The Opening

There is no doubt about it that art is a strange profession. Although I
try to give you a step by step feeling from time to time in
this blog, art is not a linear process. But the art life is not only not
linear, but full of surprises and delights. Despite my sense of humour,
and love of people, I am shy in some circumstances. Let's face it,
I paint at home. I have tried plein air with my friend Flora, and
I loved the experience, but couldn't produce a painting that way. I
need a figure for the figure part, and either the room or photo
reference for the rest. I usually take my own reference shots and
did for the paintings hanging in the opening tonight. So I paint alone
except for the model in my studio, following an idea hatched in my
mind, and then pack the results up in plastic bags, drive them across
town, and submit them to a show with no idea whether they worked

or not.

Poem by the Don
24" x 48"
&
The Illusive Don
12" x 48"
Diptych
For Sale

To my great relief when I arrived at the DVAC opening tonight, I
felt happy about where my paintings were hung, and that they
looked all right. So I was completely surprised when I won an
Honourable Mention for the East York category -- yep my idealized,
Don River paintings won an award. That was such
a surprise. I had missed the main prize giving and was rushed
up with my coat still on to accept the certificate. How sweet. Thanks
judges and the Don Valley Art Club and the Don River, my inspiration,
and to my fantastic model.

About the images One is 2' wide x 4' high. The other is 1' wide x
4' high. They were painted clamped together as one unit, and
then separated at the end to make sure they worked alone too.

Have a rewarding night.