The Brushoff

This is the second attempt and probably the last for now, of dry brush technique using acrylic paint on canvas. 

                                                                    Vase of Flowers

This is the all time fourth and probably the last ever floral painting!

Don't forget, your comments are welcome and  keep me honest

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All Brushed Up

The first attempt at using dry brush technique with acrylic paint on canvas is finished and ready for comment! I found the soft misty quality of this painting appealing, but did add some texture with a knife on the flowers. I can see how that kind of atmospheric quality might suite my "old man and dog"series. I won't "brush off "this technique and think it deserves more practice!

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My Brush with Dry Brush

I have used dry brush technique in watercolour painting, usually combined with wet technique and occasionally for the complete painting. I have had little experience with using dry brush in acrylic work. Follow me, and comment as I hash my way through a "dry" painting.

Here is the inauspicious beginning.

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A Word or Three to the Wise

Having just finished two art shows, an Art Walk and am in the middle of a third show, I understand to my regret, that you can "rush" the completion of a painting. After planning and executing a painting, often the feeling is one of relief, especially if there is some time pressure. Stop! Here are three reminders before you consider your painting ready to hopefully leave your hands:
- to ensure that the composition, values, perspective and the colour scheme work, is to view your painting flat on the floor, upside down and then view it  in a mirror. As a final check,  leave it on your mantel or other prominent place for a few days. This eliminates glaring problems, but can also lead to "overworking" if you aren't careful.
- sign you name to either the front or back of the painting, unless you are of the school that believes it unnecessary* (topic for another blog post).
- photograph your painting, for documentation and many other uses.

The last two reminders are particularly important if your work is going to be framed under glass - "been there done that".

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Frida and Diego

What a wonderful exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario of the art of Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera. Leave lots of time to read the posted commentaries and appreciate some of the details in the paintings.
The sections of intricate and political murals by Diego and his other paintings glowing with colour were wonderful.

Most affecting for me, however, were Frida's paintings. Many of her paintings depict the pain she suffered from an early accident which affected her health throughout her life, and her subsequent  miscarriages.

Their's was a complicated relationship - hints of which are in many of the paintings.

 Their story becomes real as you view the many photographs taken of them through the years, including those taken after death, in their caskets.

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Art Appreciation

Painting can sometimes be a lonely activity. Discouragement can sometimes creep in and you wonder if you will ever paint anything worthwhile again. That is when being selected for a juried show by artists that you respect, can be a "shot in the arm".
I was pleased to have a painting accepted for the second time in the Toronto Watercolour Artists Exhibition. This particular abstract painting is one of a series of three and is called - "From Space".

Details of Exhibition:

There will be a wonderful selection of paintings in a very interesting setting.

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More Details

More details from last post. What a busy month!

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Art on a Canadian Theme

As a promotional activity for the Fall Art Show and Sale of the North Toronto Group of Artists, an art exhibition titled Parallel Lines is on display at a Starbucks location for until the end of October. The address is 3250 Yonge St. at the corner of Brookdale Ave.
"Parallel lines" refers to the fact that all paintings are on canvas that is "30" x "10" and hung vertically. This is the third year of this exhibit and each year a different theme is chosen. It is fascinating to see 20 different intrepretations. This year the theme is "Canadian" - lots of fun and possibilities there. Here is my interpretation:

Canadian Blanket

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Exciting Upcoming Art Events

North York Visual Artists

2012Fall Art Tour and Sale

Saturday September 29 and Sunday September 30, 11am – 5pm

Toronto Botanical Garden (by Edward’s Gardens) and home studios.

This year’s Tour covers 37 artists in five home studios and one large group venue in the Floral Room at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

Admission and parking is free.

For more information and to download a brochure and map you can click on http://www.nyva.ca/brochures/2012ArtTourBrochure.pdf

Yonge-Lawrence Business Association

8^th Annual Fall Art Walk 2012

October 11 thru November 1st

Celebrating local arts in the community. Local businesses host the works of local artists in a variety of mediums in windows and establishments along Yonge St. from Lawrence to Yonge Blvd. Go to www.yongelawrencevillage-bia.com for more information and to vote for your favorite.

North Toronto Group of Artists

Fall Fine Arts Show & Sale

November 2 & 3, 2012
Blessed Sacrament Church, 24 Cheritan Ave.
(Yonge & Cheritan)

 For further details http://www.ntga.blogspot.com

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Art Reflections: Boston

On a recent trip to Boston, I encountered some wonderful architecture. The city itself is really a work of art and a wonderful place to visit.  I recently posted about "Inspiration" related to the paintings of the members of the Aphasia Institute. In Boston I was inspired again by two very different art-related sites.

Artists for Humanity originated in Boston and is making inroads in other areas. Here is their mission:

To bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing under-served youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employments in the arts.

" Since 1991, Artists For Humanity has empowered and employed Boston teens in an intensive program of arts, creativity and enterprise. AFH partners youth with professional artists/designers to design, create and sell art products. With fully equipped, staffed studios in Painting/Murals, Sculpture/Industrial Design, Screen-Printing, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Photography, Web Design and Video, youth and mentors collaborate on creative projects, many specifically commissioned by clients. In the process, young artists develop entrepreneurial skills, and introduce audiences to their voice, vision and virtuosity. Artists For Humanity apprentices have produced fine art and creative products for Boston's largest firms and organizations."

 I visited their brand new shop in the Faneuil Hall and purchased a great tote for carrying art materials.

What a joyful group they are!

How industrious!

And talented!

Visit their website at http://www.afhboston.org/
Visit their blog at http://www.afhboston.blogspot.com


On a more serious note - I also visited and was very affected by the beauty of the Holocaust Memorial.

 "The design utilizes uniquely powerful symbols of the Holocaust. The Memorial features six luminous glass towers, each 54 feet high. The towers are lit internally to gleam at night. They are set on a black granite path, each one over a dark chamber which carries the name of one of the principal Nazi death camps. Smoke rises from charred embers at the bottom of these chambers. Six million numbers are etched in glass in an orderly pattern, suggesting the infamous tattooed numbers and ghostly ledgers of the Nazi bureaucracy. Evocative and rich in metaphor, the six towers recall the six main death camps, the six million Jews who died, or a menorah of memorial candles."  

The pictures I took there don't really do it justice.

Two very different and unique experiences in Boston and two very close together on the "Freedom Trail" near Faneuil Hall.

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