You can always tell when I have a big show coming up, because I go very quiet on email and social media.
]]>I know this is really not optimal in terms of self-promotion, but when time gets a bit tight, it just seems like my hours are better spent making the most compelling art I can, and letting it speak for itself. Being quiet lets me to focus more closely on the painting process, without the distractions and noise of social media. I can better listen to the work and the ideas it generates.
The new paintings aren’t quite ready for prime time: a few pieces are still underway, and nothing’s been photographed. They will make their debut at Artist Project 2024, April 11-14.
In the meantime I thought I’d highlight a favourite from last year. This painting is still available, and I haven’t highlighted it before, so it might not have come to your attention.
Passages is a quiet painting, filled with rich watery textures. It speaks to the transient nature of our existence in time and space. While not representational, the imagery and gestures are drawn from the advance and recession of waves on the shore, a metaphor for our human passage through events and the landscape. Passages is available at Art Interiors, Toronto.
Passages, 2023, 48x36", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
It’s one of my favourite shows—the energy, the people, the chance to connect and chat art in real life—I’d love to see you there! If you’re planning to attend, you can get tickets by clicking here (Use the discount code JOINME24 to save 15%!) >>
There’s a new gallery in Oakville, and I’m thrilled to be part of the group of artists it represents.
]]>Moon Shadow, 2023, 24x24", Acrylic and mixed media on cradled panel
I have five new paintings making their debut in this fabulous new art venue, ranging in size from 12x12” to 36x48”, and three 11x14" paintings on paper.
Come by the Opening Weekend and see this stunning space hung salon style, floor to ceiling, absolutely packed with beautiful art from forty artists.
3485 Rebecca Street, Unit 106
Oakville, ON, L6L 0H4
If you can't make it to the opening, you can preview the available work here. >>
Midnight in the Garden, 2023, 36x48", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
Midnight in the Garden refers to both the idea of a natural garden and the garden as metaphor for beauty and joy. It reflects a deep sense of foreboding about the future of our terrestrial garden and our place within it. My process is iterative, a lengthy dialogue of gesture and response with the painting. Here, the many lush, expressive layers of acrylic, graphite, pigment and crayon have become concealed, leaving only moody traces of their passage. A dark time in the garden. My hope is to evoke pathos for the beauty that was here, and perhaps inspire better stewardship.
The Art Gallery of Mississauga Juried Show this year features work from 45 emerging and established artists across Ontario. Jurors Noni Kaur, Sara Mozafari and Ed Pien, chose the artworks based on the images and anonymous artist statements provided. Their choices are reflective of the broad range of subject matter, techniques, and approaches that came forward in this open call.The exhibition includes sculpture, textiles, photography, drawing, and painting, as well as interactive, digital, and multi-media works. The artists tackle environmental and political issues; draw inspiration from philosophy, music, and art history; and convey the intimate struggles and resilience of their friends and family.
First up is the Brush Off Painting Competition.
This one gets top billing because it was supposed to open two weeks ago, but we’re still being impacted by Covid (!), and it had to be postponed until Saturday, November 4th.
I’m honoured to have had ‘A Room of One’s Own’ chosen as one of twenty-four finalists in The Brush Off Painting Competition. This is the ninth edition of this annual show, curated by Marina Cutler.
The opening night and a portion of proceeds from art sales go to creating art-based programs for individuals living with Alzheimer's, enriching the quality of their lives. You can learn more about the Brush Off Project and get tickets to the Opening here >>
Second, I have five new small paintings making their debut at the Festival of Smalls at Art Interiors.
This is the thirtieth anniversary of this show, but my first time participating. From what I understand it is a busy show both in-person and online, so check it out early to avoid disappointment. All works are priced at $250 or less. My new paintings will be available for $225. The Festival of Smalls runs November 4th-December 24th, with an online preview starting at 6pm on November 3rd.
My new work is under wraps until then, so set a reminder in your calendar and check it out here >>
It’s been a minute! A crazy summer filled with multiple moves, shows and commissions, but I'm finally settling back into some kind of routine where I have time to do things like update my website.
I’m moving into my new “permanent” studio (more on that later), but in the meantime I wanted to share two new large paintings that I made over the summer.
At 48x48”, these are the largest paintings I’ve done since art school. It was a bit of a challenge to work on them in my tiny summer studio—I had to back up into the next room to really get a look at them (see below), but it was worth it. There's something about working larger that allows one to say more. If a smaller painting is a story, or a poem, a larger work can be a book, or an epic. Small elements and surface details have big importance in a small painting, but in larger work, they become quieter, and more numerous. They allow the eye to spend time on the painting, to move across the surface and take each one in, building a longer story from the work.
