Outside the Bottle

Covid really changed the world of Arte. No Gallery or Show Circuit openings. They are not Essential. We still created. But what do you do do with all that finished art? Stack it? That was never my goal. My thrill comes from doing the image, always preferring meeting clients’ needs, rather than my wants.

January 2021 brought a different project. CFNapa of Napa California specialises in designer liquor labels. The result is a new image for Comerica Park the home of the Detroit Tigers. I had thought was an image for a wine label. It’s actually for a Gin label for “416 Gin”. Visit their website to discover more about “Strategic Brand Solutions For The Wine, Spirits, Beer & Cider Industries Including Packaging Design, Logo Design, Brand Strategy, Naming, Custom Bottles, Story Development, Copywriting, Marketing Collateral, Signage, and Web Design” CFNapa.com

Comerica Park Detroit Archival Ink on Arche 140 LB Hot Press

Has the Artist Been Paid? NO!

In the early 90s these 5 portraits were created for Mr Don Watt, a record of Sarah Watt's various horses and ponies. Mr Watt never requested copies of any of the portraits. I do NOT do reproductions.

The pics were dispersed by auction, from a job lot locker pod that had not been paid for. The pod purchaser was uninterested in the horse portraits. They were sent to a second auction.

I was asked to authenticate two of the images. I did so, the pictures were the correct size & colour, framed with a familiar molding, with sufficient wear and appearing to be on the correct surface. The frame tag showed a Schomberg Ontario address and the correct name for the times. That gallery changed hands, then closed.

Towards the end of August 2020 one of the works was sold, by the people I had originally seen them with to an Ontario client. Then a person, in New Brunswick, Both believe they have an original work. One of them can not.

The world of art is full of people getting ripped off. Here there are at least two. Me, since no one has requested or paid me for reproduction rights, and at least one of the purchasers. … Of course there could others.

This adventure has led from Ontario horse country, to New Brunswick, to Minnesota and finally California at one of the largest reproduction companies in America. They happen to share the same name as the disappeared framing gallery. They also are aware of my work with Heritage Sports Art. Life is curious

If you are offered one of these images please contact me.

A Naturally Creative Project

Muskoka Chautauqua 2020’s creative paddle fundraiser was a paddle. Oh My Goodness! It’s a real paddle, full size!! I contemplate the paddle. It is intimidating. What to do? It’s an opportunity to pursue several different not usual methods and materials.

A watercolour trillium image in my files from the 60 blossom patch in my East York backyard became a transfer. It was a Learning experience. Thank you Muskoka Chautauqua for this adventure in Creativity, Experimentation and New Learning.

Please contact the Studio for a Step by Step of the Complete Adventure

Another portrait.

A large challenge in the world of visual artists is record keeping. The visual record or history of what we have created over the course of a career. Sometimes the work was not “good” enough. It may have been simply an “idea” a “rough” or ???. Sometimes though no record is a bit more casual. The artist simply forgot to get the image for the portfolio file.

Such is the case with Royal Kapers. Kapers was one of Penny Murray’s wonderfully useful equines. A gentleman who had a full career, before he came to Country Mile in the late 1980s. A Thoroughbred, he had raced and played polo before moving to Country Mile for a final career teaching, hunter/jumper riders on the show circuits of the day.

Recently Penny posted Kapers’ portrait on her Facebook. I was immediately contacted by an associate. How could I have forgotten Kapers? Why wasn’t he in the files? That is going to be a question that I will ask myself for a long long time. The painting, an egg tempera work on canvas, hangs in the Country Mile office in Schomberg Ontario. Now it’s is in my portfolio file too.

Regal Kapers 1991 16” x 20” egg tempera on canvas

Just Horses is back

Just Horses, a little book about making horse pictures is back. Revised and improved.

Just Horses draws on over 60 years of making horse pictures and over 30 years of helping artists of all skill levels and ages to explore and express their personal creativity by making pictures of their favourite subject, the horse.

Find Nola Nd the book at the book at the 2020 CanAm All Breeds Equine Expo April 3-5.

