November 2007 Archives
Watching Her Heart
mixed media on canvas
6" x 8" x 1.5"
$50
I'm very pleased with this piece. Look closely behind the heart and you can see the eyes of a woman "watching her heart".
I started out with a deep stretched canvas, building up the green and blue surface with beeswax, crayon and flecks of gold leaf. Once that was dry, I made the cut-out in the centre so I could recess the 3-D heart. The final step was to affix the woman's face from the back. The woman's face is actually cut out from a famous poster by Rossetti. I had the poster in my living room for years - it was dry mounted on foamcore board, so it worked perfectly in this project (gave a nice clean finish for the back of the painting).
This painting is flexible in that it can stand up on its own (on a mantel or bookcase, for example) or be hung on the wall.
mixed media on canvas
6" x 8" x 1.5"
$50
I'm very pleased with this piece. Look closely behind the heart and you can see the eyes of a woman "watching her heart".
I started out with a deep stretched canvas, building up the green and blue surface with beeswax, crayon and flecks of gold leaf. Once that was dry, I made the cut-out in the centre so I could recess the 3-D heart. The final step was to affix the woman's face from the back. The woman's face is actually cut out from a famous poster by Rossetti. I had the poster in my living room for years - it was dry mounted on foamcore board, so it worked perfectly in this project (gave a nice clean finish for the back of the painting).
This painting is flexible in that it can stand up on its own (on a mantel or bookcase, for example) or be hung on the wall.
This was a fun little painting to do on a rainy Sunday. I started out with a loose watercolour painting. Before long I realized that it was getting too dark in value so I added the gestural marks with white pastel. My biggest challenge in painting is going too dark. But the silver lining is that I am forced to think of ways to lighten the painting, which usually ends up making it more interesting in the end.
This sketch is not for sale, because I think there are problems with the composition. But it will serve as a useful study for a new painting.
3 Reasons
collage
9" x 15"
$50
9" x 15"
$50
I started this collage in a workshop several years ago. Today I pulled it out and completed it.
To me this collage conveys a long, full and useful life.
The patchwork quilt is a metaphor for making the most of what life presents. The title comes from the small collage element in the lower right corner, which says "3 Reasons to Use It". The large black area is acrylic paint and the handwriting is in silver ink.
To me this collage conveys a long, full and useful life.
The patchwork quilt is a metaphor for making the most of what life presents. The title comes from the small collage element in the lower right corner, which says "3 Reasons to Use It". The large black area is acrylic paint and the handwriting is in silver ink.
Nanoose Bay Sunset
oil pastel on paper
8" x 10"
NFS
This drawing in oil pastel is the view I see everytime I drive home from town. From the highway you look out over Nanoose Bay to Canadian Forces Base on the peninsula beyond.
In the 1970s I would sometimes see ominous looking USA nuclear submarines emerge in this bucolic bay. The Canadian government had given the USA military permission to test their nuclear submarines in our waters. During the 1970s and 80s there was a year-round protest (peace camp) set up at the rest stop across from here.
I was thinking about the peace camp and about soldiers as I worked on this drawing. On the radio they were talking about the ceremonies planned for Remembrance Day tomorrow.
My use of intense colour in this drawing is influenced by my favourite contemporary artist - Wolf Kahn.
oil pastel on paper
8" x 10"
NFS
This drawing in oil pastel is the view I see everytime I drive home from town. From the highway you look out over Nanoose Bay to Canadian Forces Base on the peninsula beyond.
In the 1970s I would sometimes see ominous looking USA nuclear submarines emerge in this bucolic bay. The Canadian government had given the USA military permission to test their nuclear submarines in our waters. During the 1970s and 80s there was a year-round protest (peace camp) set up at the rest stop across from here.
I was thinking about the peace camp and about soldiers as I worked on this drawing. On the radio they were talking about the ceremonies planned for Remembrance Day tomorrow.
My use of intense colour in this drawing is influenced by my favourite contemporary artist - Wolf Kahn.