I absolutely loved working at this scale, so expect more large works going forward.
Sunset Stones, 2023, 48x48", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
The paintings are available at Arta Gallery in the Distillery District of Toronto.
Walking at the Falls, 2023, 48x48", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
]]>You may have noticed that I work in the 12x12” size pretty often. I love this format! I wrote about some of the reasons for this love just before the Abstract2 Square Foot show last year--it's a wonderful size to work on, and a wonderful size to acquire. You can refresh your memory on some of my thoughts here >>
Daffodil Rain, 2023, 12x12", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel
One of the best ways to pick up these ideal little paintings at a great price are the Square Foot shows hosted at squarefootshow.com a few times a year. I’m excited to have been selected to be part of Naturally Abstracted, and I have three new paintings coming to this show. These paintings, including ‘Daffodil Rain’ (above), as well as work from over 50 other artists will be available at Squarefootshow.com from August 10-12th.
These shows can be a bit hectic. All the paintings in the show are the same 12" x 12" size, and all are available at the same super-attractive only-during-the show price of $300 CAD (approx $245 USD). Naturally Abstracted opens on Thursday, August 10, at 8pm Eastern, and works are likely to sell quickly.
You’ll get a preview email 48 hours ahead of time that will let you make your choices and be ready to jump in when the virtual doors open. Last year my first painting was sold with five minutes, and I sold out in just over 12 hours. Just sayin’.
]]>
Blitz Gallery in Toronto is new for me, and I’m very pleased to be included in their upcoming show. ‘Abstract Nature: Transcending the Material World’ opens on Saturday evening.
Curator Angela Kim has put together a wonderful show featuring a group of ten artists whose work references the landscape and derives from it. If you’re in the Toronto area, please check it out.
As an artist, my work seeks to express not the particular appearance of a place, but rather the experience of being in that place, transmuting events, physicality and time into work that I hope creates an emotional resonance with viewers. I’m super-excited to be included with this group of artists who also work with the abstract possibilities of the natural world.
Click here for a preview of some of the art in the show >>
This coming weekend, I’m jazzed to once again be represented in two shows in two different places.
Seeing Through, 2023, 16x16", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel
I have paintings showing with Jen Tough Gallery at Art Santa Fe, July 14-16. The new painting above, Seeing Through, will be on show in Santa Fe.
Inspired by looking into a quiet pond as the sunlight angled deeply into it, Seeing Through speaks to the many layers of observation and ideas that make up our thoughts and dreams. If you’re interested in acquiring this work, reply to this email, and I’ll organize it with the gallery.
If you’re going to be in the Santa Fe area, I’d love it if you went to see Booth #407. Reply to this email for tickets.
Art Santa Fe
Santa Fe Convention Center
201 W Marcy St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
July 14-16
As much as I would love the ability to be in two places at once (think how useful!), I will be in Nova Scotia for the Peggy's Cove Area Studio Tour. I will be be showing at Twelve Acre Hill Gallery with my good friend, (the amazingly talented) Philip Hodges. The Studio Tour is a scenic driving tour of galleries and artist studios on the south shore--a gorgeous weekend long celebration of art and artists. I have works on show ranging from 6x6” to 24x24”, and I’ll be there in person during much of the studio tour--come hang out if you’re around!
Twelve Acre Hill Gallery
11609 Peggy’s Cove Road
Seabright, Nova Scotia
July 14-16, 10am-5pm
In celebration of Pride 2023, my print Cold Wave Graphic is available at CB2 stores across the US and Canada and online at CB2.com and CB2.ca.
I've been working with the creative team at CB2 since January, and I'm very excited to be included in this beautifully curated collection of five prints that are gorgeous together (or individually). Click here to view the whole collection, and each artist’s thoughts on ‘The Art of Being’ >>
Normally available from my collection of prints at On The Wall, the image is being offered in exclusive sizes, and only for a short time. For each print sold, CB2 will donate $15 to the Born This Way Foundation.
]]>Unearthing, 2023, 20x20", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel
I have five paintings available in the show. They’re ‘perfect’ for those medium-sized spaces, and you can pick them up at a special price, just for the duration of the exhibition. View the show online, or if you're in Toronto, go see it in person at Art Interiors.
First up is the painting This Storied Place, making it's debut in the inaugural exhibitions at Jen Tough Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. The show runs until June 19. If you're in the Santa Fe, make sure you go and see this amazing new gallery space and check out the shows. And if you're interested in acquiring this painting, reply to this email, and I'll make it happen, or contact the gallery directly.
