Travelling tomorrow to Los Angeles for a few days. I always take time to pack what art I am going to work on. It is as important as what clothes I am going to wear. I have spent a few days preparing papers and making sure I have enough drawing material. I must work. The need to make art is too great.. I am always interested in what a new location will bring to my work and how my work will affect the new location.

It has been some time since I posted but let me assure you I have not been taking it easy!  I have been working very hard having completed a very large Construct painting for Nordstrom in Vancouver. Making the jump up in size made me realize the new potential of my work. The impact of the increased size and how it can command a room. I am very excited by this shift and have started 12 new large paintings that I will be hitting hard upon my return from California. I can feel my work about to explode once again. I am very focused and can hardly wait to see my new paintings.

Last week I was fortunate enough to have Chris Cran in to see my show and have a one on one with him a couple of days later at the gallery. I have always listened to Chris. He is a great painter and has a very good eye. It is hard to find someone that you can trust while looking at your work. With Chris I feel I have that. We walked around looking at the new series and I listened while we went from one painting to the next. This series is so new to me. I have felt each of the paintings but I have not seen them. Or not all of them. If that makes any sense? I remember when I was young and John Walker was in my studio and I had a painting which I thought was half done. John looked at it and said it is finished. I was floored. Finished? How could I stop working on this painting which was only half done. He then said to me, leave the painting for a week. Don't touch it. If after a week it does not look finished, paint on it.
I never touched that painting again. He later said to me that it was a felt situation and that I had not seen it yet. I learned a lot from that. What is great about working like this is that you are always looking. Always searching. Always finding.

Back with Chris, I was overwhelmed by his kindness and complements. One I will never forget was him describing a painting as f**king killer!
Painting is a quiet and lonely life. You spend so much of your time away from the public eye. So to put yourself out there and have someone like Chris praising my work like he did gives me the pat on the back that makes it easy to go back in to the studio.
Thank you Chris for a wonderful visit

A new little painting now up in Jennifer Kostuik Gallery Vancouver. 

Opening is done. A great turn out and wonderful support. Thank you to all who dropped in.

It is always interesting to talk to people and see what they bring to the paintings. With this being a brand new series never seen before I was very pleased with all the very positive responses. I look forward to talking more about the work and meeting with people over the next few weeks.

One of my latest paintings. In the gallery awaiting the opening!

Oil Enamel, Earth and Rust on multiple Birch Panels

2014

Shots of the show which opens Saturday November 22