Airport Travellers

This is a re-post of the same painting...different photo. The first one was quite subdued and didn't represent very well.

I want to thank everyone again, publicly this time, for their marvelous warmth and support of my courageous wife Rose. Last evening her doctor called to say that the bone biopsy he performed came back negative...Negatory!!! Wow, what a relief for both of us. I'm not planning to turn this into Rose's health blog, but again, I wanted to thank everyone and pass on some great news. She still has a long way to go, but the fight is on one front, not two or ten. In my joy, I painted this current DSFDF challenge which I loved...probably my favorite next to last year's portrait exchange. Painted to the sounds of U2 and the flavors of a fine merlot, this came together quite smoothly with only a couple of drawing changes at the beginning. It's unusual for me to have thoughts other than painting when working on a piece, but the welcome distraction was a bonus, in that I probably kept a few more details out of this.
oil on canvas board 12 "x 9"

City Roof View

This challenge from Karin was really hard to get to for me. My wife Rose was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, and we've been dealing with that for the last couple of months. She had her first chemo treatment on Monday ( 8 1/2 hrs)and is doing fine, all things considered. She is so brave and strong. I stayed home with her for the second day today, and was urged to do this painting and get some normality back in our lives. We are very optimistic that the outcome of all this will be positive and mark the days till the end of the treatments. I must admit, I've lost a lot of drive for the time being with regards to painting and blogging, but hope to rekindle my interest with this latest submission. oil on masonite 5" x 7"

Thank You Karin

When I read Karin's post, it was hard to believe a year had passed. The first thing that popped into my head was what a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to this auspicious occasion and the great lady responsible for it. This marked the beginning of some great new relationships, growth and accomplishment as an artist and the most fun I've ever had painting. Happy anniversary everyone.
oil on masonite 4 1/2" x 6"

Her New Bag

This is from a photo I took a few months ago in Germany. This lovely young lady walked by our 7th floor hotel room deep in thought, probably on her way to work. The colours in her face and arm did not photograph well, and I think I will have to concentrate more on using cleaner colours with more positive brush strokes. The camera seems to pick up all these little weaknesses. I'll be away again, and will try to correct this, but thought I'd post it anyway.
oil on masonite 8" x 10 1/2"

San Fran

This week's challenge showed a lot of detail and the consensus appears to be that it was difficult. I too found it challenging and only started enjoying the painting after some drawing issues were solved. With this perspective and a long dipping street, it is easy to lose the depth and elevation changes creating a bowling alley. The many wires and cables were also a potential problem, but a beautiful area of interest, so I decided to include as few as possible to tell the story. (Note here...this is me trying to sound like an artist...ha!). Check out all the other versions at DSFDF. oil on masonite 6 1/2" x 8"

Paul and Anna

This is a portrait of my cousin Paul and his wonderful wife Anna. When we visited them earlier this year for the very first time, their warmth and hospitality was limitless, and we definitely were made to feel part of their family. We couldn't have felt more welcomed. The setting here is their favorite restaurant where we ate outside on a shaded patio on a beautiful sunny afternoon. We will never forget that day, and by painting the moment, it is forever in my mind, and after I mail it to them, hopefully theirs as well. We hope to visit them again soon, in Augsburg, Germany.
oil on masonite 10 1/2" x 7 1/2"

In Full Stride

This was a fun little figure study done from a photo I took earlier this year from a seventh floor window. I must of clicked fifty pictures of various people walking, riding and jogging, so there are a few more of these in my future. I am working on an idea for a large scale piece along these lines.
oil on masonite 9 1/2" x 7 1/2"

Waiting

This was a great figurative challenge from DSFDF that I finished about a week ago. I painted this outside on my deck in the brilliant sunshine, effectively making this my first plein air painting with an asterisk. I used a reference photo instead of what lay before me, so I'm thinkin' this probably does not qualify...but it sure was fun painting outside. oil on canvas panel 8" x 10"

Rower

Another submission just under the wire. I started this a couple of weeks ago and just didn't get to it until now. While I was painting, I was wondering how many other people thought about Paula Villanova while they were working on their pieces. There is a definite resemblence to Paula in her dark shades as she appears in her avatar don't you think? oil on masonite 8" x 6 1/2"

