The objects I paint are always shown as they are in the world — I don’t pull any magic tricks — it’s straightforward realism. But the one thing I do is scale-up. These bubble gum machines can hold a place of imagination and nostalgia. When painted large and bold, they dominate the space they are in. I suppose, in a way, the “trick” is to make you notice and captivate you, even just for a moment.
2¢ / 36 x 36 inches / oil on canvas
I had these hanging in my house for several months, but they are now in Los Angeles at the George Billis Gallery where they will be on display from February 22 – March 28.
Oak Gumball Machine / 36 x 24 inches / oil on canvas
2020 brings in another calendar from ITOYA in Japan. For the past four years, this fine stationery store sells a calendar they produce with my images. It’s a total delight and I love it — large and sturdy and tastefully designed.
This year ITOYA has also added a desk calendar.
The calendars are only available in the Japanese market — if you’re outside of Japan, try using tenso.com to import the calendar. You can find the calendar on the ITOYA website here.
A fresh 30 x 48-inch painting just off the easel is on the way to The George Billis Gallery in New York. It’s a sturdy Royal FP typewriter from the 1950s. You can take a closer look at it → here.
I have been working on my upcoming exhibition for the gallery’s Los Angeles location and have made major headway, so I am able to send this one to New York for clients to see.
I will have new work showing at the upcoming SOFA art fair in Chicago at Navy Pier. The George Billis Gallery will have a booth where you can view my paintings — it’s on from October 31 to November 3.
Antique Candlestick Telephone / 20 x 16 / oil on canvas / framed
I had the honour of having my painting appear on the cover of the summer and fall 2019 edition of The Southampton Review. Inside the beautifully published literature and fine art journal, there are also 8 paintings from my portfolio.
I am pleased that the publisher appreciates the poetry of my paintings and finds them able to relate to their audience and correspond with the other art and writings in the magazine. I aim for my paintings to have subtle narratives and it is a privilege to be able to spend my time endlessly working on them.
I was again invited to participate in a big group exhibition at the Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina. Celebrating their 15th year in business, Everyone’s a Winner includes 40+ artists and will be on display during September. My contribution is The Pleasures of Life. Tap/click on the image for a closer look.
The Pleasures of Life / 24 x 24 / oil on canvas / framed
It is going to be a busy and productive fall and winter for me. I am setting up to work on several new paintings for my next solo exhibition which will be in Los Angeles in February/March 2020 at the George Billis Gallery LA.
First up we’ve got this set of cameras, just completed and set aside in the stockpile.
There will also be a few art fairs along the way before I head to LA for the show and I plan on having fresh work for them as well. I’ve got my work cut out for me.
Fresh work, off the easel and now on their way to the George Billis Gallery in New York. These are smaller, more like studies and a practice to get in the groove of painting after several days off from the studio. Time away from the studio frequently happens in the summer, especially when you live on Vancouver Island. There are endless things to do in nature that distract — in a good way.
After spending months working in a bubble for the recent solo exhibition I had in New York and turning around a tight deadline for a group exhibition in Charleston, I am enjoying a slower pace in the studio — really good timing as we shift into summer.
One / 28 x 22 / oil on canvas / 2019
I thought I’d share a painting that has yet to have a spotlight on this blog.
When working toward an exhibition I look back at my portfolio. And fourteen years ago I painted this clock and thought it was time to single it out again, this time putting it in the gallery in New York. It’s also available as a print.
Vintage Alarm Clock / 16 x 16 / oil on canvas / 2005
In 2005 when I first painted this clock, I can distinctly remember the sense of urgency. Time was always precious and fleeting for me back then. I had two children under the age of three, a regular day job at a university teaching fine art photography and an old house that was always in desperate need of repairs.
This painting would have been done shortly after the kids were put down for a nap, or in the evening when there was a spare hour or two. I look back at my journal entries from then and marvel at how much I was able to do in a day. And when I look at this past painting I can see how I was trying to move toward considerably more detailed work but was crunched for time.
The past fourteen years have seen so much change in the way I operate through the day. I left my day job long ago once I was able to see I could sustain an actual livable income off of my paintings. My children grew up and are now bright-eyed teenagers who no longer need hands-on parenting while I spend countless hours through the day focussing on my paintings.
I have to admit that I am completely in awe when I think about what will change over the next fourteen years when I plan on picking this clock up from its spot on the shelf in my studio and painting it again.
May 3 is the opening day fora group exhibition called “Perfectionists” at the Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina. Check out my contribution to the show below.
Underwood No.5 / 36 x 30 / oil on canvas
When I was invited to participate I thought about the idea of “perfectionism”. I’ll be honest — it’s sometimes my problem. I want everything to be perfect and in reality, it can’t be. The reason I keep painting is that I am trying to perfect my work. The previous painting I completed didn’t seem to work out exactly as I had planned, so I try again with another painting. If I live forever, will I paint forever, always chasing the elusive perfect painting?
A closer look at the precision in the composition.
When I set up a group of objects for a painting I always consider negative space, repeating elements, shapes, angles, lines, perspective — everything that moves the eye around the canvas. I use grids to help outline the composition. The objects I paint are engineered machines with symmetry and balance often baked right into their designs, so applying these rules to the paintings seems fitting. The overall effect I am trying to achieve is a sense of order, calmness and stability. Painting these objects transforms them from cold and banal tools to something more human and hopefully pulls a viewer in to think about how they relate to the world of objects around them.
