by chance or by appointment

The Art of Under Construction

2009-06-30T18:35:00.003-03:00

I am just about to leave to go to England for the first time.

Let me clarify that last statement. I am going to England for the umpteenth time but this time I will be departing the airport and actually staying around for a bit to check out the place.

Before I left the studio today I gave my folks a list of things that still need fixing in the new studio so they would not think, for example, that stairs are just that squeaky because they broke them. They are going to be staying there for the next week so I thought I should give them the heads up.

So my newest piece of artwork that is underway is...my life. I will not rush it. I will take my time making choices but seize the opportunities that present themselves. I think I have all of the tools I need in my studio - so to speak - so it is time to exercise. Upon returning I will be in the studio working on literal works. But new works will emerge. New ideas. I will be exploring them. I will not worry about reactions. I will not show all of the work. I will keep some behind. I will not paint or create shows but will create and show.

Victoria and I are off to jolly 'ol and life will never be the same. It will be a work in progress.

Lastly, the 3rd of the 'Tuft's Cove Power Plant' images was collected today. It has gone on to a wonderful home. Well deserving. It is a special work.

The New Normal - Part One

2009-06-22T09:06:00.005-03:00

I always knew there would be a new normal. I am happy to say I have been in it for a while now. Part of this is the new blogs. I feel like a recovering alcoholic who promises God that s/he will never drink again, but I swear I am back on the straight and narrow with my blog updating. Twice a week. It will run like an Italian train.

Part of being back to a new normal is that I am doing art classes again. Well, in this case, summer workshops. It is the first time for the workshops format – although I have done workshops for other groups a number of times. It always astounds me when I put out info about a class starting and I hear back from people who are interested in taking a class or workshop. I am so thankful that people enjoy the lessons. I see so much improvement with students in such a short period of time. If I had of known how enjoyable it was to teach I would have done it a decade ago. I actually sent the email out about the workshops at the same time as the one about the upcoming Italian Art & Cultural Excursion. Two people have registered already. It is almost a year away and people are already interested.
Life is interesting sometimes. I feel like in a way that in taking 5 steps backwards, a few side shuffles and baby steps forward that I am already 20 steps ahead. 20 steps ahead in a direction that I have always wanted to go. It isn't any easier. In fact it is more difficult. But the rewards are staggeringly more gratifying and lovely.

Speaking of which...just had a show open a month ago and am part of a group show later this week! There is a bottle of Brunello in the wine fridge with a few people's names on it. It will be popped very soon.

Some Work Comes Back

2008-10-13T16:33:00.005-03:00

Always a bitter sweet pill when work that has left the studio makes its un- triumphant return. Disappointed they were not collected but happy to see them again!

That's what happened this past week. No biggy though. All of the rest are slowly finding homes. Although, these ones coming back just prove that I have no sense of what sells and that, perhaps, is not a bad quality. I figured they would sell immediately. Nope. Not even a spec of interest. And these are the ones that were similar to the ones I did at the Secord Gallery a few years back and sold before the opening.

The Secord Gallery is busy and has 6 of my recent works so they are full for now...although on an unrelated note, I am showing with them in mid April along with my friends Brad Hall and Sally Ravindra. This meant that I had to find temporary homes for them. I unloaded 2 on an unsuspecting friend. 2 more went to my folks place who will take anything I have ever done and hang it on their wall. Another 2 went to my father's office. I guess it's kinda my way of sneaking through the back door of the province's Art Bank program - which is to say I hang work in mundane office spaces and do not get paid for it. (That will show them!) That leaves me with 2.

2 is the loneliest number that I ever knew.

Wanna borrow some art?

Almost Done...kinda.

2008-09-17T12:04:00.003-03:00

I have four images I have been working on simultaneously for the last month or so. Like the Erosion series, they all have written words under the images. The images themselves are of the Tuft's Cove Power Plant with a distorted north end view of Halifax in the foreground. I have always thought very highly of the smoke stacks. As someone who grew up near the north end the red and white stripes are kinda like comfort food for the eyes. (The hops at Oland's Brewery are the comfort food for the nose.)

You can imagine how surprised I was to see that Nova Scotia Power is actually painting the stacks! Now, instead of rusted red and dirty light gray, the stacks are again fire engine red and snow (in the country) white. They have never looked better.

Now you are probably asking yourself: What kind of an artist is this? Aren't artist's supposed to be environmentally conscious? Isn't this a symbol of what is wrong with our energy hungry society?