On The Catwalk

This cute little critter is looking for a home and this painting will go to the D'Arcy Animal Rescue Center to help raise some funds. The shelter has a large number of cats at the moment, so hopefully some will find new homes soon. oil on masonite 5" x 8"

Fresh Harvest

Well I just got this finished under the bell...I"d hate to miss a challenge, but getting to these challenges is sometimes becoming a challenge in itself. I have to apologize for the lackluster performance on commenting on some of the great submissions. This week's contributions to DSFDF were again, fabulous. oil on masonite 6 1/2" x 8"

Pennsylvania Farm

This week's DSFDF challenge was a black and white photo of this tranquil rural scene which could be almost anywhere. I just got back at painting this morning and it felt great, as I really miss my time at the easel and of course on the computer doing a little blogging. oil on masonite 8" x 6"

Looks like I'm going to be out of the loop for a little while. So not ignoring anyone, haven't gone into hibernation, although there were a few flurries here in the last couple of days. UGH! Paint and have fun, and I'll talk to you all soon.

Madison Avenue, NYC

Madison Ave. was a great photo that really inspired me, so I decided to up the scale, and try it on a black background. Karin paints this way, and when Cheryl Anderson said that she had tried it, I decided to give it a go myself, and really liked the dark ground. I've been blocking in with thinner dark paint, and then using medium values, establishing forms and shapes. This way the blocking is done with the medium to dark tones...kind of saves a step. I have to say though, I like both methods. oil on masonite 12" x 16"

Melissa

This gorgeous young lady calls me Dad and occasionally Daddy, which usually means something is up...ha! This is my first ACEO and it was a lot of fun to do, especially since I had such an interesting subject. Now I just need to get a better photo of her sister to complete the set. I probably would never have done anything this small, if not for the grandmaster of ACEO, Akiko Watanabe. So thanks for the nudge Akiko, I've now tried something new yet again.

Stand By Me

This painting was inspired by a video link that Joanne Giesbrecht posted on her blog a few days ago. I found it so moving that I felt compelled to paint this amazing street artist, Roger Ridley from Santa Monica, Calif., who starts it all off. Thanks Joanne. There are several other fabulous performers that some of you may feel the urge to immortalize. I can see about 82 more potential paintings here. Crank it up and enjoy...and thanks for standing by me. http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741
oil on masonite 8" x 6"

A Companion of Diana

This painting was intended as an exercise in drawing by Karin Jurick, and was again something not many of us would choose to do. I pretty much had it done a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't happy with the background and decided to look at it for awhile, and then settled on this. I kind of reverted back to my old thinner style of painting, but did all the drawing with paint as I have now started doing. oil on canvasboard 9" x 12"

Melosia

Melosia is an older girl (8 yrs.) who is very laid back, although she looks like she would like to lick you to death...ha! She loves to be petted and is anxiously waiting for a new home. She is currently at D'Arcy's A.R.C. animal rescue center in Winnipeg. If anyone would like to adopt Melosia or purchase this painting, please contact the shelter and they will name the price with all proceeds going to them.

Leaving The Scene

This is the second painting from the 16th floor (daughter's new condo...yea)! Got a great tip from Liz regarding shadows in that they should never be as dark as the solid object, so I had to try this immediately, and am way happier with the results. Edward Burton had also told me that the shadows should lighten as they recede. Thanks to both of these great artists.
oil on masonite 8" x 9"

Under Surveilance

This is from a photo I took yesterday from the 16th floor of a condo my daughter is trying to buy. (hope she gets it, love the perspective) I guess artist types have a little voyeur in them...300mm lens...ha!
oil on masonite 5 3/4" x 7"

Sheenu

I've decided to branch out and try and help a couple of other shelters in Winnipeg that aren't as well funded. This is Sheenu, a lovely Newfoundland cross who is currently residing at D'Arcy A.R.C. (animal rescue center) and she is looking for a new home. Not much else on her except that she is about 2 years old and looks to have a great disposition. I painted this portrait while listening to Black Joe Lewis, a killer new band whose guitarist just happens to be Camille Larue Olsen's nephew. You can see his fabulous portrait on Camille's blog). Some great tracks on this...it must have spun through about 3 times on my itunes while I was painting, but it didn't matter, because it doesn't get old fast. Check it out if you like some good clean sounding blues/rock music. oil on masonite 5 3/4" x 7"

