Last year I started painting film projectors after years of seeing them in vintage and antique stores. They have all the trappings of a subject I like to paint.
The reels all have these unique designs. The repeating pie shapes, the circular repetition, the repeating lines on the lamp housing.
The dials, knobs, levers, switches, gears, springs and buttons give the paintings a tactile sensation.
This will sound sentimental, but who cares. I like the thought of how exciting these cameras would have been to a kid who received it as a gift. Back when photography took time, it would have seemed magic. I like the thought that these lenses were the eyes on so many events.
And then there is the fact I can present these objects in such an orderly way. The four cameras are all 3/4 turned, facing to the right. These black cubes, such simple shapes, with the circular flash from the unique Spartus camera. The stack of ten cameras makes a small architectural structure, each with a different facade. The box cameras with their shining brass art deco designs, the different materials used. Composing the cameras this way adds a structure and order.
The materials, their designs, the history and story, their utility as image making tools, cameras are deserving of a portrait.
I have been painting cameras for well over a decade. You can see 40 paintings of cameras I’ve done on good old Flickr.
As with many of my recent paintings, the subjects were found at Everything Old in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island.
Typewriters are all about ideas and writing. They seem to spark the act, I think it’s because of the physicality of them. They make this amazing noise, your words literally express themselves vocally as you tap away at the keys. You have to immediately concentrate, your whole mind and body becomes involved. You focus.
These two typewriters are a great contrast to one another – the Corona with its sleek black curves and stately design, the Royal with its crisp blue and modern edges.
I have these typewriters in my collection, and when they’re out of their cases they invite anyone around to sit down and type.
Both of these typewriters were found at Everything Old – an antique store in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island.
I had a great time in Los Angeles at the opening reception for my exhibition at the George Billis Gallery LA.
For the most part, being a painter is a solitary experience. One spends a great deal of time focussing and concentrating on making the paintings, then things turn completely and you find yourself sharing the finished pieces with everyone you possibly can. It can be a little jarring to go from solitude and privacy to a public, open space.
But I’m very happy with the way the paintings turned out. And I think the gallery did a great job of displaying the paintings.
The gallery is also showing a few sculptural pieces by John A. Peralta. These exploded camera and projector pieces are fascinating. I see it as a deconstruction / reconstruction way of looking at things. Viewing these exploded objects has the same effect as my paintings – they make the viewer slow down and really investigate the object.
John’s construction of these sculptures is absolutely meticulous. True craftsmanship.
Check out this ad for my exhibition in art ltd. magazine.
Always these vintage books conjure up a narrative – perhaps naïve, perhaps blindly optimistic. But that is precisely the charm I’m looking for. I like the contradiction this casts over the regular pall of doom we are forced to endure every day. Read more
I’ve been working toward this exhibition of a dozen new paintings over the last several months. I’m very happy with the way each one turned out – you can see them here.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, please do check it out. The paintings will be hanging at the George Billis Gallery LA from May 21 – June 25, 2016.
I will be at the artist’s reception on Saturday, May 21 from 5:00 – 8:00pm. Come say ‘hello’ if you can.
Here are a couple of close-up shots of me working on the details. The final stages of a painting are always the most satisfying. The camera I’m painting was found at Everything Old – one of my favourite places on planet earth.
These are the final two paintings of a dozen new ones for my May 21 – June 25 exhibition at the George Billis Gallery LA.
Before this I shared a crowded clock piece. This week I’m sharing a clean, simple trio of clocks. I like the sense of space and order in this one.
This is one of the dozen new paintings that’ll be heading to Los Angeles for my exhibition next month.
Another quick glimpse at one of the paintings I’ve been working on.
I’ve spent a great deal of time working on the shadows and highlights on this piece.
As with all my work, looking at it on your screen – a computer, a phone, an iPad – it’ll look far more tight than it does in the flesh. When standing in front of the actual painting you’ll see several think layers of paint.