box."

We, as artists... though we might differ in technique... medium... abilities... experience and physical locations "live in the same box"... and we share a common passion for making art. Through sharing "Ideas" ... process... feelings and Hope.. "We"... are a Family! The world... in these turbulent times... needs people who think this way... and through their sharing this feeling we demonstrate... that Peace is not just a word... or an impossible dream. It is an action!

"Some say that I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one!"

-John Lennon

Sweet dreams and sharing... and Good Painting to ALL!

Displacing... Then Replacing Despair

How sad it makes me to see and read of the tragic events... here in Canada... in Manitoba and Quebec... in the US Mid-West and around the world everywhere. In my first thoughts... I feel helpless in my inability to reach out... given our own current financial precarious situation and time of economic uncertainty.

But then, I look "inside" at the countless blessings and gifts that I currently have in my own life... and those that have continuously dotted my journey. Generosity is something that I grew up with... not just monetary generosity... but spiritual generosity to be shared as well with those we encountered as a family. I realized too... that generosity is a two way street... that being able to receive generous gifts was equally as important as being able to give them. I came to realize as well... that this "two way" perspective embraced one of the basic laws of the Universe:

What goes around ... comes back around.

I watched the second last and final Oprah telecasts... and though I cannot claim to have been an Oprah fan... I was left aghast... and in tears viewing the powerful scene of the a seemingly endless line of lit candles held by male individuals from Morehouse College... all recipients of the generous opportunities to receive an education from Oprah's efforts and contributions. Over 64,000 individuals were directly educated worldwide by her programme of incentives to reduce poverty through educational support. My opinion of "Her"... is deeply changed. I come away in awe of her generosity and vision... and world-changing contributions.

"From a backwoods beginning in Tennessee... to this!" Not the Bravado in reference to her individual wealth per say... but more to the powerhouse potential for change... bec ause of the work of her empire of committed and loyal workers who have joined her in her Quest... and her journey to create a better world for impoverished others with a will to "do better"! There is no greater example in my lifetime to support my own belief in "The Power of One."

I was generously reared by loving parents of very modest and humble beginning... being always taught to believe iun my Self... and that "I" mattered... to "Them"... and to the World! I went out into the world to take that precious gift of Self Worth afforded me by them... with me to share it with others. I chose teaching as my vehicle to accomplish this end in my own way. I am proud to say that "I" have made a difference for a great many individuals with my own Light... in my own small corner. I continue to work towards this end through this blog. I reach out to those of you who care to listen and believe. "We" all need to believe... and to know and truly feel that "We"... matter! Each of "You"... matters to "Me"!

Art is the other gift that I have developed and used towards accomplishing this end... simply because Art, Music, Literature, Poetry and Dance are the social conduits for "connecting" to each other. They know no boundary or frontier... require no special language to understand and enjoy. Each of us can avail our Selves of them in out own unique right... and not be judged.

To quote one of my "Mentors" from my children's childhood years, Mr Fred Rogers:

"The world needs a sense of worth, and it will achieve it only by its people feeling that they are worthwhile."

Each day that we go about our separate journeys... we are afforded the unique opportunity... no our RESPONSIBILITY... to reach out to others generously sharing with them... our resources... our time... our good thoughts and our encouragement to strive for their best.

A Smile costs nothing! Neither does a good morning!... I love You!... Thank You! Can I help?... You are welcome to share mine! Get the picture? Simple gifts that cost nothing make the finest blessings... as unexpected.. and small as they may seem to "You"!

My painting offered this morning comes as a result of some "play"... as Mr Roger's referred to " a child's first work"... yesterday in my studio . Using a still life that I picked on my evening walk... acrylics... used in a wild n' crazy... unusual fashion for "Me" - the plein air oil painter! HAHA!! ... I created this bouquet for each of "You"... in gratitude for your many kind and encouraging words and visits to my world!

Life is complicated. Do your best! "You" are worthwhile! So is your Art! Be proud of it... and your Self!

Thank "You"...ALL!

Good Painting!... and Many Blessings!

Listen to the Music!.....

"Lost in the Sixties - oil on canvas 20x16 inches - SOLD!

"In a picture I want to say something comforting, as music is comforting."

-Vincent van Gogh

Never at any time in the year is there so much music in Nature... as in the Spring! Nature comes alive... the air is filled with sounds and excitement! Music in Nature is pure sound.... void of human noise it is regenerative... and healing to the human spirit. For this sole reason... plein air work should be included in one's process.

Painting beside a waterfall creates the sounds of the visuals in front of you. Combined with the light... colour and movement... it takes artistic awareness and understanding to a higher level. Needless to say... it adds emotional as well as visual support... that often results in a fresher ... more accurate rendering of the scene than from photo reference back in a cozy studio.

Music can be a very supportive influence within the studio as well. Music in this case... comes out of one's "personal play list"... or musical tastes. Whatever the case... research supports that music is inspirational and uplifting to the artistic and human spirit. When those inclement days force you to remain inside... music can transport your senses into a higher zone of creativity.

I have a very eclectic collection of... and interest in various genres of music as does Deb... and in our shared studio we play between sometimes very different individual play lists. We do share common artists and genres... but we do differ broadly in tastes as well. When I need a special artist to inspire me... I choose and vice versa when she feels a need for her music.

I love classical... big band.... jazz... country and folk classic... with a sprinkling of "oldies" from the 60's and 70's. My preference would be to be entirely in the classical genre... and in particular Vivaldi... with those soaring... ethereal violin celebrations.. like the magnificent and uplifting Four Seasons.