Yes.

I also see them more as a monument of our city. A huge monument that everyone thinks is ugly, but is actually a striking landmark of Halifax. Three great church steeples that rise from sea level and engulf our landscape. A beacon for ships that enter our port. Our Eiffel Tour.
Too often we turn our backs in order to look at the "pretty" view of downtown Halifax. I feel there is something magical about these stacks. In fact, I hope that once we resolve our dependence on energy, in particular, fossil fuels, that in 100 years time the city decides to not rip down our Eiffel Tower and instead embraces them as a part of our industrial past.

Art-ist Classes Starting Soon

2008-09-04T14:48:00.004-03:00

I just released my poster into the city. "Art-ist Classes at the Christopher Webb Art Gallery & Studio." This is always a nerve-wracking time. Will people sign up? How many? Will all of the classes be full? So far the Realism Painting class has been the hit...but usually it is the other 2 that are.

Life has been hectic. Work has been hectic. No blogs posted for quite some time.

But I'm back to it. Back to basics. Back to grinding things out like an NFL team who is down by 8 with 5 minutes left on the clock in the 4th quarter and who need the win to keep their season alive. Just keep on trying to get a few first downs in order to at least have a chance.
And yes, I'm a little excited that the NFL regular season kicks off tonight at 9.

Back in the Studio...thank God.

2008-06-13T10:17:00.004-03:00

3 days in a row. Open 12 – 5. Even had a few folks drop in. I think one person was a bit weirded out by my red church prayer votive candles and the Gregorian sounds of Mysterium- the brothers of San'Antimo performing a mass. (Laugh all you want but did you know in another life I was a 15th century monk?) People can say what they want: I need any advantage I can get.

The past few days have been spent prepping canvases. Generally I like to paint the sides black before I start so that I can avoid doing it at the end, thus avoid getting black acrylic paint all over my finished painting. Therefore avoid yelling/crying in the studio.

Today's plan is to continue to prep the canvases. I have more of Lennett's sermons that I am going to use. I also have a stack of letters, envelopes, messages and other waste of trees from TV's 'Profit Peter Popoff' who is currently praying for my dog Murphy. He is also asking Murph to send him some money to help his ministry. Perhaps you want him to pray for one of your animals, too. http://www.peterpopoff.org/ In fairness, Profit Peter has written Murph religiously letting him know that he has been woken up numerous times in the middle of the night thinking about Murphy's problems and knows that the tough times that Murphy is going through are coming to an end and all that Murphy desires, god will provide.

Murph must have been asking for money for me – so I can spend more on bones I guess – because I just got a letter in the mail yesterday. For those of you that live (or pay taxes) in Nova Scotia, I want to officially take this opportunity to thank you for giving me money. The Nova Scotia Department of Tourism Culture and Heritage notified me that I have received a grant to help offset the costs associated with my show last month.

Sorry Murph. Money already spent. But a warning to you who are reading this blog: If you happen to notice a lot more garbage in your area (except Napoli) or experience the miracle of bones falling out of the sky. Don't worry. That is just Profit Peter Popoff answering the prayers of my pooch.

The Dreaded In-Between Time

2008-06-03T16:43:00.006-03:00

How do I always let this happen?

I once watched a documentary on a Canadian artist who stated that she tried to work on projects that lasted in increments of 5 -10 years so that she didn't' have to face, as often, the depression that usually sets in post project. In this case, the show I just sent off to Western Canada.

Granted, I am much better at cushioning the blow that I was a few years ago. Here is what I have managed to do to make life bearable in the post show times:

1. Line up work that needs to be done the moment the said project is complete: In this case it is the fact that I am in mid section of teaching an art class and that another two start at the beginning of July. This sorta counts I guess. Problem is that it is only on Sundays.

2. Make sure that the next show is on the horizon: Truth is I am motivated by deadlines. Not as an artist but as a person in general. Just so happens that this nasty habit crepes into my art practice. What I am saying is that unless I have dates and timelines, I will do nothing but watch sports and do admin stuff. Good yes! But does not pay the mortgage. At this point I am participating in a group show in Toronto in late September or early October (too far away!!) I am also trying to put together something for the Secord Gallery for November or February (way too far away to worry myself into action). I have a grant application along with every other artist in the province of Nova Scotia – which means I have a better chance of getting stuck by lightning (which is much more likely than winner Lotto 6-49 as it turns out!)