Nala

For my first cat portrait ...ever, I chose a photograph which I took of Nala when I visited the Humane Society on Tuesday. She is a young female domestic cat looking to be adopted. Without a Karin challenge this week, I may do a couple more shelter animal portraits or start a new larger piece. Haven't decided yet, but I'm feelin' itchy to paint something. We got snow again yesterday, ( happy April Fools Day, only problem is...I'm NOT kidding), so I've been putting off trying my first plein air painting. Apparently this is something one can do in the snow, but that seems a little hard core for me right now. Hope everyone is staying motivated and getting some great work done.
oil on masonite 5 3/4" x 7"

Lemonade Award

THE GODFATHER of BLOG, James Parker, honored me with a visit and bestowed on me this delicious award. Thank you so much James. I have decided to continue with my wicked ways and break the rules of engagement here, (definitely with no disrespect to James or the award.) I am passing this award to any and all of the artists participating in the Art for Shelter Animals program and encourage everyone else to give it a shot. It's a lot of fun, and even more rewarding.

Bruno

Well, instead of watching a movie tonight, I spent a couple of hours getting to know Bruno here a little better. He is a handsome German Shepard mix and is looking for a forever home here in Winnipeg. This was from one of the shelters own photos, (they got someone over there who can shoot.) I hope to drop the first two off this week, as I think they will finally be dry enough.
oil on masonite 7" x 5 3/4"

A Passion For Painting

In the last few weeks I've been tagged and honored by some great artists, Dominique Eichi, Edward Burton, Maggie Mayer, Sheila Tajima, Joanne Giesbrecht, and Tom Pohlman. For various reasons I haven't replied in a timely fashion. ( laziness might be one of them, but not the really BIG one) Soooo.... I've decided to break all the rules and respond Crazy Canuck style. ( I play hockey and drink beer...eh!)

The usual rules for all of the above awards are: Link the aforementioned best friends.

List 7 things you love.

5 random things about yourself,

5 more things you love and

Answer a series of questions!
Pass these great awards on to seven deserving artists.

Okay now for the fun part, I'm going to mix and match it up a little to start.

#1. I love to mix and match it up a little to start..... WOW, nice one!

#2. I love to HATE pina coladas and DEFINITELY walking in the cold wet rain. (because I'm usually GOLFING when that happens and remember...beer guy here!)

#3. I LOVE pina coladas and walking in the rain if it means getting to THIRD base, (my wife can play SO hard to get on occasion, but what a baseball fan.)

#4. I love...well, LOVE... Now if only it could be as unconditional as it is with our furry animal friends. Did you see what I just did there? I changed it up, ...being very SERIOUS.

Changing it up again, this is from Joanne Giesbrecht's's tag. Here are a couple of the questions.

#5. What are you wearing right now?
Right now? You mean this instant Joanne? Next question.
#6. Who was the last person you hugged?
It definitely wasn't my stock broker or my banker.

Now for some incredibly interesting and fascinating things about...MEEEEEE!!!!
#7.
#8.
#9. and I could go on.

Well that's it for the listing stuff, and I'm going to continue my irreverent path of rule destruction by linking more than 7, (could be lots more) amazing artists who have influenced and helped me along. Pick up your award if you don't already have it by copying the one at the side of my blog. Please visit these blogs if you haven't already, and feast your eyes. I'm not tagging these people, I'm acknowledging them. ( Sorry, yet another rule violation, and I am now skating over to the penalty box.)

Karin Jurick, because she deserves it more than anyone I know.
Liz Wiltzen, not a blogger, but my teacher and friend.
Alice Thompson, got me going on the blogging among other things. She'll be back soon.
All of the artists linked above, they are cool people.
Camille Olsen, what a breath of fresh air.
Pattie Wall, an inspiring individual and great blog friend.
Akiko Watanabe, well everyone knows Akiko...she's amazing.
Adebanji Alade, if only I could sketch or paint like this guy.
Marilyn King, I love her work and her demos.