The World of Sports

Since 2000 I’ve been creating torso images that trace the development of the Game, be it Football, Hockey or Baseball through torso images of uniforms and their home stadiums, fields, ballparks and arenas. By 2020 almost 2000 individual images. The torsos convey that a real person is there, especially important in football where players size, build and equipment vary depending on position.

Complete team’s posters retail across North America. Occasionally are seen in surprising places, the background of a scene in ”Concussion”, an estate sale or lavish homes.

See the entire Heritage Sports Art catalogue Click Here or www.heritagesportsart.com

Hark 2019

Hark is the annual yearbook of the Toronto North York Hunt Club, based in Creemore Ontario. Denya Massey submitted an article on Nola for the 2019 issue. It’s found on pages 57-58-59.

Sidebar. Hunting is a great way to work with your horse without endless schooling in circles in the ring. You ride over natural cross country terrain. Or you follow by foot, bicycle or car. Bring your camera. It’s a great way to meet people, horses and hounds while seeing all that Ontario naturally has to offer. It supports our local farming community through occasional predator (coyote) control.

A Wonderful Gentleman

Sam, 7” x 5” egg tempera and oil wash

Sam, 17” x 11” watercolour

Many years ago I did a small portrait. Sam’s portrait, only 7” x 5”, a gift to a girlfriend. It was a good gift. They married and Sam was part of the family. Sam retired from the show ring. The family now included three children and a dog. He remained a Gentleman, who loved his family (and everyone else). The years mounted up. Sam needed to go to Horse Heaven. Husband (John) contacted me. Could I do another portrait? Yes.Sam’s forever memory for his family and all his other friends.

Bombers Boost the Grey Cup

I Hate Winnipeg? No that song has no meaning here. The Bombers finally captured the Cup!

Subject, Style and Substance

On Wednesday November 20 Peter Marsh was the scheduled presenter at the Banbury Watercolour Workshop with the topic “Personal Expression” Unfortunately this was not to be the case. Nola stepped into his place with Subject, Style and Personal Expression”.

Subject is what we see, Style is how the artist interprets the subject . Substance is the physical pigments and surface they occupy.

Samples and the tools used to achieve the images were shown, explained and demonstrated. Nola used works from her files to illustrate the concepts. First was a pair of flowers. The same species, from two views and in two styles on the same paper and using the same sized brushes.

Fritilaria #1,a loose 20 minute sketch, detailed with ink.

Fritilaria #2 , stylized using a flat brushes in a variety of widths to create a similar image with a modern twist. This took longer as each glazed layer must dry as the image is developed. NB retitled Yellow Fritillaria, For Ukraine it was selected by FCA Federation Gallery as an invitation image

The next set of samples were all developed at the CanAm All Breed Equine Expo held on the first weekend of April at the Markham Fairgrounds. Over three days Nola demonstrates to a constantly changing international audience of horse lovers of all ages. The same Subject approached in a variety of Styles on a variety of Surfaces. Each image used a variety of brushes. Two added Pencil Crayon

mixed media

It’s fun to play with paints, pencils papers and brushes

51 Years Later

The Expos, now the Washington Nationals win their first World Series

1994 Montreal Expos

See the entire catalogue at Heritage Sports Art

https://www.heritagesportsart.com

Washington. Nationals

Congratulations Barb Millar 2019 RAM Rodeo Tour Barrel Racing Champion

Every summer the RAM-Case IH Rodeo Tour provides exciting rodeo sport competition throughout Ontario. For many years Barb Millar and Storm conquered the Barrels at the RAM-Case IH Championship Events held thoughout Ontario. Storm retired after the Royal Rodeo in 2019. The CanAm All Breed Equine Expo”s Saturday Evening Extravaganza includes a special fine art auction. My donation and Barb Millar’s purchase supports Equine Guelph’s important research. The portrait captures sliding speed coming around the barrel as our competitors focus Winning. See all the barrel racers in the main ring of the Coliseum Sunday afternoon at at the Royal Winter Fair Toronto Winter Fair Royal Rodeo.