3. Open the studio: Open the studio! Wednesday to Saturday 12 – 5 pm. This means that if I do procrastinate and fall deeper into a post show funk, it will be in the studio. So starting this Wednesday, it is open!

So all in all, it could be much worse.

Back to Work

2008-05-28T12:58:00.002-03:00

As I write this I am procrastinating. I can see my studio from where I am sitting but I have thought of a dozen things that need doin' before I go there. First of which is update my blog. The second is update my i-pod with more Andrea Bocelli. The third, and perhaps more important, is to make myself an unbelievably buona cappuccino with some of the new espresso I picked up in Toronto – Caffé Kimbo (it's been a while since I had a taste of the ol' Kimbo!)

I guess what I am saying is that this is one of my least favourite things, that is, going to an empty studio filled with empty canvases after a show. At least this time I have a plan (procrastination not withstanding).

The Plan: There is no plan.

Good plan, huh? I am not painting for a show. Not doing a commission piece. I am just going to start painting. My goal is to start at least one new piece per week. Hopefully this will negate what I am going though right now. Hopefully this will mean that I can just get in a rhythm of constantly making art.

I take it back. That totally sounds like a plan.

I also need to start working on my confessional ideas. I can't count on getting a grant so I think it is best to just spread it out over a long period of time and hopefully defer the costs associated with it.

There is no photo. So instead, I will leave you with a video that I did with a grade 5 class near my place. Given the talk of procrastination, perhaps you will watch with that exact intention.

It is all them. Their ideas, stories, images, input. The only thing I did was to lay down the track and put things where they asked. I also found clips for video that we couldn't afford to get – re: 1st person war footage. They were really great kids.

Enjoy!

The Show is Open

2008-05-21T14:17:00.005-03:00

So the opening was great. I forgot to take photos. I dusted myself off and had a latte with the lovely Wanda Underhill and discussed the evening. I also snapped some pics of the gallery.

The Crate has Arrived (and so have I)

2008-05-20T12:56:00.003-03:00

Today is Tuesday May 20th. The show opens tonight at 7 pm. I looked through the gallery window yesterday when I got into Saskatoon and thing looked pretty good.

So far no press. No publicity. I am really curious to see A) how many people show up tonight that I don't know...and I only know about 14 people here, and B) if anything will actually sell.

Let me qualify the last statement. Should I be worried about creating work that I think will sell. No. Do I create work that I think will sell? No. Do I have to worry about work selling? Yes.

Yes. Absolutely. Yes. It is how I can keep on doing what I do. So hopefully people will be supportive and like the work enough to buy a few things. It is that type of success that will land me another show at this particular gallery. And it is all of the commercial gallery success that allows me to experiment with other forms of art - one of which I have just submitted a grant proposal for.

That one is also about religious and spiritual works of art. In this case, building confessional devices. Which is a good time for me to end this blog and confess that I am very nervous for tonight.

I will try and find a way to post some photos tomorrow. Wish me luck!

The Invite / Crate Tracking

2008-05-09T09:05:00.004-03:00

Short Update #1: The crate is somewhere between here (Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia) and Saskatoon. Let's say, for sake of argument, Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! in Quebec.

Short Update #2: The invites are done. And out. It looks like I picked the right image for the invite, huh? Yes, panic and procrastination work every time.

Christopher's Box...with apologies to Monty Python

2008-05-07T00:08:00.006-03:00

It's only fitting that I celebrate my crate - aka 'big wooden box' - leaving this part of the world. I was too busy for anything big. So pretend, if you will, that dozens of people and community officals have gathered outside of my studio on a bright, sunny, Monday morning in May. There is great anticipation. Then, walking up to front step of Christopher Webb's studio and clearing his throat, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia official tests the microphone and starts to speak.

AGNS Official (in a British Accent speaking in a slightly strange voice):

We are here today to witness the opening of a new box to replace the box which used to sit near the side of the road at the Christopher Webb Art Gallery and Studio. Owing to the road-widening programme carried out by the Halifax Regional Municipailty City Council, the old box was removed and sent to New York, leaving the box in Prospect Bay as the only box for the Prospect Road area. This new box will enable the people within the Prospect Communities area to look at pretty paintings, buy art and/or just make small talk with a local artist without recourse to the Prospect Bay box or to the box outside the post office at Mabel's Farm Market which many people used to use, but which has now been discontinued owing to the opening of this box and also the re-organization of box distribution throughout the whole area, which comes into force with the opening of new boxes at the Irving Gas Station at the beginning of the Prospect Road in July.

