Pleased to share that the George Billis Gallery LA is showing a few of my paintings at Art Palm Springs. The fair runs February 16 – 19, 2017.
Art Palm Springs 2017
Royal Typewriter in Progress
I haven’t shared anything on my blog in a few weeks because I’m knee deep in several complex paintings. I don’t know how some people have the time to share so much on social media. Every time I decide I should post on Instagram or Facebook it seems to take way longer than anticipated. I’d rather be painting.
Oliver No. 3 Typewriter
This painting of an Oliver No.3 Typewriter from 1907 is my contribution to the Attention to Detail exhibition at the Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina. The Exhibition runs through February 2017.
The exhibition features 30 realist painters from the USA, Canada, Spain and England. It is an honour to have been invited to show my work beside artists who share an affinity for this labour intensive approach to painting.
I found this magnificent typewriter at Everything Old – an antique shop near my home.
A Lengthy Interview
This past summer I did an interview with the Bureau of Arts & Culture Magazine. A long interview. My process, my inspirations, all of it is discussed.
So if you really want to know the back story on how and why I do what I do, please take the time to read through.
2016
Month to month, day to day, I spend all my time immersed in my paintings. Each painting takes such a great deal of effort and concentration that I often lose sight of the big picture, literally focussing on only small areas, both in life and the paintings.
Taking some time now to step back and look at 2016 I can see it was a very productive year for me. I count 44 paintings that I completed. That took me by surprise. I have been busy.
Over the past year I have had the good fortune of adding JJ Abrams, Bill Prady and others in the Hollywood area to the list of my collectors.
I have some big goals for 2017 that will keep me focussed in my studio. It’s good to have something to keep oneself occupied. Otherwise you might get distracted by fake news, drowning in social media, macho world leaders Tweeting about nuclear weapons, untimely celebrity deaths, etc., etc. I think I’ll just retreat to painting to see if I can find some joy in the world.
My resolution for 2017 is simple; I’ll remind myself to step back once in a while to see the big picture and gain some perspective. Read more
Corona in Progress
I have used this vintage Corona No. 3 typewriter in the past – but nothing gives new life to a subject like a wall of beautifully vibrant colour.
Eight Penguin Classics
Many of these Penguin Classics are the books that you should have read when you were in your teens, but probably wouldn’t have understood fully until you were in your thirties. It is available through the Elliott Fouts Gallery.
Giving these books a try early on in life is good but I have personally found that revisiting them later makes them way more relevant. These books are written by people who had a full spectrum of experiences and knowledge and I am only now finding that I understand where they come from. Read more
The Way To Win
I found this book, The Way To Win, and had to add it to my little late 19th Century library of books that reveal the way our people were thinking just over 100 years ago. The book is a very detailed, very long self-help style book from a John T. Dale.
After browsing through the chapters, I’m left to wonder if anyone who picked up the book in 1891 found success as they went chapter by chapter and tried to structure a meaningful, successful life.
The thing that I find interesting is how this book reads and seems so much like modern-day self help. It’s all here, published 125 years ago. You can find all of this being self-published on countless blogs or YouTube channels today. I wonder if John T. Dale would have found an audience if he was one of those numbers today?
ITOYA 2017 Calendar
Several months ago I was approached by ITOYA in Japan and asked to collaborate on a 2017 calendar featuring my paintings. ITOYA operates stationary stores and cafés, the calendar is available exclusively in Japan.
It was a careful process to select the right images, and the designer did a great job. The calendar turned out much better than I anticipated. It is large and represents my paintings well. It is made with high end materials and in limited numbers.
It is printed on a heavy weight, sturdy paper in full color – but I am only sharing black and white sneak peeks here.
If you are outside of Japan, try using tenso.com to get the calendar shipped to you. The calendar can be found here on the ITOYA website.
Tiny Collection
Over the years I’ve collected many objects – at one point things started to get out of hand and so I downsized, but I’m starting to run out of space again.
Luckily some objects are small enough to fit anywhere. My wife and kids have taken to gifting me miniature inspiration.