This Storied Place, 2023, 20x20", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel
This weekend only! I Hope We Get to Cry is on show at The Prow Gallery. I have relocated back to Ontario, but Nova Scotia and her thriving arts scene remain dear to me. I'm delighted to be showing at this gorgeous waterfront gallery in downtown Halifax.
I Hope We Get to Cry, speaks to the idea that having the space and time to process our grief can be a luxury, a privilege that isn't certain.
The painting is framed with a hand-painted white floater frame, that I haven't had time to photograph properly (sorry about that), but you can see it on the wall below.
And if you're interested in acquiring this painting, reply to this email, and I'll take care of it, or contact the gallery directly.
I Hope We Get to Cry, 2023, 24x24", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel, Framed with Hand-Painted White Floater Frame
]]>These paintings are a reflection of the different moods of spring. One is a moody, wet day, rich in colour and redolent of the rising sap, loamy earth and all the growing things stirring to life. The other is the lighter side of spring: warm breezes, wispy blossoms and sweetly scented air. Can two such different days both be perfect?
Curator Liza Zhurkovskaya asked each artist what Art Is for them. The responses from each of us are personal, thought-provoking and inspiring. The show is open online until February 28th. Click below to indulge in some beautiful art and art writing.
View Art Is...]]>
William Shakespeare uses this line in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. I'm not sure I agree.
While a painting probably shouldn't require a title in order to be appreciated, abstract images can take some engagement from the viewer to unlock their secrets. They aren’t always easy.
The title of a work can come at any time after I start painting. Making a painting is an ongoing engagement with the physical work. The name may come to me almost at the beginning, as I generate ideas in my sketchbook. It may come during the making of the work, when the colours and marks I’m making unearth a title. Or it may come near the end, when the finished work whispers it’s name to me.
Sometimes a title comes from something I’ve read, or a song I’ve been listening to. Sometimes it comes from a conversation I’ve had or overheard, or something I saw on my daily walk, or maybe just from the shape of a shadow or the play of light. Something suggests a connection to the conversation I’m having with the canvas, and I realize that maybe that’s what we’ve been talking about all along.
When a title occurs to me, I write it on a piece of masking tape and put it on the back of the painting. It may change during the making of the work, and a new piece of tape will join it or replace it, but keeping these strips of tape creates a record of my thoughts about a piece as it is being made. If a phrase or word doesn't end up being the title of the work, I keep a record of it--maybe it will connect with another painting or print in the future.
]]>Imagine a whole gallery FILLED with tiny square paintings. Curator Brandt Eisner is making this vision a reality at Ice House Gallery in Tatamagouche. Over 70 artists, each with up to ten pieces, all of them 6x6” in size! I’m glad I’m not hanging this show, but I can’t wait to see it. For bonus points, there's a also a Holiday Artisan Market with one-of-a-kind fine craft items including pottery, textiles, jewellery.
Autumn Pond, 2022, 6x6", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel
You can click the button below to see this group of new work. If you’re interested in acquiring one of the works, email me or reach out to the gallery directly and we’ll get it into your hands.
SEE THE NEW SQUARED AWAY SMALLS
In place of an evening opening, opening day is all day December 3, 10am-4pm.
Squared Away
Ice House Gallery
31 Creamery Road, Tatamagouche, NS
December 3-24th.
PS. This is the first full day of Red Dot Miami. In case you missed it, you can see the work I have showing with Jen Tough Gallery here >>
I am over-the-moon happy to be included in what I know will be a brilliantly curated booth–Jen Tough Gallery just won the Redwood Art Group Spotlight Award for the upcoming Miami exhibition–and I am thrilled to be included in the group of artists she has assembled for this show. (The Spotlight Award is presented to exhibitors that are the most cutting-edge in their field and are recognized for their achievement in the visual arts.)
There will be 30+ artists in the booth, all showing affordable small a scale works.
Red Dot Miami
Mana Wynwood
2217 NW 5th Avenue
Miami, FL
November 30th-December 4th
Jen Tough Gallery, Booth 418
If you aren’t going to Art Week, you can see the works I will be showing here:
]]>There’s so much to love about working on paper, both for me and for you. That’s not to say that I’m not still making work on canvas and panel (more on that soon), but I’ve really fallen for the possibilities of paper.
Breathing at Dawn, 2022, Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cotton Paper
I feel very free and experimental when working on good paper. The paper I use is extremely heavy and high quality to stand up to my water and mark-intensive processes. Even so, if I push the process too far, and the piece is unrecoverable (No, really–it happens!), it’s still much less of a commitment of time and money than a cradled panel or stretched canvas.