(a moment's pause)

Nous sommes ici ce matin pour loire témoin à l'ouvermre de la nouvelle boîte pour reinplacer la boîte qui autrefois était placée au coin le Christophe Webb Gallerie d'Art et Studio. Porte que du projet pour l'égissement de la hie qui fait par le Halifax Regional Municipailty City Council, la boîte dam le New York est remplacée, et la boîte de tour dons Prospect Bay , est la seule boîte pour le région Prospect che. Cette boîte nouvelle rendra capables les hommes du Prospect Communities de merue dons la poste les lettres, les cane-postales, et des petits paquets sans avant besoin de la boîte de tour dons Prospect Bay , ou les boîtes de la Mabel's Farm Market de poste, qui beaucoup des hommes one fait usage mais qui est maintenant disconfinuée parce que l'ouverture de cette boîte ici, et le réorganisation régionale que commence avec l'ouverture des boîtes au bureau de poste en Irving Gas Station le juillet.

(a moment's pause)

Wir kornmen bier heute Morgen fur die Einfang auf dem neue Kabinett fur die Poste.

A Paintings Started: 24. Paintings Complete:21

2008-05-04T23:00:00.008-03:00

So 3 painting didnt' make the cut. Can you spot the one from an earlier post that just never materialized? If you can you win the prize. What can I say. Some just don't work out. It's not to say that I have forgotten about them. They just aren't making the trip to Saskatoon.

In this post I choose to express myself the best way I know how. And because interpretive dance is a tough medium to show over a bog, I will instead use images from my studio.

Last day in the studio. The work goes in a (yet to be built) crate tomorrow and then off to the Rouge Gallery. So much to talk about. I will hold off until I can create a clear minded, un-sleep deprived post later in the week.

So enjoy. Or don't. I can't make you feel something you can't I guess.

The Week Ahead

2008-04-30T11:25:00.006-03:00

This week is going by so fast. The good news is that all of the work (as I write this) is almost complete. I have two small boats to put in two paintings and a few strokes to put on some Roman (not Greek) ruins. Here is how the crunch-time week is shaping up Show wise:

Today I have my friend Adrian Edwards coming over for a crit. Adrian spent 30 years in the UK as an art instructor and jurour so I am a bit nervous - and also nervous because as a youth, if someone criticized Adrian's work he was known to punch them in the face. Seriously. He would punch them in the face. So needless to say I will accept his criticism without comment. And offer him a soothing beverage. And play Kenny G. in the background. (Wow, haven't thought of Kenny G. in a while but now that I do, what a crazy gansta name he had. He was ahead of his time.)

Tomorrow Phil Secord (Secord Gallery here in Halifax) is coming by. I thought he should see the work and how I've been using paper as a medium on the canvas. This way I can get a sense what he thinks may be a good fit in his gallery. I also need to try and convince him to let me do a 3 person show at his gallery in late Autumn. I will try to get him drunk first.

Friday I am supposed to do a PAINTS (Professional Artists IN The Schools) project with a local school. What a gong show that is. I still don't know what I am going to do with the kids. Throw into the mix that CTV is supposed to drop by for a feature on the work that technically isn't finished and that means it will be an interesting day. This also means that on Thursday I need to schedule a hair cut and somehow loose 15 pounds to look good for the camera.

Saturday the work is being photographed by local-guy-does-good, Nick Rudnicki. Then there is the (bigger than) 4ft x 4ft x 4ft crate building which will take place over the weekend. That makes me stressed just thinking about it.

The good news is that I miraculously managed to get the photo for the invite done and off to the Rouge Gallery. I have attached it to this post. I know what you are going to say: it looks just like the last photo! Well, that's just your computer screen playing tricks. It is a hi-res photo and is very pretty. And I paid 90 dollars for someone to click that photo. If you spent that much on a bottle of wine you would trick yourself into thinking it was better than a 9 dollar bottle of gato negro, too!

The dreaded invitation.

2008-04-24T11:53:00.004-03:00

Do you know that it’s a well documented fact1 that the image you put on the invitation is not only used to peak people's interest in an exhibit, but at a commercial gallery is likely the first painting to sell? It's true!