However... there are special pictures as van Gogh's quote suggests... that pull at the strings of my heart and soul. Any of Wyeth's work... the Canadian impressionist Tom Thomson and certainly... most of van Gogh's oeuvre. Michaelangelo's David and Pieta reduced "Me" to a blubbering fool... when I stood before them. Art does have the ability to bring about a transcendental state.

Just last week, one of my blogger friends Suzanne Berry posted her most recent piece "The Camera"... a response to the Moses Botkin Challenge Group that she works with from time to time. Suzanne's work is continually of the highest calibre and I much admire both her work and her approach to creating art. This piece however... dragged me constantly back to her site for multiple visits and great enjoyment.

There were many things about the piece that attracted me... but it was the mere simplicity and treatment of her subject that drew me to it... along with her usual masterful and dynamic compositions... breath-taking brushwork and her luminous use of colour. Simply put - this is a masterpiece ... one that I coveted!

I work alone really by choice... and do not join into the challenge thingy... simply because I have so many ideas that I want to work with... before my hour glass is empty and I am no longer able to paint. It will come to us all. Each artist has only so much time to make so many paintings. I choose to direct my own journey in this way. So choose wisely!

Suzanne's energetic... but natural pose reminded me of a photo I had taken on Salt Spring Island when I paid a visit to see my brother and his wife in 2006. The photo taken was wistful... yet warm... but at the same time I felt a deep sense of pathos for the individual. He was most obviously quite stoned... bangin' out 60's hits that we both had shared... but in our very different journeys. He was quite "down-and-out" in his fortunes, it seemed to "Me"... but "He" was 'Free"... to be what he had chosen to become... and seemed happy with his lot. "I" admired "Him" for that! Lord knows...my own journey has hads its ups n' downs too... I can assure you!

I am not usually interested in formal figure or portrait work... preferring to work in landscape and still life genres. I admire those gifted individuals who have committed their lives to those other very demanding art forms. But Suzanne's piece... forced me to leave my path... take up the gauntlet... and to seek some new adventure. I enjoyed my Self so dramatically... that I already had another subject in line before the first was half finished... but that's another story for next time!

So, in closing... my deepest thanks and gratitude go out to my Friend Suzanne Berry and her talented group for making... "Lost in the Sixties" .... a reality! It would never have likely occurred except for this encouraging shove from the witty and talented Moses Botkin Gang... and in particular... Suzanne. Do visit her site... its always a treat for "Me" that I look forward to when she posts new work! Her site is located on the right side of my blog page!

Make your own music... sing your own song!

"Sing!... Sing your song...

Make it simple to last the whole day long.

Don't worry if it's not good enough,

For anyone else to hear...

Just Sing!... Sing your song!"

-Karen Carpenter

Good Painting... and Listening to ALL!!!

Tip-toe... Thru the Tulips... With "Me"!

"Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them."

-Chinese Proverb

These grand Spring tulips came from the garden of a dear and now departed friend and neighbour, Marian Drennan. Marian passed away last summer after a full and fruitful life spanning 94 years. Her 95th birthday would have been celebrated on May 1st.

Marian was a retired teacher... a Mother... Grandmother ... loyal and faithful Presbyterian.. a mentor surrogate Mother and wonderful friend for "Me"! I miss "Her" greatly - her puckish wit... girlish giggle and her never flagging optimism and Faith. The world is a better place ... simply because "She" was present... and touched the lives of so many of her family, friends, students and her community.

Marian rests eternally beside her husband Alvin... in the Presbyterian Cemetery just up and around the corner on Mill Street West... part way around one of my evening and morning walks. We still "visit" ... regularly... and yes... I "borrowed" a bouquet of her beloved tulips to be with "Her."

While she was living in the Sara Vista Nursing Home in nearby Elmvale, Marian befriended the lady volunteer who came in weekly to freshen up the ladies... "dos." Marian had a great affection for the woman who religiously "showed up".... gratis for her and others. Marian mentioned that the lady remarked that she was sorry that the only space available was an empty janitor's closet... a "room"... with no view.

I remedied that situation with the "view" from a window that I had painted out of my head. I felt that it belonged there... because it had Dutch tulips and girls... doing what girls love to do... skipping "Double Dutch." Marian loved the gift... as did all of the ladies... and their generous stylist.

Isn't that the spirit expressed in the opening line of this post?

"What goes around... comes around!"

"Pass it forward!"

All these good things!

Happy Birthday Dear Marian!!!

Happy Spring... and Good Painting to ALL!!!

Spring's New Woodland Broadloom

The week of warmer temperatures did in fact... activate the dormant and much-dreaded black fly hordes... but as is always in the case in life there exists paradox. Those same warmer temperatures triggered an explosion of life in our hardwood forests in the Oro-Medonte Hills... and as well right across the Province of Ontario.

The darkened and lifeless shaded forest floor is now carpeted completely with new greens and with undulating waves of white trilliums... our provincial wildlower emblem. Here and there one can discern a "stranger" in their cascading white midst. That sighting for "me" always evokes a tongue-in-cheek remark that I imagine being overheard in these woods:

"Who's the new guy in town?"

I will not dwell on the subject in my usual romantic way... I will simply offer this small sketch as a symbol of my abiding trust and Hope... in all things true and good! Happy Spring everyone!

Good painting!... Damn the flies!!!... and pass the pigment!