'Under a blanket of snow' series

When I began painting again this past year, I realized that I was going to need some help...the idea of starting from nowhere was giving me way too much grief, so I tore up bits of unprimed canvas as though they were scraps of paper, and just started making marks. This seemed to alleviate some of the pressure, and it allowed me to work quickly without worrying about the final product. Those renderings were never intended to be final pieces but they've turned out to be some of my favourites. They became the "Under a blanket of snow" magnet series, shown above. Two layers of unprimed canvas were mounted on 2x4 giving them a nice chunky depth when hung on the wall.

The images themselves were inspired by my new surroundings in Guelph and the journal entries that were written during my early morning journeys:

"There is a certain peacefulness in the air. Even the harshest details (like bad architecture or abandoned cars) become softer under a blanket of snow..."

I'd like to play around with the idea of presenting these pieces as an interactive installation...

More red dots

Two more pieces of artwork sold this weekend, and I was able to visit with family, friends, neighbours, strangers and even co-workers that drove in from Toronto to see my work and to show their support. (Not only do I love my job, but I love the people I work with. How freakishly lucky am I?!)

Despite the frantic preparations, it was another great weekend and I'm really glad I participated in the Guelph Arts Festival. But now, it's back to reality. Artwork down, labels removed and CV packed away. The empty mugs and cheese platters are ready to be washed in the bathtub, the microwave is in the living room and lovie is busy scraping lead paint from the basement doorway. It's so nice to have things back to normal.

Red dots

Last Sunday, two quiet strangers from up the street dropped by to view my paintings. We chatted briefly about my art and the neighbourhood, and then they were off to visit a few other studios downtown. Later in the day, they reappeared to make a surprise purchase of "Bare Branches" and "Trees"! They happened to be celebrating their anniversary and it's become a tradition of their's to mark the occasion with something handmade. What can I say...I'm honoured by their choice! So, happy 6th, Jill and Simon! I know these two are going to a good home.

(interesting...the modern anniversary gift for year #6 is wood...I wonder if they saw the connection?)

Guelph Arts Festival, 2005

October 15 & 16
October 22 & 23
If you'd like to view my paintings, meet me in person or snoop through my medicine cabinet, I suggest you pop by for a visit.


463 Woolwich Street (in between Clark and Clarence for the locals)

(from Toronto take exit 299/Brock Road into Guelph. It's a straight line to my house, but if you're still not sure, perhaps you should visit Mapquest)

The weekend is here!

I'm a little nervous about hanging up my artwork. We've spent so much time patching, scraping, sanding, priming and painting...the last thing I want to do is haul out the hammer and start making more holes in the plaster walls.

Once the electrical outlets are installed in the kitchen, we'll be able to move the fridge out of the living room (!) and free up some wall space. Yehaw! The GAF visitors arrive tomorrow morning at 10am!

Let the clean-up begin

Drywalling complete. Bricks in place. Doors and windows set. This is good, since the Guelph Arts Festival begins in just over a week. Now if we only had that thing called a 'floor'...