I talked to Wanda yesterday from the Rouge Gallery and she would like me to send her an image for the show invite. It's funny because I get asked a lot by students about the process I use to select an image for a show invite. So here it is. The magical formula I use to determine the image:

I pick the one that is finished and hope to god that the rest are done for the show opening.

That's it! And the formula works every time. Except this time there's a glitch. The image I want to use is at the Ross Creek show (you know, the one of the wheel below). Now you may say to yourself, "But there is already a photo of the image. Why not just use that one?" Problem is that it looks okay on the interweb but it would look terrible in print. It also doesn't do a great job in the white balance department and it is hard to see from the image all of the texture. So at the time of writing this I am hoping that Ashley from Ross Creek is able to take a really get shot for me of the image.

Please keep your fingers crossed for me. I am hoping by the time I get back in the studio today that I will have an image.

Until next time knuckle heads!2

1 – I have no proof of this, but in the cases of my solo shows this is usually the case.

2 – knuckle heads is proof that while I paint in the studio I listen to podcasts of sports talk radio. In this case ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. Also proof that I am greatly influenced by sports talk radio.

A Paintings Started: 24. Paintings Complete: 6

2008-04-15T18:39:00.004-03:00

Something interesting happened to me in the past few weeks. I got busy. Really busy. In fact, über busy (which is busy with pretension.)

This isn't' even a real update. I have been painting my little heart out every day and trying to keep up with other commitments. Included is this weekend where I will be on a panel discussion of a Christian Men's Conference. I'm not sure what the topics are but I already know all the answers.

I have included an image that is complete. It started off looking really bad. Then good. Then I took the masking tape off of the car and it looked even worse. Then I had a friend into the studio for a crit. Then I painted in the car. Then it got better. I think it resolved itself quite well.

So, just to update the score - for those that are playing the home version of "Fear & Panic @ the Art Studio":

Paintings Started: 24. Paintings Complete: 6

Days until work needs to be finished: 18

So now I eat. Then I go to studio and paint and watch hockey. The romance is overwhelming.

The Punch line. It comes at the end.

2008-04-03T10:31:00.004-03:00

Out of the blue 2 weeks ago I received an email from Chris O'Neil from Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in Canning, Nova Scotia. She asked if I was interested in participating in a group exhibit. I said yes.

Of course I said yes. I can't say no. I am a young artist. I need to work hard and take advantage of opportunities, even the untimely ones. I must say yes.

But what can I show? I have nothing in my studio. Any work I have in this city is in the Secord Gallery and there are only a few pieces left there.

After further review, I decided that this was all going to be really difficult and perhaps it would be best to take a pass on this one. I decided to call and cancel. As I was dialing I thought that, because I was going to say no anyway, I would see how flexible they were. And that phone call is the most I have ever felt like a stereotypical artist.

Understanding that I try my best to be generally organized, here's how it went down: I call the Centre and get a hold of the Development Assistant, Ashley Marlin. Eventually, I get to the point. "The work won't be for sale, will it?" I ask. "No? That's awesome!" (Because heaven forbid someone would want to collect it.)

"How long is the show going to be up for," I ask. "End of April? Okay. Just in case it runs longer, can I take it down a few days before? That’s great! I need it for another show and it needs to be in a crate by May 5th."

"The size and title of the piece? It's 48 inches by 48 inches. And, ah, well, I don’t have a title for it. It's a work in progress. We'll just call it Study Number Something-Or-Other."

"The piece I would like to use is still wet. Can I have it to you three days after the drop off deadline of today? Is that okay?" I ask. "That's great! Oh, and FYI, at this rate it may be a bit wet when I get it to you."

So yesterday I borrowed a truck from my uncle and off I went to Ross Creek. I had about 15 minutes to spend at the Centre. Margot Metcalfe was there to greet me. We attached a couple of eyehooks and wire. Tossed it on the wall. Straightened it. Then, when no one was looking, I fixed some of the smudges of wet paint. Done!

I stood back 20 feet and, in order to celebrate, breathed deeply and took it all in for about 10 seconds. That’s when I glanced over to the left and saw something that looked familiar. It was a smaller work that was clearly by Wayne Boucher. It was about 30" x 30". Electric. Best described as predominantly magenta, with an under-painting of an almost forest green. Lime green lines formed a large square within the square canvas and against the fuchsia, the painting was moving. Smaller, less intense lines brought the eye to the middle of the canvas where yellow brush strokes seemed to take on the role of subject. "That’s one of Wayne's paintings," I said to/asked Margot.