The surface of paper is hard but receptive at the same time. Pencils, artist crayons and coloured pencils become obvious tools to work with along with the paint. The toothier surface means lighter, sketchier marks. The overall feeling can be lighter—they’re clearly still paintings, but in many ways they feel like drawings .
Plus, just handling that gorgeous paper fills me with a sense of its possibilities.
Work on paper is more affordable than comparably sized paintings on panel or canvas. It’s also much less expensive to ship.
It’s true that paintings on paper should be framed, which incurs some expense, but it can also be a benefit.
Framing work allows you to work a painting into any interior design style. Your choice of frame colour, material and size helps integrate the painting into your room.
Frames also allow you to change the overall dimension of the piece on the wall, fitting it into any gallery wall, or changing the emotional tenor of the piece. The same 11x14” painting will feel very different float framed at its original size over a desk, from the same work with huge surrounding mat, hung on a gallery wall, or in a main room.
Five new works are now available through On the Wall Framing (more on this below).
I’m super excited to share that some of my work on paper is now being represented by Tara Gavin at On the Wall Framing in Toronto. Tara is an exceptional art consultant who works primarily with residential and commercial interior designers. She has been a huge supporter of my original prints, so putting original one-of-a-kind work on paper in her hands feels absolutely right. You can see the work that’s available on the On the Wall Website >>
The show was curated by Amanda Kidd-Kestler, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Art Association. Click below to see this gorgeous meditation on physical and psychological darkness.
See the Darkness Exhbition]]>
The days are getting shorter, and the wind has just a bit of an edge. The spooky season is nearly here. What better time for a show with the theme of Darkness?
The exhibition is being hosted by Juniper Rag, a gorgeous visual art and lifestyle magazine.
Go see some great art, straight from the heart of darkness >>
]]>Artexpo Dallas opens today, and with it, my new collection of work on paper becomes available. The works are being represented at the show by Jen Tough Gallery, so if you're in Dallas, check out Booth #405.
These acrylic and mixed media paintings are on a heavy, luxe cotton paper that is a dream to work on. In them, I am continuing my exploration of gesture and event to build story and communicate a sense of place.
If Dallas isn't on your itinerary for the weekend, you can check out the series of paintings here:
]]>I'm absolutely delighted to been featured in the inaugural issue of Contemporary Artist Magazine.
This issue features the work of the 30+ artists who will be featured in the Jen Tough Gallery booth at Artexpo Dallas and Red Dot Miami. I'm so excited by how it looks and honoured to be included.
You can pick up a copy in Booth 405 of Artexpo Dallas, or you can download the magazine here >>]]>We Made Plans, 2022, 28x28”, Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
This exhibition was juried by Jack Fischer, of Jack Fisher Gallery in San Francisco, who reviewed 4500 works of art by just over 1700 artists to choose 89 pieces for this year's final exhibition. I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of this beautifully curated show.
It’s easy to experiment and take creative risks. I try new ideas and sometimes new techniques or materials.
I like to get into a sort of flow state when I’m working. A painting in progress is a living thing, a history unfolding as I work. Not only do I have ideas for the painting, but the painting has ideas for me. I listen. I learn. Any size I’m working at, I always have several in progress at that size. With the 12x12 size, I can have them all on a wall together, and see what’s working, and what I should change.
The paintings talk to each other as well—having several lets me move the ideas around from painting to painting. If I love something I can easily try it on the others.
The 12x12 format lets all of this conversation and experimentation happen quickly and intuitively. There are no huge areas of painting to cover. Changes are easy.
Small paintings encourage close viewing—you want to stand close and take in the surface. The tiny details that I love so much are important and you can really appreciate them close up.
Not to say that they’re not also a great painting to look at from across a room. A small painting can make a huge statement. And it can be slid into almost any size of home, shelf or wall.
A collection of square foot paintings makes a great grid wall, too.
Beacon, 2022, 12x12", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Cradled Panel
If you love this format as much as I do, you can pick up some of my 12x12s including ‘Beacon’ (above) , as well as work from over 70 other artists at the Abstract2 show at Squarefootshow.com at a super-attractive price. Just make sure you sign up to be on the preview list at the SquareFootShow website.
]]>If you're in the Toronto area, you already know what a pleasure it is to spend a day in the historic Distillery District, and there's no better season than summer to check out the cafés, live events and galleries in the area.
I don't know about you, but I'm still getting a huge buzz from being able to see work in person. This is the perfect chance to take in some paintings and spend a great day in a fantastic neighbourhood.
