On Monday I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on encaustic transfers. It was an opportunity to experiment with an unfamiliar medium in an unfamiliar setting. The result is a bright impressionistic, abstracted 3” x 4” work “Poisettia 2”. It is coloured pencil transferred into the wax layer.
Roosters
Roosters. Personality Roosterfied. Imperious. In charge. …and an endless subject, in any medium
Heliconian's Encounter 2024, encountering an art show
The Riverdale Farm’s Tamworth Family encountered an art show. Result. They are going to a new home
four others joined the family
“Backyard Bunny”, “See My Crown”, “See My Crown Too” and “See My Crown?, It’s Better!”
Encountering a different process
Many years ago I faked my way into what turned into a great job. I let the prospective employer believe I had extensive experience in silk screen printing. I didn’t. But I had hand cut a few silk screens and did have a lot of experience with window display. Those images went all over Canada for several years in the Dylex windows, even featured in “Inspiration”. I’ve played around with print works ever since. This summer I found whole “new” method of reduction printmaking (to me anyway) at the Freehand School of Art, in a hands on workshop. “See My Crown, It’s Better” will be on exhibit at the Heliconian Club’s Fall Exhibition “Encounter”
Please: Join me on Saturday September 7th 2 to 5pm. Explore how members old and new at the Heliconian explore the theme of “Encounter”.
Bursting With Colour at the Heliconian Club
One day the ewes at Riverdale Farm decided to go for a stroll down the hillside. Everything was green in high summer. I got out my flat brushes to have fun. See “Ewes on the Hill” at the Heliconian Club 35 Hazelton Ave. July 6th at 2pm
A Map Project
Every once in a while a new project with new learning comes along. Who would ever have guessed that the history of King Township would provide the opportunity. Over the past couple of months I’ve learned a lot about Maps, the complexity of History (or Herstory if you wish) in Ontario. How to spell new words, like Haudenosaunee.
The image above is in Muskoka, The place that David Thompson wrote off. The maps will be seen when the King Township Historic Society’s book by Ann Love comes out!
"A Portrait by Any Other Name" at the Toronto Heliconian Club
It’s the Heliconian Club's first “arts and letters” show, written and picture portraits.
Portraits can be other and more than just people. Here are three of mine, a fourth is Turpentine the Studio Cat for many years.
They were on view along with many others, in “A Portrait by Any Other Name...” at the Toronto Heliconian Club.
American Watercolor Society 157 Annual Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club New York
“I’ve Got My Eye On You” has done it again. He will be off to New York to the Salmagundi Club!
I’m honoured to have him accepted into this prestigious historic exhibition and sale.
Now he has gone on to win the Fredrick Wong Prize.
https://americanwatercolorsociety.org/2024-annual-award-winners
After New York he will be part of the traveling exhibit as it wanders around the USA
And, there is an article in Forbes Magazine about the 157th Exhibition.
It’s almost too exciting!
Drawing From Life Exhibition Surprise
Drawing From Life in Heliconian Hall is all about figure drawing. A guest “I was surprised at the nudes. Then I decided I could look at the works not the pictures”. This tiny work has definitely got a figure. It also SOLD. That was a real surprise. Thank You.
Sister Island
Was accepted into the FCA Water 2023 exhibit. Due to a whole series of the challenges. she did not make it to the live exhibition in Vancouver.
sister Island 9” x 14” watercolour. (private collection Muskoka)
Perspectives November 2023
“Up the Hill” 11 x 14” watercolour
Yellow Tree Peonies 14” x 11” watercolour & Pencil Crayon
“Up the Hill” embraces complex greenery and texture as our eye is drawn up the hill to a peaceful summer veranda on Muskoka’s Little Lake Joseph.
We look across waving sunlight into fragile layers of petals as “Yellow Tree Peonies” float in a sea of deep purple mystery.
Looking Forward, to Spring
Let’s just skip winter; …clouds, rain, snow, ice, slush, muck and all that sort of thing. It’s no fun to bike in that stuff, no fun sketching painting anywhere other than indoors. It is fun to picture next year’s garden. The yellow tree peony on the lawn puts on quite a display in the early spring morning sun.
detail “Under the Sun” mixed media W&N watercolour & Polychromos pencil crayon