"Yes," she replied. "There aren't many pieces in this particular show. I'm not familiar with the works of the other 2 painters over on this wall." She gestured. "I am hoping that Alan Syliboy's work will be arriving any minute.

And that's when I realized that I was going to be in a group show with Alan Syliboy and Wayne Boucher. Perhaps you have never heard of them. Perhaps you are a huge fan of them. I am just happy to have my work in the same space as them.

Thanks for the invite Chris O'Neil. www dot artscentre dot ca

Should have taken the over.

2008-03-28T09:53:00.005-03:00

This is why I am not a gambler. Although, I would still go with UNC this weekend, the second layer of paint worked out. Just like I thought it would! (Please note that if you read my previous entry, that is my attempt at humour. If, however, you did not read my previous entry, then understand that last comment to mean I am awesome.) I was very surprised that it came together as easily as it did given the amount of medium I slopped on the canvas.

Had a person in the studio for a quick drive-by-pop-in and they asked how I made the sky "vibrate". Years ago, after a discussion with my friend Ojars Biskaps (who was a huge inspiration in building my studio) about the use of dots of complimentary colours to accentuate space, I experimented with putting bits of complimentary colours in a landscape I was fussing with. The I tried it in a sky I was working on. After I applied the colour I would go back over it and slightly cover up the dots of colour so it wouldn't look like I was chickenpoxing my canvas. I didn't think much of it until I went to a retrospective show of Robert Bechtle in Washington, DC.

At times, Bechtle's entire paintings would glow. Once home I went online to find out what I could about this artist. A stumbled upon a really great video. I have since shown it to all my students who feel bad about wanting to paint realistically.

I think he is one of the most intense painters alive today. Even if you (meaning me) are not a realism style painter, or even a representational painter for that matter, I think there is a lot to be learned from him. Here's the video link if you are interested. It's about ten minutes and has great production value.

Click to view the video:

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/kqed-spark-robert-bechtle/1780993669

(PS: There are lots of other great artist video profiles to the left of the main video.)

"Easter Weekend Sees Halo in Webb Painting"

2008-03-25T11:31:00.004-03:00

That is what the headline should have read in the Sunday Halifax Herald. Perhaps it would spawn the masses who are in search of a sign from the messiah, to make pilgrimage to my studio. The Christopher Webb Art Gallery, Studio & New Jerusalem. (The tagline at the bottom of the sign would read: It’s a miracle that he still has a career in the arts!)

Okay, so the halo wasn't actually a sign. It was a byproduct of the acrylic gel medium I used to adhere the words written on the paper to the canvas. Interestingly enough, the halo just appeared where I left a trace amount of medium around the eventual grain elevator.

The reason I think it happened has more to do with the canvas. When I do buy pre-made canvases I usually add another layer of gesso (or two). Truthfully, I got a bit lazy and thought I would put down the paint. The canvas just sucked up the thin layer of paint, so much so that it was dry within 20 minutes. The halo happened because the paint that is sitting on the gel medium is still wet and on a smoother surface and the paint on the canvas is completely dry.

Prediction: This weekend I would take the over on UNC v. Washington State and a tie on the possibility that when I apply the second layer of paint to the sky that it will actually even out and look okay. (A tie implies that the sky will win or lose by 6 points. Wait, what was the analogy again?)

I am leaning towards it working on the third try. I hope. If not, with my thin style of applying layer of paint, I will be, to use a term that is typical "art speak", screwed.

Overall I am pleased with the general feeling of the image. I am always a happier painter when the vision in my head is close to what I see on the canvas. Lots to correct though. Lots to work on. More ideas to explore. More painting to do.

Romans 8:37

2008-03-24T12:06:00.007-03:00

Said work. No progress. Well, some progress.

This is the work that I would like to track. I have attached an image of what it currently looks like. I have no idea what I will do for the colours and mood of the image. The only real vision I have is that I will leave the words the way they are and use pencil to draw over the grain elevator (things like the 'Pool' logo and a few other details that seem pertinent). The image is cobbled together from 3 reference photos.

The idea came together while I was sketching in the studio. I loved the thought of imagery that highlights the sprawling western landscape. Thought of a train or tracks. Thought about having the one foreground grain elevator but thought that would make it the main subject. Thought that two grain elevators would give the composition a frame of reference for scale. I sketched it out (as you see from the drawing) and it looked okay, but felt contrived. I guffawed as I thought about all the people who paint lighthouses out here on the east coast and that this was one step closer to being the lighthouse painter of the west.