BTW, you can also check out the four paintings curated into this show by Arta here >>
]]>Coincidentally, my painting ‘Will-O-the-Wisp’ has been included in an online exhibition called Luminosity. Will-O-the-Wisp explores the light and mist and water, shifting, transient and ephemeral. Those tiny highlights that poke through a darkening evening.
In the Luminosity show, it takes a place among a group of beautiful paintings that all use light to light inform space, mood and subject.
Luminosity was juried by gallerist Jen Tough, and is hosted at the Artist Alliance. Take a moment and treat yourself to some beautiful art.
See the Luminosity Exhibition
PS. If you want Will-O-The-Wisp to bring some light to one of your own rooms, you can click the link under the painting on the show website, or the button below.
Acquire Will-O-The-Wisp]]>Pool, 24x24", Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
I think that everything has a gesture–every object, every being, every interaction. It’s a statement of its energy, of what it is. I draw from my personal stories and daily walks in nature to find these gestures, these essential motifs, and translate them into the language of my paintings.
I work in layers of acrylic, graphite and crayon, building texture and depth. Using my accumulated vocabulary of gestures, I make marks on the painting, and then respond to those marks in an ongoing conversation with the work. I experiment and then pause. Risk and then retreat. It’s a process of engagement and distillation, keeping what belongs and letting go of what doesn’t. Events are veiled, overwritten, or later exposed, leaving traces of their passage. Slowly, the paintings build their own history and develop a sense of place.
The Traces series of paintings has been created since I arrived at my new home near the sea in Nova Scotia. The rhythm of the waves and wind, the cool palette, and the fleeting changes in light and shadow have emerged as the essence of this body of work.
VIEW THE TRACES SERIES
These paintings are on exhibition at the Artist Project Toronto, April 21-24, 2022.
Artist Project Toronto runs from April 21-24 at the Queen Elizabeth Building at Exhibition Place. You can find me in Booth 812.
I’ve got 21 new paintings, in sizes from 9x12” to 28x28”.
If you’re in the Toronto area, I really hope to see you at the show. The new paintings are filled with subtle colour and marks that are wonderful up close. I can’t wait for you to see the new work and connect in person.
Use the discount code EXHIBIT16 to save on timed entry tickets. (More flexible passes are also available.)
A new tiny collection of tiny paintings. These four paintings were inspired by the changing seasons.
]]>These four paintings were inspired by the changing seasons. Each season has its own emotional tenor, its own energy. I made this group of works as I explored different ways to express that spirit in gesture and paint.
Each of the four paintings in the collection measures just 4" high by 5" wide. Despite their tiny size, they're gallery depth (1.5"), so they stand nicely on a shelf, as well as being ready to hang.
PS. The four paintings look great hanging as a group. Until February 7th, use the discount code ALLTHESEASONS to get free shipping in North America if you purchase all four.
]]>The rhythm and repetitiveness of the activity seems to create open space in your mind. I notice things.
Sometimes I take pictures, or make a quick sketch on my phone.
This walk, this immersion, becomes my daily source of raw material and energy.
I draw them. I repeat them, and explore them, and re-iterate them in sketchbooks and painting studies, trying to express the moment of clarity that drew me to them originally. (As I’ve done this over the years, I notice how many times a similar pattern or motif will occur in different subjects.)
The process of exploring and re-iterating these subjects seems to embed them into my mental vocabulary. Once this happens, the motifs emerge almost unconsciously while I am working and are repeated in my prints and paintings.
I’m not trying to paint a picture of a particular scene, but neither am I relying solely on expressing my emotions, or exploring the materials, although both of these play a role.
Instead, I am using these abstracted impressions to make work that I hope creates a resonance in the viewer—that they recognize these motifs on a deep level and feel something of their own relationship with nature and with others as a part of it.
BTW, that last painting is part of a small group of tiny paintings that will drop into the shop on February 4th, so sign up for my list if you want first access.
]]>If you’re thinking of treating yourself to some of my art for your own home in time for the festive season (or maybe giving it as a gift), now is the time to order!
]]>Spring Story, 24x24", Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas, 2021
I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll be able to socialize (carefully!) this year. I’m so, so looking forward to seeing friends, exchanging gifts and doing some small-group entertaining in our home. Following our recent relocation to Nova Scotia, we’ve been working hard on putting our stamp on the house, so it feels “done” and ready to have guests. Hanging art we love is such a huge part of making a house feel like a home.
I have prints available from On the Wall, or Akasha Art Editions.