So I erased the foreground lighthouse, and, ecco la!

The void space that was created was better than the filled in space. I got that feeling I sometimes get when I am creatively on to something. (This is strange to explain and try to write about.)

So I took the sketch home and had a discussion with a friend. She talked about the concept that the elevators are slowly dying off. Brought up the feeling of loss. This made us think about personal loss. This made me think of some work I did from the show back in 2005, Sermons. One of the works was a eulogy that Lennett gave for a mutual friend of ours that was killed in a car accident. My idea: physically insert one of Lennett's sermons (which I know he always hand writes) into the empty space. Use the written word as a visual. This idea also made me a bit nervous. Whenever I look at an artists' work that has used written words on a canvas I am very aware of those words and the power they have to sometimes usurp the overall vision. But, I thought, still worth exploring yet something to be mindful of as I continue.

Lennett keeps all of his sermons in his cabinet, organized in a sprawling pile that seems to nearly fall apart when he opens the door. The particular sermon that I choose is from January 16, 2005, titled," Refuse to Lose!" The scripture is Romans 8:37, and the writing under the name states, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors."

Paintings Started: 14, Paintings Complete: 0

2008-03-21T11:40:00.008-03:00

Tuesday, May 20 @ 7pm. Rouge Gallery in Saskatoon (www dot rougegallery dot ca). That is the date of my next solo show – tentatively named Erosion.

Paintings Started: 14

Paintings Completed: 0 / Zero / None.

Quick Math #1: 61 days until the show opens. That's not so bad. Two months. Lots of time. Bravo Christopher. Bravo. It appears that my superb time management skills will triumph once more.

Wrong.

Quick Math #2: 39 days until all the work needs to be finished. The work needs to be there by Friday, May 9th. That means the work needs to be crated and picked up by my shipping company on Monday, May 5th. That means in order for all of the work to be dry in time I need them to be finished no later than Monday, April 28th.

Type faster. Must get to studio.

I get asked by many of my students to talk about what it is like to be an artist. As you can see stress seems to be an underlying factor. The question itself is somewhat loaded and the problem with answering it is that, for the most part, my students pay to learn how to paint, not to learn how to be artists (although we do touch on quite a few points around the career aspect.). In order to organize the question slightly perhaps through documenting the work that goes into a (solo) show I will be able to shed a bit of light on to the process – specifically my process.

Welcome to the beginning of my written account of how this show – God on Good Friday willing - will all come together.

Most people who come into the studio or any of the galleries that carry my work see only the finished 'product'. The challenge with this is that most people, with the exception of my 20-30 students, do not see the evolution of an image. And to me, it is the creation of ideas, development of selected ideas and then how they manifest into art forms – in most cases for me as oil on canvas or board – which is often as interesting as the finished paintings. In some cases more.

Sometimes a painting is a great painting but an uninteresting piece of art. Sometimes a profound piece of art can end up not being a visually stimulating painting. Sometimes both. Sometimes neither.

Maybe the best way to do this is just to track one image that I am creating for the show and follow it's evolution – from inception to wherever I decide is its finish. How does that sound?

Until the next time - enjoy the fish. Do not enjoy the meat.

Artist Statement

2008-03-19T10:31:00.006-03:00

This is my first posting. I am copping out. First post and I am taking the verbal easy route. Actually, I am just doing this to see how it looks when I write. Heah! I'm a visual person - what do you expect. Words are images, too. So, to bring this first non-post to a close, here is a brilliant cut-and-paste of my artist statement. It will likely be the most grammatically correct post from here on in:

My work examines what effect society's collective failure to act is having on our surroundings and on other parts of the world. The work explores the concept that we are responsible, both environmentally and socio-economically, in this reluctance to act and intervene. At its core, the pieces are often rooted in questions of our personal spirituality and morality. Compositions are calculated and controlled and the imagery created is intended to stand against our chaotic society and the lack of control an individual has over their place in it.

My art practice is wide in scope although most concepts manifest as oil paint on board / canvas. My work tends to fall into the figurative tradition. Metal has become a common compositional element. I use it to evoke a duality: on one hand creating an organic harmony with the painting in order to induce a meditative quality; while at the same time creating a tension between the obtrusive metal partnered with a serene image.